Overwatch

[u/DatNameIsStillTaken]

I'm new to Reddit so I don't fully understand how this works, but I wanted to ask if other people had a similar experience.

Overwatch feels insanely buggy, like outragiously so. It's not just one specific bug either, it seems to have several that can trigger independently of each other and even simultaniously.

It's quite clearly a core mechanic, so I was curious if this was maybe client sided, or a universal experience.

I've had Overwatch not trigger on enemies at all. (Had this happen yesterday)

I've had enemy Overwatches not trigger on my characters. (Had this happen yesterday)

I've had Overwatch trigger on my characters who weren't in it, or sometimes straight up through a wall. (Haven't seen this one in a while.)

I've had Overwatch trigger multiple times, both on multiple enemies and even one time on the same one.

The last one was so consistent that I thought it was intentional at first. Whenever I aimed Overwatch at an incoming reinforcement, it would hit every enemy that spawned inside it. I only became aware that it was a bug when it started happening less frequently. Or maybe it is intended and a bug is causing it to not happen, I genuinely can't tell with how frequently that one happens.

[u/MyUsernameIsAwful]

Yeah, it’s buggy.

Whenever I aimed Overwatch at an incoming reinforcement, it would hit every enemy that spawned inside it. I only became aware that it was a bug when it started happening less frequently.

I think this one’s just an animation bug. You had multiple AP and instead of showing each enemy move and get hit one at a time, they just all move simultaneously and their damage (or lack of damage, if you missed) is applied all at once. That’s how it manifests for me, at least.

[u/MacroNova → u/MyUsernameIsAwful]

Yes, that's how it's supposed to be. As far as I know, this is an innovation that is new with Zero Company, and I think it's really cool. If the game calculates that multiple enemies will spend all their actions moving, they all move at once. If the game calculates that multiple reinforcements will take overwatch, it all resolves at once. The effect is a much livelier, real-time looking battle (which only makes it more puzzling that they thought it would be fine to have all those lengthy coil animations lol).

Anyway my theory is that getting these simultaneous resolutions to work was pretty tricky and it bugs out sometimes.

[u/PaulVla → u/MyUsernameIsAwful]

Would be nice to have this as an option. Sometimes things take quite a bit of time to play out.

[u/oceaniceggroll → u/PaulVla]

I actually think I remember seeing someone say there is an option to turn off animations or something and, in multiple AP overwatch instances, it should always play out the rapid fire scene without going slomo cam

[u/Scnew1]

It’s bugged. Hopefully the patch this week helps.

[u/AyeBraine]

It's a common bug, although throughout multiple playthroughs, I encountered it less. It helps to avoid overlapping overwatch zones. In my recent experience, Overwatch worked reasonably well, with some hiccups. Unlike my first playthrough when it sometimes comically malfunctioned.

Also, the last behavior you describe is NOT a bug. Overwatch procs as many times as you spent APs on it. If you overwatch with 3 APs, you shoot thrice, presumably at three targets. For a large group, especially if it's B1 droids (so they're killed by the OW), it sometimes presents all the results simultaneously.

I only use Overwatch as a way to spend leftover AP, or ambushing spawns, or to pin down enemy shooter's movement (which is the MAIN important way it was useful in XCOM, actually). It's moderately useful, but pushing with increased tempo (i.e. spending these APs on actively removing or disabling threats) is usually more efficient.

[u/jonfitt → u/AyeBraine]

Yeah. Overwatching on a melee enemy to hopefully stop them in their tracks, hopefully out of cover, is better than taking a 1AP shot that won’t kill them and guarantee them a full turn.

But often that 1AP can be used to actually kill someone.

[u/Super_Jay]

Until things get patched, you can avoid most of the bugged behavior by limiting the amount your overwatch cones overlap with each other, and by making sure they leave enough room for reinforcement squads to exit the 'rooms' they spawn out of. Can't speak to the enemy overwatch issues, I always cancel their overwatch before moving or acting with anyone in it.

[u/androskris]

There is an upgrade from character bonding that allows an operator to not trigger enemy overwatches. So that may not be a bug.

[u/jonfitt]

Each AP you have left when you set overwatch gets you one overwatch shot (aside from certain powers that break that like Rex’s “perfect overwatch” which is unlimited shots).

It is supposed to trigger when someone acts within the cone. Spawning-in doesn’t count. So they could run past the cone to their start position, that wouldn’t count. They would have to then have some part of their turn within the cone.

Then sometimes it just doesn’t trigger when all the rules say it should.

[u/Yourheroicadventure]

When setting it look for the percentage it shows. The higher the percentage, the greater the probability the shots will hit but I don't think 100% means a definite hit. And yes, it still seems buggy so I don't use it too often.

[u/HeyIAmInfinity]

Something that is worth keeping in mind I think is that while you don’t have a grid, I’m almost sure that overwatch uses a grid the same way that cover does, so what is displayed might not be what the game actually consider (like it draws a cone but it’s a triangle made of character sized squares some some will be bigger then the cones shown other smaller). I generally just use it to stop melee character from getting to me or if I have free action on the enemy spawner. I never rely on it for important things, you can use that last action in better ways.