A new item schema update has been vigorously hurled at Dota 2, and while it doesn’t contain anything massively groundbreaking, it does offer a glimpse at some upcoming (and incredibly welcome) changes, as well as reminding us that custom game modes are on the way.
In terms of changes, there are a number of additions to matchmaking/MMR/disconnection text strings, including: “Poor network conditions have been detected. No stats will be recorded for this match. Matchmaking rating (MMR) will not be updated.” The implication here is that, if the network is being godawful, it won’t affect your wins/losses or your ranking. Which is nice.
A few of the strings also reference custom game modes. From what’s visible, it looks like custom game modes will be handled by the Steam Workshop. This doesn’t really promise a great deal, other than “custom game modes are still in the works.”
Clockwerk’s hero model has received a breakdown, which means that cosmetic items for him will likely be appearing before too long, and there are new upcoming sets for a few heroes like Bounty Hunter, Dark Seer, and Pudge. There’ll also be a Free To Play Collector’s Pack offering a HUD, a ward, a courier, and three cosmetic sets: Sven’s Forge of Iron Will set, Doom’s Crown of Hells set, and Pudge’s Murder of Crows set. The Murder of Crows set was created in partnership with Dendi, and will offer a new kinetic gem.
There’s a fair bit more, but that’s most of the interesting stuff. You can have a read of the full thing over on OnGamers.
