Estimating time is actually incredibly easy.
You need to fill in 12 spots. If you have less than 12 in your lobby, assume that the wait time is indefinite. For every multiple of 12 people that are in queue for that planet, add 11 minutes to your estimated wait time.
Examples:
If you filled 12 spots, and the total number of people in your queue is 23 or less, you get put in a match immediately. (if you're Attacking or Counter-attacking, this means a max 10-minute wait for the opposing team to form. If you're a defender (Hold Territory), then the match is already starting)
If you filled 12 spots, and the number of people in your queue is greater than 24 but less than 36, assume that you are part of the second team that is in line for a match. You must wait for the first team to get into a match (max 10 minute while they wait for defenders) and then wait out the 1-minute cooldown between matches before it kicks you into a game. Add to the the amount of time it takes for your own team to find an opposing team: total 21 minutes.
If the number of people in your queue is between 36 and 48, assume that you're the third team in line, so you must wait for the first two teams to get into a match (11-minute wait each) before you get put into a game. 32 minutes.
If the number of people is between 48 and 60, assume you're fourth, so it's 43 minutes.
If it's 60+, you're fifth, so it's 54 minutes. (or you may be ... seventh, but don't know it, so it's 76 minutes)
Basically, never enter a queue that has more than about 30 people in it, especially if they're more people on your side and fewer people on the opposing side. If there's more people on the opposing side, then your wait times are drastically reduced.
SuperPignouf, on 30 December 2014 - 10:13 AM, said:
IMHO cutting such a relatively small community of players into a derpload of factions and into an other derpload of individual queues is complete non sense.
The problem is actually the opposite. There are too many people in queue for the same planet that you have to wait for them all to get in - it's a severe bottleneck that's put in place to prevent certain units from spamming 12-man groups and winning planets very easily in a short amount of time before Ceasefire.
Edited by Tarogato, 31 December 2014 - 08:02 PM.