Actually, I had planned a lot for this week. I wanted to play through some games that I got during the Steam sale and relax in the sun for a few hours. But that didn’t happen because Overwatch has introduced the ranked mode.
But why does that take more of my time than before? Has Overwatch become a (even) better game because of this? Yes and no. The core mechanics have obviously not changed. The balancing hasn’t either.
1. The atmosphere fits
As a friend of mine said: “I had more fun in these rounds than in all matches before.” I feel the same way. But why? It’s the complete package. Just the music, when a ranked match is found, gives me chills. In general, there were some variations in the soundtrack, especially when the game leans towards its decision – rarely has music so well accompanied the mood as in the dramatic last seconds of a battle in the ranked mode.
2. Who plays with whom?
Moreover, it always annoyed me when someone simply claimed that the opposing team “must surely be a full premade group” and that’s why we lost. To me, that was never more than a pretty lazy excuse. In ranked mode, you now always see who is playing together and who signed up individually. Sure, Blizzard is patting itself on the back, but so far, it has always been the case that “fair” teams were matched against each other. So about 4+2 against 4+2.
3. Finally a measurable comparison
The skill rating or the “rank” you achieve finally gives an indication of how good you actually are. Often, you had to ask yourself, “why the hell am I matched against SUCH opponents?” – both in devastating defeats and in pretty quick victories. Now you have a reasonable reference point (besides the level) and can much better understand why you are playing against opponents X and Y. Although there is still a “hidden” MMR, with the skill rating I at least have something substantial in hand.
4. Longer matches
Since the ranked system necessarily consists of several matches per map (up to 4 rounds for Assault, in Capture it’s a “Best of 5”), the duration of individual matches increases. While matches before were over after 8-10 minutes, there are now rounds that last 20-30 minutes, depending on the balance of the two teams. Yes, Overwatch is then less “a game to fill gaps” in ranked, but requires time in one go. However, this is balanced out by the fact that at the end of a match, you earn a lot of experience points (because the rounds last longer) – 7,000 points are not uncommon.
5. Communication
Since the introduction of the ranked mode, I use the game’s voice chat much more often and hardly experience any “idiots” who insult or berate me. The conversations are friendly but focused, and significantly more players use this feature than before. It has been a long time since I added some “randoms” to my friends list to play – but hey, it has happened!
Here’s a “pro tip”: At the beginning of each match, press “O”, switch to the group view, and activate the headset for team chat. This way, you are not only in the voice chat with your group but with the whole team.
A small negative point
However, there is a small unpleasant point. Whenever someone leaves the game early, things get a bit strange. If this happens in the first 2 minutes of a match, the game is simply canceled – a good decision that I fully support. However, if someone leaves the game after this 2-minute mark, the round continues.
There are no substitutes because who wants to join an ongoing ranked game? One team is therefore disadvantaged for the rest of the round but can choose to leave the game early without a penalty – they still receive a loss. This leaves a bitter aftertaste, but it’s probably the only sensible solution; otherwise, players would simply “cycle through” who leaves the game to never receive a loss. Caught together, hanged together.
The “old” Overwatch rule still applies here: Play with friends, because they won’t let you down, no matter how badly the round goes.
