DUST Search - Suggestion: Threat Levels for Players in Matchmaking [THIS IS FOR ALL OF YOU PLA...

Reno Pechieu wrote:

Landari Zeta wrote:

Well, the biggest problem with that idea Reno is the one I already stated. Even people with prototype weapons often mix and match with other gear, so getting thrown into a high tier game because you only have one prototype weapon is almost unfair. The whole point on this isn't to get rid of people with good gear, its to keep them and everyone else together based on their overall skillpoints.

Skillpoints are the things that dictate the ability to use high level gear in the first place, so I guess you could say my system inadvertently separates people by gear anyways.

Well, you explained it a bit better now.
It wouldnGÇÖt be automatic; people should choose if they want a high, low or null-sec battles.
And as you see, while playing a low-sec you can still use advance gear, and you can continue playing low-sec until you feel ready to start fighting against people with both advance and proto gear in null-sec.

Also, how would the SP system work?
Based on how much SP total you have? Okey, sucks if youGÇÖre like me and bought some skills you didnGÇÖt need at the start. No take backsies I recon.
On how high the highest skill? This can easy lead to abuse, as people will mini-max to get the best possible gear without moving up in the bracket just so they can get easy kills.
Based on how much SP invested total? Again, people are going to mini-max it as hard as they can.


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Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 20	Posted - 2013.07.15 04:14:00 - [1] - Quote Introduction to the Problem Unfortunately, the new player experience for DUST is one of the worst in the industry and its causing your game to bleed players every day. This is something I dearly want to see stop. The player base might seem "healthy" for the time being but I want to see new people try DUST 514 and love it and want to stay. I would rather not see DUST 514 be one of those games with a niche community of only people who played it for a long time. CCP envisioned a game with hundreds of thousands of constant players. That won't happen if your new players keep getting eaten alive during their first experience. "Please Landari, people get ripped apart in any new FPS these days. This isn't unusual." Yes this is unusual. It is one thing to 'break' into a new game by playing it if you know its going to be fun. Its another thing entirely if you are trying out a game you saw online because it looked interesting. For example, I am speaking of those people who heard about DUST 514 through a magazine, website, or a friend and thought it was cool so they gave it a try. In their first game they end up 0/10 by the ever dreadful 80GJ Neutron Blaster and instantly declare, "Sht game, I'm out," and never come back. Now I'm not talking about impulsive rage quitters, but people who simply have ineffective skills and gear to deal with veterans. "But Landari, new guys have Militia Swarm Launchers and Forge Guns! Anybody with 'real' skill shouldn't worry about who they are up against! Powerful Militia Weapons are already far too accessible!"* No, shut up and listen. This game is not a normal FPS. It is not new player friendly. CCP knows it, veterans know it, and I sure as hell know it. Even game journalists everywhere know it and they aren't afraid to spread the bad word. My solution would also help alleviate the Militia Weapon crisis. The Solution The Threat Level System It may sound lame but hear me out. It would organize players not by wealth or K:D ratio, but by Skillpoints. By implementing Skillpoints into DUST 514 you have created a system you can use to separate your players by total accumulated Skillpoints for public matches. I know several players who quit simply because getting rolled by a Marauder while waving around your Militia Gear on a fresh character is very frustrating. Ask me how I know. "How do you know Landari?" Well that's easy. I was one of the new guys who was massacred. Me, a friend of mine, and everyone else who has DUST 514 uninstalled. The only reason I bother posting this is so that there is the faintest hope for a bright future. "Oh you are just another noob crying about overpowered guns! Hey mods, delete this thread please!" No, shut up you piece of sht and listen. "Okay, how do you plan on getting people to stay Landari? Take away all the strong guns?"* Weapon balance is a different topic already well expressed by the community. I need not say more. "Okay, I'll listen. Instead of using Skillpoints why not use my K:D ratio? Wouldn't that make more sense? What about those people who dump Skillpoints into Logistics and other non-lethal skills? Are they doomed to be killed by pros?" Regarding your K:D ratio, no, it won't. I bet you are one of those newbie slayers who camp corners with Mass Drivers. K:D is not a reliable gauge for skill. Maybe there can be an Efficiency Level alongside the Threat Level System for people who want to advertise their killing power to large corporations, but it sure as hell should not be used as a variable in matchmaking. Also, people who choose to specialize in something like Logistics should still be placed in higher brackets. The reason being they still provide substantial team support with their high level skills and gear and would have a similar effect as a Logistics ship does in EVE: they make strong things unkillable. "Well okay, get on with your point then." In some lobby based games, a system similar to my Threat Level System is already in place and has been used with much success. In these games they are called Tiers or Ranks. A 500k SP rookie would be placed in a bracket with other rookies in a "low threat" bracket. People of 5m-8m SP for example could be placed in a "moderate threat" bracket and so forth. The truly high Skillpoint and heavily equipped players would be thrown into a "high threat" match (come on, imagine being officially labeled a High Threat Mercenary; everyone wins). "But Landari, Wargaming and Gaijin has sht matchmaking, I've played their games!"* No, the matchmaking isn't bad. You simply want to be the most powerful person in the game and you're not, therefore you are upset. A team comprised of a bunch of low skill players will mostly be shooting at each other with Militia Assault Rifles and those who are smarter will be killing others with stronger Militia Gear and Vehicles from the Market. My point being is that it is a safe place for new players to have a little fun and experiment before getting thrown to the wolves. Conclusion So basically my proposed system will keep new, veteran, and experienced players all in their own separate matchmaking queues based on their total Skillpoints and maybe a few other unknown variables. New players will use their Militia Gear against each other and prototype weapon users will have a true clash of titans in their own high tier bracket. This of course was written for public matches and not for private or corporate conflicts. This will be a large step in the direction it takes to keep new players engaged and entertained with DUST 514.
Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 20	Posted - 2013.07.15 06:45:00 - [2] - Quote Additional "Questions" welcome.
Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 21	Posted - 2013.07.15 19:37:00 - [3] - Quote Yes, you all have valid points. However. Raw talent does have a lot to do with people doing well, but I am trying to think from a general organizational point of view. You there are very few, if not zero, ways to organize players based on their "raw skill" alone. For example, look at League of Legends. Everyone is placed in a bracket based on their overall rating, not by overall skill. People who play the game religiously and break their backs to get to their current rating are skilled players who deserve to be there. but there are also people who casually get lucky and make their way alongside the aforementioned player. That system has worked magnificently so far despite the occasional noob crying about it. A similar system could be considered for DUST 514 based on Skillpoints. Its not a solid or definitive measure of skill by any means, but it would work well enough to where we would have a higher ratio of people who belong there to people who AFK farm SP, if anyone understands what I mean. There will be some people who get into the, lets say, 5m-8m bracket by power grinding SP who would have acquired skill in the process while there will be some people who passive SP farm up to the 5m-8m bracket, but there wouldn't be as many of those as there would be of active SP players. Yes, and while communication and squad play is critical to success in DUST 514, we have to face the fact that for the foreseeable future public matches will be littered with "lone wolves" who just want to hop in and play. For those of you who want to squad up, maybe it should place your squad in a bracket with the highest SP member of your team instead of a middle ground.
Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 21	Posted - 2013.07.15 19:41:00 - [4] - Quote Hell, even if CCP is developing a new matchmaking system I think they should give this a look over. Maybe even create an entirely different playlist for my system for people who want to play with their own skill group. They can keep the current public playlist while also incorporating another using this system. Squad players would be happy as well as newbies who don't know the front end of the gun from the back.
Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 22	Posted - 2013.07.15 22:25:00 - [5] - Quote Shameless self-bump.
Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 22	Posted - 2013.07.15 22:58:00 - [6] - Quote Well, the biggest problem with that idea Reno is the one I already stated. Even people with prototype weapons often mix and match with other gear, so getting thrown into a high tier game because you only have one prototype weapon is almost unfair. The whole point on this isn't to get rid of people with good gear, its to keep them and everyone else together based on their overall skillpoints. Skillpoints are the things that dictate the ability to use high level gear in the first place, so I guess you could say my system inadvertently separates people by gear anyways.
Landari Zeta Exit Wound Heavy Industries 22	Posted - 2013.07.16 00:05:00 - [7] - Quote Reno Pechieu wrote: Landari Zeta wrote: Well, the biggest problem with that idea Reno is the one I already stated. Even people with prototype weapons often mix and match with other gear, so getting thrown into a high tier game because you only have one prototype weapon is almost unfair. The whole point on this isn't to get rid of people with good gear, its to keep them and everyone else together based on their overall skillpoints. Skillpoints are the things that dictate the ability to use high level gear in the first place, so I guess you could say my system inadvertently separates people by gear anyways. Well, you explained it a bit better now. It wouldnGÇÖt be automatic; people should choose if they want a high, low or null-sec battles. And as you see, while playing a low-sec you can still use advance gear, and you can continue playing low-sec until you feel ready to start fighting against people with both advance and proto gear in null-sec. Also, how would the SP system work? Based on how much SP total you have? Okey, sucks if youGÇÖre like me and bought some skills you didnGÇÖt need at the start. No take backsies I recon. On how high the highest skill? This can easy lead to abuse, as people will mini-max to get the best possible gear without moving up in the bracket just so they can get easy kills. Based on how much SP invested total? Again, people are going to mini-max it as hard as they can. Yeah, I too have been thinking about people who would strategically dump skillpoints. Well, lets say someone makes a fresh character and passive SP farms up 3m SP. If he chooses to dump all that SP and go straight for Prototype gear, he would still be incredibly specialized and would be lacking in other points. He may be running around with some high-end HMG, but his dropsuit would be less than a match for more rounded off players who would be using above Militia grade by that point. For players who recklessly spent skillpoints on a little bit of everything, that itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. That simply would mean they would have access to a little bit of everything instead of a few bits of specialized gear. Of course when faced against a guy with a prototype Heavy suit with a big gun, he wouldn't do too well, but chances are he would drop an HAV with an above standard gun to take care of him when he respawns.