Overwatch 2, the pain of loving something

General Discussion
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The cost of activation blizzard trying to increase the financial return of this game seems to be not just the player’s wallets.

Blizzard in my mind, makes some of the most streamlined experiences in gaming. When blizzard breaks away from the blizzard design process it feels very apparent, like running a hand over a splinter on an otherwise perfectly polished surface.

It feels like the desirables (skins, rewards, progression) are placed in slightly harder to reach places, within temptation, yet out of reach… a micro-annoyance (splinters) so to speak.

These micro-annoyances permeate and crowd the mind, especially from your truest fans of overwatch 1. Fans who want to share with their friends in Overwatch 2 the spark which made Overwatch 1 such a gem. A seed which grew into so much more than just a game, a league, a franchise, a community, and a passion for so many.

Alas it feels like they can no longer play without the shadow of an irritation that they should be opening their wallet. A malaise which ominously feels like it’s going to get worse going into future events, battlepasses, and heroes.

It feels like this is an experiment with the players. How hot can the stove get before most of the frogs jump out, and will we still have enough meat left to feed the shareholders?

I’m not sure why I’m sharing this.

For developers (the heroes) who devote years of their lives to building an enduring experience which has meant so much to so many, I don’t think I’m saying anything that they don’t already know.

And yet, you did ask…

The status update seeks to resolve issues.

I don’t know if I’m alone in my thoughts that this game feels ‘greedy’ when compared to your game studio’s proudest moments. I like to think our decision’s matter, what we leave behind matters, and how we spend our time matters.

Maybe, if enough people share my sentiment, these issues might gain enough support to be resolved.

I can only hope that I’m not alone.

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You’re definitely not alone in feeling OW2 is a much more “greedy” game. Skins costing upwards of $20 just doesn’t sit right with me.

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I just struggle to understand why I’m bothering tbh. I only really play Quick Play and besides saying its for fun! what do I actually get out of it? Theres little to no progression I can see outside of the battlepass and rather than playing enough games to earn the right to buy a skin in-game I have to dig into my wallet and buy it with real money, same goes for someone who played 100+ hours and someone who just started so wheres the progression or sense of achievement?

I understand these things cost money to build and maintain and have to generate some kind of profit so I honestly don’t mind the option to purchase in-game items with real money. There just needs to be more progression available in the game and earned as a result of playing the game, because at the moment I’m sitting here wondering why I am even bothering. I purchased the Battle Pass, there are a small number of items in there that I am happy I unlocked but being mixed in with so many items I’m really not interested in its not enough. In the grand scheme of things its just not enough incentive to keep playing and to keep paying to feel like I’ve acomplished something.

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i really don’t get this mindset in a pvp game, for me the progression is the personal progression in your own ability to play the game, sure skins is fun and all but it does not really matter to me especially as the skin is just a different costume for the same character i’m already playing.

don’t get me wrong i feel sorry for the people who’s only validation in a pvp game is getting skins and having a bar filled with EXP to level up incrementily and superficially over time.
because it really do suck to have to buy a battlepass to feel a sense of accomplishment each time a new battlepass releases.

but i think that says more about the people who need that type of validation than the monetization itself.

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At the end of the day different things appeal to different people I don’t feel sorry for people who see things differently from me, thats their opinion and I respect that.

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i feel sorry for them because they are being taken advantaged of monetarily.
other than that i don’t really care all too much because it doesn’t concern me.

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The trouble is that it seems like if everyone is ok with this level of monetisation, the next step will be taken, and then the next. It’s about finding the boiling point for the “frogs”.
Right now it’s skins, trinkets, the battlepass, but what’s to stop it being content next, and heroes the time after that?
Some players may not mind, but players limits are being determined and used to maximise profit.

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that’s how it is, supply and demand.
look at warhammer miniatures for example, that’s not a cheap game to play.

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Tbh I don’t know what you talking about.Are you jelious on the Game/Company, or maybe dissatisfied with your gameplay, which one is it?

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It’s not he former so probably the latter, though not in quite the black and white way portrayed.
The game seems fairly obviously un-finished compared to what was promised and in that context I feel that asking for money for extras is greedy. It seems that the developers had their hand’s forced, and were prohibited from spending the time required to make the game they wanted to release.
Right now the only skin on offer to all players was this reskinning of overwatch 1, and it was killed and buried in the process. How’s anyone supposed to feel good about that?

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Game is free to play on the first place, second thing , no one force you for the money ,its so stupid if u want game to remove Shop and all that cosmetics , I love that cosmetics ,no one force you to buy it.

I have 98% skins of Overwatch 1 , Bcs I playd the game , I farmed bought some loot boxes ,it would be very rude from the game if they give all old skins from Overwatch 1 to all players to Overwatch 2.

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This wasn’t said.

That’s a fair point, I should have been more careful with my words. They are profiteering from the unfinished game rather than asking for money. The idea that the manipulative practices are not effective is naïve.

The old skins are not available to earn, fair enough, however the new skins of overwatch 2 are also behind a paywall. It seems that you enjoyed being able to play in order to unlock 98% of the skins on overwatch 1. What is it about this new system that you feel good about?

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New system and new balance is perfect to the game that’s why Overwatch 2 is another level , I feel like supports have more chance to do then we’ve had at Overwatch 1 where balance wasn’t so good as it is now.2 Shields is past, we as humans being are about to push forward, so removing one shield is just for me even more balance.

But on the end seems like you do not want to accept some things ,especially when we talk about shop and skins, I explain both things ,no one force you to buy any skin, and if u didn’t play Overwatch 1 u have opportunity to buy now all skins from there what’s problem with that I see trough it one big thanks to the game for oppurnity. We have battle pass right now so which mean free stuffs even better then old Boxes in mine oppinion.

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I’ve got about 400 hours into OW1 and unlocked a fair amount of skins and golden guns for the hero’s I liked most by just playing the game. Not by paying extra. I’d be happy to pay 50-60 euros once to get back the old reward system. In OW2 this kind of money will get me 2-3 skins that are worthwhile at the most.

I refuse to pay extra the way the system is set up atm. I wonder how much the gameplay, comp progression, hero balancing, new maps/new hero’s will keep me playing this game.

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It seems like you miss understood my question, I was really focusing on the monetisation strategy. I just want to check that my understanding of how you feel about overwatch 2 is correct. You like overwatch 2 removing a progression mechanic which you seemed to enjoy when playing overwatch 1?

100% you have the right to your opinion.
With the new battlepass system, how long do you think it takes does it take to unlock a legendary skin in Overwatch 2?
My ~1600hours in overwatch 1 resulted in almost all the legendries being unlocked. How long do you think that would take in overwatch 2?

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I am just answering on your questions from previous yours post, you got all answers but like I said, it’s seems like you don’t like and agree with them.

With chill playing one week. (and you get 80 items, different items, skins , spreys,
cosmetics, cards and so on all that for free!!)

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With enough feedback they would likely feel empowered to make positive changes, or consider alternatives. Developers seem to have even gone so far as to ask for it.

What is it about Warhammer miniatures which makes it comparable to the competitive FPS shooter Overwatch 2?

That’s why I’m trying to clarify, because it’s not clear.

So you like overwatch 2 removing a progression mechanic which you seemed to enjoy when playing overwatch 1?

This might earn some random junk items, but legendary skins are the items with real desirability. Unlocking 1 legendary skin using the battlepass seems to require 8 months of grinding specific battlepass challenges.

But ok, let’s assume that we are ok with people earning that for free even if it takes longer than in overwatch 1 (~20 to ~30 times longer).

Let’s say someone is playing a match and one of their team has some challenges to do, and is going out of their way to complete them, essentially playing with a handicap. Why is that good for a competitive fps game?

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if they are making a big enough profit off of it, they are not gonna change regardless of what people say.

about warhammer miniatures, it’s just to illustrate my point about game companies, they will put up as high a price they can to a ludicrous degree, if there’s buyers they will keep selling at those prices.
you need about 100€+ worth of miniatures to even play the game and that’s only for one faction and that’s extremely barebones, it’s a very expensive hobby.

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I can understand the upset at the new system, i don’t like it either but it’s what we have.

And it can take a week to reach the first epic skin in the pass. When with the boxes it could take from 4 games to half a year. The new credits i’m not even talking about since it’s not actually feasible to call them free with how many hours are put into earning them.
At least the challenges for the pass xp are easy enough to not have to go out of one’s way to get them. Other than queueing for a different role.
It’s just a hope that they won’t make the challenges harder.
(Sadly, the “free to play” model is here to stay, even if we don’t like it. And we can only hope that the prices come down or that the reward credits go up.
And that’s all we can do)

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This sound like complain and exactly what I said in previous my posts .Stop with this no sense posts.Thank you.