Generating balanced matches with TWENTY-FOUR people running around at once is damn near impossible - the playerbase just isn't big enough to do that reliably.
Match tier-1 players only against other tier-1's. Match tier-2 players only against other tier-2's. And so on. If there are only five players queued who are tier-2, then your QP match ends up being a 2v2.
If you haven't tried 2v2 combat in a map meant for 12v12, find three friends and do it! It's amazing! Loadout decisions, positioning, and strategy matter SO MUCH MORE with so few players involved! This game works (and works perfect) with small-playercount combat.
Groups need love too. Upon queueing as a group, the matchmaker needs to assign a group-tier - the average tier of all players within the group will do nicely as a group-tier. Limit QP group queues to 4 players apiece, and require groups of symmetric size.
Two groups of identical size and different group tiers can be queued against each other in QP, by adding extra players to the disadvantaged team. A pair of highly asymmetric 3-man groups could end up playing a 3v5, 3v6, or 3v7 match.
MWO desperately needs to update its social tools. Seriously, for a game that embraces teamwork so heavily, the social tools are one disappointing baby step up from a single-player game. Chatting with friends while in the mechlab or while queued needs to be trivially easy, and custom matchmaking tools need to be so powerful that the act of organizing a 12-v-12 game at 4 AM on a Tuesday isn't daunting at all. Make pilot tiers and mech loadouts viewable for organized public matches. Maybe the hardcore players don't want an awesome-turned-flamerboat on their team. Maybe the casuals do not want a tier-1 pilot in a quad UAC10 Kodiak ruining everybody's fun.
The time has come for the devs to improve the game. The matchbreaker needs fixed. They need to bear the cost, sink the time, and get it done. Expend whatever resources it takes to accomplish it. Sell us some fun, thrilling, and excellent combat, and players will give you money!
Edited by Falconer Sword, 26 June 2020 - 06:52 PM.