High Level / Specifically named skilled servers.

[BioSnark]

Still waiting for 10+ servers…

[Violator]

I can see why level / ranking info isn’t shown per player in the lobby, but how about showing the current totals for each team? This could backfire and lead to more stomping but it might be worth an experiment. The other main bugbear is that between the lobby and the match starting teams aren’t evened up. Often it is 5v5 in the lobby countdown, then 2 players leave. Match starts 5v3 and no-one realises (or cares). It should auto-swap a random player (ideally it should re-balance the entire teams on pub at least) to even up the teams again.

[Nail]

[QUOTE=PixelTwitch;530874]as much as I hate to say this…

Maybe just lock some of us “better” players out of low skilled games using the public skill rating.

“Sorry your skill level is too high for this server”[/QUOTE]

people who want to pubstomp will, they’ll just make new accounts

[kenpokiller]

“Deathmatch” server
“Trickjump” server

CYBERGAMES HIGH++ 20+
xD

[Szakalot]

people who want to pubstomp will, they’ll just make new accounts

exactly! we need a clear distinction of ‘this is where you go for casual fun’ and ‘this is where you go for high skilled combat’.

Ranked matchmaking is not enough cause:

• you need to play casual to grind missions
• you might be interested in more than super serious 5v5

Even dividing servers by nothing else but server name would help. Or server rental so clans etc. can rent their servers that will quickly acquire rep akin to W:ET ‘pro’ servers.

[Beermachine]

I’m having similar experiences at the moment, I find I’m the only ‘oldskool’ player on the server probably 70% of the time and end up carrying the team (despite not being the best aimer in the world) + can’t find any of the other closed-beta players. We need a lot more low-level only servers and some ‘level 10+’ / ‘level 15+’ servers as well. Ranked seems to be full of the other extreme - hard-core comp players which I guess is what its aimed at.

Exactly my thoughts. There’s no middle ground for players who want a decent but ultimately fun game with other knowledgeable teamwork orientated players, but not the hassle of ultra serious ranked games that could well have players taking it very seriously and railing on people for missing a clutch shot etc and costing them that Gold 1 or whatever. Far too old for all that now.

[adeto]

This might sound dick-ish but do public ‘divisions/level restrictions’ really matter, whole point of public is that it’s open and everyone gets mashed together? Most decent players move away from public play anyway into Ranked/PUGs/scrims.

I’d rather see more options for MM queuing to separate the newbies from the skilled players.

[BioSnark]

You want to have as much people as possible not having a ****ty or boring time.

I do what I can to play with only etqw vets. Playing with and against open beta ppl is still meh.

[DarkangelUK]

Quake Live has open servers where any skill can join, tiered servers with an icon that suggests if the current players on there are in your similar skill range (a tick for good, single up arrow for higher skill, 2 up arrows suggesting you’ll get stomped and down arrows to suggest its a slower skill in that tier) and ELO range servers that only allow a certain range of skills. Some allow only up to a certain ELO where others don’t allow anyone below a certain ELO… granted these are user driven by a bot and not official but they work.

[Violator]

[QUOTE=adeto;530918]Most decent players move away from public play anyway into Ranked/PUGs/scrims.
[/QUOTE]

Stats please :).

I’m with Beermachine in that I’m not a terrible player but don’t have the skillz / time for ranked / comp play. There are many players in the 30+ (or in my case 40+) age group (again stats please ) who came from the Q1/2/3/ W:ET scene who want a good team-based time but without the pressures that the comp scene brings. It should even out though as more of the new players in this demographic get up to speed.

[Beermachine]

NS2 uses a similar approach as mentioned by DarkangleUK to Quakelive with server rankings based on average skill levels present. Unfortunately it was developed years after the initial release when the uptake of new players who weren’t completely destroyed by all the veterans was at an all time low, so didn’t really fix the declining population.

IMO clan run servers is the ideal approach, as admins with the ability to perma ban disruptive players handles a lot of the police work which would have to be dealt with by Nexon mods. Unfortunately given the combination of a F2P and credit earning model it would most likely be unfeasible due to being easily bypassed or open to abuse.

Also, who doesn’t like having a list of favourite servers, where eventually you get to know the regulars, there play styles and healthy banter forms, rather than always playing with a bunch of strangers!

Stopwatch server No X has no personality or any idea of what to expect. I’d be all over a RtCW/W:ET/ETQW OAP Vets or Teamwork essential named server. Obviously with FF and collision on, both being off is teaching me some very bad habits that will be hard to break

[Szakalot]

Why do we need high level servers, the public vote:

You will have fun for your first few games. Until you get to level 5. Then youll run across teams of people with the best mercs and best loadouts all bought in cash already while you still only have enough in game credit to buy the first lower end merc and no special gear.

While the game is worth giving a try, I can’t recommend it. Like with a lot of F2P games, new players will be shephered into noobie friendly (and enjoyable) areas and eventually released into the cold brutal reality that is the larger playerbase.

I did notice that there are servers that are for players underneath a certain level threshold. This would, in theory, give new players a chance to get to know the game properly while fighting players of equal skills. Unfortunaltely, instead of pushing those new players on those servers (which were all empty at the time I checked), they move them on regular servers with players that managed to gain higher cards.

I don’t like any game where I join a game and am not on the same grounds as the next player. Literally hit someone 6 times with my gun just to die to 2 shots against his gun. Play to win/Pay to win all the same to me.

Playing off against people several levels higher than you is a real ballache when you’ve only played the tutorial and lost 2 games.

Quake Wars suffered problems I foresee Dirty Bomb having: Those in the know will annihilate new players, which could be said for a lot of games, true, but this isn’t 1999 and this is not Quake 3. Being plonked into a level of a game that’s halfway through completion and then being expected to be useful in this team-based, tactical shooter? No chance. Then hearing “This team is ” in chat … Yeah funny my 56 seconds of experience isn’t paying off yet.

This game will make you rage unless you have a gold card or better 0/8 m8

3-Matchmaking… lvl 3 and 4 players are mixed betewn lvl 10 and 11

[Anti]

I’m closing this thread now. We’re currently working on both short term and longer term solutions to try and address this, which you’ll see fairly soon.

In the mean time there is no need for this thread to keep being bumped with the same points. We’re on it!