Hello, LightRedemption here. The ultimate aim of this blog would be to gather up people and teach them about the things that would benefit them in DotA/Dota 2 in the long run while hoping to educate the general community in a positive way.
A DotA [Life] Story
~Art by bamuth on Deviant Art
2008 - We all have to start somewhere
I'd be lying if I said I remember clearly the events of 4 years ago. I was 14, so I don't think I'm expected to anyways. It all started when a friend of mine asked me to play with him and his friend, custom map of Warcraft 3. Well, I haven't played Warcraft 3 since I was 10. so I basically just shrugged and said "Yeah". It was around late September if I recalled correctly. Anyways, it was a game against AI bots. Needless to say, I got thrashed, but from a future perspective looking back, I didn't fail that bad. You could only do so much when the only item you could build was Sange & Yasha and the only hero you knew half way back then was Terrorblade, with the channeling Soul Drain. It was hilarious, truth be told. I, basically, was fascinated to no end. It was also, evidently, the start of my last year in middle school, so I had to deal with that too. Still, I found the free time I needed to play. I don't want to use the word "train" because I had little idea of what I was doing, so I just played. After an intensive few days of 1vs1 with another new player, I learned a few of the heroes, some of the items, and learned to stack Wraith Bands on something if things turned to shit. It was fun, but I know I was ready for something else. It was winter break at the end of the year, so I went into playing intensively. I didn't have much of a social life when I was 14, yeah, I blame a lot of things, but never mind that. Basically, the rest of 2008 was me trying to get my knowledge together and play with real people (on Garena, hwe hwe hwe) for once.
2009 [First Half] - Friends... what can you do without them?
Apparently, a lot. It is just so convenient that a lot of the guys in my class at school play DotA too, and they were much better than me at the time (most have been playing for 1+ years) and I was just starting to understand what was going on most of the time. I hated them, but I don't really have much of a choice for an "organized game" of sort. I took games with them anyways. The first half of 2009 (the last semester of my middle school life) was mostly spent playing with those guys, losing most of my matches and got blamed for them. It was alright though, I was an outcast anyways, and I don't mind the flaming that much, considering how I didn't really care much, mostly to improve. I had all of those people on my Garena friendlist though. I didn't know it at the time, but it actually helped me later. We'll get to that. For now all you need to know is that I was not only struggling with school but with things outside school as well. At the very least, my competence and command of the English language got me together with an online group of 4, which I came across while lurking on DA (which was pointed to me by that original friend who introduced me to DotA). We had a plan of online training once I got out of school and graduate. In the mean time, I was even more shunned within my own class. I was under constant depression, so yeah. The first half of 2009 ended with my having complete knowledge of a pubber. However, I was also aware enough that there is higher level play, albeit I can't seem to mimic them.
2009 [Second Half] - The birth of DotM, and PlayDotA
Ah yes, I finally got out of middle school. High school hasn't started yet, but I haven't much hope for it either. I was still very much a teenager back then (I still am now, but my hormones seem to disagree). During the summer of 2009, a lot of things happened: PD was created, which I picked up after continously lurking in DA (if anyone knew my old account on DA, I could give that person a beta key right now). The 4 friends that I was playing with formed a team with me, named it DotM (again, anything for the person who could point out what it stands for). Lastly, and no doubt most importantly, I got myself a girl friend. It was the best summer I ever had. Even though I didn't expect much from high school, I must say I went into it with my head held high. Surprisingly enough, there was a lack of DotA players (only ~4 people have played DotA before), so I was set out to spread its influence. Since I got back to school, DotM disbanded. If any of you guys, ChaoS, Elder, Ignitus or Sakura could be reading this right now, say something, I miss you. I also found out that after almost a year of intensive (yes, it was the most intensive I ever played anythng) training, I realized I have improve tremendously, even to at least hold my own in most of the pub games, if not out right winning them. That fact became evident after I started playing with my new classmates, who I, astounishingly, do not despise. I still didn't have much of a social life, but at least I had my girlfriend. It took some measures to try and get a few new classmates to join the game, and it worked to an extent (a few of them could be seen on this forum right now). All in all, the later half of 2009 was a success.
2010 [First Half] - PlayDotA Garena Group
I got into a bit of trouble with my academic performances (the last time) so needless to say my DotA AND girlfriend time was cut short. it was highly frustrating, but there was also something else that caught my attention. On the PlayDotA forums, I finally stopped being a lurker and started mildly partcipating in forums activity. At the time, PDGG (PlayDotA Garena Group) seemed like a great choice for an international playground and place to meet new people. My general aim was to get in it, and got in it I did. It was, by all means, the place where I missed the most. I met so many great people there, most of which had already disappared by the time this was written. Infi, Zesty, Cell, Arch, Ghuy, Kikoni, Moe, claniraq, Supersheep, iser, Swiftkick, Zepphird, Dark Medina, CvP, Solet Luna, Dragon Fist, STR1D3R, shortail, fodminah, Cp6, Justin... I can't even name them all. It was just... so great, and I actually felt quite happy, despite the horrendous ping holding me back most of the time. My academics didn't take that huge a hit (not that it mattered, 2 years later looking back) and I got the DotA surge in my class up front and center. It was a force, and it was extremely good for my self-esteme. The first half of 2010 ended with a great note, as I went into summer, with mostly up beat thought in mind.
2010 [Second Half] - Great Depression
All good things have to end sometimes. As I was pulled into a new school year, the time I had to DotA was greatly decreased (and it actually never returned), PDGG was actually, regretablly, dying. I basically took a long hiatus from the PlayDotA forums. During this time, I heard that PDGG died and turned into PDIH instead, but I wasn't aware of it until I came back. The greatest depression of all, however, was the fact that I was no longer in a
2011 [First Half] - For the love of lesbians
Ah yes, 2011. It was a new chapter. I was suddenly extremely social and comfortable after I got over (sort of) my depression. I was all over the place (irl) and pumping up with frequent games with mostly friends. It was a great way to bounce back. It was during this period that I met Lapis and she started taking care of my account for me. For nostalgia sake, I came back to PDIH (PlayDotA InHouse) sometimes, but only to see most of the members I've come to know now gone, replaced with a whole sleuth of rather hostile newcomers, per se. Those who started with PDIH obviously did not recognize me, but since I was only there for the people, not the game, I didn't play much and moved on. This was also the time when I made a breakthrough in my DotA skill, and into a whole new realization of just where I stand and what I'm looking forward to. It helps a lot while playing a game as a hobby, considering how my being social gave me a lot of other things to do with my time. It warrants me to not fall back in terms of understanding and new contents even if I do take a break, and would always be that guy who knows what he's doing. Of course, I was busy as well, so I barely got anytime to play. If you're wondering why were lesbians mentioned, it's because they were, simple as that. It has little to do with DotA, so just leave it at that.
2011 [Second Half] - VALVefrog and the chaos of beta keys
Aside from the fact that I was starting to write quality guides during this time of the year (up until now, although the waiting period extends horrendously), the most entertaining news I have going into the summer was the iminent first tournament of Dota 2, and I can finally get a taste of the game and what it looks like. Honestly, it didn't catch my eyes at first. It was dark, which I liked, but it was also very bad due to my flawed eye sight. I could barely tell what's what. I was rather disappointed with "the International"'s results as well, since anyone could have seen how unprepared and uncomfortable the teams were with the new game, trying their best to not get lost. This was even more evident to the S.E.A teams, having significantly less practice time. I'm not QQ-ing though, since Na'vi did earn their title, no doubt about that. The big introduction of Dota 2 and its tournaments also made me realize I have little love for the competitive anymore (I have been following it since 2009 up to this point) and just gave up on doing so. At the end of August was when I got my beta key, but I could not use it to great effect considering how shit my pc is, and how IT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE INTERNET ACCESS (actually it still doesn't now, but that's unimportant now). What I could observe, however, was the great influx of new players crashing into PD, along with the Betakey draw, which invited even more. I can't say I'm happy with how that turned out, but it's not my place to comment because I couldn't have thought of anything better, personally. Around October, though, was when I finally got my social life covered to an extent, and another thing: I now have internet access in my house! Believe it or not, my parents ban me from using the internet, despite their not knowing what to do with their own high-end pcs. It was on my phone, lol, but at least it gave me a chance to be active for once in my life. I gave up my old account to Lapis, letting her manage the guides for me (which I occasionally do so myself) while I move on to this account. It signifies my participation on the forums while still staying social, my academic credits avoiding the short end of the stick and I was still able to be active, albeit not much DotA. All in all, it was a very great year.
2012 [First Half] - AMD and the projects
Oh boy was I ambitious. I still am, but I know where I stand. The first six months of 2012 were when I had a chance to severely broaden my horizon, even though I did take a hiatus some time during the early February (lol 4chan) I was still very aware of what was going on. I started writing blog entries after I realize how great it can be used for reference. I also expand my reach onto other parts of the forums that I used to ignore, and I got a ton of new, well, acquaintances would be the right word. My DotA playing quota took a huge nose dive, but I was still able to stay on top of the pubbers and the occasional semi-competitive teams that call me in as a bonus player. Overall, it was a very exiciting period that created many great memories. Most of it was not DotA-related, so I'll spare you the details. I have to say I'm quite surprised with just how active I'm being though, despite the fact that I barely get 10 hours of computer with internet a week. I also got to play Dota 2 a bit more now, getting myself familiar with the upcoming title to replace DotA. Admittedly I'm finding it rather hard to adjust to, but that would mostly be attributed to the fact that I've only played a few matches (even though my win rate is kind of unexpected). I have to say that VALVe is doing great things for this game, and I appreciate it. More or less, I could see how the older people of the community was slowly disappearing from activity, but I won't fret. I take it as a sign of a new generation, and the best thing is, I would still be here when the wave hits.
2012 [Second Half] - Speculations
I obviously don't know what would happen yet, since I'm writing this during the last few days of the first half of 2012, but I know what to expect. First, would be a completion of a community project (hopefully soon) that you probably wouldn't know about unless you're participating. Also, at the end of July, I would push out the PlayDotA magazine project that I have been keeping behind the shadows all these times. If you want to be a part of it, then there's still time, just send me a pm or something, I'll know if you contacted me. Thirdly would be "the International 2". I have high hopes for this tournament, despite the fact that I'm only here for the entertainment value and NOT rooting for any team in general. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do next, but I'm still young after all, I have my whole future ahead of me.
Mostly it's just a read for reference, since the DotA part of my life really isn't the most exciting one. I also just realized that this was actually the ONLY blog-like entry I've ever written, lol. As always, I am LightRedemption, and this has been another good day blogging. |
Total Comments 9
Comments
-
That was beautiful manPosted 07-01-2012 at 06:07 AM by tra2ce 
-
lol thanksPosted 07-01-2012 at 11:07 AM by CynthiaCrescent 
-
Why, this (for some reason) helped me get over a respectable streak of failed, lost games. Not the worst read for inspiration, should I say. I did get some.Posted 07-01-2012 at 04:52 PM by 1337_n00b
-
i can actually relate to this , reminds me to a lot of thingsPosted 07-04-2012 at 12:38 PM by Secchan
-
I haven't play dota lately at all... I feel like leaving the game once and for all.... This story has gived me the chance of thinking about a couple of things.Posted 07-06-2012 at 03:07 AM by Royal_Naga
-
Nice, I live in the Philippines too xDPosted 07-12-2012 at 10:22 AM by GASHOLE
-
....I don't.Quote:Originally Posted by GASHOLE
Nice, I live in the Philippines too xDPosted 07-14-2012 at 12:25 AM by CynthiaCrescent
-
its pratically complete..
Posted 07-23-2012 at 09:45 AM by Vikole
-
Wow I start with terrorblade too, the old TB <3.Posted 07-23-2012 at 09:32 PM by Apokita
