Overwatch

[Cactus Concerto]

When are they just gonna drop it and say OW2 was just a concept trailer?

It just doesn't existence and even if it did it has nothing much to offer outside of being the game it should have been years ago.

If there's one thing you can count on the OW development team never doing, it's admitting they made a mistake.

From regular old balance changes to their implementation of role queue, characters that should have been reworked long before now, fixing or exiling Lucioball from this planet, etc. - a list longer than the victims of whoever's hurting the women of Blizzard today. OW2 is going to be another one for the road and they're going to gleefully tell us all to shove it down our gullets.

 

[speedweed]

Years ago my friend met a Danish girl on Overwatch called Talia. Started spending more and more time in her Discord server which we weren't allowed into. Gradually went radio silent; barely interacted with us. Becomes total shut-in, rarely ever saw him irl at that point. He was clearly going through something so we tried to reach out to him but he became very abrasive and distanced himself further.

Fast forward 3 months and it turns out he'd planned to drive to Copenhagen alone to meet this Talia and her weird Discord buddies from all around the continent. This was a shock to all of us because he was a turbo virgin who'd never left the country before. I should've probably mentioned that she was 30 something when she started hanging out with this kid whom at the time was under the age of 18 (legally still a child where I live). To this day I'm convinced she's a fucking nonce pos but that's besides the point. Desperately we setup a small intervention (in Discord of course, he wouldn't meet up with us irl anymore) and he just blows us off.

When he returned from his adventure you could tell he was upset and uncomfortable. All he said is that he got laid and there was a lot of arguing, "but I was totally in control". My friends also surmised that he contracted an STD. We tried to joke with him about the whole ordeal but he just nervously laughed it off and changed the subject. We hung out on and off for another year before he dropped off the face of the planet.

Sorry for the long post but this shit still fucks me off to this day. He was one of my best friends man. I don't speak about it openly because I don't want to publically embarass this guy but I'd thought I'd share it here for cathartic reasons.

Spoiler: Further sperging

Btw this Talia person has adopted the last name "Musk" because she's obsessed with a certain south African gem merchant. If you want to know more about her PM me and I'll provide some info. My friends jumped down her gaping rabbit hole years ago when we were trying to figure her out. Lots of surface level autism/light cult shit. Weird bitch. Hopes she rots in hell for what she did to my mate.

 

[Cactus Concerto]

Some exhibition match was played alongside information on the Bastion and Sombra reworks. Short story even shorter: they're making balance changes that should have been done ages ago and locking it behind a game that won't be out until 2022/2023 (at fucking best); didn't watch the match so I can't speak for the new game mode.

This situation skirted by ridiculous and entered the realm of absolute lunacy.

It has taken months for this team to scrape together a rounder Bastion and some Sombra tweaks. And these are the only fucking characters we'll likely be seeing for another six months - likely more, as they'll use the pitiful 12 legendary skins for the Halloween, Winter and New Years events as an excuse for content.

No 'exclusive' beta testing for pre-existing owners of the game, no word on newer characters. Fuck, they couldn't manage to show the work they've done on more than TWO FUCKING CHARACTERS, both of which should have been adjusted years ago. Bastion has always been either a non-starter or a demon in competitive based on rank with Sombra having the same issue, just in reverse.

Are you fuckers serious?

This is atrocious. The biggest change we have heard to come from OW2 is 5v5 (don't even get me started) but that's only a thing because every fucking balance change is made for the benefit of OWL viewing instead of the fucking player base. Barely any word on the fucking PvE content, which was supposedly the whole reason for this "expansion" - no new skin teasers, no update on how they're going to make taking maps out of the game pool a good thing because the fucks can't balance those either. Fuck's sake, they haven't even renamed McCree.

And they are still giving existing players nothing to work with in the game that's actually out.

HOW DO YOU MISMANAGE A GAME THIS FUCKING BADLY? #MATI

 

[The Last Stand]

Does that mean no more Bastion camping on the payload?

 

[Smug Chuckler]

Does that mean no more Bastion camping on the payload?

No, but Bastion will make people rage twice as often until they nerf that pushback bomb attack.

 

[Belvedere]

My biggest problem with Overwatch, no matter what else I bitch about?

I suck at it.

That said, I'm off to make at least five random people very frustrated.

This what I gathered while I used to play Overwatch:

It is perplexing how this game was supposedly made to appeal to as much people as possible, even to people that had never played FPS games by including non-shooter style characters, and yet they make the game completely devoid of incentives to keep people who suck at it to spend the time in the game feel worthwhile. Overwatch goes out of its way to disincentivize players into spending time to get good at it because the game is too focused into the individual player chasing that "winning moment" and not to be team minded. Everything from the "Play of The Game" to the team wiping ultimates is a design entirely focused on making the player think about chasing that moment of individual glory. (What's the point of keeping the enemy team from capping a point and coordinating perfectly with your own team and then a single enemy player gains an way to easily wipe out your entire team by pressing Q at the right time. It is infuriating and pointless and just because this opportunity exists for both teams that doesn't make it a good design choice. (Going 5v5 is only going to make this even worse.) Also it doesn't help that spending time and playing the game does not translate into striving towards concrete goals and rewards because everything the game doles out as a reward is random filler. Even concrete rewards like some special skins that come out as promotions require for the player to win matches, not just play matches.

Some exhibition match was played alongside information on the Bastion and Sombra reworks. Short story even shorter: they're making balance changes that should have been done ages ago and locking it behind a game that won't be out until 2022/2023 (at fucking best); didn't watch the match so I can't speak for the new game mode.

This situation skirted by ridiculous and entered the realm of absolute lunacy.

It has taken months for this team to scrape together a rounder Bastion and some Sombra tweaks. And these are the only fucking characters we'll likely be seeing for another six months - likely more, as they'll use the pitiful 12 legendary skins for the Halloween, Winter and New Years events as an excuse for content.

No 'exclusive' beta testing for pre-existing owners of the game, no word on newer characters. Fuck, they couldn't manage to show the work they've done on more than TWO FUCKING CHARACTERS, both of which should have been adjusted years ago. Bastion has always been either a non-starter or a demon in competitive based on rank with Sombra having the same issue, just in reverse.

Are you fuckers serious?

This is atrocious. The biggest change we have heard to come from OW2 is 5v5 (don't even get me started) but that's only a thing because every fucking balance change is made for the benefit of OWL viewing instead of the fucking player base. Barely any word on the fucking PvE content, which was supposedly the whole reason for this "expansion" - no new skin teasers, no update on how they're going to make taking maps out of the game pool a good thing because the fucks can't balance those either. Fuck's sake, they haven't even renamed McCree.

And they are still giving existing players nothing to work with in the game that's actually out.

HOW DO YOU MISMANAGE A GAME THIS FUCKING BADLY? #MATI

"Blizzard in name only" is the only explanation that you need to understand why this is happening. The exodus of competent talent from the company is very real, anyone who had any clue as to how make thing right was either fired or left to work on other studios or create their own. The people that are left are C-Tier fillers and people who most likely are completely demoralized because of what Blizzard has turned into.

Having all the money in the world means jack shit if there is not a clear vision for a project that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. This constant character reworks and changes to the game's mechanics show that the OW team are just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

The fact that it has been 18 months since the last hero released effectively makes OW, if not a dead game, an stagnant one. The meta is static, everything that could be learned about the game, has already being learned and explored to the point of exhaustion. Playing match 1 with Zenyatta is no different than match 1000. The fact that even after all this time we effectively know nothing of Sojourn after all this time means they have nothing to show of the character because no progress has been made or they had to scrap what they had to start from scratch.

Let's not even get into the fact that because of the sexual scandals, they have to waste time changing every piece of voice line and other art assets that refer directly to Jessie McCree. (How are they even going to retcon the last cinematic that so prominently highlights McCree?)

The company is a complete clusterfuck at this point and the impending California state worker's rights lawsuit is not going to help them any.

 

[Smug Chuckler]

What's this about Jeff Kaplan being scrubbed from OW2? Apparently it happened days ago.

 

[Jonah Hill poster]

I was just sitting here thinking Overwatch 2 was going to be the new Half-Life 3.

But then I remembered, it’s Blizzard.

 

[Terrifik]

What's this about Jeff Kaplan being scrubbed from OW2? Apparently it happened days ago.

OW2 not happening due lead devloper left for brake unknown time(look for new job).

 

[eternal dog mongler]

So is OW dead now? I enjoyed it back in the day. Moira main, who has basically everything I want in a healer.

 

[Smug Chuckler]

OW2 not happening due lead devloper left for brake unknown time(look for new job).

There were references to Jeff that was removed, either he is another creep or he's pulling an Alan Smithee.

 

[Mr. Idiot]

@Belvedere 'Let's not even get into the fact that because of the sexual scandals, they have to waste time changing every piece of voice line and other art assets that refer directly to Jessie McCree. (How are they even going to retcon the last cinematic that so prominently highlights McCree?)'

Late to the OW shitstorm thread, but what about the character is controversial at this point exactly? (All I remember being suggestive from times I played is that 'Huckleberry' taunt line)

And to weigh in, used to play the game a few months after release for a good while, enjoyed Reinhardt, Junkrat and Mercy the most and seeing ridiculous shit like the Roadhog hook hitbox and spinning around rapidly mid-hook lock was entertaining, but each new addition to the roster proved it was only done as a measure to counter something with no balancing to that character in mind (Brigitte to the GOATS rushdown comp strat) and just throwing shit to the wall and see what sticks.

OW2's announcement was something interesting if just to see how they're actually trying to work with the mess of a plot with the PvE addition, but I'm likely just echoing before-said statements that any hype for the 'sequel' since almost 2 years ago at this point has died out and given recent events I doubt anyone will give a shit when, or rather if it releases at all at this point.

 

[Thiletonomics]

@Belvedere 'Let's not even get into the fact that because of the sexual scandals, they have to waste time changing every piece of voice line and other art assets that refer directly to Jessie McCree. (How are they even going to retcon the last cinematic that so prominently highlights McCree?)'

Late to the OW shitstorm thread, but what about the character is controversial at this point exactly? (All I remember being suggestive from times I played is that 'Huckleberry' taunt line)

And to weigh in, used to play the game a few months after release for a good while, enjoyed Reinhardt, Junkrat and Mercy the most and seeing ridiculous shit like the Roadhog hook hitbox and spinning around rapidly mid-hook lock was entertaining, but each new addition to the roster proved it was only done as a measure to counter something with no balancing to that character in mind (Brigitte to the GOATS rushdown comp strat) and just throwing shit to the wall and see what sticks.

OW2's announcement was something interesting if just to see how they're actually trying to work with the mess of a plot with the PvE addition, but I'm likely just echoing before-said statements that any hype for the 'sequel' since almost 2 years ago at this point has died out and given recent events I doubt anyone will give a shit when, or rather if it releases at all at this point.

The Blizzard staff member that McCree is named after, Jesse McCree, was fired due to sexually harassing female workers. Blizzard is trying their damnest to scrub any mentions of him, as well as other employees that were fired for the same reason.

As for the game itself, I'm still salty that they removed Symmetra's autoaim on her LMB, when they were reworking her to make her see competitive play.

 

[Mr. Idiot]

The Blizzard staff member that McCree is named after, Jesse McCree, was fired due to sexually harassing female workers. Blizzard is trying their damnest to scrub any mentions of him, as well as other employees that were fired for the same reason.

As for the game itself, I'm still salty that they removed Symmetra's autoaim on her LMB, when they were reworking her to make her see competitive play.

Thanks, also just read a few pages back on the reason why. Retarded me.

Yeah Sym’s autoaim removal was sad, but I guess they wanted to appeal to people who can’t aim and not burst her down in time if she wasn’t shielded and started zapping you at close range.

As for the name removal shit, lmao! They really going to waste resources trying to scrub name connections because of hurt fee-fee’s?
Wasn’t there also a female employee or gf to one whose appearance was used for Zarya? What if she gets into some controversy—oh wait they’d likely keep her in because respac wahmin.
Abso-fucking-lutely ridiculous, Blizzard.

 

[Belvedere]

Late to the OW shitstorm thread, but what about the character is controversial at this point exactly? (All I remember being suggestive from times I played is that 'Huckleberry' taunt line)

This Jesse McCree:

The Overwatch team decided to name the character after this real life beard farmer because his name sounded like a cowboy's name. Let this be a lesson, don't ever name fictional characters after real life people.

 

[Tanner Glass]

There were references to Jeff that was removed, either he is another creep or he's pulling an Alan Smithee.

It's just Blizzard enacting their new policy of "do not have real employee names/references/etc in our games". After the work (and bad PR) they ate to remove McRee (Jesse Mcree) and Afrasabi (Alex Afrasabi) references from OW and WoW respectively - they decided they would go through and remove all developer references so they don't step on the same landmine the next time a lawsuit comes out.

 

[Cactus Concerto]

Or hey, maybe ensure your HR department is actually effective, clean shit up privately before things get escalated to a Kotaku article, and give people the middle finger the next time they say everything needs to be turned upside down because one character shares a name with some guy who did a bad.

Not sure what the situation is with WOW but Overwatch is a five-year old game. This would be fine if it was all uncovered in development but Jesse is one of the most popular and easily recognisable characters in this game, partially because of his catchy name. Jesse McCree has absolutely nothing in common with Rapey McBeard over there outside of a name. It is a damn fine name for a cowboy and I don't see why it should be scrubbed.

If these people gave enough of a fuck they should have stopped McTouchy's behavior before it got out of control instead of pulling in millions of players who likely don't give a fuck outside of thinking: "oh, that's shitty - so what does this mean for OW2?"

R Kelly is a scumbag, I guess Kelly Clarkson needs a rebrand. Yes, it's that stupid.

It's just Blizzard enacting their new policy of "do not have real employee names/references/etc in our games". After the work (and bad PR) they ate to remove McRee (Jesse Mcree) and Afrasabi (Alex Afrasabi) references from OW and WoW respectively - they decided they would go through and remove all developer references so they don't step on the same landmine the next time a lawsuit comes out.

Love their preemptive measures. We know we're going to push shit like this under the carpet again until it festers and pops, let's just scrub all references in future instead of being better at not getting ourselves in trouble.

It sucks even more with OW. There's no story outside of easter eggs, the game is getting stripped of even more.

On the content side of things: the new Deathmatch map is live. Feels hollow, incomplete, and surprisingly empty. Like the Japanese map without any of the charm or the connection to existing content (the Shimadas, Hanamura).

"But they're just focused on OW2! They had a McCree event planned to go with this map, that's why there's no mini-event for this! It is small because it's a Deathmatch map, the game mode that isn't even balanced because OW wasn't a game made for FFA in the first place and characters like Symm, Torb and Moira are going to do what they always do and fuck things up in the small corners and hallways, cheesing you out of kills and denying you those amazing frag-outs etc.!"

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Or hey, maybe ensure your HR department is actually effective, clean shit up privately before things get escalated to a Kotaku article, and give people the middle finger the next time they say everything needs to be turned upside down because one character shares a name with some guy who did a bad.

I didn't follow it too closely but the whole sexual assault allegation stank of going after a senior capable guy to kick off the career of a dozen useless feminists and advance the political policies they want.
The real lesson is to never employ women or people that claim they are the opposite gender.

 

[ZMOT]

Or hey, maybe ensure your HR department is actually effective, clean shit up privately before things get escalated to a Kotaku article, and give people the middle finger the next time they say everything needs to be turned upside down because one character shares a name with some guy who did a bad.

Not sure what the situation is with WOW but Overwatch is a five-year old game. This would be fine if it was all uncovered in development but Jesse is one of the most popular and easily recognisable characters in this game, partially because of his catchy name. Jesse McCree has absolutely nothing in common with Rapey McBeard over there outside of a name. It is a damn fine name for a cowboy and I don't see why it should be scrubbed.

If these people gave enough of a fuck they should have stopped McTouchy's behavior before it got out of control instead of pulling in millions of players who likely don't give a fuck outside of thinking: "oh, that's shitty - so what does this mean for OW2?"

R Kelly is a scumbag, I guess Kelly Clarkson needs a rebrand. Yes, it's that stupid.

mate, have you seen those allegations? it's was the most basic bitch shit, like "I got told something I didn't like in a performance review", or "I wasn't invited to lunch while my male coworkers were, this is clearly sexism!", or "someone else got promoted instead of me and then he told me to do something while he played call of duty, the misogyny!".

also, I want you to remember who we're talking about here: blizzard, one of the wokest companies in the industry, in one of the wokest counties in the wokest state, which apparently had right wing fratboy squads who constantly raped every female across cubicles and whoever they came in contact with, and doing this for years.

was there "inappropriate behavior"? probably, because humans are humans. was it on the level and "systemic" (you know like racism and white privilege are) as they claim? doubt it.

and I have to call you delusional because name or not makes zero fucking difference for people looking to purge:

As for the name removal shit, lmao! They really going to waste resources trying to scrub name connections because of hurt fee-fee’s?
Wasn’t there also a female employee or gf to one whose appearance was used for Zarya? What if she gets into some controversy—oh wait they’d likely keep her in because respac wahmin.
Abso-fucking-lutely ridiculous, Blizzard.

you ain't seen nothing yet, take a gander over at the WoW thread where they go all out. some highlights: love rocket as a name for a mount is apparently offensive. so is the name twin consorts for a boss. but not putting in new male npcs with consort in the name. I also hope you like all your ingame paintings featuring fruits.

 

[Cactus Concerto]

mate, have you seen those allegations? it's was the most basic bitch shit, like "I got told something I didn't like in a performance review", or "I wasn't invited to lunch while my male coworkers were, this is clearly sexism!", or "someone else got promoted instead of me and then he told me to do something while he played call of duty, the misogyny!".

I steered clear when the initial news drop wasn't followed with any concrete allegations. Glad I didn't because this is even more hilarious. What the fuck are they doing taking this to court? Might actually peer into this now that I have a handle on exactly how ridiculous this is.

To anyone: any recommendations for where to start regarding sources?

you ain't seen nothing yet, take a gander over at the WoW thread where they go all out. some highlights: love rocket as a name for a mount is apparently offensive. so is the name twin consorts for a boss. but not putting in new male npcs with consort in the name. I also hope you like all your ingame paintings featuring fruits.

Great, another Blizzard dumping ground to swim through. For a bunch of rapists, sexists, and right-wing gun-slinging mansplainers, Blizzard sure know how to move around without a pair.