Algorithmic Handicapping (MMR) is Wrong for Overwatch

Competitive Discussion
667

There is zero evidence (anecdotes are not evidence) of this happening. Match making only looks at MMR so having identical SR is meaningless in terms of match making.

It seems as though you are saying that a player is handicapped by being given other players with certain MMRs on their team. The whole point is to make teams with equal chance of winning (thus all players also have an equal chance of winning), which it does. No team is handicapped. Thus no players are handicapped.

I have a feeling there are some players which can’t climb because they are handicapped. However here I refer to the American use of handicapped meaning disabled. That is the only type of handicapping I will ever believe has an effect on one’s ability to climb the Overwatch ladder.

668

I would find it very frustrating when all players are clearly just padding stats and not at all interested in playing the objective, which is exactly what would happen if the intricacies of the MMR system were available.

I prefer the current frustration.

670

People do that now… they just don’t know which stats to pad.

671

By this you mean “Mmr is different to SR”

That is how averaging works.

This is the definition of handicapping in sports. Good players are handicapped by being put with bad players.

These are mutually exclusive statements based on your prior statement. The only way to have equal teams is by handicapping individual players. Assuming SR does not equal MMR which you have asserted.

They could be matching based off length of names and not skill, but you prefer not knowing? Choosing ignorance is something people normally get paid for, like a bribe to look the other way. It tells volumes of your character and intent on the forums.

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672

Exactly. The matchmaker effectively engineers match outcomes, which is exactly the kind of behavior everyone either consciously or unconsciously hates. You can literally feel the matchmaker stacking games against you when you climb or putting the gloves on when you drop.

All i want is a random selection of people from my rank. Then i know every match is effectively a random sample of twelve people at supposedly the same skill level, without any shenanigans from some matchmaking algorithm. Over a large sample of games, average win rates will converge to fifty percent as people reach their true rank. This would completely eliminate the “treadmill” sensation of the current matchmaker.

4 Likes
673

Ever started up a new account? You do start up in bronze until the matchmaker figures out what to do with you. The first 5 games in QP are like an absolute joke.

I personally like the idea of “soft” resets between seasons where you are effectively placed during placements at the middle SR of the rank you finished the previous season. Gold-2250, Plat 2750… then people 3500+ get reset down to 3500 and Bronze players starting at 1250 or maybe to 1500. If you say, hit plat… but fall to like 2450 and havn’t deranked, you do your placements at 2750.

This sorta resets things and adjust things for like major meta shifts and the like.

On a macro level, the game does not handicap, like your definition stats. However, on a micro or game level during the matchmaking, there is handicapping in place as described by the devs.

Here’s where it occurs. First, it pulls in a group of the closest ranked SR players into a map. Then it sorts the teams. This is where the handicapping is… it doesn’t randomize the teams, but it balances them. The MMR and SR are close, but they are not exact. So if someone is the highest “skilled” based on their MMR, they will be matched with the lowest “skilled” regardless of what the SR says.

After the teams are sorted, the matchmaker then looks at the difference in the MMR and determines the percentage it is off… and uses that as a multiplier for post game SR gains.

This is why you can actually be favored in a match, but your team SR is lower then the enemy.

This adjustment to the SR gains is a form of handicap, because it doesn’f equalize out the result of winning or losing. In this aspect… the “game” is the SR score… which is handicapped based on how well the unequal teams are matched up… to give a more equal playing field in the SR metagame.

The part of handicapping that I don’t agree with, is the idea that the game purposely puts you at a disadvantage because you won too much.

It obly appears that way, because the SR system is out ahead (or behind) the MMR that is sorting you.

3 Likes
674

What are the questions, do you think?

675

Competitive and Privacy/Secrecy are antonyms.

Competition is meant to take place in full public view.

Bobby Fisher shooed away reporters because it was distracting. But I have the right to know all of your Competitive stats. We used to have this right in baseball and such, but now with computers, we don’t necessarily have this right.

Online multiplayer games have so many things fundamentally different from traditional sports, that’s it’s almost not fair to compare the two. But it’s all we have to go by.

In the end we know this much: If I ask Blizzard, “How is SR calculated?” And they respond, “We don’t have to tell you.” I would then come to the conclusion that they do not know the meaning of the word Competition.

If you invent a competition, and don’t explicitly state the rules, it is no longer a competition. It has turned into a guessing game. And I stopped playing guessing games when I was 3 years old.

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676

I think exactly the same, good summation.

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677

Stop playing a loyal fanboy.

678

I dunno, I think he’s sincere.

679

The only way to make a level playing field.

Is no make it unlevel.

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680

Can you tell us a little more about what you mean?

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681

So, all these months later…
Did you manage to get out of bronze or are you still spending all your time crafting conspiracy theories?

(I’m cheersluv btw)

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682

I haven’t touched Overwatch since I posted this thread. My life is much richer for the time and energy I save, not trying to game a system that Blizzard invented to keep players addicted to their products.

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683

I’m very happy for you!!!
I find no joy at all in this game either (even though I don’t agree with your theory)

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684

Guess what blizzard don’t care about us they care about money they make you gamble and gamblling is bad

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685

Thank you!

Are you still playing the game?

Right on the money.

686

I “soft quit” last season, played only placements and like 5 more games. I placed 3250 (from 3.1something decayed to 3k s11), and finished 3.2, a bit lower than what I placed.

I took a long hard look and I realized Im at the rank I am because I’m very bad at the game, and relied on clicking people to win.

I finally climbed to the level where people are better at clicking than I am, so I can’t rely on that, and also they know how to play the game so I became dead weight, “one of those DPS mains”.

I decided to one-trick Brigette closely following a plan i deviced, I started yesterday on my Smurf (ended s12 at 2.5) and I’m having a lot of fun and learning a lot too.

This is my season plan:

These are day 1 reports.

I’m gonna do more placements in a few hours!
Muting comms and chat was HUGE and every game feels like you are playing an overwatch animated movie. 0 toxicity and every team is the best team!

Maybe I can convince you to come back and give it a spin? You can pick a hero and I’ll write you a little script to follow to climb I promise you you will!

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687

When you’re so bad that you have to quit the game and construct a delusional narrative to justify why you’re so bad. LOL