Valve has officially announced that Dota 2 will be released next year on PC and Mac. Despite the name, it seems like Dota 2 will be a remake of Dota, as opposed to a true sequel. The Warcraft III mod’s entire 100+ character roster will be brought to Dota 2, and gameplay is said to remain unchanged.
The game is being developed using Valve’s Source Engine, so we can expect a nice visual overhaul, with neat graphical whizz-bangs, like true cloth simulation and an improved global lighting engine. Additional interface tweaks will also streamline the experience, such as integrated voice chat.
There will not be a single player campaign, but there will be AI bots, in-game rewards and a new coaching system. Experienced players will be able to spectate and coach novices, and will even be able to earn in-game rewards for being highly rated by students. Coaches will be able to give tips in-game via voice chat.
Valve has heaped praise on Dota developer Icefrog, who they now employ. “IceFrog is one of the smartest designers we’ve ever met. He’s made so many good decisions over the years in building the product. He virtually never makes a decision that doesn’t have some reasoning behind it and a way to pick apart the logic behind it,” said project lead Erik Johnson.
“Valve is going to keep building software around Dota and around the community and around Steamworks for Dota, but we’re also going to build this system where the community can bring service to each other and be recognized for it,” said Johnson when talking to GameInformer.
Essentially, Dota 2 looks set to be a rebuilt Dota, with improved visuals and a more advanced interface.
Of course it will be built into Steam, although there has been no mention of whether Valve will sell it as a full priced game. Considering that Dota is a free to play mod for WarCraft III, pricing on Dota will be a key determining factor on whether Dota stalwarts migrate over.
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