@sdric said:
Thanks for posting this!
I really enjoyed our dialogue on reddit about it.
Obviously it will still be tough to balance leavers. For those scenarios the shuffle function should be kept in addition to pre-game shuffling. If there’s really too many leavers in a match and restocking gets to odd players will still have to intervene.
It’s never going to be perfect and that’s fine, but it server browser team balancing is horrific right now and just has to improve. Pre-turn shuffling might already go a long way.
As we know private servers for those who dislike it are on their way 
I’d agree with the keeping of the in-match shuffle vote if the shuffle system didn’t fall flat on its face and fail 99% of the time to begin with. Most players also don’t understand how frustrating it is when they spam shuffle vote on the 2nd half of a stopwatch game when you can no longer do a restart vote. It’s rude to do it at that point because honestly it just screws people over especially with how piss-poor the in-match shuffle system is.
I have to agree with others that these should honestly just become a thing of the past and go; you end up getting better results when people are willing to switch and do the process manually almost without fail anyways. Granted some people are kinda asshats and refuse to do this but that doesn’t change the fact that the system is already non-functional in its current state and the state of the community’s size. You also simply can’t expect balance to be inherent in a game mode whose main means of access is a system of drop-in / drop-out; it just doesn’t work and assuming otherwise would be a product of delusional thinking, completely devoid of any logic or reason.
I’m not saying it is wrong to want balance, do not misunderstand, but there’s a difference between the ideal and the reality; much like life it is a construct which is, by design, largely up to chance. In the end, as much as we want everyone to have an equal chance, there comes a time when it is healthier to accept the reality of it and learn to either cope or adapt our behaviors accordingly.
That aside I re-iterate the point I’ve made before; we need incoming players to be adequately introduced to certain core concepts of the gameplay, not just basic controls like we do now. Too many new players don’t have a clue in their head what to do outside run and shoot with the current system and it creates a situation that further magnifies the imbalance issues inherent in a drop-in / drop-out system. If focus should be anywhere aside from new content and bug fixes it should be in actually overhauling the eyesore of an introductory tutorial we have in-game right now; because as it stands it’s about as bare-bones as they come.
TL;DR - Unless everyone suddenly decides to just balance out the games of their own volition I wouldn’t advise expecting actual balance anytime within this games lifespan in pub games; as they are, by nature and design, unbalanced by default since it is a drop-in / drop-out system. The shuffle system has always failed to balance things well due to how large the gaps that exist in skill level are in this game and so 99% of the time it makes things worse and just screws everyone over further.
About the only thing I can think of that would, within reason, somewhat alleviate the issue a bit would be making sure the newcomers have as many tools to comprehend the aspects of this game as possible. The more they are actually taught about what the game entails before entering their first real match, the less frustrating it is for the veteran players; which would, in consequence, likely improve the general mood and lower the toxicity making them more amiable to helping the new players and showing them the ropes.
