Possible Scaling & MMR Fix

Unknown

So, as I have noticed through a lot of this thread, is the majority of players do not like scaling. I personally, think it is a great addition, and helps keep everything and everyone competitive. But, the main downfall, is when a strong team is sitting at 10th in the leader board, and someone with mid-level or lower characters is sitting atop their bracket. I know this can get frustrating, so I propose this change.

What is all of the brackets we set up for similar MMRs. You would be put into brackets with people of similar levels, and therefore, can't really be frustrated that a lower level is getting the covers you need. Obviously, this isn't a fix to the scaling that everyone wants, but it is a way so you are on an even playing field as others in your bracket.

Now, I'm not much of a programmer, but this seems attainable. There has to be a consistent rating for everyone to make these brackets possible.

Thoughts?

Unknown

This isn't a new idea but it does create a problem - people with high level rosters are penalized the most in your system.

Unknown

I wouldn't be too keen on that. I have a mid-high level roster, and with boosts and skillful play I can beat all of the level 230 opponents I come up against. That would give me a really high MMR, and likely put me in the same bracket as walkyourpath, Nemek, TheLadder and all the other top players. I'd probably never have a chance of winning a tournament ever again! You would also get people purposefully tanking their MMR to get put into easier brackets where their high level team will just steamroll through everyone.

It's a nice idea in theory, just not workable in practise I feel.

Unknown

Still unfair. Why should the 1st best player have to compete with the 2nd best player for the same prize that the 1st worst and 2nd worst players do? The only way that works is if you scale the rewards as well.

Unknown

One of the key problems with scaling is that it fails the "is it fun?" metric. I like a challenge, I like competition, I don't like a wall of 230's day after day. So while your suggestion alleviates the competition issues, it doesn't make the game more fun, nor does it allow for a clear sense of progression within an event or sub-event.

As a tangential philosophical point, you can monetize a game in any number of ways. The best games find ways of monetizing without adding layers of complexity or convolution to them (save for when complexity enhances gameplay - that's a whole other tangential conversation, though). Given that they only have 3 outlets for spending money (covers, roster slots, and health packs), they appear to be making a number of design decisions that reflect their need to make money on the game. These decisions are making the game more byzantine and convoluted without enhancing gameplay (many will argue whether scaling enhances or detracts). Personally, I want to see them add more money sinks that build the game out instead of up (MPQ is 1 dimensional, while the original PQ had a number of side mechanics you could pursue). More money sinks means less reliance on health packs for money, which would allow them to simplify gameplay by getting rid of health packs and out-of-combat healing (except in the case of K.O.s - keep health packs for those). I think it could slowly unravel the complexity while simultaneously making it more fun.

But that's all a vision of my style of game. As much as we all complain, they're obviously doing well enough and are happy with the overall direction of the game. C'est la vie.

Eddiemon

Global wrote:

So, as I have noticed through a lot of this thread, is the majority of players do not like scaling. I personally, think it is a great addition, and helps keep everything and everyone competitive. But, the main downfall, is when a strong team is sitting at 10th in the leader board, and someone with mid-level or lower characters is sitting atop their bracket. I know this can get frustrating, so I propose this change.

What is all of the brackets we set up for similar MMRs. You would be put into brackets with people of similar levels, and therefore, can't really be frustrated that a lower level is getting the covers you need. Obviously, this isn't a fix to the scaling that everyone wants, but it is a way so you are on an even playing field as others in your bracket.

Now, I'm not much of a programmer, but this seems attainable. There has to be a consistent rating for everyone to make these brackets possible.

Thoughts?

No the majority of players appear to like scaling, as the player numbers, participation rates and purchases are up as per IceIXs statements.

Treating the echoes in here as 'most players' is a common misconception. The silent majority is named that way for a reason.

I don't see how reorganising things changes anything. Under your system low MMR people are guaranteed to come first in many brackets and are guaranteed top rewards. Meanwhile all the people who have put money into the game are bundled into similar brackets and are guaranteed to lose out.

It really would make improving or investing in your roster a pointless exercise

Phaserhawk

We all agree there is fixing needed for MMR, but...as we can see from many posts and why the developer's are having a hard time, is how to do it. The only way to encourage people to play hard and place as high as they can is if the rewards are better. If your MMR, gets higher then the prize pool should be deeper, more HP, more ISO-8, that would make people want to keep their MMR high, thus it would filter itself automatically. If your MMR was in the top 50% you get 10% more ISO and HP, if you are in the top 40% you get 20% more, if you are in the top 10% you get 50% more. The only way you are going to keep people with powerful decks in the high tiers is to make them want to be there. Why do you want to spend hours grinding it out against top players for 1 daredevil cover, when you can spend an hour against low levels for the same prize. That is IMO the only way to fix MMR, make people want to be at the top.

MarvelMan

ihearthawthats wrote:

Still unfair. Why should the 1st best player have to compete with the 2nd best player for the same prize that the 1st worst and 2nd worst players do? The only way that works is if you scale the rewards as well.

The suggestion of bracketing by roster/mmr has some merit but would definitely have to be paired with tiered rewards as well as some improvements to how they determine roster/MMR. As I posted in another topic, having the low level people competing for top prizes, as they are right now, is just bad all around so having the tiered brackets and rewards gets them the feel of winning plus rewards more in tune with their level and needs (even though they think they need the 3*s they are getting).