Fix Battlegrounds in three easy steps (that we can argue about until the end of time)

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Comments

  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★

    You havent said what they're using. My alt had more than half a dozen 6* before it even got uc, mostly from this last holiday. Lots of 5* too. When I do bg I'm facing people with accounts my size that have plenty of champs to use after banning their top 3.
    I'm not getting into the Alt situation. That's not a statement for anything related to people who are there with their Mains. Not that I particularly have any issues with people running Alts. I just don't consider that a testament to people there trying to progress at that stage in the game. It's not the same.
    As for your point, I don't think you understand what I'm trying to say. The difference between Rosters for both the lower Player Matches and the higher Player Matches is relatively the same.
  • zaspacerzaspacer Member Posts: 116

    I had a whole thing typed up but it got boring so I scratched that and am replacing it with a hypothetical: aliens come down and demand we present the top 100 mcoc bg gc players to compete against their best alien players for the fate of the world. Do you take the top 100, or do you filter out the lower accounts that had an easier ride and send up the strongest dudes? If your answer is filter it out to save the world, then the system is not raising the most worthy to the top ranks currently.
    Levity aside, my questions above still stand:

    1) What criteria should be getting an "advantage" in BG? (what stuff should people get advantages for)
    2) What type of advantages should be given? (what advantages are people getting now, what should they be getting)
    3) What is the degree and details of those advantages? (what should the specifics of those advantages be)

    If we answer that in specific details, then we can project the impact. And build then implement the new system.

    Seriously. This is the type of conversation we need to have to build a system. The actual details about what the advantages should be.

    If we can't answer that. Then we're just spinning our wheels in these conversations about "rules through reasoning".

    It's okay if people just want to be handed wins for their payment to the referee. It's okay they want that, they want a system that does that, and they want everyone to pretend that is not what is happening. But we still have to setup someone to actually rig the system in the way desired.

    And also, if any system doesn't result in the Kabam (or various gatekeepers) getting the outcome it wants, and Kabam has the option to move away to something else they do want, it's gonna get iced anyway.

    If we truly are all just squeaking wheels ("squeaky wheel gets the grease"), if there is really no interest in discussion that leads to related development. Then this is all just throwaway reasoning that is just another part of the fantasy.

    It's all good.
  • zaspacerzaspacer Member Posts: 116
    Making a "top down" system (one that is based on just core principles and general parameters) will not work for solving BGs. Because rival battling power groups (Kabam, spenders, influencers, niche groups, general users, etc.) want corruption built into the system in a very particular way, to rig the outcome regardless of gameplay.

    So instead we have to build a "bottom up" system. We rig it with a custom flexible "plug" (accounting term for thing added to make the numbers add up, when they don't on their own) to then filter the players' gameplay. That plug takes gameplay and then converts it into the rigged outcomes we want.

    This is a political and business problem we're solving. This is not a gameplay issue (a gameplay issue would be if actually playing the mode/core loop/etc. wasn't fun/engaging/etc.). It's a brand and customer satisfaction issue. It's a profit thing.

    And this isn't about aliens and Earth's defenders. Other than that it's also solving a fantasy problem. You don't want the most potentially skilled and knowledgeable players to win. You want to pay (and/or lobby) for the fantasy of being the man, or to accomplish fake goals. Which is fine. That is very, very standard for entertainment products.
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  • Graves_3Graves_3 Member Posts: 1,736 ★★★★★
    Ciedre said:

    AQ?
    Yes and no. AQ gives the same amount of glory in an alliance with people of mixed progression. But there is no uniform rewards for effort across alliances of all prestige. A 17.5k prestige alliance earns entirely different rewards compared to a 5.5k prestige alliance even if they both run the highest map with the highest mods on all 5 days of the cycle. This is a soft limit based on progression/account strength that’s built into the potential rewards that can be earned.
  • StatureStature Member Posts: 474 ★★★
    Coppin said:

    I'm not gonna ask u to do it, cause u won't find any. BGs is the only anomaly that has 4 progression levels earning the same for a SOLO game mode
    Arena? Incursions? Are the chips or gold one gets per round in Arena based on their title? The 5/6 star arenas are unlocked at UC.
  • Ironman3000Ironman3000 Member Posts: 2,019 ★★★★★
    Stature said:

    Arena? Incursions? Are the chips or gold one gets per round in Arena based on their title? The 5/6 star arenas are unlocked at UC.
    In Arena players with bigger rosters earn more points and more quickly than lower rosters.

    Incursions have different levels that aren't available to everyone.
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  • XSquadXSquad Member Posts: 167 ★★
    I also believe their needs to be a better scoring system in GC as well similar to what you provided with VT.
  • StatureStature Member Posts: 474 ★★★
    DNA3000 said:

    One of the things that I think causes some people to have a different perspective on this is the fact that some people see a difference between fighting against easier defenders in BG or AW, and fighting against easier defenders in PvE content.

    Is there a difference between fighting against Kabam's 6* defenders in EQ and fighting against my 6* defenders in BG? For the purposes of discussing difficulty, I say no. I think most people would say no. But there are some people who say yes.
    A BG match is not just you facing a defender, but you attacking and defending in the same round. The result is determined by the relative difference between attacking and defending. In this case there is a meaningful difference in difficulty based on the opponent you face.

    When I face Kabam's 6* defenders in EQ, it only matters if I can win that match. When someone fights your 6* defenders with their 5* attacker and you fight their 5* defender with your 6* attacker, your roster advantage is multiplied many times - your defender can stay up longer and your attacker needs less time to win. The result is then defined as difference between these already skewed matches. It isn't this lopsided even in AW where one can largely close the defense gap with better skills. The attack bonus for taking down the defender is not influenced by how the your defender did in the corresponding match up (yes there are tie-breakers on duration, but it is a small advantage). Given the time limit on BG matches, at a certain roster gap the advantage may be insurmountable.
    DNA3000 said:

    Here's an interesting thought experiment. Would it make a difference if I was working for Kabam? Suppose I was hired to be a BG opponent in battlegrounds. So I'm no longer a player competitor, I'm in effect a content designer. I design decks for players to fight, and I act as the server to draft opponents and fight in the AI's place. Is there a difference between fighting against my Cav account and my Paragon account, vs playing Cav difficulty and TB difficulty in EQ? If so, what is it?

    If you deserve more rewards for beating TB difficulty than Cav difficulty, you should probably deserve more rewards for beating DNA's Paragon tier BG opponent vs DNA's Cav tier BG opponent. But that's what's happening now, only Kabam keeps forgetting to send me checks. We the competitors are all, in a sense, creating the challenge content for Kabam when we act as opponents for other players. That's what we are all doing for each other. So why shouldn't players get some sort of advantage or reward boost for defeating the harder content we are all creating in BG?

    I'm not specifically advocating for higher rewards for higher progress players. But I do recognize the difficulty difference, and it is something I tried to respond to in my original suggestions. Not specifically by handing out more rewards, but in other structural ways.

    The demand for rewards is also two sided, because every BG match has a winner. When a Cav faces Cav or a TB faces TB (I'm using titles in place of roster strength, not making a direct comparison), those matches are of equal difficulty for both sides. Whoever wins gets the rewards. When a TB faces Cav how should the difficulty be rated? If the TB wins should they get awarded for the equivalent of winning the Cav difficulty and vice versa?

    EQ difficulties are measured in defender PI and node complexity, because the result is measured by an absolute metric. Either the defender is down or not. BG results are measured by a relative metric, you not only put up points, winning is determined by how many points you took off from your opponent. Within the BG scoring system, a Cav facing a Cav is of equivalent difficulty to a Paragon facing Paragon. A Cav facing a Paragon is a harder fight for the Cav (vs. facing a Cav) and a easier fight for the Paragon (vs. facing the Paragon) - realistically, the Cav should get more if they win that match up than a Paragon since the odds of the Cav winning is very low.

    A proposed solution:
    The victory token granted for BG wins and losses are too chunky, leading to the current dissatisfaction. Instead of the current system of 2/3/4/5 tokens to move up a tier, it would be better if it was changed to a 2000-5000 token system - I'm using arbitrary numbers, they just need to be large enough. In matches which are equivalent, Cav vs. Cav, TB vs. TB there are 1000 tokens up for grabs. The winner gets 1000 tokens, the loser loses 1000 (or 500 etc. as per your suggestion). When a Cav matches up against a Paragon (roster strength equivalent not title) the token division can be more skewed, if the Cav wins the token share is +1000/-1000, if the Paragon wins +500/-500 (can be graded finer across that curve).

    What this does is it allows for a random match making from the beginning, since the penalty of losing to stronger accounts (and the advantage from winning against easier ones) is attuned to reflect the nature of the challenge. A strong player with a strong account can progress quickly, since they will have a high win rate anyway. A really good player but with a weaker roster can progress fast by beating the stronger account, until they hit a ceiling. A strong account but average skills can progress at a good rate (higher title will place higher). The lower accounts can progress, probably at a slow rate but are not penalized extensively for the fact that most of the competition has a stronger account.

    Expanding the number of tokens then allows for fractionalization and managing progress as required. Higher you go you can accrue and lose tokens at a slower pace, necessitating more matches to be played to progress without pushing one back too much. This is a more flexible system which can be tweaked as the format evolves.
  • StatureStature Member Posts: 474 ★★★

    In Arena players with bigger rosters earn more points and more quickly than lower rosters.

    Incursions have different levels that aren't available to everyone.
    It was a specific comment saying solo modes offer differential rewards by progression titles. Every solo mode offers same rewards for same content irrespective of the progression titles.
  • StatureStature Member Posts: 474 ★★★
    edited March 2023
    EDIT: Repeat post
  • CoppinCoppin Member Posts: 2,601 ★★★★★
    Graves_3 said:

    Yes and no. AQ gives the same amount of glory in an alliance with people of mixed progression. But there is no uniform rewards for effort across alliances of all prestige. A 17.5k prestige alliance earns entirely different rewards compared to a 5.5k prestige alliance even if they both run the highest map with the highest mods on all 5 days of the cycle. This is a soft limit based on progression/account strength that’s built into the potential rewards that can be earned.
    As Graves said
    1- AQ is not solo and i asked for SOLO examples
    2- AQ is a collaboration of 30 people, where THEY pick their own difficulty, the reward and point system is based on Prestiege.
    3- If u want to use AQ as a comparisson.. sure then lets do it the same way BGs is doing it.. Throw everybody UC, Cav, TB, and Paragon into map 8... See how the lower players fair..
    Stature said:

    Arena? Incursions? Are the chips or gold one gets per round in Arena based on their title? The 5/6 star arenas are unlocked at UC.
    1- Very true arenas are open from UC, can UC buy TB arena crystals? No they can't.
    As Ironman said.. arena scoring is based on roster... How long do u think it would take for a UC to reach the milestones in the 6* featured arena?... It takes my roster 50 matches...

    2- Incursions are gated.. if u don't have the roster u can't do higher sectors and earn more artifacts.
  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★

    Yeah don't patronize me cuz. I know what youre saying, I just don't agree with you. I would bet most of those small accounts that are hitting the high gc and top of the rankings aren't first time players, rather they're folks with some experience. You're talking about a major cross section of the community and saying "don't count those, they don't matter."
    I'm not patronizing you. That's just not what I'm speaking to. There's a vast difference between a Player playing for the first time and someone with years of experience running an Alt.
  • Ironman3000Ironman3000 Member Posts: 2,019 ★★★★★

    I'm not patronizing you. That's just not what I'm speaking to. There's a vast difference between a Player playing for the first time and someone with years of experience running an Alt.
    How does someone get Uncollected before playing the game?
  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★
    DrZola said:

    Well, you’ve certainly made a lot of posts. I’m just coming back to the thread and trying to figure out where things stand.

    I would suggest that your posts over the whole course of the BG discussion that suggested size/progression based matchmaking should remain through most or all of the VT are likely what created the impression that you want smaller accounts to have it easier.

    Comments like these…

    “This idea that they're not supposed to get out of the VT without facing the top Paragons is not realistic”

    “my personal feelings are that the VT should all be moderated and the competition should start in the GC”

    “I believe the suggestion was for the first 3 Brackets. Up to Diamond 3. That's what I was responding to as a "free ride". Which, I don't see the complaint with either way, considering it's all-out in the GC. So anyone who isn't able enough won't go far.”

    “The GC is the actual race.”

    “I also indicated the first 5 Tiers of using some mechanic that is similar to what we've seen was suggested, and I could get behind”

    “I think there has to be something keeping things fair to a certain point, yes. What that point is, is still up for debate. Someone suggested the first 5 Tiers. I'd say at least half myself, but that's just me.”

    These comments are what give others the impression you want an easier path for smaller accounts. That may be a defensible position, and I wouldn’t disown it if that’s what you believe in. But I don’t think it’s fair to wonder why people think you want an easier path for smaller accounts.

    Dr. Zola
    If you can't figure out my stance based on all those comments, then I don't know what to tell you. If you can't distinguish personal opinion from what I'm suggesting, that's unfortunate.
    I want something keeping Players from being taken advantage of in the beginning of the VT.
    My personal opinion is I could care less if it was all through the VT because that's where the actual Ranking starts and if you can't win a "fair" Match, you don't deserve those Rank Rewards.
    One is something I feel is best. The other is just my own feelings. Not hard.
  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★
    edited March 2023
    DrZola said:

    No need to attack. This was actually meant to be a clarifying and friendly post. I’m trying to demonstrate why others think your positions favor making things easier for small accounts. Those quotes are a fair selection of your comments that support that proposition.

    As an aside, I would also suggest blaming other players or calling them bitter or entitled are not good ways to make your case.

    Three things I take away from the excerpts above and your reply to me:
    1. You want protection for smaller accounts that may extend all the way into the GC.
    2. You consider “actual rankings” to begin at the GC level.
    3. You think the primary reason larger account players struggle is a capability deficit that prevents them from winning “fair” matches.

    All defensible positions, if that’s what you think. But if you’re perplexed that people think what they do about your views, I don’t believe it’s hard to figure out why.

    Dr. Zola
    You're adding on to my views, which is why I'm being somewhat curt.
    I want protection for Players who are starting out, rather than being thrown into BGs with the highest Players taking advantage of their easy Loss and keeping them from actually getting into the game mode. What I agree with is that has an adverse effect which is why I never actually suggested "Prestige Matches" for the entirety of the VT.
    I consider Rank Rewards to begin at GC.
    I say, and have said, that people need to take a look at their own Losses, and not just point the finger at other Players making it. Still rings true.
    If you can't make it to the GC by winning relatively equal Matches and you need to rely on Matches of Players much lower than what you're using, then you don't deserve it. Personal opinion.
    Perhaps if you weren't taking excerpts from my conversations without context and adding conjecture, I'd be somewhat less sarcastic.
  • PikoluPikolu Member, Guardian Posts: 8,466 Guardian
    DrZola said:

    No need to attack. This was actually meant to be a clarifying and friendly post. I’m trying to demonstrate why others think your positions favor making things easier for small accounts. Those quotes are a fair selection of your comments that support that proposition.

    As an aside, I would also suggest blaming other players or calling them bitter or entitled are not good ways to make your case.

    Three things I take away from the excerpts above and your reply to me:
    1. You want protection for smaller accounts that may extend all the way into the GC.
    2. You consider “actual rankings” to begin at the GC level.
    3. You think the primary reason larger account players struggle is a capability deficit that prevents them from winning “fair” matches.

    All defensible positions, if that’s what you think. But if you’re perplexed that people think what they do about your views, I don’t believe it’s hard to figure out why.

    Dr. Zola
    I find it interesting how he doesn't want small accounts being destroyed out of the gate but he is also against a staggered start which would prevent smaller accounts from being destroyed at the start.
  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★
    Pikolu said:

    I find it interesting how he doesn't want small accounts being destroyed out of the gate but he is also against a staggered start which would prevent smaller accounts from being destroyed at the start.
    I've already elaborated on that. You have a competition. One that measures progress from square one, up the ladder. Point A to Point B. Doing that means the results are biased and skewed.
  • StatureStature Member Posts: 474 ★★★
    Coppin said:

    Arena? Incursions? Are the chips or gold one gets per round in Arena based on their title? The 5/6 star arenas are unlocked at UC.

    1- Very true arenas are open from UC, can UC buy TB arena crystals? No they can't.
    As Ironman said.. arena scoring is based on roster... How long do u think it would take for a UC to reach the milestones in the 6* featured arena?... It takes my roster 50 matches...

    2- Incursions are gated.. if u don't have the roster u can't do higher sectors and earn more artifacts.

    We are not arguing rosters right? You said no solo mode offers same amount of currency to players of different progression levels. The limited point is every mode offers same amount of currency to all players who play that mode at a given difficulty. If the UC has enough 6 stars, it takes them the same number of matches it takes you too, that's a moot point.

    I'm still not sure of the source of your dissatisfaction in BG. You are upset with Cav/UC players who are not strong enough, because you think they are getting easy progress (by beating teams you would beat easily). I don't always agree with this but completely understand the view. I think this is a fair complaint.

    But you are also upset with Cavs who have a strong rosters (because you think they are lazy or some other character flaw) - I don't get this. These Cavs are not progressing by beating easier opponents. If they have TB rosters, they are being matched against TB rosters and progressing by winning those matches. They are also losing to TBs/Paragons, they are playing the same competition as TB/Paragons. Matching isn't happening by title.

    You just seem to be upset that UC/Cav players are even allowed to be in the same competition. Why? UC/Cav is just a title based on where the player is in the story mode. It is not a measure of roster strength, player skill or even knowledge of the game. If they are good enough to win in the mode, they should get the rewards. And if they are good enough to win in an completely open mode, then they should get the same rewards as anyone else doing so.
  • CoppinCoppin Member Posts: 2,601 ★★★★★

    I've already elaborated on that. You have a competition. One that measures progress from square one, up the ladder. Point A to Point B. Doing that means the results are biased and skewed.
    Oh so now you have a competition...
    Competing for top spots means dog eat dog...
    Its either a competition or its just content to get by and collect rewards....
  • DrZolaDrZola Member Posts: 9,611 ★★★★★
    Pikolu said:

    I find it interesting how he doesn't want small accounts being destroyed out of the gate but he is also against a staggered start which would prevent smaller accounts from being destroyed at the start.
    Like I said, I’ve been away from the thread and figured I would revisit. I’m just trying to get a handle on actual positions people have and actual solutions people have suggested.

    Your comment illustrates the tension between a general view and a more detailed one focused on digging down into actual mechanics and how things might work. @DNA3000 (I believe) wanted this thread to focus on actual implementable ideas, rather than just conceptual objections. I agree that staggered starts are one type of actual mechanic to consider (and one used in multiple real world contexts like marathons).

    In service of trying to get it back on track, I think it’s helpful to restore some collegiality and get folks on the record for specifics they support. That’s all I’m trying to do.

    Dr. Zola
  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★
    Coppin said:

    Oh so now you have a competition...
    Competing for top spots means dog eat dog...
    Its either a competition or its just content to get by and collect rewards....
    For top spots? In Bronze to Gold of the VT? K buds.
  • GroundedWisdomGroundedWisdom Member Posts: 37,242 ★★★★★
    Coppin said:

    Bronze, Gold and all the precious metals out there..
    Can i get to GC without going thru all those?....
    Your position is clear.. u want the lower progression to have it "easy" or "fair" up to plat or diamond...
    Do you understand that some Paragons couldn't even get out of silver or gold?... Are u implying its lack of skill?...
    Evidently it's a lack of something or they would be making more progress. That has nothing to do with anyone else and their Matches. The system is pretty clear. You win, you move up.
  • CoppinCoppin Member Posts: 2,601 ★★★★★
    DrZola said:

    Like I said, I’ve been away from the thread and figured I would revisit. I’m just trying to get a handle on actual positions people have and actual solutions people have suggested.

    Your comment illustrates the tension between a general view and a more detailed one focused on digging down into actual mechanics and how things might work. @DNA3000 (I believe) wanted this thread to focus on actual implementable ideas, rather than just conceptual objections. I agree that staggered starts are one type of actual mechanic to consider (and one used in multiple real world contexts like marathons).

    In service of trying to get it back on track, I think it’s helpful to restore some collegiality and get folks on the record for specifics they support. That’s all I’m trying to do.

    Dr. Zola
    It just impossible.. there is absolute no way to have a fair competing ground when you are putting 4 different progression levels competing...
    Its like putting peewee, high school varsity, minor league and major league in the same competition...
    Its just not possible ..
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