Let me preface this by saying that this isn’t a thread to whine about how you dislike GAC matchmaking. We get it. This is also not a thread to debate how good or bad GAC matchmaking is. Spoiler alert, I think it is too simplistic for this complex of a game, which is why I’m posting this. This thread is about how to change GAC matchmaking for the better.
Now, here’s my system. All numbers are obviously not final, I’m just spitballing. We keep the “skill rating” archetype of win and move up the leaderboards for better rewards, but we don’t make it solely based on GAC W/L record. How? By factoring more things into the skill rating equation, and by adding a small change to the matchmaking system.
#1, GP. For example, for every 5,000 GP, you’d get…I don’t know, 1 skill rating point. If you lose GP by switching mods, you wouldn’t lose the skill rating you’ve earned, but it would simply increase how much GP you would need for the next point. This would help smaller rosters avoid getting matched up with rosters 3-4x larger.
#2, GL count. This one’s probably the least popular to implement, but I really would like this. Give something like 200-300 skill rating points for each GL in an opponent’s roster. That way, it would become more difficult (but not impossible) for people with 1-2 GLs to be matched up with people with both 0 GLs and 0 non-GL counters.
Now, for the system change. This one might anger some people. Sort people by time played in GAC along with skill rating. By “time played”, I mean the number of rounds where people earned at least 10 banners. So, if you attack 12 times, you get matched up with other people who attacked 12 times, if you didn’t attack once, you get matched with people who didn’t attack once, etc etc. This would help filter out the massive accounts who barely play GAC from dropping all the way to Bronzium/Carbonite, and beating up on weak rosters when the large ones randomly decide to play.
Thoughts? Feedback on numbers? Additions? Things to cut?
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Disagree here, it's not all good.
It's a start...
What data would it take to actually come up with an example league? Is that data available to us as players or those of us classed as mammals that live in the sea, or those that moderate?
Without a doubt not everyone will agree, but surely it's worth knocking something together to demonstrate the theory???
my Skill Rating would be c.1700 which seems low, 1SP/2500 GP maybe, which would be 3115, my actual skill rating is 2911
Factor in Sort people by time played in GAC
Would be good to see other factors that have potential.
Regarding GL's, I'm ambivalent. I have 3 and the Executor, so I've regularly had matches with people who had 1-5 GL's. Haven't won every match against those with less and I haven't lost every match against those with more, so it doesn't bother me personally. Also wouldn't bother me is such a change was implemented.
Honestly, matchmaking in kyber isn't bad it just falls apart in lower divisions.
My thought process with the GL thing is that a person with a GL is probably likely to have at least one non-GL counter, even if it’s soft. For example, someone with SEE probably can try the DR vs JML counter, someone with JML probably has the resources to use JKR/JKL vs SLKR, etc. I want to try to make sure that having +1 GL isn’t an auto-win like it sometimes is in the lower leagues because very few people have the specific non-GL counters.
2. I'd be all for having a GL factor. However, GLs are the money maker. There's no way that would be productive for CG. Also it would really skew divisions. If let's say you're the best player in the world without a GL, what division do you end up in? Kyber 1? Then who do you face? The players in K1 with the least GLs. Eventually the winner of the low GL count brackets ends up near the top.
How I'd fix GAC would be:
1. No move ups and downs mid week. Only at the end of the week.
2. There's no difference between moving up divisions and leagues. You can move up from A1 to K5 just as you would A2 - A1. League differences at this point make no sense bar the title.
3. No more squish. Divisions are transparent with a regulated amount moving up and down. And that amount is very clear. If you're in the relegation zone it's marked in red, if in the promotion zone it's marked in green.
4. No more 3v3 and 5v5 under the same system. Either separate them or remove 3v3 altogether.
5. A system that acknowledges 'sandbagging'. So if you're in a division lower than the recommended GP, you face players of a similar GP that are also in your division.
6. No more 1 toon dominating a match. A player has the choice of removing 1 character from the opponent's defence. However, that player (the opponent) gets a max banner win (the player having the character removed).
Just changing THAT would really impact the lower divisions and the bullying going on down in them. It might not completely eliminate it but it would certainly do something CG likes- incentivize building your roster. It also wouldn't be a change that would enrage the whales up in K1 as it mostly wouldn't impact them.
Incredibly simple, and that’s what we need to keep in mind, it’s gotta be simple, coz let’s be honest, CG isn’t gonna invest (and probably wouldn’t do a good job even if they tried) into overly complicate the matchmaking algorithm.
So my suggestion is this, simply add a second ‘sorting’ criteria, other than skill rating, GP being the most obvious… so when groups are allocated everyone would have a very similar GP.
It may perhaps alleviate those incredibly unfair circumstances where someone at 4M GP fights an opponent twice his GP.
It’s still extremely basic, I know, but it’s gotta be if we want CG to consider a potential change… 1 more variable, nothing more, otherwise CG will never consider taking actions imo.
But personally all of the ideas mentioned above have merit and would no doubt improve the status quo.
Putting aside bruised egos and the varied experiences we've all had with the new and old systems, the issue with these discussions is that different folks have different ideas of what an ideal system would bring about. So I think you're putting the cart ahead of the horse here by discussing changes before agreeing on the desired outcome.
Cool, I won't add any omicrons or datacrons at all then. Most likely the less dedicated players won't be using them.
The current demotion/promotion system is very complicated. I think it'd work better with a much simpler method.
It was fairly straightforward at the beginning, then CG introduced mid-rounds promotions/demotions, we learned about the squish… I mean, that side could and should have stayed simple and straightforward, but CG goes messing with the things that work rather than focus on what’s broken 😖
I’d get rid of this silliness mid-rounds, it’s meaningless, adds no value whatsoever imo.
I just think sandbagging should be penalised if you are significantly higher GP than the average in the division, your rewards should be handicapped to promote you to win and rise to a division more suited to your roster and play against your equals competitively rather than punch down on rosters with no effort.
Whatever the solution, it needs to consider the range of players.
@AhnaldisGOAT do you have accounts spreading across the bandwidth of GP that can demonstrate your original suggestion?
I especially like @Gabriele_SWGOH comments above
I think it depends where they're meeting. If the 1.9 million account has risen, then I don't think there's any problem at all.
The main issue as I see it, is the legit Carbonites facing moons falling to earth. You get a 4 million or more account that occasionally plays falling to the bottom. It comes down to whether the bigger guy plays or not. Outcomewise you could say the smaller guy is the favourite, but there's no competitive match up there. The spirit of the game has been compromised.
2m vs 3.3m
Carbonite 1
vs
And this is worse than round 2 which I lost.
I think as you said above. I know it is the way it is.
That means the linked larger profile also lost round 2. Why is that?
The issues here are:
1. You're both below the division you should be in (if taking GP into account).
2. That GAS/501st team is probably unbeatable for anybody legitimately in Carbonite.
3. So clearly this player is rarely trying to win GAC matches; this is a problem.
4. However, you've failed to make 1 good team and you're at 2 million GP nearly. So, you suffer in GAC, and skill rating has worked on you. I'm sure if you went down the roster, we'd see a lot of bloat.
For you opponent - something needs to be done about the sandbagging. The best option is to find a way to put sandbaggers together.
For you - to be recognised as a non-sandbagger and matched accordingly.
For you personally - to sort your roster out ASAP (if doing well in GAC is a concern to you).
Remember, there's probably plenty of players legitimately in Carbonite 1 that see your GP and complain about it.
I would make the daily crystal take significantly higher. Make the crystal reward for a loss 0. Make the reward for a win something small, ~100 crystals. Eliminate bracket rewards; move them into either end of season or daily prize boxes.
This way, people will only join when they want to win to move up to the top league they can reach to maximize their daily payout. And if they're happy where they are and don't want to participate, they don't ruin their income and don't ruin anyone else's fun.
This will never happen for several reasons. CG doesn't care about anything but spending. I fail to see how this would increase spending. In fact, I'd wager it would reduce frustration and therefore spending.
It’s an interesting viewpoint, and I tend to agree, reward participation, earn nothing for not participating…
We could start with increasing the event and season min banners, dramatically imo… but we could start with 30 for event (3 rounds) and 60-80 for season (9 rounds in total i.e. 3 weeks):
It would be easy to implement and soon get the attention of those joining and not participating at all.
CG is consolidating them in the trash bin.
Glad I had my big boy pants on reading that, plenty of room for the phone book to protect me from the spanking ;-)
Aha, the infamous B1N location...
Is there any possibility of bringing some of the above mentioned suggestions to a CG Devs’ table?
Just an acknowledgment would be enough; the comments above express what imho is a general widespread view amongst players, GAC matchmaking needs some refinements 🙏🏻🤞🏻.. please.
My opp in Aurodium 2
I still don’t have a GL…
How is this right on any level?