Tag: moba

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League of Legends and the problem of online communities

If you liked what you read, why not back us on Kickstarter? Early last Friday, just before the opening remarks of “Tribeca Games Presents: The Craft and Creative of League of Legends,” I sat next to a young man named Will, who told me he had come all the way from Daytona Beach, Florida. I asked him if it was a business trip; this was the first time Riot and Tribeca Games had ever put on an event like this. There were a few hundred people present; it’s not the sort of thing I would expect fans to pilgrimage over. “No,”…
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Evolve sure is looking like a first-person MOBA

As evidenced in this new interactive video of space cadets shooting bullet-spongy, albino mutants, Evolve is getting its multiplayer-online-battle-arena on. The 4-on-1 giant monster battling game from the makers of Left 4 Dead, coming to PCs and next-gen consoles later this year, could be a bellwether for the mega-popular esport hatching out into other forms of games.  A crapload of MOBA stuff is evident. Take the fact that you level up within the space of one battle; that you kill this game’s version of “creeps” to level up; that while leveling up you buy power-ups during battle. Then, there’s the…
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Does DOTA 2 need a coaching mode?

So much for free play and good times. With the Three Spirits update, DOTA 2, that other MOBA game (we’ll stop with the acronyms soon–promise), is getting (even more) serious. I’m talking in particular about the addition of coaching mode. This new feature will allow players with more experience to give you a one-on-one training session. You and your entire team of lackeys can now be instructed by a pro player during on-line matches.  As we know from college athletics, coaching positions are lucrative. This also goes for DOTA coaches, who have a lot of cool tools at their disposal.…