Discussions, post-mortems, analysis, inflated egos, and all that jazz.

I also disagree with Merlin's (and some other people's) position that Hota is just another game, like VT, but it's closer to the truth.

But what does truth have to do with it when we're talking about subjective perception? Or is the truth that someone disagrees with someone else? The truth is that Hota is a game built on someone else's engine (greetings to the copyright holders). And some people like it, and some don't. And it's not the same game. It's a version of the game. I repeat, many of the decisions are brilliant, such as the "unlocked" roads and the working negative luck. But adding some random things to the map, redrawing Vey, orcs, spearmen, changing the normal green color of the battlefield to some "poisonous emerald"... Introducing dozens of new objects... Too many things personally bother me. If you don't like it, don't play it. That's the whole truth.

If you don't like the examples from music, I've given examples from sports many times. Football in its "original" form was without offsides. Basketball was without a 3-second zone. And so on. Does that also mean they are variations on a theme? "Different games"?

Yes, variations on a theme. Because we're not talking about changing the rules of football. But about two different types of football, if you will. European and American. Or an even more accurate sports metaphor. Russian billiards and snooker. (Someone named Vigo is getting excited somewhere...)