How Dota 2 matches are organised and managed

Dota 2 saw the light of day in 2011, and the full-fledged release took place two years later. Since its release, the game has won millions of fans around the world, and within the eSports scene, teams of different levels compete in Dota 2 tournaments for millions of dollars in prize money.

There are a total of two match formats in this eSports discipline: online and offline, more commonly known as the LAN format. Both types of matches are regularly scheduled in Dota 2 matches. This content will focus on how Dota 2 matches are designed and organized in these formats.

Online Matches

All matches, regardless of format, start with an in-game lobby. For professional tournaments the in-game lobby is usually set up by a representative of the tournament operator. He also invites players of the teams.

The organiser sets the parameters of the match and also adds all the support staff if they are required for the broadcast. For example an observer whose job is to manage the in-game camera which will be broadcasted to viewers all over the world.

The disadvantages are that the quality of the game may be affected by things such as ping and other technical difficulties. After all, teams, players and organizers may be in different countries or even on different continents, i.e. at different distances from the in-game server. This increases the delay in the game itself, which can be crucial in a battle between two players with instant reactions. A command from one of them can be handled by the server a fraction of a second faster.

Also the online format does not allow the organizers to influence the technical aspect of the game. The tournament operator cannot help in any way if a player's internet connection goes down, or if his keyboard or mouse breaks, or if there is something wrong with his computer.

Offline matches

This format is also called LAN-format because in this case the participants of eSports matches are connected to each other by means of a LAN-connection that equalizes the ping of all players. For this purpose, players gather in specially prepared tournament venues.

The decision to hold the tournaments in LAN format imposes additional financial costs on the organizers. They will now have to arrange transportation of the teams to the venue, arrange hotel accommodation and provide all the necessary facilities. In the era of COVID-19, this also requires additional security measures such as testing, availability of medical staff and so on.

The tournament operator also has to decide on the venue, the size of the arena, the number of spectators and other logistical aspects. It is possible to hold LAN-tournament without spectators - it was done by Beyond The Summit Studio earlier on DOTA Summit Series tournaments but now it is not a popular practice.

The strength of this format is the minimization of third-party factors that affect the quality of play of the participating teams and the ability to promptly resolve problems associated with computers, accessories and other peripherals. Also organizers in this way guarantee fair play from the players, because this way they will have direct access to the teams' computers.

On the downside, there is the high cost of running LAN events, the need to find more sponsors or increase the level of sponsors because teams won't be flying halfway around the world to compete for $10,000 prize money and the lack of experience to run a tournament with the fewest technical and organisational issues.

Conclusions

Online and offline matches are equally popular on the eSports scene in Dota 2. They have their pros and cons. Traditionally the top tournaments such as Major, Minor, The International and other tournaments with large prize pools were held in a LAN format, while the online format is suitable for smaller or regular leagues with modest prize pools. The only exceptions were in 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 temporarily moved online matches to the top of the list.