Question 1

What is Dota Captain?

Accepted Answer

A fan-built Captain's Mode practice client. Solo: roll faction and pick order, draft against an AI captain, lock a playbook, simulate, and climb the ladder. PvP: queue ranked Versus for a public MMR ladder, or share a room code for a casual match against a friend. It's not the Dota 2 client and doesn't replace playing the game.

Question 2

Is this official or affiliated with Valve?

Accepted Answer

No. Dota Captain is an unofficial fan project. Hero names, art, and marks belong to Valve and other rights holders. We use them only to describe draft and simulation gameplay.

Question 3

Do I need an account to play?

Accepted Answer

No for solo practice. Use Try demo for a full run with local progress in your browser. PvP (ranked Versus or a private room) requires sign-in so both players have accounts. Create an account when you want captain rating, match history, and leaderboard rank saved across devices.

Question 4

How long does one session take?

Accepted Answer

About 5 minutes for a typical run. Lottery and strategy are quick; the CM draft takes as long as you want (timers only cap each step). The sim runs fast, so you can watch the log or fast-forward to the result.

Question 5

Can I draft against a friend?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Open the PvP lobby from the signed-in lobby: one player creates a room and shares the 6-character code, the other joins, then you draft on a shared clock and watch the same match play out. It does not change your captain rating or solo leaderboard. Ranked Versus is now live on the Versus tab with a public queue and its own MMR ladder; seasons are still coming soon.

Question 6

What is the PvP lobby?

Accepted Answer

A private 1v1 Captain's Mode room for two signed-in captains. Host stays on the create tab after making a room; the guest joins with the code. Draft and match run like solo, but picks sync live between both captains. It's a casual room, separate from ranked Versus, which pairs you through a public queue and tracks its own MMR ladder on the Versus tab.

Question 7

What happens during the draft?

Accepted Answer

You get the real Captain's Mode pick/ban sequence (24 steps). Bans use 20-second timers; picks use 30 seconds. Each team also has 130 seconds of reserve time that kicks in after the main timer hits zero. The AI opponent drafts with role and synergy logic, not random picks.

Question 8

What does the lottery decide?

Accepted Answer

Two independent rolls: your faction (Radiant or Dire) and pick order (first or second). That sets who opens the CM sequence and which side you captain for the rest of the session.

Question 9

What is the strategy / playbook phase?

Accepted Answer

After the draft you assign each hero a lane role (1–5) and choose six A-vs-B style decisions, like early vs late tempo, teamfight vs split push, or objective focus vs map control. These choices shape how the match simulator weights fights, ganks, sieges, and farm. They're macro calls, not in-game item builds.

Question 10

What is the enemy scout brief?

Accepted Answer

Before and during prep you see a read on the AI's inferred playbook: tempo, fight shape, and personality tags like greedy or counter-draft. It's scouting intel to help your bans and strategy picks, not a guarantee of exactly how the sim will play out.

Question 11

What is “Captain's read” in the draft sidebar?

Accepted Answer

Contextual draft coaching for your current CM step: pool pressure, role gaps, and timing hints. Expand or collapse it from the sidebar; your preference is remembered on this device.

Question 12

Does the simulator predict a real Dota match?

Accepted Answer

No. It's a narrative macro engine: world state builds pressure, and fights and objectives emerge from tempo, draft matchups, and the AI captain's choices. Every run is its own story, since the AI drafts and plans differently each time, so no two sessions play out alike. Built for learning and debating drafts, not predicting real games.

Question 13

What am I looking at in the playbook panel during the sim?

Accepted Answer

Your locked-in strategy translated into live intel: team intent, capability bars, plan beats (on plan / stress / off script / payoff), strat clash vs the enemy, and win-path milestones. Think of it as a captain's HUD for whether the game is following your brief.

Question 14

What is the living map?

Accepted Answer

A simplified map playback synced to the event log. Hero tokens move between zones as smokes, fights, and sieges resolve. It visualizes macro movement, not frame-perfect Dota mechanics or last hits.

Question 15

What is the captain report at the end?

Accepted Answer

A post-match debrief: plan adherence %, whether draft or execution mattered more, when the game first went off-script, and a short verdict. Use it to review decisions, not as a substitute for watching a replay.

Question 16

What do “on plan”, “plan stress”, and “off script” mean?

Accepted Answer

Tags on key sim moments. On plan means the event matched your playbook; plan stress means your call was under pressure but still relevant; off script means the game diverged from what you prepared for; payoff marks a moment your strategy explicitly cashed in.

Question 17

The simulator isn't perfect. Can I report bugs or suggest improvements?

Accepted Answer

Yes, please. The engine is still evolving, so timing, fight logic, and draft AI will miss the mark sometimes. During a sim, tap Report on the match footer and describe what looked wrong — we attach a compact debug snapshot. You can also email hi.dotacaptain@gmail.com or use Report issue in the lobby footer. Suggestions and realism feedback are welcome.

Question 18

How does captain rating (MMR) work?

Accepted Answer

Wins add +25 rating. Losses subtract 15 below Archon band, 20 through Archon, and 25 at Ancient and above. You also earn captain XP from each match equal to ten times the rating change. Demo runs track rating locally in your browser until you sign in.

Question 19

I finished a match but my rating did not update

Accepted Answer

Demo mode saves locally only. Signed-in saves need a stable connection at match end. If auth failed, the run may have fallen back to demo persistence, so try signing in before your next draft if you want ladder credit.

Question 20

Can I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. From the signed-in lobby, open account settings and use delete account. Profile and match history tied to your login are removed; this cannot be undone.

Command the draft.Simulate. Climb.

DRAFT LIKE A REAL CAPTAIN

Lobby → draft → sim

Captain lobby

CM draft board

Roles & builds

Match simulator

Captain lobby

CM draft board

Roles & builds

Match simulator

Track your captain journey

Five study guides.Playbook, hero atlas, counters, synergies, items.

What, how, and whyI build it.

How 128 pixels learned to tell a Dota story

Building guilds that reward showing up, not grinding

Giving the match sim a story

You finish the draft.Everything after is consequence.

One ladder for everyone

Captain level

From a draft board to a living match.

Public launch

Versus & server sim

Economy & roles

The draft brain

Stats & the ladder

Roster & coherence

Item builds

Ranked PvP

The Supporter Pack

The match comes alive

Guilds

The living Pixel Stage

How it works

Getting started

Draft & strategy

Match simulator

Accounts & ladder

Keep the draft client running