**WINTER OF WOE - BONUS OBJECTIVE POINT**
As previously announced, the team will be distributing an additional point toward milestones to anyone who completed the Absorbing Man fight in the first step of the Winter of Woe.
This point will be distributed at a later time as it requires the team to pull and analyze data.
The timeline has not been set, but work has started.
There is currently an issue where some Alliances are are unable to find a match in Alliance Wars, or are receiving Byes without getting the benefits of the Win. We will be adjusting the Season Points of the Alliances that are affected within the coming weeks, and will be working to compensate them for their missed Per War rewards as well.

Additionally, we are working to address an issue where new Members of an Alliance are unable to place Defenders for the next War after joining. We are working to address this, but it will require a future update.

Matchmaking system error

x0917fb3r2db.jpg

The new matchmaking system seems to be bugged. Instead of assigning matches and then having placement start at 3 pm PST so offense can start and end at 11 am PST, our 20-hour placement started as soon as our match was assigned, about 45 minutes into the four-hour period. Because of this, it looks our offense begins, and more importantly ends, at roughly 7:45 am PST, before our west coast members may have even woken up. I understand the need for the new matchmaking system and why there is no wiggle room on when war starts, and we were prepared for the 11 am time, but this is patently ridiculous. For some of us, the small bit of time in between when we get home from work and when we go to bed that night will be our only window to clear a path that requires 9 or 10 energy. So, in short, please fix this. (And while I realize someone somewhere is going to end up with a dumb time like this, at least their original time put that zone somewhere on the middle of the ocean as opposed to in the middle of their largest market.)
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Comments

  • This happened to us too. If attack starts after those 20 hours that's going to be a ridiculous start time...
  • MaatManMaatMan Posts: 958 ★★★
    https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/120068/new-alliance-wars-matchmaking-system-season-8-details#latest

    Post your issue in this main disxussion thread @Daddylonglegs93 . Will help keep everything together to show kabam all the reasons thennew system is flawed
  • TrackerX55TrackerX55 Posts: 45
    Also, we had people join the alliance during enlistment, now that it's over and we're in placement phase, they aren't being allowed to place, which is contradictory to Kabam Mike's statement in the announcement post...
  • Helicopter_dugdugdugHelicopter_dugdugdug Posts: 555 ★★★
    Kabam Lyra wrote: »
    Hey Summoners,

    This is how the matchmaking system is meant to function, but we're sorry that our announcement post did not have enough detail. How the matchmaking system works is that everyone enters the matchmaking phase at the same time, but throughout the matchmaking period, once your Alliance has found a match, the Defense phase of the war will begin and the Attack phase will begin 20 hours later.

    This somewhat staggered approach is necessary because of the server strain that would be caused if all wars began at exactly the same time.

    We appreciate the feedback and will be monitoring Alliance activity in the case that adjustments need to be made in the future.

    It was quite clear in the announcement. These people were just hoping for a later start
  • ^ this. If we have zero control over start time (and therefore end time), we will have several people whose work schedules prevent them from playing the last several hours of war.
  • Helicopter_dugdugdugHelicopter_dugdugdug Posts: 555 ★★★
    Kabam Lyra wrote: »
    Hey Summoners,

    This is how the matchmaking system is meant to function, but we're sorry that our announcement post did not have enough detail. How the matchmaking system works is that everyone enters the matchmaking phase at the same time, but throughout the matchmaking period, once your Alliance has found a match, the Defense phase of the war will begin and the Attack phase will begin 20 hours later.

    This somewhat staggered approach is necessary because of the server strain that would be caused if all wars began at exactly the same time.

    We appreciate the feedback and will be monitoring Alliance activity in the case that adjustments need to be made in the future.

    It was quite clear in the announcement. These people were just hoping for a later start

    I didn’t understand the statement correctly . I now agree that it is a terrible system . 😬
  • ArcDeAngelusArcDeAngelus Posts: 209
    You have 24 hours to complete war and it can be done in under 12 without pushing. I don't see how a different start time is a problem.
  • It was quite clear in the announcement. These people were just hoping for a later start
    Actually, it was quite clear that the matchmaking phase would be from 5-9 PST (2-6 EST) and then placement would indeed last 20 hours after that. There was no mention that the matchmaking phase could potentially end much sooner than the 4 hour timeframe.

    Although this might alleviate some concerns about replacing members in the middle of a week (which did not seem possible when they ran so tightly back 2 back), even in those discussions there was never any mention about possibly having a couple spare hours in between one war and the next.
  • You have 24 hours to complete war and it can be done in under 12 without pushing. I don't see how a different start time is a problem.

    It's a problem because wars above a certain level require coordination to clear the middle lanes especially as people prefer to use their large boosts only once and do multiple fights under them (as is obviously intended by their hour duration). On top of that, many MCoC players have 9-5 jobs or something similar. The old system, even if you got a match immediately at 2pm EST, worked fairly well as it let most Americans work in a fight or two at lunch, let Europeans be home from work, and let players in Asia play late at night for those late, final fights. It's not a matter of "do you have enough energy to finish your line." It's a matter of getting multiple people to coordinate so you can tackle the hardest nodes in a smart way. In t1, not boosting leads to deaths and losses. Conversely, boosting more than once per war is not only expensive, it's unsustainable for the vast majority of us and leads to us running our of boosts, and therefore dying and losing later. Start time matters. This new system hits most of America, on average, before lunchtime and has Europeans and Asians at work more often. People find gaps to play, yeah, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that on average this is worse for the majority of players, at least those playing at a high enough level to use boosts.
  • You have 24 hours to complete war and it can be done in under 12 without pushing. I don't see how a different start time is a problem.

    Apparently your work schedule and commute is different than mine. Congratulations on having a lifestyle that doesn't negatively impact your ability to enjoy the game with this change in start time. Please don't try and diminish my concern just because you don't share it.
  • Kabam Lyra wrote: »
    Hey Summoners,

    This is how the matchmaking system is meant to function, but we're sorry that our announcement post did not have enough detail. How the matchmaking system works is that everyone enters the matchmaking phase at the same time, but throughout the matchmaking period, once your Alliance has found a match, the Defense phase of the war will begin and the Attack phase will begin 20 hours later.

    This somewhat staggered approach is necessary because of the server strain that would be caused if all wars began at exactly the same time.

    We appreciate the feedback and will be monitoring Alliance activity in the case that adjustments need to be made in the future.

    I went and re-read the announcement, and see what you mean, but I hope you can understand how so many of us found this graphic, which clearly labels the start time of offense, misleading or confusing.

    xhc2nnbacd8v.jpg

    Furthermore, did it not occur to Kabam in designing this system that you would be moving the start time of wars forward (earlier) in the day by an average of at least four hours?? The earliest offense could begin in the old system (and therefore, critically, end) was 2 pm EST. This is now the latest possible start time for war. For any alliance that looked for matches at more like 4 or 5 EST (which was peak matchmaking time, if I understand correctly), their offensive phases will be moved up by an average of four or five hours, more if it's a serious war alliance, since this system matches top alliances first. We always matched on the earlier side, but this is still a good five-hour shift away from our normal. And you're saying this is the way it will always be? People may have to quit over this.

    Again, I fully understand the need for a new, updated system of matchmaking, but please, would the development team please consider moving the whole system back four hours, such that matchmaking begins at 3pm PST? This way offensive phases will start and end in between 2 and 6 EST, as most of them did under the old system. Alliances are built around this schedule and I see no downside for Kabam in this change, which is really less of a change. Please take this feedback seriously. I have a lot of friends in master alliances who are thinking the same thing.

    @Kabam Lyra
  • Fabi1989Fabi1989 Posts: 112
    Change the Defense phase from 20h to 24h
  • SummonerNR wrote: »
    Although this might alleviate some concerns about replacing members in the middle of a week (which did not seem possible when they ran so tightly back 2 back), even in those discussions there was never any mention about possibly having a couple spare hours in between one war and the next.

    Actually, at the moment, new members who join during enlistment cannot place defense for the war that hasn't even been matched yet, so there's no room at all. But that, I'm sure, has to be a bug.
  • MaatManMaatMan Posts: 958 ★★★
    Post in the main discussion thread guys. Keep everything together makes a larger voice for all and easier for everyone to see all the opinions
  • Fabi1989 wrote: »
    Change the Defense phase from 20h to 24h

    Unfortunately this doesn't work either. Imagine on Wednesday you get assigned a match at 3:30 EST and then on Friday you get assigned a match at 2:30 EST. That's how the system is supposed to work, such that everyone can be matched with everyone, and yet if both phases were 24 hours long, offense would last a full hour into defense in this example, which I imagine would be difficult for the game to handle as currently built. I get why they did the 20-hour/24-hour thing. It's a good system. It just starts ludicrously early.
  • Fabi1989Fabi1989 Posts: 112
    Oh yeah you are right.
    Than kabam need to make all 4h later
  • TKalTKal Posts: 534 ★★
    Once again they mispread informations...
  • ArcDeAngelusArcDeAngelus Posts: 209
    @Daddylonglegs93 @StolenNameGuyMaybe Maybe I'm just in a better run Alliance then, we're in t2 and my BG finishes well before 12 hours is up nearly every war. Might need to organise paths better or get a group who are more on your timezone if this affects you negatively.
  • @Daddylonglegs93 @StolenNameGuyMaybe Maybe I'm just in a better run Alliance then, we're in t2 and my BG finishes well before 12 hours is up nearly every war. Might need to organise paths better or get a group who are more on your timezone if this affects you negatively.

    Its mathematically possible to do it in seven. I'm fine with reducing the attack phase for tier 2 alliances to seven hours, so that I can learn how to be a better path organizer through observation. This would certainly be more practical, as well as more entertaining, than disbanding the alliance to accommodate the new match system.
  • Markjv81Markjv81 Posts: 1,003 ★★★★
    Our war now starts 6-7hours earlier than normal, attack phase now starts at 12:15am for me and 3:15am for everyone else in my BG. IT shouldn’t really make a huge difference though, just means everyone will start with 5 energy instead of 3 and we always finish the map before everyone goes to sleep anyway, assuming people are awake for ~15 hours that gives everyone 15 energy to play with, more than enough to cover the map.
  • UrrymonsterUrrymonster Posts: 69
    You still have 24hrs to attack, just means you will finish earlier or later than you used to. In that 24hrs the same coordinated windows exist that you run already for your alliance play times. To top that off... everyone is in the same boat.
  • ArcDeAngelusArcDeAngelus Posts: 209
    DNA3000 wrote: »
    @Daddylonglegs93 @StolenNameGuyMaybe Maybe I'm just in a better run Alliance then, we're in t2 and my BG finishes well before 12 hours is up nearly every war. Might need to organise paths better or get a group who are more on your timezone if this affects you negatively.

    Its mathematically possible to do it in seven. I'm fine with reducing the attack phase for tier 2 alliances to seven hours, so that I can learn how to be a better path organizer through observation. This would certainly be more practical, as well as more entertaining, than disbanding the alliance to accommodate the new match system.

    It might be selfish but I wouldn't be against that. The better run alliances would still get more of the map done so still get the W on the regular, everyone would get done over by start times sooner or later so you're starting on the same step anyway and get to save pots during those wars you know you can't win. It would direct nearly everyone towards AQ. Plus Kabam actually gets their partial wish of not everybody finishes the map, but without the bonus of us spending more on items.
  • @Daddylonglegs93 @StolenNameGuyMaybe Maybe I'm just in a better run Alliance then, we're in t2 and my BG finishes well before 12 hours is up nearly every war. Might need to organise paths better or get a group who are more on your timezone if this affects you negatively.

    Outstanding arrogance. Congratulations on your 'better run alliance' to go along with your lifestyle and real world obligations that aren't disadvantaged by this change. We're an international group of long-time friends and alliance mates who happened to find a start time that worked for our schedules that is no longer an option. I still don't see why you think it's appropriate to diminish my concern just because you don't share it.
  • ArcDeAngelusArcDeAngelus Posts: 209
    @Daddylonglegs93 @StolenNameGuyMaybe Maybe I'm just in a better run Alliance then, we're in t2 and my BG finishes well before 12 hours is up nearly every war. Might need to organise paths better or get a group who are more on your timezone if this affects you negatively.

    Outstanding arrogance. Congratulations on your 'better run alliance' to go along with your lifestyle and real world obligations that aren't disadvantaged by this change. We're an international group of long-time friends and alliance mates who happened to find a start time that worked for our schedules that is no longer an option. I still don't see why you think it's appropriate to diminish my concern just because you don't share it.

    Also part on an International alliance who have been mostly together for well over a year, but one that seems to be aware the change happens and you must adapt or get left behind while complaining the world isn't fair. Forums are about opinions, so that's why I think it's appropriate to diminish your concerns, that and this hasn't even had a single run yet, so to me it comes across that you're simply jumping the gun just like all those posts about whichever UC boss is too hard on day 1.
  • Vale84Vale84 Posts: 308 ★★★
    You have 24 hours to complete war and it can be done in under 12 without pushing. I don't see how a different start time is a problem.

    It's a problem because wars above a certain level require coordination to clear the middle lanes especially as people prefer to use their large boosts only once and do multiple fights under them (as is obviously intended by their hour duration). On top of that, many MCoC players have 9-5 jobs or something similar. The old system, even if you got a match immediately at 2pm EST, worked fairly well as it let most Americans work in a fight or two at lunch, let Europeans be home from work, and let players in Asia play late at night for those late, final fights. It's not a matter of "do you have enough energy to finish your line." It's a matter of getting multiple people to coordinate so you can tackle the hardest nodes in a smart way. In t1, not boosting leads to deaths and losses. Conversely, boosting more than once per war is not only expensive, it's unsustainable for the vast majority of us and leads to us running our of boosts, and therefore dying and losing later. Start time matters. This new system hits most of America, on average, before lunchtime and has Europeans and Asians at work more often. People find gaps to play, yeah, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that on average this is worse for the majority of players, at least those playing at a high enough level to use boosts.

    European allies and players had to cope with this since day one. Aq starting 9pm and half of its time beinf burned through night/sleep/work, if not more than that. Aw starting IF lucky around 10-11pm

    I am pretty sure people will adapt as we did for years.
  • KnightZeroKnightZero Posts: 1,409 ★★★★★
    Vale84 wrote: »
    You have 24 hours to complete war and it can be done in under 12 without pushing. I don't see how a different start time is a problem.

    It's a problem because wars above a certain level require coordination to clear the middle lanes especially as people prefer to use their large boosts only once and do multiple fights under them (as is obviously intended by their hour duration). On top of that, many MCoC players have 9-5 jobs or something similar. The old system, even if you got a match immediately at 2pm EST, worked fairly well as it let most Americans work in a fight or two at lunch, let Europeans be home from work, and let players in Asia play late at night for those late, final fights. It's not a matter of "do you have enough energy to finish your line." It's a matter of getting multiple people to coordinate so you can tackle the hardest nodes in a smart way. In t1, not boosting leads to deaths and losses. Conversely, boosting more than once per war is not only expensive, it's unsustainable for the vast majority of us and leads to us running our of boosts, and therefore dying and losing later. Start time matters. This new system hits most of America, on average, before lunchtime and has Europeans and Asians at work more often. People find gaps to play, yeah, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that on average this is worse for the majority of players, at least those playing at a high enough level to use boosts.

    European allies and players had to cope with this since day one. Aq starting 9pm and half of its time beinf burned through night/sleep/work, if not more than that. Aw starting IF lucky around 10-11pm

    I am pretty sure people will adapt as we did for years.

    I think for most people, a lot of time gets burnt during night/sleep/work. Everyone across the world has to sleep, faces AQ during nighttime and work.
    The problem with this system is that not only is it a totally random start every time, it isn't what Kabam told it would be. They even made a chart to show how wars would work and this is something entirely different.
    @Daddylonglegs93 @StolenNameGuyMaybe Maybe I'm just in a better run Alliance then, we're in t2 and my BG finishes well before 12 hours is up nearly every war. Might need to organise paths better or get a group who are more on your timezone if this affects you negatively.
    If you can do that, well good for you guys. Doubt every alliance is able to do that. And switching members around BG's doesn't always work due to rosters. The same with switching paths. Abandoning members or an alliance due to such a reason is something stupid. Wouldn't want to ditch someone you're playing with for years because Kabam can't explain stuff properly and want to mess with everything.
  • Vale84 wrote: »

    European allies and players had to cope with this since day one. Aq starting 9pm and half of its time beinf burned through night/sleep/work, if not more than that. Aw starting IF lucky around 10-11pm

    I am pretty sure people will adapt as we did for years.

    Do you boost for AQ? If not, it's not really the same thing. We'll see how this goes, but I still think at best it's poorly implemented.
  • Vale84 wrote: »
    You have 24 hours to complete war and it can be done in under 12 without pushing. I don't see how a different start time is a problem.

    It's a problem because wars above a certain level require coordination to clear the middle lanes especially as people prefer to use their large boosts only once and do multiple fights under them (as is obviously intended by their hour duration). On top of that, many MCoC players have 9-5 jobs or something similar. The old system, even if you got a match immediately at 2pm EST, worked fairly well as it let most Americans work in a fight or two at lunch, let Europeans be home from work, and let players in Asia play late at night for those late, final fights. It's not a matter of "do you have enough energy to finish your line." It's a matter of getting multiple people to coordinate so you can tackle the hardest nodes in a smart way. In t1, not boosting leads to deaths and losses. Conversely, boosting more than once per war is not only expensive, it's unsustainable for the vast majority of us and leads to us running our of boosts, and therefore dying and losing later. Start time matters. This new system hits most of America, on average, before lunchtime and has Europeans and Asians at work more often. People find gaps to play, yeah, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that on average this is worse for the majority of players, at least those playing at a high enough level to use boosts.

    European allies and players had to cope with this since day one. Aq starting 9pm and half of its time beinf burned through night/sleep/work, if not more than that. Aw starting IF lucky around 10-11pm

    My alliance has two full BGs in Italy. There wasn't anything to cope with under the old system because there's more slack in energy in AQ, and they actually *deliberately started wars later than possible* out of convenience. Why start later rather than immediately? Because then you have more time at the end of the war after you get home from work. Starting at 10-11pm means it *ends* at 10-11pm, which means you theoretically have the most amount of time in the evening at the end of the war before you go to sleep.

    Our current war will end at about 5pm Italy time. That's not better. In fact, people in Europe are likely to be hit harder than most people in the US for this reason: the worst places to be for most people will be those closest to GMT+0 and GMT+12 under the new system.
  • Ultra8529Ultra8529 Posts: 526 ★★★
    edited February 2019
    MRod77 wrote: »
    So those of us with jobs who started AW's when people got home from work so we can maximize our times, will now be relegated to having to start when Kabam tells us sometime during this 5hr window??? So now if a match is found for us right off the bat then we will have to coordinate while people are still at work or commuting home?? Not very efficient at all.

    When a match is found does not determine when your Attack phase will start. Attack Phase will now start at the same time, every time.

    Please explain how this is consistent with what has been expressed by @Kabam Lyra in this thread as the intended position.

    No where in the initial post or in any subsequent announcement was there the faintest suggestion that war timings would continue to be staggered. The overwhelming impression conveyed by the description of the new system, the info-graphic as well as Kabam Miike's direct confirmation that "Attack Phase will now start at the same time, every time" conveys the firm and clear understanding that all match timings will now be fixed across the board, for all alliances.

    To those who are saying that this staggered approach was clear in the initial post, you must have, with respect, failed to read all relevant material on this change, or it would have been clear to you that the system as announced was for consistent and fixed timings.

    What remains is to get an official confirmation from someone other than Kabam Lyra that the current system is working as intended. This has the potential to create vast difficulties for alliances, if they are consistently getting matched late. Ideally Kabam Miike should tell us if his post quoted above was mistaken.

    For the avoidance of doubt, I set out the link where the above quote was obtained as follows:

    https://forums.playcontestofchampions.com/en/discussion/comment/719082#Comment_719082
This discussion has been closed.