I propose that whenever a character is reworked, not just tweaked a little, there should be an accompanying storyline which explains or at least references the change to the character in terms that make sense within the OW universe.
Over time, this will build up an archive of lore that is naturally connected to the game and explains character changes in terms of their story arc.
Another example of how this methodology could be applied is by creating a story arc that is based on the changing meta, so as the game moved from a dive meta being dominant to snipers being dominant the writers can cover this change in the form of a story within which the change is explained in terms of the motivations of the characters and the goings on of the universe in which they exist.
If we make the lore tell the real story of Overwatch, I believe it will be much richer and a much more valuable asset to the game.
So… as an example… let’s take Hanzo’s scatter arrow. Why, within the universe, might he have switched his ability? Maybe one day he fired a scatter arrow and a ricochet hit someone he cared about that was coming round a corner… and so he decided it wasn’t safe to use. Maybe his arrows came from a specific factory that was infiltrated and shut down.
There are multiple ways you could explain the change that are consistent with universe and enrich the development process for users.
Definitely open to making references to gameplay mechanic changes in the story, but it really depends on the example. I still believe that Hanzo’s carrying that scatter arrow around in his quiver though!
Small anecdote: when we reworked Bastion to include a passive damage resistance skill, I named the skill “Ironclad” to hint at Bastion’s (at the time unreleased) encounter with Torbjörn in the comic, Binary, as he’d be the one responsible for giving Bastion its new defenses!
There’s a voice line referencing it too, isn’t there?
Also, gameplay-story integration is a mixed bag. Doomfist is several degrees of magnitude more pathetic in game than his animated counterpart, and that’s a sticking point for me. Other things like Sombra attacking without delay out of stealth, Crusader armor mobility and durability in Honor and Glory, and more creative uses of ice constructs in Rise and Shine, tend to just underscore where and how the heroes in game…don’t feel all that “heroic”.
Forgive me for asking, but do you have any ETA when we can have Mercy’s “Onwards to Victory!”-ultimate line back? It is sorely missed by many of us, and I assume many will get the skin now with the event being in full swing.
Because we are on a topic about changed abilities i want to ask a question.
In the Hero Selection screen, Hanzo still holds the Scatter arrow in his hand! Will this ever be changed or it will remain there as a refference to his old ability?
You added Ironclad, now can you please take it away? The Bastion megathread is getting pretty long at this point and the consensus is that Ironclad in it’s current state is definitely not healthy for him.
I guess it’s ok to still exist in cinematics and comics, but is a bit more different when it exists in-game. Why would a weapon model of an old ability still exists inside the game if he can never use it?
This is just a little detail, nothing catastrophic. I would like Scatter to remain there as a personal opinion.