Chapter 723 - 723: Is This an AI? This is Insane!

Anna was a little confused. The game's creeps usually appeared at the same time. Even though the game wasn't a mirrored map, conceptually, the creeps should have appeared right in the middle of the river!

How did they suddenly appear on the high ground across from her? Was the game bugged?

Looking at the creeps already fighting on the enemy's high ground, and the Shadow Fiend, Naix, with his treasure set, swaying back and forth, Anna felt a bit bewildered. She instinctively glanced at Lucas beside her.

All she saw was a smile on Lucas's face. For some reason, Anna felt a sense of unease.

Focused, Anna started the laning phase. It wasn't a big deal that the creeps were on the enemy's high ground.

With that thought, Anna controlled her hero, Monkey King, by attacking the creeps and planning to get the last hit when their health was low.

But just then, a dark red projectile attacked before her and denied the low-health creep.

"Your last hitting is terrible!"

A very conspicuous exclamation mark appeared above the dead creep's head, followed by Shadow Fiend's mocking laughter. Anna's face darkened.

But she didn't pay it much mind and continued to focus on last hitting.

However, the uneasy feeling soon grew stronger.

"Something's not right! Something's not right! Boss Lucas, this AI is not right!" Anna slammed her mouse, finally realizing something was wrong.

In two waves of creeps, she had only managed to get three last hits, and one of those was with her first skill, Bash, to finish it off.

About half of the remaining creeps were denied by the Shadow Fiend in front of her.

And with the souls' enhancement, even though Shadow Fiend was a ranged hero, his attack power far surpassed her Monkey King with a Hand of Midas.

The most crucial point was that Anna had no idea what magic this AI Shadow Fiend had used; the creep wave constantly hovered on the enemy's high ground.

Furthermore, unlike typical AI behavior, this Shadow Fiend would occasionally harass her with auto-attacks to drain her health while last hitting. With the slowly increasing number of souls, Shadow Fiend's attacks on her were incredibly painful.

The Shadow Fiend's three Shadow Raze spells were also cast incredibly smoothly, suppressing both the low-health creeps and her hero.

After several rounds, her Monkey King could only hide far away with low health, passively gaining experience from Shadow Fiend's denies.

Her level was ridiculously low, at level three, while Shadow Fiend was level five.

Seeing Anna finally realize something was wrong, Lucas, who had been watching from the side, burst into laughter. "What's not right? It's just an AI, isn't it?"

"No, Boss Lucas, how can this AI be so strong!? I feel like it's stronger than Hector and Marcus! The pressure is immense!" Anna paused the game and said to Lucas.

"No need to 'feel' it, it's definitely stronger than them," Lucas said with a smile.

Anna: ...

Hearing Lucas's words, Anna's eyes widened. He actually admitted it shamelessly!?

Since the game had just launched, and as core creators, they had essentially been playtesting for one to two months. Lucas had also mentioned various hero roles, playstyles, and item builds during development.

Therefore, compared to players who were just starting, the core team at Nebula Games was undoubtedly among the world's top players.

But now, this AI was supposedly stronger than them?

"Boss Lucas, DOTA is a multiplayer competitive game. Can this also be a soul game?" Anna's teeth felt a little tingly.

She felt these AIs were outrageously powerful. Anna believed that many players attempting the "Insane" difficulty AI right now would fail.

But the AI she was playing against, she felt, was completely out of line!

Looking at the AI creeps on the screen that had already gathered in the mid-lane for a team fight, Anna had only one feeling: it was a battle of gods.

It was lively with back-and-forth action. Of course, because their AI team had a real player like her, the inevitable outcome was defeat.

"This isn't what we're preparing to release to players right now. After all, this is the latest AI technology," Lucas said with a smile.

"Then Boss Lucas, you still called it an AI!" Anna's eyes widened.

"To you, it's Artificial Intelligence, AI. But to me, it's an AI, and there's nothing wrong with that! At this stage, we're just testing game mechanics and strategies. We'll adjust the parameters later," Lucas said, shrugging.

"Make it harder?" Anna asked uncertainly.

"A bit easier. Besides testing, we're also preparing it for players to challenge. As for this one, it's just for me to have some fun," Lucas smiled.

At Lucas's current skill level, playing DOTA would essentially be described as effortlessly crushing beginners.

Setting aside basic skills, his understanding of the game mechanics alone was enough for him to dominate.

The differences in aggro and creep control that affected creep wave positions had a significant impact on laning.

And the timely stacking of jungle camps would allow him to farm more efficiently. Coupled with his understanding of items and heroes, and his personal skill.

For Lucas, playing DOTA against other players wasn't as enjoyable as playing against AI.

Moreover, the AI he was currently creating wasn't just any ordinary AI; it was made using the latest AI technology.

Of course, besides letting him experience the joy of DOTA, this AI also had another important function: testing the numerical balance of various strategies within the game.

After all, DOTA's greatest feature was its countless strategies, including the most representative TI tournaments in his past life, where almost every imaginable system could be seen.

But for current players, they were still far from that. If they relied solely on collecting data from current players for balance, there would only be one outcome: constant fluctuations.

Because they didn't understand the strategies and playstyles, players would think a certain system or a particular hero-item combination was too powerful. At this point, the data would lead to a nerf. But soon, as players' understanding deepened, the previously nerfed hero would become trash.

This isn't to say this approach is wrong. In fact, following the players' wishes is the correct way to do it.

Otherwise, it could easily lead to a situation where the development team dictates how players should play the game.

However, this is based on players having a foundational understanding of the game.

And many current players don't understand DOTA's mechanics, and DOTA itself isn't a game where you can easily grasp everything.

Even players who played DOTA for over a decade in his past life, and even some professional players, would still encounter so-called "armchair experts."

Therefore, for Lucas, this AI under testing primarily served as a demonstration for players, showing them that DOTA could be played in different ways, sparking their imagination.

It also served as one of the events planned for players when the official version was eventually released.

......

While Lucas was busy testing the new AI, many players were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After DOTA's open beta trial began, more and more players poured into the game.

Initially, they were a bit confused, but after playing a couple of AI matches and understanding the basics, most of them began to feel the fun of the game.

And unusually, the owners of traditional PC internet cafes in some cities noticed a strange phenomenon: business had inexplicably picked up. Many people in the cafes were coordinating with friends to play on connected machines. Coupled with the approaching Spring Festival holiday and Nebula Games' online and offline promotions, almost every PC internet cafe was filled with players playing DOTA.

At the same time, online player reviews for DOTA, while not immediately calling it a masterpiece like some previous games such as "World of Warcraft," still gave it a high rating. Many players shared a common sentiment: the game was incredibly replayable.

The most direct consequence of these phenomena was the increasing popularity of DOTA.

(End of chapter)

---

Read +100 advanced chapters on my patre*n

patr eon.com/GustinaKamiya

---