Idea: new "one-trick" 6v6 game mode to solve a lot of problems (killing many birds with one stone)

General Discussion
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Reason for adding a new game mode:

I personally like the current competitive game mode as it is (and want to keep it) but it is very obvious that this heavily team based game works best with flexers and/or pre-made teams who know each others’ skills at least a bit. Try to reproduce what pro teams are doing in solo queue, especially in silver/gold/plat that contain the majority of the playerbase…

The in-game hero switch adds a lot of creativity to the game (I love this) but it makes the number of choices and the complexity of the game too high for random teams of casual players. The new game mode would eliminate the in-game hero switch to reduce the complexity of the game making it significantly more casual friendly. It would also allow per-hero MMR that makes it possible to learn new heros without throwing/smurfing and a per-hero MMR could actually result in more accurate ranks/matchmaking. At the same time this mode would attract those players from the current competitive mode who don’t actually like that.

The new game mode:

Usage: You select your favourite hero and simply queue for the “one-trick game mode”. There is no in-game hero switch but the rules are the same as in the current competitive game mode with respawn after death. The matchmaker decides about the 6v6 team composition that can be:

  • One of the many fix compositions of heros that are well known. These can be programmed into the matchmaker and could be updated by the devs on a regular basis as the meta develops in the original competitive mode that has more complexity but allows more creativity. The composition of the two teams can be mirrored although this isn’t a requirement.
  • Mirrored/non-mirrored teams with random heros but within certain limits. E.g.: enforcing 2-2-2, perhaps trying to ensure that there is a main healer and a main tank. TBH even 3 or 4 DPS (with two healers) is more acceptable when the enemy has the same comp.
  • Anything else that might work or might be fun…

The new game mode doesn’t require extra balancing work from the devs. Balancing can be based entirely on the original competitive mode.

Explanation of the problems and solutions:

  • Seemingly a lot of players want to play a specific hero (OTPs, many of them have been attracted to OW by a specific hero). TBH, there are times when I want to do the same (especially when learning a hero). In the current game mode OTPs have conflicts both with each other and also with flexers who want to play the game as intended.
  • Due to the hero switch there are a lot of decisions to make within a very short period of time both on the hero selection screen and in-game (casual unfriendly, works well only with a pre-built teams with “tested”/known players and casuals often don’t even want to group up with others).
  • Rock-paper-scissors style gameplay (hard-counters) that a lot of people don’t like (especially OTPs and those who expect OW to be a classic FPS game - and there seem to be a lot of these players). I personally think rock-paper-scissors is boring in 1v1 but perfectly reasonable in a 6v6 game, but again, a lot of OW players hate rock-paper-scissors.
  • Many players (more or less the same who prefer classic FPS games) don’t like the new heros. Outside of the original competitive we could give them compositions that don’t contain the new heros.
  • Even if Blizzard introduces the role queue, the requirement for switching heros (for example when being countered) in certain situations will make it unsuitable for a lot of players, especially those who one-trick nice heros (like symmetra). Those who learn a new hero (and “throw” and underperform) will also be affected.
  • Unlike the current competitive with in-game hero switch, the one-trick game mode could easily have per-hero MMR.
    • This could make matchmaking more balanced.
    • This would make it a good learning tool even for those who play the current competitive mode. Picking a new hero would start with a new MMR (or where you stopped playing that hero). In the current QP/competitive someone either has to “throw” on his main account by learning a new hero or buy an alt account and play the new heros there by climbing (and being accused of being a smurf because of the low level of the account). Both solutions are sources of various complaints. While the one-trick game mode isn’t a perfect replica of the current competitive mode when it comes to learning, it could provide a much better quality learning environment than the existing options for various reasons. It could also be a better option than throwing in a role queue (after its introduction).

The above problems cause a lot of frustration and toxicity and the one-trick game mode might be able to improve the gaming experience for a lot of players while improving the current competitive game mode too (by removing players who actually don’t like it). I’d personally solo queue for the one-trick game mode and would play the original competitive mode mostly with premade groups.

Possible issues with the new game mode:

  • It might result in more complicated hero selection for groups.
  • Possibly longer queue times for groups (because finding/mirroring their hero selection with similar per-hero MMRs would be more difficult than for solo players)
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AFAIK Blizz responded to similar requests that they will never make anything like “role queue” because the fundamental thing for them is the ability to change your hero any time.

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Blizzard is seriously considering role queue for OW but they haven’t introduced it yet because they still have a lot of related problems to think about.

However, role queue won’t solve the problems my proposal intends to solve. I know that switching and counter-picking are a requirement in this game (and I personally have no problem with this) but a lot of players don’t like it. I think a lot of competitive players would be happier if OTPs and those who learn new heros (and perhaps some other annoying players) would be attracted by a different game mode.

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I would be open to this in all modes. Not just comp. Every main mode made. QP, TDM etc. Because it would stop people from at least arguing. You’re countered, oh well. Get better at beating your counter. That is the whole point of being a one-trick. Beat everything no matter what.

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Thank you for checking this out. This isn’t a new idea, the first time I though about it when I wanted to learn a new hero (genji) after reaching platinum and I have seen 1-2 discussions on the internet about similar game modes.

I know it’s far from being perfect but making it work would perhaps worth the investment in order to remove certain kinds of players from the original competitive.

True. The compositions programmed into the matchmaker (fix or dynamically chosen) don’t necessarily have to make players’ life painful but that it is possible if we really want it. :joy: Random non-mirrored team comps could actually make it really colourful/difficult for those one tricks who like challenges. I’d rather give them the choice whether they want to go the self-torturing route or not before queuing because I want all of them them to enjoy it in order to make sure that they avoid the original competitive.

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Soooooo basically you want separate water fountains over something completely benign. Cool.

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For me it would be two water fountains (because I like flexing and sometimes building my own team, so I like the original competitive too) but I know that a lot of players see it differently…

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Onetricks are scapegoats for everyone else’s terrible plays.

It’s funny you mention flex players, because flex players will make you lose more often than a onetrick. Asking them to flex would actually make a loss their fault.

I’ll take a onetrick 1000x over someone in GM that plays Winston at a plat level.

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I played 4 seasons in the silver-plat range (that contains roughly 80% of all players). I have mostly bad experience with OTP DPS here.

It’s also surprising if someone can’t play 2 DPS heros, 2 tanks and 2 healers in these low ranks. OTP or not, that player can’t be that good.

In solo queue there are a lot of cases in which not everyone can play their mains. E.g.: if you have two genji or rein mains.

However there are cases where going with 4 DPS is a better idea then trying to force certain players to play tanks that they can’t play.

You are probably right but you are talking about a minority of the playerbase.

I think an OTP would be better off playing a one-trick game mode (that could also have ranks, perhaps more accurate than the current one due to per hero MMRs). The original competitive game mode would be better suited for flexers, perhaps by equipping it with a minimalist role queue could help.

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But then you end up with the same issue you originally presented: Sometimes a team is presented with multiple onetricks where 2-3 share the same main. This would occur more frequently and would still occur outside of the onetrick comp, so the solution really makes no sense other than being blatantly exclusionary.

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You mean the one-trick game mode? In this mode one can easily pick a hero that isn’t his main because that hero has it’s own MMR that starts from zero (and perhaps decays). If he never played that hero then he will be assigned into a low rank team (picking the hero happens before matchmaking and the team composition is decided by the matchmaker - automatically or perhaps based on some extra inputs/options from the player). This is why it’s safe to use this mode to learn a new hero without throwing or smurfing (as described in the original post).

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I’d rather be in one trick mode. Than be in normal comp. Also, the MM can easily fix that. They can simply make that mode select your hero before hand. Or set your hero. So that it doesn’t put anyone on the team with the same character.