lore-discussion

[dire timber]

fair point on middle eastern man though

[peak escarp]

I didn't say Asian woman

I said Japanese

[dire timber]

yeah, you said Japanese

[peak escarp]

specifically

[iron plume]

slig
literally two lines up

[dire timber]

but specific nationalities are slightly less significant

[iron plume]

and yes they would be

[dire timber]

to respond with "why not someone from X nation?" to a conversation about featuring a black female hero at all... is a little tone-deaf

[peak escarp]

Blizzard seems to care more about specific nationalities than races

[dire timber]

I mean, we got an American woman, I guess

so far it was just 3 dudes

@iron plume oh, I'm blind

I pretty much just stopped reading at Doctor's messages

but, well

the reason black women are in such a high demand, is because their representation is somewhat scarce

... uh, I've heard that with Ashe, we have seven white women so far, but who's the seventh?

... did they count Widowmaker?

[iron plume]

i mean probably

it's not like she isn't

[dire timber]

I mean, she kinda is, yeah

I was just looking at the heroes list, and it threw me off

[peak escarp]

Mercy, Zarya, Widowmaker, Tracer, Moira, Brigitte, Ashe

[dire timber]

so, we have seven white women, four brown, two Asian... it just feels kinda wrong to wait so long for a single black woman

so, hope you understand where that's coming from

[peak escarp]

I get what you mean

but there's plenty of other ethnicities that aren't represented

[runic scroll]

Was gonna say no native american yet, but i guess pharah kinda

But no native american male, i guess

If you want to argue for an african female specifically

[limpid agate]

You can argue no X male for most countries with female reps

[runic scroll]

Exactly

[limpid agate]

Its not worth arguing

I think the biggest upset is maps that dont have heroes

Either tied to them, or from the same country

[dire timber]

I don't expect representation to involve checking each and every box

[limpid agate]

Like Ilios, Petra, Ayutthaya.

[runic scroll]

As in no italian hero but rialto existing?

[limpid agate]

Yeah

[dire timber]

but I think having no black female heroes is kind of jarring

[runic scroll]

Does ecopoint antarctica count for mei as well lol

Does she have two maps to herself

[peak escarp]

two?

[iron plume]

it does

[limpid agate]

Mei only has Ecopoint

She is unrelated to Lijiang

[peak escarp]

she's not really associated with Lijiang

[runic scroll]

Li jiang, although idk if she has any real tie to it

[peak escarp]

the only thing that connects her to it is that she's Chinese

[iron plume]

Winston has one to himself and one to share

[runic scroll]

So no lore connection=no connection in this argument despite nationalities matching

[peak escarp]

yes

[runic scroll]

Ok

[dire timber]

she's about as associated with Lijang as Reaper is with Hollywood – there is some loose connection, but it's tenuous

[runic scroll]

I wonder if 66 counts for reaper as well

[dire timber]

not really

[peak escarp]

so Reaper isn't connected to Hollywood, despite him being from LA

[runic scroll]

Or dorado for soldier

[dire timber]

a little

as in, it's the location from his animated short

[peak escarp]

Route 66 is for Ashe and McCree

and Echo, I guess

[dire timber]

what's Mei's base of operations again?

[peak escarp]

Reaper could be associated with Rialto

[runic scroll]

Or all of blackwatch for that matter

[dire timber]

all Talon council members could be associated with Rialto

[runic scroll]

And sombra and doomfist maybe

What do you think needs to come first though; maps for heroes who don’t have “their maps,” or heroes for maps without “their heroes?”

[dire timber]

I know we've been starving a little for an Illinois hero

[runic scroll]

I wonder if blizz world is ever going to get lore relevant material lol

[dire timber]

but that has passed at some point since

[runic scroll]

Seems so unlikely

Maybe a talon attack there or something

[dire timber]

I think with Petra and Rialto, Illinois stopped being such an anomaly

[runic scroll]

Or an omnic attack

[dire timber]

nah, doubtful

[peak escarp]

lol

[runic scroll]

It was a waste of a map slot for teh lulz

[peak escarp]

Illinois

[runic scroll]

We could have had an actually lore relevant map

[peak escarp]

autocorrect?

[dire timber]

...

Illios

sorry

[peak escarp]

I figured

[dire timber]

the elections broke my brain

[peak escarp]

wasn't sure if you noticed

[runic scroll]

Lol I thought Illinois was where Soldier was from until now

Then I realized he’s from Indiana

[dire timber]

yeah

[peak escarp]

there are a few lore relevant maps

[runic scroll]

Illinois was pretty natural there though lol

Aren’t more maps lore relevant than not?

[dire timber]

what happened with the comics, anyway? we used to get them semi-regularly

Doomfist, Searching, Wasted Land...

now, nothing

[peak escarp]

Jeff said they stopped for Reasons™

but they will return

[pure kernel]

Reasons

[runic scroll]

Oh they’ve officially paused?

That sucks

[peak escarp]

they have plans for more comics

2019 will be better for lore

I can't wait

[sacred hamlet]

Reasons AKA OWL

Hopefully their word and the fact that the Lore Forum is a thing now

Are good hints that comics will make a comeback

[limpid agate]

OWL is unrelated to comics @sacred hamlet

The art team is not making OWL.

The writers are not writing OWL lore

The eSports commentators are not writing comics

They are two unrelated teams with no overlap other than maybe skin development

[iron plume]

there's overlap in that both are used as tools to market the game

and lore was that at the start while OWL has grown recently

and to be honest I kinda buy into the theory of not "muddying up" the first season with other announcements from them
but they're not at odds all the time

[sacred hamlet]

Doesn't stop Blizz from investing more money and focus on stuff like OWL instead of Comics

It's pretty obvious that OWL is sacrificing a lot of the Dev's team time

If that's not the case

They must be really lazy to not be able to support New Events, Gamemodes and more interesting features than some dull replay system

The point is that if they weren't busy doing nothing good for the game itself, they would at least be making more Comics and working more on the lore

[iron plume]

Blizzard isn't investing money in OWL

OWL makes money for them

They've made an initial investment for the push but that's long paid off

and they're a separate team within the company

Replay system isn't "dull", it's an incredibly often requested feature that helps people with the game

and it's absolutely good for the game itself

even then:

[runic scroll]

How long do you guys think it’ll take for blizz to make some crazy botanist hero

[iron plume]

the team working on the game has nothing to do with the comic or animation teams

[sacred hamlet]

Well I would like to know what in the fuck have been doing then

[runic scroll]

Or not necessarily a scientist but some kind of plant related hero

[iron plume]

they're written by team 4's in-house writers, led by chu

but nothing else

[sacred hamlet]

No new Events, Lore, Comics, Gamemodes

Nothing

And for what

If it isn't OWL

[iron plume]

comics are done by contracted artists

[sacred hamlet]

Then it's for their live savings or something right

This just shows how lazy they are

[iron plume]

animation is handled by Blizzard Animation studio, which does those for all their games

[sacred hamlet]

It's insulting

[iron plume]

Just deny all the work they're actually doing and then pretend there isn't any

that sounds about right for what I expected

[sacred hamlet]

Oh sure, let me praise them for their balancing which is the standard for any Multiplayer game today

especially for OW

[iron plume]

I'd rather you just didn't talk shit on a subject you know nothing about

[sacred hamlet]

Let me praise them for the new Heroes and Maps

Which they owed us since the beginning

[iron plume]

but praise would still be better than this incessant bitching

[sacred hamlet]

Since OW was released unfinished

Let me praise their new features which help only 3% of the players

or do nothing of important at all

I sure love my League of Legends honor system done wrong

[iron plume]

Stop rambling off topic

[sacred hamlet]

and I will sure love my replay system that was supposed to be released years ago with the game

but yeah

can't praise the lore

because there isn't any

at least for the past 2 years of course

[iron plume]

then do it in a different channel

[sacred hamlet]

then please stop defending blizzard for nothing

they're spitting on storytelling

content

everything

that's it

[iron plume]

you've been warned before

[brisk bay]

ok guys

stop

this is l-d

not blizzard hate -d

[sacred hamlet]

already stopped

just wanted to discuss the scarce lore

[iron plume]

onto the actually related discussion: Before this summer I would say a botanist would be too far stretched
but it seems like they're going a little more open and wild with the scientific stuff in the universe
I don't really see a way it would fit into the aesthetic, but I've been wrong on that before

I imagine a support-ish DPS?

regarding "crazy botanist", they've been careful to stay away from a straight-up mad science trope

Moira is the one about science without borders, but she's not mad, just calculating
Junkenstein is the closest we have, and that's in a parody-ish AU

[limpid agate]

Moving swiftly onwards.

[iron plume]

So overall I'd say a botanist isn't unlikely even if... strange, but a "mad botanist" wouldn't be somewhere they go to

[limpid agate]

Dont think we will ever see a botanist

[iron plume]

It won't be the fantasy "make vines grow out of the ground and root people" type of deal

but I don't see why not as a theme

we have a climatologist

[limpid agate]

So

We also have a DJ

We aint gonna get a celebrity chef

[iron plume]

I'm not saying we are because of it

just not seeing how it disqualifies

[frosty shell]

I know I had Mei becoming a botanist as one of my ideas for Overwatch II

[peak escarp]

I'd like a hero whose background is being an artist

[iron plume]

Lucio?

or you mean like painting artist

[peak escarp]

visual artist

yeah

[frosty shell]

Lúcio's an artist in music

[peak escarp]

could attack with paint or something, idk

[frosty shell]

Well you could ask for Leonora Botruvia then

[peak escarp]

that's probably too Splatoon

oh yeah her

she just seems like set decoration though

[frosty shell]

I agree

[peak escarp]

not intended to ever be a hero

[iron plume]

attacking with paint is definitely too splatoon

could be a sculptor, but that's edging in on vishkar's territory

[frosty shell]

Same with Hamid Faisal but I could see him becoming a hero possibly

If they wanted him to be, which I don't think they do

I played a Splatoon custom game using Torbjörn's molten metal

[limpid agate]

Hamid Faisal is different than Leonora

Leonora looks like flavour for the map

Hamid looks like a mystery that is to be solved soon™

Leonora exists to explain the art gallery and make it feel realer, while Hamid is a mystery name on a bunch of screens that should tie together 3 maps

[inner nexus]

Who is hamid

[rocky vapor]

@inner nexus He's an archaeologist from the Petra dig site.

[prisma wren]

Whats the lore between McCree and ashe?

[peak escarp]

they met as teens, started a gang together

McCree sold out Deadlock and joined Overwatch, Ashe hates him for it

[valid shell]

@prisma wren Everything in Reunion and Ashe Origins.

[prisma wren]

thats kinda disappointing

[limpid agate]

She's a new character, what did you expect?

Like, straight out of the oven, never in the lore before last week.

[azure lance]

well it was either join blackwatch or life in prison for mccree

[kind wren]

overwatch lore atm is all pretty one dimesional

so everything has been slightly dissapointing

[peak escarp]

if you don't like it you are free to leave

[kind wren]

I like it myself

mainly cause its gonna grow

and theorycrafting is fun

But atm its been pretty simplistic and we've only been getting scraps through obsucre hero interactions

and small shorts that are mostly based on somewhat loosly connected things in the cinimatic series

[peak escarp]

they're still in the setup phase

the only hero who hasn't responded to the recall yet is Mercy, so I think they'll be wrapping up the setup phase pretty soon

[gusty fjord]

Then we'll have that "Mr. Stark, I wanted to talk to you about the Avengers initiative."

lol

What I mean by that is that plot thread that will usher in Phase 2 of Overwatch lore

[subtle moss]

Remarkably optimistic of you.

[tawny patio]

You still have all the younger generation though six

How can they finish setup with only part of Talon and part of Overwatch established

Talon and Overwatch are such small groups that to make a major story would require Talon to gain aid from some major supporter in some conquest that would start a war

And to progress the story means one day having to end the story thereby killing income from Overwatch players who play for the lore over time

And without more lore you can’t add characters and gamplay gets stale now you’ve lost the game

I don’t think we’ll see the end of set up for a while longer stil

[peak escarp]

the story of the younger generation joining Overwatch would be phase 2

I'm just talking about ex-Overwatch members

[tawny patio]

Known
Ex-members 👀

Though the recent short did echo (no pun intended) a coming change I don’t think it makes sense from a standpoint of what the game is?

[valid shell]

We don't know "what the game is".

We have no idea what Blizzard intends for the game. Sure, we can speculate, and throw around buzzwords like "Civil War", but they can take it in all kinds of directions.

[tawny patio]

I meant at the very core A game is to make money
If the stoey ends the game would lose popularity or reason to introduce characters = no money

So if they move the story it makes it one step closer to = no money

it'd be easier to keep us guessing amd draw it out

[regal coyote]

not really

a story can end but new event can come up

happens in comic all the time

it is like, civil war ends, then you get things like infinity gauntlet

you get things like fall of SHIELD, and you can even get reboots

[worthy rose]

does anyone know who that robot is in the cinematic trailer introducing ashe? with mcree in it? and i don't mean bob btw. the one mcree is friends with. and is she the next playable character?

[iron plume]

Echo, we know she was in Overwatch at some point but was shut down
we don't know anything else

She's likely to be a playable hero but not 30

[spring kelp]

She will deffo be a playable hero at some point in the future. Confirmed 💯

[worthy rose]

What seperates an omnic from a robot?

[rancid crest]

i think the difference would be that omnics have human feelings, while robots don’t

[inner nexus]

Omnics are sentient

[feral lintel]

an omnic is a robot that was made in an omnium

it has nothing to do with intelligence

zenyatta and bastion are omnics and orisa is a robot

[iron plume]

Orisa is referred to as an omnic in her bio

it's reasonable to assume that by the "present" time, the word just refers to sentient robots

language evolves, etc etc

[feral lintel]

i'm reading her bio on the official website and she's called a robot, not an omnic

[regal coyote]

but an omnic is a robot though

like a husky is a type of dog

[feral lintel]

yes, a husky may be a type of dog, but not all dogs are huskies

[pure kernel]

:0

[iron plume]

in the second to last paragraph she's called an omnic

omnics are a type of robot, and Orisa is both

[feral lintel]

ah, i see

i missed that

[limpid agate]

Orisa is an omnic

Not just there

But also from interviews.

[regal coyote]

yes

the mroe interesting thing is, are there non-omnium based sapient AI (or sentient, whatever word you fuckers use, not the topic here on words)

and following the above question, do people in the ow timeline call all eapient AI omnics?

[limpid agate]

Snowball

[regal coyote]

point 3: do they call dumb ass robots from omnium omnics too? like the slicer dogs?

[limpid agate]

Yes

Snowball is intelligent. Snowball is not an omnic.

[regal coyote]

yes, but snowball is not full sapient, snowball is more like a smarter dog though

[limpid agate]

Snowball seems pretty intelligent in Rise and Shine

[regal coyote]

you think he capable of mroe than just puppy like actions?

not sure really

cause if there is any rights for AI then there has to be different grades

no way a walking toaster like a slicer hunder gonna be having same rights as humans

[iron plume]

intelligent and sentient are different things though

[peak escarp]

Snowball also seems capable of understanding and expressing emotions

also relevant:

https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/844652782430797824

Michael Chu (@westofhouse)

@shock1203 Orisa is an omnic and a robot, and has an artificial intelligence.

Twitter

here's the best definition of omnic vs. robot I could find

https://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20753575904?page=2#post-31

[regal coyote]

@peak escarp wait so according to chuchu's classification, omnic in a broad sense does nto ahve to be created in an omnium then

since likely snowball is not an omnium creation

[peak escarp]

think of it like this: omnics are brand name robots

like how Kleenex are brand name tissues

[regal coyote]

good way to describle it

[dire timber]

in practice, there are two types of omnics

1. war machine omnics
2. civilian omnics

Orisa, Bastion, and the entirety of Omnic Crisis/Null Sector troops are the former; Zenyatta, Lynx, Maximilien, butlers/waiters/bartenders are the latter.

few things outside of these two categories were called an omnic

[regal coyote]

snowball

[limpid agate]

Not an omnic

[regal coyote]

@limpid agate Wrong.

[dire timber]

uh, Snowball's absolutely not an omnic

[regal coyote]

chu classify snowball as omnic.

[dire timber]

where?

[regal coyote]

pretty sure chu's words mroe important than yours

up, scroll up

Doc6's pst

"you classify him as an omnic then".... chuL Yep

[dire timber]

... that was about Orisa

[regal coyote]

ops

[peak escarp]

gotta read the whole thing, hamster

[regal coyote]

oof

[frosty shell]

Something weird/dumb on Blizzard's part IMO

When they changed the Numbani airport they changed some of the places (Tokyo, London) to their maps (Hanamura, King's Row)

Which doesn't really make much sense

[limpid agate]

Whats wrong with that?

Hanamura and King's Row are in Tokyo/London

[frosty shell]

Why would the airport arrival board list them

[subtle moss]

They're the OW universe's equivalents of London and Tokyo

[frosty shell]

London and Tokyo still exist though

[subtle moss]

Apparently in a much reduced capacity.

[frosty shell]

No, London and Tokyo are still what they're known as

Hanamura and Kings Row are just neighborhoods of Tokyo and London

[limpid agate]

What do the posters around them say?

Theres 4 posters iiirc in the airport

[frosty shell]

The posters are acceptable, they could just be advertising for that particular place

Also, Mexico City was changed to Dorado

which may not even be big enough for an international airport

[feral lintel]

it apparently is now

[limpid agate]

I think Castillo is part of Dorado, rather than a second town

[frosty shell]

Me too

It is part of Dorado

[dire timber]

I'm with Alex on this one

they should've stuck to the cities

[valid shell]

Just wait until Ecopoint: Antarctica gets added to the airport listings.

[feral lintel]

or the horizon lunar colony

[peak escarp]

Hanamura and King's Row have always been on the board

[feral lintel]

and dorado

[limpid agate]

Huh, so they teased Dorado before it was revealed?

[peak escarp]

not sure when the screenshot is from

[limpid agate]

Numbani was made before Dorado. Unless they remade that asset

[peak escarp]

from the reveal video, 2015

this does have London, Tokyo and Mexico City

I wonder when it was changed then

earliest I've seen it with Hanamura etc. on the board was Feb 2017

I'm trying to find earlier footage

[worthy rose]

What if Ashe joins Talon cause of mcree

[limpid agate]

She wont.

She already has a gang

[worthy rose]

Partnership

[limpid agate]

Her views dont align with Talons

There is nothing for her to gain other than "KIll McCree"

And thats not her goal

Her goal is, run her gang

[worthy rose]

I feel like she has a relation with junker queen

[limpid agate]

For what purpose

They are on two entirely different continents, and theres nothing to suggest either left

[worthy rose]

Bob is Zen's cousin

[valid shell]

Stop.

[worthy rose]

Why

[valid shell]

Yes, you posted the funny Zen face. Well done.

Now stop please.

[worthy rose]

Seriously what is wrong with you

[valid shell]

@limpid agate

[worthy rose]

Omg what have I done

[peak escarp]

from Sept. 2016

I think it might have been changed to the map names when the game went live

otherwise the names might have been spoilers?

[worthy rose]

Kings row came with Game

[peak escarp]

idk then

maybe it was a last minute decision to change it

[pine mountain]

if anyone is good with stream settings dm me

[valid shell]

@pine mountain Wrong channel.

[pine mountain]

I must have lost the will to give a fuck at school my bad bro

[pure kernel]

:0

[long ermine]

[valid shell]

@long ermine ?

[long ermine]

@valid shell at Cameron

[limpid agate]

Shitposting will result in a loss of access

[timid eagle]

In all seriousness, the Deadlock gang has nothing to gain IF they join Talon.

It would also go against what the group founded on.

Pure, unadulterated freedom and being flexible.

[limpid agate]

Yup

[pure kernel]

Jewv

[limpid agate]

What.

[timid eagle]

Also, I like that JunkerTown and the DL Gang are their own entities.

It mixes things up from the Overwatch VS Talon stuff that’s going on ATM.

[limpid agate]

Junkertown deserves to be detatched from the rest of the conflict.

Same with Deadlock

Otherwise the whole world would just be homogenized as Overwatch vs Talon

Which is also why I think some good guys should never join Overwatch

Like D.Va/MEKA

Or Zarya.

@peak escarp Do you have a source for all this Echo != Vishkar? I think it was in the Fran interview but Im pretty sure they only talked about Athena?

[peak escarp]

it was from when he was talking during a stream

I'm not sure which one

[limpid agate]

Ok yeah its Fran

He talks about both

[peak escarp]

come on people, the logo isn't even the same

_>

if McCree calling Echo "partner" wasn't just cowboy slang, maybe he was his partner briefly after Blackwatch got suspended but before he left Overwatch?

[valid shell]

She also calls him Jesse.

And considering she - like Torbjorn and Genji - don't know how he lost his arm, your estimate is probably correct.

[peak escarp]

that also indicates that they've worked together

[white cobalt]

I think most of the old team call him Jesse

[valid shell]

Nah.

Everyone calls him McCree in Retribution.

[peak escarp]

the only other people who call him Jesse were/are Reyes and Pharah

[prisma wren]

wait

[peak escarp]

even Genji, who was in Blackwatch with him and was considered to be his friend, doesn't call him Jesse

[prisma wren]

who was the blue lady( dont hate on me for calling her that)

[peak escarp]

from Reunion?

[prisma wren]

yes

[peak escarp]

Echo

she's a robot

[prisma wren]

has she apperared in a cominc or anything?

[peak escarp]

nope

just Reunion and some very old concept art

[prisma wren]

hmm

now we just speculate

[peak escarp]

she was in the original cinematic trailer

[prisma wren]

the one next to tracer?

[peak escarp]

yep

early design, but that's supposed to be her

[prisma wren]

wow

get the feeling that blizz had everything mapped out before the game was even released?

[peak escarp]

they've been working the long game since 2014

even earlier, if you count before Overwatch was announced

[prisma wren]

with the heros in the cinematic thats one year of heros

more than that

[formal steppe]

is that red hero next to Mercy supposed to be concept of Orisa?

[prisma wren]

doubt it

[peak escarp]

some of those heroes we can rule out ever being a hero though

like that big red guy

he was an early concept of Reinhardt

[prisma wren]

srsly?

[peak escarp]

he was conceptualized as being from Africa

but they reused that for Orisa

[prisma wren]

he looks like a transformer

[formal steppe]

I just thought that Orisa and his build and designs looked very similar

it might just be me, dunno.

[prisma wren]

the guy in the bio suit looks amazing tho

[valid shell]

Proto-Reinhardt, known as Wildebeast, got effectively split into 3 currently playable heroes.

Reinhardt, Orisa, and Brigitte.

@prisma wren The guy in the bio-suit was Fusionator. Mechanically, they tried to make him, but a poison weapon was troublesome so they reflavored it to frost and Mei was the outcome.

[prisma wren]

...........................

[formal steppe]

ah

[prisma wren]

that just ruined my day

is that pharah in the background?

[valid shell]

There's several thousand characters in the background.

[prisma wren]

the one in the middle of genji an mccree

[formal steppe]

several thousand? Blizzard should really work on their hero release dates if they want to make that a thing

[peak escarp]

speaking of the cinematic trailer

it was unveiled November 7, 2014

4 years ago yesterday

[timid eagle]

IFeelOld.gif

But, yeah.

It's hard to think Overwatch has been out for so long.

Especially if you include the beta.

[peak escarp]

I've only been into it for 2 of those years, but it still feels like a long time

of course, people will complain "hurr hurr 4 years and no lore"

[timid eagle]

The latest short did set the ground for Stage 2.

So, that's a plus.

[limpid agate]

All that's missing is Mercy's reply

Which is probably no.

But I guarantee a 2019 short will be a Mercy short.

[timid eagle]

It would be refreshing to see a hero not being committed to the cause.

So, yeah. I feel Mercy isn't returning.

Brigitte only feels obligated to join, since Rein is returning.

[limpid agate]

She's joining specifically to help him and fight by his side.

But is still more or less against it.

[timid eagle]

Yeah, Brigitte herself said that the organization fucked with him, despite giving his best years.

But, like you said, she's only joining so she can help fight by his side.

I do wonder if Pharah will join the reformed Overwatch.

Considering that she's working for Helix.

That, and they've come across as being incompetent from what we've read/seen so far.

Such as failing to secure the prototype Tactical Visor and Pulse Rifle in one of the locked up Overwatch locations in the states, or failing to keep Doomfist in prison.

[river mason]

So is it confirmed that there’s gonna be a reunion of the overwatch team?

[peak escarp]

they're slowly coming together

Winston and Tracer have already acted together (cinematic trailer)

Mei's journal says she's been in contact with Winston since leaving Antarctica

and the Blizzard World trailer implied that Torbjorn brought Bastion to Overwatch

and Rein and Brig spent Christmas with Torbjorn, so they're presumably in the picture as well

[valid shell]

Considering Brigitte canonically knows Bastion, and Reinhardt's confirmed going back to OW, and Brigitte's going with him, it's likely Torb and Bast are there.

[subtle moss]

Wasn't the organization that fucked with Rein 'Overwatch the big SHIELD-type thing?'

What he's going back to is basically just a small vigilante group made up of his friends.

It's not an official recall.

[peak escarp]

so Rein, Brig, Torb (and maybe Genji) have responded to Recall, but they're not just sitting around waiting for stuff to happen

Mei has also returned and gone off again

I think Genji might bring Zenyatta to Overwatch

and I'd like to see Genji's reaction to Hanzo showing up at Overwatch with his new look

piercings and undercut and midlife crisis and all

[timid eagle]

I thought it was implied that Hanzo had taken his brother's words to heart and was trying to move on?

Hence his Casual outfit.

[peak escarp]

yes

but we don't know if Genji has seen his new look

[timid eagle]

Good point.

Genji might giggle at the pants.

[peak escarp]

I think Genji would laugh initially, but he'd be supportive

maybe give him some fashion tips

I think Genji was probably stylish in his playboy days

maybe he found those pants in Genji's old things

are we really supposed to read Echo's "Monkey?" comment to mean that she doesn't know Winston?

I see it as confirmation that she knows Winston, and she knows he doesn't like being called a monkey

her tone of voice isn't "Monkey? who is that?", it's more "Monkey? You know he doesn't like that."

[kind wren]

I mean mcree kinda quickly corrects himself jokingly supporting the above as well

[timid eagle]

We really don't know anything about Echo at this time.

Not really digging her design, but that's a discussion for another topic.

[valid shell]

She suffers from the same problems as Doomfist and Brigitte.

Their designs (or silhouette, in Doomfist's case) were created long before they were ever intended to be playable.

[timid eagle]

I honestly liked her original design. The holo face ruins it, along with the butt crack.

[feral lintel]

eh... her design is what it is

at least we have orisa as a non-sexy female robot

[valid shell]

How do you know her original design didn't have a crack?

[feral lintel]

considering the designs for female characters were a bit saucier back then than they are now, she probably did have a crack

[valid shell]

The holo-face is cool in theory, but its application in Reunion is weird.

[worthy rose]

I don't wanna start a fight or something, but isn't Echo's design very, very much... Muriel-like?

Muriel from Paragon

[iron plume]

not really? I don't see it
other than the robotic female concept

[worthy rose]

White body paint, blue accent color lights, 4 wing-like attachments

[valid shell]

Then you could also argue it's like the girl robot from Wall-E.

[iron plume]

or EDI

[valid shell]

Or like Sonny from I, Robot.

[feral lintel]

or an iphone

[wary walrus]

Definetly an Echo echo fighter

Lol

[worthy rose]

@worthy rose I agree withchu!! tbh when I first saw her i instantly thought of Muriel ^^"

[wicked grotto]

eeeeeva @valid shell

[cedar galleon]

I wonder when Echo will be put in the game

Theyve probably been planning her for awhile

[violet totem]

You know that Ana Amari pretended to be dead. As soldier76 or reaper (went missing).

What if Widow's husband is still alive and he will pop up suddenly

[iron plume]

sigh

[latent iron]

No one dies in Overwatch!

[iron plume]

Ana, Soldier and Reaper were never said to us to be dead

they pretended to be in universe but they weren't in the story

Gerard is dead in story and him being dead is an incredibly important part of it

[timid nova]

Echo can be seen in concept art from 2014 OW though, they had a design like that in mind since well before Paragon.

[subtle moss]

The face is terrible.

But she'd look sleek as fuck with a face-plate, Optimus Prime style. He looks kinda goofy with the visor down, but when it's up he's a total badass.

[timid nova]

The thing is, I dont think that's the original body for the chip McCree was carrying

I mean it would be weird for some random military train to be carrying the specific exo frame for an original OW agent.

But then again that's purely speculation.

Even weirder would be that if it was totally unique, it would be near priceless and seems strange that it's in a random train seemingly unguarded over a territory that's notoriously known for the Deadlock Gang.

On a train at all really, instead of a cargo ship, etc

[iron plume]

how would you send a cargo ship across a continent

[subtle moss]

With its engines, presumably.

[timid nova]

I dunno, the same way you would send a plane.

[subtle moss]

I'm more curious about why she's being transferred at all.

Any of the relics from OW should have had years and years and years to be locked up wherever.

I doubt it's actually anything significant, the writers might have just overlooked it, but it's a fair enough point.

[timid nova]

Yeah, and the timing.

You might be right, their writers have just written stuff for the story or for cool factor before.

[terse oak]

Having Gerard be alive would cheapen Widow's character

I feel like that should just be fucking pinned tbh

[iron plume]

it would also cheapen the entire blackwatch storyline

[timid nova]

Well depending on what exactly Echo is, it could be a future possibility.

[iron plume]

...how

[timid nova]

Well,

That chip

[iron plume]

in what way is Echo related to Gerard being alive

[timid nova]

Is either a key

Or maybe an Actual Intelligence.

A person stored on a chip.

If they can clone a persons identity on a chip and use an exo frame for them like an afterlife,

[iron plume]

that's not how AI works

[timid nova]

Then you could posit they did the same for Gerard

[iron plume]

where are you getting that this is a "clone"

[timid nova]

It's called theorizing

[iron plume]

it's called theorizing when it's based on something

what you're doing is called making shit up

[pure kernel]

:0

[timid nova]

Are you ok?

You asked how it could be related, I answered

No need for personal attack.

[iron plume]

it's not a personal attack

it's an attack on your argument

because it's not based on anything

[timid nova]

Except.. the very minimal 30 seconds of character

Like Gerard Speculation is

[iron plume]

...

[timid nova]

He is dead (TM)

And you're talking about possibility of Blizz bringing him back

[iron plume]

no

you're talking about that

I'm saying that he won't be

[timid nova]

Me too

[iron plume]

because it doesn't make sense, either by the universe's rules, nor for the story to go there

[timid nova]

And then went on to say the only way that could even be bullshitted into existence

Would be that hypothetical situation with Echo

[subtle moss]

You were talking about wanting a trans character

what about Gerard in a fembot

[iron plume]

...no

[terse oak]

Nice shitpost

Next

[iron plume]

pls no next

[regal coyote]

now now ignoring the shitpost content

there is still a chance that echo houses the brain or mind of an ex-human

but i think this is unlikely

[iron plume]

there’s a chance for anything but i seriously doubt it

[regal coyote]

and there is 0% chance they make it a trans fembot

it would be the shittiest dumbfuck decision

[iron plume]

pretty much

[regal coyote]

i mean blizz is smart enough to not make something that asks for mass anger

[crimson hearth]

as long its not a token character.

[iron plume]

sigh

if they make one it won’t be

[regal coyote]

tht is the WORST way to introduce a trans character i guess (then again, there is always worse)

it is like when they finally give us the black female character it turns out to be an overweight southern mama who works at a plantation while singing and eating fried chicken... it would be worse than not having it

i say it cause there was a mroe BBW chinese lady in the concept art, thoughe veryone loves that as it is cool af

but if you change it to a black female and publish it people gonna rage

[peak escarp]

Mama Hong is a joke character

she will never be in the game

she's literally the landlady from Kung Fu Hustle

[timid eagle]

The ability to summon tornados sounds cool, though.

[iron plume]

i mean
junk rat is literally a war boy from mad max

at that stage i think it was used as a base, she wasn’t going to be exactly as in pic even if they went with her

with the direction ow changed though it’s not happening

[subtle moss]

A lot of other characters are walking stereotypes imo but whatever.

[peak escarp]

there's a difference between being a stereotype and literally ripping off a character

[lean prawn]

a lot of people are fine with characters adhering to tropes as long as something interesting is being done with them

[limpid agate]

@subtle moss Mama Hong is not a stereotype. Its literally another character from Kung Fu Hustle.

Its not a trope

Its literally just

The landlady

It would be like, if instead of having a barn owl, this was Reaper's mask

[feral lintel]

i thought reaper's mask was supposed to be a crow or raven, since you hear them caw when he teleports

[limpid agate]

That's a skin

[feral lintel]

i hear those sound effects no matter what skin i use

[feral lintel]

weird that they didn't go with owls hooting, then

it wouldn't have made his teleport sound any less "spooky"

[limpid agate]

Its also a symbol of death in Mexican lore

[feral lintel]

i know

i'm just saying that the sound effect when he teleports is of ravens/crows, not owls

[timid nova]

I would just call that a personal design choice or flourish from the SFX team.

[feral lintel]

i guess so

[pure kernel]

Doc u take that back

[pure kernel]

What the barn owl?

Or the skull

[peak escarp]

take what back?

[pure kernel]

Hmm

I forgot

Owls are a symbol of death?

[peak escarp]

in Mexican culture, yes

[pure kernel]

Huh

[peak escarp]

further hints that Reyes has Mexican heritage

[pure kernel]

Well he's got that mariachi skin

[peak escarp]

never said the hints were subtle

[pure kernel]

Pharah has the rain

Rain

[peak escarp]

raindancer

[pure kernel]

raindancer?

Yes

Raindancer skin

Hmm

What about Road tho

[peak escarp]

which is an odd choice if her heritage is PNW native

since rain dances are more a midwest/southwest thing

[iron plume]

the skin itself is from that area's totems though

[peak escarp]

no need to dance for rain around here

yes

the name is just odd

[pure kernel]

Thunderburd

[peak escarp]

Thunderbird is a good name

the Thunderbird is big in PNW mythology

the UBC sports mascot is the Thunderbird

[pure kernel]

What about Hog

[iron plume]

the seahawks logo is also based on that totem

[peak escarp]

Hog's Toa and Islander were referenced from Maori warriors

and his bed and teacup feature a New Zealand pattern

[feral lintel]

hog may have kiwi and/or polynesian heritage, but it hasn't been confirmed

[peak escarp]

yes

[limpid agate]

It is heavily implied that he is from Kiwiland

[peak escarp]

Pharah is the only one of those three whose heritage is confirmed

Reyes and Roadhog are just strongly hinted at

[pure kernel]

Aww kiwis

What does el blanco mean

[peak escarp]

"the white"

[pure kernel]

Oh

Duh

Does color mean anything?

[feral lintel]

well, the skin called "el blanco" is coloured white

[pure kernel]

But does it mean anything?

In mexican culture?

[feral lintel]

i don't know

[pure kernel]

Useless

[white cobalt]

Nope, means mothing

[pure kernel]

Boohoo

[feral lintel]

iirc white is a color associated with death in some asian cultures, though

[pure kernel]

Yeaaaah but we're talking mexican culture here

It doesnt matter, it doesnt mean anything :<

[white cobalt]

The only thing is the reference to dia de muertos, based on the skull design, also is a mariachi suit for gala. Other than that black and white colors are just colors

[pure kernel]

Nice reference, not as deep as Hog's tho

[main bone]

Was the healing room made with ana-like technology since it insta-kills enemy?

[limpid agate]

@main bone What are you talking about

[dense estuary]

healing room?

[pure kernel]

I think he's talkin about the spawn room

[timid eagle]

I’m really curious what Zen’s Djin skins (Irift and Djinyatta) have in relation to the character.

[peak escarp]

they're supposed to represent "enlightened" beings

same with Ra and Sunyatta

[timid eagle]

But aren’t Djin’s usually portrayed as cosmic tricksters?

[peak escarp]

idk

that's just what the artbook said

I'll take a picture when I get home if you want

[timid eagle]

It feels like a weird choice, as unlike for a certain blue genie, Djin’s are known for tricking and manipulating unsuspecting travellers.

Or those who are stupid enough to find their lamp.

Or are summoned.

I get Ra being used for a “spiritually enlightened” creature.

But not Djinn’s

[white cobalt]

Technically djinn are genies, but reading the wiki they have many concepts

So kinda fits with "enlightened mythological figures"

[limpid agate]

Rotated

[peak escarp]

thanks

it doesn't refer to Ifrit/Djinyatta directly

but they could be seen as "enlightened"

[dapper egret]

Athena is just jarvis, Echo is vision

confirmed

[peak escarp]

what

[valid shell]

@dapper egret Source?

[timid eagle]

He's either speculating or blowing hot air.

Best to ignore him.

[peak escarp]

or memeing

[limpid agate]

Its best to move on

[solid bloom]

ASHE IS THAT YOU

"you know it buck. -shoots head off"

[timid eagle]

Ashe: "Bob, do somethin'!"

runs off a cliff

Ashe: Sigh "Not THAT kind of somethin'."

[limpid agate]

@solid bloom Shitposting will result in a loss of access

@timid eagle You should know better too

[solid bloom]

this was the wrong server

and I think Ashe is cool. also she has a sniper and she came into the game like bam

also is an another robot joining us

i would like a robot with melee like

like with rockets

[limpid agate]

There are lots of omnics in the lore.

[solid bloom]

like Bob?

[limpid agate]

Yes

Max and Lynx 17 have the best odds to become heroes overall

Max is a leader of Talon that runs a casino. He gives me a real De Niro vibe.

[solid bloom]

Max is stupid

Max is stupid

Peta will get mad bc of that

[limpid agate]

What?

[solid bloom]

Max the dog

[limpid agate]

Max is not a dog

Max is an omnic

[solid bloom]

oh

his name should be

[limpid agate]

Shitposting will result in a loss of access, final warning.

[solid bloom]

i was going to say

Maxbot

[limpid agate]

Max is short for Maximilien.

[solid bloom]

ik

but robot that has a casino and takes your money is kinda sus

and might end start an another war

*might start

[limpid agate]

That is Talon's goal

Or at least the goal that Doomfist is pushing it towards

[solid bloom]

i think this should happen

Sombra hacks the Russian person who is in an alliance with them and takes over the world

with widowmaker and reaper

but to all just get them killed

so she can kill the bad guys and be a hero

[limpid agate]

That makes no sense.

Please dont make random suggestions that make no sense.

[hasty surge]

Jewvia don't entertain him

He's trying to make fun of you

[timid eagle]

Yeah, it's a lot like if I ask a dumb question about what kind of socks Reinhardt wears.

[graceful rover]

6

[subtle moss]

Aliens seems like such a logical eventual stepping point for Overwatch but I doubt it will ever happen.

[regal coyote]

no it will not

but some giant omnic AI entity will be

[worthy rose]

what kind of socks DOES rein wear 🤔 💭 🤔 🤔 @timid eagle

[dire timber]

uh

what kind of question is that

[feral lintel]

no shitposting, please

[fiery tundra]

OK, I'm honestly wondering what kind of socks Rein would wear. Do you think he'd have some underarmor-eque high tech socks for maximum efficiency, or is he more the 100% organic wool type of guy because wool is naturally antibiotic, breathing and warm?

I assume, anyway, that he wears socks and that maybe they're not necessarily part of his provided uniform.

[feral lintel]

can't tell if this is a really in-depth shitpost or not

[regal coyote]

On a more practical and functional sense, yes it would be different

like a flightt suit, his undersuit to be used inside the powerarmor wold be more specialized.

Not sure if socks or not, but for sure there would be quite some comfy material covering his feet, given that he would be in it for long periods of time.

[feral lintel]

is it confirmed he wears a "zero suit" underneath? he's never shown in one, unlike d.va

[regal coyote]

last thing you want is a wet and stinky foot section causing disease

i think in one of the photos he got a grey t-shirt kinda thing, not sure if just a normal outfit, or his "ero suit"

[feral lintel]

whenever he's out of his armor, he's always in pretty normal looking casual clothes

so that's presumably what he wears underneath

[solid bloom]

There should be a New Healer.

[dire timber]

uh

we already got Ana, Moira, Brigitte

[solid bloom]

yea but I think like

A healer that has melee moves

but is also ranged

[feral lintel]

brigitte

[dire timber]

uhhh

[solid bloom]

What about an another ninja but he is a healer

but he has smoke bombs

and he can heal

[dire timber]

uhhhhh

[solid bloom]

Also is lore like new things that are coming?

[dire timber]

oh, about that

lore is the story of the game

like, not gameplay

[solid bloom]

oh.

[dire timber]

but stuff like comics, animated shorts

[solid bloom]

So like doomfist's fist in the museum

[weary copper]

Speaking of doomfist

If his fist can destroy a skyscraper

Why can't he beat an angery gorilla?

[ornate cloud]

Apparently the gorilla can do more

[weary copper]

It's a fokin gorilla

[ornate cloud]

Than blow up a skyscraper

[limpid agate]

@subtle moss Aliens are not a logical stepping point. Overwatch is very grounded in Earth, and the whole point is an optimistic future of the world. If you want aliens, play StarCraft.

[ornate cloud]

And he's a dude

[weary copper]

actually i have a question

was morrison in charge when winston landed in gibraltar?

[limpid agate]

@ornate cloud It was just a kid saying he can level a sky scraper, it's not an actual feat

[ornate cloud]

It'd be kinda cool if there was an alien character though. Something that came from space

And yeah I wasn't serious

[limpid agate]

@weary copper Yes, Jack was in charge for about 20 years

[weary copper]

I wonder what his reaction was lol

"Sir? There's a gorilla in a space pod in the Gibraltar base"

[limpid agate]

HLC isn't exactly public knowledge, but it's not a mystery either

[ornate cloud]

Rumors

[limpid agate]

There's posters for it in London

[weary copper]

HLC?

[limpid agate]

Horizon Lunar Colony

[weary copper]

oh yea that

It would still be wierd to have a gorilla land in a base tho

[limpid agate]

Sure, but it's not like it would be an unexplainable mystery

[weary copper]

I wish the space pod was in the gibraltar map

[limpid agate]

There's gonna be confusion

But then they'll be fine pretty quick

@weary copper It is

It's in attacker spawn

[weary copper]

It is?

Oh

[ornate cloud]

I mean it's not like the world wouldn't know about a whole lunar colony

[weary copper]

o.o

[limpid agate]

It even has Hammonds tether on it since launch

[weary copper]

didn't know

[obsidian isle]

i dont think advertising is something you should do here

[tame cave]

only in the video content tab

[limpid agate]

Moving swiftly onwards

[sudden trellis]

please tell me that im not the only one whos getting the error "rendering device lost"
cus my game keeps crashing

[limpid agate]

@sudden trellis Wrong channel

Use #overwatch

[peak escarp]

I don't think the rope on the capsule is Hammond's tether

it looks like a weird rope ladder

it's attached to the door, not the bottom of the capsule

[lean prawn]

a good portion of the tether went with Hammond's capsule when it detached

I think it was everything except for the claw

[peak escarp]

https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/1061407164797878273?s=19

Michael Chu (@westofhouse)

@NotAVespa Base of operations doesn't always mean where the hero was born.

Twitter

confirms what I was thinking

Ashe's base of operations is Arizona, but I bet anything she's Texan

[feral lintel]

if ashe is texan, then mccree might be too

for them to have met as kids

[peak escarp]

probably

[timid nova]

Nah, Texans have more sense.

She's got a very English naming paradigm too.

Elizabeth Ashe

McCree might be.

[peak escarp]

there are hints in her origin story that she's from Texas

the flowers, her arrest number

[timid nova]

I did see that TX photo, so possibly.

Oh those are bluebonnet flowers

Maybe so then

State flower.

[peak escarp]

yep

[timid nova]

Good eye!

[peak escarp]

plus oil rigs in the background

Texas is known for oil

if they met as teens, McCree would be from Texas or one of the neighbouring states

[timid nova]

Yeah, it would have either been Arizona or Texas to have a drawl like that

Probably West Texas

[peak escarp]

and if Jesse was a farm boy, he may have actually ridden a horse before

since horses are still used for ranching

[timid nova]

Yeah. A lot of people think high tech universe means ease of access but there are still things made and used for simplicity.

No reason for horses to just disappear

[peak escarp]

it's also a popular meme that Jesse doesn't know what a horse is

[timid nova]

Or the ceiling fans in the diner.

[feral lintel]

jesse seeing a horse for the first time and being afraid of it would be hilarious

[timid nova]

Well, the spurs on the boots exist for the Express purpose of riding interaction on a horse

[feral lintel]

because horses are pretty freaky

[peak escarp]

everyone thought his cowboy aesthetic was just for fashion

[timid nova]

I doubt McCree doesnt know their purpose

[peak escarp]

turns out he actually is a cowboy

[timid nova]

Ashe's clothing is a little odd.

She's got the riding chaps which makes sense with the motorcycle

[zenith forge]

yeah

[timid nova]

But she's dressed more like a hero than a villain.

Like I see sheriff, not bandit.

[zenith forge]

but whats really weird is that she has a robot when shes more western than anything

[timid nova]

But then again black hat always = villain in cowboys.

[feral lintel]

to me, ashe's fashion sense is "how a rich girl would think cowboys dress"

[peak escarp]

yeah

McCree is dressed for practicality

Ashe is dressed to look good

[timid nova]

Yep

Though then again she is a biker cowgirl hybrid

They have a particular hells angels kind of look.

The hat is really the only thing that makes me think western cowboy

Maybe the rifle too.

The vest just.. what is even going on with that zipper

Random belt buckle or does it cross? If it does, what is the point of the zipper? It would look weird totally zipped up

And if it was zipped up, goodbye tie

[feral lintel]

like we said, it's likely just for style

[timid nova]

Yar, just echoing that with reasoning.

I agree.

[timid eagle]

Before the Reunion short, it would've been funny if McCree road off on horse back.

But at least we know he can ride a motorcycle.

[timid nova]

Omnic Horse Steed like the ones from Horizon: Zero Dawn

Could you imagine?

But uses stock horse noises from Mel Brooks.

[pure kernel]

Are horses a thing in the future?

Do people still ride horses?

[runic scroll]

i thought ashe's clothes kind of looked like what a sheriff might wear

with the formal looking shirt and tie and all

if it didn't have the deadlock logo on it, etc

[timid nova]

You are correct sir.

Lawmen tried to look distinguished since they were supposed to be the cornerstone of justice

Although I think hers is more of coming from a rich well dressed background

Versus McCree where all his gear is pretty beat up

[timid eagle]

McCree get's around. Makes me wonder how he's able to keep himself tidy up and such, what with him being a roaming vigilante.

[reef thicket]

not to mention hes missing an army

arm*

[timid nova]

Uses nano bots to continuously clean his skin like those fish that nibble your toes in Thai salons.

[timid eagle]

Just saying. He's probably broke, so it's not like he can go to a hotel and wash up.

He's not only a vigilante, but a homeless vigilante.

[reef thicket]

arent all heros in ow broke

lmfao

i doubt moira reaper jack or ana or rein get paid for anything lmfao

[limpid agate]

@reef thicket Jack and Ana are working independantly in an old ruin with stolen supplies

Reaper and Moira have Talon funding

[timid eagle]

Along with Sombra, who works for them.

[reef thicket]

wait

when did

soldiers animated short take place

before the comic where he meets up with ana?

[timid eagle]

It probably takes place before meeting up with Ana, yeah.

[reef thicket]

o

also talon funding

what

whos funding talon LOL

im pro talon those guys are badass but

who would fund a terrorist organization

[limpid agate]

Max

Vishkar

Doomfist's prosthetic company

Stuff they steal

[reef thicket]

and idk why they'd need funding since they usually just steal shit

only thing i see funding for is

moiras experiments

[limpid agate]

And weapons. And pay for their troops

[reef thicket]

oh yeah

they have troops

forgot about those lmfao

need funding for the cannon fodder

👌

also is it true that the omnics in dvas cinematic are actually talon omnics

[pure kernel]

nnnnay

[reef thicket]

i was reading the comments about that cinematic and some were saying they were talon

due to "markings" and colours

and it would kindof make sense seeing as it was an attack they werent expecting

idk

[limpid agate]

They are unrelated to Talon

They are made from the underwater omnium

[reef thicket]

well their colour scheme are sorta grey/white and red while the omnics colours were usually orange and red eyes

white/red colour scheme matching perfectly with talon but who knows

could just be they are coloured differently to the other omnics like the bastion units

i just wish blizzard would push talons story foward atm

its kinda on pause

or well all OW lore atm is on pause lmfao

seems archives and comics are the only story related things we get these days