Hello all,
This is a post I’ve been wanting to make for a long time, but just never got around to it due to the sheer breadth of the topic. Well, I’ve finally decided to just go for it. Prepare for a long read!
I feel like the biggest issue DB faces is the constant fracturing the community experiences as a result of the chaotically-joined gamemodes. Comp is nearly dead, Execution is overwhelming the other modes, and Stopwatch struggles mightily to find players. Objective enjoys a steady stream, but is a generally frustrating experience due to terrible team balance in pubs. Let’s talk about these issues.
- THE MISSION SYSTEM
The mission system is one of the biggest culprits behind these problems. Right now it essentially coerces players to join modes they have no interest in playing – a tendency that damages player dispersion and the general gameplay experience.
If you leave players alone in a game, they will gravitate towards their favored mode, and be able to play with others who enjoy the same experience. This is very good and healthy: now players are gaming with others who are capable of playing the mode effectively, and are also doing so for fun and competition.
The missions that require players to jump into a specific mode directly clash with this model. For example, I am a comp player. I love comp, and as such, tend to perform best there where I am comfortable and enjoying myself. Now, force me to play Execution to get my 1k creds. I DO NOT like Execution. I play poorly, not used to the mode, not enjoying myself much. My mediocre, uninterested performance DIRECTLY drags down the other players’ experiences – now they have to play with someone who is both weak and unenthusiastic.
When everyone is playing a mode simply because they feel like playing the mode, overall player satisfaction is guaranteed to be at its highest. Nobody is dragging through the match, performing strange and inappropriate actions in order to grind XP: everyone is simply playing their best and having fun.
I understand that one goal of the missions that are mode-dependent is to get players to try new gamemodes. However, this is a non-issue, as any player who has interest in DB will, at one point or another, try out every mode, due to simple curiosity. Why force vets to play modes they dislike, rather than allowing them to support their favored modes and create a healthier player ecosystem? The new players will find the other modes and try them of their own accord, no help needed.
- COMP AND REWARDS
The majority of DB’s players are F2P – because they are not spending any real cash, they will go out of their way to earn in-game creds as efficiently as possible, hence them going to unfavored modes to complete missions. Although these players do not contribute revenue, it’s important to direct them carefully, as they are the community’s lifeblood.
Unfortunately, many of these players are being directed away from Comp: they choose to go to pubs, where queue time is quick and relative challenge is low. This is the best recipe for easy cred grinding. Large pub lobbies filled with new players, and players of unequal skill, allow for efficient cred and mission grinding. Furthermore, the shorter matches lead to crates being given out faster. There are no rewards, aside from the experience, for playing comp.
With so few in comp, wait times are agonizing and many are forced to drop out. It is imperative that more players are brought to comp… but how? Here’s some ideas:
– A crate at the end of every full comp match
– Every 3 comp matches rewards a “comp case”, which has better drop rates for higher-tier cards
– A credit bonus that scales with your current comp rank
– Comp seasons, with rewards at the end of each
All of these would be acceptable options to bring more players in to at least try out comp and get their placement. Let it be said that StopWatch could also use additional incentives: perhaps a crate for every 2 StopWatch matches? A credit bonus? Anything would be better than what we have now.
- BONKERS BALANCE
I’m sorry, but it has to be said – the current pub balance is absolutely horrendous. This is what drives comp players like myself away from pubs in the first place. Balancing teams only in the lobby phase DOES NOT WORK. At all.
We NEED player assignment into running matches based on skill, not random chance. Having a team scramble vote available to players in case of emergencies would also help here. In essence, skill balancing should take place throughout the whole match, not just the lobby. That will encourage alienated players like myself to go back to pubs now-and-again, without being forced to suffer through them to complete missions.