Fun-tastic geographical errors

Story Discussion
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I really love geography, and I often find myself noticing the small differences between the real world and Overwatch in logical terms. So I would like to expose you some small fun-fact, but be careful: these are not at all criticisms to the development team. They are just fun geographic and cultural corrections to spot. :hugs: go to funny :wink:

  • Hanamura has many references to Kyoto such as Kiyomizudera and Fushimi Inari Taisha. He even has a text in the Kyoto dialect al Rikimaru, and in his initial drafts it was to be called “Kyoto temple”. However, in the description of the place in the book “The Hero of Numbani” and in the conference with Michael Chu at GDC 2017 it is said that the map is located in Tokyo.
  • In various sources it is indicated that the volskaya industries are located in St. Petersburg (for example in the comic Masquerade), and we can even note references to the reading room of the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg or the channels of the Neva River. However, there are two occasions in which it is erroneously located in Moscow: the presence of the Kremlin palace in the city skyline and in the book The Hero of Numbani while Efi comments on the posters of the airport.
  • Ecopoint Antarctica’s Christmas map has a geographical error: due to the Earth’s axis on the south pole, the sun never sets from October to February. Paradoxically, Christmas should never exist with darkness in that country.
  • The Paris map has perfectly implemented the position of the Pont de Bir-Hakeim and the Pont d’Iéna (the latter that goes directly to the Eiffel Tower), you can see the small details in comparison. However, the geographic location in which Notre Dame is seen is completely wrong: it should be on the opposite side of the map, if it is to be geographically accurate.
  • The developers have always said that they want to be inspired by mexico city for the Dorado map, but in the geographical map of mexico inside the power plant it is noted that the position of the LumériCo Ziggurat is in the coasts of Tamaulipas. Furthermore, the developers confirmed that they mistakenly took inspiration from a google photo that … was actually an Italian city, Manarola (at D.I.C.E. Summit 2017).
  • The kanji used in Hanamura for the carp metal statue … are incorrect. they are not translatable due to the use of too simple ideograms mixed with very specific ideograms in the words used. For more details: https://kotaku.com/overwatch-isnt-very-good-at-picking-kanji-characters-1780728171
  • Hollywood studios have a movie set for western movies, but that’s technically incorrect. Usually we use Movie Ranches, sets of real fake cities located in the California desert without the risk of accidentally shooting urban buildings in Los Angeles;

"Relatively" severe cultural notion.
Colosseum is a very good map, except for one mistake: the total absence of coffee cups. it is a rather “serious” feedback, because it is part of the habit of Italians. even more wrong that it was very meticulous to add it correctly in the Paris locales but in none of the three Italian maps of Overwatch.

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If you want a fun one with Toronto. The map is called New Queen Street. However:

  • Many of the shops on the street correlate with shops that exist in the real world Dundas Avenue (the next main street north of Queen,) which itself is a multicultural enclave that matches what is being shown here.
  • The streetcar should be the 501 Queen street car, which runs east-west. But it says it heads to Bloor, which would only work if it were the 505 Dundas
  • The Toronto Museum of Technology is based on the Toronto Science Center, to the point that its logo matches the colours but is squares instead of circles. The Science Center is no where near downtown.
  • One of the spawn rooms is Union Station. Union Station is located a few blocks south of Queen Street on Front Street.

That being said, I love the map, it feels like such a great amalgamation of Toronto’s identity, even with the little Tim Horton’s Tom Beanson’s, the Hockey player with the Leafs jersey, and even the little flags on the lamp posts. The attention to detail is great, these geographical errors are just something I find amusing. It adds to the charm of the map in my eyes.

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Awesome post, thanks guys

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