Overwatch 2 Deep Dive: New Maps and Dynamic Environments

Blizzard Entertainment said that Overwatch 2 is not coming in 2021, but it unveiled a bunch of new details today during its BlizzCon Online event.

Jeff Kaplan, game director of Overwatch 2 – the sequel to Overwatch – said in a presentation with team leaders that the game will have a wider range of combat environments around the world. The team unveiled two new maps: Rome and New York.

Rome’s appearance emphasizes the blend of ‘romantic’ old-world architecture with modern improvements, such as the Colosseum next to a new stadium. New York is in an art deco style from the 1920s, with futuristic elements for landmarks like Grand Central Station. It contains details such as pizza places and fire stations next to the older buildings.

“We have to go further, otherwise we have to reveal more maps,” Kaplan joked.

Kaplan said the characters will have changes compared to how they played before. The battle against player and player will be borrowed a lot from Overwatch, but there are experimental changes for different characters and roles. Heroes can have passive abilities, depending on what role they play. Tank Heroes will hit the reduction against them and charge less ultra-costs for enemies shooting at them.

Tank heroes, for example, will not just stand back and offer shield to players, Kaplan said. They will have special moves that allow them to join fierce firefights and maneuver quickly around enemies as if they are on track. The tanks will be able to fight each other and be as aggressive as they look, he said.

“Some of these things you can only do with a new game,” Kaplan said, rather than expanding the existing game.

Although all the changes are still experimental, Reinhardt is currently giving him two costs of firefighting and cancellation of costs. He can pin down goals more accurately. Kaplan said these changes may not stay, but it will help players accept the great aggression for the character.

They have displayed a new character, Sojourn, using a track gun that will bring back the feel of classic shooters (like Quake), where you can inflict enormous damage if you have the right aim. It will tear through enemies. The blue-and-white character Pharah has a gold visor that is transparent so you can read the emotions on her face more easily. Widower is more like a cyberpunk, futuristic femme fatale with a long ponytail.

Blizzard is also reworking all the sounds of the weapons to make sure it felt gut-wrenching. The idea is to match the sounds to the vibrations of heavy guns. The sounds will also differ depending on where you are. If you are in a place that echoes a lot, the guns will have ‘convolution reverb’, which means that the acoustics of echoes from the area are combined with the gun sounds. You hear the noises in warehouses, narrow tunnels and small rooms.

Rapid melee attacks will also have different sounds – a sign that everything in the game’s sounds is being addressed.

Soldier 76’s weapon will feel like a ‘gun is almost out of your control’ as it shakes as you shoot it. It will feel ‘incredibly powerful’, the team said.

“We are still exploring new game modes and evaluating old game modes that people are more critical of,” Kaplan said. ‘We want Overwatch 2 to feel like the next evolution, a real sequel to the first game and not an addition. This is not an extension of the original game. I think it’s exciting. ”

There will also be hundreds of hero missions in the co-player-to-player experience, where you follow a story and tackle non-player enemies while lifting your hero. Production Director Julia Humphreys said the collaborators will have to split up on some of the missions to grab containers and deal with some very difficult enemies that come their way. Objectives will change the mission almost completely. They have names like Kill Quest, Wall of Death or Scavenger Hunt. Players play these missions and level their heroes.

In terms of environments, you see things like sunsets, day and night versions of the same maps. And Blizzard has created dynamic weather, so a sandstorm or thunderstorm can pop up in the middle of a battle and dramatically change your visibility.

You also see an RPG style (RPG) that matches things like guns. You will add talents to heroes and guns so they can do electrical damage or freeze enemies, and then you will be able to control the battlefield in new ways, Humphreys said.

Kaplan said that in 2019, at the last BlizzCon where Overwatch 2 was launched, the team felt that the fight was not as captivating as it could have been. The enemy units were not that interesting, which is why the team went to work on enemies like Breached, which is a two-legged robot. It carries a large bomb on its back and marches towards a target and the bomb unfolds like a flower. Players must remove it before inflating it. Slices are like many fast chickens coming to you. The Puller is like a witch in an evening dress, with three biologically around her head.

“Overwatch 2 is the biggest opportunity to really expand what Overwatch means even to our players,” said Kaplan.

The story will take place in a second major Omnic (self-conscious robot) uprising. You will see who is behind it and why it is happening. The Overwatch group is disbanded, the world is in trouble again and he needs heroes, but they may not help.

During the game, story moments will unfold in the environment. Heroes will have dialogue moments in those missions.

“We still need time to say it’s perfectly polished the way we want it,” Kaplan said. ‘What I’m most excited about is the moment when we hand over the game to the players. That’s why we do it. We create the game because we want to be a part of your life. ”