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Dota 2 Community Challenges Losing Steam?

By David Bronson

Work together to beat community challenges. Unless the challenges are lame. Then don't.Image used with permission by linxz2010 @ http://linxz2010.deviantart.com
Work together to beat community challenges. Unless the challenges are lame. Then don't.Image used with permission by linxz2010 @ http://linxz2010.deviantart.com /
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Opposite previous community challenges which engaged players collectively in the achievement of a goal, current challenge causes frustration and MMR rage.

Hugging trees is anti-American.
Hugging trees is anti-American. /

Let me start off by saying I absolutely loved Cut Corps. During that challenge, me and several old friends from college would hop on DOTA once or twice a weekend. We’d put on our flannel, grab our axes, and go to work. I can honestly say that between my buddies Greg, Rob, and myself, some serious lumber was jacked.

Still, it seems like every compendium challenge issued has been met with the same pattern of response. People get excited. Then comes the public outcry from MMR divas. After that the challenge usually becomes less shiny than when it was first introduced and people become less interested. Things go back to normal. The world continues to spin.

UPDATE: Rachel insisted I add this vid to this post. It is EVERYTING I loved about the Clearcut Challenge.

"Compendium challenges have started to ruin ranked games.. PLEASE VOLVO. from DotA2"

If I could just address this issue of MMR and challenges for a moment. Back when I played more competitively, MMR meant a whole lot more to me. So I empathize all you MMR divas out there, I really do. I was once as you are now.

Listen to her sing the mournful song about a nasty streak and lost MMR.
Listen to her sing the mournful song of a losing streak and plummeting MMR. /

And when your hard work is being reduced to nothing by the fools trying to accomplish these silly challenges, it’s hard not to react as in the way I’ve seen you react on STEAM forums, Reddit, and elsewhere. I was once right there alongside you, typing in capslock on some forum, shaking my digital fist at Valve. Those were the days.

Thing is, no one is forced to do the challenges in rated games. It’s reactionary and completely missing the point the point of the challenges to suggest they should be totally removed. Maybe they should be limited to the pubs, but to say they’re destroying DOTA is a little over the top, isn’t it?

But doesn’t something seem… different to you about this challenge?

You know what? I’ve got to agree with you there. It really does. With other challenges I felt like I was working toward something with the rest of the DOTA community. Like I was accomplishing something. Like if I didn’t hold the line alongside the next guy, that we were all going to lose.

Didn’t really get that from this one. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen more than one person posting about their own disappointment with the most recent compendium challenge. So what do you guys think? Is Valve starting to lose their edge? Are they losing touch with the community? Or was this just a single bad challenge, no fear for the future?

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