Gorgc:
I don’t know if we can talk about this, but how do you (professional players) feel about the impact of version updates? Have you had any communication with Valve?
iNSaNiA:
I think Valve’s idea is, “Let’s make an update, and whoever can adapt to this version will win. As for their opinions, who cares?”
Quinn:
I’ve reported game bugs to them before, like the bug with Mars’ Arena of Blood trapping Pangolier. I don’t think Valve was aware of this issue, so I emailed them.
About Pangolier’s Nerfs:
Quinn:
It’s interesting that Valve is always very cautious with the nerfs, but this hero (Pangolier) is basically unusable outside of professional matches. Look at his win rate in the pub games, it’s almost at the bottom! So they dare not nerf him too much, otherwise, no one will play him except in the matches.
iNSaNiA:
There’s probably someone at Valve who really likes playing Pangolier. Every time Pangolier gets nerfed, he gets a small buff again, so I think Pangolier is the only hero who will never be off-meta. If you’re over 13 years old and want to be a pro player, just play 1000 games of Pangolier in the pub games! Don’t worry, the version updates won’t affect you, there will always be a time for you to shine in the next 10 years.
About Behavior Score and Controlling Emotions:
Gorgc:
Ha, when the behavior score first appeared, I got reported in every pub game. These troublemakers like to deliberately target me in the pub games, and then report me regardless of whether they win or lose.
Now my behavior score is still at 12000, although I think I shouldn’t have such a high score, maybe Valve cut me some slack. But as far as I know, many people with very low behavior scores have been released.
Quinn:
The pub games are like this, many people vent their frustrations in the pub games, because this game requires too much effort, and you have spent a lot of time on this game, so your self-esteem begins to unconsciously activate the defense mechanism. Your brain starts yelling, “Ah! I need to protect myself! I’ve spent too much time on this game, but I’m still bad! But I can’t let others say I’m bad!”
Gorgc:
I completely agree with this. Three or four years ago, I did some therapy with Dr. K (a psychiatrist, co-founder of Healthy Gamer). He said to me, “You can’t control your emotions in the pub games because you’re too deep into it. If you can find another hobby outside of the game, like going to the gym, it would be better for you. This way, your life won’t be confined by one thing.” I think many DOTA2 players, especially professional players, are deeply affected by this.
iNSaNiA:
I also very, very, very much agree with this. But anyway, I’m a person who likes to play games every day, and I’ve walked into such a “dead end”. I feel like I can’t live without DOTA2, I need to play games, every game makes me feel better. But this mindset is the worst, your self-esteem depends on how much MMR you can gain in a day. If you win three games and then lose three games, you’ll think all your efforts were in vain that day! And if you lose MMR, then you’ll mentally collapse. You need to find a way to liberate yourself in the pub games, like learning something new through the games, even if you lose, don’t care, because it makes you better. On the other hand, there are always wins and losses in the pub games, they cannot be your only source of happiness or self-esteem.