PlayOverwatch released a new Developer Update today discussing the upcoming Experimental Card feature in Overwatch. In the update, lead game developer Jeff Kaplan talks about the new feature and what they hope to accomplish with it.
What is the Overwatch Experimental Card?
The Experimental Card coming to Overwatch will allow players to test changes to the game before they go live in the quick play and competitive game modes. Players can queue up for the Experimental Card on live servers like they can with any other game mode.
The Experimental Card is similar to the Public Test Region, but it focuses less on bug fixes and more on gameplay changes. Also, these changes may never make it to retail servers; they are simply a way for the Overwatch team to test bold ideas.
Triple Damage Mode
The first experimental card is slated for release tomorrow and will feature a role queue with three damage heroes and only one tank hero. Jeff Kaplan states that they are trying the change due to high queue times for damage per second (DPS) players. The queue times for DPS players have been extremely long since 2-2-2 went live.
There may also be separate changes in the experimental cards, such as hero nerfs and buffs that aren’t live in other modes. Having only one tank means that certain balance changes might be necessary for tanks to perform on par with one another.
Jeff states that he wants to see how the triple damage mode impacts queue times. While there are currently no plans to bring such a change to competitive or quick play, positive or negative feedback could influence changes in the future.
If you want to see how these changes impact the game, be sure to log in tomorrow and check them out. Do you think having three damage heroes and only one tank is a good way to drop queue times for DPS players?
