63 replies to this topic

[Creovex]

It's time... This is a conversation that should have been happening last year but is only now becoming more apparent. This game needs Bots to fill in for the lack of players at different times in varying weight classes.
ie. If the game has 35% players in Assaults, 35% in Heavies, 20% in Mediums and 10% in Lights, a system should be put in place to start placing Bots in Light and Medium roles to try and compliment the demand to help ensure that games are launching on a timely fashion.

About Bots...
Let's be honest, they don't have to be that good. Have you been pugging lately? You don't have to be an ace to have fun, you just need an AI that can move and attack. Heck, set the AI up to ignore capture objectives. You could even set AI to take over for those damn AFKs who drop out after 5 minutes...

Final Thought..
Having dropped tons of money for mech packs over the years, I expect to be able to play the mechs I paid when I care too, however this is not the case. The wait times for Heavies/Assaults is getting ridiculious to the point where it takes forever to get into a match and due to crappy match making, the experience can be far from quality. Add to a long wait the fact you still have to level three (3) variants of any mech to get the pilot perks makes this wait even more unbearable.

So with this in mind, I think it is time PGI start working on implementing Bots.

[Burktross]

Bots are going to be necessary for Singleplayer, so they might aswell test them as DC replacers after 2 minutes

However, putting a bot in from the get go is just...
Insulting...

Replacements yeah, but I don't think they'd work for queue quickeners.

[sycocys]

Why does it need bots during low count times?

Wouldn't just having the system adjust to make smaller matches be more appropriate so skill levels can still be roughly balanced? 8v8, 4v4 if population is really low.

It would also help if people would stop moaning about the possibility of playing against a group, then they could eliminate the bucket system and just have one queue with tonnage restrictions from 1 player up to 12 man teams.

[FrontGuard]

it would be better to just relax the rule a bit and use the percentage of available in each class as the rule.
Would speed things up vastly.

[Simbacca]

sycocys, on 27 October 2015 - 11:34 AM, said:

Why does it need bots during low count times?

Wouldn't just having the system adjust to make smaller matches be more appropriate so skill levels can still be roughly balanced? 8v8, 4v4 if population is really low.

It would also help if people would stop moaning about the possibility of playing against a group, then they could eliminate the bucket system and just have one queue with tonnage restrictions from 1 player up to 12 man teams.

Going to 8v8 for long wait times may be the easiest solution to keep an all human force. That would remove the need of MM to find another 4 players. True such a situation could negate certain achievements (such as get 12 assists), but at least players should (hopefully considering how MM and PSR consistently hate me in team balance) keep wait times to reasonable levels while having balanced teams.

Edited by Simbacca, 27 October 2015 - 11:39 AM.

[mogs01gt]

tonnage restrictions need enforced so there are a limited number of heavier mechs in game. If you want to play a heavier mech, deal with the longer wait times.

[Creovex]

FrontGuard, on 27 October 2015 - 11:34 AM, said:

it would be better to just relax the rule a bit and use the percentage of available in each class as the rule.
Would speed things up vastly.

Problem with this is when they do that, how is putting a Light on one team and a Medium on another fair? Overall, that just breeds more agruments against the MM IMO.

Also, I like the thought of a DC becoming a Bot after say 3-5 minutes... That way my team gets something out of a the "once dead" mech.

Edited by Creovex, 27 October 2015 - 11:41 AM.

[Kristian Radoulov]

The PvP aspect of this game just needs a bigger playerbase.

[FrontGuard]

you did not understand what I said...
if there are 10% light available make game with 10% light
if there are 30% heave, make game with 30% heavy and so on.
The game would be even and the MM very fast.

[sycocys]

Let everyone run a Timber if they want. Easiest mech in the game to headshot.

Really doesn't need to be weight matching anymore since your weight isn't taken into account for your PSR rating, just let people run whatever they feel like running in solo drops. If you want to mix in the group queue keep the tonnage restrictions in place for groups.

[Simbacca]

FrontGuard, on 27 October 2015 - 11:34 AM, said:

it would be better to just relax the rule a bit and use the percentage of available in each class as the rule.
Would speed things up vastly.

Creovex, on 27 October 2015 - 11:38 AM, said:

Problem with this is when they do that, how is putting a Light on one team and a Medium on another fair? Overall, that just breeds more agruments against the MM IMO.

Also, I like the thought of a DC becoming a Bot after say 3-5 minutes... That way my team gets something out of a the "once dead" mech.

We had the mech class problem when we had 8vs8. I remember one match on Frozen City Night, where my team had 7 Atlases (yes seven), whilst I was in a Raven-3L. The other team had no assaults or lights. To put it politely we literally walked right through that team.

Going with the previous idea of 8vs8. Perhaps some new (say 3) maps which are 8vs8 only should be created. This should help queue times, and being much smaller maps get the game more maps, faster. Plus it would help to change things up for players -- are you going in as a company or as only 2 lances ?

[Paigan]

[Lugh]

Burktross, on 27 October 2015 - 11:33 AM, said:

Bots are going to be necessary for Singleplayer, so they might aswell test them as DC replacers after 2 minutes

However, putting a bot in from the get go is just...
Insulting...

Replacements yeah, but I don't think they'd work for queue quickeners.

So how are you going to handle people that get their PSR inflated because a BOT did better than they do??

[Creovex]

Lugh, on 27 October 2015 - 12:04 PM, said:

So how are you going to handle people that get their PSR inflated because a BOT did better than they do??

Who cares about PSR? According to Paul, even those Bots should get better over time

[FrontGuard]

let me try one more time please.
Since when you add up a percentage it must Always add up to 100 you can
safely and simply use that percentage to make the matches an equal representation of the on line player base.
So...
I there are 10% lite, 20% med, 30% heavy and 40% Assault... you can just use that available percentage to make Even Teams.
... and it would be fast as hell

[Creovex]

FrontGuard, on 27 October 2015 - 12:11 PM, said:

let me try one more time please.
Since when you add up a percentage it must Always add up to 100 you can
safely and simply use that percentage to make the matches an equal representation of the on line player base.
So...
I there are 10% lite, 20% med, 30% heavy and 40% Assault... you can just use that available percentage to make Even Teams.
... and it would be fast as hell

You assume the world of even numbers.... So if you have odd numbers, how do you balance? In this case, a Bot would fill the other Light spot.

If we want to go more into the crazy world of fun, we know a Commando + Ice Ferret equates to Arctic Cheetah + Stormcrow.... LOL on no it doesn't... give all the Bots the higher tier mechs to help equate for the AI shift.

Edited by Creovex, 27 October 2015 - 12:24 PM.

[FrontGuard]

Wow.... never mind... I give up

And you want the Match Maker to Judge some Mechs in the same weight class as better or heavier than others?

... this is just sad.

Edited by FrontGuard, 27 October 2015 - 12:28 PM.

[Creovex]

FrontGuard, on 27 October 2015 - 12:26 PM, said:

Wow.... never mind... I give up

And you want the Match Maker to Judge some Mechs in the same weight class as better or heavier than others?

... this is just sad.

You have been here a year, what you are talking about regarding shifting the MM has been done before and failed, that is why you should just sit back on this one.

[Burktross]

Lugh, on 27 October 2015 - 12:04 PM, said:

So how are you going to handle people that get their PSR inflated because a BOT did better than they do??

If the bot ends the match for them, they don't get rewards, psr ranks included?

[Mawai]

Umm no. I would vote against bots being subbed for actual players to force 3/3/3/3 or some other combination.

I would FAR rather have the current process where the matchmaker simply adjusts to the distribution of players in the queue and make matches using what is available having the occasional match with different mech proportions when a queue gets too long.

I would also not support making queue times longer in order to get more 3/3/3/3 matches formed. The game isn't worth the wait and folks will just quit if queue times are too long.