If you show a geologist a buff colored rock and ask them what rock it is, they will likely let out an exasperated sigh. On the Radiant side, the rock type is a little more difficult to determine. (Screenshot by Esports Edition.) Figure 2: A diagram of a hot spot. Furthermore, thin, low viscosity lava tends to issue from vents that don’t have cones around them, and low viscosity is often associated with basaltic melts, which harden into the dark rock basalt. The rocks are pretty dark in color, so we can assume they are rich in iron and magnesium minerals, aka “Mafic” (Magnesium-Ferric) rocks. Since Dire doesn’t have a big conical volcano as part of its base, we can assume the lava is probably just issuing from various volcanic vents.
All that lava and geothermal heat has to come from somewhere, and you can get a glimpse of it when Dire’s Ancient explodes. Figure 1: What a geologist sees in the Dota 2 map. Later, we’ll discuss various geologic explanations for the landscape of the Dota terrain. My introductory geology textbook always featured photos of real-life locations alongside sketches of “what a geologist sees.” With this in mind, I took a quick glance at the map and drew a sketch (Fig. Dota 2 fans are nothing if not implacable (take it from one), but, hopefully now, we can just shut up and watch.Why does the terrain on the Dota 2 battlefield look the way it does? In this article, we propose several hypotheses for geologic processes that have sculpted Dota 2’s map. Of course, there are now multitudinous complaints about the ruling alongside with proliferating complaints about the complaints (and, for good measure, some complaints about those too). In the end, though, Valve caved to public pressure and settled on the lowest common denominator: the rest of The International 7 will be played on Dota 2's standard terrain.
Reef's Edge is a beautifully detailed piece of work from the Valve's artists-tiny bubbles rise like angels, and distant whale song conjures a lonely majesty-and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. What's more, for regular viewers, the underwater map really is a refreshing change from the standard high fantasy one, which has been around since Dota 2's debut in 2011. Without The International 7's distinctive aquatic terrain, however, the Biggest Tournament Ever is just another championship. Different iterations of the tournament are themed in only the loosest sense possible (last year's theme, for example, is probably best described as " red"), but this year's underwater trappings are marginally more ambitious.
If they did, they'd be raising hell, which they aren't exactly shy about doing.ĭefenders of Reef's Edge, meanwhile, suggest that abandoning the underwater terrain denies some of what makes this International this International.
Is changing the terrain really going to make an immensely complex game like Dota 2 that much harder to understand? And is there really any evidence that the terrain affects the quality of play? Though some have suggested that Reef's Edge makes certain hero abilities like Broodmother's "Spin Web" harder to see, professional players don't seem to think the map has any appreciable affect on gameplay. Those aren't entirely unreasonable points, even if they are a little overblown. (In fact, earlier this week, the English Premier League, following the UEFA, banned elaborate pitch designs altogether on exactly this logic). Still others hold that using the "standard" terrain is necessary for the same reasons that traditional sports league limit on-field designs: to minimize variation between matches. While Reef's Edge preserves this distinction to some degree, it's nowhere near as pronounced, and many have suggested that using an elaborate new map is antithetical to Valve's hope that The International will introduce Dota 2 to a new generation of players. Consider: The art direction of Dota 2's standard terrain helps spectators orient themselves by dividing the map into two distinctly styled halves, Radiant (lush forests, cute critters, etc.) and Dire (snakes 'n shit). Its signatories argue that the underwater terrain creates a difficult viewing experience, especially for those new to the game. You'd think that would be a good thing, but, yesterday, a petition asking Valve to use Dota 2's default terrain for the remainder of The International garnered over 9,000 upvotes on the Dota 2 subreddit.