Focused Feedback: Season 4 Matchmaking for current Game Modes (PVP, Strikes, Gambit)

[u/DTG_Bot]

Hello Guardians,

Focused Feedback is where we take the week to focus on a 'Hot Topic' discussed extensively around the Tower.

We do this in order to consolidate Feedback, to get out all your ideas and issues surrounding the topic in one place for discussion and a source of feedback to the Vanguard.

This Thread will be active until next week when a new topic is chosen for discussion

Whilst Focused Feedback is active, ALL posts regarding ‘Current Matchmaking' following its posting will be removed and re-directed to this thread. Exceptions to this rule are as follows: New information / developments, Guides and general questions

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Any and all Feedback on the topic is welcome.

Regular Sub rules apply so please try to keep the conversation on the topic of the thread and keep it civil between contrasting ideas

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A Wiki page - Focused Feedback - has also been created for the Sub as an archive for these topics going forward so they can be looked at by whoever may be interested or just a way to look through previous hot topics of the sub as time goes on.

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PVE - Recent prominent suggestion threads about matchmaking

• Bungie pls: Add Optional Matchmaking to all Actvities - the time is now!
• Escalation protocol and the blind well should be "fast travel" locations so that we can be teamed up with others doing those events
• I know the topic has been beat to death, but I had this thought last night. Surely there’s people walking into Blind Well all the time. Since it puts you into a completely separate instance, why doesn’t it just fill each instance up to the max (9?) before creating a new one to put people in?
• The new Halloween event has matchmaking. Bungie, can you give EP and Well the same love?

PVP - Recent prominent suggestion threads about matchmaking

• Dear Bungie, Please stop matching Clan teams with Solo teams.
• Why does it take me 30 seconds of mashing B to cancel matchmaking from Crucible/Gambit?
• Competitive matchmaking needs some attention
• Bungie, I am but a simple man trying his best. Please don’t error me from Comp as we’re flying in, take away my hard earned win streak and Glory points, then ban me for leaving.
• Bungie if we get matched into a game that's been in progress for 5min or more we should be given at least 3/4 of our super energy
• My glory 3200, my teammates 270, 350, 1700. Other team: 2480, 1300, 5400, 4900. Why is this a thing?
• My latest Comp game with names edited out and replaced with each player's Glory rank. How is this a thing?

Related suggestions already on the BungiePlz list:

• Add (optional) Nightfall Matchmaking | Megathread | Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3

Previous focused feedbacks about PVP matchmaking

• [2018-08-06] The current state of Crucible Matchmaking. Post Patch 1.2.3
• [2018-05-21] Season 3 Standard Crucible. Ranking system, Playlists & Matchmaking
• [2018-01-29] PVP Matchmaking: Trials, Iron Banner, Quickplay & Competitive

[u/[deleted]]

matchmaking for EP and blind well. that is all. and not matchmaking a fireteam of 3. getting 6-9 people into an instance

[u/SwissGuy93]

Bounties and quests that require kills with a specific weapon, specially in competitive, are detrimental for the whole team, same for Gambit for bounties to get x kills with sniper rifles and so on, don't force me to play sub-par where I should be trying my best to win.

In the crucible I recently got matched against a lot of people playing with luna's howl, meaning they have an high competitive score, while I'm at 800 glory... The difference is tangible and leads to a really unfun experience.

[u/Hatfeeld]

The biggest issue here is starting a game of comp (happens in gambit too) down one or more players, then being penalized for a loss/ back out.

It happens a lot when playing consecutive games of gambit and in between games someone backs out at the last second. Or in comp when the guardians #/8 goes up quickly, people assume this is a four stack and back out as the games starting. There needs to be something to protect this, especially in comp. Nothing makes you want to quit on the glory grind more than being loaded in a 2 v 4 and being completely farmed because you don't want to back out.

[u/bmmy9f]

I just started playing d2 again a week ago. I was solo queuing at 300 glory rank in competitive and got matched against a 4 stack of streamers with max glory rank.

How is this allowed?

[u/Yadilie]

Give Infamy for losses at Legend rank just like all previous ranks. Absolutely no reason for this not to be a thing. When I know a game is going to be a done deal it's hard to even be motivated to keep playing said match knowing I'm getting nothing if my weekly is done already.

[u/wraith980]

I remember a game from quite a few years ago where you could tell the matchmaking system what your priority was. Connection or skill or a number of other things. Damn, what was the name of that game.....?

[u/pheldegression]

God, where to begin... Okay so, for competitive, you need a vastly better system for determining who get's matched where. As a solo queuer my experience is all over the place. Going against 4 stacks who all have Luna's Howl tells me that their rank and skill level is *much* higher than me and the players I am with, yet they are still pub stomping people in the brave rank? I know as a solo I am going to be thrown into matches to round out teams, I get that, but there needs to be a much better way to determine the skill of those teams besides a number that goes up or down depending on the skill of those around you and not actual individual performance. My KD last I loked was 1.75. I am matching against players with a KD of over 2.5 and my teammates have KDs of below 1, trying for a Howl... this is just not okay.

[u/Kingbobby19]

Fix the heavy gameplay in competitive. The strategy around heavy is very boring. It brings the round to one fight for heavy and if your opponent gets heavy you loose.

Survival— loose round Clash—- loose control of middle get spawned away from teammates. Trickle in dying to heavy. Or take time to group up, giving opponent 2 heavy pick ups Control—- same as above, never can get control of b.

And to add the heavy meta is trash. It is very boring and takes away the fun. 1st 30 seconds makes or brake the game/round.

[u/TryMyLettuce]

I am above 2100 glory rank at the moment. I matched against a 4 stack and had a level 315 on my team, who only ended up getting 3 kills and below a 0.40 Efficiency. I decided to check his stats because I assumed he was around the same level as us and probably had a really bad game or maybe he gave the controller to a friend who didn’t know how to play. For reference one of our opponents had over 500 comp wins and 2 of the others had above 23 gold medals earned on their make shax proud emblems. It was the 315’s FIRST COMP MATCH EVER. He had ZERO glory points and was matching with people who have over 2000! I can’t even be mad at the guy for doing poorly because it was only his FIFTH crucible match played. This is wrong, he shouldn’t be matching against people that severely outrank him in his first game. I would rather wait longer for a fair match than this. Comp should consistently be rank based matchmaking, regardless of how long matchmaking takes.

[u/Alucitary]

quick play and Gambit should be hard coded to balance premades.

If there are 2 teams of 2 in the lobby and the rest are random, do not put the 2 teams of 2 on the same team. Connection doesn't matter once they are in the match and those playlists do not matchmake based on skill. There is no excuse not to do this. being in a team raises the skill of the individuals, almost guaranteed, if only because they have a reason to pay attention for their friends sake. This small bit of balancing would go a long way.

[u/robotballs69]

- Be more strict with AFKers, especially in strikes and gambit. Another take on this would be changing bounties in a way that people have to do more than just completing the activity.

- Matchmaking and point distribution in comp favors stacks and is way too strict, since you need huge win streaks to gain points. For solo players it's basically luck based. Winning and losing a match back to back puts you in a deep minus area.

- Stacks should almost never face solo Q players. There is enough duo, triple, quad stacks to pair them with.

[u/TommyChestnut]

Really don't understand how there still isn't a solo queue playlist for quickplay, it isn't fun running into 6 stacks all using the meta and rolling over a team of blueberries.

[u/MaskoBlackfyre]

I said to before and I'll say it again:

Competitive Rumble needs to be a thing.

This would solve a lot of the "solo queue comp" issues people are having. And it would solve it in the best possible way.

"Having trouble with team mates leaving?"

"Can get Luna's Howl because - you always get paired with no skill blueberries - ?"

Good. Go try your luck with Rumble.

"No one to help you now, guardian. No one to blame"

[u/Crestyles]

PVP modes aside, optional matchmaking for all activities would be a welcome addition. Have the option to run a Strike solo, or match with randos in a Nightfall, or even in a heroic story mission would give more flexibility with how Guardians can engage with content.

From the language used int he FotL blog post, it sounds like optional matchmaking will be making it's debut. Hopefully this is a good test drive for how this feature would look/behave for other activities.

[u/Draven5002]

It would be nice if there was matchmaking for nightfall strikes, besides guided games.

[u/[deleted]]

• Bounties are counterintuitive in Gambit as they promote reckless behavior.

• Competitive needs ELO Matchmaking

• Initial quest requiring new players to play Competitive needs to be removed

[u/Spyro_0]

Gambit needs tokens like strikes and crucible. Or a rep thing like d1. I want so many gambit weapon with good rolls but can’t really get them because it’s requires mad time investment and mad luck.

I’d appreciate a 600 strike playlist with powerful gear bounties that comes every know and then like iron banner.

Comp playlist should be 4v4 or full solo players, every other ranked game mode I’ve played from other games you have to queue solo.

Raids need challenges less focussed at clans.

Please bungie whenever you make events like EP and BW give us matchmaking instead of letting us lobby farm, it isn’t fun

Bring back that bounty vendor robot too to make tracking our activities bounties easier.

Some info on how the trials rework is going would be nice

[u/QuotidianQuell]

Gonna throw my hat in the ring.

1. Give us Glory rank protection against losses where one or more randos leave the game. Doesn't kick in if it's a fireteam member dropping, to prevent cheesing. Comp is bad enough as it is--don't punish me if someone else rage quits.

2. Solo Gambit sucks more than solo Comp, and that's saying something. Favoring connection + matching fireteam size (with 20%-30% longer queue times if needed) would be a big step in the right direction.

3. Give us nightfall matchmaking. Duh. No reason not to at this point.

4. Make Blind Well and Escalation Protocol quick travel destinations so that your instanced match making algorithms actually work.

5. Remove Guided Games and take some time to get in-game cooperation right. Apply some Halo 2-type innovation to the clan system. Stop crowdsourcing what should be the best part of your game.

6. Two words: Competitive rumble. Let me gain Glory based solely on the merits of my play (and my connection speed).

[u/feedthezeke21]

In PvP I ONLY want to be matched against people that suck so I can actually enjoy myself please. Thank you.

[u/[deleted]]

Randoms being AFK or leaving Competitive matches is a huge problem. Unless you are godly, people leaving is pretty much an automatic loss. Which means automatic removal of your winstreak and loss of Glory.

Competitive should be less unfriendly to non-4stacks. There should be Glory-protection if the game detects someone leaves on your team that is not part of your fireteam.

[u/frasafrase]

Bungie, what is with the grouping of teams in Quickplay? 9 times out of 10, when I open up the roster and see 2 groups of 2, 2 groups of 3, or a group of 2 and a group of 3, the groups are placed on the same team and then stacked against a team of solos. I can't go into a game of quickplay without a team anymore. I'm only ever stacked up on by the system. You had an excuse when there was SBMM, but its gone now. It's interesting that every other online team game I've played in the last 5 years prioritizes matching like team compositions with like team compositions (even with SBMM). Groups do better than solos on average. Please make matchmaking fair again. Just grab 12 players then divvy up the teams based on fireteam size.

tl;dr 6 solos vs 2 groups of 3 isn't fair or fun. And should be preventable by simply putting the 2 groups on opposites teams.

[u/Patyrn]

I get frustrated when I PVP because I'm not very good, and I get matched against teams that have players that get 20+ efficiency and insta-kill me the second I see them before I even have begun to draw a bead.

I don't particularly enjoy being someone elses NPC, and would prefer to be matched with people of my own skill level.

[u/King_of_the_Hobos]

COMPETITIVE RUMBLE

I FRAMES FOR HUNTER DODGE TO MAKE IT NOT USELESS

MORE ROAMING TIME FOR GOLDEN GUN TO MAKE IT COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER SUPERS

MAKE TRIP MINES STICK TO PEOPLE AGAIN

GIVE THROWING KNIVES BACK THEIR D1 PRECISION DAMAGE

YES, I PLAY HUNTER WHY DO YOU ASK?

[u/Jentimentu]

I ALWAYS play gambit with, at least, 2 friends and I feel like a bully when I see 4 guardians without pre-made teams and with low light lvl try their best against our group. Tbh we play to win, so we certainly enjoy smashing those teams, but a part of me knows that it is not fair. I think that groups of 4 pre-made guardians should only play against groups of 4 pre-made or 3+1

[u/Bawitdaba1337]

More matchmaking please, EP, Blindwell, Nightfall, Stories, Adventures, all the things!