Multiplayer online battle arena

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"MOBA" redirects here. For other uses, see Moba (disambiguation).

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Multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), also known as action real-time strategy (ARTS), is
a genre of strategy video games that originated as a subgenre of real-time strategy, in which a
player controls a single character in one of two teams. The objective is to destroy the opposing
team's main structure with the assistance of periodically spawned computer-controlled units that
march forward along set paths. Player characters typically have various abilities and advantages
that improve over the course of a game and that contribute to a team's overall strategy. MOBA
games are a fusion of action games, role-playing games and real-time strategy games, in which
players usually do not construct either buildings or units.

The genre largely began with Aeon of Strife (AoS), a custom map for StarCraft[1][2] where four
players each controlling a single powerful unit and aided by weak computer-controlled units
were put against a stronger computer.[3] Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a map based on Aeon of
Strife for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne, was one of the first major titles of
its genre and the first MOBA for which sponsored tournaments have been held.[3] It was followed
by the two spiritual successors, League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth, and eventually a
sequel, Dota 2, as well as numerous other games in the genre such as Heroes of the Storm and
SMITE.

Contents
1 History

2 Gameplay

3 References

4 External links

History
See also: List of multiplayer online battle arena games

Typical map of a MOBA genre game. Yellow lines are the "lanes" where action is focused; blue
and red dots are the defensive "towers/turrets" that defend them; light-colored quarter circles are
the teams' bases; and blue and red corners are the structures whose destruction claims victory.

The roots of the genre can be traced back decades to one of the earliest real-time strategy titles,
the 1989 Sega Mega Drive/Genesis game Herzog Zwei.[4][5] It has been cited as a precursor to,[6]
or an early example of,[7] the MOBA genre. It used a similar formula, where each player controls
a single command unit in one of two opposing sides on a battlefield.[4][5][6] In 1998, Future Cop:
LAPD featured a strategic Precinct Assault mode similar to Herzog Zwei, where the players
could actively fight alongside generated non-player units.[8][9] Herzog Zwei's influence is also
apparent in several later MOBA games such as Guilty Gear 2: Overture (2007)[10][11] and
AirMech (2012).[7]
In 1998, computer game company Blizzard Entertainment released its best-selling real-time
strategy game (RTS) StarCraft with a suite of game editing tools called StarEdit. The tools
allowed members of the public to design and create custom maps that allowed play very different
from the normal maps. A modder known as Aeon64 made a custom map named Aeon of Strife
(AoS) that became very popular.[3][12] Aeon64 stated that he was attempting to create gameplay
similar to that of Future Cop: LAPD's Precinct Assault mode[citation needed]. In the Aeon of Strife
map, players controlled a single powerful hero unit fighting amidst three lanes, though terrain
outside these lanes was nearly vacant.[13]

In 2002, Blizzard released Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (WC3), with the accompanying Warcraft
III World Editor. Both the MOBA and tower defense subgenres took substantive shape within the
WC3 modding community. A modder named Eul began converting Aeon of Strife into the
Warcraft III engine, calling the map Defense of the Ancients (DotA). Eul substantially improved
the complexity of play from the original Aeon of Strife mod. Shortly after creating the custom
DotA map, Eul left the modding scene. With no clear successor, Warcraft III modders created a
variety of maps based on DotA and featuring different heroes. In 2003, after the release of
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, a map creator named Meian[1] created a DotA variant closely
modeled on Eul's map, but combining heroes from the many other versions of DotA that existed
at the time. Called DotA: Allstars, it was inherited after a few months by a modder called Steve
"Guinsoo" Feak, and under his guidance it became the dominant map of the genre. After more
than a year of maintaining the DotA: Allstars map, with the impending release of an update that
significantly changed the map layout, Guinsoo left the development to his adjutant Neichus in
the year 2005.[1] After some weeks of development and some versions released, the latter turned
over responsibility to a modder named IceFrog, who initiated large changes to the mechanics that
deepened its complexity and capacity for innovative gameplay. The changes conducted by
IceFrog were well-received and the number of users on the Dota: Allstars forum is thought to
have peaked at over one million.[13]

By 2008, the popularity of DotA had attracted commercial attention.[14] That year, The Casual
Collective released Minions, a Flash web game.[15] Gas Powered Games also released the first
stand-alone commercial title in the genre, Demigod.[16][17] In late 2009, Riot Games' debut title,
League of Legends initially designed by Feak, was released.[18][19] Riot began to refer to the
game's genre as a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).[20] Also in 2009, IceFrog, who had
continued to develop DotA: Allstars, was hired by Valve Corporation, in order to design a sequel
to the original map.[13]

In 2010, S2 Games released Heroes of Newerth, with a large portion of its gameplay and
aesthetics based on DotA: Allstars.[21][22] The same year, Valve announced Dota 2 and
subsequently secured the franchise's intellectual property rights,[23][24] after being contested by
Riot Games for the DotA trademark.[25] In 2012, Activision Blizzard settled a trademark dispute
with Valve over the usage of the DOTA trademark and announced their own standalone game,
which was eventually named Heroes of the Storm.[26][27][28][29][30] Dota 2 was released in 2013, and
was referred to by Valve as an "action real-time strategy" game.[20] In 2014, Hi-Rez Studios
released Smite,[31] a MOBA with a third-person perspective. Heroes of the Storm was released in
2015.[32] Blizzard adopted their own personal dictation for their game's genre with "hero
brawler", citing its focus on action.[33]
Gameplay

The Halcyon Fold map from the mobile MOBA Vainglory features a single lane connecting the
two team bases, and the "jungle" underbrush beneath the lane

There are two opposing teams whose goal collectively as a team is generally to destroy their
enemy's base to win,[34] though some games have the option of different victory conditions.[35]
Each team most typically consists of five players. Typically, there is one main structure which
must be destroyed to win; destroying other structures within the opposing team's base may
confer other benefits. Defensive structures are in place to prevent this, as well as relatively weak
computer-controlled units which periodically spawn at each base and travel down predefined
paths toward the opposing team's base.[36] There are typically 3 "lanes" that are the main ways of
getting from one base to another; in between the lanes is an uncharted area called the "jungle."

A player controls a single powerful in-game unit generally called a 'hero'. When a hero stands
near a killed enemy unit or kills an enemy unit, it gains experience points which allow the hero
to level up. When a hero levels up, it has the ability to strengthen its abilities, of which it
typically has four. When a hero dies, it has to wait a designated time, which generally increases
as it levels up, until it revives at the team's base.[37]

Heroes typically fall into one of several roles, such as tanking, damage-dealing, or healing &
support. Each individual hero is unique, with its own abilities that it does not share with any
other character, even those which share its role(s). Also typically, there is a large starting pool of
heroes; League of Legends, for instance, began with 40, and has added at least one new one
every month for its entire lifespan, reaching 100 in 2012.[38] This adds to the learning curve of the
game, as players must not only learn the game's goals and strategies but also find at least one
hero they excel at playing, not to mention familiarize themselves with the remaining roster.
Additionally, each hero is deliberately limited in the roles they can fulfill. No one hero is ever
(supposed to be) powerful enough to win the game without support from their team. This creates
a strong emphasis on teamwork and cooperation.

Each player typically receives a small amount of gold per second during the course of the game.
Moderate amounts of gold are rewarded for killing hostile computer-controlled units and larger
amounts are rewarded for killing enemy heroes. Gold is used by heroes to buy a variety of
different items that range in price and impact. For the most part, this involves improving the
combat viability of the hero, although there may be other items that support the hero or team as a
whole in different ways.[39]
As the heroes of each team get stronger, they can use multiple strategies to gain an advantage.
These strategies can include securing objectives, killing enemy heroes and farming gold by
killing A.I. units. The stronger a team gets, the more capable they are at destroying the enemy
team and their base.

Members of the genre do not generally feature several other elements traditionally found in real-
time strategy games, notably base management, and army building. Some video games have
certain heroes which control a few specialized units. The MOBA genre has more resemblance
with role-playing games (RPG) in gameplay, though the MOBA genre focuses on multiplayer
battle in an arena while RPG typically revolve around a single player story.

References
1.

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2010.
John Funk. "MOBA, DOTA, ARTS: A brief introduction to gaming's biggest, most
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"History of DotA". Gosugamers.net. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
Greg Lockley (3 June 2014), MOBA: The story so far, Market for Home Computing and
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Andrew Groen (7 March 2012), Ask GR Anything: What's a MOBA?, GamesRadar
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"Future Cop: LAPD". IGN. 14 December 1998. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
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Alex Kierkegaard (4 January 2008), "Guilty Gear 2 -Overture-", Insomnia
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Psychotronic (30 November 2008). "Minions". jayisgames.com. Retrieved 7 November
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1. Biessener, Adam (13 October 2010). "Valve's New Game Announced,

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External links