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‘Overwatch’ Update: Sudden Death Getting Removed, Tweaks, & New Character Plans

By Bryan Star
Published on: 15:59 PST, Jul 10, 2016

Blizzard has been listening to fans in regards to Overwatch feedback, and it looks like more tweaks are headed for future updates.

If you’ve played Overwatch, then you should be familiar with the “Sudden Death” mode that accompanies some of the matches that can occur. This particular mode comes into play when both sides of the skirmish end with similar results, coming to a tie. Attacking and defending then become a toss up, and players will either have an advantage or suffer the detriment of a bad positioning to determine who the victor will be. This mode has become a source of controversy, and Blizzard is looking into changing the system to provide a benefit to both teams in the case of a tie.

Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan spoke on “Sudden Death” mode, making it known that Blizzard was looking carefully at the overall fairness and feel of teams being thrown into the possibility of facing a disadvantage. In a report by GameNGuide, Kaplan spoke on the state of “Sudden Death” mode.

“Right now we’re exploring ways to allow for matches that would otherwise result in Sudden Death to instead resolve in a draw where neither team wins or loses. In that situation, our goal would be to make sure the match still felt rewarding for both teams, and that players could walk away feeling like it was time well invested.”

Previous Overwatch news details that Blizzard is watching closely for fan feedback, hence the reason why Sudden Death is being looked at. However, it’s not something that will be removed any time soon. It’s understandable that Blizzard will have to measure the tweaks, but it’s certain that they want Sudden Death to be removed altogether. It appears that they’re adamant about this, leaving no room for teams to continue winning by random chance.

In a report by TechTimes, it’s noted that the plans for Sudden Death and other changes will be made in larger updates. It appears that users on console will be waiting longer than PC users for the patch, but further plans are still in the works for those who want to dive into the future of Overwatch and the changes intended. New DLC characters are also on the way, giving Blizzard plenty of content to release to excited fans.

The report by TechTimes includes words from Scott Mercer, principal designer of Overwatch. He had this to say about Sudden Death and how it brought players to victory or defeat.

“The thought was that the coin flip, while it was a little random, would be balanced so that the chance for the attacker or defender to win would be really close,” explains Mercer. “But it turns out it wasn’t close enough and in some cases wasn’t close. We pulled back from that, decided that, hey, for season two we’re going to remove Sudden Death and allow for the concept of ties to take place.”

While this might not be the way that players want to end their matches, it’s certainly better than almost sure defeat depending on the map being used. Placement for each team determines just how much of the field will be gained, and it’s almost a surefire way to determine just who will walk away with the spoils. With the new system set in place, there’s at least the feeling that the time spent opposing the enemy team will have yielded a reward.

How do you feel about Sudden Death Mode? Do you feel that it will be fair that Blizzard will be removing this feature? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Image Via Blizzard]

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