Blizzard Entertainment mentioned that Overwatch 2 is not coming in 2021, but it did reveal a bunch of new facts at its BlizzCon Online occasion today.
Jeff Kaplan, game director of Overwatch 2 — the shooter sequel to Overwatch — mentioned in a presentation with leaders on the group that the game will have a wider variety of environments for battles by way of the planet. The group unveiled two new maps: Rome and New York.
Rome’s look emphasizes the blend of “romantic” old-planet architecture with contemporary enhancements, such as The Colosseum alongside a new stadium. New York is set in a 1920s art deco style, with futuristic components for landmarks like Grand Central Station. It will have facts like pizza areas and fire stations alongside the older buildings.
“We should move on or otherwise we’ll have to reveal more maps,” Kaplan joked.
Kaplan mentioned that the characters will have modifications compared to how they played just before. The player-versus-player combat will borrow a lot from Overwatch, but there are experimental modifications for different characters and roles. Heroes can have passive skills based on what part they are playing. Tank Heroes will knock-back reduction against them and produce significantly less ult charge for enemies shooting at them.
Tank heroes, for instance, will not just stand back and provide shields to players, Kaplan mentioned. They will have specific moves that permit them to join fierce firefights and maneuver speedily about enemies as if on rails. The tanks will be capable to engage in toe-to-toe brawls and be as aggressive as they look, he mentioned.
“Some of these things you can only do with a new game,” Kaplan mentioned, rather than an expansion to the current game.
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While all of the modifications are nevertheless experimental, the existing create of Reinhardt provides him two firestrike charges and charge cancellation. He can more accurately pin targets. Kaplan mentioned these modifications may possibly not stick, but it will enable players embrace the significant burly aggression for the character.
They showed off a new character, Sojourn, making use of a rail gun that will bring back the feeling of classic shooters (like Quake) exactly where you can do massive harm if you have precise aim. It will rip by way of enemies. The blue-and-white character Pharah will have a gold visor that is transparent, so you will be capable to study the feelings on her face more effortlessly. Widowmaker is more like a cyberpunk, futuristic femme fatale with a lengthy ponytail.
Blizzard is also remaking all of the sound of the weapons to make confident that they have a visceral really feel. The concept is to make the sounds match the vibrations of heavy guns. The sounds will also be diverse based on exactly where you are. If you are in a location that echoes a lot, the guns will have “convolution reverb,” which means the acoustics of echoes from the atmosphere will be blended in with the gun sounds. You’ll hear these sounds in warehouses, tight tunnels, and modest rooms.
Quick melee attacks will have diverse sounds as properly — a sign that all the things is getting addressed in the game’s sounds.
Soldier 76’s weapon will really feel like a “gun is almost out of your control,” as it shakes when you are shooting it. It will really feel “incredibly powerful,” the group mentioned.
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“We are still exploring new game modes and reevaluating old game modes people are more critical of,” Kaplan mentioned. “We want Overwatch 2 to feel like the next evolution, a true sequel to the first game, not an add-on. It’s not an extension of the original game. I think it’s exciting.”
There will also be hundreds of Hero missions in the co-op player-versus-player knowledge, exactly where you stick to a story and take on non-player enemies as you level up your hero. Julia Humphreys, production director, mentioned that on some of the missions, the co-op players will have to split up to grab canisters and deal single-handedly with some pretty tough enemies that spawn in their way. Objectives will modify the mission just about completely. They have names such as Kill Quest, Wall of Death, or Scavenger Hunt. Players play these missions and level up their heroes.
As for environments, you will see issues like sunsets, daytime, and nighttime versions of the very same maps. And Blizzard has made dynamic climate, so a sandstorm or thunderstorm could show up in the middle of a battle, altering your visibility drastically.
You’ll also see a part-playing game (RPG) style leveling up for issues like guns. You’ll add talents to heroes and guns so that they can do electrical harm or freeze enemies, and that will let you handle the battlefield in novel methods, Humphreys mentioned.
Kaplan mentioned that back in 2019, at the final BlizzCon exactly where Overwatch 2 was introduced, the group felt that the combat wasn’t as engaging as it could be. The enemy units weren’t that intriguing, and so the group went to work on enemies like Breached, which is a robot with two legs. It carries a big bom on its back and it marches to an objective and the bomb unfurls like a flower. Players have to take it out just before it blows up. Slicers are like definitely quick chickens coming at you. The Puller is like a witch in an evening gown, with 3 orb eyes floating about her head.
Overwatch 2 is the biggest chance to definitely expand what Overwatch even suggests to our players,” Kaplan mentioned.
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The story will take location in a second big Omnic (self-conscious robots) uprising. You’ll see who is behind it and why it is taking place. The Overwatch group has been disbanded, the planet is in problems once more, and it demands heroes but they are not permitted to enable.
During the gameplay, story moments will unfold inside the atmosphere. Heroes will have dialogue moments in these missions.
“We need some more time to say it is perfectly polished the way we want it,” Kaplan mentioned. “What I’m most excited about is the moment when we hand the game over to the players. That is why we do it. We create the game because we want to become part of your life.”