I don’t know about others, but I find it much more preferable when patch notes include some amount of written descriptions as to why they’re making the balancing choices that they are making.
However it would also be nice to see actual internal metrics/data that reinforce what sometimes comes across to the community as bizarre decision making.
Today’s patch (3/19) is sort of why I’m more curious than ever about whatever numbers they’re using.
The Mauga and Sombra nerfs I can reason out whatever their excuses are, but the Sym ones I just don’t understand.
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Best you got is Overbuff for what you’re asking
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I’m aware of OB, but it’s an incomplete database because it requires people opt in/not have private accounts which is the default and even then; what I’d like to see is the data, from the devs, that reinforces their decisions.
I’m not going to hold my breath, obviously, but it’s just really baffling choices coming up now and again that I’d like to see fleshed out and explained.
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The more they tell you, the less they can lie to you.
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They used to do this in some of the Director’s Takes, citing win rates and pick rates and how they feel about those but I can think of a few reasons why they wouldn’t do this for every patch note.
Pain in the bum to dig up and cite every metric for every change, gamers at large are terrible at understanding stats, and demands of “But Hero A ALSO has an X in (stat)! NERF THEM NOW!” would become the only input they ever see anywhere.
And as we’ve seen in this thread already, people just assume they’re lying anyways so why bother, those people will never be happy with the data they’re shown.
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Bingo, still the best you’re gonna get in that regard.
Data is a commodity, not to be given out for free
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I am always happy with the data I’m shown.
Symmetra got nerfed because she was played in the pro scene they absolutely cried about her being played. No wonder why this esport is a laugh stock addition having a sports league style esport fail miserably
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Blizzard takes a look at who gives them the most money, which characters they play the most, and “balances” the game this way. That’s what I believe. It doesn’t go any deeper than that.
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But how would they gaslight you then?
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I don’t think this applies to specific heroes, but would make sense as to why they hate tanks.
I had this thought. What if they made a site that give live data or with few of hrs of delay of every data they have on heroes on every rank and every mode. So we can see how absurd they have been buffing and nerfing heroes.
she became fairly meta with mauga, no one wants to play into that.
This.
Blizz doesnt want people debating their biased decisions. They have seen what LoL players do and they know they wouldnt get away with butchering niche heroes and pandering to popular ones like they if people had the official info that confirms that Blizz is not balancing the game.
So like virtually every experimental study ever published in a scientific journal?
Most all collected data is imperfect in some way, but that doesn’t mean it’s useless.
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I’d really like access to an official Blizzard data API.
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While I agree with this, if there is official data that is easily accessible, it should always be preferable to partial studies.
Mind you, OB has never gotten trends wrong, but the people who have an agenda to maintain the status quo have always denied OB.
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Personally, I’d love to have all OW data be public. Just de-identify it and it should be fine.
Unfortunately, that will never happen for a multitude of reasons.
Competition may use it against Blizzard. Investors might get upset.
And far below thing’s like that, it might actually hold the devs a bit more accountable for their balance decisions.
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Tracer is allowed to have a 75% pickrate for 5 months because she’s cool and flashy
Symmetra isn’t allowed to be forced into the meta because of a tank for a week because she’s boring and not flashy to watch
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I mean other games do present their info publicly, so its clearly not an issue.
The thing is, having this info available goes against Blizz’s company wide arrogance. The upper echelon has never allowed the company to accept ANY mistake. Always move forward (into a pit)!
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