Top 5 Features Overwatch Still Needs

With the gift-giving holidays right around the corner, isn't it time we update our wish list? Overwatch's holiday event is starting tomorrow after all, and it would be a shame to let that opportunity pass without asking for anything.

Here is a list of the most desired Overwatch features that aren't yet in the game, but hopefully, someday, will be.

1. Reporting Confirmation

While several enhancements to Overwatch's reporting system – from restricting the number of times you can report to eliminating false reporting – are in the works, there's one that hasn't really been addressed. You see, you can report people until the cows come home, but, short of looking up their profile and stalking their social media pages to see if they ever got punished for toxic behavior, you never know for sure if Blizzard took action.

This is essentially poor customer service, but it makes all the difference. One of the many features for which Dota 2 has been praised is Valve's confirmation message they send after they take action against a player you reported. This let's you know that they've been punished and it was, at least in part, because of your reporting that player. Then the players know that the reporting system works and are encouraged to both keep reporting toxic players and avoid toxicity themselves.

2. Scoreboard

In any other competitive game I've played on the PC, you can press tab at any time to see how you're doing in comparison to your team and to your opponents' team. This could show eliminations, deaths, assists, damage, healing, etcetera.

Maybe it's just me, but I think we have a right to know if someone on our team is stinking up the joint. While I'm sure Blizzard wants to avoid giving ammo to more toxic players, this kind of trial-by-fire can also be an effective tool for learning. If I hit tab to see that I'm doing terribly in comparison to my team, I can take that as a sign that I'm doing something wrong and work to improve

3. Dedicated Spectator Mode

I hate to keep referring to Dota 2, but it had spectating down to a science. I could look through a list of all currently in-progress games being played and spectate any one of them. I could sort this list of games by any number of factors, including relevant heroes. It lets you adjust the camera, and gives you the feed at a slight delay to avoid cheating. The best part? I could spectate games while searching for a game myself.

Overwatch still lacks a dedicated spectate mode. While you can spectate games, you can only do so if the teams are full. Otherwise the "spectate" button simply makes you join the game and wait for a spot to open up. This means you can't search for your own game while spectating. It's a bit of a shame.

4. Leaver Compensation

Leaving has always been a huge problem in Overwatch. But, while everyone is focusing on the idea of still receiving a loss, ever since the Arcade has come out, you have to wonder why the other team doesn't also receive a win. Let's say my team goes up 2-0 in a 3v3, and I'm one win away from receiving one of the coveted bonus loot boxes. Then … they leave. The game ends, and we don't get a win. The other team should be compensated with a win in this case.

In fact, the case could be made that this should even count in competitive, regardless of the circumstance. In Starcraft II, you could find that your opponent leaves within the first minute. Sucks to be them, Blizzard says. They get a loss, and you get a win, and all that implies. You get a boost in the ladder and MMR. So why shouldn't that happen in Overwatch?

5. Replay/Match History

Reportedly, this one is in the works, so it might be the most realistic Christmas wish, but how is this not already in Overwatch? Currently the only way to share videos from the PC is the traditional, third-party capture routes, rather than a dedicated, in-game match history with viewable, and perhaps downloadable, replays.

This would allow you to analyze, learn and grow, but also to reminisce. Remember that time I went 60-0??? Let's watch that replay. The likely problem with a match history is that it probably necessitates a scoreboard (see above), which Overwatch also doesn't have.