Option 1:
We carry on down PilOt's path. 1v1 and team gameplay both have separate ratings, neither of which are displayed in the lobby. These games are all started via the new matchmaking system, which also has functions for choosing which map you wish to play on.
Where the system falls down is in the truly custom games. Now, Ze_PilOt's logic seems to be that if you wish to play with mods, or in any way in a 'Non-competitive' manner, then you don't deserve any method to balance the teams in your games. He's right in a way; the rating system doesn't take account the imbalanced gameplay of most mods, so using the ratings to balance modded and custom-casual games will not be accurate. However... I do believe it would be better than nothing.
I propose (PilOt knows this) that the custom game lobby be given a 'Balance Teams' button. When you click it, it will use basically a matchmaking algorithm. It will use your team ratings (Still hidden from view) to shuffle the teams around so that they are as balanced as possible. Even if real balance is impossible with the given selection of players (Say, five 1600 rating and one 300 rating) the button will do the best it knows how.
PilOt's main objection to this button is that it will create yet more earache for him when people complain the button doesn't work. He's probably right, which is why I would put a very obvious disclaimer in the lobby, something like "This button does not guarantee balanced teams ". Since PilOt is constantly telling us all he doesn't care what we think, this would give him the perfect excuse to tell anyone complaining to shove it. Most importantly, such a button would mean modded games, or casual games with friends, set up with a more reasonable distribution of players than the above example, would be just as well balanced as games hosted using the new matchmaker.
Option 2:
Option 2 is an option thought up by an individual who shall remain un-named (To save him from PilOt's wrath). To see why I think it's the better option, we need to go back to basics.
What is the point of a rating system in the first place?
The whole point is to give a measurement by which games can be made fair. A method by which the players involved in a team game can move themselves around with a rough idea of how good each other player is, in order to have a good, fun game. PilOt's right that many games have the system entirely hidden from view. With respect I think that's a backwards system, especially for such a small community. With more players then sure, a matchmaker will work brilliantly, but with so few? I'm not convinced.
What is the problem FAF has had?
In short, people abusing the rating system, as well as the rating being non-representative. In the previous system, people who played huge amounts of 1v1 had an inflated global rating, which led to people thinking they were better than they actually were at team games. In the system we knew until today, the 1v1 rating was disconnected from global. Any loss of rating there was obvious: You just lost a game. However, it did lead to people deliberately losing team games in order to artificially lower their rating. Once low enough, they could join games with new or worse players under false pretences and ruin everyone else's fun. This behaviour is something which should be utterly eradicated. I'm just not sure PilOt's matchmaker system is the best way to do that.
So how do you propose we fix it?
We give players the data they need to be able to balance the game properly themselves. All the data.
1: We have a 1v1 matchmaker which affects a player's 1v1 rating, and also has a ladder attached to it.
2: We have a team game matchmaker, exactly like what has just been made. Games here affect and entirely separate Team rating.
3: We have custom games. Games played with default options in this mode, as well as with a selected group of whitelisted mods (RK's Explosions, for example), count towards a player's Team rating.
4: We have two ratings. We take the mean of these as a Global rating. This is what's displayed when you hover over a player's name in the main chat. All three ratings are always displayed to everyone but player himself as rounded to the nearest 100, as they are now.
5: All ratings are displayed in full. If a player is in a 1v1 game, his 1v1 rating is shown, with his global rating in brackets next to it. The global doesn't affect the matchmaker at all, it's purely there for the information of the players. For players in a custom game lobby, their Team rating is shown, with their global rating in brackets next to it. This means that in team games, one can see if a player is a team-player, or a 1v1 player by looking at the global AND the team ratings (It's not clear-cut, but a great 1v1 player will still be good in team games too).
6: A disclaimer is put in the custom games lobby: "Your rating is not a rank. It is to be used for balancing. Those complaining about their rating changing will be banned"
7: Be serious about point 6. Anyone bitching about rating and using it for anything other than balancing a game will get one warning, then a permanent FAF ban.
This system gives players ALL of the information that they need to set up balanced games. It caters to the intelligent, punishes those who try to manipulate the rating for unscrupulous ends by making it harder and much more obvious. It allows Ze_PilOt to sit back knowing he has done all he can, and can ignore and ban anyone bitching about it.
One thing's for sure. Open information and free choice is always better than closing choice off and forcing everyone to do one thing. Going, as some people have put it to me, "Full retard mode" is not the way to solve the problem, and certainly does not give the impression of an adult running a successful gaming community; more a toddler having a temper-tantrum.
IceDreamer Out (And probably banned too)Statistics: Posted by IceDreamer — 23 May 2014, 23:24
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