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[Auto Chess] Drodo's Auto Chess, Dota Underlords, and Teamfight Tactics!

DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
edited June 2019 in Games and Technology
vsr1ivxspile.png

What's this?
This is the thread to discuss Dota Auto Chess, an excellent mod that was released recently and has now become the most popular custom map in Dota 2. Or Dota Underlords, a standalone version made by Valve. Or Teamfight Tactics, a standalone version made by Riot.

If you want a more detailed overview, please checkout A Guide To Auto Chess, 2019’s Most Popular New Game Genre by Nathan Grayson.


What's that?
All three of them are 8 player competitive strategy games where each player assembles an army of heroes to attempt to survive the longest against waves and waves of enemies. Last player standing wins.

How hard is it to play?

At this point, it's completely free to play and widely available on many platforms.

Dota Auto Chess, the original mod, is still available within Dota 2
Drodo Auto Chess, the standalone version made by the makers of the original mod, is available on mobile and soon to PC
Dota Underlords, Valve's version, is free to play on computers or mobile phones
Teamfight Tactics, Riot's version, is free to play on computers within the League of Legends client

Each game tends to last roughly 30-40 minutes, but I believe TFT is balanced to be a slightly quicker game than the rest currently.


Dehumanized on
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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    edited January 2019
    This is a pretty fun deck building game and pretty much all of the prominent Hearthstone streamers have been addicted to it. If Hearthstone is wizard poker, this is the YuGiOh version. The whole 8 person FFA format really makes it interesting and there is enough variation/combinations in chess pieces/cards to force people to make decisions on the fly because of the time limit per turn. The endgame usually requires quick thinking and high APM as you cycle through your options to complete your final, perfect deck

    uNi5682h.png
    Reposting one of my wins from the DOTA2 thread that I wanted to show, where my endgame deck is mostly made up of strong but seemingly random units. I'm currently hovering around early Bishop rank and I've been winning big time with Dragons, just because its rare that people build them. Typically going for full bonuses for one tribal type or going for the 3* units is typically an instant loss unless you are way ahead, just because of the sheer number of units you'd have to acquire.

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    I've personally only been playing it for a couple days now but I've been having trouble putting it down. I'm down in low Knight right now while I figure out what works and doesn't, but the amount of things I learn every game is tremendous.

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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    I feel like one of the core ideas around this game is opportunity cost, especially early game. Since you get increased income every 10 gold you have banked, any amount you have in excess should be used to reduce the chance of other players completing their build/deck if you have the space in your stables. Also, units are sold at full price so if you buy units that you aren't using, you technically only lose gold if that purchase prevents you from earning extra interest or if it stops you from getting the win streak reward

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    ronzoronzo Registered User regular
    I was watching some vods of Savjz playing this, and was confused that he seemed to be making 2 star units by just combining 2 base level units.

    is there something I'm missing about the upgrade system, I thought it had to be 3?

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    A Half Eaten OreoA Half Eaten Oreo Registered User regular
    ronzo wrote: »
    I was watching some vods of Savjz playing this, and was confused that he seemed to be making 2 star units by just combining 2 base level units.

    is there something I'm missing about the upgrade system, I thought it had to be 3?

    Druids? They’re synergy bonus is that you only need 2 to level.

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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    Since the devs are from China, I'm guessing the game is going to maybe only update once before the incoming lunar new year holidays in China

    Druids are great to use as ramp up units because it is cheap to get their 2* and 3* units and the Enchantress and Treant have AoE heals. They have been nerfed considerably because of this and 2*/3* druid units have less hp than other units. You just need 2 types of druids to combine any druid to 2* but need all 4 druids on board to combine a unit to 3*. Ideally you won't be using all the druids on the board because of their weak hp (I also personally hate furion), so you just need to keep some 1* druids in your stables for upgrade purposes

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Oh yeah, here's a translated AMA from the dev team from last week:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/aiqo4w/auto_chess_developer_ama_thread_translated/

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    I needed anime to post.I needed anime to post. boom Registered User regular
    i think this is a neat game and a lot of my complaints are from the exploratory nature of it sort of mish-mashing genres to create something new and the growing pains as a result, as well as the nature of being built in another game's engine and ui. the end result is that i'm not gonna play it super often, but i'm really looking forward to seeing people iterate it and think about it

    it's also just neat to actually have a modern, new mod success. feels like a blast from the past

    liEt3nH.png
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    ronzoronzo Registered User regular
    ronzo wrote: »
    I was watching some vods of Savjz playing this, and was confused that he seemed to be making 2 star units by just combining 2 base level units.

    is there something I'm missing about the upgrade system, I thought it had to be 3?

    Druids? They’re synergy bonus is that you only need 2 to level.

    Ahhhh okay, thank you. It was driving me crazy watching and not understanding why that was happening.

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    i think this is a neat game and a lot of my complaints are from the exploratory nature of it sort of mish-mashing genres to create something new and the growing pains as a result, as well as the nature of being built in another game's engine and ui. the end result is that i'm not gonna play it super often, but i'm really looking forward to seeing people iterate it and think about it

    it's also just neat to actually have a modern, new mod success. feels like a blast from the past

    yeah playing this game feels like it's 2003 and war3 customs are all the rage again, in the best way possible

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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Disrupter seems to be a little too strong now. The silence + damage is hard to tank through and its hard to mitigate through positioning because of its size. At least Kunka's boat doesn't apply the stun immediately and Tide hunter is a 5 cost unit

    EDIT: Might as well dump my best game today
    dY3PLaEh.jpg
    Mostly level 2s and I was top 3 pretty much mid to late game. My opponent definitely started to throw at the end, thats why their comp looks bad, not to mention that everyone else were low Knight/Pawns. Started out with warriors Axe/Sladar but didn't see any upgrades for a long time except for the Tiny. Held on to a couple of Troll Shaman/WD pieces which paid off into 2* units, then got lucky with a early Kunka and Alch then rounded off Warlocks for the bonus. Fished around for the Disrupter 2* later on to round out the Shaman bonus.

    Having a well rounded team with Tanks, Ranged, AoE and Assassins matters a lot imo. Sandking / Morphling seems underrated especially when both jump to the backline to harass then use their abilities to escape and do damage in a line.

    One of the other games I experimented and decided to stay at level 9 around stage 25-30 to fill up my team with 3* units backfired massively. My opponents got to level 10 and just had a massive power spike to take victory from me. Seems like my rough gauge of leveling up immediately after the neutral levels is pretty much the way to go

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    shergakshergak Registered User regular
    This game is super fun and addicting. I finally made it to Bishop-1 on the back of AoE unit comp with warlock synergy. Kunka and Alchemist lvl 2 together can be very silly.

    ...
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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Official Patch Notes 02 Feb:
    -Candy Store: You can preview the effect before confirmation.
    -Candy Store: Collection Couriers Added.
    -Candy Store: You can change your courier immediately after click the courier in list.
    -Battle infos and chat infos now displays in left msgs instead of bullet chats.
    -Medusa and Enchantress re-decorated.
    -PVE enemies rebalanced.
    -(3)(6)Assassins' combo(Critical Strike) adjusted from 4/4 to 3.5/4.5
    -(3)(6)(9)Warriors' combo(Armor bonus) adjusted from 6/8/10 to 7/8/9
    -Static Storm of Disruptor's duration decreased by 1s
    -TA's attack speed decreased by 0.2
    -WD's attack speed increased by 0.2
    -Tiny's attack damage increased by 20
    -Timbersaw's armor decreased from 10/10/10 to 6/8/10
    -Scream of QOP's damage decreased by 50
    -Ghost Ship of Kunkka's damage decreased by 50 and stun time adjusted from 1.4/1.4/1.4 to 1.4/1.7/2
    -Fix Crown Bug
    -Fix DragonKnight Bug
    -Fix Lina and Doom Bug
    -Fix the button Bug on draw panel (cannot unlock the board automatically)
    -Fix Morphling Bug
    -Fix PA Bug
    -Try to prevent varies kinds of hackers from attacking, and I personally express strongly condemnation about this

    Unofficial:
    Unit Changes:

    Keeper of the Light - Illuminate

    Cast Point changed from 0.5 to 0.1 (makes it cast much much faster)
    Ability Cooldown reduced from 12, 10, 8 to 10, 8, 6

    Kunkka - Ghostship

    Stun Duration changed from 1.4, 1.4, 1.4 to 1.4, 1.7, 2.0
    Damage reduced from 200, 300, 400 to 150, 250, 35
    New Cosmetic Item (shark)

    Necrophose - Death Pulse

    Heal values changed from 100, 150, 200 to 100, 175, 250

    Disruptor - Static Storm

    Duration decreased from 3, 4, 5 to 2, 3, 4

    Medusa

    2* and 3* skin and wearable updates for everything

    Queen of Pain - Sonic Scream

    Damage reduced from 250, 350, 450 to 200, 300, 400

    Dragon Knight - Elder Dragon

    Splash Damage fixes

    Morphling - Waveform

    Speed of Ability execution increased by 50% (less likely they die before it goes off once animation starts)

    Phantom Assassin

    No longer starts with 100 mana, but rather 0

    Sand King - Burrowstrike

    Speed of Ability execution increased by 50% (less likely they die before it goes off once animation starts)

    Templar Assassin

    Attack Rate changed from 1.0 to 1.2 at all tiers (Attack Rate is not Attack Speed - it is amount of time between attacks ... makes TA 20% slower)

    Timbersaw

    armor reduction from 10, 10, 10 to 6, 8, 10

    Tiny

    Max Default Damage changed from 70, 140, 280 to 100, 200, 400

    Enchantress

    2* and 3* Enchantress gets some skin updates / wearables

    Witch Doctor

    Attack rate updated from 1.5 to 1.4

    Warrior Bonus Buff

    Changed from 6, 8, 10 to 7, 8, 9

    Assassin Bonus Buff

    Crit Multiplier changed from 400% (4x) at both Tiers to 350% (3.5x) at first Tier, and 450% (4.5x) at second Tier

    PVE Hellbears (Round 20 - Furbolgs) - damaged lowered by 10%

    PVE Wildwing (Round 25) - attack speed increased by 33%



    Game Changes:

    Ban Wave incoming for cheaters
    VIP Tester Status
    Change to better inform folks when other players combine units (rather than the text scrolling)
    Same new format used for informing of player PvE results during a round
    Same new format used for informing of player PvP results during a round
    Same new format used for text messages sent by players via `say`
    Text appears at round start stating it's PvE or PvP
    Attempt at fixing server errors due to item movement near end of round
    Fix to some cheats people were using to buy chesses for free
    Fix for PvE fights above Round 50 (currently at any modulo of 5 == 0 round above 5 it thinks it's PvE -- fixed to lookup a round array instead of using pure math)
    Added a timer when loading the mirror team of the player you are facing off against so combat doesn't start immediately (doesn't look like you can reposition yet in reponse, but it's a start in that direction)
    RandomUnitSelection (FindUnluckyDogRandom) changed to be random rather than last unit on the field
    Fix to mana gain calculation to be attacker and not caster based on Dagon (all levels) and Crown items

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Still getting used to the new patch meta but it's looking like the changes are pretty good so far! The stuff that used to be auto-take no longer feels quite that way, except maybe shadow fiend which is hard to pass up if you don't already have another demon built up.

    Today I'm getting a new appreciation for the orc 4pc bonus; getting that core of Beastmaster/Juggernaut/Disruptor/Axe can get a ton of work done going from mid to lategame; stacking 600 extra hp on all of them is really powerful.

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    StationaryStationary Registered User regular
    just won my first game using goblin mechs and a shadow fiend. Feels real good after a bunch of 2nd/3rd place finishes.

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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    Yeah it feel like Shadow Fiend is a little too strong and is almost an autopick but then again Demons should be buffed to be on par. Warlock seems too synergistic for being the backline but i'm not sure what else he can be without increasing his power passively. I've been picking Windranger more especially when my game is rife with Shadow fiends and always having an assassin helps imo

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    StationaryStationary Registered User regular
    I've been trying not to worry too much about balance and stuff as I'm still just wrapping my head around what all the different units are and do. Having zero actual dota experience this has been a weird intro to the universe.

    In general I feel pretty ok for the first 20 rounds or so most games but once we're past that I tend to fall apart as I'm not really sure what the transition into the latter stages of a game should look like. But hey, learning is the fun part right?

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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    Yeah, learning something new and getting better at it is always fun. Typically at the later stages of the game I'm frantically looking to
    a) Get to level 9 or 10 while maintaining decent bank for income. Level 9 is a good place to start rerolling for rare units (4 cost pink) because the difference in % of rare units appearing between 9 and 10 is pretty low, and level 10 is max level.
    b) Replacing weak, cheap chess pieces with stronger 4/5 cost rare ones. 4 cost units generally have better abilities that are AoE and provide crowd control, which makes them really effective against opponents.

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Just went into round 24 and realized "wait, why the shit am I fielding a 1* Axe right now?" only to watch it ult a Kunkka to prevent him from boating, winning me the fight.

    Lategame transitions are tough, especially if you're not super ahead. I think I've gotten better as I've become more willing to sacrifice my sideboard aggressively to retain income. I'll only ever really pursue a 3* unit if I'm playing druids or the first ~5 or so are just thrown into my lap. If I ever can hit another multiple of 10g by sacrificing my second 2* Beastmaster, I'll probably do it because I really want my economy to pull me to level 9 even if I'm behind. Now, if I'm sitting on 8 total Beastmasters? That's where I can still fall into the trap.

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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    kW87t6xl.jpg
    I guess the unoffical notes i posted yesterday is today's official patch notes

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Ayy, finally made it to Bishop 1! My last game ended with the most disgusting finish I've ever had:

    Beastmaster 2
    Medusa 2
    Tidehunter 1
    Lich 2
    Timbersaw 2
    Disruptor 2
    Shadow Fiend 2
    Enigma 2
    Alchemist 2
    Necrophos 3

    The synergies were nuts. Beastmaster, Medusa, and Tidehunter grant Hunter-3. Beastmaster and Disruptor have Orc-2. Necrophos and Lich have Undead-2. Tidehunter and Medusa have Naga-2. Shadow Fiend has lone Demon. I've got the warlock 3 bonus. My bench was just a single piece away from Shadow Fiend 3 and Tidehunter 2! There were even some great items, to top things off!

    It was round 38!

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    StationaryStationary Registered User regular
    I just had a decent warrior/naga game going where I felt like I was really turning a rough start around but then got disconnected. I dont think I was really likely to turn it into a win but even just recovering from last to middle of the pack was feeling pretty good.

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    StationaryStationary Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    Spoiler'd because its a big picture, but picked up my second win, this time with just warriors and a tide hunter right near the end for his knockup.
    1yc7trl8hvyt.png

    my final team was something like

    Tusk 3
    Axe 2
    Kunka 2
    Tiny 2
    Juggernaut 2
    Troll Warlord 2
    Beastmaster 2
    Doom 1
    Tide Hunter 1

    Juggernaut was easily the mvp for me throughout the match, his whirlwind feels real good. I also learned this match that you can combine certain items into stronger ones and boy do I feel real silly for not noticing that before.



    Stationary on
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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    https://steamcommunity.com/id/dehumanized/screenshot/954103393113462476

    Another game where I just got nice and lucky early and just highrolled the game into a lead nobody could catch up to. The build ended up with Shadow Fiends early and often paired with a big Razor and the four troll pack in the mix to get my Tidehunter and Lone Druid's ults off as fast as possible, while Shadow Shaman stands right next to them in the front line to provide the attack speed buff, the instant hex, and another shortly delayed hex one as he gets smacked by the opponent's frontline. Troll Warlord 2, Razor 2, and Shadow Fiend 2 all pump out tremendous amounts of damage, and I was sitting on both 8 SFs and 8 Razors for the last 3 rounds of the match.

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    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    i got bored and decided to install this. i think this might be too complicated for me.

    i am the first out in every game and i mostly only win 1-2 rounds after the creep phase

    aeNqQM9.jpg
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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    edited February 2019
    There's a lot of mechanics that aren't explicitly explained but I think watching some streams might help.
    Some tips-Buy the best possible units on the tier list:
    246ayiifssd21.png
    Upgrade your chess pieces by merging 3 of same piece (except druid pieces)
    Save money when you can in intervals of 10 for interest

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    I think it's really just a game you have to play for a few hours to really understand what's going on. Stick with it, though, because it is super rewarding to play once you've picked it all up.

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    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    idk any of those pictures, i've never played dota before.

    aeNqQM9.jpg
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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    https://steamcommunity.com/id/dehumanized/screenshot/954103393113994524

    Third straight win in a row, I think I really need to get into some bishop lobbies or something. This game I started playing from way behind, working my economy really hard as I took a losing streak down to 44% health, then hit my big power spike and proceeded to demolish anyone who matched up with me for the rest of the game.

    I'm hoping to add some resources to this thread about the basics of like how each hero works and some tips on how to use them effectively. Hopefully you can find the same fun I'm having with this!

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    shergakshergak Registered User regular
    I had 2 straight wins in a row where I fell behind early, but lose streaked my way into the W. I noticed that other players went for the high power units early, getting like timber 3s, clockwork 3s and working on their comps by rerolling a lot, which meant that when I was level 9, they were still at level 7. That ended up hurting them a lot late game as I was upgrading epics and they were still stuck on commons/uncommons. Managing your resources is really important.

    ...
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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    I've added some usage notes to the OP about the $1 and $2 units, and I'll add notes on the rest of the units soon.

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    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    well, that's frustrating. just lost a game because even though i had 4 unique druids on the board, i couldn't get my two 2* lone druids to combine to a 3*.

    is there something i'm missing with that? very bad messaging and had a terrible setup going into the fight because it didn't work and ejected one of my other units breaking a different set bonus.

    aeNqQM9.jpg
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    UrQuanLord88UrQuanLord88 Registered User regular
    Likely its because you put the lone druids first on board before the other unique druids. The board only checks for upgrades with incoming units, so what you need to do is to ensure you have 1 Treant, 1 Enchantress, 1 Furion, 1 Lone Druid before adding your other Lone Druid

    Something like that happened to me before and my hand was full and it sold my Lone Druid, so that has been drilled into my head :D

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    I always move the last unit placed one extra time when upgrading druids as a matter of habit to make sure it goes off.

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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Playing from behind, a story in 2 screenshots:

    Round 21
    Round 39


    And the game resolution:

    Final chessboard state
    Rank results

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    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    well i did good in one game but i think 95% of it was that i got an early tidehunter and then found two more for a 2* tidehunter in the endgame that absolutely wrecked house.

    aeNqQM9.jpg
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    StationaryStationary Registered User regular
    I had a couple good games and then one that was looking like I was going to cruise to a win before it fell apart in spectacular fashion. all of a sudden the dude in second had like every druid and an anti-mage at 3 and honestly the turn happened so fast I couldn't help but be amused by it.

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    Knight_Knight_ Dead Dead Dead Registered User regular
    9YpxHXn.jpg

    i won a match. i was doing pretty ok with my knights with some elf synergy on the side with timbersaw just being crazygonuts since the start, and then i got a gyrocopter and then i got a level 2 gyrocopter and things got out of hand.

    aeNqQM9.jpg
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    DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    New patch:

    https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/changelog/1613886175

    I like the sound of these balance changes

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    KafkaAUKafkaAU Western AustraliaRegistered User regular
    Been playing this a bit. Always keen for non pub lobbies but I’m only low Knight at the moment.

    steam_sig.png
    Origin: KafkaAU B-Net: Kafka#1778
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