Battlegrounds Matchmaking Official Changes

Link to the official announcement right here: https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/370221/battlegrounds-season-19-updates-to-victory-track-matchmaking:

Didn’t see a post on this yet so wanted to make one to gauge community feedback. TLDR all of victory track will now be a free for all, bronze 3 through plat 3 will no longer have prestige based matchmaking, and will instead be like the rest of vt. Thoughts on this?

I think it’ll be overall beneficial in a few months when the change has time to sort itself out, but for the moment I can’t help but feel at least a little bad for lower accounts. Especially with the seeding bug pushing so many large accounts into gold where they never should’ve been. I feel like this season having the magnetron crystals really doesn’t help either. I think they should’ve started the implementation next season when stakes aren’t as high.

But anyway, what does the community think?

Edit: ok by the time I had finished typing this out someone else made a post about it my bad lmao.

Comments

DiscoNnectKing

No worries bro. your thread is better anyways😅

Nemesis_17

No worries bro. your thread is better anyways😅

Lol it’s alright yours has more attention so let’s just merge this one over there.

Link to disconnect’s post: https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/370227/lets-talk-new-bg-matchmaking-system

Emilia90

With the new medal system and seeding (when it actually works) higher tier players should place higher anyways and lower tier players can still probably get through a few tiers

unknown

This content has been removed.

Nemesis_17

With the new medal system and seeding (when it actually works) higher tier players should place higher anyways and lower tier players can still probably get through a few tiers

Yea like I said I think it’ll be beneficial in a few months time. My only concern is there will be so many paragon+ players that even in bronze the lower tier accounts will have nowhere to progress. Hopefully not tho, we will see how it ages.

xNig

Think of it the other way, the lower accounts have had inflated rewards for the past many seasons, so don’t really need to feel sorry for them.

Nemesis_17

Think of it the other way, the lower accounts have had inflated rewards for the past many seasons, so don’t really need to feel sorry for them.

Fair enough, I just don’t want bgs to be viewed as an elitist and anti-casual game mode. I don’t think it is, and I doubt this change will make it one, just voicing my slight concern I guess.

DiscoNnectKing

Think of it the other way, the lower accounts have had inflated rewards for the past many seasons, so don’t really need to feel sorry for them.

Personally i don't think the rewards from silver or whatevet up to plat 2 are that crazy for a lower tier player. They can have that in my opinion. I just feel a little bad they have a difficult time if they like this gamemode. I think a fun gamemode inside a game for everyone be enjoyable for everyone up untill a certain point

MrSakuragi

So what are the matchmaking criteria? Does the matchmaker search for players in your tier only, or is there more to it?

Nemesis_17

So what are the matchmaking criteria? Does the matchmaker search for players in your tier only, or is there more to it?

I assume it’s just that. If there’s more to it then we haven’t been shared that information.

SummonerNR

After just seeing the TITLE of “Season 19 Updates”, I thought for sure they were gonna say they JUST MADE some additional changes.

Which might have been the reason why Matchmaking has been taking TOO LONG just starting today (see many earlier posts today, prior to the new announcement).

But nope, just confirming what everyone has been seeing this whole season so far.

**So, why has there been extremely long matching process today ??

Priyabrata

I'm valiant so I can hit plat/diamond consistently thus this doesn't really affect me in any way
BUT I think the previous format for rating based match making till platinum was better.

If they didn't want the lower tier account to have more rewards they could have moved it down gold instead of completely removing it.

A complete free for all night be a little too much for the lower tier players yk, might decrease BGs engagement.

dxxnyxl

So what are the matchmaking criteria? Does the matchmaker search for players in your tier only, or is there more to it?
I assume it’s just that. If there’s more to it then we haven’t been shared that information.

I think its within +- 1 of your tier also

SummonerNR

Of which, I don’t really agree with the statement..
“causing less powerful accounts to ultimately climb faster and with less difficulty”
and
“punishing Summoners with better rosters”.

In old system (prior to Platinum), if everyone was facing opponents of similar strength, everyone would advance at the SAME RATE. (with skill factoring into it, with better people doing better against lesser skilled people, with a similar roster strength)

Lower account players DID NOT have less difficulty, they still had to beat someone of similar roster to themselves. They could NOT climb FASTER, they still would have to beat someone of similar roster. They weren’t given a pass (as in lower teams always matched again EVEN LOWER teams, while stronger teams always got matched against EVEN STRONGER teams so could not advance)

(1) It's fair to say that lower teams should not be able to advance AS FAR as higher teams, but the SPEED of reaching Platinum was never skewed towards weaker teams.
And since higher teams probably had been starting out higher, because they finished higher the prior season, they were the ones that could reach higher levels faster, because lower teams would have to re-go through more of those lower levels each season.

(2) But the part that is definitely true however was the “all of a sudden” and without warning, hitting the wall at Platinum for these lower teams.
That could have been acknowledged with adding some sort of IN-GAME Estimate of player's ultimate ceiling. If they choose to continue past that, they would know it may be a long process, without that much more rewards.

Nemesis_17

So what are the matchmaking criteria? Does the matchmaker search for players in your tier only, or is there more to it?
I assume it’s just that. If there’s more to it then we haven’t been shared that information.
I think its within +- 1 of your tier also

It’s not necessarily specifically within 1 tier of where you’re at, I’ve seen examples of it being much more when there’s not enough people to match with. I think the matchmaker looks for someone in your tier but if it can’t find anyone will go to the next closest tiers to find a match.

I was more so saying I don’t think there’s any other criteria that takes first priority like matching specifically in the same tier. Or at least if there is it’s not public knowledge.

mgj0630

I obvious don't know what Kabam's intent is behind this change, but I suspect it's revenue related. Let me elaborate...

Prior to BGs, many of us, myself included, got our big rewards from pushing end game content. "End game" is obviously a moving target, as right now that's act 8, but when I started playing, it was Act 4, likely being tackled with 4* champs. When I tackled Act 6 (prior to any nerfs) it was with 5* and low rank 6* champs. Suffice to say, these ate a lot of revives, and subsequently, units. If I wanted to push fast, real dollars had to be spent on units to buy those revives.

Fast forward to today, players aren't doing story content as a challenge, cause they can get 6 and 7* champs, and material to rank them up by playing BGs. You can do this without spending any units (no real currency).

So now when they finally decide to push through story content, it's a breeze cause they're doing it with a 6*R5 ascended Hercules. No money spent.

So at the end of the day, I suspect the reasoning behind this change is in fact to push lower progression players to revert back to doing story content for their big rewards.

Frankly, I'm not mad at Kabam if that's their logic. The game exists to make money, and as someone who loves this game, I want them to keep making that money so they can keep the game running.

So for you players at low progressions complaining about running into Valiants...remember, the mode wasn't designed to be a source of rank up materials for progression. It was designed to be the an extremely competitive form of PvP content.

So do the bare minimum every couple days in BGs, but then, redirect the time you spend complaining about the mode on the forums into time spent on story content.

Get champs, rank up champs, progress, then advance further in BGs. Rinse, wash, repeat each season.

BeastDad

This change makes sense. (Earns more money too)

The only thing that really should have happened is the vision piece being moved to diamond for this cycle.

GroundedWisdom

I think it's time. I was a huge advocate of some kind of balancing mechanism in the beginning, but progress is quicker with the new Medal system. Things will balance out eventually. The main concerns I've had with earlier Players is only a bandaid solution in the long run. Plus, the system is different now so I'm on board.

YodaKaj

Whale wars

BringPopcorn

I think it's time. I was a huge advocate of some kind of balancing mechanism in the beginning, but progress is quicker with the new Medal system. Things will balance out eventually. The main concerns I've had with earlier Players is only a bandaid solution in the long run. Plus, the system is different now so I'm on board.

This is like the worse change for lower players.
I thought you advocated for them...

captain_rogers

Study show that after the change in matchmaking was implemented, Forums "unfair bg" posts have seen a 200% hike. Experts associate this with the growing unrest among cavailer and Thronebreaker players because apparently they want equal rewards without equal fight

GroundedWisdom

I think it's time. I was a huge advocate of some kind of balancing mechanism in the beginning, but progress is quicker with the new Medal system. Things will balance out eventually. The main concerns I've had with earlier Players is only a bandaid solution in the long run. Plus, the system is different now so I'm on board.
This is like the worse change for lower players.
I thought you advocated for them...

I do, but the system is different now. It will be unstable for the next little while, but it will balance out in time. The end goal will be more appropriate Matches. With the Medal system as it is now, there's no way Players can't advance, even doing the bare minimum. Seeding is up in the air, but overall I'm on board for the majority of changes.

BringPopcorn

I think it's time. I was a huge advocate of some kind of balancing mechanism in the beginning, but progress is quicker with the new Medal system. Things will balance out eventually. The main concerns I've had with earlier Players is only a bandaid solution in the long run. Plus, the system is different now so I'm on board.
This is like the worse change for lower players.
I thought you advocated for them...
I do, but the system is different now. It will be unstable for the next little while, but it will balance out in time. The end goal will be more appropriate Matches. With the Medal system as it is now, there's no way Players can't advance, even doing the bare minimum. Seeding is up in the air, but overall I'm on board for the majority of changes.

No it won't, this new system only works on the assumption that every Valiant and Paragon will play to get to GC and start in Diamond on the next season... The people that don't care will always be lurking the lower tiers.
Its hilarious that you think the systwm is good now that there is a 2-1 system even with a free for all matchmaking.

PantherusNZ

This season would've been substantially better if the seeding had not screwed up. All working right, most Valiants and higher Paragons, by virtune of reaching GC or even the higher Vibranium tiers, shouldn't have anything to do with Gold tier and below anymore, unless they completely skip a season (and why would you, apparently it's the only content of any value now...)

BringPopcorn

Sorry mixed response..
Its not the way it works, some people don't care and just farm trophies... Those will lurk and make lower accounts a living hell lol...

BeastDad

I think it's time. I was a huge advocate of some kind of balancing mechanism in the beginning, but progress is quicker with the new Medal system. Things will balance out eventually. The main concerns I've had with earlier Players is only a bandaid solution in the long run. Plus, the system is different now so I'm on board.
This is like the worse change for lower players.
I thought you advocated for them...
I do, but the system is different now. It will be unstable for the next little while, but it will balance out in time. The end goal will be more appropriate Matches. With the Medal system as it is now, there's no way Players can't advance, even doing the bare minimum. Seeding is up in the air, but overall I'm on board for the majority of changes.
No it won't, this new system only works on the assumption that every Valiant and Paragon will play to get to GC and start in Diamond on the next season... The people that don't care will always be lurking the lower tiers.
Its hilarious that you think the systwm is good now that there is a 2-1 system even with a free for all matchmaking.

This is true sadly. Every other season the rewards suffer and people like me do not bother with GC. Lower tier accounts will always face stacked rosters.

PantherusNZ

Sorry mixed response..
Its not the way it works, some people don't care and just farm trophies... Those will lurk and make lower accounts a living hell lol...

So a strong team farms trophies by staying in the same tier, winning a match, then losing 1 or 2, rinse and repeat...so at least 50% of the time, if not 66%, they are deliberately losing, meaning that they're not actually a challenge and anyone facing them should be able to win...yes?

Now if someone matches up with them and decides they're too strong and they shouldn't bother...maybe not and they should give it a go - if it's as prevalent as you seem to think, they've got a good chance of any strong team they come up against is going to throw the match and give them the win.

How does that disprove the value of this new system?

Pandingo

Ya. So smaller accounts just have to burn energy throwing matches? Seems....messed up. They may want to inact like. A forfeit option when matched against an account with over double your pi that allows you to save the resources and not gain any 'farming' ngl it feels bad when my baby one r3 Six star account gets paired with a nearly complete 7* deck. Waste of time and energy.

BringPopcorn

Sorry mixed response..
Its not the way it works, some people don't care and just farm trophies... Those will lurk and make lower accounts a living hell lol...
So a strong team farms trophies by staying in the same tier, winning a match, then losing 1 or 2, rinse and repeat...so at least 50% of the time, if not 66%, they are deliberately losing, meaning that they're not actually a challenge and anyone facing them should be able to win...yes?

Now if someone matches up with them and decides they're too strong and they shouldn't bother...maybe not and they should give it a go - if it's as prevalent as you seem to think, they've got a good chance of any strong team they come up against is going to throw the match and give them the win.

How does that disprove the value of this new system?

Hey I don't really care I push for GC every season.
I got a friend with an account bigger than mine that only plays for objectives...he always ended up starting in silver or gold...The matchmaking being free for all might push him further getting small account match ups or match him with a similar account...
And he doesn't lose on purpose... He just doesnt try hard and only does objectives. Its not a dishonest way of playing, just a lack of interest.

Nemesis_17

This season would've been substantially better if the seeding had not screwed up. All working right, most Valiants and higher Paragons, by virtune of reaching GC or even the higher Vibranium tiers, shouldn't have anything to do with Gold tier and below anymore, unless they completely skip a season (and why would you, apparently it's the only content of any value now...)

Yea 100%, the bug made things a lot worse than it needed to be. I cant blame kabam for making this change during a bugged season, as they didn’t know that was gonna happen. But I can blame them for making this change when magnetron crystals were gonna be a chase item for the season.

Normally when matchmaking is bad especially for lower level players, they can just wait it out until there aren’t so many big accounts in their tier. But what does the magnetron crystal force you to do? Win every 2 days. Thankfully it’s only one win, but when you add in the seeding bug one win might not be doable for some. Even without the seeding bug I don’t know how Kabam didn’t foresee this as an issue, especially when they said this change would take a few months to fix itself and that there would be “growing pains.” So they chose the season where you have to win a match every 2 days to be the one where the growing pains are the worst? Bruh💀