I went back in time and "fixed" the game

So i made a time machine…well technically Winston hooked me up with a better version of Tracers…and Ive managed to fix the game…

Having a second comp option is a vast improvement to the game…but you know, i think we couldve done better…so i went back in time to do so

The date is July 4, 2019 (thats one year ago for the math experts out there)…

The change? its actually very simple…all i did was:

  • address the issues people had with LFG…

no need to force everyone into a RQ that despite being balanced for might not actually be balanced anyway…you dont have to play OQ either if you dont want to…no need to force a comp but if you want 222 or 132 or hell 060 you can get that…it will just take a few more minutes (just like RQ)…its in your hands!

Check again, that doesnt say bring back LFG…i actually made improvements to it…for one theres a checkbox to only consider mirror style (ie: if i make 222 it only considers other 222) or you can play your specific comp that you like with no regard for the enemy…while youre technically grouped up youre not actually “grouped” to the matchmaker so you dont automatically get placed against 6 stacks because theres “6” of you…i added some experience/loot box incentives for remaining in groups as well as using the tool to begin with…as well as some improvements to the interface so that its easier to make/find groups



Reasoning:

First of all i use the term “fix” loosely here because there is no such thing as a “fix” for the game…there are no magic wands…but i do think it addresses several things the game was dealing with at the time (the result of which was role Q) the chief of which was the whole “let me play the game i want to play” problem - which was touted as one of the benefits of RQ but never really panned out that way

  • nothing is forced…dont care about team comp? you can do that…you want your comp to have X tanks/supports…ok you can do that…you want to play a mirror? go ahead…

  • you have some say in the matchmaking - with regards to your teammates at least, albeit a very limited one but hey still better than nothing…though i have no doubt that youll complain anyway…cause matchmaking is hard as hell and its always the easy scapegoat

  • no forced meta - as thats what inevitably happens when you can only play the game in one way no matter how good your balancing is (balancing this game is hard folks)…speaking of which…im still balancing the game around 222…yeah i said it…its up to you to decide if you want to play the way im balancing it…you dont have to if you hate it for example - but you do so with the understanding that its your choice to play that way (much like we have right now)…dont come complaining to me afterwards…

Note - with regards to balance, this is pretty much what blizz did anyway…we just didnt have an option to “opt-out” so to speak…unless of course we just didnt play :man_shrugging:t2:

The one change i didnt mention on here is Role Based SR…not because you cant do it…but because i wanted to keep things simple…but you can technically add it…it would require a few things and it would probably be more complex (like say multiple ladders) but its doable

OR

scrap everything above this and just add RQ next to OQ like we have now…
but come on thats too easy and boring…the above is a way more fun discussion

not to mention i wouldnt exactly call what we have now “fixed” :wink:

4 Likes

Yeah, it always bugged me that people who wanted to play 2-2-2 have always had that option with LFG. The problem was that nobody used LFG because nobody used it because nobody used it. I never saw a masters+ comp group in there so I never used it, thus contributing to the problem.

I know people want to be just automatically dropped into a “good” team but that’s not really possible in a way that fits everyone’s definition of good.

Also, I think we’ve gotten too used to the game doing the work for us. Remember other FPS games for decades when we had to sort through server lists just so find one that had people in it with default rules and a host that wouldn’t immediately kick anybody who killed them?

I wish we would’ve embraced LFG more as a community. In the meantime, I’m glad open queue is back for those of us who enjoy building a team comp.

Should really have forced LFG into every match, with lazy options for some people. The LFG groups should be clearly labeled and rated based on skill rating.

It never got forced onto the PLAY buttons though.

i think that if they had done things correctly (actually improving and encouraging/incentivizing it) LFG wouldve just naturally been used more…perhaps even being the preferred way of playing…no need to force anything

Just replace the button with a subsystem that involved another button with the press of A/X/etc (to get into original quick play/comp), with the subsystem for LFG involved in the rest of the screen.

It would be a pretty big incentive to use it.

Pick your stage, your team, and your role within that team. The votes tally up which maps are played and the coin is flipped based on the team you encounter, if you play their map or your map.

This seems extremely streamlined. Like a fighting game character select screen in a lot of ways.

Lazy mode would be PUT ME ANYWHERE IN THIS ROLE.

I sortof agree, I think a proper LFG where you can define precisely what kind of team mates you expect would be great ! No fragmentation into different competitive modes needed.

Not as fun as no limits chaos👀