Mercy

Overwatch: Sound effects

Posted on by When Duty Calls

Voice features Overwatch

Some developers who are responsible for the sound and atmosphere of the Overwatch answered a few questions from users of Reddit. The Blizzard development team works very well with the community. They regularly release videoblogs, where they told about an update. And everything was telling by Jeff Kaplan himself. One of the last of such works was the AMA on the Overwatch subreddit. Developers who are engaged in sound answered several questions about the Overwatch. Also you can find all voice actors that works under Overwatch.

Anna’s voice

Forum user Skyponyyt asked: “how long have you worked on the voice acting of Ana?”

Blizz_PaulLackey answers: “from training to production prior to shipment takes about 12 weeks. This time includes preparation, and then while game designers will release new hero model. Then we give the character sounds for testing. It only remains to optimize character, make emotions, surface interaction and voice recording.”

Mccree's voice actor

Genji’s sfx

AeroRespawn asked a question: “How was Genji’s blade sound in the Highlight was recorded?”

Blizz-PaulLackey answered: “we just took 2 swords, and then beat them by each other to make them resonate, and after we just play it backwards.”

12 various voice actors for each Overwatch hero

Rechan asked: “This game have a record number of languages. How many translators working on one character? “.

ScottLawlor responds: “I won’t say exact numbers, but I’m sure that Overwatch is localized into 12 languages, so that means that we have 12 different actors for each character. But there are exceptions, for example a Widowmaker has one the same actress that speaks in both English and French. If you watched the short films on YouTube, you can notice it.

Mercy's voice actor

SnugglesFabric asked: “How does the dialogue system works? And how many people are working on this?”

ScottLawlor responds: “our writer Michael Chu makes nearly 100% of the dialogues in the game, but the team sometimes have a good idea. One of the coolest things that we have done with our dialog system is a “specialization” rows. For example, there are “stinging” string that can be heard when you kill someone. Most of these general lines (refer to any old/category), but Mike could easily add a criteria for which rows will be related to spot: If the action will happen on a certain map or with a specific character. For example is a replica of the Tracer “death comes“, when she mocks at Reaper after his assassination.

Tracer's voice actor

Wow_so_rpg asked: “for what the character was more fun to do sounds?”

Blizz_ScottLawlo replied: “for me it was a Tracer’s blink. By the way, this sound was one of the first sounds in the game.”

 

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Overwatch: Heath bars

Posted on by When Duty Calls

In the Overwatch’s world, we have health, shields, barriers and even additional armor that increase your’s maximum Hp pool. 5 various options and each of them are different from each other, but all of them try to reach one goal – to keep you alive.

Health Points in Overwatch

Health points are the easiest of all health bars in overwatch because it follows the all basic rules of video games. All heroes have a base amount of health points, that is shown up in the white color in the user’s interface. Each vertical bar equals to 25 health points, and if yours hp reach zero, you’ll just die.

Health points can be restored by the healers, or by picking up first aid kits, that are spawning on various places on the map. Little medkits have cylindrical form and heal by the 75 points, but large medkits restore 250 hp. All these kits have a respawn timer that equals to 10 sec.

Armor in Overwatch

Armor is shown in the interface, but in the yellow color. Some characters have armor from the start, and any champion can get an additional 75 point of armor by picking up a Torbjorn’s armor kit. To create this kit he need to collect 50 pieces of scrap, and this made this ability the most useless in the whole game. Sad but true. This is true because all Health bars can be restored by healers (but in twice slower then healt points) or just by picking up a healthkit. Torbjorn’s armor can not be restores after destroying. Well of course, you can restore it by picking up another armor kit.

Health bars in Overwatch

Besides the fact that armor can be restored, it’s role is in the keeping your hero safe. Firstly – armor is the first thing that damaged while you hero is under attack. Your health bars reading from the right to the left, and this means that all that you have beside health points will be destroyed first. Also armor decrease all incoming damage by 5 points, but if the damage is less then 10, then it will be decreased by half (200 damage – 5 =195 damage in armor, 6 damage / 2 = 3 damage in armor).

Shields in Overwatch

Shield is third and final form of healt bars in Overwatch. They displayed in the user’s interface by the light-blue color. Shield points are equal to the health point, but the as in the armor case are positioned in the right side of your’s health bar, so they will be damaged in the first. Some heroes have shields from the very beginning, but Symmetra’s ultimate – Shield Generator add additional 75 points of shield to all allies in the radius of 50 meters. Sheild can not be restored by healers, and this is a great problem to such heroes like Zenyatta, Zarya, Symmetra. Medkits also can not restore shields.

But the bright side of all this, that shield are self restoring points. All you need to hide for a short period of time, and your regeneration process will be started immediately.

Barriers in Overwatch

Well this is not really a health bar, but i just can not ignore them. Barriers do not affect any other health bars, but the prevent damage of all heroes that stands under it’s protections. The brightest example of the barrier – Reinhardt’s shield. Barriers just absorb enemie’s damage. All barriers have their own healt bars and after they reach their limit, they will just be destroyed.

Zarya's barrier

At the moment we have 3 barrier types in the game:

  • Frontal – As Osyra or Reinhardt’s shields that prevent damage from the one side.
  • Dome – Winston’s shield barrier that have a dome form.
  • Bubble – Zarya’s bulle that covers an ally hero in the bubble that prevents 200 damage.

Overwatch: 3 duets to defend the point

Posted on by When Duty Calls

Best defensive combo in Overwatch

If you decided to choose such combination of heroes, then your enemies will be disapointed, because then can not easily win the point. And we all know what happened when enemies can not win games – they lose them, and this is mean that your team win!

Winston and Zenyatta: Transcendence shield.

Zenyatta

Best description to this duo – “soft defense“. Your comand can use it from 1st of 2nd point on the map. Winston is a heavy tank that have a huge shield. And Zenyatta’s Transcendence allow him to live much longer and charge his ultimate in furious battle. This defensive duo unite team and awake their team spirit. Best defense – good offense.

Bastion and Symmetra: Turrets on line.

Bastion Overwatch

Only weakness of Bastion – flangs. While he in turret mode he can not just change his position and he left his flangs open. And right here Symmetra comes. She start a perfect synergy with Bastion by placing her sentry turrets to defend him.

Also when Bastion’s and Symmetra’s ultimates are ready they can push front line further on. Bastion will clean the way and Symmetra place an Teleport fo reinforcements.

Torbjorn and Mercy: We can just build them anew!

Torbjorn on Turret

This is a hardcore defence. You literally just say to enemies “We are not going to leave this place ever!“. Turret of Torbjorn is a perfect defensive weapon that will spot every enemy before you ever seen them. And Mercy – super strong support that heal her team, and can revive them in a moment even if they all die in battle. True power of this combo – ability to “reload” the battle if something goes wrong. Torbjorn with his overheated turret can defend point alone, while Mercy is Flying to the fallen allies to rise them again.

But any attempts to push front will be tradical. If Mercy will be killed, then it almost means that the team is Doomed.

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Greatest rebalance of Overwatch since the release

Posted on by When Duty Calls

For a few weeks developers of Overwatch test some changes in balance on PTR (Public Test Realm), and they saying that not all of them will go on live servers. At 15 november all these changes go on live servers. Blizzard add 1 new hero – Sombra, and new game mod – Arcade.

All this new nerfes and buffs will completely change game and heroes Meta.

Change log in brief:

  • all ultimates now charges for 25% longer
  • No more “all D.Va” teams in quick games. 1 pick for a team just like in competiteve matches.
  • D.Va now feels much more cooler.
  • Pharah became stronger.
  • Soldier now can kill someone.
  • Nano boost from Ana will not increase movement speed no more.
  • Added new hero – Sombra.
  • Added new game modes.

So let look at these changes more closely:

D.VA

Now she has 600 units of health (was 500), movement speed while she fire is increased, and many people talks that Blizzard stealth buff her attack power in mech. If you meet her and she fly right up to you, then you will be probably dead, before you can run away.

Pharah

Those egiptian fall out from professional meta, when developers give to McCree ability to shoot at any range without lose of damage. Blizzard now try to bring her back from dead by some buffs like:

  • Jet pack now by 35% more powerful
  • Minimal damage from her missles increased by 13%

Soldier 76

Damage from each bullet increased from 17 to 20, and bullet spread increased from 2.2 to 2.4.

And that realy useful, now Soldier 76 can kill enemies and deal a good overall damage. And maybe he can challange McCree for a spot into competetive matches. 13% damage increase is not feel as some big deal, but in game this little buff can turn the game.

Torbjorn

Our little boy now changed, his hammer attack speed increased by 25% but damage decreased to 27%. And now you do not need to run on battlefield to find some metal scrap, now scraps start to generate automaticly and you can protect your team without any risk.

Zarya

Zarya

She was nerfed, but many people suggested that this nerf only make her stronger. Now 1 barrier charge her cannon only at 40% no at 50% as before, and amount of gaining energy was reduced by 20%. This is unpleasant, but this is not enough to knock her from the throne.

Also her beam now start to deal damage right after it hit the hitbox of enemy, without strange delay as before.

This buf greatly increase damage from her beam, and now she can deal with small heroes like Genji, Traces, Sombra.

Widowmaker

Widowmaker

Blizzard decided to increase speed of charging of her rifle by 20% and this is a giant number. Now she start to appear in competiteve matches more often, and now teammates stop whine when they see her in pick.

Mercy

Her selfheal now activates after 1 sec delay (was 3 sec), and now when ultimates charged by 25% slower her main ability (ressurection) may be even better.

Mei

Her ultimate charge rate was slowered by an additional 15% (yes 25% from all nerf and then again 15%) so now you can not use your ultimate 2 times per 1 teamfight. But the main power of this hero is in iceicles and ice walls, so we will still see that hero in competiteve.

Lucio

With each patch Blizzard tries to knock down this dj from his Healer Throne, and again they are not succseded. Nerf of his active ability by 10% is not a such great nerf. But if blizzard will continue to nerf this guy, some day he will leave his throne.

Ana

Ana amarie

She was a mother of 3-3 formation (3 tanks absorbs damage, and 3 healers charge their ultimates on tanks) due to her Nano boost on Reinhardt. Now with nerf of Nanoboost Reinhardt (and all tanks) are not the best options. It is a chance that without additional movespeed he just can not catch any of the opposite team. So with this buff formation 3-3 now with high probability will be dead.

 

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