| Summary |
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|---|---|
| System Information: | Switch, system version 9.2.0 (though this likely affects all platforms) |
| Game Version: | 1.46.0.0 - 66607 (though I know players who have been having trouble finding matches in Arcade and Competitive mode since those modes were first available on Switch) |
Issue:
- While quickplay matches are usually easy to find during peak times, players in the Asia-Pacific region report difficulty finding competitive and arcade matches–even during peak times. I play from Australia.
- I’m sure there are other platforms and regions where players have difficulty finding enough players to start a match, whether it be in the competitive, arcade, or (less likely) quickplay mode. People who play during non-peak hours (e.g. night shift workers; people who study at night) likely have difficulty finding matches in their desired mode at times.
- Low player population in a certain region or during a time of day is one aspect of the issue (the other is cross-play for consoles). Though I often hear from Overwatch players on Switch who say they want to play competitive mode, or do arcade matches (including the special event missions), but can’t find a game. These players queue up in their mode of choice, wait in queue, then leave that queue when they can’t find a match and go to quickplay so they can at least play something. So the issue in those cases isn’t a lack of players available for that mode–it’s that they’re not in the queue for that mode because they’ve tried to find a game and couldn’t, and left the queue. This includes players choose all roles (Tank, Damage, Support) simultaneously while queuing, not just people who want a specific role.
- How long do they wait in queue? I know some players who wait between 5 to 30 minutes in queue and don’t find competitive matches. One recent player I spoke with said they were in queue for 2 hours trying to find a group for the Archives arcade missions but didn’t find a group. These players I speak to don’t find matches after waiting–the leave the queue because they can’t find a match, either exiting the game or join the quickplay queue.
- The downside is that many of these players, myself included, find quickplay significantly frustrating, since you’re often matched with players nowhere near your skill level. But it’s the only alternative, unless you want to wait in queue for your mode of choice (competitive or arcade) for a time that isn’t clear (the play estimates are very inaccurate–especially when not many players are queued up for a mode).
- The “look for group” feature can help with this (mostly for Arcade special event PvE modes that don’t need an enemy team of human players), but I don’t think using it to make a game mode playable at all is the primary function of it, and unless people check it (I hardly do, and it’s usually empty or has irrelevant listings, anyway), group listings go unnoticed.
- Even allowing players to join two queues would be a positive change, though personally I’d like to be able to queue for several modes, since there are game modes in Arcade that I enjoy, I want to test out the experimental mode occasionally, though I also want to play competitive games. I’m happy to prioritise one of those, though since people don’t always play those modes, being able to join multiple queues would make it more likely that I get to play them. I want to play quickplay when I want to (maybe for testing, or to warm-up), not because I feel forced because I can’t find a match in another mode, or because I’m unwilling to wait in queue for long periods.
- To understand the scope of the issue, statistics would have to be derived from the game–ideally things such as average time in queue, amount of games played in each mode (sorted by region), at what time people leave the queue, and if possible, what they do after leaving queue (what do they “bounce” to? Websites track this in visitors). Anecdotal reports from players help, but the issue is specific to region, time of day people play at, and–for competitive mode–rank specific, so it’s difficult to experience exactly what someone else is experiencing.
- I also know that a lot of Switch players are not very vocal about this issue compared to players on other platforms, so it likely flies under the rader and doesn’t get prioritised. Players with access to a large player population may be more focused on the “meta,” game balance issues, or how long a queue is for a specific role–grievances that are mostly reserved for players who can find games easily with similarly skilled players, since until one can do that, such issues aren’t (as) apparent or relevant.
Expected Results:
- Be able to find matches in the game mode of your choice, with a variety of opponents and team mates at a level of skill similar to yours, within a reasonable time, at times you can expect to find opponents.
- Accurate queue wait time estimates.
- A player to have a way to know how close they are to forming a full team and team of opponents. Waiting in queue if you’re 11 of 12 players waiting is different to waiting if you’re 2 of 12.
Actual Results:
- Players queue up in the game mode of their choice, can’t find a match (sometimes after waiting for more than 2 hours, including during peak times), so instead play in quickplay with people nowhere near their skill level, and non-serious people with poor sportsmanship who leave games.
- People leaving games is a separate issue, but it’s enhanced for these players, since quickplay becomes their “serious” mode. They don’t have the option to “just go play competitive” (if they can’t find matches there), where people are penalised for leaving games.
- Queue estimates are terribly inaccurate when not many people are playing. E.g. It’ll show “less than 2 minutes” for the Tank role, and I’ll be in queue for 30+ minutes. No way to know if you’re 1 of 12 people in queue, or 11 of 12 people in queue.
- People miss out on content they want to play. E.g. I wanted to play the special event content at Christmas. I waited in queue and found no games. I didn’t have long to play during the Christmas time, so wanting to play a game, I left the queue and joined quickplay. That sucks.
Suggestions
Solution 1: simultaneous queuing
- To bring together players who do want to play arcade, competitive, experimental, or quickplay mode but have had difficulty finding matches in their mode of choice, you could allow players to queue for different modes simultaneously. Players choose which mode to prioritise so the game knows what mode they most want to play.
- Unlike the “while you wait” skirmish, deathmatch, and custom game modes, if you were queing for, say, Competitive and Quickplay, if the player prioritises Competitive matches, they wait in queue for a reasonable amount of time, and if no match is possible, they would join the next available quickplay game. Once they exit the quickplay game, they rejoin the queues they were in, prioritising the game mode of their choice.
- I’ve seen this implementation in another competitive game. In that game you go to the modes menu, choose which queues you want to join, and wait until it matches you to a game. The game only has two PvP modes–quickplay and ranked. I believe it prioritises competitive matches first. It works wonderfully, and you’re at ease, always knowing that if a ranked game is available, you’ll get put in it as soon as you’re not in a match. There is no “fear of missing out,” nor frustrating wait times or “either/or” choices of which mode you’re most likely going to find a match in.
- Ideally the game could hold a players position in the queue. For example, if they are queued for competitive and quickplay, if they get put in a quickplay match due to not enough players available for a competitive match, when they finish the quickplay match they are given priority in the competitive queue (assuming they stay in the queue) over players who just joined it. When a competitive match is available, those who have been in the queue the longest will be placed in the next available competitive match. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been in a qucikplay or arcade game during that time, since what they really want to play is competitive mode.
- Based in the wait times for specific roles and how many players are the queue for the game mode they want to prioritise (say, competitive mode), the game could dynamically calculate what a “reasonable” time to wait in queue is before a player joins a match in one of their lower priority queues. E.g. If they’re in competitive and quickplay queues in the damage role, and the competitive damage role has a wait time of 10 minutes, if they’re in queue for 15 minutes, they might join a quickplay match as soon as one is available, and then rejoin both queues after that match, maintaining their place in the queue over players who just joined.
- While in queue, players could continue to play the “while you wait” skirmish, deathmatch, and custom game modes. Simultaneous queuing just means they won’t wait endlessly in queue playing, say, deathmatch if there aren’t enough players to form a game.
It’s not a perfect solution, but it increases the odds significantly that players who want to play the arcade or competitive mode will find other players who want to do the same.
This change would serve Overwatch players both now and into the far future, since it would help players in regions with low player populations, or players who play in non-peak times, to find the game modes they want to play.
Solution 2: cross-play.
- I see no reason why console players can’t play with players on other consoles. Other games do it, including one competitive game I play that has cross-play between Switch, PC, Mac, and PS4. When a game launches on a platform for the first time (such as Overwatch on Switch), I can understand giving players of that platform some time to learn the game. But after a certain time, cross-play should be enabled.
- I can even see benefit to allowing some degree of cross-play between consoles and PCs, but only as a last resort, such as people are waiting in queues for too long. I realise that solution has issue, though so does not being able to play in the mode of your choice.
- Solution #1 would still be useful even if cross-play was enabled, and even in regions with high player population. It’s primarily a more effective way of the gaming knowing who wants to play what, and bringing them together.
Designing for this issue from the start
As a point of feedback, as a player who doesn’t live in and play from America, I feel game developers need to put energy into designing solutions that cater to players in regions, and who play at times of day, that have low player populations.
For a long time, and even now, if I want to play an online game I’m at a disadvantage either due to latency issues, or inability to find people (or enough people) to play with.
Almost every competitive games I play is designed in a way that doesn’t take the possibly of low player populations into account. Developers seems to bet on their game being successful enough that you’ll be able to find enough people for an online match, and find one within a reasonable amount of time.
Even successful games have times where player populations are low, and games (and anything, really), should be designed with this possibility in mind from the start, not when it becomes a problem.
You can consider it an ethical responsibility to be as inclusive and equitable as possible for fans of your game who might be in minority areas or platforms, aren’t able to play during peak times, or don’t have much time to play. They are paying customers, too.