Let me be clear the term rigging is trying to set an outcome of a match. (which isn’t the intent of these patents.
US20200114268A1 & US9789406B2 & US10322351B2 & US20160001182A1 & US20160001186A1 - This is a system that matches people based on variables. Same as most systems that are trying to create better games. There are examples of it being used for microtransactions which if proven wouldn’t be good in a competitive setting.
US10857468B2 & US20190091581A1 & US10561945B2 - This is dynamic difficultly stuff. This also includes things that you’d use in a PvE or Player + AI PVP. This is the kind of stuff CS:GO uses when adding bots. If these things were added to the player of the game they would be recordable (on PC) as it has no aim assist.
Firstly, I’m a little disappointed I was told you had 8 patents, I hoped you’d have 8 unique patents but most of these are just updated versions or slight modifications to protect others from modification and theft of the idea.
The first patent is a system that integrates microtransaction and other variables into matchmaking but in general, the intent is to have better matches not rigging matches for a win.
As for Overwatch, I very much doubt much of this is implemented if at all because players were never matched on playstyle to give good comps in open queue and role queue doesn’t need that. I doubt they match players based on skins though they could but could isn’t enough. They could match players based on the number of letters in their name.
Being matched based on skill level and latency does exist tho but is normal.
The second, if used in a PVP setting like Overwatch would be brutal… problem is this kind of stuff is useful and normal in mobile games that use AI to fill matches to give players a good experience. (I believe Call of duty mobile does this? not sure). This could be a thing that was being used in an Overwatch Gacha game. A lot of the implemented stuff here would be provable/seeable and you could see no-regs being evidence of this but I’d say it’s not enough evidence.
Does this prove or indicate rigging in Overwatch… Not at all.
The problem is Activision has mobile and free-to-play games which both patents would be needed for and protecting these ideas are patents is best practice. I feel you’re using them to create a narrative that isn’t fair.
Like if you want to prove could Blizzard/Activision rig their games?
Yes, they can… so can anyone that uses close source code. Patents don’t change that because the said patents could be used for many games and in a normal/fair way.
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As for do I think there is rigging in Overwatch games outside of if I win I’ll get harder opponents till I lose. I don’t.
How do I account for huge win streaks/Losses? Some days I play better others I play worse. If for 3 days I play at my best after I’ve been playing bad = Win streak and if after I play at my worst = Loss streak.
That said that could be the “system” doing its job and making me think I’m playing at my best or worst.
Since alteration of players’ aim/lag is recordable and noticeable and I’ve never seen that outside of the norms.
It leaves the matchmaker to place me with 11 people to rig my games… I don’t think the matchmaker is that good to predict 11 people’s current skill level because it can’t predict if people are having a bad day or drunk etc. or if someone has manipulated it via smurfing or throwing.
I just don’t see how a system could be good enough to rig matches over and over when it struggles with other things so much.
I think unbalanced games are down more to the matchmaker being unable to gauge how good a player’s current skill is, based on the data it has. Whether this is because there a smurf, thrown, drunk, tired, lagging, their mom is using Netflix, they are playing at a friend’s, they are memeing over try harding.
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In summary, the patents don’t prove anything and I don’t think player experience can either because everything can be explained away as a human element. Not to say rigging doesn’t exist but without evidence, I’d rather just play my best and enjoy the game rather than explain every loss/win is down to some “system” over my input vs a player’s input.