has introduced an update that will be music to the ears of many fans. Outside of publishing, he plans to experiment with a number of team compositions The game is currently available. This includes a potential revival of the six-player teams from the original Overwatch.
“The Society offered a trial once or twice” Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller wrote in a blog post. “Why not put different forms of 6v6 in the game to measure results? We agree, and based on your feedback, we’re exploring how we can test different forms of 6v6 in the game to measure results.”
Keller is quick to point out that it may take some time before the team tries 6v6. Overwatch 2 Designed from the ground up for five-player teams, with hero balancing and map designs (and redesigns) taking into account reduced damage due to having some tanks on each side.
There are also technical considerations here, such as visual improvements, more technically demanding hero kits, and features such as the ability to see the outlines of allies through walls. Overwatch 2′etc. performance. So going from 10 players to 12 players can have a negative impact on performance, especially on older or less powerful systems.
“Overwatch is a fast-paced game, and maintaining a game that runs smoothly across all of our platforms is critical to the player experience,” Keller wrote. “While the limited-time test could come sooner, the team is still investigating how long it will last. take to permanently increase performance throughout the game. It would likely be a massive effort that would take at least a few seasons to accomplish.”
The possibility of longer queue times is also a concern if the 6v6 tests are successful and the format continues in some form over the long term. , but if you’re wondering how we fared in 5v5 with players locked into specific roles in the main modes, it’s worth taking the time to check out. One of the reasons why Blizzard drops one tank from each team was the least popular of the three roles, with damage in first place and support in between. One less tank helped reduce queue times.
Keller notes that his team has some ideas on how to address potentially longer queue times if 6v6 returns to long, but it hasn’t been a solved problem in the past, and he’s not sure if the new strategies will work. . “Is there a world where people are willing to live with long queue times to play this format? Maybe, but it’s a pretty risky move,” Keller wrote. “We also have tens of millions of new players who have only played 5v5. We obviously want to be careful not to disappoint those who like the game as it is today.”
There are other reasons why Blizzard went 5v5, including that it wasn’t fun to play against a team that used two shield-based tanks. Choke points could feel oppressive with two tanks blocking the way. Dropping one of them and focusing more on a little thing called flanking, personal impact, and first-person shooting (with more opportunities to shoot at opponents instead of obstacles) was meant to make the game more fluid and fun. Teamfights with multiple tanks on each side were also often a war of attrition until the ultimate abilities were available, especially during combat. .
Still, many fans have spent years playing the game in six-man squads and have had to lose one of their squad with the switch to 5v5. Plus, the synergy of two tanks can make for some really fun moments has always been a personal favorite. That being said, Blizzard has always prided itself on taking player feedback into consideration and developing the building concept Overwatch 2 it’s nice to see that the team along with the fans are willing to at least test how 6v6 might work in the modern landscape.
However, 6v6 isn’t the only alternative approach to the current team composition that Blizzard plans to test. “In addition to experimenting with 6v6, we’d like to rethink the ways we’ve tried to solve previous problems, especially with the goal of bringing back some of the freedom. Overwatch Keller wrote, “For example, there may be other ways of putting a team together that are not as rigid as a certain composition but not as loose as Open Turn. Blizzard will test at least one version of this idea in an experimental Quick Play mode during Season 13 this fall.
Any permanent changes to the current format, whether that means a return to 6v6 or not, won’t happen overnight. Blizzard will run any 6v6 tests for a few weeks to gauge feedback from players, and then see how the format affects gameplay outside of the main game, such as in arcade modes.
“We will learn from this playtest to see what we can learn for the mode and the future in the current gaming ecosystem. Overwatch“, Keller wrote. “No matter what we test, we’ll think carefully about what we learn and explore how to best give players what they need. Whether it’s a world of 5v5, 6v6, or even both, we need to understand that the future is here for us.”
