Hello Everyone!
As matchmaking gets closer, we want to share everything we’ve learned working on it in the past six months, the monumental changes and shifts we’ve made due to the amazing ideas and feedback that’s been given to us, and what you guys should expect to see in your game very soon. You’ll find us live at 3 pm eastern at twitch.tv/gunsoficarus.
We’d love everyone to show up, supporters, detractors, and everyone in between, so you can hear what we want to put forth and we can get your feedback as we wrap up on some huge changes.
We’re more than happy to talk about everything from what led to this choice to some of the crazy steps we’ve taken along the way so bring your questions and an open mind.
Thank you again for everyone who came out to help us test at any point. Your efforts, critiques, and input made the system 100 times stronger than we could have ever imagined.
FAQ incoming after the jump soon
For those who can’t make it we’ll put an FAQ here afterwards of the questions brought up so everyone can be a part of this community evolution.
FAQ-
How does the matchmaking system rate how good we are as players?
Using a Glicko2 system the game organizes teams to have a roughly equal total score. This means teams can have varied scores and be balanced. Players Glicko2 scores are already in the game and we can actually tell you who, more often than not, is going to win a match before it starts.
Will we be split into ‘leagues’ or will all players be placed in one bracket?
There won’t be leagues, but the goal of the system will have players placed in games that fit their skill level.
If rematches have scramble features, won’t it mess with the balance in the lobby created by the matchmaking in the first place?
Scramble is a choice for players to vote on at the end of the match and won’t happen every time. In our tests people really wanted to scramble so we are more than happy to keep that feature a vote for choice.
How will matchmaking work with CAs and Mods?
CAs and Mods will be able to join onto players and join the novice queue if they’d like to teach or deal with moderation issues.
Is there anything in place to protect solo players from being put up against organised teams?
The Glicko2 system takes teams into effect so any match you are put in should be more or less balanced. As the matchmaker goes on we’ll be gathering data on the matches it’s creating and will be able to make changes to the system on the fly as it’s needed.
How will we deal with trolls in the new system?
Fighting trolls won’t change in the system, you block and report people who are causing issues. If you need to leave a match to avoid someone it won’t cause you any issues.
How does the recommended loadout work?
A captain will be able to suggest what he wants players in certain slots to take. This isn’t a command and player may take what they want, but it will give a tool for the captain to quickly suggest loadouts.
How does the rating system deal with players who leave or join mid-game?
Leaving will cause a loss upon match completion, this way if the game drops or can’t finish for some reason no one is penalized. Mid-joiners will earn or lose the same amount of rating as someone in there from the start.
Will this make any difference to the Bounty system?
The bounty system will stay the same since players will be able to hunt them either through the bounty list or by bumping into them in game.
When is this all coming?!
Early October!
Will new players still be able to learn from more experienced players in the new system? Will there be some kind of mentor mode?
There will not be a mentor mode, but players will still find themselves with a varied group of players. If you are really interested in teaching though I’d recommend a CA role so you can join novice matches. Otherwise we want players not to have to worry if their gunner knows how to use ammo.
Do the rating systems work separately for each class or do we only have one rating?
The rating system is account wide. While it sounds like a good captain might not be as good of an engineer the numbers actually have supported an account wide Glicko2 number, we’ve been testing it for months now in game.
How will the matchmaking system deal with players that I’ve blocked? Will it prevent me from joining lobbies with blocked players in?
Unfortunately trying to have the system also take into account the players 16 players have blocked can cause strain on the system that will give some bad results. If you do get put with a blocked player you are free to leave without penalty and the matchmaker will take that match out of the queue for you for 30 seconds so you won’t go back to it.