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Overwatch8 years agoGosu "GosuGamers" Gamers

What if Beta Development had gone on a little longer - Group Editorial

On May 24th, everybody on Earth will be able to access Overwatch. After a long Beta period, Blizzard now believes the game is complete enough to ship. But what if they had waited a little longer? What if they put in even more dedicated development time? In this article, the GosuGamers staff discusses what features they would have liked to see added, or perhaps expected to see before launch.

GosuOverwatch Editorial Crew

Broeder

The one thing I really was expecting from Blizzard, though maybe being too optimistic, was a better Spectator UI. The fact that they supported observers from the very start was an amazing thing, but this probably raised my expectations as well. While the spectator mode isnt unworkable, there are still a lot of aspects that need to improve. The most heard feedback on Overwatch eSports is that it is hard to follow for new viewers. This needs to be resolved ASAP, which could be done through things such as an observer mode map, preset overview camera locations, picture-in-picture functionality, etc.

I was also really hoping for one final hero addition. Another character added to the game on release so that both beta testers and new players could have discovered new gameplay together would have been awesome. We were almost promised this a day or so ago, when a french fansite "incorrectly" announced a new hero at launch, only to find out how incorrect they actually were...
 

  Hexagrams

Until they add a replay system, that will be the biggest thing missing from the game. Not only is it a great tool for individuals to break down their own gameplay and capture key moments from the game, but it's also a great tool for the competitive scene as well as the content creation community. The knowledge to create such a system is clearly there, as both StarCraft and Heroes of the Storm feature replay systems. It's time that Overwatch gets the same treatment.

11b284522b42a728c8f2b759bb14e5e11db83fe2a8e2c532922708ca1f.jpeg  michr

Just to mention the obvious ones: A replay function. I want to be able to have a fully functioning replay of games I played, even if its just limited to custom lobbies. It's just a major hassle having to resort to recording video to analyze what should essentially be very small demos.

A better spectator UI would also be nice. Currently it's very hard to understand what's going on when watching a tournament stream, unless you are a very competent player yourself. And even then, there are so many things that just get lost in the action.

But really, my biggest problem with Overwatch in its current state is a balancing one; the support heroes in the game have absolutely no game impact in a matchmaking scenario. Lucio is the prime offender here-- absurdly strong when playing with very coordinated teams and just a walking healing ward when playing in matchmaking or less coordinated games. Doesn't really help that the choice of viable support characters is extremely low.
 

45d7507c139fba7ab34e80ce26cf0a195b9d805461b06985d507752c05.jpeg Schwoon

While I’m very satisfied with the game right now, I think the data provided post-match is severely lacking. I have absolutely no issue with the information I’m getting during a game, but would love to see more in-depth stats at the end of a match, as well as what other players accomplished. As far as I know, Blizzard has no real intention to change this, but I think it could be a very valuable addition to at least custom games and competitive mode (which hopefully will be implemented again soon).

Other than that, I was secretly hoping to see another game mode such as Capture the Flag, but that is just wishful thinking.

Pretty sure Reinhardt would have no trouble capturing a flag.

544633-1462211652.jpeg  GLPhoenix

I guess it would be nice to see one or two new heroes or maps for the full release as a nice surprise, but I can understand why they might not want to. The big topics that are pretty much always mentioned when it comes to bolstering the competitive side of the game are replays and the spectator UI. If Blizzard wants Overwatch to be yet another strong esports title for them, they’re going to need to make it look coherent for viewers.  

 Sideshow

The spectator UI has come leaps and bounds since the game first went into beta, but there are still some quirks with how the system functions for observers. I’d like to see customisable viewpoints added so that observers can switch to set third-person angles without having to sluggishly wade through the map with their keyboard and mouse. A healthy mixture of first-person and birds-eye angles is necessary to capture all of the action happening in Overwatch and facilitating that should be a priority for Blizzard.

Demos or some recording function should be a given as well, as it boosts viewership of Overwatch through mediums other than Twitch and allows teams to review strategies and collect data.

As a final point, I would have liked Blizzard to be a little more open to trying Hero Limit 1 or engaging with the top competitive players in their desire for HL1 to be implemented. While there are good arguments for both sides in this debate, there is a clear vein of discomfort among the top players regarding “cheese” strategies and how they affect the current game modes.
 

 Chico

I was hoping for a few more maps or gametypes. The current selection is nice and I assume more will be added later but I think it would have been good to knock that “bang for your buck” feeling right out of the park on launch. Other than that I thought it was fine. The game seems very well balanced, though a few heroes might still need some tweaks.

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