The DOTA 2 Helper Features Game State Integration Screenshots Video Demo High Level Design Testimonials F.A.Q Contact me Return To Top

The DOTA 2 Helper

An objective timer tracker with audio notifications for DOTA 2. Designed to help players keep track of in-game events such as stacking, power runes, bounty runes, and more. Customizable and suitable for different game modes like Turbo.

A handy tool that’ll make you a slightly less terrible player. 7/10

— IGN, probably.

Features

Customisation

  • Create as many timers as you like and group them to profiles
  • Customise when timers show or hide or loop
  • Create and edit profile names and timer names
  • Create profiles based on role, hero, lane or any other criteria
  • Profiles can be changed mid game and are not limited by game state

Alerting

  • Get notified on any timer with a custom sound mp3 or wav file.
  • Use the built-in sounds or disable them on a timer by timer basis.
  • Set the volume of the alerts.
  • Overlay timers turn red when they are about to trigger.

Easy to Use

  • No other applications or dependencies are required.
  • Auto-installs GSI configuration for easy setup.
  • Simple download, extract, and run.
  • Easily configure your timers outside of a game using the Demo Timer mode

Game State Integration

Configuration file

The application uses the Game State Integration feature of Dota 2 to get the game time and other information.

When you launch the application, it will automatically install the game state integration configuration into your Dota 2 folder.

If you run into issues, you can verify by navigating to the ‘Integration’ tab in the settings window, it has options to uninstall/install and open the folder.

It will open a file directory window at ..\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\game\dota\cfg\gamestate_integration:

You should see a file called gamestate_integration_dota2_helper.cfg with the following content:

"Dota 2 Integration Configuration"
{
    "uri"           "http://localhost:4001/"
    "timeout"       "5.0"
    "buffer"        "0.1"
    "throttle"      "0.1"
    "heartbeat"     "1.0"
    "data"
    {
        "provider"      "0"
        "map"           "1"
        "player"        "0"
        "hero"          "0"
        "abilities"     "0"
        "items"         "0"
    }
}

Do not enable other properties, like hero, abilities, items - They’re ignored by this tool

Dota2 will send the game state information to the application when the game is running on the provided URI.

This application runs a small local web server waiting for Dota2 to post the game state information to the helper app, which it uses to calculate the timers.

Valve does not seem to have dedicated GSI documentation for Dota2, but the concept and configuration is similar to Valves CSGO GSI, which is documented here.

Screenshots

Video Demo

High Level Design

From a technical standpoint, the DOTA 2 Helper app is a simple app that utilises a small amount of web technology and a bit of GSI to provide a few key features.

The underlying technology is .NET with Avalonia UI and a few other open source libraries.

The diagram below shows the high level design of the app.

High Level Design

Diagram created using D2

Testimonials

Before the DOTA 2 Helper app, my pulls were like my predictions: completely off-timing. But now? The app screams at me, ‘HEY! STACK NOW!’—and I actually listen. My carry still dies under the tower, but at least I’m feeding the jungle creeps instead of the enemy team.

— InvokerEnjoyer69, 3.2K MMR

My team hates me for taking jungle as Enigma, but thanks to the tiered neutral timers, I can plan my farm so well that I have a Midas and a Black Hole by 15 minutes. The sound alerts even remind me to fake-pretend I’m warding while stealing bounty runes. If they want me to stack, they can wait until my items are done.

— AntiSupport42, 2K MMR

I used to pull camps… randomly. Sometimes I’d even stack the enemy jungle by accident. But DOTA 2 Helper gave me structure in my life. Now I get a soothing ding in my ear when it’s time to pull. Do I still ruin creep equilibrium? Of course! But at least I’m doing it on time now.

— PAFanboy, 900 MMR

I always get flamed for taking Techies offlane, but thanks to DOTA 2 Helper’s sound alerts, I know exactly when to stack camps for… well, myself

— NeverStopMissing, 4.5K MMR

F.A.Q

Where is the installer?

There is no installer. Unzip the file and run the executable Dota2Helper.Desktop.exe

Where are the settings stored?

The settings are stored in the file appsettings.json in the same folder as the executable.

Does it support all platforms?

Only Windows is supported. There are no plans to support other platforms at this time.

Is the software free to use?

Yes, the software is free to use.

How does GSI work?

GSI is a feature of the DOTA 2 Game Engine that allows third-party applications to receive information about the game you are currently playing. This information is sent to the application in real-time, allowing it to provide additional features to the user. In the case of Dota 2 Helper, GSI is used to track the game timer and provide additional information to the user.

I’m not seeing any timers, what’s wrong?

Check that the port is not being used by another process, that the -gamestateintegration flag is set in the launch options of DOTA 2 in Steam, and that you have a profile selected with enabled timers.

I am only seeing Demo timers, what’s wrong?

Open the settings and ensure Timer mode is set to ‘Auto’ or ‘Game’, not ‘Demo’

Can I use my own audio files for the timers?

Yes, you can use your own audio files. mp3 and wav are supported.

Will I get banned?

No. This software doesn’t modify Dota 2—it uses the game’s built-in -gamestateintegration feature to provide extra information, much like popular tools such as Overwolf and SteelSeries GameSense. You’re simply getting helpful insights, not breaking any rules.

Contact me

Ancient Defense Bureau
Secret Shop Lane
World Tree District
Radiant/1209 Dire Street
Dotaverse

 patrick.magee@live.co.uk