Forcing Dota client to use a specific server?

Jester Maroc · May 16, 2017

Hey guys,

I am a Dota player from Lusaka, Zambia and I play on the South African server as it is geographically closest to me. I have always played with a 200-400 ping but have recently gotten an LTE connection which gives me 40-50 (CPT) or 240-250 (JHB) ping.

Valve maintains three Dota 2 servers in South Africa. One is in Johannesburg and the other two are in Cape Town. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=217075877

If I am playing on the Johannesburg (JHB) server the ping is 240-250, while the Cape Town (CPT) servers give me 40-50 ping.

So my question is: Can I force Dota 2 to only que on the Cape Town servers? If not what other steps can I take to force it to only connect to Cape Town?

Thanks!

jasonkaler · May 16, 2017

What you can try do is block the IP address of the JHB server you don't want to connect to.
Your firewall might have the ability to block an IP address, so should your router.

The following only helps if the server has a domain name, which the JHB server does not, in your link provided.
To block specific domains, add a false entry in your hosts file:
Open notepad, make sure to run as administrator
open file in folder C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc named "hosts"
add a line at the bottom:
127.0.0.1 www.blocked.com
(www.blocked.com being the domain you want to block)

That will cause your pc to not find that server correctly. It should then move on to the next server.
This is also useful if there are any domains you want to block on your PC, because they contain malware or inappropriate ads etc.

BTW, I'm in Johannesburg. I think your line comes into the country at Cape Town, that's why you get better speeds there.

Jester Maroc · May 16, 2017

I am also guessing that I am connecting to Cape Town via the Indian Ocean undersea cable via Tanzania.

Your suggestion is the only one that I have found online. The only problem is that the Dota server is only selected after one confirms to be "ready" for a game along with 9 other matched players. If I select "ready" and am blocking the JHB server IP then I will be disconnected from the game and will have to wait before I can que again. If this happens consistently Dota will drop me into a low-priority category where I certainly do not wish to be. So it is a workable but unsustainable solution as Steam does not approve of one leaving 9 other players and forcing them to re-search for a game.

James Mason · May 16, 2017

Jester Maroc :

You could try contacting DOTA/valve support but I doubt anything can be done.
The games are put on whatever server has the current lightest load, so like you said, if you block the other 2 you'll get kicked off any games that run on them.

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Forcing Dota client to use a specific server?

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