The new update will make the meta move regularly. What can it be?

General Discussion
1

So Jeff is saying they want to make meta change more frequently. And the solution is not hero bans. What else they can do? Any ideas?

  • Will it be just hiring more people to do balance updates more frequently?
  • Or balance updates done with more frequently - with less analysis behind?
  • Can it be PTR live in the Arcade? [but this will split player base]
  • Can it be two versions of the competitive live with different hero balance - and the player base picks the one it likes?

What else can help with hero meta changes? This is kinda interesting puzzle.

For some reason I think the dev update will be boring. It won’t be a new in-game feature, but just a promise that they will do balance updates much more often.

2

Even though I doubt this will ever happen, it’s something I’ve thought about myself. How nice would it be to have a “non casual” version where namely the Ultimates and ridiculous abilities were were toned down for those who want a more FPS feeling game?

3

Maybe they’re getting rid of PTR and just putting stuff directly into the game.

4

Maybe the update will make able for hotfixes to change damage values and other things.

5

More frequent balance changes

6

Encouraging and rewarding people for switching heroes and playing other heroes, or heroes that they normally don’t play.

7

It will help to make meta even stronger. Don’t you see it? The meta is the most strong at GM+ ranks, since people can and are willing to flex and to pick the best composition there. Meanwhile in plat meta is weak, since people care less about meta but more about what they want to play.

8

He mentions a system though, so I think it will be more than increased dev cycles or new data analysis that will be faster. That said I think we will see those things, with OW2 on the horizon I suspect the Dev’s main Goal with OW1 until then will be fix core and longstanding issues and bring the game into as balanced and satisfactory state as possible ready for OW2.

My guesses for what this “system” could be are:

  • A LFG overhaul
  • A refinement of how role Q is done/Hero Q
  • Linking the two better
  • Linking Q priority to high endorsement levels
  • The ability to set matchmaker sensitivity for yourself
  • Rematch and extending Stay-as-a-group to members of the enemy team
  • Deep shot in the dark but in-game tournaments that factor into your elo and have additional rules to help with peoples ban related issues (e.g. No CC Open or the Off-Meta Cup)

Edit: One of my points sounded a little like I meant you could Q with your opponent, i.e. get to pick the enemy team and obviously that’s a bad idea. I mean that little option to stay as a group after match, make it easier to add members of the enemy team to that group so if you liked what you fought you can get them on side next time.

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9

A rework to how the ultimate charge system works?

10

He also mentions ton changed “under the hood”.

So system to make meta more fluid other than hero bans?
To switch meta it need change heroes that make meta significantly for it to work.
So eithier it is something like automatics balance changes to matches? I dunno. Althou I am.quite curious about next week update.

11

But he mentions ‘under the hood’ specifically in relation to Q times, Just as he mentions a new ‘system’ in relation to a stale meta.

Those are 2 very different problems and I doubt any behind the scenes stuff done to shorten Q times would have much impact on what heroes get played or are meta, and I’m not sure what secret Dev stuff can be done to impact the meta tbh. My bet is they are 2 separate solutions to separate problems, one to deal with hero selection and balance and one for the long DPS Q’s.

Now it’s true some of my suggested systems were really more about Q times than meta and hero selection, but I do think they are legitimate options to reduce Q times regardless. That said I suspect if we get a new system it will be one based around upping player control over their game experience, but how is a mystery rn.

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12

We need a Sym meta. Not like double shield where she was just viable, but like a meta where the only DPS picks allowed are Sym/Torb.

13

Every week they will throw some 31-sided hero dice and then a “nerf” or “buff” dice. They will do it several times.

New meta every Tuesday. Unless the dice reinforce the current meta.

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14

I had an idea that it could be some sort of rank-based balancing. I guess It’d make the meta move regularly because they wouldn’t have to worry about nerfing a hero that is strong in high ranks but weak in low ranks.

Don’t really know how it would work overall though…

15

Rank basing balancing would suck once you switch ranks. It will be both hard for you to adapt and hard for your team. Imagine amount of hate it would create at rank boundaries.

Hero bans,btw, were a quite good and natural way to deal with rank disbalance, people would ban things which are OP at their specific rank and it would be part of the game and change smoothly when your rank changes. To deal with rank disbalance one needs something like this. But Idk what else, besides hero bans, could do it.