Was removing -switch as a default option the best thing ever done in DotA?

[TwilightVoid-Mu]

Seriously. I was tired of kids whining about -switching someone just so they could prolong losing. Or they would request someone (or someone on the winning side would switch themselves) after being fed by the other team or farming all game, causing the team who had originally been winning to lose. Its rediculous; the team that has leavers has leaver items/gold and can stack a hero or two with them, and most kids just start leaving if they don't get a switch. I think it shouldn't have been implemented from the start, otherwise newbs wouldn't have known any better about it.

[Ushinro]

I do see the merit for have a switch function but having it disabled by default is probably for the best in my opinion.

[X-räi]

Its rediculous; the team that has leavers has leaver items/gold and can stack a hero or two with them, and most kids just start leaving if they don't get a switch.

that games are 100% lost if for example the one who was alone mid and had 3/0 decides to switch is obviously. just do -no.
-and most kids just start leaving if they don't get a switch.
do you would stay in 5on3? its impossible without being fed before or without playing against 100% dumb.
switch prolongs the game, that its only reason. and most pubs dont last long anyway. so why not having the chance to try out a damn single build public because everybody is leaving. i always play with -so, if i play pub,  or the game is over in 15/20 mins.
about 30% of the first blooded ppl tend to leave lol
and why you even care about loosing? its public lol
if i realize that switch was fatal and dead sentenced the whole game i just leave, it would have been over anyway.

[Torgo]

Icefrog removed the default -switch ability because people were using it to grief games.  My guess is the setup was something like this:

1. Program a hotkey to type the following: -switch 1 [enter] -no [enter].
2. Change chat mode to observers.
3. Spam said hotkey.
4. ??
5. GRIEF!

To other players, the screen fills up with a constant flashing of "X has requested to switch with Y" and "X has rejected the switch offer."  There was no way to get rid of this, and it was very annoying.  Squelching did nothing.  Icefrog found a solution: don't permit switching unless you want to leave an avenue open to griefers.

Otherwise, simply rejecting a switch would have been fine.

[phear]

I always host "switch OFF" games because it's a game like any other = Win or lose, nothing special. Fast, fair games.

[Ushinro]

The new way the switch feature works is a little better I think. Getting the feature to be balanced will be very difficult and take a while until it is usable without heavily changing the game while also making a significant enough change.

[X-räi]

The new way the switch feature works is a little better I think. Getting the feature to be balanced will be very difficult and take a while until it is usable without heavily changing the game while also making a significant enough change.

better yes, but balance after switch will never be guaranteed, to be precise, it will always be unlikely. And I guess you know that^^
it just makes the game longer, fun is mostly destroyed after switching.
either nothing changes and you rape the enemies (now 4 again) ... or you loose.
I set my personal quote of games being fun + balanced after switch at about 10%.
too bad so many ppl leave in bnet pub, the main reason I play d-l or HoN.