Oh, hello there.

Our next <a href="http://www.dota2.com/firstblood">update</a> will be hitting Dota 2 this coming Monday the 23rd. You can find more details on what's included by clicking the image below.

<a href="http://www.dota2.com/firstblood"><img class=" alignnone" title="You get something! Good day, Sir!" alt="" src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_firstblood.jpg" width="100%"/></a>

As always, let us <a href="http://www.valvesoftware.com/email.php?recipient=Dota+2+Team">know</a> what you think.

Oh, hello there.

Our next update will be hitting Dota 2 this coming Monday the 23rd. You can find more details on what's included by clicking the image below.



As always, let us know what you think.

WORKSHOP:
- Added Abaddon to the Workshop submission tools and website requirements.


UI
- Added a button to add friends inside the game.
- Fixed bug where guild invites could never show up.
- Darkened background behind buff stack numbers for better legibility on bright icons.


MAC/LINUX:
- [Mac] Fixed problems with sounds cutting out or not playing for the first few minutes of a game.
- [Mac] Make Dock icon bounce when game is ready.
- [Mac] Play a ready sound when game is not focused and matchmaking has found a game.
- Make "Sound while alt-tab" setting work.
- Fix for missing lip syncing in hero portrait.
- Fix corrupted GUI after changing video settings.

VISUAL
- Fixed LOD1 on Ol' Chopper Pudge hook
- updated cloth settings and skinning Crystal Maiden, Invoker, Lina, and Rubick

GAMEPLAY
- Fixed recasting a higher level of Enfeeble only refreshing the existing duration without upgrade the stats
- Fixed Epicenter not slowing attack speed by 10

VISUAL
- Fixed Timbersaw's body blade not rendering properly.
- You will no longer see other player's -commands (like -ping).
- adjusted cloth settings for Witchdoctor and Lion

SPECTATING
- Added experimental Player Perspective Directed mode. Turn on by selecting player perspective and setting dota_spectator_directed_player_perspective to 1.

AUDIO
- Add audio for cheese usage.
- Fix FoW interactions on QoP and AM blink.

MAC/LINUX
- We now do not use Adobe Flash to play videos, but HTML5 video tags. This should fix a crash with Adobe Flash 11.7 on Mac.
- Add support for querying Gnome Settings for proxy settings for embedded webpages.
- Fixed crash-on-startup on Mac that could occur with certain game controllers.

IME
- Fix for Korean IME chat bug where two ENTER presses were required after entering Korean characters.

UI
- Fix for store banners showing up in the TODAY tab when the FIND MATCH button is clicked.

ECONOMY
- Lockless Luckbox: Replaced Lone Druid item 'Skull of Xahryx' (head slot) with 'Form of the Onyx Grove' (true form).

UI
- Made hero loadout model preview bigger in the main menu.
- Added practice lobby button to swap Radiant and Dire teams.
- Limited number of selectable matchmaking regions to six.
- New users are able to watch live games before completing the tutorials.
- Wins and level are now hidden for players that aren't friends and don't have 'Share Match History' in the options enabled
- Fixed keybindings not being saved properly for Xbox controllers
- Added Dire courier icons to minimap for Spectators
- Fixed a crash when selecting all units while spectating
- Fixed dota_embers convar value being forgotten when the game is restarted
- Spectators can select wards to see their vision or truesight radius.
- Added Xbox controller support for Dota TV
Left / right bumper = Cycle back or forward through the heroes on the field
Start button = Pause (Replay only)
Back button = Rewind (Replay only)
D-Pad up / down = Cycle through stats dropdown menu
D-Pad left / right = Slow down or speed up replay speed
Y button = Show gold graph
X button = Show XP graph
B button = Dismiss open graphs, reset playback speed, revert camera to previous mode (after cycling heroes)

MATCHMAKING
- Reduced average wait time and reduced incidence of extremely long wait times

INTERNATIONAL COMPENDIUM
- Added further explanation of International Fantasy Challenge rules.
- Exposed the roles of players in International Fantasy Challenge Bench slots.
- Completing the creation of an International Fantasy Challenge team now grants you the Mammoth mount for your Smeevil.
- Completing all the Main Event Predictions now grants you the Bird mount for your Smeevil.

MAC/LINUX
- Made the chat wheel work
- Added intro movie for new users, fixed black screen displaying for new users
- Fixed bugs with some tooltips missing text on what abilities do
- Fixed outline color of target units to match what Windows shows
- Fixed some rendering issues
- Fixed some crashes
- A variety of performance improvements
- Fixes to audio (silence, crashes)
- Mac: More robust mouse grab
- Mac: Allow setting "Unit Speech" to "All" in audio settings.
- Linux: Fixed hang when pasting from the clipboard under certain conditions

AUDIO
- Fixed some issues with base attack sound modifier (e.g. Tiny's Scepter attacks)
- Adjusted limits on Chen ult target sounds

GAMEPLAY
- Tusk: Fixed minor inaccuracies with his Base Strength, Attack Animation and Turn Rate
- Meepo: Fixed Geostrike not affecting units like Spirit Bear
- Morphling: Fixed being the Replicate illusion buff icon being visible to enemy players
- Morphling: Fixed being unable to control the first Juxtapose illusion created by your Phantom Lancer Replicate
- Shadow Demon: Fixed Demonic Purge killing summoned units like Warlock's Golem
- Shadow Demon: Fixed Shadow Poison damage release not having a cast point
- Fixed a minor inaccuracy with Meepo and Ogre Magi's base armor

Benaroya Hall isn’t just an amazing place to watch The International because it is a prestigious beautiful building that is home to the Seattle Orchestra, but at game time, it is also filled with friends and of course other Dota 2 fans.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/brew_pubstomp.jpg" width=624 height=405>

While not everyone can fit in the hall, you can still watch with friends and other Dota 2 fans as a group. To help you find events, we’ve put up an <a href="http://www.dota2.com/pubstomps/" title="Official PubStomp page">Official PubStomp</a> page. Here organizers can submit their event to be listed and the community can find ones in their area and sign-up to attend. Make sure to check back for events in your area as more are submitted leading up to The International.

But what if you can’t make it to the event and instead you plan on watching the game from home – only one problem. You don’t own a Windows computer but instead use Mac or Linux? We’ve got you covered. Not only can you now watch games in client on Mac and Linux computers, the complete Dota 2 game is available for Mac and Linux players.
<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/570/">Grab it here</a>.

<a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/570/"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/applelinux.jpg" border=0 width=624 height=405> </a>

Now that the what and where are covered, here is the when everyone keeps asking for.

The International Official Schedule
Group Stage Days
August 3: 9AM -> 10PM
August 4: 9AM -> 10PM
August 5: 9AM -> 2PM

Main Event at Benaroya Hall
August 7: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 8: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 9: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 10: 12PM-> ~7-11PM
August 11: 12PM-> ~6-9 PM

Since this is a live sporting event, the ending times may vary. All times are listed in PST.

What if you already knew all of this – how about this one? <a href="http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=421525">Team Liquid Merchandise </a> will be available at The International and Valve store once The International 2013 kicks off.

Benaroya Hall isn’t just an amazing place to watch The International because it is a prestigious beautiful building that is home to the Seattle Orchestra, but at game time, it is also filled with friends and of course other Dota 2 fans.



While not everyone can fit in the hall, you can still watch with friends and other Dota 2 fans as a group. To help you find events, we’ve put up an Official PubStomp page. Here organizers can submit their event to be listed and the community can find ones in their area and sign-up to attend. Make sure to check back for events in your area as more are submitted leading up to The International.

But what if you can’t make it to the event and instead you plan on watching the game from home – only one problem. You don’t own a Windows computer but instead use Mac or Linux? We’ve got you covered. Not only can you now watch games in client on Mac and Linux computers, the complete Dota 2 game is available for Mac and Linux players.
Grab it here.



Now that the what and where are covered, here is the when everyone keeps asking for.

The International Official Schedule
Group Stage Days
August 3: 9AM -> 10PM
August 4: 9AM -> 10PM
August 5: 9AM -> 2PM

Main Event at Benaroya Hall
August 7: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 8: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 9: 12PM-> ~9-11PM
August 10: 12PM-> ~7-11PM
August 11: 12PM-> ~6-9 PM

Since this is a live sporting event, the ending times may vary. All times are listed in PST.

What if you already knew all of this – how about this one? Team Liquid Merchandise will be available at The International and Valve store once The International 2013 kicks off.

When we first announced the <a href="http://blog.dota2.com/2013/05/introducing-the-interactive-compendium/">Interactive Compendium</a>, we hoped it would be something that Dota players would be interested in. Shortly afterwards, we were forced to admit we underestimated <a href="http://blog.dota2.com/2013/05/stretch-goal-two-completed/">the community's response to it</a>. Upon reflection, we decided that the community was clearly sending us a message - so we spent the next two months adding more features to the <a href="http://www.dota2.com/international/compendium/">Compendium</a>.

With the International only three weeks away, we thought we'd cover some of the things we've added. If the last time you looked inside the Compendium was back when it first shipped, we hope you find some of these additions interesting.

<strong>THE INTERNATIONAL FANTASY CHALLENGE</strong>
Assemble a fantasy team of players from those attending The International. As they play in the tournament, your fantasy team will earn points. At the closing of the tournament, each of your fantasy teams will earn you an item based on its performance. The in-game UI tracks the points earned by your fantasy players, so that you can easily compare and compete with your friends. Leaderboards and highlights on fantasy teams will displayed at both the International web site and the event itself.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_fantasychall.jpg">

<strong>PLAYER CARDS</strong>
Collect trading cards of your favorite players at The International, and stamp them into the Compendium's team pages. Collect an entire team and earn more customization options for your International Courier. Trade your extra player cards with your friends to complete the whole set, and bag yourself a mythical crab mount as well.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_playercards.jpg">

<strong>PREDICT THE FUTURE</strong>
Compete with your friends to make accurate predictions on many results in the tournament. With seven pages of predictions to make, there's an endless amount of statistical analysis you can do to prove you knew what was going to happen all along.

<a href="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_predictions_full.jpg"><img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_predict.jpg"></a>

<strong>SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP AND ALL-STAR MATCH</strong>
Vote on the players you'd like to see participate in a Solo Championship to determine who's the greatest solo mid-lane player in the world. If you haven't yet, don't forget to also vote on the ten players you'd like to see in the All-Star Match.

<strong>NEW REWARDS</strong>
Along with your compendium itself, you also receive a number of extra bonuses: a limited edition 125% XP Battle Bonus that lasts until the International is over, an International Smeevil courier with customization capabilities, and new taunt animations for several Heroes.

<img src="http://media.steampowered.com/apps/dota2/images/blogfiles/inline_compendium_2013_rewards.jpg">

If you're interested in more in-depth details, check out the <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=144566542" target="_blank">The International 2013 Interactive Compendium Guide</a> that Jimo and <a href="http://www.cyborgmatt.com/" target="_blank">Cyborgmatt</a> put together.

When we first announced the Interactive Compendium, we hoped it would be something that Dota players would be interested in. Shortly afterwards, we were forced to admit we underestimated the community's response to it. Upon reflection, we decided that the community was clearly sending us a message - so we spent the next two months adding more features to the Compendium.

With the International only three weeks away, we thought we'd cover some of the things we've added. If the last time you looked inside the Compendium was back when it first shipped, we hope you find some of these additions interesting.

THE INTERNATIONAL FANTASY CHALLENGE
Assemble a fantasy team of players from those attending The International. As they play in the tournament, your fantasy team will earn points. At the closing of the tournament, each of your fantasy teams will earn you an item based on its performance. The in-game UI tracks the points earned by your fantasy players, so that you can easily compare and compete with your friends. Leaderboards and highlights on fantasy teams will displayed at both the International web site and the event itself.



PLAYER CARDS
Collect trading cards of your favorite players at The International, and stamp them into the Compendium's team pages. Collect an entire team and earn more customization options for your International Courier. Trade your extra player cards with your friends to complete the whole set, and bag yourself a mythical crab mount as well.



PREDICT THE FUTURE
Compete with your friends to make accurate predictions on many results in the tournament. With seven pages of predictions to make, there's an endless amount of statistical analysis you can do to prove you knew what was going to happen all along.



SOLO CHAMPIONSHIP AND ALL-STAR MATCH
Vote on the players you'd like to see participate in a Solo Championship to determine who's the greatest solo mid-lane player in the world. If you haven't yet, don't forget to also vote on the ten players you'd like to see in the All-Star Match.

NEW REWARDS
Along with your compendium itself, you also receive a number of extra bonuses: a limited edition 125% XP Battle Bonus that lasts until the International is over, an International Smeevil courier with customization capabilities, and new taunt animations for several Heroes.



If you're interested in more in-depth details, check out the The International 2013 Interactive Compendium Guide that Jimo and Cyborgmatt put together.

PLATFORM
Dota 2 is now available for Mac OS X and Linux.

Dota 2 Mac OS X Minimum System Requirements:
Mac OS X Lion 10.7
4GB RAM
8GB Hard drive space
nVidia 320M or higher, or Radeon 7000 or higher, or Intel HD 3000 or higher

Dota 2 Linux Minimum System Requirements:
Ubuntu 12.04
Dual core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz
4GB RAM
8GB Hard Drive Space,
nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeaon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1
OpenAL Compatible Sound Card

UI
- Added automatic detection of GG calls in tournament and practice lobby matches, which then ends the game 10 seconds later.
- In the fantasy stats dropdown, players you have on any of your teams will be highlighted and mousing over them will list which of your fantasy teams they are on.
- Guild invitations now display who's inviting you, and how many members the guild has.
- Added a tournament drop for early roshan kills (before creeps spawn)
- Quick Cast now works on the portrait of your currently selected unit.
- Players can customize which messages appear on the Chat Wheel.
- Messages sent via the Chat Wheel appear with an arrow icon next to them.
- Calendar page now shows a list of tournament games per day.

VISUALS
- New Earthshaker model
- Updates to some Earthshaker effects
- Fixed Eclipse not always playing the missed Lucent Beam visual effects
- Made Abaddon's Borrowed Time effect and healing more clear

MATCHMAKING
- People who decline Matchmaking are temporarily restricted from searching for 45 seconds
- Parties are more likely to be matched against other similarly sized parties
- Reduced the average skill variance in games where there are 10 individual players
- When matching parties, the matchmaker now also considers the minimum experience level on both teams rather than just the average.
- Fixed a bug in the matchmaker that was causing it to insufficiently segregate players based on win count
- Fixed a bug that would cause excessive queue times, especially for large parties or high skill players

GAMEPLAY
- Abaddon: Fixed Abaddon's illusions applying Curse of Avernus
- Abaddon: Fixed Aphotic Shield being dispelled
- Abaddon: Fixed Mist Coil Heal/Damage order
- Dragon Knight: Fixed Dragon Blood's bonus armor not showing properly in the UI
- Gyrocopter: Fixed the Fountain doing no damage to Gyrocopter 's Homing Missile
- Io: Fixed Tether sharing mana regeneration when you have full mana
- Io: Fixed Spirits initially spawning 250 units away instead of 150 units
- Medusa: Fixed various spells being unable to remove the stun from Stone Gaze
- Medusa: Fixed Stone Gaze facing requirement not taking into account distance once the debuff is added
- Necrolyte: Fixed several specific heroes being unable to buyback for the rest of the game if they died to Reaper's Scythe.
- Omniknight: Fixed Guardian Angel not affecting Siege units
- Silencer: Fixed Curse of the Silent being removed by Aphotic Shield/Manta
- Slark: Fixed Pounce's Leash getting dispelled
- Visage: Fixed being able to dodge Soul Assumption
- Fixed the free courier in Mid Only not always being controllable if you selected your hero too late
- Fixed Backswing behavior for: Soul Rip, Tombstone, Cold Feet, Ice Vortex, Chilling Touch, Enfeeble, Shallow Grave, Thunder Strike, Kinetic Field, Static Storm, Malefice, Midnight Pulse, Howl, Stifling Dagger, Static Link, Shrapnel, Psionic Trap, Whirling Axes (Ranged), Storm Bolt, God's Strength, Wave of Terror, Venomous Gale, Shadow Word, Fatal Bonds, The Swarm, Time Lapse, Maledict, Overpower and Ice Shards

AUDIO
- Non-default announcers will now comment on pick/ban phases.
- Windows Mixer control for Dota2 no longer resets to full volume on start up.
- Music volume floor goes to 0.
- Updated Abaddon VO