Five Ways to Improve Overwatch

Overwatch has been capturing our attention for a full week now, and once the dust settled on its launch, we rather liked it. But no game is perfect at launch, and Blizzard has made a name for itself by updating its releases regularly. Overwatch is certain to get the same loving care, which means the publisher must be currently looking for ways to improve the experience. Where should they start? We have a few suggestions.

Better Highlights

The "Play of the Game" feature is one of the most popular aspects of Overwatch--just look at the Overwatch subreddit for proof. So let's start there. A smarter PotG feature would be one welcome way to satisfy the playerbase by connecting to one of the most active aspects of it. Ideally, this revised Play of the Game feature would select both a wider variety of strong plays outside of racking up kills in quick succession, and also better at showing the plays themselves. Who here hasn't seen a Torbjorn PotG in which his turret was the one racking up the kills? There's no reason the game couldn't simply know to show you that from the turret's perspective--or better yet, with a third-person camera view or splitscreen to show both elements at once. 

Speaking of cameras, a Theater Mode could allow players to make their own highlight reels. Give us the ability to save replays, then find the camera angle that works best for showing off the action. It's a must-have feature for the eventuality of eSports anyway, so this should be right at the top of the list.

Competitive Scene

If, or more likely when, Overwatch becomes seriously considered as an eSport contender, it will need some way to set tournament-style rules, but being overbearing would risk turning off the casual fans. Given that Overwatch is very explicitly designed to be welcoming to new players, it's hard to imagine Blizzard turning a blind eye to them. So why not split the difference? 

We suggest the company introduce a Tournament Mode, or alternatively, roll official level rule sets into its current Ranked play. Casual could be the Overwatch we all recognize in its current configuration, while Tournament/Ranked could allow Blizzard to set a blueprint for official rule sets with elements like character caps. That way, if you want to run a team with six Pharahs for rocket-powered mayhem, you can still feel free in Casual.

More (or Any) Story

We touched on this in our review, but Overwatch's one real shortcoming is its lack of a story component. Its premise and characters are strong, and the animated shorts have shown there's plenty of room to explore interactions between the characters. It's even building a compelling narrative, as the shorts have suggested some very specific plot points regarding Reaper's plan and the reformation of Overwatch. 

As players, though, it's frustrating to see all this plot potential roped off entirely outside of the game. We're in this medium because we like to participate. A set of story missions, either focusing on specific characters or limiting your character choices by who is involved in a particular story "mission," would go a long way towards recognizing this potential and making us feel more a part of the world.

Making It Last

Ranking up is all well and good for matchmaking and earning Loot Chests, but the grind can only carry it so far. Eventually the community will have all the loot it really wants, and will need another incentive to keep checking in day after day. So why not offer daily quests? Giving players a reward for completing dailies would not only encourage long-term participation, but also help push players to experiment with characters and scenarios they might not otherwise try. Giving a little in-game currency would be a fine reward without compromising its microtransaction model.

Or, it could use the daily quests as an alternate path for Loot Boxes. It's always exciting to open a box, but right now the only in-game way to receive them is leveling up. A greater variety of ways to earn Loot Boxes--say, by completing five dailies in a row--would help them feel like more than level rewards.

If the increase in Loot Boxes and currency means we need more loot to collect, no problem. Just add skins for individual weapons or body parts.

Finding the Balance

This is one area that barely warrants mentioning, because Blizzard obviously must be looking into it already. The idea of any major publisher, much less the one that designed Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, launching a major shooter without gobs of analytic tools is unheard of. And to its credit, Blizzard has been generally slow-but-smart about these kinds of updates, usually giving a light touch to barely tilt unbalanced elements rather than overcompensate.

That means the company is certainly looking into current player feedback, as well as how it matches up against their own data. The community has been vocal about Bastion, but if a rebalancing is necessary, it could be as simple as giving Genji a longer block maneuver to serve as a hard counter. Meanwhile, Blizzard tends to take notice when elements aren't necessarily wildly out-of-balance but have the effect of making the game less fun, like having your team wiped from a Junkrat Ultimate and being powerless to stop it.

Not that we're bitter.