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Demigod (video game)
Encyclopedia
Demigod is a Dota based game
developed by Gas Powered Games
for the PC platform. The game was significantly influenced by the popular Warcraft III
custom map Defense of the Ancients
and is widely considered as the first stand-alone game title in the "DotA subgenre". The game's title refers to the powerful player characters that battle for supremacy over various zones. The game is multiplayer-oriented and competitive in nature. A demo of the multi-player became available on July 30, 2009 with all gameplay modes unlocked.
There are two distinct types of Demigod: Assassins and Generals. Assassins rely on their varied combat abilities in a direct fight to kill other Demigods. Generals are a hybrid Demigod that create and support their own minions and other Demigods.Demigod launched with eight Demigods available, four for each type of Demigod, and added two additional Demigods after release.
Gold and experience points are earned as the player defeats the enemy and captures nodes. There are a few different buildings that assist your team which include shops,flags which can be captured, and a citadel which is the main base of each side. Portals are another kind of building that must be captured. When your team owns a portal, troops will start to spawn onto the map to help your team. As the player's Demigod levels up, the player also gains access to new abilities through the respective skill tree. Each Demigod has its own unique talent tree with a blend of offensive, defensive and team focused abilities. Demigods can also purchase items to boost their abilities, including some ancient items, the most expensive items in the game. Achievements earn the player favor points, which can be used to purchase favor items. Players are allowed to choose one favor item that can be used throughout the match, but once the favor item has been chosen, it cannot be replaced until the next match. Once a favor item is purchased it will be available for use in following matches for free.
began selling Demigod before its release date of the 14th. The game's servers were not yet launched thus not allowing preorder customers to have online play as originally intended. The issue was compounded by a cracked version of the game available for illegal download on torrent sites. In response, Stardock activated all pre-orders a day early from the planned release after returning to work on Monday April 13, 2009.
The game also had technical problems during online play. Players experienced connectivity issues until June when a patch was released.
summarized much of the negative and angered criticism the game received with the following quote: "If you're interested in throwing down cash for a beta and maybe getting in some practice before things get smoothed out, go ahead and bump that score up a letter grade. Anybody else should find something else to do until then;" while on the other hand, Neoseeker's Lydia Sung gave the game a perfect 10, specifically noting the game's breathtaking visuals and sound, saying "Most games worth reviewing will look good and maybe have a decent soundtrack, but Demigod is absolutely stunning in both sight and sound. Words cannot describe how beautiful this game is, folks, and my screenshots don't even begin to do it justice." Cheat Code Central
gave the game a 'Great' rating of 4.3/5.
GameSpot
reviewed the game with a rating of 6.5/10, noting major online connectivity problems and the lack of tutorial or story based campaign as major problems. Stardock has commented by stating that they are currently working on all of the multiplayer issues. Graham Smith of PC Gamer
rated the game 8.1/10. IGN
's Jason Ocampo gave the game a 7.5/10 citing bad multiplayer netcoding and stating "you'd best wait a while for the developers to get things working before you dive into Demigod"
Dota (genre)
The Dota genre is a sub-genre of real-time strategy video games, characterized by their likeness to Defense of the Ancients, a custom scenario for Warcraft 3 drawing from both real-time strategy and role-playing game influences. Compared to traditional real-time strategy games, elements such as...
developed by Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games
Gas Powered Games is a video game developer located in Redmond, Washington. The development studio was started in May 1998 by Chris Taylor, creator of Total Annihilation, and several other ex-Cavedog Entertainment employees....
for the PC platform. The game was significantly influenced by the popular Warcraft III
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a real time strategy computer game released by Blizzard Entertainment on July 3, 2002 . It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and it is the third game set in the Warcraft Universe...
custom map Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients
Defense of the Ancients is a custom scenario for the real-time strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and its expansion, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, based on the "Aeon of Strife" map for StarCraft...
and is widely considered as the first stand-alone game title in the "DotA subgenre". The game's title refers to the powerful player characters that battle for supremacy over various zones. The game is multiplayer-oriented and competitive in nature. A demo of the multi-player became available on July 30, 2009 with all gameplay modes unlocked.
Gameplay
There are two distinct types of Demigod: Assassins and Generals. Assassins rely on their varied combat abilities in a direct fight to kill other Demigods. Generals are a hybrid Demigod that create and support their own minions and other Demigods.Demigod launched with eight Demigods available, four for each type of Demigod, and added two additional Demigods after release.
Gold and experience points are earned as the player defeats the enemy and captures nodes. There are a few different buildings that assist your team which include shops,flags which can be captured, and a citadel which is the main base of each side. Portals are another kind of building that must be captured. When your team owns a portal, troops will start to spawn onto the map to help your team. As the player's Demigod levels up, the player also gains access to new abilities through the respective skill tree. Each Demigod has its own unique talent tree with a blend of offensive, defensive and team focused abilities. Demigods can also purchase items to boost their abilities, including some ancient items, the most expensive items in the game. Achievements earn the player favor points, which can be used to purchase favor items. Players are allowed to choose one favor item that can be used throughout the match, but once the favor item has been chosen, it cannot be replaced until the next match. Once a favor item is purchased it will be available for use in following matches for free.
Launch
On April 9, 2009, GameStopGameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
began selling Demigod before its release date of the 14th. The game's servers were not yet launched thus not allowing preorder customers to have online play as originally intended. The issue was compounded by a cracked version of the game available for illegal download on torrent sites. In response, Stardock activated all pre-orders a day early from the planned release after returning to work on Monday April 13, 2009.
The game also had technical problems during online play. Players experienced connectivity issues until June when a patch was released.
Patches
Version 1.2 - This patch was released on Thursday, November 19, 2009 and included many bug fixes as well as item and demigod balancing. One major addition was the mod system. If everyone in a game has a mod enabled in the mod manager, then the game will include the changes made in the mod. The patch also added two new demigods, the assassin type named Demon Assassin and the general type named Oculus, although they were disabled on patch day. On Monday, November 23, 2009 the Demon Assassin was enabled.Reception
Reviews for Demigod have been highly varied. The ratings aggregator Metacritic currently reports an overall score of 76, reflecting scores from constituent rating sites ranging from as low as 50 to as high as 92. Gaming website 1up.com1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
summarized much of the negative and angered criticism the game received with the following quote: "If you're interested in throwing down cash for a beta and maybe getting in some practice before things get smoothed out, go ahead and bump that score up a letter grade. Anybody else should find something else to do until then;" while on the other hand, Neoseeker's Lydia Sung gave the game a perfect 10, specifically noting the game's breathtaking visuals and sound, saying "Most games worth reviewing will look good and maybe have a decent soundtrack, but Demigod is absolutely stunning in both sight and sound. Words cannot describe how beautiful this game is, folks, and my screenshots don't even begin to do it justice." Cheat Code Central
Cheat Code Central
Cheat Code Central is a video game website primarily known for its extensive list of cheat codes. Cheat Code Central, also known as CCC and CheatCC, offers previews, reviews, news, and various articles on the gaming industry...
gave the game a 'Great' rating of 4.3/5.
GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
reviewed the game with a rating of 6.5/10, noting major online connectivity problems and the lack of tutorial or story based campaign as major problems. Stardock has commented by stating that they are currently working on all of the multiplayer issues. Graham Smith of PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
rated the game 8.1/10. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Jason Ocampo gave the game a 7.5/10 citing bad multiplayer netcoding and stating "you'd best wait a while for the developers to get things working before you dive into Demigod"