|
|
Post by SL the Pyro on Nov 5, 2016 6:51:59 GMT
I don't see a general Overwatch thread here, so I'll resurrect this one because a thing happened today. Sombra was officially revealed and is playable at BlizzCon 2016. Her kit: Machine Pistol: Moderate damage SMG with a short spread. Has 60 ammo. Hack: If Sombra fires this at the highlighted target for 2 seconds, the targeted player gets a "Hacked" debuff and cannot activate abilities for 6 seconds (though some abilities that were activated before being Hacked will persist), and hacking an enemy during their Ultimate will cancel it (with the exception of "lobbing" ults like Zarya's). Can also hack turrets to disable them. Can also hack medkits to respawn faster and make then unusable to the enemy team for 1 minute. Blocked by barriers and interrupted by damage. 12 second cooldown after a successful hack. Thermoptic Camo: Turns Sombra invisible to enemies and doubles her running speed for 6 seconds. Using any attack/ability and taking damage instantly ends the effect, and it flickers if you bump into an enemy. 6 second cooldown after decloaking. Translocator: Tosses a warp beacon that Sombra can teleport to by using the corresponding ability button again. Even works in mid-air, but only persists for 15 seconds after being thrown. 6 second cooldown after warping. Opportunist (Passive): Can see characters below 50% HP through walls. Can also see which enemies have their Ultimates ready. EMP (Ultimate): Unleashes a large AOE field; all enemies hit get the "Hacked" debuff, and any form of shield or barrier (including character shield HP) in the field is destroyed/depleted instantly. So on one hand, her DPS is subpar for an Offense hero: the Machine Pistol is essentially Soldier: 76's rifle with better ammo capacity and fire rate but no secondary fire, and that's all she has for damage. Hack and EMP, on the other hand, make her the ultimate shutdown character, and Thermoptic Camo and Translocator give her incredible mobility while her Opportunist passive lets her easily find and finish off fleeing enemies. She hits the Public Test Region server on Tuesday. |
|
lordofshadow
Member
Posts: 45 
Original Join Date: August 11, 2002
|
Post by lordofshadow on Nov 5, 2016 7:03:19 GMT
I don't play the game much, but I friggin love her character design. For the people more like me, who's intrigued but not invested in the details of her kit, you should still watch her story intro video. Lot of character here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og5-Pm4HNlIAs for her kit: She seems crazy powerful. Obviously isn't going to win most outright fights alone, but her utility and counterplay potential is immense. With the kit as it is written right now, I would expect her to be basically required on any high-level team.Though a lot depends on timing of her hack and ult abilities, and how good her stealth is. Stealth characters are hard. Stealth tends to be really binary; it's working or it's not. And whne it's working, it's can be super powerful. Most MOBAs have struggled to get it right. All of the LoL's stealth characters oscillated between over powered and underpowered for years. My own team back on Infinite Crisis struggled to balance stealth too, and eventually started cutting it from our game outright in many cases during the beta, or turning it into a very short-term tool to position better - which basically looks like what they're doing for Sombra. Heroes of the Storm does a decent job with it too, so that bodes will for Overwatch. |
|
JRPomazon
Member
Posts: 162
Original Join Date: 14 Jul 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 5, 2016 17:24:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by JRPomazon on Nov 5, 2016 17:24:07 GMT
I'm a little worried about the Stealth element Sombra brings into the game. I didn't mind it so much in examples like TF2 but unless Blizzard put checks in to be sure that this isn't overpowered then it might make Sombra the most infuriating character in this game. However, it also makes it easier to stop other obnoxious characters like Bastion. I can't wait to try her out.
|
|
Selena
 Admin
Odinsdottir
Posts: 320
Original Join Date: February 13, 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 5, 2016 18:22:58 GMT
Post by Selena on Nov 5, 2016 18:22:58 GMT
I made a new thread for general Overwatch chat.
I'm eager to test Sombra out. I loved her intro videos and personality. I don't think her stealth skills will be too overpowered. Invisibility is only 6 seconds, so it's either going to be an ambush skill or an "oh shit" escape skill. Her hacking ability takes a couple seconds to charge, and you have to be close, which is suitably dangerous. It won't be too helpful on point defense, but it'll be good at picking off isolated enemies.
The EMP burst sounds pretty powerful, but it's not effective unless you have teammates close by -- sort of like Zarya's. It either sets up a push or shuts down the enemy for a limited time. I think it'll be a good build, but she won't be for everyone. She'll be great for the people who like to flank and support. Not so much for the run and gunners.
I do wish more character abilities had obvious combo bonuses. I admittedly haven't played a ton of multiplayer shooters in this style, but some of the very best kit-building I've ever seen was -- surprisingly -- in Mass Effect 3's multiplayer. So many skills across multiple kits were designed to boost/enhance each other. It made for complicated gameplay, to an extent, but it was incredibly powerful and satisfying when you pulled off power combos. It would've been a great element to a team shooter like this.
I'm starting to get a little burnt out on Overwatch. Maybe I've just been playing it too regularly and I finally hit that mood where it starts to get tedious. I've been playing other games to palate cleanse.
I'd really like to see them add another game mode at this point. Preferably co-op against Omnic enemies. Just for the sake of variety. Junkenstein's Revenge was a good lead-in for this, but a proper co-op mode would need to be more fleshed out and have better opponents.
|
|
|
|
Post by SL the Pyro on Nov 8, 2016 0:44:46 GMT
|
|
JRPomazon
Member
Posts: 162
Original Join Date: 14 Jul 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 12, 2016 16:35:35 GMT
Post by JRPomazon on Nov 12, 2016 16:35:35 GMT
OK, after seeing some more of Sombra in game I think everything will be fine. She seems to have natural counters that work well to keep things even and she seems to be a great counter to Mei's Ice Walls and Blizzards. I haven't had the chance to play as her or in the new game mode yet but hopefully the console release for this content will arrive soon.
|
|
Selena
Admin
Odinsdottir
Posts: 320
Original Join Date: February 13, 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 13, 2016 4:31:39 GMT
Post by Selena on Nov 13, 2016 4:31:39 GMT
I put this together today. GLORIOUS BATTLE MERCY.
With Team Fortress 2 music again, since that pairing seemed to work well.
|
|
Selena
Admin
Odinsdottir
Posts: 320
Original Join Date: February 13, 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 16, 2016 1:21:19 GMT
Post by Selena on Nov 16, 2016 1:21:19 GMT
Sombra dropped today, along with a new map and multiple new game modes. Exciting! Adjustments to quick play, too.
|
|
|
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 16, 2016 7:45:00 GMT
Post by SL the Pyro on Nov 16, 2016 7:45:00 GMT
Seems to have been a large quality of life update. There's a ton of game modes now.
Quick Play (6V6): Changed to allowing only one of each hero per team. For if you want to play semi-serious games without risking your Competitive skill points.
Mystery Duel (1V1): You and one enemy are given the same random hero, changing every round in best 3 out of 5 deathmatch. Cannot get Lucio or Mercy. Gives a Loot Box for your first win of the day.
Elimination (3V3): Two teams of three face off in a best 3 out of 5 deathmatch. Gives a Loot Box for your first win of the day.
All Brawls! (6V6): Picks a random 6V6 Weekly Brawl (only one map, only certain heroes allowed, etc.) and throws players into it.
Mystery Heroes (6V6): Heroes are selected at random and change after every respawn.
No Limits (6V6): No hero stacking limits are enforced. Basically what old Quick Play was.
The bottom five game modes are all under the "Arcade" option, which has a weekly Loot Box payout - one for every three wins, allowing up to three boxes.
And of course, we can't forget about Sombra, who is now playable. I didn't expect her to release so soon after appearing on the PTR, but it looks like Blizzard is satisfied with her and did the smart thing by releasing her with plenty of time before the next Competitive season, and also remembered to make her not playable in the current season.
|
|
Selena
Admin
Odinsdottir
Posts: 320
Original Join Date: February 13, 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 16, 2016 15:01:05 GMT
Post by Selena on Nov 16, 2016 15:01:05 GMT
I'm also glad for the new Loot Box reward scheme. When you start approaching level 100, it takes foreeeeeeever to get one. And after all that work you're still likely to get poor rolls!
I played the new game modes. They're all pretty fun.
1v1 duels are not for the feint of heart. And it can feel like a horror game if it's a Symmetra match. The other one is out there. Somewhere. Waiting to jump around the corner and laser you to death in an instant. ....That's how I've been winning her rounds.
..... Otherwise I've been getting my ass handed to me.
|
|
JRPomazon
Member
Posts: 162
Original Join Date: 14 Jul 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 16, 2016 18:31:38 GMT
Post by JRPomazon on Nov 16, 2016 18:31:38 GMT
When it comes to 1v1, I try to listen for footsteps and other movement noises. Especially if I'm sniping or if I'm waiting for someone to turn a corner. I've been having trouble with most tank characters in the 1v1 matches, missing your opportunity to do damage even for a second can cost you the entire match.
But yeah, I was up late last night getting familiar with the new game modes and HOLY SHIT it's a lot of fun. Sombra is super interesting too, though it'll probably take some time before I become better with her as a whole.
|
|
|
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Nov 17, 2016 17:02:41 GMT
Post by SL the Pyro on Nov 17, 2016 17:02:41 GMT
I'm finding that Sombra counters a lot of the current meta-level threats. Her weapon is hitscan so it shoots down Pharah (and an attached Mercy), Hack shuts down the otherwise-omnipresent shields of Reinhardt and Zarya, and EMP screws over teams that rely on their Ultimates to push. Hacking health kits also prevents enemies from camping.
As for where Sombra falls short, she's a bit squishy, Hack has a huge 12 second cooldown, and her SMG's damage output is the worst of all the DPS classes, so she doesn't appreciate a straight fight and will get eaten alive by any flanker worth their salt since they can just sit on her Translocator until she reappears. She also doesn't like people who can rapid-fire in wide arcs (Soldier: 76, D.Va, Symmetra) or people with tracking skills (Hanzo and especially Widowmaker) since they'll easily knock out her Thermoptic Camo, and by extension her sprint, so she needs a head-start on her escape route if they're around.
|
|
Selena
Admin
Odinsdottir
Posts: 320
Original Join Date: February 13, 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Apr 11, 2017 19:14:23 GMT
Post by Selena on Apr 11, 2017 19:14:23 GMT
New update is live!
A lot of new skins -- all Overwatch and Blackwatch uniforms. Update finally includes a horde mode against waves of omnics, with different difficulty settings ranging from "manageable normal" to "kill me now and put me out of my misery legendary." Watching a friend play horde mode, and it looks really cool. Glad Blizzard listened to suggestions.
Gonna give it a try myself later tonight. But this is a good mode for people who find competitive stressful and want to avoid the pressure of PvP.
|
|
JRPomazon
Member
Posts: 162
Original Join Date: 14 Jul 2003
|
Overwatch
Posted On: Apr 12, 2017 19:39:21 GMT
Post by JRPomazon on Apr 12, 2017 19:39:21 GMT
I love the new update so far, the new mode is super fun to play as and really immersive. Frankly it makes me think they could actually pull off an Overwatch "Campaign Mode" if they so decided to try.
|
|
