The devs say pings will “help with toxicity”. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I don’t see how anything anyone’s said justify the devs claims. Seems like everyone’s in agreement that pings can be used to be toxic.
Or maybe I’m reading into it not literally enough, maybe the devs literally are trying to help with toxicity lol. If you get what I mean.
Pings can be used to be toxic, but toxicity from pinging is nowhere near as bad as toxicity from voice or toxicity from text.
As to reducing toxicity, I see it in two ways. Way one is people often flip out over trivial things, and some of those trivial things can be prevented by pinging(like a reaper flank). It also lets people who don’t want to use voice because of the toxicity it causes to communicate as well.
“Pings can be used to be toxic, but toxicity from pinging is nowhere near as bad as toxicity from voice or toxicity from text.”
That’s true, but pings aren’t replacing voice and text, they are adding to it. The people being toxic in voice and chat will now be toxic with pings at the same time. It’s just more tools in the toxic player’s disposal. And for the record, I’m not actually that toxic, just feel like being a little annoying sometimes in quickplay, I’m not a thrower or a slur-spitter.
Any or all of which can be muted. Chances are we’ll be able to selectively mute them, so when people like you spam them, we can just filter them out.
If you really want to remove all of the tools people have to be toxic, you’d have to gut half the game.
This is a good change for the community and if you don’t like it, congratulations. Mute everyone. Hundreds of people would rather be able to ping things in Overwatch than use the voice chat and get harassed for being a woman/trans/gay/what have you.
Which has already happened to voice chat which you’re already heralding as the pinnacle of communication, which allows people to call you slurs and insult you. Pings can’t do that, the worst they can do is be ineffective.
People will always be awful with every aspect of a game. People were using a Cassidy spray to lynch characters for Christ’s sake.
Hundreds of people
Sorry, this made me chuckle. I didn’t even realize the player numbers were THIS bad. But you’re right, most changes made by Blizz are wanted by hundreds of people, that’s why the other millions of players aren’t around anymore.
I think you’re being a little bit melodramatic, considering you imply that millions of players will leave in droves simply because less fortunate people now have the option to ping.
Millions of players have left because of a content drought; poor character balance; poor matchmaking; poor ladder; etc., etc. The primary thing bringing people back - heroes - is on hold, so naturally those people will drift.
But I think it’s a little silly to think that a ping system will drive people away.
EDIT: also, I appreciate you cherrypicking “hundreds of people” out of my post alone. Great discussion.
I agree, I’m not trying to act like the ping-system alone is a flaw so nefarious that it will drive away millions of players… but… you pointed out accurately the flaws that did drive players away, and resources spent making a ping system is resources and time not spent addressing those more apparent flaws. So it’s more like this ping issue is an issue of priority not of direct gameplay impairment. Pings will be a minor inconvenience at most, but it’s also currently one of the biggest selling points of Overwatch 2 of which there are few.
EDIT: I only addressed your point that had substance. Your other points was a) saying to mute everyone, which you’d only say if you haven’t been watching the thread, b) a strawman saying I was heralding voice chat, and c) saying people will find ways to be awful which is something I had nothing to say about because I agree with it.
The “resources” you speak of were never going to be used for OW1, it’s time people accept that. I would rather we get a few new features with the release of a brand new expansion, rather than just “Oh have a map or two, maybe a hero, and new UI! Ooooo.”
The ping system isn’t an indicator of any sort of flaw, it’s a feature that people have been asking for and Team 4 is putting in the effort to implement it in a good, healthy way. They aren’t forcing you to use it, they aren’t taking away voice, it’s going to be a side addition.
Plus, it’ll be a lot better for all the Zenyattas trying to get help with the Tracer behind the team, and keep them from getting yelled at because “there is no Tracer, no one’s back there.”
Hello Mr. I hate everything. Where have you been?
I’m excited for 5v5 and push gamemode
As long you can mute those pings, Im ok.
I need no pings from random weirdos. I know enemy locations without pings and so do any adequate player
OW shouldnt be played without mic anyway
I mean truthfully toxicity will exist no matter what they do or add in every single game especially PVP ones. It’s a harmless ping system and really and truthfully 90% of the player base openly refuses to communicate, at least 50% of these players will use ping in the correct way I can assure you of that much.
Yeah, I don’t know who thought this was a good idea. Like I said, all this is gonna lead to is the barrage of “that’s the payload, push it!” pings (coming from someone who died for the fourth time from overextending on their own).
Eww, voice chat. Never once used it since the game’s launch and never regretted it. You don’t even it when characters like sneaky Sombra have to go: “Boo! I’m here” before attacking. The game has everyone yell everything for the exact reason of clearly communicating everything, you don’t need a “Reaper is ulting” ping.
What about an option to not see the ping UI “notifications” and only hear who is speaking and see their icon with a voice chat symbol since they will speak out what they are pinging like Sojourn speaking in Storm Rising or Jack, Ana and Reyes in Uprising?
Since they said everyone will speak out what they are pinging this would be nice.
Valorant also has a ping system with 5 players on smaller maps, and it’s nothing but helpful
I don’t think this is true for everyone and certainly not true for me.
I don’t play OW to make friends - I normally have a friend with me and would rather talk to them only whilst still being able to communicate to others.
Also, I would imagine it’s difficult to have a racist/sexist/homophobic ping.
Let me offer a counterpoint.
Do you turn when people spam “i need help?” Well, my experience is that most don’t. I hear the mercy doing the “I could use a hand x3” and I’m like what’s going on? OH, she’s about to die because she has no one to anchor and she’s falling. Or an ana being dived by flankers needing help. People don’t turn. But what if you get that ping that warns you, ONSCREEN, that there’s a tracer on the angles you’re not seeing? That will alert you enough to turn. If the support can tag the flanker they’re spotting, it will become MUCH better for them while not needing to be in voice, which seems to be a deal breaker for many. Some are in voice but don’t have the confidence to talk. And that’s fine, really. Pinging is one of the best accessibility tool in online games and there’s no reason not to welcome it. Even poor implementations like CSGO’s version can be great.
Going by your threshold of what constitutes toxicity, we should remove all voicelines before not implementing ping, because they offer nothing tactical wise and are essentially trolling/banter.
Ah yes, the “glass half-full” analysis that ignores the problems something brings… basically the sum of Western political thinking for the last 60 years…
Let’s hope you can mute it.