PVE will help.maintain numbers though it wouldnt promote team playing.

Hi,

We are aware that when people drop out of the academy pool, the matchmaking becomes more uneven. This is partly due to the fact that the current matchmaking system favors shorter waiting times rather than perfect matches. We are working on a solution that favors stricter matchmaking but at the expense of possibly longer waiting times, especially for veteran players as they might be fewer of the around than average players, and so take a longer time to fill up a match.

These changes necessitate a client change to make players aware of the status of the wait, so it cannot be resolved completely on the server side.

thanks for your patience.

Hi,

We are aware that when people drop out of the academy pool, the matchmaking becomes more uneven. This is partly due to the fact that the current matchmaking system favors shorter waiting times rather than perfect matches. We are working on a solution that favors stricter matchmaking but at the expense of possibly longer waiting times, especially for veteran players as they might be fewer of the around than average players, and so take a longer time to fill up a match.

These changes necessitate a client change to make players aware of the status of the wait, so it cannot be resolved completely on the server side.

thanks for your patience.

Coop PVE would, in eve people can create fleets (kinda like a squad of ships) and do gang missioning its a quicker method and also more fun as there are other people, i dont know why this sort of thing would not be allowed in Dust

CCP, matchmaking, and aiming have to become a priority. I've posted my ides here (matchmaking) and here (Statistics) .

I'm an Eve player and got into DUST in early closed beta, but didn't really start playing regularly till open beta. While the learning curve for DUST was steep, I stuck with it for Eve's sake. I'm a 2-3 KDR player with 8mil sp well allocated who typically plays in squads and enjoys the team-support playstyle.

However, I have 4 brother-in-laws with whom I regularly play FPS on console; none of them stuck with DUST more than 2 days. Poor aiming and proto pubstomping (my words) were their chief gripes. So we went back to playing other console FPSs

With the implementation of Academy battles I decided to create an Alt, just to see how the system operated. I haven't had so much fun in all my DUST playing!! It was a blast to go toe-to-toe with players of similar fittings and similar SP, with no squad organization (usually). I couldn't stop playing Academy battles because it was so much fun. After I reached 10,000 war points, I rolled another alt, just to jump back into Academy battles. After that one hit 10k, I deleted him and rolled another alt. Because the playing field had been leveled (somewhat) I learned so much about strategy: When to engage, when to disengage, when to retreat and when to attack, when to move in head on, and when to flank. After several hours in Academy battles, I have returned to my main a much more intelligent player. *sigh, and back to less fun, more frustrating matches.

Sadly, none of the real problems that drove my brother-in-laws away have been fixed. I hold out hope that in the near future, CCP will implament real changes that will incentivize my family and friends to try DUST again, and this time, to keep playing DUST.

In reality, the MAIN problem here is that the game does nothing to stress the utmost importance of playing the game in squads. Sure, the protosuits and TARs hurt, but the real danger, and the real reason the vets "protostomp" is because they are playing together as a squad. My own corp frequently puts squads of low SP, or low gears players together and does just fine, because we play as a squad.

If the game itself would cram down new player's throats the importance of creating their squads before battle, and communicating on voice comms together, the MAJORITY of the problem here would disappear. This is how Dust is played by anyone who does well, and it seems that organized squad play is how they have built the game out to be played. So why isn't it explained in clear terms to the players?

Yes, the TAR is ridiculous, and basically 9 out of 10 proto vets use it, but working in a squad can mostly mitigate that problem.

Look at all the folks who want to solo a squad. Its sad. :( Learn how to squad perhaps? Invest into a mic? Solo Player should NEVER be able to woop a squad's ass if they are working together. That is just how it is. Team > Solo.

Yes, new players lose to a squad, and the only thing they see is the black suit or the gun in the kill feed and they assume that's why they died.

This is why these people need to have "GET IN A SQUAD, USE A MIC" jammed into their brains with an ice pick by the game. They are simply making incorrect assumptions because CCP hasn't built the game in a way that explains to them the ACTUAL problem with their strategy (or complete and utter lack thereof).

Furthermore, the entire concept of Resource Management needs to be brought into focus, and the idea of winning a "david vs. goliath" fight.

Players are so used to the goal of a game simply being to have a positive KDR, that they don't realize that particular stat isn't particularly relevant in Dust 514. Players are so used to everything being balanced to vanilla, that they don't even know how to handle losing. They can't get any enjoyment out of the 1 kill where they destroyed a 200k ISK suit with their FREE suit, because they are so hung up on the 5 deaths and their meaningless KDR statistic.

If it was made clear "you will die more in cheap gear, don't let that be a deterent, think in terms of profit/loss, not kill/death" they would understand the dynamics of the game, and that they simply have their priorities and goals wrong as a new player.


The problem is CCP is so used to a good portion of their game happening outside of client (because EVE) that they have forgotten that on a console F2P game, all of the important information needs to be present IN GAME. If they want the game to play differently than a normal shooter, with different goals, and different strategies, then they need to TELL THE PLAYERS IN GAME that the game plays different than a normal shooter, with different goals, and different strategies.

Most players aren't going to seek out and check a website to find out how to play a game that they downloaded for free. They are going to pop the thing in, give it a whirl, and if it doesn't make sense and feel fun (or challenging/fair), they will just turn it off and delete it.

As an eve player this is my exact approach to the game and maybe the reason why I can't understand people complaining about being killed by protos. I die to them too but it doesn't bother me so long as I'm winning the isk war (the only war IMO). It would help if this was the stat that popped up at the end of the match rather than kdr, it showed isk spent vs isk destroyed

Yes, new players lose to a squad, and the only thing they see is the black suit or the gun in the kill feed and they assume that's why they died.

This is why these people need to have "GET IN A SQUAD, USE A MIC" jammed into their brains with an ice pick by the game. They are simply making incorrect assumptions because CCP hasn't built the game in a way that explains to them the ACTUAL problem with their strategy (or complete and utter lack thereof).

Furthermore, the entire concept of Resource Management needs to be brought into focus, and the idea of winning a "david vs. goliath" fight.

Players are so used to the goal of a game simply being to have a positive KDR, that they don't realize that particular stat isn't particularly relevant in Dust 514. Players are so used to everything being balanced to vanilla, that they don't even know how to handle losing. They can't get any enjoyment out of the 1 kill where they destroyed a 200k ISK suit with their FREE suit, because they are so hung up on the 5 deaths and their meaningless KDR statistic.

If it was made clear "you will die more in cheap gear, don't let that be a deterent, think in terms of profit/loss, not kill/death" they would understand the dynamics of the game, and that they simply have their priorities and goals wrong as a new player.


The problem is CCP is so used to a good portion of their game happening outside of client (because EVE) that they have forgotten that on a console F2P game, all of the important information needs to be present IN GAME. If they want the game to play differently than a normal shooter, with different goals, and different strategies, then they need to TELL THE PLAYERS IN GAME that the game plays different than a normal shooter, with different goals, and different strategies.

Most players aren't going to seek out and check a website to find out how to play a game that they downloaded for free. They are going to pop the thing in, give it a whirl, and if it doesn't make sense and feel fun (or challenging/fair), they will just turn it off and delete it.

Eh, it's not about ISK. If it were, you'd never see a proto on the field. It's about KDR, specifically because that's what determines the match. Did your team's KDR beat the others team's KDR?

I hate the matchmaking. I play primarily between midnight and server maintenance, which means I spend a fair amount of time in small squads and in no-squad games. I routinely end up in matches where one side has two or three squads of high-level clan members, most rocking proto, and my side has me, maybe two other vets and a bunch of randoms with neither clan, squad nor gear. I might die less than the newbies, but it's no less frustrating to lose a game to shoddy matchmaking.

And yeah, I've had a lot of friends check this game out briefly and leave. Most of them left because losing on a constant basis isn't fun in any sense of the word. It's like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube while colorblind.

Someone in my clan, maybe chuck, suggested having options for gear-specific matches. Rather than just banning proto gear, simply have an option to go into matches with gear caps. Similar to militia-only idea, I suppose. And it's basically what 'training' clan battles do, albeit with laughable results when someone breaks the rules. But yeah, having a way for all players to join games where SP and resulting gear isn't a factor would go a long way towards keeping new players around. And you'd still have normal matches for those who'd spec'ed into proto gear and were wanting to use it.

The only objection I can see to the idea is one of, 'Well, no one would play normal matches.' And if that's the case, who would care but the proto guys who aren't allowed to pubstomp newbies anymore?

Look at all the folks who want to solo a squad. Its sad. :( Learn how to squad perhaps? Invest into a mic? Solo Player should NEVER be able to woop a squad's ass if they are working together. That is just how it is. Team > Solo.

Hi,

We are aware that when people drop out of the academy pool, the matchmaking becomes more uneven. This is partly due to the fact that the current matchmaking system favors shorter waiting times rather than perfect matches. We are working on a solution that favors stricter matchmaking but at the expense of possibly longer waiting times, especially for veteran players as they might be fewer of the around than average players, and so take a longer time to fill up a match.

These changes necessitate a client change to make players aware of the status of the wait, so it cannot be resolved completely on the server side.

thanks for your patience.

I think you should close off FW to a certain skill/WP level to allow the vets a place to bash skulls outside of PC and make more of them available.

If you added a way for us to join faction warfare as a corporation for a certain race then newbros can enter, but at their own risk.

I don't like this idea in general, but besides that, there aren't currently enough FW battles to support this idea.

alten hilt, you make a very good point, and although I disagree with you about the type of gear being used to stomp I believe that you have hit the root of the problem. Unfortunately there is no way to fix the problem you described. The dis-organized teams will always lose. If you find a bunch of blues bunched together it is your best interests to stay where the firepower is. Move with them and don't separate. The stragglers are the ones who get picked off first. They are the ones the logis can't get to.

This is the main reason for a battle to be won or lost ...teamwork. I would rather see a who "Team" that sticks together run around in militia gear and nothing but than a "Team" of proto lone wolfs on my side any day of the week. This has been proven by the OPERATION COLLAPSE that Hellstorm performed in preparation for planetary conquest.

I support a squad based matchmaking system. Match battles for squads with squads. Match solos with solos and you will find the experience much more rewarding.

There's no need to insult people who've killed you. Accusing people that have proto gear of "not getting laid" is juvenile. It's very sour grapes. Like, "Yeah, I lost... but I *totally* have a hot girlfriend at home, unlike you losers..." sort of way. People with more SP don't even need to play that much more a night than new players, they could've been collecting passive SP for the past few months.

The people in proto gear have nothing to do with the matchmaking system. They can't pick who they play against anymore than you. They aren't CCP. CCP developed matchmaking. The people you thanked are responsible; not the people you accuse of being no-lifers.

Balance issues are another factor. If you've been playing even slightly longer, you know that a single weapon type can crush pretty much everyone regardless of what gear or weapon they're using. This comes up with older players just entering the Battle Academy.. they can sink all their initial SP into getting that weapon, and dominate just as easily.

How about an actual player leveling system? Base it off SP, 1,000,000SP per level. 10mil SP = Level 10 Galente

out of Academy -> 5,000,000 SP for first tier battles.
5,000,001SP -> 10,000,000 for next tier

and on and on and on.

once you hit the next tier no going back but if you want you can squad up with higher tier and play in their level.

Just an example but this would stop vets with all the upgrades from grabbing militia gear and stomping new players as would happen if CCP went with a gear lvl/matchmaking system. Got 12,569,546SP but didnt spend it? Better get ready, you're in a whole new league now. Didn't play for 6 months and you are loaded with SP? Should have been practicing beacuse now you're tiered in with harder players than when you left.

Oh, and just another suggestion...**** can the weekly SP cap and implement a total character cap. 50,000,000SP total or something. How am i supposed to finally reach a Vet's level if every week we have the same chance for points and a cap? Extra 30mil SP per release or something (i know this steals from other MMORPG's but it works IMO). Keep playing Uprising 1.3 and now you can level to 80,000,000 but once you hit it there you go.

Broad examples here and dont quote/or bash based on the numbers please just providing examples.

Hi,

We are aware that when people drop out of the academy pool, the matchmaking becomes more uneven. This is partly due to the fact that the current matchmaking system favors shorter waiting times rather than perfect matches. We are working on a solution that favors stricter matchmaking but at the expense of possibly longer waiting times, especially for veteran players as they might be fewer of the around than average players, and so take a longer time to fill up a match.

These changes necessitate a client change to make players aware of the status of the wait, so it cannot be resolved completely on the server side.

thanks for your patience.

I am already seeing many players quitting after being frustrated by nearly full proto teams against teams of randoms. I fear that the number of long term players will suffer from this.

This is where all the career 24/7 lifers that spend more time in the Eve universe than they do the real one will chime in with "that is just how it works in Eve" blah, blah, blah. All I can say to that is congratulations on your glorious one sided victories against lesser equipped players who actually get laid. Well played, sir. I know that THOSE players don't want instant battles changed so that they go up against anyone who is equally equipped because they will most likely lose and they don't like that.

It's a game, not a way of life. It is a really great game, but still a game. Some people take pokemon a little too seriously too.

To CCP - I want to thank you guys for an awesome game. What you have done is truly impressive and has potential to be one of the best games out there. While I think throwing in some stacked matches occasionally is a good thing, if a player comes in and spends the majority of the time getting cut in half by 16 duvolles while the rest of their team hides behind the red line they will probably stop playing. At least SOME balance is needed in INSTANT battles. That's just not fun.

I can manage to do well most of the time, but not as much fun when my friends all quit with "Well...I've had enough of THAT." Would be a shame to lose a lot of good players because of a minority that wants easy pub stomp matches.

Hi,

We are aware that when people drop out of the academy pool, the matchmaking becomes more uneven. This is partly due to the fact that the current matchmaking system favors shorter waiting times rather than perfect matches. We are working on a solution that favors stricter matchmaking but at the expense of possibly longer waiting times, especially for veteran players as they might be fewer of the around than average players, and so take a longer time to fill up a match.

These changes necessitate a client change to make players aware of the status of the wait, so it cannot be resolved completely on the server side.

thanks for your patience.