Even putting Elo aside, here are problems with the current system:
Is a locust equal to a firestarter? not even close. But the matchmaker calls them both 'lights' and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will do better in the latter than the former.
Is a hunchback equal to a shadowhawk? not even close. But the matchmaker calls them both 'mediums' and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will likely do better in the latter than the former.
Is a Quickdraw equal to a madcat? not even close. But the matchmaker calls them both 'heavies' and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will likely do better in the latter than the former.
Is an awesome equal to an atlas? not even close. But the matchmaker calls them both 'assaults' and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will very likely do better in the latter than the former.
I
s an atlas bristling with machine guns and flamers equivalent to an atlas with real weapons? No, but the matchmaker calls them both 'assaults' and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will do better in the latter than the former.
Is an atlas with real weapons but no modules equivalent to an atlas with real weapons, artillery, cool shot, two good mech modules, and two good level 5 weapon modules? No, but the matchmaker calls them both 'assaults' and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will do better in the latter than the former.
Is any mech with fully unlocked skills equivalent to the identical mech with nothing unlocked? No, but the matchmaker calls them identical and will give the same pilot in each the same value. Regardless of who the pilot is, they will do better in the latter than the former.
There's a very strong argument to convert the matchmaker over to use Battlevalue and treat our individual skill level as just another BV item like it is treated in tabletop -
hell keep the Elo scoring for the pilot just scale it to BV for the purposes of balancing matches.
Edited by Tolkien, 09 October 2014 - 07:52 AM.