Overwatch Improvements - Beta Over. Game Launch Incoming!

The beta phases have come and gone. Everyone has had the opportunity to play the game by now and probably already made their minds up if they are going to buy the game or not.

I personally will be buying the game. Its quick, simple, and FUN shooter game. I think Blizzard did a great job of making the game fun and challenging for both super casual and very competitive players a like. The fast pace, different roles, and variety of unique characters are the main thing that I love about the game. This article is not to talk about that though. It is going to take the awesome game that is already developed and add a few things that would make the it even better...

...in my opinion at least. Since I am the one writing the article and one of the few people that read will read it, my opinion is super important MMKAY!?!

These are my 3 big improvements about the game. 

• Progression & Challenge System
• Multiplayer Only Games
• Play of the Match

Progression & Challenge System

Overwatch kinda has them. Basically you level up as you play and when you reach a new level, you get a lootbox (or buy one with micro-transactions). The lootbox contains a variety of options for a specific character....and there are TONS of options...like up to 70 different items per character.

There are in-game coins that can be used to by any item that you can get in lootboxes as well. So if you really want a specific item. You can save up your in-game currency and buy it when you get enough.

There is also a Ranked mode which is unlocked at level 25 which I think Blizzard is hoping that a large amount of the population will play. I am not sold at ALL with that thinking. Typically competitive FPS modes are played the least. Most of the players just want to jump in a few games and own a bunch of noobs. I guess we shall see how it plays out but I am not optimistic.

There are challenges and achievements in the game, but it is pretty small when you compare it to what it could be. Here is a full list.

I don't have any problem with the current lootbox system. I think it is fine as is, but I really wish there was something to show / grind for to prove your commitment to playing. The possibilities are endless...

Example
Challenge - Get 500 kills as Widowmaker
Reward - A Player Icon

You can have this type of challenge / reward for all characters. You could even then have a challenge that says once you get 500 kills with every Defensive character, you get a special skin tint or gun skin....something silly and cool like that. This is the kind of stuff that I really like and keeps me playing in multiplayer games. In order to get the shiny reward, you have to put in the time to get it. You set a goal and it feels GOOD once you complete it. You get that accomplished feeling. It is the same type of system that Blizzard uses in its other games and I am not really sure why it wasn't really a main focus in this one.

Another positive thing about a challenge system like this is that it adds a whole new reason to play the game. The game is fun, but it can get repetitive after a while. I started to get that feeling about 10 hours in or so during the open beta. I still wanted to play, but I got kinda bored.

No biggie, I just played another game for a little bit and then went back to Overwatch. After a few hours though, again it got kinda stale for me. I'm still having fun, but it would be nice if there was a huge challenge list I can focus on that will make playing the game more enjoyable.

I want some sort of grind. It keeps the game fresh and is also fun. Black Ops 3 is a great example of something that could easily be implemented and put into the game. I mean look at all of these....its a crazy amount. Obviously Call of Duty has alot of challenges that just wouldn't work in Overwatch, but they also have a ton would work PERFECTLY in the game.

Example
Challenge - Receive the most MVP votes at the end of the game 100 times
Reward - Something totally badass and shiny that you can use to win arguments on internet forums with!

I just want more grind-oriented challenges and rewards that proves that I have invested alot of time into the game. I think it will make this already fun game, more enjoyable for a longer amount time.

....speaking of time and possibility getting bored. On to my second point....

Multiplayer Only Games

Are they doomed? Remember all the hype around Titanfall? I sure as hell do. I played the game for two weeks straight and then never again. Now, to be fair, I like Overwatch and have already played way more of it then I ever did of Titanfall....but the point still remains.

Does a Multiplayer Only game that is not FREE have a certain lifetime? Pretty silly question....of course all games have a certain life time. It is VERY rare that multiplayer game has a healthy player base for a long time. I feel fairly confident that since Blizzard is the developer and has already announced that new maps and heroes added to the game will be FREE...that the game will be fine for years to come.

...but still, I remember Titanfall. I couldn't believe how hyped I was and how I little I actually played.

It does not appear that I am alone in this thought process. Force made a video on the subject and as always, brought up some great points / food for thought. Check it out.

Play of the Match

First off, what a fucking awesome feature from the developers. Seriously, well done. My only gripe with it is that it gets tweaked to show more "play-maker" players instead of just kill feeds. They already stated they feel roughly the same way and are trying to make it better...so I feel pretty good about that.

Support and Utility players needs some love as well Blizz! One of my favorite Plays of the Game. Oh my...just oh my.

Can't wait for the game to drop in  a few games. I need it in my life!

Until next time freaks! Twitter Machine --> https://twitter.com/WTFspaghetti #MakeBloggingGreatAgain

Glorious Lion, Video Games, and Random Thoughts that are Random

How cool is this wallpaper? It isn't too often where I see a wallpaper and IMMEDIATELY update mine, but damn this image is art. So colorful and vibrant. I have no idea who the artist is but they are very talented.

Overwatch Ramblings, Learning Curve, and My AH HA! Moment

It is strange when you get lucky enough to be in a closed beta of a highly anticipated game. I was excited and played the crap out of it. That being said, I didn't put the amount of time anywhere close compared to others. I personally got to level 23 and I want to say that had about 20 to 30 hours of gameplay.

The learning curve was steep for me and I was very bad until it all clicked. The whole time I was playing I couldn't figure out why I was below average when it came to this game. I didn't understand it. I am not a bad FPS player. I normally average 1 to 1.5 kills to death ratio in all of the other FPS games I play. WHAT GIVES OVERWATCH?!?!!1!?

Well, it is because Overwatch will actually punish you if you try to play it like you are not apart of a team. Seriously, it will chew you up and spit your punk ass out. Don't get what I am saying twisted....there are some characters (Tracer for example) that want to go off, do their own thing, and be an utter annoyance to the enemy team...but even then there is a time and place for it.

However, most characters are not designed to be played like that. In this Overwatch blog post I linked Gamespot's three part video series on "The Story of Overwatch". It talks about a lot of cool stuff, but one thing that I found rather interesting is the design choice to not put a Team Death Match (TDM) mode in the game.

I thought to myself....yeah...why isn't there a TDM in this game? I mean, I can't remember another FPS game that I played and enjoyed this much that didn't have the option available. It is an absolute standard in FPS games.

The development team basically said fuck that. They brought up the fact that all TDM really means is that you can't kill half of the players in the match. Overwatch is designed to be all about teamwork and TDM is essentially a Free For All that promotes non-team game play. That is why all four game modes in Overwatch require a large amount of team-play and working together to accomplish the map objective.

Once you realize this and start tuning your own game play around it, you will start getting MUCH better at this game. I went from about a 40% win percentage to around 60% just by changing my mindset from the Call of Duty solo warrior to the Overwatch team tactician.

Madden 16

It is well documented how I feel about the NFL the last few months. Prior to that I played the "Ultimate Team" mode in Madden 2016 for a solid 5 months straight....with really no other games in the mix.

It was quite the addiction. At my highest rank, I was in the top 1% of the Madden players. I never won a Super Bowl in that league, but needless to say, I was pretty damn good. My team was never amazing, but always good enough to win against any team - even the super crazy teams.

Since I haven't played in awhile and don't really plan to I decided to do a little giveaway on the Madden Ultimate Team sub-reddit. Anyone that plays on the PS4 can enter and all they have to do is post in the thread something that will make me laugh at a chance at 100k gold (in-game currency).

So far the entries have been top notch. My current favorite is http://imgur.com/gallery/OqRDvj5. It is a long GIF image...so I don't want to embed it but it is totally worth checking out. DO IT!!!

I converted the rest of my coin stash into MUTHead currency called MHC. EA actually supports it and it is not against their rules or anything. So maybe if I decide to play Madden again I can turn my MHC credits back into in game gold. Better then it all going to waste right?

Random is Random

• This is why it takes me so long to finish a game

• I have created a goal for myself to post a blog post once a week. I think that is very doable and so far I have been on pace for over a month. OH YEAH!
• St. Louis Blues are kicking ass in the playoffs (very rare) I forgotten what it is to still watch the NHL in May. 
• Game Of Thrones is back and I am just happy. 

Until next time freaks! Twitter Machine --> https://twitter.com/WTFspaghetti #MakeBloggingGreatAgain