33 replies to this topic

[AndY]

C'est Vendredi!

So far, we've covered Overwatch Love & Favourite Features, Sides & Least Favourite Features, Ground Players (Resistance) and Overhead Players (Overwatch/GM) in our epic feedback series. It's now time for part five (here's where it gets a bit more interesting)!



⇒ Question #1

Would a completely different universe/environment/art style affect how much you enjoy playing Overwatch? As an example: If Overwatch were based on Team Fortress 2 (with all the characters/guns/hats/fun) instead of Half-Life 2, do believe you'd still enjoy playing it?


⇒ Question #2

On a similar note, if we were to come up with an entirely new art direction, do you believe Overwatch would have more potential with:

• A semi-realistic art style (see attachment #1), similar to Half-Life 2's (not Battlefield 3's), or
  
• One that leans more toward a cartoony/anime feel (see attachments #2, #3 and #4), similar to Team Fortress 2, Mini Ninjas, etc..

(When I say "more potential", think about expansion: how many interesting units could be created in a semi-realistic world compared to one with less overall limitations, etc..)


⇒ Question #3

What would we need to do to help you convince more of your friends to play Overwatch with you?



Upcoming Questions: We'll be taking a short break and will resume the Feedback Series soon.

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[rickinator9]

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

C'est Vendredi!

Is your first language french?

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

⇒ Question #1

Would a completely different universe/environment/art style affect how much you enjoy playing Overwatch? As an example: If Overwatch were based on Team Fortress 2 (with all the characters/guns/hats/fun) instead of Half-Life 2, do believe you'd still enjoy playing it?

Well, I don't really think I would enjoy having overwatch as a tf2 mod, seeing how the artstyle is pretty much broken due to every steam game wanting to put their weapons into tf2. I think the HL2 universe is just the best, as it already has a really good story. In tf2 there is no story at all. I would probably still enjoy it, but HL2 is the best universe for this

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

⇒ Question #2

On a similar note, if we were to come up with an entirely new art direction, do you believe Overwatch would have more potential with:

• A semi-realistic art style (see attachment #1), similar to Half-Life 2's (not Battlefield 3's), or
  
• One that leans more toward a cartoony/anime feel (see attachments #2, #3 and #4), similar to Team Fortress 2, Mini Ninjas, etc..

(When I say "more potential", think about expansion: how many interesting units could be created in a semi-realistic world compared to one with less overall limitations, etc..)

Well, I would say the more cartoony style has a lesser limitation on units because you would be able to get inspiration from folklore(like mythology). You could also think up many more environments(like pvkii). Still, I wouldn't want to have overwatch go anime .

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

⇒ Question #3

What would we need to do to help you convince more of your friends to play Overwatch with you?

Well, from what I have seen, the gameplay footage is very old. When I am interested in a mod, I first look for gameplay somewhere. Overwatch doesn't have much documentation on gameplay. I would make some myself, but my sound comes out stupid when recording something.

[AndY]

rickinator9, on 22 July 2011 - 12:07 PM, said:

Is your first language french?

Yes.

rickinator9, on 22 July 2011 - 12:07 PM, said:

Well, I don't really think I would enjoy having overwatch as a tf2 mod, seeing how the artstyle is pretty much broken due to every steam game wanting to put their weapons into tf2. I think the HL2 universe is just the best, as it already has a really good story. In tf2 there is no story at all.

TF2 was just an example. What I want to know is: would you still enjoy Overwatch if it weren't set in the HL2 universe?

[AndY]

rickinator9, on 22 July 2011 - 12:07 PM, said:

Well, from what I have seen, the gameplay footage is very old. When I am interested in a mod, I first look for gameplay somewhere. Overwatch doesn't have much documentation on gameplay. I would make some myself, but my sound comes out stupid when recording something.

The gameplay footage in the latest video is from the latest version of Overwatch, and even has a few sneak peeks of the Dev build: http://www.youtube.c...V9QjULcrOQ&hd=1

[rickinator9]

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 12:28 PM, said:

Unless I'm mistaken, the gameplay footage in the latest video is from the latest version of Overwatch, and even has a few sneak peeks of the Dev build: http://www.youtube.c...V9QjULcrOQ&hd=1

I meant non-developer video's. I edited that other post

[ScrooLewse]

⇒ Question #1

I would definitely still enjoy playing it! However, it was the HL2 universe that got me hooked.

⇒ Question #2

Like the 'realistic' sci-fi feel to Overwatch as it is and the cutesy art style of mini-ninjas mixed with idea of Overwatch really put me-off. However, an art style based more towards TF2 might just have potential.

⇒ Question #3

Advertising!

[AndY]

ScrooLewse, on 22 July 2011 - 06:50 PM, said:

Like the 'realistic' sci-fi feel to Overwatch as it is and the cutesy art style of mini-ninjas mixed with idea of Overwatch really put me-off. However, an art style based more towards TF2 might just have potential.

So, something like Battlefield Heroes?

[The Joker]

Question #1:

I would hate it if you changed the art style of Overwatch. A true, core Half-Life 2 tactical RTS is what Overwatch is and represents, and I would hate to see that style changed.

Question #2:

A semi-realistic art style would be better than some TF2 Overwatch shit going on. Don't get me wrong, a TF2 RTS would work very well though.

Question #3:

Advertising. More content. More gameplay footage. Some hype.

[ScrooLewse]

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 08:01 PM, said:

So, something like Battlefield Heroes?

Definitely a step in the right direction. However, I still really like the realism you've already got going on.

[AndY]

ScrooLewse, on 22 July 2011 - 10:33 PM, said:

Definitely a step in the right direction. However, I still really like the realism you've already got going on.

Half-Life 2's art style doesn't really lean towards realism (unlike the BF series, for example), so I'm not quite sure what you mean exactly... unless you're talking about the gadgets/weapons/plausible world within Half-Life 2?

[braddollar]

3. if it were possible to convince them the mod wasn't dead and had a future, i could convince people to check it out. anybody i know that i'd convince to play OW though either is already aware that it's basically dead, or take a look around the site and see for themselves there's not much of anything going on. Most of them have no desire to take part in yet another half baked mod that never gets anywhere near completion.

[Quenquent]

Answer #1 and #2 : I don't unerstand why you want to change the graphics of the game (if you want to do it) : this game is linked with the HL2 universe, and show a part of the Resistance's uprising than we can't see in the normal HL2 games. I've played this game not only because it's a RTS/FPS game, but because the idea to control the combines is a exellent one !

Answer #3 : TF2 hats ! No, seriously, maybe make a gameplay video without editting and make a video with the features of the next version (with awsome musics again !) And why not ask to someone very popular on Youtube to play with us during an event (like Kilplixism)

Edit : And make a f***ing tutorial ! To be honest, this is what I reproch on every mod : you drop us in a server and we know nothing ! And most of the players don't want to annoy the good players by asking them question. You can make a tutorial like the TF2 tutorial or thought a campaign mod

[AndY]

braddollar, on 23 July 2011 - 02:47 AM, said:

3. if it were possible to convince them the mod wasn't dead and had a future, i could convince people to check it out. anybody i know that i'd convince to play OW though either is already aware that it's basically dead, or take a look around the site and see for themselves there's not much of anything going on. Most of them have no desire to take part in yet another half baked mod that never gets anywhere near completion.

That's awesome, thanks for sharing.


Since you likely skipped over the other threads:

AndY, on 11 July 2011 - 04:32 PM, said:

I've missed you all! So much so that I'm going to be overwhelming you with a barrage of questions over the next little while, the answers of which will help us plan out the next chapter in the Overwatch development saga.

I hope that puts your mind at ease.

[AndY]

Quenquent, on 23 July 2011 - 07:37 AM, said:

And why not ask to someone very popular on Youtube to play with us during an event (like Kilplixism)

That's actually an excellent idea, thanks!

[rickinator9]

AndY, on 23 July 2011 - 10:12 AM, said:

I've missed you all! So much so that I'm going to be overwhelming you with a barrage of questions over the next little while, the answers of which will help us plan out the next chapter in the Overwatch development saga.

Where did this come from?

For the famous youtubers, why not let the devs be at those events too? All gamers want to play with devs

[Coppermantis]

⇒ Question #1



Not really, I wouldn't enjoy it as much as it is now. I might get used to it if it was a small change, but if you were to make the theme, say, A bunch of tribesmen fighting wild animals in the jungle I'd be all "What the heck is this?" Plus, I've gotten familiar with the current units/weapons/style so a major change would be unpleasant.


⇒ Question #2



If there had to be a change, I'd say More realistic style.


⇒ Question #3

What would we need to do to help you convince more of your friends to play Overwatch with you?


More exposure, really. Most of my friends either already play OW or play a lot of similar games, so All you need to do is show the world how fun it is.

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 12:28 PM, said:

The gameplay footage in the latest video is from the latest version of Overwatch, and even has a few sneak peeks of the Dev build: http://www.youtube.c...V9QjULcrOQ&hd=1

Some videos of Custom maps (with permission of their creators) would help as well, especially the awesome looking ones like Traverse.

[WAXT]

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

Would a completely different universe/environment/art style affect how much you enjoy playing Overwatch?

Well of course it will! The real question is whether or not such a change will make Overwatch less enjoyable.

No, I do not believe changing the art style/universe will make Overwatch any less enjoyable. If anything, this change will benefit Overwatch greatly. Whilst I do like the current surroundings just fine as they are, Overwatch is dependant on what is considered plausible within the Half Life 2 universe. Placing Overwatch in a universe of its own will allow our creativity to flow in any direction we desire. (NOTE: This is assuming only the visual elements will be modified.)

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

On a similar note, if we were to come up with an entirely new art direction, do you believe Overwatch would have more potential with:

• A semi-realistic art style (see attachment #1), similar to Half-Life 2's (not Battlefield 3's), or
  
• One that leans more toward a cartoony/anime feel (see attachments #2, #3 and #4), similar to Team Fortress 2, Mini Ninjas, etc..

(When I say "more potential", think about expansion: how many interesting units could be created in a semi-realistic world compared to one with less overall limitations, etc..)

From an artisitic point of view, games that try to be too realistic don't usually hold much merit when it comes to human interaction. Even with the latest games, the human animations look fake which isn't something I enjoy watching. (Little alarm bells start ringing in my head. "It's not human!") I much prefer games set in other universes, such as Ratchet & Clank, where you cannot question character movement/animation.

That said, the idea of a new universe is most welcoming. The semi-realistic theme is much more suited to what Overwatch represents, but I think it should be less Earth-like. In other words, I think it should be a semi-realistic alien world, that way no one can question what is right or wrong.

AndY, on 22 July 2011 - 11:51 AM, said:

What would we need to do to help you convince more of your friends to play Overwatch with you?

ModDB still has over 1,500 members tracking Overwatch and it's fair to say only a very small fraction of those actually visit this website regularly. Not to mention it has been seven months since a ModDB update. Gamers need to be reminded of Overwatch. They need to be convinced that Overwatch is still alive and is still awesome to play.

The bottom line? The Overwatch ModDB page needs more content updates.

[Gabe(HUN)]

Would a completely different universe/environment/art style affect how much you enjoy playing Overwatch? As an example: If Overwatch were based on Team Fortress 2 (with all the characters/guns/hats/fun) instead of Half-Life 2, do believe you'd still enjoy playing it?

The HL2 universe the most enjoyable universe, when playing Overwatch. If it takes another universe, the best to replace the combine with more run-of-the-mill creatures: I mean replaced with droids or clones or martians. But it means more replacements and modelling and coding, so this takes very long time to finally finishing the mod.....So the HL2 universe the best....


On a similar note, if we were to come up with an entirely new art direction, do you believe Overwatch would have more potential with:

• A semi-realistic art style (see attachment #1), similar to Half-Life 2's (not Battlefield 3's), or
• One that leans more toward a cartoony/anime feel (see attachments #2, #3 and #4), similar to Team Fortress 2, Mini Ninjas, etc..

Well....I hate anime style in games, the last similar art styled game, what I played is XIII, and that one is the only that I liked, because is more than like comic style. Maybe the semi realistic, but it takes longer time to finish every texture, so my anserw is to be the current sci-fi realistic art.


What would we need to do to help you convince more of your friends to play Overwatch with you?

An update, and more videos on youtube.

[AndY]

rickinator9, on 23 July 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

Where did this come from?

For the famous youtubers, why not let the devs be at those events too? All gamers want to play with devs

It's in the first thread.

And yeah, we'll definitely be there for that kind of event.

[Coppermantis]

Gabe brings up a good point, if Overwatch were to take a new artstyle/universe it would require much more work making new models/textures and therefore the devs would have to focus on that more than other gameplay elements, Additionally, all existing maps, community and official, would become obsolete unless the change was very subtle.