jackal404, on 08 October 2014 - 04:38 AM, said:
Russ, what happened to the stated reason for the original poll - to reduce the stomps? I haven't seen much in the way of comments to indicate whether this game mode change did that.
It didn't change the stomps because simply altering the MM cannot fix that issue. The stomps happen in the solo queue because Pugs don't understand basic tactics. They spread out all over the map. Whichever team spreads out the most is the team that gets stomped. It's something I've seen over and over each match, and I don't believe that any amount of finangling of the MM can fix it, because there is nothing PGI can do to address the core problem: Player initiative and comprehension.
Sure, changing the elo brackets, in theory, would diversify the skills represented and make for more evenly match teams on a skill level, but the basic problem of tactics and coordination remains. Trying to command Pugs is like trying to herd cats. Until PGI introduces a real communications system for Pug matches, the ROFLStomps will remain a big part of the solo game.
For the group queue, I honestly have not seen that many ROFLStomps prior to this patch. Sure, they happen, but they typically happen because of bad command decisions. One lance places itself in a bad position and gets cut-off, or a couple groups of two decide to act like it's a Pug match and get themselves killed, reducing the overall combat capability of the team. Frankly though, I've seen some epic comebacks despite this, including one match that I was in (have the Twitch vid to prove it) where my team came back and won from a 3-8 score (Red Team's favor). It came down to a 2v1 battle with my team barely eking out the win. In short, prior to this change, most the matches I played in the group queue were pretty close, actually, with only an occasional ROFLStomp.
I have not had the opportunity to play in the group queue since the patch, but I have solo'ed as a Pug and found that there is not a noticeable change to the gameplay experience, other than I can no longer pick the game mode I desire. This results in poor matching between my Mech and the mode, which has resulted in my overall performance dropping somewhat. I would really like to see the game mode selection fixed back to the way it was, because I am no longer enjoying the matches as much as I previously did. It's frustrating to wind up in a slow Mech on a fast game mode like Conquest and get killed before you even get a chance to do anything, or wind up chasing after the team for the whole match without getting in any good shots before the enemy team cap wins. The best gameplay experiences are the ones where you can pair you expertise and Mech selection with the proper game mode, thereby maximizing your fun. Otherwise it's just a headache. Though I have enough integrity not to disco over getting the wrong game mode, I understand and sympathize with those who do.
To be frank, I enjoy Conquest and Skirmish the most and play them a lot. However, now I no longer have control over my playtime. That's frustrating and makes me want to switch over fully to Ghost Recon: Phantoms or Planetside 2 until this whole thing blows over.