An Issue with the MMR Rework
With an MMR rework on the horizon, there’s been a lot of talk about what way it should go. But there’s been one big issue that I don’t think has been.
BHVR has said, repeatedly I believe, that MMR is working.
How does an organization fix a system that they say is working?
This isn’t a subjective game design issue. It’s not like when they say they’re emphasizing chases over stealth in response to the players. BHVR wants an MMR system that matches players based on skill, the people who want a rework have the same goal, but BHVR says that goal is already being accomplished (some people want a return to the emblem system, but that seems completely out of the picture).
Usually when trials occur that are way outside plausible MMR (very new players being matched with experienced players), there’s a few explanations that get given:
1: Maybe they SWFed up there and are now soloq.
2: Maybe they had a run of good luck and the system doesn’t have enough data yet (I think the anti-smurfing systems are part of the issue).
3: Maybe this is way outside of peak hours and the system is just desperate to find people to match up.
After the rework though, all of those remain true.
I also don’t think they have, or will, walk back anything they have said. The hockey analogy (which, for the record, I think makes sense), the goal of getting matches quickly (increasing the time to matchmake wouldn’t require a MMR rework), or backfilling issues all remain.
So why are they reworking a system they say is working? I think there’s a few possibilities.
1: They do think it’s broken, they just don’t want to tell us.
2: They don’t think it's broken, but they want to do something minor to 'address' the issue.
3: They don’t think it's broken, but they do think there’s a few minor improvements they can make that they’ve just been holding off on.
4: They’re going to try an ambitious (ridiculously so perhaps) new approach to MMR systems, in the same way they’ve tried to reinvent basic game mechanics in the past (and usually resulting in the idea getting discarded).
No MMR system is, or can be, perfect. None of us actually get to see what is going on and we just have to take their word for it. However, I find it very strange, and worrisome about what will happen, for a company to rework something that they are also saying is functioning the way they want it to.
Comments
I'd go with option 3. When they say it's working, they likely mean it's working in the way they intend. Obviously the feedback from the general playerbase is that we don't like how it currently works, so they've made the decision to adjust it.
If that's what ends up happening, great, but: I don't think BHVR would have announced it so far in advance / not been up front about the details. That just seems like a way to upset the players by saying something is going to be reworked and then we get something like an adjustment to how trial length affects MMR gain/loss.
Maybe I'm also jaded because we're coming up on the 9.2 anniversary when BHVR took a 'quality of life' change farther than I think even some of the most anti-tunnel survivors wanted, so I never expect minor from them if they actually announce something.
The matchmaking system does not work, period. Every match that I am in is ironclad evidence of this. I’ll be matched with multiple thousand hour god-level players one match and then literal new players the next. BHVR can say whatever they want about it supposedly working as intended, but the real world evidence convulsively proves otherwise
I spent a lot of time thinking about how to put this and tried putting various thoughts into words, but I ultimately decided to keep it brief. I apologize if this misses the point of your question or makes no sense.
Even with the exact same system, the results change depending on whose perspective you use as the standard. And going forward, the results will differ depending on who is set as the benchmark when operating the system.
This conclusion comes purely from the fact that I personally don't feel there is any particular issue with the current MMR system.
I think the MMR system is working as intended since it prioritizes kills/escapes so people are likely getting boosted by certain playstyles and perks.