Vitalii “V1lat” Volochai’s candid interview at the Major League All Stars tournament in Malaysia has sparked discussion and debate about the state and future of Dota 2.
V1lat doesn’t hold back when it comes to speaking out about the future of Dota 2 based on the current status of players’ attitudes and expectations, tournament scheduling and quality, DDOS attacks and the impact on game play. V1lat predicts that in a year Dota 2 will be obsolete and face similar fate of “Starcraft 2 with only 1 series of tournaments held by Valve”.
As usual, V1lat’s opinions and remarks stirred much discussion and debate over the social media sites.
@v1lat i am listening to the first minutes and I have to thank you for being here, you're the only one actually saying things out loud
— 7ckngMad (@7ckngMadDOTA) March 26, 2015
@7ckngMadDOTA @v1lat I don't agree with everything you said but you make some great points and idk why people refuse to LISTEN and THINK.
— Nahaz (@NahazDota) March 26, 2015
Everything @v1lat says is spot on. Most players, orgs, casters, artists etc in @DOTA2 space realize it and have been thinking for awhile
— David Gorman (@LDdota) March 26, 2015
Breakdown of key points
Major All Stars Tournament
V1lat acknowledged that finding and organization and sponsor to hold such a large event is not only impressive but also detrimental to the scene in the region. He confirmed the organizers were serious and put much effort into creating a worthy event. The main issues were technical in nature and the organization did not understand the impact they would have on the players, the fans and the event itself. Without the help of Mineski Events Team, the remainder of the tournament would have been even worse and made it impossible for the region to ever recover and be taken seriously in the Dota 2 scene.
Players expectations overall
V1lat discussed that during MAS many of the players and teams were complaining about the lack of quality accommodations or features. He talked about how players are becoming spoiled, and starting to compare everything to the TI. Seasoned, more experienced players who have been competing since the beginning are ones who have not made any complaints, since they remember what things used to be like.
Tournament structure and quality
The extinction of Dota2 will happen next year if things go on as they are.
V1lat explains that since as of now any individual can announce a tournament, collect money and pay artists to create attractive items which will then earn huge profits for an online-only tournament, the result is “trash” tournaments and Valve should regulate what level of tournaments can receive which or what level of items. Event organizers such as Beyond the Summitor StarLadder, pay approximately $100,000 to hold their LAN events and the profit is marginal if not negative.
Professional Association
Players had met with Valve recently to discuss ideas and requirements regarding tournaments. V1lat thinks the biggest issue is that the players only represent one part of the scene. He reminds everyone that organizations may have different perspectives and requirements. If players made their own association, teams make their own association, and tournaments make one of their own, there will always be problems and conflicts, as none of the parties will be able to agree on all aspects.
DDOS issues
The significant impact of DDOS and server issues on the game has become a major problem in tournaments. V1lat points the finger at SKYPE, saying it is a very “vulnerable program”, but as the community has gotten used to using this as the main form of communication, the problem persists. The solution is simple enough. Stop using SKYPE. V1lat places the blame for the persistent problem on the players who do not protect themselves.
The International invites
V1lat confidently predicts invites to be sent to EG, Secret, IG, and Vici Gaming. He believes that Team Empire should receive one, and that for the SEA region Rave would be a contender. He continues to state that he does not believe nor feel that any other remaining teams deserve an invite based on recent performances, roster changes and instability, and therefore should be forced to fight it out in qualifiers.
Although V1lat believes that the future of Dota 2 is in jeopardy, he also believes that Valve can change it and that there are solutions and things that can be done to mitigate for the decline of the game. The interview was conducted by Na’Vi Gaming during the Major All Stars Tournament in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, on March 21.
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