Dota 2 player Cyborgmatt has been rummaging through the files of a Dota 2 test build, and has found evidence of dozens and dozens of items that we might be able to buy in the final release. They include new announcers, taunts, new couriers, new hero items, hero skins and more.
There are two types of announcers listed, a general announcer who will commentate on important in-game events like the fall of a tower, and a kill streak announcer whose job it is to shout things like "DOUBLE KILL," or "UNSTOPPABLE" or "GODLIKE" when one player goes on a roll. One of the announcers is listed as Dr. Kleiner (item_description: “Oh Fiddle Sticks!”). That's just the start.
A number of new couriers are listed, including a "mini-Pudge," a sheep, a war yack, a giant badger and the "shitty wizard." New hero items include masks, beards, new weapons, horns, shoulderpads and chest plates.
"Souls" are also listed. It looks as though we'll be able to equip these to improve drop rate bonuses. There's also a "Repentant Soul" which will promote the player that equips it out of the "low priority punishment queue". This is interesting, because it suggests that players that have been reported for misbehaviour will be able to pay to avoid penalties.
This tallies with Gabe Newell's comments to Develop last year, when he talked about "charging customers based on how much fun they are to play with."
"Some people, when they join a server, a ton of people will run with them. Other people, when they join a server, will cause others to leave. We should have a way of capturing that. We should have a way of rewarding the people who are good for our community," he said.
"So, in practice, a really likable person in our community should get Dota 2 for free, because of past behaviour in Team Fortress 2. Now, a real jerk that annoys everyone, they can still play, but a game is full price and they have to pay an extra hundred dollars if they want voice."
The Dota 2 files also contain references to item bundles, a free trial upgrade and "treasure caches," which look as though they'll work in a similar way to Team Fortress 2's crates. The full list is available on Cyborgmatt's blog .
Masks are the new hats! Hats are so last season, why on earth were we spending money on putting things on our heads when we could have a regal beard instead? What do you think of these items? Here's a badger while you think.
POST-BADGER UPDATE: In the comments, SpiderNinja points out that the Dota 2 wiki has gathered together all of Dr. Kleiner's lines. He seems bemused by the whole concept of Dota. "Oh, I see. Are those little…little people down there? Wonderful what they can do these days."
