Constellation: Lets start with discussing Dota 2, What was the first thing that came to mind when they said that they would be releasing this summer?
Shadow Blessing: im talking with Siraraz and working on a hero
Constellation: o nice
Shadow Blessing: alright
Shadow Blessing: well, im glad its finally getting there and going big
Shadow Blessing: more player and energy into the game – the better
Shadow Blessing: more gameplay, more suggestions (heroes, dota 2 features, etc
Shadow Blessing: more cosmetics
Shadow Blessing: im excited
Constellation: What are your impressions of its current creation community?
Shadow Blessing: but at the same time im wary of massive amout of inexperiened players (to dota or to moba or to team based games) that might sour the communiy or be turn away from it too fast
Shadow Blessing: th ecreation community?
Shadow Blessing: its great!
Shadow Blessing: the workshop is always churning out new things
Shadow Blessing: i am a sucker for looking up 2d/3d art for dota 2
Shadow Blessing: especially those who make dota 2 itms
Shadow Blessing: i give my feedback to them
Shadow Blessing: and really attempt to be a part of it all
Shadow Blessing: i wish i could create things like that
Shadow Blessing: and it helps be grow as i see why, what and how people add to the game
Shadow Blessing: helps me grow *
Constellation: In what ways do you hope the dota 2 cc evolves?
Shadow Blessing: expanding the workshop
Constellation: meaning?
Shadow Blessing: access to thorough tutorital to add more creatively-equipped people
Shadow Blessing: new ways to customize your dota 2 experience without harming gameplay
Shadow Blessing: im really hoping for an opportunity to suggest heroes though
Constellation: no items?
Shadow Blessing: imagine, a workshop feature that allows the creation and testing of new heroes
Shadow Blessing: heroes the developers and the community help shape
Shadow Blessing: actively, constantly
Shadow Blessing: items of course too
Constellation: what about things like the newly added gold system
Constellation: would your idea help develop those ideas
Shadow Blessing: i havent made many items; thats why i dint metion them haha
Shadow Blessing: gold system? havent heard of it
Shadow Blessing: though i suppose i can understand the concept
Constellation: unreliable and reliable gold
Shadow Blessing: but of curse!
Shadow Blessing: i’d love to push any good ideas
Shadow Blessing: thats not new?
Shadow Blessing: it was n dota 1
Shadow Blessing: now you can actually seeit though
Constellation: this reminds me of the interview with haasva he was saying that the community should be like a democracy instead he feels like its a dictatorship with Icefrog and valve at the head
Shadow Blessing: true democracy cant never succeed
Shadow Blessing: the usa is not a true democracy
Shadow Blessing: its a republic
Shadow Blessing: there has to be an agency that maintains the game stability
Shadow Blessing: and protects it against random and sudden changes out of pure chaos
Shadow Blessing: but i agree it needs to be more transparent
Shadow Blessing: even with all the players it has
Shadow Blessing: wouldnt say a dictatorship
Shadow Blessing: thats too radical and false
Shadow Blessing: they listen and read data from the community to further the game
Shadow Blessing: instead of broad changes that experiment on the players
Shadow Blessing: over long periods of time
Shadow Blessing: just because they believe they control the success of the game
Shadow Blessing: the players do
Shadow Blessing: its why dota exists
Shadow Blessing: Blizzard is the opposite
Shadow Blessing: Ea is to
Shadow Blessing: they are dictatorship
Shadow Blessing: no community input
Shadow Blessing: or too few
Shadow Blessing: they implement changes as big patches like congress passes a bill
Shadow Blessing: its a huge thing with all kinds of things
Shadow Blessing: good and bad
Shadow Blessing: all about immediate fixes and happiness
Shadow Blessing: rather than long term goals and elements that are purely positive but small
Constellation: and who is this valve?
Constellation: you went on to talk about blizzard and ea and then it seems like you went backt to valve i was confused
Shadow Blessing: from when i first mentioned Blizzard/EA to now I was still talking about them. the last sentence contrasts them to Valve
Shadow Blessing: Blizz/EA = inefficiency of congress with big sweeping changes and little direct community input aim to deliver short term contentment.
Shadow Blessing: Valve = Long term goals that are pushed through small tweaks that can only do good
Shadow Blessing: like with the reporting system
Shadow Blessing: we didnt see multiple versions of behavior control systems. instead we saw small changes to the current system that were statistically successful
Constellation: yea but is it propaganda? recently both lol and valve has come out with info saying they are the most played game.
Constellation: or is my facts wrong might be wrong
Shadow Blessing: i dont put uch capital into remors or media agenda’s
Shadow Blessing: it was a fault of a small reporting firm
Shadow Blessing: they published a document that said Dota had more players based on x data
Shadow Blessing: ultimately, they retracted that data and article
Shadow Blessing: Valve didn’t publish anything
Shadow Blessing: nor do they advertise dota
Shadow Blessing: have you ever seen a dota ad?
Shadow Blessing: on any website?
Constellation: no
Shadow Blessing: have you seen LoL?
Constellation: i remember blizzard has wow ads alot
Constellation: on television
Shadow Blessing: yeah
Shadow Blessing: because they are rich
Shadow Blessing: and want players
Shadow Blessing: for money
Shadow Blessing: valve doesnt do big shenanigans like that
Shadow Blessing: ive seen LoL and HoN ads online
Shadow Blessing: anyways
Shadow Blessing: this topic is away from the original point
Shadow Blessing: isnt it?
Constellation: no its ok alot of time i let the interview go its own course
Constellation: ill steer it back
Constellation: well its kinda forced now
Constellation: aside from dota 2 can you tell me about your personal gaming history?
Shadow Blessing: haha its okay, whatever you want 🙂
Constellation: (still working on some of my transitions)
Shadow Blessing: ive played dota 1 since before allstars and i thoroughly enjoy moba type games because of the variety of experiences you get
Shadow Blessing: teamwork, rpg, etc
Constellation: well aos didnt have the rpg feel to it
Shadow Blessing: its based on RPGS but short duration
Shadow Blessing: rather than keeping your character until the end
Shadow Blessing: you get a new one every game
Shadow Blessing: and no two experiences are the same
Shadow Blessing: RPG = role playing game
Constellation: o i was thinking like you level up your character
Constellation: and have spells
Shadow Blessing: in dota, you play a role for your team and you play a role in the game
Constellation: i dont remember spells in aos
Shadow Blessing: dota you level and have items
Constellation: yea in dota i meant aeon of strife
Constellation: from starcraft 1
Shadow Blessing: in essence, dota is a complete RPG experience in under an hour + PVP
Shadow Blessing: ah, you’re right but im talking about mobas and the modern moba specifically
Constellation: ic yea your right then
Shadow Blessing: you may have had 1 kind of ability in AoS
Shadow Blessing: even if it was pasive
Constellation: true depended on the char being played
Constellation: i guess but it wasn
Constellation: t
Constellation: developed like dota and its predecessors
Constellation: dredocessors
Constellation: predocessors
Shadow Blessing: everything has to start somewhere
Shadow Blessing: predecessor?
Constellation: yea
Shadow Blessing: you had it right
Shadow Blessing: haha
Constellation: o
Constellation: can you tell me alittle more about your gaming history?
Shadow Blessing: in what way?
Shadow Blessing: as in what games?
Constellation: o like other games you have played besides dota, clans you’ve been apart of stuff like t hat other communities?
Shadow Blessing: Diablo and Torchlight fall into the action/adventure genre i love
Shadow Blessing: the later has a workshop community
Shadow Blessing: I enjoy multiplayer games
Shadow Blessing: playing with people anbd friends bring a whole new dimension
Constellation: so no legend of legaia or zelda for you?
Shadow Blessing: it must be said, i wish i was a game designer/developer
Shadow Blessing: i like zelda too
Shadow Blessing: its adventure
Shadow Blessing: rpg
Shadow Blessing: but its single player
Shadow Blessing: single player is best for story immersion
Shadow Blessing: and not all games are best for multiplayer
Constellation: story immersion is good if they did what starcraft 1 modders do with having each player having to take part in solving a puzzle? I think theres a map on warc3 like that also
Shadow Blessing: well
Shadow Blessing: there are many ways to add story
Shadow Blessing: many good ways to tell a good story
Shadow Blessing: but singleplayer definitely has the advantage
Shadow Blessing: you dont have to anticipate other players’ actions
Shadow Blessing: or compete for something in gameplay
Shadow Blessing: you try to keep up
Shadow Blessing: it goes at your ace
Shadow Blessing: pace*
Shadow Blessing: and you know its only you
Shadow Blessing: it feels more like you’re living this other life
Shadow Blessing: just my opinion
Constellation: kinda how im going through mass effect… I play it like once a week mainly because well I like sleep and I have alot of other restraints i place on my self: blog, drawing, hero creation, writing, reading and a whole lot of sleeping XD
Constellation: o yea interviews
Constellation: anyway
Constellation: talking about stories got me wondering whats the story behind your pd tag “shadow blessing”?
Constellation: sounds like it make a good book title
12:16 AM – Shadow Blessing: exactly
12:16 AM – Shadow Blessing: when i played mass effect, i had to focus on it
12:16 AM – Shadow Blessing: and play it through in a relatively short amount of time
12:16 AM – Shadow Blessing: so i dont love immersion
12:17 AM – Shadow Blessing: haha
12:17 AM – Shadow Blessing: well
12:17 AM – Shadow Blessing: im an a writer at heart
12:17 AM – Shadow Blessing: i used to write poems all the time
12:18 AM – Shadow Blessing: in my childhood, i crafted a title i believe best symbolized who i was and what i was becoming
12:18 AM – Shadow Blessing: Shadow’s Blessing
12:18 AM – Constellation: i see alot of writers like to add shadow to their persona lol ill tell you my email address afterwards
12:18 AM – Shadow Blessing: a shadow is often negative thing, even a curse sometimes but it can be a blessing. despite my shortcomings i was proud to be me
12:19 AM – Shadow Blessing: haha sure thing
12:19 AM – Constellation: continue my bad
12:21 AM – Shadow Blessing: that sums it up really
12:22 AM – Shadow Blessing: i sought to use my sorrow and shadow to empower myslf
12:22 AM – Shadow Blessing: rather than be burdened byit
12:22 AM – Shadow Blessing: curses and blessings
12:22 AM – Shadow Blessing: story of my life
Shadow Blessing: that is my mind*
Constellation: which reminds me earlier you said that you wanted to be a developer? are you going to school for that or is creating just a hobby?
Shadow Blessing: right now, its a hobby
Shadow Blessing: but one i want to one day turn into a career
Shadow Blessing: either as a writer or a developer or both
Constellation: many do both but I think when crunch t ime comes you put writing on hold
Constellation: i dont know just going by what ive heard
Constellation: im an aspiring designer myself so i understand the feeling
Shadow Blessing: ah cool, well cheers to us haha
Constellation: yea
Constellation: Suggesting is fun and all but have you ever considered any other parts of the dota scene such as the proscene, shoutcasting or video making? In other words, Dota has many other areas in its world a player could be a part of, what brought you to the suggestions forum?
Shadow Blessing: i have, but im am uncertain of how to engage those fields
Shadow Blessing: its much less overtly creative
Constellation: What do you think of the shaper’s challenge?
Shadow Blessing: i think the Shaper’s challege is great and a licing challenege
Shadow Blessing: living challenge*
Shadow Blessing: keeps pushing paradigms and encourages thought and friendly competition all for the sake of sharing and creative exploration
Shadow Blessing: ingenious really
Constellation: have you ever been a part of it?
Shadow Blessing: yeah
Shadow Blessing: the first one i think?
Shadow Blessing: or the seocnd
Shadow Blessing: one of the first ones
Constellation: can you tell me alittle about your entry and the though process you had while creating it?
Constellation: thought*
Shadow Blessing: unfortunately, i take my time to fully develop ideas so the week or so the challenges are needed to be submitted wasn’t enough
Shadow Blessing: the entry was a concept i already had
Shadow Blessing: i just copy and pasted really
Shadow Blessing: BUT
Shadow Blessing: the challenge helped me develop it more
Shadow Blessing: bu giving me another perpective to look at the hero from
Shadow Blessing: and ultimately, the concept is better for it
Shadow Blessing: so im glad i tried
Shadow Blessing: i was expected to win
Shadow Blessing: but didnt garner the points
Shadow Blessing: the Hero was called Exanimuc, the Prime armour
Constellation: o i remember seeing that hero as a thread
Shadow Blessing: it was a collaboration with a pre-professional concept artist. he drew it, i concepualized that entire hero with his feedback
Shadow Blessing: from story to animation mechanics to the abilities
Shadow Blessing: cool hero
Shadow Blessing: i didnt like it at first but it grew on me and is one of the few heroes i have actually brought to near, what i call, completion
Shadow Blessing: haha
Constellation: what are lessons you’ve learned that you would pass on to other players?
Constellation: creation wise
Constellation: like with hero creating
Shadow Blessing: i could write an entire thread on good design and advice
Shadow Blessing: i always try to help genuine and promising designers grow
Constellation: dejavu
Shadow Blessing: just as i hope to gro and learn
Shadow Blessing: lol
Shadow Blessing: seldom do people stop and take time to share with you thwir thoughts and help you – without regard to their personal gain
Shadow Blessing: i like to believe im a nice guy
Shadow Blessing: and will take that time to help someone
Shadow Blessing: my best advise would be relax and look at all the pieces of your concept from a many angles as possible
Shadow Blessing: dont get attached to a single idea or mechanic or whatver
Shadow Blessing: let he whole thing be free
Shadow Blessing: to change/grow – wheter subtlely or wildly
Shadow Blessing: whether that be subtlely or wildly*
Shadow Blessing: too many times a pomising design is harmed or ruined but anchors the designers place upon their on ideas
Shadow Blessing: like theme
Shadow Blessing: i hate theme
Shadow Blessing: its important to be somewhat asthetic logical
Shadow Blessing: but you dont need to draw all your inspiration or shape design around a single cosmetic or lore idea
Shadow Blessing: it has be able to stand on its own as a gameplay concept
Shadow Blessing: before you start trying to match ta heme
Shadow Blessing: a theme*
Constellation: yea someone else told me something similar that theme should be the last thing you put in
Shadow Blessing: very last
Shadow Blessing: also, dont aim to “finsih” your idea. acknowledge that perfection is impossible
Shadow Blessing: and a flexible model or concept is the best one
Shadow Blessing: one that has several points each with their own “sphere of possibiliies”
Shadow Blessing: my design philosophy is spherical fluidity
Shadow Blessing: you know how a circle is made up of infinite point equidistant from a center?
Shadow Blessing: this is my philosophy
Shadow Blessing: rather than a straight line
Shadow Blessing: or even a slightly curve done
Constellation: I think it was spiritbaker that said that their are two types of heroes. The synergistic and the flashy. Flashy stems on interesting game play mechanics or a new flashy unique skill that everything else hinges on and the other relies on synergy. Do you believe this about hero creation?
Shadow Blessing: rather than nuke-stun-damage; mine would be active-single target/multitarget/aoe/self cast point-instant/delay-damage mechanic (burst/dot/etc)-debuff/buff/nothing-etcetcetc
Shadow Blessing: i believe their are infinite types of well designed heroes
Shadow Blessing: you must follow good design principle foremostly
Shadow Blessing: synergy is a design principle
Shadow Blessing: i dont believe any hero in dota is a “flashy” hero
Shadow Blessing: even one like invoker
Shadow Blessing: its complication confounds his power
Shadow Blessing: like mechanics balance his power by relying on player skill
Shadow Blessing: and preparation
Shadow Blessing: which in turn gives im a unique feel and story that you feel when you play him
Constellation: well his words wasn’t flashy it was more it has something unique about them
Shadow Blessing: just one brief example of many
Shadow Blessing: i see
Shadow Blessing: perhaps it can be summed up simply
Shadow Blessing: or perhaps not
Shadow Blessing: i’d rather believe in endless possiblities
Shadow Blessing: works much better if you’re a designer
Shadow Blessing: frees you up from trying to make a certain “kind” of herp
Shadow Blessing: hero
Constellation: herpderp?
Constellation: jking
Constellation: had to put that in
Constellation: lets go back to dota 2 for a second what model would you change if you could change one?
Constellation: and decide the design
Shadow Blessing: lol
Shadow Blessing: i have to ask you to be more elaborate
Shadow Blessing: you mean, select a hero and give it a new model for any reason ?
Constellation: select any hero model and change how it looks aesthetically
Constellation: change it comepletely no hats involved
Shadow Blessing: hm
Shadow Blessing: so this implies i dislike a hero’s model and have a better idea for it?
Constellation: yea
Shadow Blessing: well, ive always wanted to make chen more… inspired
Shadow Blessing: i think he looks aweful is dota 1 and dota 2
Shadow Blessing: in*
Shadow Blessing: always thought he should be a lion haha
Shadow Blessing: like from narnia
Shadow Blessing: not mounted or jsut a man
Shadow Blessing: but the beast itself
Shadow Blessing: leading other beasts
Shadow Blessing: and warlock’s face looks funny hah
Shadow Blessing: truth be told, i may be able to remake all the heroes look “better” in my own way
Shadow Blessing: its just how i think
Shadow Blessing: like ive sai
Shadow Blessing: always reiterating and creating
Constellation: you said your a writer? can you tell me alittle bit about your writing? what genre you write in? how long you’ve been doing it? basic history
Constellation: yo’re
Constellation: doh
Constellation: you’re
Constellation: if you’re comfortable sharing it
Shadow Blessing: yup
Shadow Blessing: its very unpredicatable
Shadow Blessing: and chaotic
Shadow Blessing: i get storms of ideas
Shadow Blessing: write them down
Shadow Blessing: and MAYBe get to them
Shadow Blessing: i have hundreds of ideas scattered about on paper, my phone and random resturante napkins
Shadow Blessing: i wake up at night, sometimes multiple imes to write own idea i desperately do not want to forget
Shadow Blessing: and i let the ideas swim together
Shadow Blessing: many of them find uses when i hve project and they become relevant
Shadow Blessing: or start writing something different
Shadow Blessing: its quite magical sometimes
Constellation: you’re of your storms seem like a extreme version of most people i know but I hear it gets worse the more you write
Shadow Blessing: almost like someone is whispering into my ear what i should write
Shadow Blessing: it does
Constellation: can you tell me about the first story you wrote?
Shadow Blessing: im sad i only have 2 hands and 2 eyes t fully embrace my ideas
Shadow Blessing: hm
Shadow Blessing: well
Shadow Blessing: thats hard to say
Shadow Blessing: which was the FIRST
Shadow Blessing: probably some 1st grade wrting assignment
Constellation: everyone does that i mean on your own
Shadow Blessing: though one of the first peoms i wrote was caled “Shadow’s Blessing”
Shadow Blessing: im not sure i can find it in a reasonable amount of time right now
Shadow Blessing: oh, and i like to memorize peotry too haha
Constellation: o really I heard tahts a good trait to have also
Constellation: you seem to be taking your writing seriously
Shadow Blessing: helps as a bio major haha
Shadow Blessing: at least thats what i am for now
Constellation: I see
Shadow Blessing: i think the peom “Shadow’s Blessing” went like this: “Upon the edges of infinity likes the abyss of oblivion, where the shadows of memories are ruled by darkness. Upon the ruins of time, a lone boy dances, awaiting the echoes of his requiem to return to him. He waits alone, wearing unseen masks and doesn’t even know he’s wearing them….” i i dont recall the rest at this time nor do i think its correct haha
Constellation: i see
Shadow Blessing: lies the abyss*
Constellation: whats lies the abyss about?
Constellation: o
Constellation: its in the poem
Constellation: last question
Constellation: what type of books do you read?
Constellation: and which were your favorites?
Shadow Blessing: books of peotry
Shadow Blessing: like William Butler Yeats (he’s my favorite poet)
Shadow Blessing: books of great writers (like Ernest Hemmingway; basically made a hero based on him)
Shadow Blessing: and epic fiction too
Shadow Blessing: though im just starting to get into that
Shadow Blessing: like a Song of Fire and Ice
Constellation: yea epic fantasy is the “best”
Constellation: not to fond of that series though
Shadow Blessing: a bit of everything in there
Shadow Blessing: i enjoy realism
Shadow Blessing: so the fantasy I enjoy must be executed with a certain degree of realism
Shadow Blessing: as ironic as that sounds
Constellation: o i didnt get far i got turned off by how the chapters headings are shown
Constellation: ill have to try and read through it
Constellation: it just gets confusing if your readings without a bookmark
Shadow Blessing: its rather believable and it draws upon real human history to craft its drama and story
Shadow Blessing: not that it makes it historical
Shadow Blessing: but rather, it really has a firm grasp on humanity’s tendencies and nature
Shadow Blessing: not overly optimistic
Shadow Blessing: with happy endings
Shadow Blessing: i hate happy endings
Shadow Blessing: they are not real
Shadow Blessing: not by thmselves
Shadow Blessing: every real story is happy and sad, in equal parts
Constellation: that is true
Constellation: Well its been alot of questions, lets end with a thank you for letting me interview you
Shadow Blessing: thank you for your time to