Hi, I’m DoctorDoodle, and I’ve been playing OW since it first came out.
I’m also a long time League of Legends, TF2, and Competitive Smash Bros. player, as well as a hobby speedrunner.
I’d like to give my perspective on why me and all of my friends lost interest in OW, based on my experience in the competitive gaming scene.
I’ve recently come back to the game because I’ve heard people talking about how the game is dying, and was curious to see the current state of it.
From my observation, what it comes down to is its core gamemodes. The way it is currently, only can be played in two to three specific ways per gamemode. The strategy is all the same between games, and despite map variation, it doesn’t change how the matches feel.
Ideas from League and Smash
The excitement of competetive games like LOL and Smash come from the ability for each match to be distinctly different while displaying an incredible amount of skill. I don’t get that from OW.
While you can become skilled at OW, the result is the same. DPS gets a pick, Tank pushes forward.
Strategy becomes “will they go left or right to get to the objective?”
In league, there are 17 different objectives to fight for (towers dragon/baron, inhibitors, nexus), only requiring 7 (5 towers 1 inhibitor 1 nexus) to win.
Strategy becomes “What should we prioritize, and how can we effectively set up a fight around that objective?” Because each approach has to be different, the gameplay can go an infinite number of ways, instead of “Push forward”. Multiple objectives can be played at once, further increasing the strategy needed to be put in.
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In Smash, skill is the decisive factor, as better use of mechanics and options allow for a player to rock paper scissors the better options in split second intervals with precise fighting styles and followups. Because of the amount of countering and capitalizing in each moment, the flow of gameplay displays the skill, and each player can show off.
In OW, the majority of rock paper scissors is purely dependent on when people have ults to counter a team (Which is fine, since it’s not a fighting game). This slower pacing that requires certain people to do the same things through the whole game coughreinholdshieldcough means individual skill is not as flashy and fun to watch/do. Everyone has their single role. This is also why some people instalock Hanzo, Widow, and Genji. It’s the only characters they feel they can show off mechanics with.
If there were more objectives in OW, it would open up the opportunities for duels and individual player skill to be shown, and players would probably be more spread to ensure the protection of other objectives. They still have to work as a team to make sure they don’t lose any advantages, and they would group up if an objective would benefit from it.
Another aspect of a game like league is that both teams are defending and attacking at all times. It’s never one clear position. It means the situational tension isn’t always leaning one way, as anything can happen if someone makes a play.
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So what would something like this look like?
Here’s an example off the top of my head:
There’s 2 lanes with payloads in the middle of the map. Both teams can push both payloads. It’s a reverse tug of war essentially. There’s also two “Power Cores”. Power cores are protected in a metal enclosure that has 8000 hp. After the enclosure is broken, the core must be captured by standing near it for 5 seconds. When you bring the core to a payload, your team pushes it slightly faster, and it still moves slowly when contested.
What would this look like?
There would probably be a very different meta around this. Tanks to defend each payload against a multitude of attackers, healers that can either do big heals, or have mobility are key choices. DPS is very skill oriented to guarantee secure captures, and will be in all parts of the map at all times. Team fights are different every time due to the vulerability of leaving a payload open, and the possibility of cores being taken.
Is this balanced? Probably not. But it’s a thought. Blizzard is smart. They can figure it out.
Casual play, TF2 and Speedrunning
The game as it is, is a very fun casual game. I play it with friends of all levels and ranks, and can have a good time. But this is not what makes a dedicated playerbase.
As a long time TF2 player, I think it is still safe to make the comparison now and say the games are very similar (please don’t hate me).
TF2 feels dead now, because they forced the playerbase to play it more similarly to overwatch, while more people liked it as a casual sandbox shooter.
One of my favorite aspects of TF2’s casual style was finding people that liked a certain way to play, as in specific maps, less popular gamemodes, etc. The people who play those modes are usually more passionate, and develop their own niche communities within the larger community.
While we have custom gamemodes for something like that, sometimes I just want to hop into 1v1s or 3v3s without having to hope it’s my lucky day of the week for it to be easily accessible.
I don’t want to scroll through lists to hope I find a custom match without people screwing around.
I understand the reasoning behind arcade mode doing this limited style of gamemodes, since it helps keep all of the modes populated, but I would much rather wait five minutes to get into a match I want to play, than choose not to play at all because I don’t like the gamemodes available.
If all of the modes were defaultly available, the most popular ones would rise, and it would naturally sort out what people do and do not like, as well as let the less popular communities develop their specific niche.
The loot box system could be used as an incentive to try less popular game modes, rather than just for playing arcade. This would let the most popular games stay open, but also bring in players to the games not being played. It essentially would function the way arcade does now, except all modes are available, and loot boxes are only on the least played modes.
This in turn would be a much more enjoyable experience for when someone just simply wants to destress and play a quick match of their choosing.
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In speedrunning, the most rewarding thing is being able to know that you have made improvement, and have the skills to show for it. The most important part of this is the repetition. When someone knows a level/world so well they can abuse all of its mechanics by heart, it is entertaining to watch.
How is this relevant to OW?
Map selection.
I believe there should be picks and bans for maps in OW competitive, as well as map voting on quick play.
If all the players want to play the same map over and over again, let them. If players want to switch things up, let them.
Competitive will be much more interesting when you can play on a map you practice on, and like more than others. There’s a reason 2Fort is played so much on TF2, where as Crossover is not. Some maps are better designed than others, and players can show off their skills in the ones they know.
In Overwatch, there are maps that certain characters excel in. If a player wants to continuously play that map so they can get good with their character, they should be able to choose to do so.
(Watching Lucio players go through specific wall-riding routes is one of the most entertaining things in the game.)
This would make the comp scene more interesting, as some teams will know some maps better, and will develop strategies while practicing, that only pertain to a certain map. It would make a new kind of deal where teams can get counterpicked based on their map skill, and they have to adjust their strategy. Team vs Team is not as much about who is always the better team, it becomes more open to who can play what map better, as well as their own skill. The depth of the comp scene would benefit greatly from this. Especially with the design choices I mentioned above.
Without all of this, it feels like the players are being funneled into one way of playing, rather than starting from one point, and expanding out. It’s the difference between a footrace and football. Solitaire and chess. It’s not about how good someone can get at one task, it’s about how wide the array of options are.
With the majority of my friends being competitive gamers, after playing a game for so long, it’s easy to tell when you are reaching a point where the only thing to do is “git good” rather than adapt strategy.
I feel like with the majority of users that are leaving, we have gotten to a point where we feel we have explored the few ways to play the game, found out what our level of doing it was, and got bored of the rinse and repeat.
It’s not a matter of new content. It’s a matter of how expansive the existing content is.
What are your thoughts?
