Our annual The International blog posts always begin with the “biggest esports event of the year” ( TI ) being praised as the “biggest esports event of the year ). We think that this is still true because it was always a festival of Dota, the display of the highest level of play in the deepest, most complicated online game it is. It is unmistakable that TI this year was a little lacklustre, so we want to talk about some things that might help bring it back to its former glory now.
The updates were great in the last couple of years in terms of frequency and sheer size. The introduction of parts and the expansion of the map’s length significantly increased the game’s replayability at all levels. There are also some compromise problems that we believe there are two main approaches to resolve.
One must properly and methodically balance a patch, which was started some time ago before a TI. This was the way things were done before, and in some ways it was the way things were also done this month. Making a “perfect” patch is difficult, but it’s possible to work toward it over the course of the year, leading to a tournament with a great warrior and strategy diversity. This year roughly 17 % of heroes were completely ignored, with multiple heroes having 90 % + contest rate.
The issue with this method is that it results in a rather sour restaurant meta and no fresh content updates. Personally, we believe that balancing around the professional scene is good for the professional scene, but it does n’t necessarily make for a better game for us, the players. Valve’s approach the last couple of years, one we fully welcome, is to cater towards the regular players, so perhaps the slow and steady route simply is n’t an option.
In that case, even having a TI-specific update, released really close to the competition start could be a solution. Being versatile is undoubtedly one of the more crucial Dota knowledge because expert players are the ones who adapt the quickest. Let the main focus remain on adaptability and flexibility rather than the most effective strategy’s murder.
A new, big update that was released a week or so before the game, in our opinion, may have a very strange but fascinating TI, with a fight of many concepts and playstyles. Do the play be the same as it would be for teams to spend months preparing? Surely no. Would it be more interesting? Probably, and it is a risk worth taking in our mind.
With one notable change: there were fewer team. The Group Stage this year was very similar to the Group Level we had in The International 2023. It was deemed to be very small stakes and unfavorable to see the Group Stage.
In years before, with just two groups, the planting was the main focus and because of it they were interesting, while also allowing for more activities. Last month, the groups were interesting because one of the groups did get eliminated.
This time, we had either. Four groups of four competing for everything, but having the option to pick an player for a second BO3 to determine their seeding is just a strange format. It is not “unfair” by any means and every one win and loss were also deserved. From a spectator area of expertise, though, it merely felt like busywork: game played for the sake of game being played.
There is nothing particularly wrong with Dota, given how entertaining it is and how much it enjoys playing it. However, we want to view Group Stage more frequently next month.
Suddenly, as has been mentioned before, there is a question of Grand Finals, but we strongly believe that the most significant competition series deserves its own time. Yes, it may significantly eliminate the top bracket advantage and indeed, it may extend the tournament. However, it is a settlement that should be at least considered.
The next outstanding TI Grand Finals set was in 2021, but we now have to acknowledge that entering a BO5 and possibly exhausted after the lower bracket playoffs is unfavorable for Dota as a observer activity.
We want our players new and at their best, no fatigued. At least we would be certain that it is because one team is that much better than another, not because one team just had to endure about three hours of intense Dota in order to have a chance to play more Dota. It could still result to a sweep and it could also stop in a dull series.
The prize pool, which many people believe to be the elephant in the room, was a deliberate decision. Because, if we are being honest, we do n’t think it is what matters to TI. It is undoubtedly a tournament status thing, and we do n’t think it has a significant impact on the level of play. Perhaps some players are more motivated by bigger rewards and perhaps they would be playing better.
Dota is a festival that hosts The International. When the champions are crowned, the community unites, and the highest level of competitive play is attained is when history is made. The only thing that changes is the prize pool in comparison to other video games and, possibly, the viewership figures after seeing what all the fuss is about.
For us as Dota players, though, does it really matter whether there are more people watching? Does having more viewers make it easier to watch the incredible plays that the world’s top players can pull off and the crazy strategies they employ? Personally, I do n’t think so, but I do think there are ways to make the Biggest Esports Event of the Year even more interesting and entertaining.
