Yeah for sure because I don’t want to something like Twitter Spaces where I will have to record it since there isn’t really anyway to preserve it on there other than that.
Although I guess what will probably happen is that it just gets posted to @PlayOverwatch on Twitter.
Legit this is what we have been wanting for 5 years now so props to you for being someone who was like us until they started working at Blizzard and taking it upon yourself to try and alleviate this!
Because let’s be real the lack of communication for months at a time is very…painful (??) as players over the years. Even more so since OW2 was released. To a lot of us it feels like OW1 got shafted for OW2…yet we’d see and hear virtually nothing for very long amounts of time. So it’s really nice to have someone trying to advocate for us very directly finally!
As someone who plays all roles, it is VERY concerning that Tanks and Supports have seen next to no POSITIVE limelight this year.
Looking at what has happened FOLLOWING Blizzcon 2019:
- Only one new hero and it has been a DPS (and the only revealed one for OW2 so far is clearly a DPS)
- Of the 6 hero reskins we have seen since BC 2019, 5 of 6 have been for DPS heroes
- BOTH of the reworks revealed have been DPS heroes
EDIT just thought of another
4. A new storyline was to be released before OW2 and in line with the above 3, it’s for a certain nameless DPS
It is very concerning from the eyes of Tank and Supports. In my mind as an outsider, I would think that OW2/5v5 working out HANGS in the balance (literally) of how Tanks and Supports feel and function as those roles will dictate queue times for DPS and how the game feels as a whole as those 2 roles generally are the flow and tempo setters. Yet from the community’s perspective, all we are seeing is how DPS are changing and that feels very off putting when DPS balancing should come last in my mind based on what I said above.
Granted we have zero clue how much work is actually going on amongst your colleagues and on what components exactly. But what we have been allowed to see so far screams DPS DPS DPS so much.
Do you think you could relay this to the team? Put in a good word for the community that big, positive reveals and reworks for Tanks and Supports need to start being shown ASAP to relieve some of the tension for people who play those roles?
We needs some wins in the Tank and Support roles. They are feeling left behind and feeling like they are only being made worse while DPS are looking like they will be much stronger and way more fun than currently (if Sombra and Bastion reworks mean anything for how the other 16 will turn out).
Please.
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Man, this is probably the best thing anyone at blizzard has said in like, 5 years. Even I have to admit that.
I would also like to say it is highly unrealistic to expect Andy to respond to everything but I doubt a lot of the forums will listen to that advice.
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I seriously hope people read this - it’s kind of a shame this is in hidden in a topic although some people might get all emotional if it was it’s own thread.
I’m glad Blizzard takes responsibility for the current state of the forum but now the community must take responsibility as well.
read carefully here
If you do not present your views in a balanced, constructive and mature way, it’s very difficult for your views to be taken seriously.
Who would have thought that a group of devs don’t find value in insightful quotes like:
- “Are you serious Blizzard? Delete Moira already!!”
- “Sombra OP, devs what are you smoking?”
- “This game sucks”
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Just wanna say props for recognizing this. I’ve applauded Studio Wildcard in the past for addressing communication issues by bringing in Cedric, and it seems that Blizzard finally got the memo by bringing you in. It’s been a major shortcoming on Blizzard’s part that I’m glad they’re addressing. Even if I wholesale disagree with the things being said, I can appreciate and respect that Blizzard is now making a more serious effort to at least say something.
I tried listening to all thirty-five minutes of it and, well, there wasn’t anything in there that you probably didn’t know already.
I think the TL;DW could well be: they enjoyed playing it, they liked how 5v5 allows for more individual impact, support ults are hard to charge at time of writing but that might not necessarily be a bad thing, and apparently New York point C is quite wide open with high ground and less choke-y design. Maybe I zoned out and missed something, though.
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MASSIVE W
(20 characters)
I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I was hoping for some more tougher hitting questions, but it is what it is.
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In the spirit of constructive feedback…
I watched the whole thing.
I think there is a bit of a valid issue that prevents trust being rebuilt between this community and the Blizzard - it’s the feeling of transparency.
You will notice that the pros said a lot of positive things about their OW2 experience but…
There are no summaries being posted. No threads. Almost the polar opposite response to the slightly negative things said a few days back.
I think it’s because this video doesn’t feel transparent.
Super on his own stream said a bunch of things about the game he felt needed to be improved. Many pros said other things on their private channels.
In this stream none of those things were addressed. The feeling it gives is that there is one face the pros show to the Blizzard public streams because it they can’t be negative and one face they show to the public in the safety of their own channels.
The disparity breeds distrust of all positive things being said (of which there are a lot in this video).
My suggestion would be that before streams like these, the key things the community are concerned about are tackled head on.
That way the community have more faith that Blizzard are listening and are willing to address core issues.
It’s clear to me that they are but videos like this that have only have positive leading questions don’t help.
Otherwise, it was nice video to watch.
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I know you can’t get around to everyone and everything, but I am hoping you could address some of of what I said in the following response on this thread when you get a chance!
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You do amazing work. Problem is most community feels left out and ignored. Along with multiple broken promises. A lot of problems would go away if devs just let pros/streamers test the game. Devs know how they designed the game but have no clue how it is actually played. Tough i must know that after Jeff left that new direction is a bit better.
Not sure why I don’t trust the analysis of people who make money off the game… 
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To be honest, part of the reason the boards act out the way they do is because of that long silence in between Jeff leaving for Reddit and your appearance, Andy. Thanks for taking up a needed role that’s a demonstrably heavy burden.
Can we ask, though, why pros and content creators have to have a separate, private forum where balance changes are discussed? This was particularly aggravating to the community on the reveal of certain members of it agitating for a specific potential rework of Moira followed by two different experimental cards attempting to implement it.
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LOL bro he isn’t going to answer on that…
I don’t know if he will or not, and if he chooses not to, that is also a response.
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Are you asking why they have a separate place to get feedback specifically from pros and content creators?
I’m asking why they need a private channel for such feedback when there are a multitude of public ones available.
Because when you use a public channel you are likely not going to be able to control who can give feedback? Also to prevent crazy people one the forums to create witch hunts based on feedback they don’t like.
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It would be an absolutely terrible idea.
Look at the healing debuff test that they didn’t mention because they knew how it would go down.
There are obviously several tests that are happening as well as ideas that will come up that will draw hyperbolic, unconstructive conversations.
Honestly, I think it could have been possible but the community hasn’t shown the capacity for respectful, mature conversation.
As Jeff said when he was leaving: “look after the Overwatch team” I.e “stop being pricks”.
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