Overwatch's new Experimental mode is set to shake things up with the Triple Damage composition, i.e. one tank, three damage and two support players, but the game's director Jeff Kaplan's already advising players to not jump the gun based on numbers alone.
Ironically enough, Kaplan said that even Blizzard are internally divided on whether the Triple Damage composition lock is great or just chaos, which is how the Overwatch's Experimental mode came about.
"When we make balance changes, they have to go to the PTR [Public Test Region]. While they’re on the PTR, we’re also going through the console certification process for Sony, Microsoft, and now Nintendo. On average, that takes a week - and that doesn’t include testing or deploying, so it can be a long process. To change the damage of McCree's gun by one point takes longer than players think", he explained.
Introducing the Experimental mode means Overwatch's team can afford to be more creative. It's the same game client and rewards system, only without the need for drawn-out paperwork.
Where Triple Damage already sounds promising is the match waiting time. Overwatch's 2-2-2 Role Queue system didn't really reflect the playerbase's preferences, so Triple Damage is expected to cut queue times as well.
As for the gameplay part of the game, Kaplan said, "With three damage players, it opened team compositions that we weren’t really seeing in the current game. We’ve seen compositions with two flanking characters, like Genji and Tracer, supported by aggressive tanks. We’ve also seen compositions with two snipers, like Widowmaker and Hanzo, with a more defensive playstyle. Now you might end up with two snipers but also have a flanker. So the game really plays differently. It’s a lot more chaotic. A lot more action-based."
Blizzard
Naturally, this will require plenty of rebalancing but Kaplan mentioned that one-tank teams are more akin to Overwatch's initially planned gameplay. Tanks will be tankier and Roadhog's Take a Breather, for instance, not only heals him, but it also mitigates the damage to those around him.
You can find the full blog post here .
Overwatch Lunar New Year
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