It’s been a long time coming but Overwatch fans finally have access to a highlight export feature.
Teased back in December by Blizzard, who at the time said it it was a “feature we very much want”, we now finally have a look at a new highlight export feature that comes as part of the recent PTR update 1.13.
As we can tell from this update, the highlight export feature is far deeper and accessible than we could have ever imagined. It allows players to bookmark specific points in a match to save, while a new in-game program will allow you to export these highlights as video files.
This means that when you achieve that epic multi-kill or perhaps a strong defensive stop that might not otherwise making it into your highlights, you can timestamp a specific point and then return to it to cut and export to share.
On PC, players will be able to capture a 12-second clip, and then chop as many of those clips together as they want. On console, however, only one 12 second clip can be captured and exported at once.
Your bookmarked clips will be sent automatically to the new highlights area, which has been named “Recently Captured”. Here you’ll be able to store around 36 highlights at any given time, with the game still collecting your highlights as normal at random intervals.
Blizzard says that this new system will also include an update and improvement to the old system. The old system would delete your highlights if you shut the game. The way it will work now is that all highlights will stay on your profile for 24 hours, regardless of whether you shut down your PC or console, or close the game.
PC players will be able to export with more variety in the video quality compared to console players, with the ability to export a video from highlights up to 4K and running at 60 FPS.
The rest of Update 1.13 brings with it a number of interesting changes.
Players can also expect improvements to the loot box system, with game director, Jeff Kaplan, saying the team is drastically decreasing the rate at which you get duplicates.
Check out the full patch notes below.
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Loot Box Updates
We always want the experience of opening an in-game loot box to feel exciting and rewarding, and in our latest patch we’re working to improve that experience in two key ways. First, we’re drastically reducing the amount of duplicates players will receive when opening loot boxes. Second, to compensate for this reduction of duplicate items, we’re also increasing the overall amount of credits players will receive from loot boxes. On average, players should be earning just as many credits, if not slightly more, from loot boxes than they did prior to these changes.
To help us test this update, all players who log in to the PTR this patch cycle will receive five (5) PTR Loot Boxes. These are standard loot boxes that will only be available on the PTR. Any items earned from loot boxes or unlocked via credits on the PTR will not transfer over to your live account.
New Highlight Options
Our highlights system has received several major updates:
- The game will continue to automatically generate highlights for you based on your recent gameplay. These auto-generated highlights—now categorized as “Today’s Top 5″—will be surfaced on a daily basis and persist for a full 24 hours (or until the game client is patched, whichever happens first).
- Players can now generate their own highlights! The ability to capture 12 seconds of your own gameplay has been added to the game, and can be bound to a single button of your choice (or a button per highlight slot) in the Options menu under “Request Highlight.” These player-generated highlights will be saved under a new section called “Recently Captured” and will persist until the game client is patched. Players can have up to 36 recently-captured highlights stored at one time.
- With the above, players can now record any of their “Top 5” or “Recently Captured” highlights, exporting them as a video file to their gaming platform’s designated media library (on console) or directory (on PC). On PC, players will also have the option to select the quality at which these highlights are exported, supporting up to 4K at 60 FPS for Windows 8 or higher operating systems, and up to 1080p on Windows 7.
