Heroes of Newerth ~ A Lesson in Backdooring

22 October 2009 View Comments

lazy-road-demotivational-poster

Backdooring is a very controversial topic! From the forums to just general game play there are so many different opinions. Many old DotA players believe backdooring is the worst possible thing ever. Just mentioning backdoor to these old schoolers will have them looking at you jaw dropped unable to comprehend why you would want to ruin your reputation like that.

Let’s start with the basics. What is backdooring? Backdooring is when you bypass your creep wave and attack a tower or barracks. Why is this considered bad to old DotA players (and 50% of the HoN community)? It’s considered a “cheap tactic” based on a desperation to win. If you have to BD then you weren’t going to win in the first place. BDing is your last resort. A cheap, disrespectful resort.

So why do people do it? Most people don’t. I can probably go about 10 games and only have 1 of those games have a BD in them. Those that do do it for two reasons: 1. Their team is losing by regular game play and it’s their only way of getting a small chance to win. 2. They think BDing is a perfectly fine tactic on par with ganking/denying towers/and general lane pushing. They feel if you are to ban BDing then you should ban ganking, denying towers, stunning, and “enter a whine about something stupid here.”

I’ve never played DotA, but I am against the use of backdooring as a tactic. My reasons vary. For starters I feel it ruins the game. When you BD it means you didn’t have enough skill/teamwork/good hero picks to win the game on your own. So instead you decided that you were going to take your ball and go home leaving no one else to enjoy the game. You’re a spoiled child. Perhaps you should improve your hero skills rather than resort to this horrible “tactic.”

Pro-BDers feel that BD should be (and is) allowed because there are easy ways to counter it. For example, a tp (teleport) scroll and wards. “If you aren’t skilled enough to stop a BD then you aren’t skilled enough to win the game.” That’s the cry I’ve read over and over again on the forums. …Well if you aren’t skilled enough to win the game like its supposed to, with lane pushes and team fights, then you aren’t skilled enough to win the game. Ya, we can have a rubber and glue fight right now.

What if everyone BDed? Just like how everyone lane pushes, but instead everyone just makes a quick dash to each others base and hits towers until they take down the shrine/tree. Nice, quick, 20 minute games. Where’s the fun in that? Oh, ya. There isn’t any fun in that. While that is the goal of the game it’s not the only part of the game. Team fights, hero kills, even creep farming is a great journey of the game. Erase all that with a race to get to the other shrine first and I might as well be playing Mario Kart by myself. I wouldn’t play HoN if it was like that. I don’t think the pro-bders would play it either.

S2’s official stance on the whole thing is:

S2Jason – “If any of the tactics actually prove to be an issue in HoN, we will fix it [through] game mechanics.”

S2Fielding – “… backdooring is a bit of a sensitive issue that we’re monitoring closely. As Jason said, if we feel it undermines the game and proves to be an issue, we’ll handle it with game mechanics.”

S2Fielding – “As we said earlier in the thread, we’ll keep an eye on things. That said, if a particular hero appears to be overpowered in terms of their ability to ‘backdoor’ that’ll probably be handled with balance changes to that particular hero (or a redesign) rather than trying to hard-code programming rules to prevent the tactic. It would be pretty unintuitive to create any sort of rules that make it impossible to attack a structure for non-obvious reasons. That said, we’ll listen to the community, to you guys, and keep an eye on the flow of the game and do whatever is necessary when we reach that bridge.”

So I guess we’ll just have to see what happens after BETA. I for one hope that backdooring will not be allowed. Of course there are other options I would be ok with. Having an option to turn it off in game rules (like the No Leavers option). Having the rax have increased regen when being hit by heros (needs a little more thought).

How do you feel about backdooring?

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About Kirei

Kirei is the creator and editor of GamerofSorts.com. She enjoys playing RPGs, MMOs, and FPS' such as Call of Duty MW2, World of Warcraft, and of course her current obsession Heroes of Newerth.

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pbdironshiek

LOL! stupid post, HoN or DotA both of this is a strategy game, by putting a no BD rule what will make this game more exciting. Racing?! well yeah its a race on who can scratch each others mothe structure, but playing it so planely could just think fck man lets just play dota its the same anyway.. i dont say that BD'ers is good thing well its bad for some case, but what's more bad is the player's that are whining of "you son of a! that's BDing you weak coward!" after destroying your structure what excactly did you call us?? WEAK?! who is the weak one who just watch his structure being defiled?! SO WHO IS THE WEAK ONE NOW?! and one more HERO SKILLS that make them a good BDer you said thing like that, well let me ask you are there any heroes that make TOWER do little damage to them? well you suck man, we all got damaged by the tower's and it really hurts! even if you got heart or anyhting that make you tougher the TOWERS damage still HURTS! so dont whine like a sissy! DEFEND YOUR TOWER HARDER! BE A GOOD PLAYER!! dumby..

Kenny_R

I agree with Kirei, those games do blow. Its no fun.

LeftBower

Basically the Devs have said that they'll nerf BD if they think it's unbalancing. They haven't yet, so thusly they don't yet think it's an issue. Since there are easy counters, and the game itself hasn't made it impossible, the onus is on you to show why it's an unfair and horrible tactic. And it's a small percentage play to be used to recover from a losing position, keeping both teams in the game for longer and thusly keeps the game interesting.

pbdironshiek

correct BDing is only a small chance of strategy, very small actually, can you make succesfull BD if you got enimies with higher lvls and items? ofcourse not, theyll hunt you down while leaving others to push your base.. so BDing is a sacrifice.

honour

actually, it turns the game to mud. One team wins the team battles and raxes fairly only to have the other team run past everyone to their base and rax the base, there is very little you can do for this in end game (which is when this BDing usually occurs), enemy heroes can just walk into your base take a rax to half hp is a few secconds, you tp in, they run off again, they hit and run until you have been raxed or until it becomes a stalemate because neither team can afford to leave their base without getting raxed.

pbdironshiek

well its ypur loss too, being shaken down by simple matter, your soo dumb if you cant catch a BDer, stab his back while his hitting towers. another dumby..

Kirei

Exactly. Ever seen a game get to the point where every hero is so farmed they literally have no room for a TP? Sure they could leave that Shieldbreaker there and grab a TP... but... when given the choice in PUBs people wont. Sure a support could have a TP and port back, but what if it's the other teams farmed carry taking down the rax? That support wouldn't last 3 hits.

It literally becomes a game were no one leaves their base. Those games... blow.

pbdironshiek

fck its your loss having no space fr a very essential item on the game, would you walk the whole map just to def?! your crazy if your like that even you have max speed it takes you a minute to go at your base by feet which can only be done in 3 secs by TP.. mohoron,,,

Kirei

I actually play a lot of support and have a TP on me 90% of the time. However being such a squishy support going up against a scout that is fully farmed is an instant death. That was my point. Having to leave our farmed carry in base to keep their farmed carry from BDing leaves everyone at a stand still.

Kirei

Oi, trying to remember which S2 dev said it. They said that they didn't like BDing, the tactic or the use of, but until there is a change to the game then it was allowed (obviously it is).

It's been so long since I've seen a truly successful BD..

paul1234a

Well I don't know where i stand on the whole BD and non BD issue, for one i use Legio so i go behind the enemy tower at first and take on the creep wave as it comes before it gets to the tower so thus my creeps get to take on the tower, making for a quicker tower kill. I have been accused of BDing with that and i honestly do not believe that is it, but i must agree with Joe Donovan because what is the point on taking on a creep wave near your base when the last tower in mid lane has just a few hits on it left. No one in there right mind would call that BDing and i bet you have possibly done that before as you've played, expecially within the senerio that Joe said, and a way to get back to base in order for a quick defense is always vital which is why most people carry around at least one homecoming stone, but those are used for retreat measures most the time. The only time me and my team have been accused of BDing truely is when we got off to a bad start but we had a NH who was strong enough to take on towers, we took the entire top and bottom from just that so I have to agree with Joe, it is a legitimate strategy. If S2 wanted to make us play the game "correctly" they would punish those who do attack towers behind even a single creep wave. I am in no means a true BDer but i have to say that anyone who destroyed a creep wave that was back at there base when they where at the enemys base about to get the last hit on the tree/shrine then you're most likely playing the game wrong.

Kirei

I've seen Lego do that countless times and do not consider that a bd. Isn't that whats so great about Lego pushing a tower anyway? His ability to do that? I just wish more Legos on my team did.

I'll work on getting a screenshot of a true bd. So I can post it and show exactly what I mean. Fortunately, but unfortunately for this post, I haven't seen a bd in forever. I'll keep my eye out and snatch one when I can.

And no, I've never bded. I have always gone back to my creep wave to clear.

Joe Donovan

Seems like you're just whining about having to play the game properly. Backdooring, as it existed in DoTA doesn't exist in HoN. Backdooring isn't attacking a tower or barracks after bypassing a creep wave, but attacking structures without the prior structure being first destroyed. Imagine a scenario where you've taken all the towers in the top lane and you have one more enemy tower in the middle lane to destory but enemy creeps are all the way near your base. It's absolutely stupid to go all the way down to your base to kill the creeps then travel back to where you were to destroy that middle tower. I'm sorry, but it's legit strategy to destroy structures without creeps around them. With Homecoming Stones and Post Haste boots, there are many ways of porting to any of your structures within a few seconds. If you can't handle this, then you're just not a good player and wanting to artificially place limits on what players can't do because you're unable to defend properly says more about your lack of skill than anything. I'm glad S2's stance on this subject is what it is. Backdooring no longer exists due to game mechanics. What people now call backdooring is just a bastardization of the original term.

Kirei

"It's absolutely stupid to go all the way down to your base to kill the creeps then travel back to where you were to destroy that middle tower. "

Seems like you're just whining about having to take the extra time to play the game correctly. Sounds like you're... lazy?

"With Homecoming Stones and Post Haste boots, there are many ways of porting to any of your structures within a few seconds."

So what you're saying in your scenario is that you can TP/post haste back to your base and take care of those creeps rather than have to walk back? Geez. Seems reasonable enough.

You practically quoted what I said most Pro-BDers think. Thanks for showing I wasn't making it up. :)

shiboe

"Seems like you're just whining about having to take the extra time to play the game correctly. Sounds like you're... lazy? "

And what makes back-dooring not playing the game correctly? Who says what the correct way to play is, you? Because I had this funny notion that the game rules/mechanics implied how it was intended to be played, not whiny players with their own interpretations.

Kirei

I agree! Let's all race to the towers! It can be Mario Kart without the crappy rainbow road! Who cares if you have skill with the hero you pick, or enough skill to use your heroes abilities correctly, or even enough skill to buy the correct items? It's a race. And a damn fun one too. Everyone pick Scout! Or Defiler! Wait what? You want to play Demented? WTF noob. I mean.. wtf why would S2 put support classes in a game where it was all about how much damage you can do to a tower before hiding as the other team ports in? It's madness I tell you. Complete madness.

I'm sure if it was a race to see who got to the tower first S2 would of created a completely different game from what it is. I could just as easily say to yourself "Who says BDing is the correct way to play, you?" and we could go round and round.

You have your way of playing. I have mine. I dislike yours. You dislike mine. You seem to be the only one whining though. My post shows my position, S2s position, and BDers position. If it was a whining post I think it would of only shown my position.. with a lot more '!!!' or caps even. Here I'll help ya out a little with your case of whining.

BDERS RUIN THE GAMEZ!!!!11!!!1!!!11!

Don't say I never did anything for ya.

Mark Gehan

This article is whining, hence he is not the only person whining.

shiboe

Except you're missing one INCREDIBLY HUGE FACT. I'm gonna give this it's own line even, in the hopes that it will sink through your incredibly thick skull:

CURRENT GAME MECHANICS ALLOW FOR AND THUS SUPPORT BACKDOORING.

Got it? Your opinion, my opinion, both irrelevant. We are not going in circles because the game clearly says what the correct way to play is, you just missed the hidden-ness of my post that was challenging you to see that fact.

If they decide to implement measures that prevent backdooring, then it will in fact be "not the correct way to play." Until then, don't tell other people that your way is correct, unles you're hosting a tournament or gain some magical powers.

I wouldn't go onto a baseball field and declare "bunting" to be cheezy and not the correct way to play the game for the same reasons. Don't like it? Fine. Rules support it. Deal with it.