Really? No ****. A situation where people are organising their own teams at the highest competitive level would allow people to use whatever they like. Whooda thunk it.

Why the hell is PC being brought into this discussion?

As for meta level cap, unless you have game modes where anything above a certain level is locked out of your inventory it's kinda unfair.
I have PC level fits permanently living in my suits list. It doesn't mean I'm going to use them.
Match making by total SP means the Omni warriors (those whos sp is spread across all suits and weapons) are at a severe disadvantage and will end up constantly facing maxed out builds.

Rattatis plan wouldn't restrict the stomper from stomping, but will force them onto opposing teams so we don't end up with completely one sided matches.

So, as a player with 40+ Million SP, over two years of experience, and runs only Standard gear every match without exception, I should be paired against new players who also only run standard gear (Because that's all they have) and then never get paired against other experienced players who typically run higher level gear? That's what would happen if matchmaking was built around gear alone.

It would be like living in the academy, kicking the teeth in of players who don't even know how to play yet. No thanks, that's boring as hell.

Well for one FW matchmaking can't simply be ignored. We also see massive problems in that game mode, so it can't just be a 'free for all' like it currently is. So then I have to go to PC to have a challenging fight? Well then I have to use Proto because everyone else does, and that's just something I dont like doing as a player. So what are my options? Play standard like I enjoy doing but get stuck against noobies in pubs and FW? Or go full proto like I don't like doing, to get a decent fight? You're just pidgeonholing people because you want an overy simplistic approach that only takes gear into account, when many very good players don't even rely on Proto gear to succeed.

All I want is to be able to use the gear I normally do, load up a pub match, and fight against people who win and succeed about as much as I do. I don't care if they're using proto, I don't care if they're using militia. All I want is to fight against people who are roughly of the same skill level that I am. You're simply NOT going to get that with a matchmaking system built around gear alone.

So you want to put players with 99k WPs in the same match as players launching DUST for the first time, still trying to figure out which buttons do what? No, the best solution is to have a short academy like we have, and then add a second-tier academy as an optional game mode (the only one checked by default). This would cap out at some SP threshold (like 5 mill SP). It would allow new players to play enough unmolested by protostompers to build up a decently competitive ADV fit with good core skills, as well as generating enough data to build a reasonably accurate Mu score. It also gives them the freedom to try a variety of more competitive game modes if they're looking for a challenge. Once they graduate, the matchmaker will be able to better place them on more balanced teams, and they'll have the skills (and possibly social connections at this point) to have a lot more fun.

Ok so say I DONT want use proto, and use Standard as I always do. In a Gear-Based system, I would consistently get stuck up against new players. Why should I be forced to use higher gear to fight veteran opponents?

Lol and the reason you get stomps is because more often than not you get one side made of players who win often fighting a side that wins less often. WIth the system that Rattati is proposing, the current Proto stompers would get paired against teams that win frequently.

Did you actually read the thread? Squads would be put on opposite teams now.

Not all players who use Standard gear are new, but all new players use standard gear.

It's not just about learning the game, its your plan sticking me in matches where every new player will be, without exception. Yes there may be a few vets sprinkled in there, but the majority WILL be new players. "Dust isn't that hard to learn" you're right, but what about SP advantage? How long would you suggest a player stay in the academy before they're ready for the real world?

Let me ask you this, what does a gear-based matchmaking system offer over a win-loss based system? What advantages does it have that the Win-based system does not?

What stops a veteran from using standard gear knowing it will likely pit him against newer players with less SP in order to use his SP advantage to stomp?

A system which pairs him against players who dont lose very often.

This system ranks everyone based largely off of their Win/Loss ratio and modifies the rank for each win and loss. The game then attempts to pair people with similar ranks against each other, effectively mean that those with a high W/L ratio fight people with a similar W/L ratio.

It's like an ongoing tournament, where winning moves you up a bracket to fight others who have won a lot of battles, and losing drops you down a bracket to fight others who have lost. The more you win, the harder the opponents you face, and the harder it is to maintain that W/L ratio. Whereas as you lose, you fight easier and easier teams, making it easier to increase your W/L ratio.