What I want to know, is what will become of the current matchmaking options that we have now?
Like are the new Casual and Competetive modes being added as additional playlists or are they completely replacing what we have now?
Honestly, the idea of having a mode that only does Paradise over Coldsnap, etc… Would be annoying and eventually bland. It would be even worse if it forces players to be thrown into a playlist that incorporates Meltdown, Capture, and Incursion, when I would sooner just play Meltdown for example.
I’m all for better player matching, but if it comes at the cost of no map variance or mode choice, I feel it will do more harm than good. Like, I like Meltdown most of the time and dislike capture. I feel many players have their preferred modes as well. Ultimately, I can foresee a lot of players quitting matches should they wind up playing a mode they didn’t intend to, or go into the lobby and see that they have no choice but to play Paradise everytime, rather than having the refreshing back and forth of Coldsnap. Furthermore, because of the different map that gets voted for, I find myself prefering different characters on each of the maps: Like Marquis on Coldsnap and Phoebe on Paradise, but not the other way around… All I’m saying is that I feel this overhaul and assumed lack of map variance per mode will push more people away rather than make people feel more welcome.
What I would put in place is continue to allow players to choose their preferred mode, then it brings up a sub menu of Casual or Competitive. From there Casual would Play like normal Battleborn matchmaking, whereas Competitive would bring up another menu featuring Paradise or Coldsnap. Then you chose the map you prefer, find a group of like-minded players and go from there without voting.
If the matchmaking only shows the most popular map, like you said, then how will this new mode even incorporate the dlc maps planned for July without going against what the most popular map is?
I know you guys said you wanted to test things out and play with the system over the next few weeks, but if all possible, I would implore you to offer both the current matchmaking options we currently have alongside the new one. That way, you could have a compare and contrast between which system the community prefers.
TLDR: Not giving players a mode choice will cause more players to quit out of matchmaking. The main reason players quit currently is because they get destroyed by players with greater skill than them, get fed up and lose a will to continue, thus leading to more and more players voting for surrender at their earliest convenience to end their sufferings quicker. Therefore the skill matching is essential. If players get forced into a game type they didn’t intend to play, they’ll most likely lose moral and not try as hard as they would have in their preferred mode. Furthermore, no map choice will bring about blandness no one really wants.