Overwatch: Fan-favorite B.O.B. now playable thanks to Workshop
An Overwatch player has made Ashe’s sidekick B.O.B. a “playable” character with the Workshop.
The Workshop has given Overwatch players a huge amount of control when creating new game modes, not only able to design rules for the mode itself but also able to influence fundamental mechanics like hero abilities and player perspectives.
Now, Overwatch player u/Gbeast71 has used the Workshop to give players control over fan-favorite character B.O.B., Ashe’s omnic sidekick and ultimate ability.
B.O.B. was an immediate hit with Overwatch players upon the reveal of Ashe, and now you can be directly responsible for whether he “does something.”
When Ashe uses her ultimate, instead of B.O.B. charging off on his own, the player is transferred into his perspective. The mode uses Reinhardt to imitate B.O.B.’s initial charge, before switching to a Soldier: 76 with his Tactical Visor ultimate for B.O.B.’s stationary shooting phase.
Unfortunately, it’s not currently possible to make B.O.B. a fully-fledged hero in his own right. Players can’t yet work with character models and therefore have no means of taking B.O.B. and separating him from Ashe, although it would be possible to approximate his abilities in a similar manner to this.
This isn’t the only example of the Workshop being used to adjust what a particular hero is capable of or how their abilities work. Prolific Workshop creator DarwinStreams has notably developed an improved animation for Genji’s Swift Strike, offered Reinhardt a Brigitte-style Shield Bash, and given Roadhog a hilarious means of becoming a jump pad for his teammates.
B.O.B. was an immediate hit with Overwatch players.It’s an exciting time for Overwatch players, not only with the Workshop offering an infinite number of new ways to play the game, but with a variety of other new content and features to look forward to on the horizon.
The Replays system currently on the Public Test Realm (PTR) will allow players to watch back their games with full observer tools, a valuable feature for both content creators and players looking to improve by reviewing their play.
There have also been hints of more exciting content coming in the future, with reports on a PvE-focused “Overwatch 2” and, in the more immediate future, Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan teasing changes to the typical summer content schedule.
Exact details of what fans have to look forward to remain to be seen, but it’s likely that details for summer at least will begin to emerge in the coming weeks.