'Overwatch' Update: Bungie Brings More Changes For Ana, Sombra And D.Va? Dev Explains PTR Philosophy, Buffs And Nerfs To Characters
Rei LantionIt hasn't been an easy relationship between "Overwatch" PTR and the fanbase. The recent nerfs to D.Va, the fiasco with Roadhog's hook, which, thankfully, is being adjusted-and the sever lack of power for Sombra have left the player base disgruntled.
While the PTR makes for valuable player feedback, "Overwatch" developers feel there's been a bit of miscommunication as to its full purpose. In this developer update, "Overwatch" director Jeff Kaplan sits down to explain the PTR philosophy and address these issues. Players can watch the full video below but this report picked out and summarized the finer points.
Public Test Realm For Players And Developers. Players view the "Overwatch" PTR as a realm to experience any upcoming in-game changes first-hand in order to deliver feedback. Kaplan mentions that the feedback is valuable and he thanks players who take the time to visit the PTR.
However, the PTR is there for developers as well. According to iTech Post, the PTR "also serves as a way for developers to iron out the bugs, glitches, etc." before they deem the latest patch ready to roll out on the live game.
Sombra Doesn't Need Power. "We don't expect Sombra to ever be some sort of vicious assassin," Kaplan said. It is a fair representation of how developer vision clashes with player expectations.
Sombra's first appearance in the "Overwatch" animated short, "Infiltration", got fans riled up with the promise of a purple-clad hacker who was fast, agile and not afraid to gun people down. Sadly, expectations were not met. According to Kaplan, the end goal is to work on her being more of a "backline disruptor" and not make it that she can "kill people quicker."
D.Va Doing Too Much. Definitely a sore spot with fans, Kaplan is firm in his belief that D.Va's nerfs were justified. "We needed to pull D.Va back so that she wasn't great at everything," he said.
Fans have taken issue with this statement, responding to the previous nerf explanation with questions such as "now what do we do with her?" and "how is she different from the other tanks?" Kaplan said they kept the important features of D.Va - mobility and shooting cadence.
Ana Heals Too Many People. While Kaplan admits that they don't "envision a drastic rework of Ana," he also said that "Overwatch" developers plan to pull back her ability to heal large groups of heroes at one time. He is quick to reassure fans that they don't "want to see her disappear" but pulling back one of her best abilities could result in another fan crisis.
The full developer update can be viewed above. Fans have already started leaving feedback and comments on his announcement via social media and the "Overwatch" official forums.
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