Overwatch 2’s Dynamic Weather System Explained By Blizzard

Dynamic weather is one of the most surprising new features coming to Overwatch 2, and developer Blizzard has granted some insight into how the game’s lighting is made possible. While dynamic weather and day/night cycles are now fairly commonplace in open-world games, it rarely comes into play in hero shooters like Overwatch, where matches usually aren’t last long enough for these transitions to make sense. However, that’s going to change in Overwatch 2.

It should be noted that dynamic weather in this case is different from what Overwatch has done in the past during seasonal events. Previously, for occasions like Halloween and Christmas, Overwatch were cosmetically redesigned to match the occasion. For example, bright and sunny become covered in snow during parts of December, while daytime maps are made to take place on spooky nights around October. It’s a small change that gives the game a little more festivity and variety, particularly for players who play the same maps every day. However, Blizzard is looking to take that approach much further for Overwatch 2‘s maps.

On the Overwatch blog, software engineer Marco Alamia and engineers Bruce Wilkie and Fabien Christin discussed how dynamic weather will work and what makes it tick. In Overwatch 2, the weather will sometimes change mid-match, meaning that maps like the Temple of Anubis can be subject to sudden sandstorms. Other maps like Paris may begin to see rainfall at random times throughout a game. The team explains that this will both be visually interesting but also impact gameplay; elements like sandstorms will “slowly increase cloud coverage and sand effect density,” and maps that transition into a nighttime setting will also naturally affect visibility.

This is all possible because of the use of environment states. Simply put, the team separated different meteorological aspects into different assets that can be applied randomly to each level. Not only that, but these aspects can be mixed together to create even more possibilities. Of course, aspects such as sandstorms will most likely not be applied to areas like Paris, but factors like the sun’s position and intensity of rainfall can now be randomly combined to give every new Overwatch 2 map a unique feel every time they load up.  It’s a fascinating way to address the issue of multiplayer maps growing stale throughout a game’s lifespan, especially when modern lighting technology has become so impressive.

Overwatch has always been one of the more vibrant and varied online shooters, featuring unique heroes and levels that range from beautiful futuristic settings to space stations on the Moon. However, even these settings have become slightly repetitive over the game’s five years lifespan. It was already exciting enough that Overwatch 2 would add more locales to the existing Overwatch map roster and feature a campaign for the first time, but the addition of environmental states could take the game to a new level entirely. With luck, this is a practice that other popular shooters will employ someday. It would be especially fitting in battle royale titles such as Call of Duty: Warzone, where the weather and time of day don’t change despite long match times.

Source: Overwatch

About The Author

Johann Hamilton
(106 Articles Published)

See also  Kerbal Space Program 2 Is Making It More Interesting To Watch Kerbals Fly

Johann Hamilton is a Screen Rant freelance contributor based in New York City. When he isn’t combing the internet for the latest developments in nerd culture, he can usually be found scouring the PlayStation Store for the best deals or enjoying some old school Super Nintendo. He is also a proud NYU graduate, completing his Master’s degree in Professional Writing at New York University. Johann’s favorite gaming genres are RPGs, hack n’ slashes, and (overly challenging) platformers.

More From Johann Hamilton