New Feature: Casual Matchmaking


(Pinflux) #1

As many of you know, Casual Matchmaking for Dirty Bomb has been in the works for a long, long time.

With the system finally launching alongside the Javelin Update, we want to give you some extra insight into the system and what it means for the game.

Along with many UI tweaks, we’ve completely overhauled the Play screen.

Quick Join has been replaced with ‘Casual’, which will use a new matchmaking system in the North America and EU regions along with new team intro animations and post-match MVP lineup, and the existing Quick Join system in others.

Casual matchmaking provides us with the tools to better balance matches, and gives you the ability to (finally) play with your friends in a party.

It will take several matches to find existing players’ true skill ratings, so please allow some time for the system to adjust.

Playing Smarter

Casual matchmaking is a complete overhaul. The system uses smart criteria to match you with similarly skilled players in the queue. It’s also crucial to let new players learn the game’s mechanics without being crushed by high level experts. As they say, today’s noobs are tomorrow’s competition, and the more players we have enjoying the game the more we can do to improve it.

Playing Harder

While Casual mode is designed as a place to drop in and have fun, it’s a shift away from the current free-for-all of Quick Join. Start-to-finish matches that provide a challenge are at the heart of Dirty Bomb, so committing to the match and your teammates is crucial, and players that repeatedly leave the lobby and matches will be penalized. Having said this, Casual won’t require the same level of commitment as Ranked, and players who drop out can be replaced mid-match.

Casual Mode is 6v6, the new standard Dirty Bomb match size. We’ve been moving towards 6v6 and 5v5 with our map design philosophy since our initial launch, which allows for more strategic play and makes your role in matches more important.

Playing Together

Making true on one of the most requested features we’ve had since launching, Casual matchmaking gives you the ability to party up with 1 to 5 of your Steam friends and hone your teamplay in a casual setting. Splash Damage was founded by friends meeting through clan play, so this is the next step in our vision of forging long-lasting friendships in the game itself.

Other Regions and Server Browser

Regions outside of the EU and North America will continue to use Quick Join until their player pools can support high quality matchmaking. As we grow the game, we’ll transition regions across to the new system when the time is right.

The server browser can still be used for Stopwatch Matches and our named Community Servers. Later this year, we’ll also be introducing rentable servers, to give you more flexibility and control over your own matches.

Matchmaking is the future of Dirty Bomb. For many, it will be a significant change initially; Getting onto a server won’t be as quick as before, and goofing off in games is less of an option.

But please stick with us; These are the foundations for a bright future that we’re finally able to start laying for the game. We’re 100% focused on improving the experience, and adding new and exciting features that are impossible with Quick Join (like matching players by preferred playing style).

Any feedback on ways we can improve matchmaking is, as always, more than welcome.


(BlackboltLW) #2

…is that the new CMM lobby screen?


(Brycko) #3

That UI design just gave me an orgasm


(xSil3nt) #4

Wow


(ImSploosh) #5

I don’t like hearing that there won’t be any objective servers in the server browser. I don’t like Stopwatch much because it requires a long stay to finish the match most of the time. I’m also worried about getting stuck in matches with tryhards 24/7. If I wanted that, I’d play ranked. There’s some people that play Dirty Bomb as hard as they can every match. It’s like they’re not even trying to have fun. D:


(x3mytiz) #6

You can play tutorial over and over again, there are no tryhards in it and you would be full of fun :slight_smile:


(Unrivaled) #7

@ImSploosh said:
I don’t like hearing that there won’t be any objective servers in the server browser. I don’t like Stopwatch much because it requires a long stay to finish the match most of the time. I’m also worried about getting stuck in matches with tryhards 24/7. If I wanted that, I’d play ranked. There’s some people that play Dirty Bomb as hard as they can every match. It’s like they’re not even trying to have fun. D:

Exactly my thoughts. I doubt I’ll stick to DB after that, and if I do I probably won’t play anything else than Ranked. If I wanna have fun, I’ll just play other games I guess.


(Jostabeere) #8

I dislike the new interface you made with CMM and how badly designed it is.
I don’t need the long loading and showing what every player is using.
I want an option to deactivate the loadout slide.
I want to be able to change settings and whatnot in both CMM and ranked without automatically searching for a match. I want to see if I still have a daily win or play in Ranked, and it’s not possible for me as far as I’ve tried.
I want to be able to exclude Moscow servers in CMM and not have EU as one region.
I want to see my missions in a lobby without automatically starting a search.
Why can’t you make an option to join a CMM lobby alone without automatically starting a match and if I want to check anything, make me able to do so without leaving the CMM search?
And how am I supposed to create a ranked lobby if the game does not give me the option to get friends first and then start searching? Why does it start a search automatically?
And the decision to make CMM Objective only is utterly stupid. I have a stopwatch mission and want to play against similar players? Well, I can go screw myself, right?
Seriously, who thought after developing this game for 2 years that this is a good idea to limit the CMM to one game mode and not change daily missions according to it?


(Deleius) #9

I am really disappointed that there are no objective-servers for EU in the serverbrowser.

Stopwatch is not an option because a single game just takes too much time and the remaining servers (russia , asia) have a horrible ping. Just spray and pray to hit teleporting players…no thx.

And i just don’t care for CMM that puts me on 6 vs 6 servers, which i avoided entirely until this point, with a 50% chance of a not playable high ping…

I thought the serverbrowser would stay for all reagions as an option. But i guess i was wrong.
With those 2 remaining options (see above) DB is not a game for me anymore - sadly.


(TitaniumRapture) #10

@Jostabeere said:
I dislike the new interface you made with CMM and how badly designed it is.
I don’t need the long loading and showing what every player is using.
I want an option to deactivate the loadout slide.
I want to be able to change settings and whatnot in both CMM and ranked without automatically searching for a match. I want to see if I still have a daily win or play in Ranked, and it’s not possible for me as far as I’ve tried.
I want to be able to exclude Moscow servers in CMM and not have EU as one region.
I want to see my missions in a lobby without automatically starting a search.
Why can’t you make an option to join a CMM lobby alone without automatically starting a match and if I want to check anything, make me able to do so without leaving the CMM search?
And how am I supposed to create a ranked lobby if the game does not give me the option to get friends first and then start searching? Why does it start a search automatically?
And the decision to make CMM Objective only is utterly stupid. I have a stopwatch mission and want to play against similar players? Well, I can go @$!# myself, right?
Seriously, who thought after developing this game for 2 years that this is a good idea to limit the CMM to one game mode and not change daily missions according to it?

I can see that after all these months away you must have been missing all these complaining. :smiley:


(Jostabeere) #11

@TitaniumRapture said:
I can see that after all these months away you must have been missing all these complaining. :smiley:

Maybe. But is it justified? I think yes.


(bgyoshi) #12

@Pinflux said:

Casual Mode is 6v6, the new standard Dirty Bomb match size.

YEARS OF WAITING


(Sithas) #13

I thought while 6vs6 would be for cmm, 8vs8 objective would stay in the server browser but they are all gone in the eu… did i miss something?


(Jostabeere) #14

Edit: After playing maybe 10 matches there is only one thing I have to say.
I did not expect anything and I still got disappointed by SD.
Out of 8 matches 4 were more or less even and I won them, but the other 4 were one-sided stomps and not fair matches where enemies just won.
The CMM also seems not to kick afks after a minute so new people can join in.


(Drac0rion) #15

Could we disable the team intro animation?
After the first 3 times, it already gets kinda annoying.

Also any obj server in the server browser?

The rest I’m fine with.


(Xenithos) #16

That new screen has me wet. Gonna see just how awesome this update is…


(Xenithos) #17

@Unrivaled said:

@ImSploosh said:
I don’t like hearing that there won’t be any objective servers in the server browser. I don’t like Stopwatch much because it requires a long stay to finish the match most of the time. I’m also worried about getting stuck in matches with tryhards 24/7. If I wanted that, I’d play ranked. There’s some people that play Dirty Bomb as hard as they can every match. It’s like they’re not even trying to have fun. D:

Exactly my thoughts. I doubt I’ll stick to DB after that, and if I do I probably won’t play anything else than Ranked. If I wanna have fun, I’ll just play other games I guess.

What you said and what he’s worried about are different. You’re just flat out like “this sucks,” he’s like, “I’ll try this but I’m honestly concerned.”


(Xenithos) #18

@Jostabeere said:
Edit: After playing maybe 10 matches there is only one thing I have to say.
I did not expect anything and I still got disappointed by SD.
Out of 8 matches 4 were more or less even and I won them, but the other 4 were one-sided stomps and not fair matches where enemies just won.
The CMM also seems not to kick afks after a minute so new people can join in.

It’s likely the CMM won’t be placing well until after 20 matches. :confused:
Is kick vote broken? After a minute?


(Jostabeere) #19

@Xenithos said:

@Jostabeere said:
Edit: After playing maybe 10 matches there is only one thing I have to say.
I did not expect anything and I still got disappointed by SD.
Out of 8 matches 4 were more or less even and I won them, but the other 4 were one-sided stomps and not fair matches where enemies just won.
The CMM also seems not to kick afks after a minute so new people can join in.

It’s likely the CMM won’t be placing well until after 20 matches. :confused:
Is kick vote broken? After a minute?

In normal games you’re supposed to be kicked by the game by afking longer than 1 minute. I got kicked by the system yesterday when I went afk for maximum 1 min 12 secs.
Today we played a match and noticed that one guy went afk for a long period. He had 0 points after 4 or so minutes and he wasn’t kicked by the game.


(Unrivaled) #20

@Xenithos said:

@Unrivaled said:

@ImSploosh said:
I don’t like hearing that there won’t be any objective servers in the server browser. I don’t like Stopwatch much because it requires a long stay to finish the match most of the time. I’m also worried about getting stuck in matches with tryhards 24/7. If I wanted that, I’d play ranked. There’s some people that play Dirty Bomb as hard as they can every match. It’s like they’re not even trying to have fun. D:

Exactly my thoughts. I doubt I’ll stick to DB after that, and if I do I probably won’t play anything else than Ranked. If I wanna have fun, I’ll just play other games I guess.

What you said and what he’s worried about are different. You’re just flat out like “this sucks,” he’s like, “I’ll try this but I’m honestly concerned.”

You seem to have a really poor understanding of people’s opinions.

Just the fact that my post starts with “I doubt”, ends with “I guess” and has “probably” in the middle and that you still concluded that I was “just flat out like this sucks” means you’re probably not the smartest person around anyway.