14 DAY TRIAL // Blizzard hit two birds with one stone by releasing both a significant patch for Overwatch and details about a new character that’s being added to the roster.
Overwatch has been getting a constant stream of patches lately, and some of the features being added have made quite a difference. Until now, the developers have been focused on getting rid of bad players, or at least in educating them with the “Avoid as Teammate” option.
Now, they also want to encourage good behavior with the addition of a new endorsement system, which sounds good, at least in theory. If it’s used properly, it should determine players to act nicer and to be more considerate with their teammates.
Appealing to humanity
The new “ Endorsement system” is a really good idea, and it has been introduced with the latest patch. It will take a while to get used to, should be adopted and used pretty quickly.
Jeremy Craig, Principal Game Designer, had this to say about it. “ Endorsements give you a way to acknowledge other players for having a positive impact on your gaming experience. We have ways to report people for poor conduct, but now, if you have teammates who coordinated well, a leader who gave great direction, or even someone who was just being positive you can now let them know how much you appreciated it with an endorsement!”
If this wasn’t enough, another feature called “Looking for a Group” should make it much easier to find people that are just like you, based on your performance and behavior. In theory, playing with people similar to you should make the experience all that more enjoyable.
As usual, the patch notes are way too long and stuffy to list, but they do include lots of character updates, lots of bug fixes, and some important modifications to the Horizon Luna Colony. You can check the entire patch log below.
Lastly, developers have also announced the introduction of a new character, Wrecking Ball, which happens to be a hamster in a huge mechanized and weaponized ball. Some of you might spot the similarities; others might not. The truth is that it’s a ridiculous character and it definitely looks the part. For now, Wrecking Ball is available in Overwatch PTR (public testing), and it will be launched for everyone at a later date.
