Hiding levels

[shaelyn]

I think levels are a loose indication of experience, but not a valid one.  hell, one of my buddies had been stuck at level 6 pilot forever because he refused to fly Junker.  he's a good captain and definitely one of the best squid pilots I've crewed for, and his level...18 or 19 now? does not do him justice.
whereas I frankly feel like my pilot level is too high XD
there's definitely correlation between skill and level, but yeah, it's pretty loose.

I miss my levels too, but at its core, the thing I don't like about the change is that a great degree of the reward is gone.
possible alternate solutions:
-make titles more public, instead of levels.
-making when you level more public, and probably the rank you've leveled into public at that point as well, even if the level isn't.

thoughts?

[Indreams]

I think levels are a loose indication of experience, but not a valid one.  hell, one of my buddies had been stuck at level 6 pilot forever because he refused to fly Junker.  he's a good captain and definitely one of the best squid pilots I've crewed for, and his level...18 or 19 now? does not do him justice.

But that's why the levels are a good indication of experience.
He never flew a junker; he didn't have experience on a junker. Therefore he was at a low level.

When we were under the achievement system, higher levels meant: "he's probably fired the hwacha x times, he's probably piloted a Goldfish x times, he's probably extinguished x number of fires." Sure the it was probably, but as the levels get higher, it was most likely.

I don't begrudge the new system. Now friends like yours or me (who has yet to use drogue chute) can get an appropriate level.
_{Although my appropriate level is probably 15...}

With the new system, levels represent a mix of games played, games won, and achievements unlocked, which is experience.


That aside, I do like your suggestion of making titles more public. That's just aesthetically more pleasing. Salute to you sir, for that idea.
 

[shaelyn]

you do have a point, but the way the achievements stacked, he didn't get any achievements due to him for the other ships he flew that were locked away behind the junker achievement, and therefore that experience was not counted towards his levels.

I'm a miss, btw   and thank you!

[Indreams]

shaelyn, not at all. You did have a valid point. Mine was just more valid.  lol, 

And I love your idea of making titles more public. I think that's a good, aesthetically-pleasing solution.

[Skrimskraw]

forum polls is the worst form of data gathering, just saying

[GeoRmr]

forum polls is the worst form of data gathering, just saying

I know, Muse employees keep voting yes to level hiding.

[Omniraptor]

+1 agree with everythin Nidh said. Less information, the better. In general one of the main resources to manage in the game is information in general and voice bandwidth specifically.

[Lochiel]

The fact that you can click a players name and see the "hidden" information kinda defeats the purpose of hiding that information. All you did was place it behind a small amount of effort, and that effort doesn't really serve any purpose gameplay wise.

Either show the levels, or hide it when clicking on someones name.

[Imagine]

The fact that you can click a players name and see the "hidden" information kinda defeats the purpose of hiding that information. All you did was place it behind a small amount of effort, and that effort doesn't really serve any purpose gameplay wise.

It was meant to stop people from equating in game levels with matchmaking rankings, to stop from people getting into a lobby, seeing numbers they don't like immediately glaring at them on screen and saying screw this, I'm out of here.

I don't know what's so hard to understand about this.

[Lochiel]

Probably the part where it doesn't accomplish what you described?

I'm not advocating hiding or showing levels. I'm pointing out that what they implemented is easily bypassed and thus doesn't change anything.

[KitKatKitty]

The fact that you can click a players name and see the "hidden" information kinda defeats the purpose of hiding that information. All you did was place it behind a small amount of effort, and that effort doesn't really serve any purpose gameplay wise.

It was meant to stop people from equating in game levels with matchmaking rankings, to stop from people getting into a lobby, seeing numbers they don't like immediately glaring at them on screen and saying screw this, I'm out of here.

I don't know what's so hard to understand about this.

Hiding can't stop people from equating in game levels with matchmaking ranking when it is obvious after playing a match (regardless of if you can see levels or not) when the lobby isn't balanced. Sometimes it's obvious even before a match starts based on what kind of load outs a player has. You can't say that putting level 40+ in lobbies with 1-10's is balanced in any way shape or form. The levels are not everything but it sure helps 40+ players know when a lobby is going to be completely unbalanced so they can try to "balance" it by switch sides or giving advice and this can only happen when they can actually see levels. If we got rid of levels completely, or the ability to see them at least, whats going to happen is high levels players will mostly use custom matches and lower levels will use match making. (this is already a trend happening in game now). So hiding levels or getting rid of them completely is just going to divide the games player base or have some people leave completely. It's not fun for new players to get stomp and it's not fun for high levels to pub stomp.

[Imagine]

The fact that you can click a players name and see the "hidden" information kinda defeats the purpose of hiding that information. All you did was place it behind a small amount of effort, and that effort doesn't really serve any purpose gameplay wise.

It was meant to stop people from equating in game levels with matchmaking rankings, to stop from people getting into a lobby, seeing numbers they don't like immediately glaring at them on screen and saying screw this, I'm out of here.

I don't know what's so hard to understand about this.

Hiding can't stop people from equating in game levels with matchmaking ranking when it is obvious after playing a match (regardless of if you can see levels or not) when the lobby isn't balanced. Sometimes it's obvious even before a match starts based on what kind of load outs a player has. You can't say that putting level 40+ in lobbies with 1-10's is balanced in any way shape or form. The levels are not everything but it sure helps 40+ players know when a lobby is going to be completely unbalanced so they can try to "balance" it by switch sides or giving advice and this can only happen when they can actually see levels. If we got rid of levels completely, or the ability to see them at least, whats going to happen is high levels players will mostly use custom matches and lower levels will use match making. (this is already a trend happening in game now). So hiding levels or getting rid of them completely is just going to divide the games player base or have some people leave completely. It's not fun for new players to get stomp and it's not fun for high levels to pub stomp.

But looking at loadouts is already an advanced for of gameplay, and looking up each individual's levels on their profile page takes a lot more effort, having to click on each person.

The point of level hiding in lobbies was to stop newish folks from getting put in a lobby, seeing higher level numbers on the other team and leaving immediately because they're convinced it's going to be a stomping (aka equating in game levels with your mmr. It was never to get rid of levels completely or to diminish the time it took to get it.

[KitKatKitty]

But looking at loadouts is already an advanced for of gameplay, and looking up each individual's levels on their profile page takes a lot more effort, having to click on each person.

The point of level hiding in lobbies was to stop newish folks from getting put in a lobby, seeing higher level numbers on the other team and leaving immediately because they're convinced it's going to be a stomping (aka equating in game levels with your mmr. It was never to get rid of levels completely or to diminish the time it took to get it.

So you rather have the new players (1-10 level) stay in a lobby that is stacked get 5-0 and rage quick because the game isn't fair? This risks losing new players when the whole point is to try and grow our community.

[Imagine]

But looking at loadouts is already an advanced for of gameplay, and looking up each individual's levels on their profile page takes a lot more effort, having to click on each person.

The point of level hiding in lobbies was to stop newish folks from getting put in a lobby, seeing higher level numbers on the other team and leaving immediately because they're convinced it's going to be a stomping (aka equating in game levels with your mmr. It was never to get rid of levels completely or to diminish the time it took to get it.

So you rather have the new players (1-10 level) stay in a lobby that is stacked get 5-0 and rage quick because the game isn't fair? This risks losing new players when the whole point is to try and grow our community.

No, but as we heard, a big problem with matchmaking right now is people who get put in a lobby and leave right away.

As I, and Muse, has stated, this was done solely to disassociate levels from MMR.

[KitKatKitty]

No, but as we heard, a big problem with matchmaking right now is people who get put in a lobby and leave right away.

As I, and Muse, has stated, this was done solely to disassociate levels from MMR.

I can understand why it was done. That not the issue here. But what is the larger issue...players jumping out of lobby to find a better suited lobby to their skill level or players leaving the game completely because they continuously get stomped because the match making system does not work as intended? I would think that losing players or players finding the game unfair and not fun would be the much larger issue here.