I was watching some Duke Nukem 3D, where the Shrinker is a useful weapon in conjunction with Duke’s size-13 boots. It’s so satisfying to stomp on a shrunken Octobrain.
Now, while I don’t think Blizzard would want to let us stomp any of its heroes into a red smear, the idea of a shrinking ray would be downright amusing. Just picture hitting Reinhardt with it and reducing him to a quarter of his size, complete with him saying “Now I know how Torbjorn feels.” It wouldn’t last forever, but it’d make him much less of a threat for a little while.
As for a reason for it existing in Overwatch’s lore? Easy: nanotech research. Think about how The Atom (aka Ray Palmer) makes use of it in DC Comics, both as a superhero and as a researcher. Being able to shrink stuff down would also have all sorts of applications on a story level, but as for who would use it in combat? That’s a little trickier to figure out.
But what’s your opinion on the subject? Would there be any place for a Shrinking Ray in Overwatch’s gameplay?
EDIT: Amag203 gave me a cool idea - What if a Shrinking Ray wasn’t an offensive CC, but a buff you placed on yourself or on allies? You would basically shrink yourself or your teammates to make them harder to hit without reducing their damage, HP, or speed. It wouldn’t help in all situations (i.e. it’d make Ana’s job harder, it’d make Reinhardt’s shield have less coverage), but I think we can all agree that making ourselves smaller would make us harder to hit.
Wouldn’t work. Having a smaller hitbox in a game like this is super good. People can’t hit heroes at regular size and you want them to hit them when they’re smaller?
You could lessen damage dealt when reduced, but I don’t think that would feel good from a gameplay perspective.
You could say the same for enlarging. Having a huge hitbox just makes you an easier target and everyone would be smaller and harder to aim at. Like, as Widow I already can’t hit people, much less tiny people.
Just doesn’t work in games like this. Like none of the custom games with hero scaling have used it well.
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I’d think enemies would generally appreciate being shrunk, even if it cut their max hp and damage. Especially supports. Imagine tiny Mercy zipping around with heals and damage boost, her tiny body going for a Rez as Hanzo misses his shot on the literal moth for the 80th time.
As such, I think shrinking would be a good support-only ability. A way to make your teammates harder to hit, while maintaining their durability, speed, and lethality (to prevent the support from unintentionally sabotaging their gameplan). Add on a bit of overhealth, and it could be a good pre-emptive damage reduction ability.
Maybe it would be fine against enemies if the debuff was strong enough, and the shrink didn’t last for long at all. But, with a strong enough debuff, I’d imagine the recipient would get rather cross.
If it cut their damage, movement speed and health, like it would realistically, it would probably be way too op.
I mean, yeah there are dragons and stuff, but Overwatch is more in the Epic side of science fiction.
For example, lots of times I thought of a Mind Control effect that would only take in place against non human characters. Like following the lore with Anubis taking over robots.
In fact, how about not actually Shrinking stuff, but having this as a visual effect from poisoning?
Like Widow’s mine for example. I’m not saying for that particular deployable, but having something similar with another character that instead of the average Flash Bang or Stun granade screen effect, it disturbs the perception of size and movement and whatever is around you.
Its kinda like the average stun granade, but giving it a more unique style could work.
I mean even Moira could do that in a Rework xD
would always let myself get hit as tracer to be more evasive. assumingly it wont reduce my dmg output.
if it shrinks the hitbox its probably a buff…
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We’re not allowed interesting and quirky abilities anymore. People just whine and cry about them being ‘‘unfun’’ which is how we ended up with boring, soulless OW2.
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This shouldn’t be an offensive ability but a utility option that the user casts on themselves.
Maybe on self or on allies. That’d be handy.
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I have no idea but it’s a cool idea! 
Never thought of it (even though I played the very first Duke Nukem…yes I’m old).
Imagine Tracer with half the hitbox and the same damage
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I could see it working like a half stealth ability where it makes you smaller for a period. You become harder to see but was soon as you take damage/shoot, You grow back to normal. Maybe even a brief self hinder or something to mimic sombra’s coming out action delay.