What DotA is
DotA (Defense of the Ancients) is a multiplayer custom map for Warcraft III and the origin of the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) genre. Two teams of five players each control a hero, earn gold and experience from kills, and try to destroy the enemy’s Ancient. It is not a standalone commercial game: it is a mod built and distributed with the World Editor of Warcraft III (2002) and its expansion The Frozen Throne (2003).
History
According to English Wikipedia: in 2003, modder Eul created the first DotA version with Warcraft III’s World Editor; after The Frozen Throne shipped, Eul stopped updating and open-sourced the map, spawning many variants, the most popular being DotA Allstars. Guinsoo (Steve Feak) took over in March 2004, adding the item recipe system and the boss Roshan; around 2005 IceFrog took over and maintained the map for years afterward.
DotA’s mechanics shaped the MOBA genre: League of Legends (designed in part by Feak at Riot Games), Heroes of Newerth, and Heroes of the Storm all derive from or borrow this gameplay. IceFrog was hired by Valve in October 2009 to develop a standalone sequel; after a trademark dispute was resolved, Dota 2 was officially released in July 2013.
Discussion in the show
In Weekly #005’s chapter “游戏反编译、Mod 与商业模式” (“Game decompilation, mods, and business models”), Orange explained that mods are officially supported ways to change gameplay and distribute the result, and Xiangyang Qiaomu immediately responded: “Isn’t that exactly how Dota got started back in the day?”. This is a participant using DotA to illustrate the origin of the mod ecosystem, consistent with the public record above. See the chapter in Weekly #005 (Chinese transcript).
Frequently asked questions
What kind of game is DotA?
DotA is a custom map for Warcraft III: two teams of five players control heroes and win by destroying the enemy’s Ancient. It is one of the origin works of the MOBA genre.
What is the relationship between DotA and Dota 2?
Dota 2 is a standalone sequel developed by Valve with IceFrog, the long-time DotA maintainer, officially released in July 2013; the original DotA remains a free map built on Warcraft III’s editor.
What does DotA stand for?
DotA stands for Defense of the Ancients, the victory condition of destroying the Ancient structure in the enemy base.
Who made DotA?
The first DotA map was made by Eul in 2003 with Warcraft III’s World Editor; the most popular variant, DotA Allstars, was maintained successively by Guinsoo (from March 2004) and IceFrog (from around 2005).