We all know that feeling when you manage to make an epic play and want to share it with your friends. From its original release back in 2016, Overwatch was known for its Play of the Game feature which showed the best play of the match at the end of it.
However, up until this point the in-game AI was selecting your highlights which were heavily based on the damage or healing numbers. This is about to change with the new Overwatch Replays system, coming to the live game very soon.
Overwatch Replays is another new game feature which expands upon the idea of saving your best in-game moments. It gives players a new set of tools to watch their past games, similar to ones used in the Overwatch League. With Overwatch Replays, you’ll be able to watch recordings of your games, speeding up or slowing down every important moment while changing the camera angle and much more.
According to a blog post by the Overwatch team, the new feature should enable players who want to get better at the game, help them hone their strategies and further analyze the critical moments of their gameplay.
Blizzard also provided players with a handful of tips to get you started.
Here are some of the shortcuts:
– N: Show/hide controls
– W, A, S, and D: Move camera around on a plane
– Q and E: Move camera up and down
– Scroll Wheel Up: Increase playback speed
– Scroll Wheel Down: Decrease playback speed
– (Ctrl+P): Toggle play/pause
– Spacebar: Toggle between first-person and third-person view
– Left/Right Mouse Button: Detach from first-person and third-person view to free camera
– F1–F12: Spectate players (corresponds with the player list in media controls)
– 0: Snap to the objective
– (Ctrl+L): Show map overlay
– (Ctrl+1) – (Ctrl+9): Save bookmarks
– 1–9: Restore camera bookmarks
And a few tips to level up your Replays experience:
– If you want to learn how a specific player uses a hero, make sure to spectate both them and the enemy they’re attacking. This will help you understand the difference in their play styles.
– Using the map overlay (Ctrl+I) to watch a match will help you understand how the team fights unfold. The icons for each hero provide status indicators so you can see exactly what is happening to that player.
– For the best view when using the map overlay, position your camera high in the sky and look straight down at the ground. This allows you to see an overhead map when using the tool.
– Setting up static cameras in specific locations can help you view fights from multiple perspectives and better understand team rotations. Remember to bookmark your locations each new match.
– If you’re creating highlight footage for videos, don’t overuse slow motion. For the most dramatic effect, slow down the most impactful moments of a play or a team fight.
For the time being, Overwatch Replays will be stored in your player’s profile, right under the new Replays tab. The feature will be able to save up to 10 of your most recent games. However, similar to the Highlight feature, all the existing replays will be deleted after the new patch. The feature is currently available on the Public Test Realm (PTR) for PC players only, but Blizzard ensured that it will be coming to consoles as well.
Already have a cool replay of your Overwatch skills? Share it in the comments!
