Overwatch

Joe · Jan 3, 2017

Looks like 2.02 is up with the new Oasis map.

Unit-01 · Jan 6, 2017

Some of the PTR changes to characters - https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20464895#patchnotes

HERO BALANCE UPDATES

Ana

Biotic Grenade
-Healing boost on allies has been decreased by 50%
Developer Comments: The healing boost from Ana’s Biotic Grenade was providing too much healing, especially when used on targets with large health pools.

D.Va

Health increased from 200 to 400
Armor decreased from 400 to 200
Fusion Cannons
-Bullet damage decreased from 3 to 2
-Number of bullets per shot has been increased from 8 to 11
Developer Comments: D.Va’s armor often made her feel like she had no weaknesses, even against heroes that are often effective against bigger targets (like Reaper). The changes to her Fusion Cannons will result in a small overall decrease in damage, but they should feel more consistent now.

Roadhog

Chain Hook
-Targets are now pulled directly in front of Roadhog (rather than straight to him), except in cases where Roadhog drastically rotates
-Hooked targets are now released if they leave Roadhog’s line-of-sight before being pulled
-Line-of-sight checks (which detect if targets should be initially hit by the hook) are now done from Roadhog’s position, rather than the hook’s position
Developer Comments: The hook should now feel more consistent for Roadhog players, but it should also feel more reasonable to his enemies, as they cannot be hooked or pulled around corners anymore.

Sombra

Hack
-The time it takes to hack a target has been decreased from 1 second to 0.8 seconds
Developer Comments: Sombra often had difficulty hacking enemies, even when she surprised the target. This change should help her execute hacks more easily.

I am fully behind the Sombra buff, it did seem to take to long to hack enemies. Don't really care to much for the Ana nerf. As for the D.Va balance, I will play her before I decide if it was good or bad.

Roadhog here has to be the biggest and most controversial change. I will agree Roadhog's hook did need a fix, but this simply isn't the answer. People that got hooked behind a wall weren't actually being hooked behind said wall. What really happened is, as they were running behind it they got hooked, and it created the illusion they were hooked behind the wall.

Joe · Jan 6, 2017

Roadhog and DVA are two of my most played heroes. This is not a happy balance patch for me.

With DVA it's tough to see how the balance to her guns plays out but that conversion of armour to health is a very definite nerf.

AvecAloes · Jan 6, 2017

Yeah, I main D.Va, and I'm not thrilled about that change. As for Roadhog, sorry, Joe, I'm really glad they're taking care of his hook. It was way too powerful. And as for whether or not he was hooking people through walls (which I 100% believe he was), even if he *wasn't* and it only *looked* like it, his hook shouldn't be able to pull you THROUGH the wall once you're behind it, so that's good.

Joe · Jan 6, 2017

I totally agree that he shouldn't be able to pull you through walls, but in large part that was only because hooked heroes maintained their momentum from the moment the hook landed to the time Roadhog pulled them in. If the hook landing halted momentum on the enemy (as it should) much, much fewer people would have issues with being hooked 'around' or 'through' walls.
Instead we have hooked heroes maintaining momentum and being able to 'break' the hook if they lose line of sight.

All this is beside the point right now. I could be fine with this change to hook mechanics (even though it makes just as little sense, the frustration is just now on the Roadhog end) if they also came with some balance. Roadhog isn't an overpowered hero. He had a hook mechanic that was frustratingly inconsistent and didn't make sense, but that didn't make him op. They need to find a way to buff his kit now, after these changes, to keep him on par otherwise he is a shit-tier hero who can't compete.

Re: DVA - while I'm annoyed she got nerf from a personal point of play, she definitely needed it.

Joe · Jan 7, 2017

I just finished my last placement match for PS4 woop. I was pretty lazy with it tbh. I'm at 2293 (gold). I don't have a frame of reference because I only played Season 1 and that was a totally different system.

X-SOLDIER · Jan 8, 2017

I think I'm right about with you, though I haven't been in since I left home, so I'm not 100% certain what my rank placed me. Hoping to push it up a bit though, since I know I can do better.

X :neo:

Lulcielid · Jan 9, 2017

The SCIENCE! of Overwatch's BROKEN Melee System
The SCIENCE! Behind Genji in Overwatch
The SCIENCE! Behind Zarya in Overwatch

After watching these videos I concluded that all the characters are fucking gods among us. :monster:

Interslicery · Jan 9, 2017

Lulcielid said:
The SCIENCE! of Overwatch's BROKEN Melee System
The SCIENCE! Behind Genji in Overwatch
The SCIENCE! Behind Zarya in Overwatch

After watching these videos I concluded that all the characters are fucking gods among us.

In that first vid, it takes him about 6 1/2 min to actually get to the point of the EPS, and say something more than "this topic is minor" and "they punch hard"

Dude loves to hear himself talk... >_>

Splintered · Jan 9, 2017

Pink Guy said:
Some of the PTR changes to characters - https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20464895#patchnotes

HERO BALANCE UPDATES

Ana

Biotic Grenade
-Healing boost on allies has been decreased by 50%
Developer Comments: The healing boost from Ana’s Biotic Grenade was providing too much healing, especially when used on targets with large health pools.

D.Va

Health increased from 200 to 400
Armor decreased from 400 to 200
Fusion Cannons
-Bullet damage decreased from 3 to 2
-Number of bullets per shot has been increased from 8 to 11
Developer Comments: D.Va’s armor often made her feel like she had no weaknesses, even against heroes that are often effective against bigger targets (like Reaper). The changes to her Fusion Cannons will result in a small overall decrease in damage, but they should feel more consistent now.

Roadhog

Chain Hook
-Targets are now pulled directly in front of Roadhog (rather than straight to him), except in cases where Roadhog drastically rotates
-Hooked targets are now released if they leave Roadhog’s line-of-sight before being pulled
-Line-of-sight checks (which detect if targets should be initially hit by the hook) are now done from Roadhog’s position, rather than the hook’s position
Developer Comments: The hook should now feel more consistent for Roadhog players, but it should also feel more reasonable to his enemies, as they cannot be hooked or pulled around corners anymore.

Sombra

Hack
-The time it takes to hack a target has been decreased from 1 second to 0.8 seconds
Developer Comments: Sombra often had difficulty hacking enemies, even when she surprised the target. This change should help her execute hacks more easily.

Click to expand...

I am fully behind the Sombra buff, it did seem to take to long to hack enemies. Don't really care to much for the Ana nerf. As for the D.Va balance, I will play her before I decide if it was good or bad.

Roadhog here has to be the biggest and most controversial change. I will agree Roadhog's hook did need a fix, but this simply isn't the answer. People that got hooked behind a wall weren't actually being hooked behind said wall. What really happened is, as they were running behind it they got hooked, and it created the illusion they were hooked behind the wall.

Playing on ptr, tbh I never used roadhog but I think people are overreacting. The change is big but it's completely workable, I'm getting hooked all the time. People are saying it lands less but it's more satisfying. I mean... I'm always being godamned hooked anyway. I think it's a good change, although I don't really think he needed a nerf. Roadhog wasn't meta until recently.

D.va needed one and hers feels pretty substantial. I think I heard more talk about her than roadhog. She does a lot less damage and she melts a lot quicker. TBH I don't think she needed a health change, just the reduction in damage is nice. or at least, back to her walking speed when she shoots. She was too good.

there's a new killfeed that's pretty good.

And I don't really feel too much a different in ana. She doesn't burst heal as much, but I don't really play tank meta so that might be it. I do feel like I'm not getting the healing numbers I use too but that's the be expected.

Sombra hack is way more disruptive in game now. It's a needed change. She isn't a huge gamechanger still but she does surprise hack really quickly.

Joe · Jan 10, 2017

I just played two ranked games in a row where I had five gold medals. On the losing team both times and got thoroughly whooped. Ranked is stressful.

X-SOLDIER · Jan 10, 2017

Joe said:
I just played two ranked games in a row where I had five gold medals. On the losing team both times and got thoroughly whooped. Ranked is stressful.

Those games are rough times, because you know there's nothing else you could've done. One of the few times when you definitively know that you weren't the problem with your team.

X :neo:

X-SOLDIER · Jan 13, 2017

Anybody have an idea on why it might function like this? I can't think of any reason to prevent Transcendence Zenyatta from capturing points.

X :neo:

Unit-01 · Jan 13, 2017

^No clue. That is extremely weird.

Joe · Jan 13, 2017

It might have something to do with his invulnerable state. If I'm not mistaken, I believe Reaper and Mei are also unable to capture points while phased/ice-blocked. To a lesser degree, Tracer also can't capture during the time she is recalling (also invulnerable).

I could see the balance in such design but since Zenyatta's is an ult, I think it should count.

Interslicery · Jan 13, 2017

She may not be able to capture, but I know that Mei can contest when she's healing. I saved a point the other day by doing it

Splintered · Jan 13, 2017

I had no idea that invulnerable characters couldn't capture. Odd because like Inter said it is a stall tactic.

I just played two ranked games in a row where I had five gold medals. On the losing team both times and got thoroughly whooped. Ranked is stressful.

Bruh. I tried ranked at and first I was having fun, but then went on a pretty significant losing streak and dropped bellow 2000. It kind of broke my spirit, especially when I'm not use to healing or tanking in competitive and felt like I messed up seriously. No one on my teams blamed me or anything, but they would occasionally gang up on people (like attack bastion) and it stressed me out so much I quit the game for awhile. :/

The good thing though, is after you play competitive, quickplay suddenly feels a lot more casual.

And

And I don't really feel too much a different in ana. She doesn't burst heal as much, but I don't really play tank meta so that might be it. I do feel like I'm not getting the healing numbers I use too but that's the be expected.

Reiterating what I said before. Ana's are running around in quickplay getting 9000+ healing a game, myself included and I'm a terrible Ana.

Roadhog hook doesn't feel like a nerf, it feels like a raising of the skill floor. In fact, when he hooks he always brings you right infront of him. That means 1> easier to get fatal shots and I've been getting oneshotted as Mei and 2> new cliff hook. It's near impossible to suicide hook anymore, but if you stand near a cliff and turn, you can drop them down. Unless they patched it, I don't think they did.

Oh yeah. Lucio can backwards wallride.

Joe · Jan 13, 2017

Back before I started playing ranked, I used to get mildly frustrated during quickplay matches when somebody was holding the team back. Like a bad attack Widow or a Reinhardt that would only charge.
After some ranked it kinda diffused that for me. Quickplay is a relaxing place to have fun and try stupid stuff without getting worked up. Similarly I don't stress as much in ranked because there are much fewer people not playing the objective.

X-SOLDIER · Jan 13, 2017

I maed a thrad on teh Reddit.
I'm gonna test it with Mei's Ice Block, Reaper's Wraith Form, & Sombra's Invisibility when I get a chance to some time later today if no one else there gets to it by then, since those are the other stall-tactic-type abilities that are either Invincible or Invisible and would most likely be treated similarly.

X :neo:

Splintered · Jan 13, 2017

Joe said:
Back before I started playing ranked, I used to get mildly frustrated during quickplay matches when somebody was holding the team back. Like a bad attack Widow or a Reinhardt that would only charge.
After some ranked it kinda diffused that for me. Quickplay is a relaxing place to have fun and try stupid stuff without getting worked up. Similarly I don't stress as much in ranked because there are much fewer people not playing the objective.

Charging reinhart will always drive me crazy because I'm a healer but, yeah, now it's like qp is for relaxation. I honestly recommend everyone try ranked just because once you do, you eventually hit a wall of frustration, go back to quickplay and just see it a whole new light.

I use to look at team comps and be frustrated like, "oh attack widow and hanzo on anubis, rip" and now I'm like "We don't need a tank, I'm going to be attack torbjorn~!11"

Ranked is fun whenever I want to play together with groups. Like, regrouping as defense instead of trickling in. After I nosedived my sr, I think it negatively affected my mmr, and I kept getting teams who consistently spawn camped and actually tried the European and Asian servers to see if I could get more cooperative teams.

ptr is kind of like that, but only more mismatched. There's so few people that sometimes it throws me with people my level, and others there's a friggin' grandmaster asking why we are not on highground for Dorado.

X-SOLDIER · Jan 17, 2017

X

X-SOLDIER · Jan 19, 2017

There's gonna be Chinese New Year stuff on the 24th: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...ting-chinese-new-year-with-new-mei-d-va-skins

We know that Mei & D.Va are getting skins, but I'd expect ones for Hanzo, Genji, & Zenyatta as well.

X :neo: