Battle.net StarCraft II Matchmaking Too Good?

[Rathy]

I'm actually a big fan of this, as this was my biggest problem with Starcraft. I was never great, so I tried to play with people who had low records. And before I knew it, they had me outgunned. One time I even had the person tell me, just before he won, what his actual account record was. Something like 1500-200 or so. So I welcome single account matchmaking very much.

 

[metalhead467]

Wow, having topay $$$ for another copy in order to have more fun...
I smell a scheme here!!

Lets be honest here, being constantly stomped by tossers who feel like stomping on helpless noobs is not fun, it rewards the jerks and punishes newbies.

Besides there could always be free matchmaking and trueskill matchmaking modes.

Oh, just to clarify my point of view: I think there should be some leveling and agree with their measure. I was just pointing out how inadequate of him to say people should buy a new copy of a game they already own...

So...it's wrong for them to discourage people from being asshole trolls? Because basically, that's what these people are doing. If they want to be dicks about it, they should have to pay, dammit.

 

[Explosm]

As long as it doesnt have a leveling system. I hate when levels are needlessly used. YOU WIN. YOU GAIN 20 LEVELS. YOU CAN NOW ONLY VS ELITIST JERKS. Fuck that shit.

 

[Metaphor]

Its a really good idea, but it won't sell me because I don't want to have a to buy an extra copy to not share an account with my brother :/ Not that I play much else than UMS maps, but I want my record to be my own.

 

[Dramatic Flare]

Actually, I think this is a good idea that could use a very simple improvement.

They should include a "play against X" scale option. So, for example an expert wants to go smurf something. Most new players do not wish to get smurfed, however some new player might have finally gotten the grasp of getting those first crucial six minutes down and wants a better challenge, and maybe to see what he's up against in the big leagues. So, the expert wants to Play Against (score ranking, or skill level- whatever is the measurement here), and the up-and-coming player wants to Play Against Expert.
They would get a chance to find each other.

I suppose the default setting for this would be Play Against my own skill level, but it would be fair to include a Play Against All. Since the default setting is My Own Skill Level, they would be at risk of getting smurfed... only at their own risk.

 

[Weaver]

they need a little bit of a mixture because how the hell do you learn to be better if you play average joe everyday...seriously you learn new things from vet players and if you keep playing noobs you wont learn jack.

This is only half true. If you want to learn how to play chess, going and playing 20 games straight against Siegbert Tarrasch is not going to teach you a fucking thing. He's going to stomp the crap out of you and you won't learn any strategies because ALL your strategies will seem ineffective against a grandmaster.

Without going into SC2s functionality in excess, it allows for climbing the ladder, don't worry.

 

[Baconmonster723]

As long as it doesnt have a leveling system. I hate when levels are needlessly used. YOU WIN. YOU GAIN 20 LEVELS. YOU CAN NOW ONLY VS ELITIST JERKS. Fuck that shit.

My guess is they have a system based on win percentages and total games played. Therefore you can always play someone near your skill set based on the fact that you have similar statistics. Obviously it's more in depth than that but it prevents punishing people who just play a lot but never get that good by not stacking them up against David Kim.......*shudder*

 

[zamble]

Wow, having topay $$$ for another copy in order to have more fun...
I smell a scheme here!!

Lets be honest here, being constantly stomped by tossers who feel like stomping on helpless noobs is not fun, it rewards the jerks and punishes newbies.

Besides there could always be free matchmaking and trueskill matchmaking modes.

Oh, just to clarify my point of view: I think there should be some leveling and agree with their measure. I was just pointing out how inadequate of him to say people should buy a new copy of a game they already own...

So...it's wrong for them to discourage people from being asshole trolls? Because basically, that's what these people are doing. If they want to be dicks about it, they should have to pay, dammit.

I disagree with that. I think they shouldn't have that option, either. It's not because you can pay that it justifies spoiling other's fun. Not that I think many people will do it, tough.

These days, with so much discussion about DRM and people having to buy more than one copy of the game just sao they can install it on another PC of their own, it was a stupid declaration.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

So my flat mate who wants to play it, but uses my computer will have to use my account?

 

[bjj hero]

So my flat mate who wants to play it, but uses my computer will have to use my account?

...and ruin your stats.

 

[lacktheknack]

So my flat mate who wants to play it, but uses my computer will have to use my account?

No system is perfect. I'd be willing to try this, though.

 

[UnkeptBiscuit]

Great, now I might actually have a chance in an RTS. Now all I need is for them to announce that it's going to be released on Mac, or else save up a shitload of money for my local Internet cafe.

 

[Koganesaga]

I'd love to have some basis, but hey I've only had this game on pre-order since 2007 when gamestop's allowed the pre-order, and uploaded my computer's information the day it was available with a high grade computer, but hey why should they pick me, a committed fan over some random douche who is gonna sell the beta key on ebay.

 

[JLrep]

I've got to agree with the sentiments in the article. This is what killed Halo 2 online for me; every match was about the same level of difficulty. Well, no, what killed Halo 2 was the fact that every serious match was necessarily random (gone were the happy days of Rainbow Six 3, finding a server of cool guys and playing with them for the rest of the evening, only slightly caring what happened to your stats), but the strictly defined difficulty certainly didn't help.

Obviously, as a rule I'd rather play a given game against people more or less my skill level. But it's great, every now and then, to have a match against some newer players, which lets you relax and mess around?or against some pros, one of those matches where you're constantly on your toes, seeing them do crazy things, learning things about the game you never knew, and if you win, you feel ecstatic, and if you lose, it's like a relief.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

So my flat mate who wants to play it, but uses my computer will have to use my account?

No system is perfect. I'd be willing to try this, though.

I know, but this is a pretty weak reason to limit accounts. I mean, shit happens, sometimes you lose in a game. Play with friends or do some offline skirmishes to practice.

So my flat mate who wants to play it, but uses my computer will have to use my account?

...and ruin your stats.

That too.

 

[Credge]

Stuff like this doesn't work. They're forgetting some very, very simple things. For example, tournaments. The tournaments that matter (I.E. all of them) won't be using the ladder.

Because of this, those that want to smurf will simply smurf. When they reach a certain point they'll throw matches.

It's happening in HoN and it's still in beta and you can have an infinite number of accounts.

When skill level is determined by an algorithm, it will always be broken. Smurfers will smurf. It's part of the griefer mentality (which is what they are). You give a griefer an obstacle and they'll overcome it and become even more annoying and will make you even more angry.

As much as I hate griefers, things like this just make them even more annoying.

 

[Nazulu]

Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! Are they saying it's only going to be the match-making thing online (No private servers again)?

Also do I have to buy a WHOLE new game just to have another account? Can't we meet down the middle and have like a couple of accounts per a game? This doesn't work for me.

 

[Fearzone]

One more reason why Blizzard is the best game-making company out there. Only from Blizzard do I believe a statement that a matchmaking system is "too good" and needs a little artificial error introduced to make it more fun.

Regarding smurfing, back in the Dawn of War days, the first one, smurfing was as big a problem there as anywhere else, so I suggested on Relic Forums one account per copy of Dawn of War. My reasoning was that unless you are making smurfs you don't need more than one account, or if there is a really good reason that you do, you can buy a new copy of the game. I expected that suggestion to get a lot of flames, but while most people disagreed, they did chew on the pro's and con's of it. Even the THQ rep chimed in, suggesting it had been considered but they weren't going that route. I doubt the problem was ever fixed.

 

[Fearzone]

How much you wanna bet someones gonna buy about five or so copies just to continue playing against n00bs?

I bet a million dollars a number of people will. Any takers? If someone wants to smurf so bad they will buy another copy of the game to do so, and then will quit a number of matches to keep their rankings low, then there is basically no stopping these peope and that's okay--at least they had to buy another copy of the game. Getting noob-stomped now and again isn't the worst thing and oftentimes you learn something.

 

[tkioz]

Well I can see their point of making a game too boring, but speaking as someone who has been put off some competitive multi player games in the past by jumping in only to be stomped into the ground so hard you come out in China, a degree of match making is needed if your going to keep the majority interested, not everyone likes playing a game to extremes, great if you play the game a few hours each night and get really good at it, good for you, but some of us might only play the same game once a week, so we never get up to your skill up to the same level, and it's really no fun to be smashed into the ground over and over again, you eventually just go 'meh screw it, I'm going to play something fun'