Matchmaking - please condence the playerbase

[Stoffen]

So hopefully everyone and their next of kin will buy the game and this will not be an issue after release.
However, as it is right now, finding competetive games is very difficult.

I suspect that this will be an unpopular opinion, but I think the whole lobby setup needs to change UX-wise.
The game needs to funnel players into the same pool to make sure we get the most out of the collective playerbase.
What I suggest is the following:

• Every game counts towards ranking a player (barring custom games). Parametres to be whatever makes sense.
• Players enter a lobby where they can invite (multiple) teammates, choose decks, choose (multiple) gamemode and (multiple) game size.
• From here the process is automated as the game tries to match players by rank and search parametres.

Maybe a map veto function.

The custom game stuff needs to be somewhere /hidden/ where you go trough the "normal" matchmaking to find it.

If the player base is large enough, you can also sort people into leagues - but this is dreaming.


It not fun for anyone if you jump into your first game in a lobby game against a team on comms with 300 hours.
The game needs to segment the players. It is demoralizing for new players to just get stomped without knowing neither how nor why. Generally speaking, there is no need to re-invent the wheel here. Look at the Coh2 UX and do the exact same thing.

 

[FatRefrigerator]

Yes please, the current quickmatch is inexcusably bad for a game made in this day and age.

 

[Raventhefuhrer]

The problem with a matchmaker is you can't have both systems. Realistically, either everyone has to use the matchmaker or no one uses it because otherwise players are too split up.

It's fine to have custom lobbies for niche games/friendly in house games, but they need to be buried behind five menus where the new player has no chance of even finding them before he's already used to the matchmaker.

 

[FatRefrigerator]

The problem with a matchmaker is you can't have both systems. Realistically, either everyone has to use the matchmaker or no one uses it because otherwise players are too split up.

It's fine to have custom lobbies for niche games/friendly in house games, but they need to be buried behind five menus where the new player has no chance of even finding them before he's already used to the matchmaker.

People in the quickmatcher should be slotted into the public custom game that best fills their requirements if no quick match is available.

This could be an option you turn off if you absolutely want to only find other quickmatches.

 

[I WUB PUGS]

They said there's gonna be changed to the MM so I'll wait before I give my bitches/thoughts.

 

[Snitctongue]

its actually a simple fix and its all to do with player mentality, renaming it to Ranked battles instead of quick match i think would have a positive effect.

 

[I WUB PUGS]

its actually a simple fix and its all to do with player mentality, renaming it to Ranked battles instead of quick match i think would have a positive effect.

But we already have RANKED and quick match is in response TO NO ONE USING RANKED AND THUS DEPRIVING US OF QUICKMATCHES.

 

[Person012345]

But we already have RANKED and quick match is in response TO NO ONE USING RANKED AND THUS DEPRIVING US OF QUICKMATCHES.

"Quick Match" will appeal to more casual players, meaning you will get more matches but they're less likely to be as competitive. Ranked will appeal to players who care more about stats, which means you'll get less matches but they'll be more competitive (though not necessarily fun or good).

At least that's my theory.

 

[Admiral_Awesome]

I have the strong feeling that you are trying to force me into something (matchmaking) for your own personal gain (more competitive matches).

I can understand your arguments but It feels too much like paternalism for me to actually like and support it.

 

[Person012345]

I am 100% against forcing people to use matchmaking, and it obviously won't happen because it'd make it impossible to play with friends.

 

[Tortique]

I am 100% against forcing people to use matchmaking, and it obviously won't happen because it'd make it impossible to play with friends.

Since when it is impossible to play matchmaking with friends? Matchmaking is not 1v1 only, you know, it's also 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4. I often played 2v2s and 3v3s in CoH2 with my friends. Depending on the number of players in game it might be a bit difficult to find a fair game when it comes to your opponetn's skill but I can live with that. Better play the game then sit in lobby and wait for hours waiting for someone you consider to be of equal skill and who wants to play against you. Remember, RD was called "Lobby simulator" among the people for a reason.

 

[Person012345]

Since when it is impossible to play matchmaking with friends? Matchmaking is not 1v1 only, you know, it's also 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4. I often played 2v2s and 3v3s in CoH2 with my friends. Depending on the number of players in game it might be a bit difficult to find a fair game when it comes to your opponetn's skill but I can live with that. Better play the game then sit in lobby and wait for hours waiting for someone you consider to be of equal skill and who wants to play against you. Remember, RD was called "Lobby simulator" among the people for a reason.

1. They'd have to implement an entirely new system for people who want to play together (similar to squads or platoons in games like WoT and WarThunder) if they're forcing groups to use matchmaking. 2. How do you ensure that you get to play a 2 v 2 with 3 of your friends in that system exactly? You'd either not get into the same game or youwill get into a 4 v 4 vs some random assholes.

I have nothing against matchmaking, I have something against forcing it for everyone at all times.

 

[dmdelor]

People in the quickmatcher should be slotted into the public custom game that best fills their requirements if no quick match is available.

This could be an option you turn off if you absolutely want to only find other quickmatches.

This would basically be used by players with partners to feed randos into their premade lobbies. Anyone who has played a bunch of Wargame is used to seeing the lobby menu filled with half-full lobbies with one sided filled and one side empty, many of which will actually kick you if you join with a team of your own.

Skill mismatches can happen via quick match, but at least everyone is entering the same pool and being matched by the machine. On the flip side, if you are using custom lobbies, you can at least see that you're joining a lobby with everyone on the same team and duck back out. Neither is a strong protection against unfair games, but pure quickmatch is still a better system than custom lobbies and waaaaaaay better than a quickmatch that feeds players into custom lobbies.

I appreciate the caveat of making toggle-able. This wouldn't be terrible if there was a toggle, and it was off by default, and it'd only feed you into public lobbies with the standard (quickmatch) game settings. I don't think it's a terrible idea thanks to that caveat, but I still don't think this is a good one.

its actually a simple fix and its all to do with player mentality, renaming it to Ranked battles instead of quick match i think would have a positive effect.

Speaking of terrible ideas, this is one. This scares anyone away from trying matchmaking at all. They'll jump to custom lobbies to learn to play before trying ranked, and then either never leave or try ranked and discover that there's basically nobody there or only an extreme hardcore player base waiting to stomp them and nobody else to play.

This was how it was in earlier Wargames, and basically nobody used matchmaking. "0 people searching ranked" is what you'd see at the top of the lobby screen most of the time. The ones who remained were mostly super hardcore, and were such a small group of people that they'd even do things like selectively only queue up when the pool of people online were such that they thought they'd only get matches that would let them improve their ELO. It was a total bust.

Eugen's kneecapped their matchmaking pool in every Wargame so far by only presenting it as ranked and by presenting it as a less prominent option in the GUI than custom lobbies. They finally have fixed it with N'44, but sadly right before launch and after everyone was used to custom lobbies as the main way to play so it remains up in the air if it'll ever get off the ground or not. Here's hoping.

 

[Deus von Vult]

I have never used match maker in Wargame. And i will NEVER use match maker in Steel Divison!!!

Why? Because i have learned it the hard way in Wargame!

Match Maker is only a pub stomp fest for premade groups. And it ALWAYS will be!

I will rather stop playing this game before i would use match maker !

Because i will not feed the premade groups!

 

[Mister Maf]

Since when it is impossible to play matchmaking with friends? Matchmaking is not 1v1 only, you know, it's also 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4. I often played 2v2s and 3v3s in CoH2 with my friends. Depending on the number of players in game it might be a bit difficult to find a fair game when it comes to your opponetn's skill but I can live with that. Better play the game then sit in lobby and wait for hours waiting for someone you consider to be of equal skill and who wants to play against you. Remember, RD was called "Lobby simulator" among the people for a reason.

Aye, when CoH2 first released it was matchmaking only with no lobbies at all. I was very opposed to this at first, but it turned out to be for the best. It got people used to using matchmaking, and when custom lobbies were added later, most players continued to use matchmaking and custom games were reserved for custom settings. People need to be directed primarily towards MM if anyone is to use it.

Also, you should be able to combine search parameters. Pick an Allied deck, and Axis deck, or both if it doesn't matter which side you play, and tick what game sizes you want to play, instead of only selecting one (e.g., I want to play anything from a 1v1 to a 3v3, not just 3v3). That should effectively increase the pool of potential players to match together significantly.

 

[Ragga]

We wanted MatchMaker prior to VIP Beta... they listened and the first Open Beta they had it grayed out and removed Ranked. The next patch they added Ranked and changed MatchMaker to Quick Match (both still grayed out).

I voiced my opinion as did others that this would be problematic because it would shrink the pool and more importantly since both do the same thing it would be pointless to have both...

Just have MatchMaker- with the hidden ELO - and all will be happy. The leaderboard can still be seen for the top 10 or 20 players and you could search yourself as well, but in all fair AND competitive games would be done together... and would suffice the Competitive Players and Casual Players

 

[CyberianK]

They had to improve Quickmatch until Release and then deactivate the other modes (make Lobby private only)

Now they missed the chance massively hurting the game.
It does not help much if they improve Quickmatch in a few months they lost their chance to get a healthy and growing multiplkayer community around a modern mode already.

 

[local-festival]

Especially with mirror matches removed from Ranked games it's 10 minutes wait to get a game. I'm so disappointed, if Ranked doesn't have mirrors how it is different from Quick Play? What's the point of Quick Play then anyway.

 

[Sarin]

I have never used match maker in Wargame. And i will NEVER use match maker in Steel Divison!!!

Why? Because i have learned it the hard way in Wargame!

Match Maker is only a pub stomp fest for premade groups. And it ALWAYS will be!

I will rather stop playing this game before i would use match maker !

Because i will not feed the premade groups!

What are you talking about ?

You cannot check stats prior to the launch of an SD game. So how are you avoiding "pub stomps"
Also what is your version of a "pub stomp" ? Friends playing together ?
Cause I have some friends that play this game that are pretty shit at it.

Are you just joining lobbies and and if there are two people on the same side you call out "pub stomp" and leave ?

I just don't get it. Are you a 10v10 only player who is worried about 10 friends playing against 10 randoms ? Does that even happen often ?
It can't be that though, because you were talking about match making. Matchmaking only goes as high as 4v4.
Hell you can even do 1v1 or 2v2 match making. How are people pub stomping in 2v2's ?

 

[Sarin]

They are damned if they do, damned if they don't with this matchmaking system.



They cannot scrap lobbies without removing Destruction and removing 10v10.

While Destruction, 10v10 and Lobbies exists. All the Destruction + 10v10 and around 1/3rd of the Conquest 1v1 through 4v4 players will never click Matchmaking. Lets say that is 50% of the population.

So you have 50% of the players willing to click matchmaking.
FURTHER split up into 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 modes. AND without mirror matching.

If they implement mirror matching, more people will refuse to use matchmaking.

THE LESS PEOPLE THAT USE MATCHMAKING, the longer it takes to find a game. Which then results in LESS PEOPLE USING MATCHMAKING. Till no one does.



Currently you have some sitting in lobbies saying "why is it taking so long" and others in matchmaking saying "Why is it taking so long"

I believe the only way to make match making actually work reliably in this game was scrap 10v10, scrap destruction, scrap lobbies.
Have two options for matchmaking.
1v1 and GROUP MATCH.

Group Match would throw people into what size games it could, depending on a time waiting factor.

So put people into 2v2 matches, 3v3s and 4v4s depending how many players were available at that time and such.

Instead an already small playerbase is being spread around a lot of different choices.