“Hey devs, it’s time to stop ignoring the fact that the Overwatch matchmaking system is seriously broken. It’s frustrating for players to constantly get placed in games with players who are significantly higher or lower skilled than the rest of the team, and it’s especially frustrating when it feels like the developers just don’t care about fixing it. It’s disrespectful and unacceptable to ignore a big problem like this, especially since it breaks individual ranks. It’s time for the devs to step up and show that they care about the players by prioritizing fixing the matchmaking system. It’s the least they can do to make the game more enjoyable for everyone.”
8 Likes
They think their MMR Robot can fix it all.
Except, that’s the main problem.
3 Likes
This is how most PvP games are now tbh. Gotta find decent people to play with. The solo competitive experience outside of BR games and like SC is pretty terrible. Most games use group average MMR now and it just leads to this situation very often.
It is working the way they want it to, by prioritizing queue times instead of actually putting people of the same skill level in games. If a game has bronzes and gms in the same match but the queue time was 30 seconds, the devs are happy with the result.
No one but blizz knows what the matchmaker is doin no one ever has in 6 yrs. Alot have guessed but nothin has bin proven all i know is it doesnt feel fun or natural and thats why casuals streamers an hardcores are complaining an moven on. They want it this way no idea why but they do.
Here’s a funny story though.
One time, they had a “bug” with the MMR.
The MMR just wasn’t working. So, their fake rigging system was down, pretty much.
Guess what happened?
Instant queues. No more fake games. Lots of wins for the actual good players. Lots of losses for the people who couldn’t hang at their fake rank. Most importantly, Instant Queues. True games based on rank, with instant queues.
In contrast. With the current fake rank system, every time my partner and I win a few games, the Queues get LONGER… only for them to find game where we get stomped. Because we won too much. Because it’s fake, rigged and forcing people to 50% if it can.
What I would say is, turn it all off.
Then, we’d get instant queues AND better games. I should say, REAL games. Instant, real games. The good people would win 30 in a row. The bad people would lose 30 in a row. Everyone would get to their actual ranks, and then the system would have no reason to make fake, forced matches.
I don’t buy that they’re trying to fight long queues. I think they just refuse to give up control over the player experience. They WANT you to lose 3 in a row, get mad, and come back the next day. They WANT you to be at 50%, even if it’s by forcing it unnaturally. They want to control us. THAT’S the reason for long queues.
They could grab 10 random players by RANK, and make matches instantly. And those games would actually be better.
I just played vs. a Diamond and a Plat, while I’m Gold 3. Why? The MMR system tried super hard, with a long queue, to find these players apparently to punish me for winning too much.
It’s FAR too over reactive. It’s far too controlling.
They need to give it up, and then they will have better games AND faster queues.
7 Likes
I fully agree with the points you made about the negative impact of the MMR system on the player experience. It’s clear that the system is more concerned with controlling and manipulating players rather than providing fair and enjoyable matches. The fact that good players are matched with poor players and long queues are used to punish players who win too much is unacceptable.
In my educated opinion, a functioning MMR system that accurately reflects a player’s skill and provides fair matches would likely reduce the temptation for players to cheat. Players who are consistently matched with opponents of a similar skill level and are able to enjoy fair and competitive matches are less likely to feel the need to use cheats to gain an unfair advantage. Additionally, a functioning MMR system would likely make it easier to identify and penalize cheaters, as their artificial improvements in performance would be more noticeable in fair matches.
Broken MMR systems like this one are a major source of frustration for players and can even drive some to cheat. However, it’s important to remember that cheating ultimately ruins the integrity and enjoyment of the game for everyone. The game developers need to fix these issues with the MMR system in order to create a more fair and enjoyable experience for all players, and to reduce the temptation for players to cheat.
Im just saying xD
1 Like
Elo rating (which Overwatch uses and calls MMR) was only intended for use in 1v1 situations. Blizzard starting using it in WoW Arena back in ~2006 and that’s where innovation has stopped.
2 Likes
At least on WoW it works pretty much. And they also display your MMR. With OW2 it is hidden because they don’t want people to be able to see the disparity in MMR between teammates and opponents in all honesty. What other reason would they have to hide it?
I don’t think they think their mmr system is alleviating anything I think they just care about queue times more than match quality. Or maybe they don’t understand that match quality suffers the wider the variance of the lobby gets. Whatever their reasoning is, their limits feel far too wide. 500 sr or so should be like, an unlikely maximum for variance in a lobby. Now it feels like the norm.
Wonder what the tradeoff is. For every extra minute, how much tighter do the matches get. Would be nice to know.
I see no reason why the exact same problem wouldn’t appear in a single rating system. Massive role bottlenecks, loose matchmaking to alleviate queue times, bad match quality. Nothing unique to mmr there. Even in a dual rating system, a strict limit on how wide of a lobby you can have fixes the issue of “I get bad teammates because I’m playing well” since they literally could not be filled in to balance you out.
Matchmaking is the core of the product, and the matchmaking is awful. So the entire product suffers terribly as a result.
The numbskull that thought to decouple ranking from MMR and to hide it is a clueless person who shouldn’t have their job.
As a player, I am deeply concerned about the current state of the game’s matchmaking system. It is clear that the MMR system is not effectively addressing the issue of match quality, and this is having a negative impact on the overall player experience.
The priority of the game developers should be to create enjoyable matches for all players, rather than simply focusing on reducing queue times. To achieve this, it is necessary to limit the range of MMRs that are allowed to be matched together in a lobby. This ensures that matches are more balanced and enjoyable for all players, rather than just prioritizing quick queue times.
It is unacceptable for the current system to prioritize speed over the quality of the matches themselves. It is time for the game developers to take action and prioritize the enjoyment of their players. Poor match quality can significantly impact player retention and the overall health of the game, so it is crucial that steps are taken to improve the matchmaking system and create more enjoyable matches for all players.
Better match quality not only leads to a more enjoyable and rewarding experience for all players, but it can also result in a higher flow state for individual players. This can lead to improved performance and a more positive overall experience with the game.
I encourage other players to join me in speaking out about this issue and sharing their thoughts and experiences with the matchmaking system. A unified player voice can be a powerful force for change and can help demonstrate the importance of addressing this issue. By coming together and making our concerns heard, we can work towards creating a better matchmaking experience for all.
Ignoring the concerns and feedback of the player community can have serious consequences for the game and its players. It can lead to a decline in player satisfaction and retention, which can ultimately impact the success and sustainability of the game. It is crucial that game developers listen to their players and take their feedback into consideration when making decisions about the game. By engaging with the player community and addressing their concerns, game developers can create a more enjoyable and rewarding experience for all players
Unfortunately Blizzard staff don’t know what they are doing, they haven’t the slightest clue how to fix the matchmaking, they probably only play the live version once in a blue moon.
It saddens me to see this game go to ****, especially considering it’s not difficult to make fair matches. Heres a suggestion for you Blizzard, only apply your MMR system when players are flagged for smurfing, go back to 25sr per win / loss and match based on rank. Don’t put the same players against each other twice in a row.
There are lots of smart people out there, many of them play your game. Replace your matchmaking and balancing team with people who actually understand your game and play it regularly.
After letting Sojourn dominant high elo for far too long, streamers told you… your playerbase told you… when the nerf eventually came it was far too late and insufficient. Streamers told you this too, but you choose to ignore it. Why? Because your staff don’t play your own game… so they go by silly stats that make no sense, a hero should not be broken in GM to make it viable in Gold. If a hero is balanced in GM there is room for a Gold player to improve and get value on that hero. Leaving it broken in GM is stupid and there’s nothing the top 1% players can do…
What is the average IQ of the OW matchmaking and balancing teams? 90? 80? Gotta be below average.
I honestly think the matches and matchmaking are so bad due to groups. People bring their lower skilled friends into games they shouldn’t be in. We need a solo only queue.
1 Like
That sounds like League.
You have a Solo Queue and FLEX which is seperate.
I have no issue with them using MMR as a matching system. But the “rank” given, be it Plat, Diamond or GM is telling the player nothing. Instead of displaying what Division and Tier we are, just display the MMR. WoW used in Arenas and you knew who you would be facing up against.
Eliminate the hidden values and put it right in front of the player. Remove the Skill Divisions and Tiers and just call it MMR.
Buy battlepass or anything OW related = more wins?