Nachdem die Entwickler von Overwatch im Verlauf der vergangenen Tage bereits etwas Material zu der Hintergrundgeschichte von Echo mit ihrer wartenden Fangemeinde geteilt hatten, folgten im Verlauf des heutigen Abends nun auch noch eine Vielzahl von Informationen zu dem Gameplay und den Mechaniken dieses neuen Helden. Die Präsentation dieser Inhalte fand dabei dann in dem Livestream des bekannten Streamers TimTheTatman statt, der an der Seite von Game Director Jeff Kaplan einige Zeit mit Echo im Trainingsmodus von Overwatch verbringen durfte. Dabei stellte dieses Mitglied der Community dann alle Fähigkeiten dieses neuen Schadenverursachers vor und stellte Jeff Kaplan mehrere Fragen zu der Entwickler von Echo. Die interessanteste Mechanik von Echo ist dabei dann vermutlich die Fähigkeit „Duplicate“, deren Aktivierung Echo für einige Sekunden in eine Kopie eines anderen Helden auf dem Spielfeld verwandelt.

Da solch eine Präsentation selbstverständlich den Wunsch der Community nach dieser neuen Spielfigur verstärkt, endete die Vorschau auf Echo netterweise damit, dass der öffentliche Testserver von Overwatch aktualisiert und mit dem Patch für Echo ausgestattet wurde. Wer diese neue Heldin jetzt also selbst spielen möchte, der muss einfach nur den PTR von Overwatch über den Launcher besuchen und die Testversion von Overwatch starten. Neben Echo beinhaltet dieser testbare Patch übrigens auch noch eine Reihe von Fehlerbehebungen für verschiedene Aspekte des Spiels, eine Möglichkeit zum Spawnen eines Bots im Trainingsmodus und eine praktische Verbesserung für die Teleportation von Tracer.

Genauere Informationen zu diesem PTR findet ihr in dem am Ende dieses Beitrags eingebauten PTR-Patchnotes und weitere Informationen zu Echo gibt es entweder in dem Mitschnitt des Livestreams mit Jeff Kaplan oder auf der offiziellen Communityseite von Overwatch.

Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – March 19, 2020:

A new Overwatch patch is in development and now available for testing! To share your feedback or report any issues, please post in the PTR Feedback or PTR Bug Report forums.

Please note that the below patch notes only include changes currently available for testing on the PTR. While many of these changes may also be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in a future patch, the PTR is PC-only and only reflects changes coming specifically to that platform.

NEW HERO: ECHO (DAMAGE)

Echo is an evolutionary robot created by Dr. Mina Liao and programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence, versatile enough to fill multiple battlefield combat roles. Having joined up with the Overwatch team to defend Paris against the Null Sector incursion, Echo is seeing action as a full-fledged member of Overwatch for the first time. Echo fires three shots ( Tri-Shot ) at once, in a triangle pattern. Echo fires a volley of Sticky Bombs that detonates after a delay. Echo uses Flight to surge forward quickly, then can fly freely to avoid danger or maneuver to a more strategic location. Using Focusing Beam , Echo channels a beam for a few seconds, dealing very high damage to targets with less than half health, including barriers. With Duplicate , Echo targets an enemy hero and clones them, gaining all of their abilities and potentially changing a team fight in an instant.

GENERAL UPDATES

New Feature: Training Partner

Within the Practice Range, use the Training Partner Spawner to create a bot of any hero on which you can test your abilities.

General

• Added a “Patch Notes” button on the main menu and within the options menu. Selecting this button will open a web browser with the latest available game updates

HERO UPDATES

Tracer

• Blink
  • Improved the accuracy of Tracer’s blink movement such that Tracer will more likely end up where the crosshair is pointing
• Developer Comments:
  • Tracer will now blink around and over obstacles more easily to move towards the crosshair location. For example, if you aim alongside the corner of a wall, Tracer will blink past the corner
  • Tracer cannot blink through a space where she otherwise cannot fit normally
  • Tracer cannot blink over an obstacle which she otherwise cannot jump over normally, with the jump originating from Tracer’s height at the start of the blink movement
  • We hope that these changes to Tracer’s blink will feel more responsive than before.

BUG FIXES

General

• Fixed an issue preventing switching to the next hero when team spectating D.Va in Custom Games
• Fixed an issue preventing Team FFA settings and some Hero settings from being pasted back into Custom Game Settings via copy-paste
• Fixed a bug that could cause voice lines from opposing teams to be heard at Hero Select screens on certain maps
• Fixed a bug where knockbacks were not working correctly if the target was moving down a ramp
• Alt+Tab now will cancel saving a highlight, instead of causing problems with playback

Maps

• Blizzard World
  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to stand in an unintended location between the first and second point
• Busan
  • Fixed a bug that caused Sombra’s translocator to float when thrown in certain spots
• Dorado
  • Fixed a bug that could cause players can get stuck between the scooter and wall
• Havana
  • Fixed a bug that could cause players to get stuck on some bushes
• Hollywood
  • The capture area for the first capture point no longer extends outside of the visual capture boundary
• Ilios
  • Fixed a bug that could cause players to get stuck between a wall, plant, and tree

Heroes

• Mei
  • Fixed a bug where an already frozen enemy getting hit by Blizzard would cause the frozen visual effect to end too early
• Moira
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s Fade icon from appearing disabled when she is stunned

Workshop

• Fixed an issue preventing Big Message and Small Message from displaying messages in Practice Range

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