Hey there,
I'm sure most of you aware of this madness already (sorry if I missed a recent thread). But this can't keep me off introducing you to DotA (Defense of the Ancients) map/mod for Warcraft 3. Here is the homepage.
Briefly the map is designed so that there are two bases (Sentinel vs. Scourge) that are connected on 3 lanes to each other. There are 80 heroes to choose from, each are totally "hacked" from what they are originally in Warcraft 3, hence having very unique skills and spells. You are also able to shop for 98 items, some of which are combinations of lesser items giving you an incredible advantage according to their unique bonuses.
This is madness. The ultimate one. The variety of strategies and fun (as long as you don't bump into a lamer or don't act like one yourself) is endless. DotA has already been a WCG member game to be played in tournaments.
As there always are, there are lamers playing DotA as well such as quitters/leavers or maphackers. Quitting a game intentionally after it has started no matter what is not welcome and generally leads to being banned. You should not start a game you're likely to quit. Having this thumbrule, join the fun.
Get the original and latest version of DotA here. Version 6.38b is regarded the latest one and a stable one as well, so being popular. I'd recommend you to get it.
However, being a pro takes time as it does with every game. And if you are really new to the game, prefer joining games having "noobs only" etc. title and also practice offline with this AI map of DotA.
If you have time and feel dedicated to have fun (it really needs a bit of being serious to have fun with this), try this funpack now.
www.eurobattle.net is the biggest unofficial alternative to Battle.net servers by the way.
