Competitive multiplayer video games have two main issues. One is that they usually battle to outlive, their servers turning into ghost cities just some weeks or months after they launch. The different is that when video games do survive, these cities are sometimes bustling with arseholes.
Overwatch isn’t any exception, so I’m happy to see that Blizzard have plans to roll out an endorsement system that encourages gamers to get together with one another. They’re additionally introducing a ‘looking for group’ characteristic that permits you to specify what roles and attitudes you need out of your teammates, they usually’ve launched everybody taking part in on the PTR servers to Symmetra’s fancy new abilities.
All of the information comes from the newest dev video with artistic director Jeff Kaplan, so do be happy to take heed to his splendidly earnest voice clarify the whole lot intimately moderately than simply learn my abstract.
Kaplan covers the brand new endorsement system first, which is able to allow you to reward fellow gamers for displaying good sportsmanship, or being good teammates or shot callers. It’s nothing we haven’t seen earlier than in different video games – I’m most aware of Dota 2‘s take on the same idea – but it’s nonetheless a really welcome addition. Your endorsements are displayed in your profile and also you’ll be ‘rewarded periodically’ for sustaining a high-endorsement stage, however all of them get wiped should you get silenced or suspended after being reported. These type of techniques don’t magically flip each cussing loudmouth into an upstanding citizen, however they will nudge them in the proper path.
The ‘looking for group’ system may additionally assistance on that entrance, by letting you discover gamers with the same mindset to your individual within the first place. The system permits you to arrange a bunch and promote it in a listing, the place you’ll be able to title it nevertheless you want and set up parameters like ‘everyone must be on voice’ or ‘we must have a balanced team composition’. Kaplan talks about utilizing it to search out different folks which are critical about rating up, nevertheless it ought to work for locating extra informal gamers too.
I used to make use of my mic way more when taking part in with strangers in multiplayer video games, each to speak and strategize – however I’ve been worn down by how usually that results in partaking with individuals who simply aren’t price partaking. I actually like the thought of organising a bunch that’s particularly on the lookout for pleasant talkative folks, each once I’m taking part in on my own and once I wish to spherical out a gaggle of mates I’ve already made.
They’re additionally collapsing the Offence and Defence hero classes into the identical ‘Damage’ position. It’s one other change I can get behind – as Kaplan says, these labels have been all the time pretty arbitrary. What he doesn’t point out is that these labels have been colouring quite a lot of gamers’ perceptions about when it was applicable to select sure heroes. Genji can do wonders on defence towards the proper enemy crew composition, and hopefully now I’ll get rather less abuse when I attempt to insist that’s the case.
All of these adjustments will land with the following replace, together with the Symmetra rework and a few tweaks to the Horizon New Colony map.
You can try Symmetra’s new talents on the PTR servers proper now should you like although, which I’m tempted to do regardless of by no means usually bothering with test-client shenanigans. The rework has slapped rockets onto her turrets, reworked her teleporter final into a daily potential and made Photon Barrier an ult that mission a barrier which is ‘infinite in size’. That’s simply scratching the floor of everything that’s new with her, so it’d be truthful to deal with her like a wholly new hero.
