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Competitive Matchmaking Discussion
1
#1
0 Frags +

I kinda wanna have a formal discussion now that matchmaking is "truly" released. I'll just start with listing some somewhat obvious pros and cons.

Pros
- Overhauled with fixes and improvements
- Ranks and Glicko
- Displayed MMR
- Placement matches
- Ranks are cleaner and grouped making placement easier to identify (akin to CS)

Cons
- Default settings are still absurdly restrictive
- Queue times are bugged to hell
- No class restrictions (weapon restricts are unreasonable as it's integrated into the game itself)
- No server/players queuing info (minute con, but I miss having this info)
- No map/mode selection
- Strict graphics settings

Basically, this is much better but still needs a good amount of work. Top priority for me would obviously be fixing the queue times (which I've heard is being addressed). Next, fix defaults so they are truly competitive defaults (i.e. viewmodel_fov 90, toggles for ragdolls and blood, r_drawviewmodels toggle, etc.)

There's also a big gray area with bots. In CS, a player can take control of a bot so that it's not just a perma-5v6. Unfortunately, this can't be applied in TF2. I'm wondering what could make this more fair other than just scrapping the game.

I'm interested in what everyone else is thinking (looking for a real discussion rather than just straight up cynicism).

Helpful links for anyone possibly out of the loop
March 28 Blog Post
March 28 Patch Notes
Updated Meet Your Match FAQ

I kinda wanna have a formal discussion now that matchmaking is "truly" released. I'll just start with listing some somewhat obvious pros and cons.

[b]Pros[/b]
- Overhauled with fixes and improvements
- Ranks and Glicko
- Displayed MMR
- Placement matches
- Ranks are cleaner and grouped making placement easier to identify (akin to CS)

[b]Cons[/b]
- Default settings are still absurdly restrictive
- Queue times are bugged to hell
- No class restrictions (weapon restricts are unreasonable as it's integrated into the game itself)
- No server/players queuing info (minute con, but I miss having this info)
- No map/mode selection
- Strict graphics settings

Basically, this is much better but still needs a good amount of work. Top priority for me would obviously be fixing the queue times (which I've heard is being addressed). Next, fix defaults so they are truly [i]competitive defaults[/i] (i.e. viewmodel_fov 90, toggles for ragdolls and blood, r_drawviewmodels toggle, etc.)

There's also a big gray area with bots. In CS, a player can take control of a bot so that it's not just a perma-5v6. Unfortunately, this can't be applied in TF2. I'm wondering what could make this more fair other than just scrapping the game.

I'm interested in what everyone else is thinking (looking for a real discussion rather than just straight up cynicism).

[i]Helpful links for anyone possibly out of the loop[/i]
[url=http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=38644]March 28 Blog Post[/url]
[url=http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=38653]March 28 Patch Notes[/url]
[url=http://www.teamfortress.com/meetyourmatch/faq/]Updated Meet Your Match FAQ[/url]
2
#2
41 Frags +

imo queue times need to be fixed first, ive queued for a total of around 4 hours and found zero matches so far

imo queue times need to be fixed first, ive queued for a total of around 4 hours and found zero matches so far
3
#3
14 Frags +
MelonTFimo queue times need to be fixed first, ive queued for a total of around 4 hours and found zero matches so far

Yeah, I totally agree. From what I've heard, it's just a bug. I've seen too many people trying to queue for this to be a player problem. Not to mention, I'm not just seeing the same players over and over like in the pre-update comp.

[quote=MelonTF]imo queue times need to be fixed first, ive queued for a total of around 4 hours and found zero matches so far[/quote]

Yeah, I totally agree. From what I've heard, it's just a bug. I've seen too many people trying to queue for this to be a player problem. Not to mention, I'm not just seeing the same players over and over like in the pre-update comp.
4
#4
10 Frags +

my game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match

my game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match
5
#5
21 Frags +
YeeHawmy game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match

This is why I think the TF team needs to allow more option toggling. Blood, gibs and ragdolls drop my frames, too, and I think gamplay and fun should be prioritized over uniformity at the moment.

I understand what they're doing, but why not just, at the very least, not negate my entire config?

[quote=YeeHaw]my game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match[/quote]

This is why I think the TF team needs to allow more option toggling. Blood, gibs and ragdolls drop my frames, too, and I think gamplay and fun should be prioritized over uniformity at the moment.

I understand what they're doing, but why not just, at the very least, not negate my [i]entire[/i] config?
6
#6
32 Frags +

There needs to be a better map pool. Payload on 6v6 is terrible.

There needs to be a better map pool. Payload on 6v6 is terrible.
7
#7
8 Frags +
obliqueThere needs to be a better map pool. Payload on 6v6 is terrible.

I agree, but some players may enjoy it. I think the better option is map selection/mode selection. Nobody can be unhappy then. Remember that integrated competitive is going to include lower-level players as well who may prefer to play Payload even in a 6v6 scenario. I believe players should be able to choose to be able to play PL, but not forced to.

[quote=oblique]There needs to be a better map pool. Payload on 6v6 is terrible.[/quote]

I agree, but some players may enjoy it. I think the better option is map selection/mode selection. Nobody can be unhappy then. Remember that integrated competitive is going to include lower-level players as well who may prefer to play Payload even in a 6v6 scenario. I believe players should be able to choose to be able to play PL, but not forced to.
8
#8
6 Frags +
michael-YeeHawmy game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match
This is why I think the TF team needs to allow more option toggling. Blood, gibs and ragdolls drop my frames, too, and I think gamplay and fun should be prioritized over uniformity at the moment.

sorry, that's not what i meant. i dont just get low fps, the image on my screen (not exaggerating) changes once every 10-15 seconds. its probably something to do with one of the enforced graphical setting on matchmaking. i literally havent made it out of spawn in either of my 2 matches played so far

[quote=michael-][quote=YeeHaw]my game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match[/quote]

This is why I think the TF team needs to allow more option toggling. Blood, gibs and ragdolls drop my frames, too, and I think gamplay and fun should be prioritized over uniformity at the moment.[/quote]
sorry, that's not what i meant. i dont just get low fps, the image on my screen (not exaggerating) changes once every 10-15 seconds. its probably something to do with one of the enforced graphical setting on matchmaking. i literally havent made it out of spawn in either of my 2 matches played so far
9
#9
3 Frags +
YeeHawmichael-YeeHawmy game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match
This is why I think the TF team needs to allow more option toggling. Blood, gibs and ragdolls drop my frames, too, and I think gamplay and fun should be prioritized over uniformity at the moment.
sorry, that's not what i meant. i dont just get low fps, the image on my screen (not exaggerating) changes once every 10-15 seconds. its probably something to do with one of the enforced graphical setting on matchmaking. i literally havent made it out of spawn in either of my 2 matches played so far

Yeah, that's what I was getting at as well. Graphical restrictions suck in general, but the current MM restrictions are insanely tight. Frames are one problem, but visibility and clutter is another as well. There's just blood, gibs and smoke everywhere and having a fourth of my screen blocked by a rocket launcher doesn't help.

[quote=YeeHaw][quote=michael-][quote=YeeHaw]my game gets 5 fph when i join mm, also abandoning players cancelling the match[/quote]

This is why I think the TF team needs to allow more option toggling. Blood, gibs and ragdolls drop my frames, too, and I think gamplay and fun should be prioritized over uniformity at the moment.[/quote]
sorry, that's not what i meant. i dont just get low fps, the image on my screen (not exaggerating) changes once every 10-15 seconds. its probably something to do with one of the enforced graphical setting on matchmaking. i literally havent made it out of spawn in either of my 2 matches played so far[/quote]

Yeah, that's what I was getting at as well. Graphical restrictions suck in general, but the current MM restrictions are insanely tight. Frames are one problem, but visibility and clutter is another as well. There's just blood, gibs and smoke everywhere and having a fourth of my screen blocked by a rocket launcher doesn't help.
10
#10
41 Frags +

why do the graphic restrictions exist in the first place ?
add some restrictions to csgo like these .... for example on the net_graph ..... and see how the community reacts
why are they there ? the game runs like shit enough as it is, got to make it run even worse ? to make it prettier ? to make the skins and effects shine brighter? please for the love of god do not tell me its to make the streams look better because it makes no fucking sense
even with fixed queue times this will be dead within a month

why do the graphic restrictions exist in the first place ?
add some restrictions to csgo like these .... for example on the net_graph ..... and see how the community reacts
why are they there ? the game runs like shit enough as it is, got to make it run even worse ? to make it prettier ? to make the skins and effects shine brighter? please for the love of god do not tell me its to make the streams look better because it makes no fucking sense
even with fixed queue times this will be dead within a month
11
#11
3 Frags +

I played a few games of this (like last year, not after this update.) Apart from the bad players, getting hackused in like 2 minutes, and having the game abandoned; the fps made it unplayable. They really need to allow configs or I will literally never want to play this. I would really like to want to play this btw. I spent $10 on the fucking ticket.

I played a few games of this (like last year, not after this update.) Apart from the bad players, getting hackused in like 2 minutes, and having the game abandoned; the fps made it unplayable. They really need to allow configs or I will literally never want to play this. I would really like to want to play this btw. I spent $10 on the fucking ticket.
12
#12
9 Frags +

ive gotten to play eight games, six were on turbine with 1+ sniper aimbotter on the other team, 1 was on an australian server where only 2 people were from australia and they were vaccinator + aimbot sniper, one i had two friendly heavies on my team that refused to cap or attack people.

also five games where multiple people didnt join so it ended prematurely.

ive gotten to play eight games, six were on turbine with 1+ sniper aimbotter on the other team, 1 was on an australian server where only 2 people were from australia and they were vaccinator + aimbot sniper, one i had two friendly heavies on my team that refused to cap or attack people.

also five games where multiple people didnt join so it ended prematurely.
13
#13
2 Frags +

na players add me

na players add me
14
#14
0 Frags +

not the greatest place for this but I can’t even join the servers without my game crashing. I’ve actually been fortunate enough to find games in under 15 minutes but my game crashes every single time and I have no clue why. I’ve updated/removed my hud and I still crash. Is the crash related to network settings and gibs/ragdolls in my auto exec? If so, why can’t valve FORCE the settings on me like before the update? Valve the update seems great but I would love to actually play it

not the greatest place for this but I can’t even join the servers without my game crashing. I’ve actually been fortunate enough to find games in under 15 minutes but my game crashes every single time and I have no clue why. I’ve updated/removed my hud and I still crash. Is the crash related to network settings and gibs/ragdolls in my auto exec? If so, why can’t valve FORCE the settings on me like before the update? Valve the update seems great but I would love to actually play it
15
#15
4 Frags +

Did you remove prec?

Did you remove prec?
16
#16
6 Frags +

The number one problem that needs to be solved is the queue times. There have to be some issues that are preventing the matchmaker from working properly. Step 1: let us play the game.

Beyond that, I wish they would add basic class restrictions. I don't need them to enforce the 6s meta, but I think a starting point of limiting to 1 medic and 2 for each other class would already be a significant improvement. Tracking ubers is at the core of objective based TF2, and each team needs to have 1 (one) medic for this to work. It's also not fun to play against 3 scouts, for example. I personally would also like demo and engineer to be limited to 1, but this is second in priority to establishing some basic limits that allow teams to play competitive TF2.

The number one problem that needs to be solved is the queue times. There have to be some issues that are preventing the matchmaker from working properly. Step 1: let us play the game.

Beyond that, I wish they would add basic class restrictions. I don't need them to enforce the 6s meta, but I think a starting point of limiting to 1 medic and 2 for each other class would already be a significant improvement. Tracking ubers is at the core of objective based TF2, and each team needs to have 1 (one) medic for this to work. It's also not fun to play against 3 scouts, for example. I personally would also like demo and engineer to be limited to 1, but this is second in priority to establishing some basic limits that allow teams to play competitive TF2.
17
#17
54 Frags +

An important feature would be a ready up check that all players must accept before you get sent into the match. Similar to CSGO, FACEIT, etc. Especially because queue times are long and people are more likely to go AFK, matches get killed far too often by people that have no ability or intention of joining in the first place.

An important feature would be a ready up check that all players must accept before you get sent into the match. Similar to CSGO, FACEIT, etc. Especially because queue times are long and people are more likely to go AFK, matches get killed far too often by people that have no ability or intention of joining in the first place.
18
#18
15 Frags +

I hate to be a broken record, but if they insist on keeping these painfully open rulesets along with weird maps pools, I strongly feel they need to rebrand this queue as the "casual 6s" queue. Calling it competitive is actively harmful to the competitive community. Having a game mode that is not only fundamentally unfun, but also filled with hackers, and appears to be literally broken right from the source code--having that be the introduction to competitive TF2 will drive away even the most determined, resourceful pub players.

These improvements are all steps in the right direction, but this game mode is still light years away from being a satisfactory introduction to competitive, especially in a game famous for being casual. Relabeling it as casual 6s will remove the association with being a true competitive gamemode for all except players who are already informed, while still introducing the idea of 6v6 as a normal, popular, dev-supported idea in TF2.

I hate to be a broken record, but if they insist on keeping these painfully open rulesets along with weird maps pools, I strongly feel they need to rebrand this queue as the "casual 6s" queue. Calling it competitive is actively harmful to the competitive community. Having a game mode that is not only fundamentally unfun, but also filled with hackers, and appears to be literally broken right from the source code--having that be the introduction to [b]competitive[/b] TF2 will drive away even the most determined, resourceful pub players.

These improvements are all steps in the right direction, but this game mode is still light years away from being a satisfactory introduction to competitive, especially in a game famous for being casual. Relabeling it as casual 6s will remove the association with being a true competitive gamemode for all except players who are already informed, while still introducing the idea of 6v6 as a normal, popular, dev-supported idea in TF2.
19
#19
33 Frags +

I really do wonder why they decided to make a system entirely from scratch when the TF2 competitive scene has been playing 6s for nearly 10 years. Matchmaking would've been so much better implemented if anyone on the TF2 Dev team has even played a single season of UGC iron or some TF2Cancer lobbies. The entire thing just plays like what happens when you let your average r/TF2 poster who hates the "stale 6s meta" despite never having played or even watched 6s make a competitive game mode for TF2. It's really sad.

I really do wonder why they decided to make a system entirely from scratch when the TF2 competitive scene has been playing 6s for nearly 10 years. Matchmaking would've been so much better implemented if anyone on the TF2 Dev team has even played a single season of UGC iron or some TF2Cancer lobbies. The entire thing just plays like what happens when you let your average r/TF2 poster who hates the "stale 6s meta" despite never having played or even watched 6s make a competitive game mode for TF2. It's really sad.
20
#20
1 Frags +

hi sorry if this is the wrong place for this but how long do you normally have to wait to get a match in NA southwest? like ive waited for 10+ minutes before without getting anything.

hi sorry if this is the wrong place for this but how long do you normally have to wait to get a match in NA southwest? like ive waited for 10+ minutes before without getting anything.
21
#21
0 Frags +

Queues are presumably still broken; you might not get anything regardless of how many are queued.

Queues are presumably still broken; you might not get anything regardless of how many are queued.
22
#22
marketplace.tf
19 Frags +

Every game I HAVE played has been pretty good.

Every game I HAVE played has been pretty good.
23
#23
4 Frags +
samueljacksonhi sorry if this is the wrong place for this but how long do you normally have to wait to get a match in NA southwest? like ive waited for 10+ minutes before without getting anything.

Right now? Actual ages. 30 minutes to 2 hours. But Valve is working on fixing that.

[quote=samueljackson]hi sorry if this is the wrong place for this but how long do you normally have to wait to get a match in NA southwest? like ive waited for 10+ minutes before without getting anything.[/quote]
Right now? Actual ages. 30 minutes to 2 hours. But Valve is working on fixing that.
24
#24
1 Frags +

my queue times have been all over the place (10min-3hrs), but I think I got games in duo queues faster than solo. ive gotten 15 games i want to say, 3 of them being abandoned.

my queue times have been all over the place (10min-3hrs), but I think I got games in duo queues faster than solo. ive gotten 15 games i want to say, 3 of them being abandoned.
25
#25
1 Frags +

damn, ok. ill try again later today and see if i can get a game

damn, ok. ill try again later today and see if i can get a game
26
#26
-18 Frags +
morwannegI really do wonder why they decided to make a system entirely from scratch when the TF2 competitive scene has been playing 6s for nearly 10 years. Matchmaking would've been so much better implemented if anyone on the TF2 Dev team has even played a single season of UGC iron or some TF2Cancer lobbies. The entire thing just plays like what happens when you let your average r/TF2 poster who hates the "stale 6s meta" despite never having played or even watched 6s make a competitive game mode for TF2. It's really sad.

I actually really like TF2Center. It's fun when you get to know the regulars. It feels like a family sort of. Specifically HL.

[quote=morwanneg]I really do wonder why they decided to make a system entirely from scratch when the TF2 competitive scene has been playing 6s for nearly 10 years. Matchmaking would've been so much better implemented if anyone on the TF2 Dev team has even played a single season of UGC iron or some TF2Cancer lobbies. The entire thing just plays like what happens when you let your average r/TF2 poster who hates the "stale 6s meta" despite never having played or even watched 6s make a competitive game mode for TF2. It's really sad.[/quote]

I actually really like TF2Center. It's fun when you get to know the regulars. It feels like a family sort of. Specifically HL.
27
#27
6 Frags +

i was queued for about 18 hours over the weekend and got 0 games in na east

i was queued for about 18 hours over the weekend and got 0 games in na east
28
#28
6 Frags +

They still have no kind of actual playwall to go with their paywall. Level 3 in casual is pretty easy to get.
Just had a game where my teammate had 3.2 hours, so that was pretty fun. /s

If they really want it to be based on casual levels, then level 40 AT LEAST. But I'd rather the minimum be at least double digit hours, if not triple (ideal).

They still have no kind of actual playwall to go with their paywall. Level 3 in casual is pretty easy to get.
Just had a game where my teammate had 3.2 hours, so that was pretty fun. /s

If they really want it to be based on casual levels, then level 40 AT LEAST. But I'd rather the minimum be at least double digit hours, if not triple (ideal).
29
#29
5 Frags +
CaptainZidgel

An in game introduction to competitive would ideally have as few barriers to entry as possible while still keeping hackers from creating endless accounts. We have Faceit, along with several other pug services, and so we shouldn't need to concern ourselves with how bad the players at the bottom of Valve's ranked are. Elo should sort out those problems.

FirePOW10I actually really like TF2Center. It's fun when you get to know the regulars. It feels like a family sort of. Specifically HL.

That's not unique to TF2C. Any pug service for TF2 has a small enough playerbase that once you play enough games, you start to get to know the players and make connections. The reason people dislike TF2C is not its format, but its leadership.

[quote=CaptainZidgel][/quote]
An in game introduction to competitive would ideally have as few barriers to entry as possible while still keeping hackers from creating endless accounts. We have Faceit, along with several other pug services, and so we shouldn't need to concern ourselves with how bad the players at the bottom of Valve's ranked are. Elo should sort out those problems.[quote=FirePOW10]I actually really like TF2Center. It's fun when you get to know the regulars. It feels like a family sort of. Specifically HL.[/quote]

That's not unique to TF2C. Any pug service for TF2 has a small enough playerbase that once you play enough games, you start to get to know the players and make connections. The reason people dislike TF2C is not its format, but its leadership.
30
#30
-2 Frags +
CaptainZidgelThey still have no kind of actual playwall to go with their paywall. Level 3 in casual is pretty easy to get.
Just had a game where my teammate had 3.2 hours, so that was pretty fun. /s

If they really want it to be based on casual levels, then level 40 AT LEAST. But I'd rather the minimum be at least double digit hours, if not triple (ideal).

This will only last until you have a rank. After time you should be placed with people with similar to your rank, and new players with similar to theirs. CSGO is the same, I managed to get to level 3 personal rank in 1 hour and I had 3 in total before joining competitive, but I played with people just as unawared of their surroundings as me. So I guess Level 3 in casual is pretty decent at this point.

Also, does anyone have actual proof that valve promised to fix queue times or is it just a rumour?

About the bots thing, I don't think that is possible to implement the way it is in csgo, because you respawn in 10-15 seconds and you can't take over the bot. Also it would be complicated with the items and everything, I think. (+ a lot of exploits because we all know they wait for us to test everything)

[quote=CaptainZidgel]They still have no kind of actual playwall to go with their paywall. Level 3 in casual is pretty easy to get.
Just had a game where my teammate had 3.2 hours, so that was pretty fun. /s

If they really want it to be based on casual levels, then level 40 AT LEAST. But I'd rather the minimum be at least double digit hours, if not triple (ideal).[/quote]
This will only last until you have a rank. After time you should be placed with people with similar to your rank, and new players with similar to theirs. CSGO is the same, I managed to get to level 3 personal rank in 1 hour and I had 3 in total before joining competitive, but I played with people just as unawared of their surroundings as me. So I guess Level 3 in casual is pretty decent at this point.

Also, does anyone have actual [i]proof[/i] that valve promised to fix queue times or is it just a rumour?

About the bots thing, I don't think that is possible to implement the way it is in csgo, because you respawn in 10-15 seconds and you can't take over the bot. Also it would be complicated with the items and everything, I think. (+ a lot of exploits because we all know they wait for us to test everything)
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