SirManBoy
Molon Labe.
General Tso's Alliance
627
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Posted - 2014.08.13 00:33:00 -
[1] - Quote
Originally published on dustcpm.com:
CREATING A RELEVANT LINK BETWEEN EVE AND DUST 514: THE CASE FOR ORGANIC MATCHMAKING AND TEAM DEPLOY IN FACTION WARFARE.
AUGUST 11, 2014
BY SIRMANBOY
Greetings Mercs:
IGÇÖm about to share something very personal with youGÇôI have a fever and the only prescription is TEAM DEPLOY. Those of you who know my FPS gaming history prior to Dust are aware that I was once a fanatical shotgun medic in a game called MAG for a large and very active clan called The Professionals, or [PRO]. Most people, regardless if they played or passed on MAG, remember MAG for its ability to allow 256-players (128 vs. 128) to square off in its domination mode. But, in my humble opinion, the single greatest thing that MAG brought to the table was clan deploy, or CDEP for short. CDEP was special because of its unique ability to deploy large numbers of players from a single clan into public matches against a random selection of opposing players pulled from all of the clan deploys, squad deploys, and solo deploys queuing around the same time . Every so often the stars would align and we would be treated to a battle against another clan en masse, but that wasnGÇÖt a common occurrence. While this system wasnGÇÖt perfectGÇômost notably because it failed to allow clans the option to purposely set up matches against each otherGÇôit did do a fantastic job of fostering a real sense of community and purpose in a game where the matches themselves otherwise meant nothing at all. CDEP rewarded activity, size, and tactics in a way that was unprecedented in an FPS game; it allowed a large number of average players to create synergy through experience and to develop cohesive strategies which would often overcome competitors with superior gun games. Unfortunately, it also resulted in many one-sided beat downs, which I think would make a system similar to CDEP a poor fit for public matches in Dust. However, Faction Warfare is a different story altogether, and for good reason.
If Dust 514GǦs Faction Warfare game mode is truly meant to be a relevant link to EVE online, then the first thing you must dismiss is the idea of creating parity through matchmaking, because in the EVE universe fairness isnGÇÖt authentic. One of the most common arguments that I hear from people who disagree with me on the issue of team deploy in Faction Warfare is that it will break matchmaking and that under no circumstances should a team queue ever deploy against a non-team queue. It is my position that that sort of coddling threatens the very integrity of the Dust/EVE link because it seeks to allow artificiality to determine the outcome of Faction Warfare matches instead of organic, player created content. What do I mean by GÇ£player created contentGÇ¥, you may ask? Well, letGÇÖs start with how a team deploy system immediately raises the value of mercenaries from organized corps and alliances in Dust. If size, activity, synergy, and cohesion were rewarded vis-+á-vis a team deploy system, then you would immediately see an increase in EVE/Dust interaction because EVE corps would quickly recognize the advantages that organized, 16-player teams have on the battlefield against unorganized opposition. While such a scenario is exactly what my critics say is the problem with my proposal, I maintain that this very lack of parity represents an organic, player driven outcome very much in keeping with the EVE philosophy. And yes, while being on the losing end of a one-sided Faction Warfare battle against a full team queue sounds bad at first, every player would have the option to adapt. Specifically, they could begin to join teams too, which creates further content in the form of alliance corp acquisitions, alliance mergers, and other partnerships designed to mitigate weakness and create parity in a way that is totally organic and requires no intervention from a matchmaking system. Other likely benefits include a rise in corporate recruitment, better player retention, and an overall increase in player engagement as corps and alliances begin to value and utilize quantity as much as quality.
So what might all of this look like and how could it potentially work? Well, I envision the need for something very similar to DustGÇÖs current squad finderGÇôcall it a team finderGÇôwith the same options for opening the grouping to just corp mates, anyone in your alliance, or anyone in general, but different because it would allow 16 players to join instead of just 6. Furthermore, it would need to be locked for Faction Warfare matches only. While developing something along the conceptual lines of a team finder may be necessary to make team deploy a reality, I would be extremely interested to see the results of a CCP technical evaluation to determine whether or not that functionality could be accomplished with a simple hot fix affecting the current squad finder. If it were really that easy, team deploy supporters would need to be vocal about their support for the mechanic and be prepared to have a vigorous debate with those who would make team deploy subject to artificial matchmaking restrictions that would threaten its very implementation or negate its potential for strengthening the bond between EVE and Dust.
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SirManBoy
Molon Labe.
General Tso's Alliance
637
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Posted - 2014.08.18 21:27:00 -
[2] - Quote
Lady MDK wrote:Devs care to post? Alternatively, SirManBoy, as CPM are the communities ideas something you could push in addition to your own?
Absolutely. I'm just as interested in supporting great ideas coming out of the community as I am proposals that I whip up on my own. The point of my service on the CPM is to try and make the game better, period.
The biggest challenge for this game's collective brain trust at this juncture is coming up with great ideas that can be accomplished with server side changes. Unfortunately, that's an extremely limiting factor.
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