Upcoming Versus Matchmaking Test

Demiurge_Will

Hi, all,

We’ll be trying out a few tweaks to Versus matchmaking during the off-season, in one or both of the off-season Versus events running between 2/1 and 2/7.

Because there’s so much randomness in matchmaking, it’s easy to imagine a change in matchmaking when nothing has actually changed or see patterns that aren’t there, so we’re not announcing the details of which of the two off-season events or which ending times will see a change.

We’d like your feedback on any changes you notice and how you feel about them - please let us know which event and ending time you’re in. It also helps to see the first page of your roster, how many points you have in the event, and your in-game name if it’s different from your forum name.

The events at the start of Season XI will use the current matchmaking system. If we decide to make any permanent changes based on the test, they’ll come later.

The main problem we’re trying to solve with this test: under the current system, it’s possible for a few players to get into a situation where they see opponents that are consistently much harder or much easier than other players who have been playing for a similar amount of time and have a similar roster. This can make Versus unplayable for those players or give them an unfair advantage. We’re trying to solve this while still presenting an interesting variety of opponents and preferring matches that are worth 20+ points (when those are available).

scottee

What I take from this is that current matchmaking takes into consideration your top 6 heroes and how long you've been playing the game. Hmmm...

Unknown

Love the idea of making the match-ups make more sense. Thanks for doing this.

Unknown

As much as I appreciate the attempt to make MMR better, it is hard to discover much if the event in Combined Arms or Balance of Power or any of our typical off-season events. While I enjoy the non-standard events, it would definitely be easier to compare if the events this offseason are Featured+2, like they are during the season.

Unknown

I hope it doesnt go too far so it would actually be better to not level your characters like in pve.

SnowcaTT

Demiurge_Will wrote:

Hi, all,
it’s possible for a few players to get into a situation where they see opponents that are consistently much harder or much easier than other players who have been playing for a similar amount of time and have a similar roster.

Is this conformation that days played is part of the MMR equation? Or is it "playing similar amount of time in this event/season"?

Days played is a ridiculous to put into MMR (I made a nice list here viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19068 one of the last times a MMR "test" was put out there). If that's a part of it, I feel bad for anyone like myself who played single player only for a couple of months - apparently those daily rewards REALLY made the difference in roster strength

Unknown

Awesome job. Communicating won't affect next season unless another announcement. Communicating what they are looking for in the test.

More detailed and well communicated announcements like this one please.

Plus, test in offseason.

Unknown

As long as this doesn't make everyone whose earned a maxed roster only see other people who've earned a maxed roster. There needs to remain a progression of difficulty from 0 on up in a pvp or what's the point? To penalize you the longer you play? Hopefully they learned their lesson the last time they did this snafu and everyone had to fight maxed buffed 270 sentry daken hood from 0 until the end. Quick way to get rid of the player base though.

Hope I'm not jumping the gun but I'm concerned that this change will be a big problem with the player base already cut into 1/5th of what it was prior without permitting cross shard attacking

Nellobee

Wait....time played is a factor? So the days where I logged in and did one prologue mission for the daily (ironically, so I wouldn't fall behind) are counting against me?

Sigh. That would explain a lot.

Demiurge_Will

scottee wrote:

What I take from this is that current matchmaking takes into consideration your top 6 heroes and how long you've been playing the game. Hmmm...

The current matchmaking system is complicated, and I don't have time to go into all the details right now, but that's not correct. Neither of those factors are part of the current matchmaking system. We use the opponent's strength (the strength of the 3 characters you would fight) and a player rating for the opponent, together with a player rating for you. Those player ratings go up and down as you win and lose Versus fights. Over time, since you can select your opponents and because new players that come into the system aren't rated accurately, player ratings can drift randomly from where they "should" be, and a percentage of players end up with ratings that are out of whack.

Nellobee

Demiurge_Will wrote:

scottee wrote:

What I take from this is that current matchmaking takes into consideration your top 6 heroes and how long you've been playing the game. Hmmm...

The current matchmaking system is complicated, and I don't have time to go into all the details right now, but that's not correct. Neither of those factors are part of the current matchmaking system.

I am sure that you are reluctant to share details for fear of people metagaming the system, but I think I speak for the normal forum population when I say that is a piece of information we would really like to have.

Demiurge_Will

papa07 wrote:

As much as I appreciate the attempt to make MMR better, it is hard to discover much if the event in Combined Arms or Balance of Power or any of our typical off-season events. While I enjoy the non-standard events, it would definitely be easier to compare if the events this offseason are Featured+2, like they are during the season.

One of the events will be featured+2, and the other will be a more typical off-season event.

Demiurge_Will

Nellobee wrote:

Demiurge_Will wrote:

scottee wrote:

What I take from this is that current matchmaking takes into consideration your top 6 heroes and how long you've been playing the game. Hmmm...

The current matchmaking system is complicated, and I don't have time to go into all the details right now, but that's not correct. Neither of those factors are part of the current matchmaking system.

I am sure that you are reluctant to share details for fear of people metagaming the system, but I think I speak for the normal forum population when I say that is a piece of information we would really like to have.

I was typing while you were typing

Edited that post to supply a few more details.

DaveR4470

I think I'm seeing what might be the problem cited in the current High Stakes PvP. I've been using a pair of 94s and my Blade (which is a 78 that scales to 117). I've played hard and well and made it up to about 500 points (give or take), seeing a good blend of easy/low point, comparable/good point, hard/high point matchups in the node. But now I've run into a wall where all I'm seeing (outside of revenge nodes) are teams that I have no realistic chance of defeating -- stuff like two maxed 3*s with a 70-80 (pre-boost) Blade, or a maxed X-force with a maxed CMags and Blade in the 120 range. All of which have 28-36 point rewards. Which would be great, were I not pretty much guaranteed to get crushed like a grape.

Teams of comparable level (i.e. two 2* 94s with a non-base-level Blade) are apparently seeing ME, because I get plenty of notices about all the points I'm losing when they defeat me. But I'm not seeing THEM, even when I punt the node. That seems off to me. I should be seeing some of those matchups for 10 points or so in addition to the "challenge' nodes of teams at the next level.

Nellobee

Demiurge_Will wrote:

Nellobee wrote:

Demiurge_Will wrote:

scottee wrote:

What I take from this is that current matchmaking takes into consideration your top 6 heroes and how long you've been playing the game. Hmmm...

The current matchmaking system is complicated, and I don't have time to go into all the details right now, but that's not correct. Neither of those factors are part of the current matchmaking system.

I am sure that you are reluctant to share details for fear of people metagaming the system, but I think I speak for the normal forum population when I say that is a piece of information we would really like to have.

I was typing while you were typing

Edited that post to supply a few more details.

Thanks for the additional clarification, Will!

IamTheDanger

Demiurge_Will wrote:

Hi, all,

We’ll be trying out a few tweaks to Versus matchmaking during the off-season, in one or both of the off-season Versus events running between 2/1 and 2/7.

Because there’s so much randomness in matchmaking, it’s easy to imagine a change in matchmaking when nothing has actually changed or see patterns that aren’t there, so we’re not announcing the details of which of the two off-season events or which ending times will see a change.

We’d like your feedback on any changes you notice and how you feel about them - please let us know which event and ending time you’re in.

This is the part I like, (part in bold). This way, they can know for sure. When running tests with groups as large as the MPQ player base, you will most definitely get false data. This will sort out some of the players that are seeing "patterns or changes that aren’t there", or players that just want to complain. Sort of a blind study. +1 for this one.

GothicKratos

Yeah, the use of a control will help prevent any placebo results. Hopefully that helps.

Bowgentle

See, _this_ is how you communicate changes, tests, and everything else.

Not ninja in something and leave people scratching their heads and wonder what's going on.

Kudos, more of that in the future, please.

Unknown

Bowgentle wrote:

See, _this_ is how you communicate changes, tests, and everything else.

Not ninja in something and leave people scratching their heads and wonder what's going on.

Kudos, more of that in the future, please.

It would be better if they thought first and communicate right after...

Like the Star-Lord PvE. They launch it and they compile the data from the Hulk PvE, and figure out that finally 8 hours can be implemented...

Meanwhile, the PvE is a bloodbath.

Unknown

Thanks for announcing this, hope to hear more later after you get to compile the data.

Also,

arktos1971 wrote:

Bowgentle wrote:

See, _this_ is how you communicate changes, tests, and everything else.

Not ninja in something and leave people scratching their heads and wonder what's going on.

Kudos, more of that in the future, please.

It would be better if they thought first and communicate right after...

Like the Star-Lord PvE. They launch it and they compile the data from the Hulk PvE, and figure out that finally 8 hours can be implemented...

Meanwhile, the PvE is a bloodbath.

^Yeah it's a total bloodbath, and Ares (and his lovely goon ) does not have any mercy to any single living soul either.
Can't wait to change him to Jugg and welcome his 6k Headbutt instead.

Unknown

Oh, I forgot about him...

Thanks for reminding me what I can expect in the next day.

I DO NOT THANK YOU FOR THAT.

(just kidding)