100 replies to this topic

[Blue Pheonix]

While I consider myself just and average player, according to Jarl's list I am an above average player and a player who has played for years with over 16,000 games played. I say this to give some context to what I am about to say. I have played a lot and while not a great player I am not terrible and I am statistically not the reason for my team's losses.

I am considering walking away from the game permanently because of the broken matchmaker and inclusion of teams being allowed in PUG matches. A declining player base probably is not helping seeding algorithms either. Teams allowed in PUG play using Teams speak (or other VOIP chat where players can communicate strategy and focus targets) really does give a tremendous advantage to either a win or loss. Such advantages diminishes game play experience for both sides. In short, stomp wins and stomp losses are simply not rewarding.

For me, and I can only speak for myself, the recent changes or declining player base has tanked my W/L percentage, matchscores, fun and game play experience with tremendously lopsided games in either direction (both win and loss) with most of my game now in the loss column.

When I say lopsided and stomps I mean it, regardless of PGI saying it is only an increase of 5%. Regular games where I will win or lose with common game outcome sequences such as 12-2, 4-12, 0-12, 2-12, 12-5, 12-0, 6-12, 5-12 etc. but not in any particular order. My team very often folds and dies off so quickly like a cheap suit. This of course tanks my stats and of course leads to tremedous losses and the regular feeling of being dominated regardless of my effort, mech piloted or weight class piloted. I have tried piloting all weight classes, light, medium, heavy, assault but the outcomes and dominations remain the same. While these things have happened in years past of course, the frequency that I observe it now has greatly increased.

I appreciate close games win or lose. While it is of course true that I would like to win, I would rather lose a close fun game then win a stomp. Too many stomps in either direction now with what seems like many losses for me starting at the end of last month and this month.

I'm considering hanging up the MWO hat and deleting the game as I have often used MWO as a way to escape lifes stresses, not add to them by consistently getting dominated. My stress level with MWO PUG games has increased greatly as of the last month or two because of being dominated and decreased gameplay experience.

Perhaps it is just my experience and it is just me. Anyone else experiencing what I am describing?

[Nameless King]

I have also played for a long time and have not really seen much of a change since the change. I play in both a group and solo and either way matches are about the same.

[JediPanther]

I've been playing regularly for the past six years. Frankly i'm bored of the game and pgi's total lack of ability to actually improve the game play making bleep changes that they were told from us that such changes would either be horrible, subpar or little to no positive impact on the game.

recently i've found lots of free games from places like gog,epic,steam and so on so i've got plenty of free new games plus my current library of games to replace mwo with. It is on pgi to make changes to mwo, attract new players and retain older players.

I pretty much have every light mech I want to use along with other mechs in other weight classes. I run them randomly depending on my mood and type of load out. My time for gaming is limited so I can't wait around for lots of loading or que times thus I run solo a lot. Qp is just dull and boring as f now. You know exactly where everyone is going to lemming to.

[Anomalocaris]

I suspect a lot of people are experiencing something similar. I haven't played in 6 weeks myself.

https://steamcharts.com/app/342200

I understand the (misguided) logic of merging queues in a low population setting. But it doesn't change the fact that (1) using the group queue matchmaker wrecks balance (2) Group drop players have always been a tiny minority of the playerbase so catering to them at the expense of solos (your biggest population) is risky (3) match quality got worse after the merge, even by PGI's lax standards.

So it isn't hard to imagine that you're going to alienate a significant part of the playerbase with a merge. We actually had some nice growth during the Wuhan virus lockdowns and I suspect PGI thought they could pull off the merge due to an increasing playerbase, and that they'd attract more than they lost. But trading one population segment for another is always a big risk when you barely have enough people to build matches in the first place. I think they're going to pay for making that bet in short order.

[Nearly Dead]

Merging the queues was like giving someone chemo. No one thinks it is good, it just may be less lethal than doing nothing.

I stopped playing a couple of weeks ago. I can't find anything else I want to play though, so once the PSR reset happens I might come back and play for a while and see how it goes. If not, I bought a license for Alibre Atom CAD software today and I may play around designing some stuff and making it in my woodshop instead.

[Sunstruck]

TTB posted a video on this you should check out

The bottom line is that if your playing solo, your going to be at a disadvantage, so its just a matter of if you still can enjoy the mechs without winning as much.

[LordNothing]

Anomalocaris, on 17 June 2020 - 12:42 PM, said:

I suspect a lot of people are experiencing something similar. I haven't played in 6 weeks myself.

https://steamcharts.com/app/342200

I understand the (misguided) logic of merging queues in a low population setting. But it doesn't change the fact that (1) using the group queue matchmaker wrecks balance (2) Group drop players have always been a tiny minority of the playerbase so catering to them at the expense of solos (your biggest population) is risky (3) match quality got worse after the merge, even by PGI's lax standards.

So it isn't hard to imagine that you're going to alienate a significant part of the playerbase with a merge. We actually had some nice growth during the Wuhan virus lockdowns and I suspect PGI thought they could pull off the merge due to an increasing playerbase, and that they'd attract more than they lost. But trading one population segment for another is always a big risk when you barely have enough people to build matches in the first place. I think they're going to pay for making that bet in short order.

this was more of an issue with fp than the current queue merge. what we have now is an order of magnitude or two less severe than the blatant pug grinder that was fp. its still enough to lose players though and thats the last thing this game needs.but its also not really effecting my games that much. and things will improve when/if they fix the match maker.

but if fp had the one lance rule (or better a lance for lance rule) i think it would have been more successful. groups had way to much influence over match formation, able to concentrate skill while avoiding other high skill teams, and pgi let em get away with it, all while allowing fp to suck up dev resources forcing the pure solo players to essentially play the beta game. its no wonder the game hemorrhaged players.

the best time to pug fp was between the disbanding of a lot of huge teams and the year of faction play which created absurd wait times, not to mention killing the best mode the game had ever seen (fp conquest). but its the wait times that kill it for me, and all the match score based events which are hard to grind in fp aren't helping either (since i only play events now).

Edited by LordNothing, 17 June 2020 - 02:15 PM.

[Anomalocaris]

Sunstruck, on 17 June 2020 - 01:30 PM, said:

The bottom line is that if your playing solo, your going to be at a disadvantage, so its just a matter of if you still can enjoy the mechs without winning as much.

A succinct and accurate summation. It's just hard to imagine a game developer deciding to implement a change that puts the majority of the playerbase at a sudden disadvantage for continuing to play as solo players, while benefiting 10-15% for playing as groups. I mean, there are guys that have bought whole new gaming rigs to get better framerate and resolution on this game so that they can improve their play. Now they're being told that they have to play groups or suffer. I'm not sure I'd make that sort of biz decision even after a 3 martini lunch....

[Krucilatoz]

I'm one of those proposed mixing group and solo queue, i even post a thread about it, one year before group-solo mix. And I'm back to MWO because of this. I know some of you will check Jarl for my claim.

Yes, in fact my win-lose ratio drop, K/D drop.

But yes, playing with friend is much more fun. And because we are just average player, we still got a lot of losing-streaks.

And for you who think "game is fun only when winning / stomping", think it again, when you win, someone will lost. If you have high K/D, someone got killed over and over.
Youtuber only care about their reputation, winning is the entertaining thing for their viewer. Who will watch some loser anyway?

[Tarl Cabot]

There are a few outstanding issues with the combination.

1. Use of Tonnage limits instead of restricting classes, ie 1 of each. This would remove the 2 assaults that can be used.
2. Adding Group with max 4-man (lance) instead of 3-man.. old man it is Battletech
3. Tier reset and PSR changes incoming. This has the potential to move the "casual" its fun players to the lower tiers and keep them there, especially those who think it will be fun to bring 3 non-competitive lights to a drop for "fun" while the other side's competitive group has at least 2 assaults + other mechs.

Even with a Tier/PSR reset, it will still be difficult at times due to nothing changing for #1 and #2. And dropping as a group can be a great multiplier, provided that group plays as teammates, but for many it may take time to break bad habits.

As for the lopsidedness, I wished the End game result either displayed the percentages of the mechs left standing, or show the total damage taken. Even on those 5-12 matches, there had been many times where the other side were nothing but sticks, missing arms, torsos, a leg. Even on wins, running through the spectator view, many reduced to practically scrap.

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 17 June 2020 - 08:19 PM.

[LordNothing]

seems any changes that would actually improve the game are always 5 years late.

[maxmarechal]

except the first year of closed beta,as soon as open beta arrived MWO became a team game. Solo was only when you needed to farm Xp to level a new trio of chassis . Comp was amazing .
unfortunately IGP/PGI never listened to the community's suggestion until very recently and the game stopped being fun even for teams.

[Inatu Elimor]

Blue Pheonix, on 17 June 2020 - 09:38 AM, said:

Perhaps it is just my experience and it is just me. Anyone else experiencing what I am describing?

Affirm

[MW Waldorf Statler]

for myself was FP , and the FP events the nail of the coffin...no matchs for hours or matchs with pug teams against very goodlike russia Teams no funny

Edited by MW Waldorf Statler, 18 June 2020 - 02:18 AM.

[Davegt27]

took this screen shot a few ago

[UnofficialOperator]

Lol just let this game die already and move on to other games. There are so many games out there to spend your time on.

[V O L T R O N]

I have had the best matches in years. yesterday I was in 3 games back to back to back 12-10.....

Stop que queing with the rest of the community because they didnt do something you wanted that has no relation to reality.

Ive played like 60k+ matches for 7 years....


Its as good as its ever been.

MW Waldorf Statler, on 18 June 2020 - 02:16 AM, said:

for myself was FP , and the FP events the nail of the coffin...no matchs for hours or matchs with pug teams against very goodlike russia Teams no funny

Join a group, solo FP is no good.

Edited by V O L T R O N, 18 June 2020 - 03:32 AM.

[Snowhawk]

Sunstruck, on 17 June 2020 - 01:30 PM, said:

TTB posted a video on this you should check out ...

The bottom line is that if your playing solo, your going to be at a disadvantage, so its just a matter of if you still can enjoy the mechs without winning as much.

Here's my W/L - Ratio since Januar 2020 (from the Jarl's list / I usually play soloqueue): 1.84, 1.36, 1.40, 1.79, and.... when pgi merged Soloqueue with groupqueue my Ratio fell down to 0.57 (!!!). Often I saw Assaults and premade-teams in the other team while my team had no assaults and was full of casual Players.

GG PGI, to lose is very entertaining….

Edited by Snowhawk, 18 June 2020 - 04:06 AM.

[UnofficialOperator]

Snowhawk, on 18 June 2020 - 04:01 AM, said:

Here's my W/L - Ratio since Januar 2020 (from the Jarl's list / I usually play soloqueue): 1.84, 1.36, 1.40, 1.79, and.... when pgi merged Soloqueue with groupqueue my Ratio fell down to 0.57 (!!!). Often I saw Assaults and premade-teams in the other team while my team had no assaults and was full of casual Players.

GG PGI, to lose is very entertaining….

Glad I saw this before I hopped back in

I'll just wait until the new PSR or when the queue is separated.

[Angelwolf]

Blue Pheonix, on 17 June 2020 - 09:38 AM, said:

Teams allowed in PUG play using Teams speak (or other VOIP chat where players can communicate strategy and focus targets) really does give a tremendous advantage to either a win or loss.

I think this point is kind of negated by the fact that MWO supports VOIP in-game.

Sure, pre-made groups have an advantage in that they're likely friends that they play with a lot - but voice? No different as the ability is in-game anyway. Organisation, teamwork and communications help and I've played a few pug games where this has happened and the outcome has been great.

Most game players in 2020 will have a headset, but not all will choose to use it. That's the difference, I think.

Many newbies will start the game thinking it's something similar to arcadey fps' but the truth is MWO is far more tactical. Communication is key and I think that solo players do have an obligation to really encourage teamwork to newer players as well as older players that have lost their way.