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Emily Gera
Monday, February 24, 2020, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
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Gaming Director Jeff Kaplan revealed that Overwatch finally got the experimental card mode on Tuesday.
The upcoming mode will enable players to test planned changes in a similar way to the public testing realm. However, unlike traditional PTR, which is limited to PC systems, the experimental mode will work for all players on all platforms, and will focus on gameplay changes rather than error testing.
In addition, the progress made in this mode will apply to the progress of levels and special events.
The first large-scale gameplay experiment will start with the character queue system, which the Overwatch team hopes will get direct feedback from players.
"It's fun," Kaplan said in a new video describing the scroll queue feature. "This is very controversial for the development team. We have very strong support and opposition to this system, and at about the same time, we also mentioned to you the process of making this experimental card … Many players said: "Why don't we try it? "So this is your chance."
With character queuing, players can choose which role to play before the game, and then form a team from there. As it stands, the game allows teams of two players in each character, but the experimental mode will change it to one tank, three damage, and two assists.
"This is what happens if we decide to make Roadhog the only tank in the game, or if we decide to make D.Va the only tank in the game," he said. "You will know a bit about the types of balance changes we need to make."
"Don't panic when you see this card going up. These are changes we're not sure of, and that's why we receive your feedback on this." Kaplan continues. "This doesn't mean they will come to Overwatch soon. It just helps you understand what we focus on and some of our design processes."
Blizzard first introduced the idea of experimental mode last month.
