Observer Mode Preview

October 9th, 2014 - Nearly two months after the Gamescom interview announcing the development of observer mode, Relic Entertainment previewed an Alpha of the feature on Twitch.tv. Relic has long been criticized for the distinct absence of such a feature, cited by many as being a major hurdle in the development of a Company of Heroes 2 competitive e-sports scene.

Since launch, game casters and tournament organizers have been forced to cast games via the replay system. Although many great casts have been produced using this feature, there was a missing element - the excitement of live entertainment. Much like the thrill of watching live sports on TV, there is no way to replicate the experience without Observer Mode. While there have been many exciting moments in COH2 history thus far, the future of COH2 casting will be defined by the raw, exhilarating, and unpredictable nature of watching a match live.

The preview is, we hope, a sign of positive growth for the Company of Heroes 2 franchise. The feature was developed with the support of a number of community members, who have long desired a more robust means of casting games. Todays preview gave us our first public glimpse into the features and UI associated with the new Observer Mode, and we have taken the time to compile the details for your reading pleasure.

What is Observer Mode?

Observer Mode is a feature of many modern games that allows people to watch a game in progress. Unlike the replay system, viewers are able to (based on certain settings and conditions, more on this below) watch other players duke it out in real time. The system will allow players to view auto-match games, as well as custom games. The feature is key for E-Sports tournaments, as casters can watch the game in real time as it unfolds. You will also be able to watch some of your favorite players in-game, instead of only through their live stream on websites such as Twitch.tv or Hitbox.

Observer Mode & Automatch

Relic confirmed in todays stream that the Observer Mode feature will allow viewers to watch any live automatch game that is currently being played via the in-game engine. In order to address concerns that players can potentially cheat by being fed information about their opponent, automatch Observer Mode will be delivered on an 8 minute delay. This duration can potentially be changed before the feature is rolled out. Players will be able to view a list of observable games, filter by game size (1v1, 2v2, etc.), as well as sort the list by ranking, allowing you to watch top-ranked players compete in the ladder. You can also sort by friends games, and cheer your friends on, or heckle them for their mistakes.

Observer Mode & Custom Games

In custom games, players are given more options when it comes to delaying the feed. Custom games are presented with a slider that the host can use to adjust or remove the delay, as well as set a password on the game so you can control who views your game. Custom games with no delay could be used to cast live tournaments in an "offline" setting, where players are in soundproof boxes, wearing noise-canceling headphones, and the casters and audience are all present. This is the truly live E-sports dream that the Company of Heroes franchise has yet to experience. Custom games with no delay could also be used for mentoring, as well as "winner-stays" round robins between friends or clan-members. For large "online" events with money prizes, like SNF, ESL, or Alienware Arena, the delay could even be increased to 15 minutes, ruling out any possibility of cheating.

Observer Parties

Also announced in the stream was the Observer Party feature. This allows observers to form a party and watch games in sync, ensuring all observers are watching the same action on screen. The host of the Observer Party is able to pause the feed for everyone in the party, creating a seamless system for multiple shoutcasters to deliver the action to fans. No more hearing a caster yell "DOWN GOES THE TIGER!" while the viewers scratch their heads thanks to the replays falling out of sync.

The UI gets a facelift

In addition to the features already mentioned, the Observer Mode UI and game environment have been much improved. Notably, the UI has been slimmed down to accommodate more information in less space, allowing observers to view the player names, current command points, commanders, bulletins, resources, unit shields, builds, and cooldowns. The "player card" panels that show this information are color coded, so observers know which player is which color at all times. These colors persist, even when you change which player you are following. The XP kickers have also been updated to reflect player color, so observers can quickly identify which player was responsible for killing a unit.




Army unit shields are now persistently displayed on both the top-left and top-right of the screen, a feature that casters have desired for ages. There is one slot for unit shields on each side. This is ideal for 1v1s, as they can simply stay in their slots, with no changing or swapping, for the entire game. For 2v2s and larger, observers are able to rotate which army is displayed with hotkeys or by clicking on the player cards at the bottom.

The new observer UI is scalable, which is a big step forward. A small box in the bottom middle of the UI allows you to click "-" and "+" buttons to scale the UI overlay to your liking or to your monitor resolution.

In place of the ability grid we see in normal games, when a unit is selected, observers can view the portrait, experience level, health, and abilities of a unit. Hopefully other stats like the kill count will be added to this area in the future.

Data and Graphs, oh my!

The new Observer Mode also allows players to view post-game data in real time. This feature allows observers to compare army value, resource float, territory control, unit damage dealt, efficiency, etc, in real time. You can even see the "Most Valuable Unit" as the game progresses.

Cinematic Mode & Removing the UI

Observers also have the option to enable "Cinematic Mode," which removes the UI completely. Hit a hotkey or un-check the "Taskbar" and the UI is gone. This mode is fantastic for making high-quality screenshots or machinima. Company of Heroes 2 has spectacular visuals and graphical fidelity. When great moments unfold, like an IS-2 tank rolling in on an Axis position, sometimes it's more fun to just sit back, gobble some popcorn, and watch the action.

When will Observer Mode be Released?

As of yet, there is still no concrete release date set for the feature. It is reasonable to speculate that Observer Mode may be released alongside the Ardennes Assault stand-alone expansion set to be released on November 18th, 2014. Some reports suggest the feature will be released "Sooner than you think", which may indicate it will arrive ahead of the Ardennes Assault. Back in August, Relic announced an E-Sports partnership with ESL for some time in the 4th quarter of 2014. With the 4th quarter already upon us and 2015 creeping ever closer, we should (hopefully) be seeing more details in the near future.