A blog by FunkOff
Published on April 16, 2009 By FunkOff In Demigod

Demigod is fun, and more than any other character I play TB because he rocks. 

Ice mode is far superior to fire mode, though, and I've started playing games where I never switch to fire mode, except to get the mana regen boost and the damage boost from switching back.

Deep freeze bugs some times and I don't understand why. Occasionally in the heat of battle, I'll press 3 (for deep freeze) and target a bad guy. But the Deep Freeze doesn't take a TB just stands there. Intrinsically, I immediately repeat the other and try Deep Freeze again. The bug is that Deep Freeze won't work until I give a move order then try it after that. It shouldn't be like that.

Another bug is I had a large 5v5 panthenon game last night. About every 20 minutes the game would suffer a 2 minute long lag spike... for 2 minutes the game would freeze, the screen would turn a monotone grey, it looks like the game engine crashed.... but I waited it out all 3 times and 2 minutes later the game resumed as if there had never been any hiccup. Totally kills the pace of the game imo.

Lastly is another balance remark. The level 20 cap sucks. I understand the usefulness is having only 20 skill points. This makes sense, but the level 20 cap is a huge burden. I was playing in previously mentioned 5v5. I was 5 levels ahead of everybody else when I reached level 20 because I had been kicking ***, including a 15 kill streak. I ended up amassing 30,000 gold. I got the +120 attack sword and the God Plate armor. I was ripping through enemy Demigods. The problem was the game was on forts (eg, destroy all 5 enemy forts to win). 2 enemy forts remained, and whenever I'd attack either of them, 4-5 enemy demis would tele scroll there to fight me off. Seeing as I stopped leveling and they had continued, they were just trying to stall me.... and it worked. I managed to kill 1 more fort, but not both of them, before all my enemies reached levels 19/20. Despite being far better than anyone on the opposing team, I still lost the game because of the level cap. Allow more levels, just don't give skill points after level 20.

Oh, a favor points are bugged too. I was saving up favor points for an expensive item. When my favor point count reached around 600, at the start of the next game I had only 150. The favor point count resets itself.

Achievements also don't work. At least twice I have been awarded an achievement in-game, the big announcement came up, fellow players even made comments congratulating me. I open impulse, go to 'achievements' and 'You have no unlocked and achievements yet.' Fabulous.


Comments (Page 2)
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on Apr 16, 2009

@ Silphius  that isn't a terrible idea about increased gold. Artifacts can shift the balance of a game as fast as a higher lvl can.

on Apr 16, 2009

20 is a perfect cap. Stalling to gain levels is a stratedgy used very often in DoTa because the point is to always have a chance to come back. If your team wasn't good enough to take advantage of you being 20 so early, then the other time will rebound. That is, without being rude, your loss and lack of team work.

on Apr 16, 2009

Is there extra gold generated at level 20?  I had a lot of gold, but I figured that was from killing people, they are worth about 1500 apiece or more, and I only went back to base to buy gear about 4 times the entire match... my strategy revolves around staying in the field as long as possible, which is why I was so far ahead.

Also, I don't think we should get more than 20 skill points, I'm not debating that.  I think leveling should continue above 20, just without additional points awarded.

on Apr 16, 2009

I was under the impression that once you hit max level you start getting more gold in place of the XP.

It doesn't happen that way right now, afaik. 

On topic: If you make it to level 20 in an online game something is wrong.  You'll find most games against all-human opponents will end between level 10 and 15.  Give it a week and see if you are still hitting level 20.

on Apr 16, 2009

u should be able to level up and gain stat boots but no skills maybe?

on Apr 16, 2009

Cerulean_Shaman
20 is a perfect cap. Stalling to gain levels is a stratedgy used very often in DoTa because the point is to always have a chance to come back. If your team wasn't good enough to take advantage of you being 20 so early, then the other time will rebound. That is, without being rude, your loss and lack of team work.

 

There's always been a chance to come back without any need for an artificial level cap. Just beat your opponent in an equivalent number of skirmishes and you've closed the experience gap again, if you can't do that... "that is, without being rude, your loss and lack of team work." Once a level cap is reached it just serves to arbitrarily even out a game that was already leaning in one team or the other's favor.

 

The system is passable in straight 3v3/4v4/5v5 matches, because a fight between equal numbers of 20s should be decided by the more effective tactics and maybe a little luck, it'll just take longer in game types like conquest.

 

The system doesn't work so well in pantheon matches with unequal team numbers, to keep an even match it's assumed the smaller team will gain an experience advantage through better play. But once the level cap is reached, even if the all the battles end in the smaller teams favor, the advantage goes to the larger team but unlike with equal teams it doesn't end up on an equal footing. It would take an awful lot of extra talent to hold off 4 lvl 20s with only 2 lvl 20s.

on Apr 16, 2009

Yeah most games end between 20.

 

Complaining about getting lvl 20 whe neveryone is 15, and losing the game, is your fault not the games for letting the other people reach level 20 aswell before ending the game.

on Apr 16, 2009

Dota... is HUGE... I doubt anyone here can deny or "prove" that dota hasn't been a big success.  That in mind... There is a level cap in dota for a reason.  And it has been working great for a long time.

Each Demigod is different.  Some have more staying power (and will get more exp or level faster).  The OP talks about being overpowered and killing everyone and 15 kill's in a row... bla bla bla.   I don't understand why the OP thinks he should be stronger and have a better hero than others?  If you play better at the start/middle of the game you'll level faster and get more gold (more items)...

HOWEVER.  If you FAIL and noob it up (sorry but I do feel strongly about this point)... and waste that advantage... eventually the other team will catch up (the game is designed for that).  If you are so powerful but were unable to kill the enemy base because they had teamwork...

THAT IS THE WHOLE point.  For whatever reason you were stronger 1v1 than other ppl in that match... so the enemy team used teamwork to counter you.  Imagine a team game where teamwork pays off!

on Apr 16, 2009

Yeah, I've very rarely seen a game reach 20 myself, even less frequently do I see more than 1 person at level 20. But just because it's rare it doesn't make it a completely mute point. The closest games are won by inches so saying you can't crush the opposition instantly at level 20 is just saying that it wasn't a massively one sided game.

 

If someone FAILs™, how does a level cap allow the better player to catch up when he wouldn't otherwise? If the leading team keeps genuinely making mistakes then even without a level cap they'll not be gaining exp as fast and be overtaken in the end. 

 

You cite dota as successful and say it has a level cap for a reason... But never mention what that reason is. Just because something is successful doesn't mean it's perfect in every respect.

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