(Open minded only) Discussion about ranking
The biggest problem I see with the ranking system and its use as a matchmaking tool is that it is a 100 percent manipulatable system. If a player disconnects intentionally they lose 2 pips. If a high skill player wants to bully or even a moderate player seeks easy wins all they have to do is DC a few times in a row to lower their rank thus having a greater chance of playing lower skilled players who legitimately play at low rank. As a player with 2000+ hours in this game and who (on both sides) doesn't earn higher than rank 7-8 this has been a real problem. We all know at lower ranks killers are violently overpowered and at high ranks some survivors are near untouchable. Imagine just downloading this game and as you are learning to play you are matched against absolute veterans 70 percent of the time. It literally takes the fun out of the game. For reasons that are for another topic the DCing in this game is another problem in itself but I am of the opinion that the only way to gain or lose rank should be through active gameplay. To some players who dont care about rank or who can get it back easily taking away pips for a DC is almost a reward while punishing other players in the game. Does anyone else feel the same way or have any feedback or suggestions, maybe even something i missed?
Comments
You don't lose pips if you DC anymore.
Excuse me my mind is encased inside of a skull which is itself encased inside of skin. Can I still participate in this thread?
No and neither can I D:
@Batman781 dont forget that people has to DC sometime to actuelly get a game or dont wanna vs the same people over and over again been there never again
Everyone is aware of these problems.
Ranking, Emblems, and matchmaking all need more passes taken at them. Honestly, I'd like to separate matchmaking and ranking altogether. Ranked Matches for players who want to gain Rank. Casual matches for people who just want to play the game casually and get bp. We've been doing this in fighting games for years now and it in general makes for a healthier game environment. We already have player levels which is a step in the right direction. If you want to chase ranks you should have a place where you can be matched with and against like minded people. It would also help to give new players to the game some breathing room to learn.
Right now the game is just not friendly to new players. There is a lot to learn and no good low pressure environment to learn it in while getting the bp you need to get the perks and offerings you need. With having Ranking be a separate mode of play it gives you the ability to set a barrier of entry as well. To even do ranked you have to reach say Player Level 20 or 25 then that opens you up to ranked play. Playing ranked puts you in what should be tougher games, but with ranked season awards and maybe slightly more bp payouts per game.
This way you incentive the extra difficulty and learning needed to play at that level for those who actively seek the challenge while players who just want to enjoy the game more casually or may be new can get time to learn the game without being heavily stressed or demonized.
I dont think rank should serve as a matchmaking tool because let's be honest, it doesnt matter how much the devs tweak rank system, It will always suck in this game because sometimes the requirements to rank up will be imposible to achive even if you are the greatest player in this game, like when you are getting camped or when the killer doesnt hook anyone or when you hook 3 survivors but you miss the last one, etc. There are so many factors that dont really depend on the player's skill... Imo rank should give us things like more BP or something like that.
If matchmaking worked on hours played It would be much better imo. People wouldnt be able to "de-rank" on purpose and we would always find matches; 2 options to accomplish this:
Option 1:
Let's say we have 3 zones:
Zone 1: 0-100h played
Zone 2: 100-300h played
Zone 3: 300+ h played
That way newbies would play with newbies, experienced would play with experienced and veterans would play with veterans.
Option 2:
Use Devotion as a matchmaking tool. Right now Devotion doesnt serve any purpose so why not use It as different zones to find people playing? The only problem with this one is that once someone gets to high Devotion there might be less players there.
A real ranking system has to be based on skill, not playtime. But I agree, the current ranking system isn't working. Only 20 ranks with a rank reset each month that brings veterans and new players together isn't a good situation.
Concerning the playtime/Devotion suggestion: The game doesn't differentiate between playtime as killer and as a survivor. Only the minority plays both roles equally, so somebody with 1000 hrs can be a good survivor but a bad killer and has to play on different ranks for the two roles.
@tt_ivi_99
I've always considered the devotion one as well and that may be a better than time played. But you could have people who play a lot having high devotion (but not necessarily skill) and vice versa and a similar problem with time (although for your suggested times above I would add a 1k+ h threshold) We kind of need something that covers both the current ranking system which is mildly skill based/mildly time based due to season resets still being 1 month despite harder ranking and something that covers experience over play time to combat deranking. However it couldn't be set in stone as some people take breaks for a few months and their skills are not as sharp as someone who plays daily for years etc. Devotion is definitely the better solution of the two but doesn't cover skill (and is relatively new). I don't blame the devs for struggling with this, I've not yet seen a solution suggested that addresses all of the issues involved.