We are working on a new matchmaking system designed to make matches fairer and more comfortable.
Important: the changes will be introduced gradually! At the start of the autumn season, we will test the new system in event modes, then in Quick Play modes, and only after that will we roll it out to Ranked Matches. At each stage, we will collect your feedback and statistical data from all players and make adjustments if necessary before moving on to the next stage.
Details
What's wrong with the current system?
Currently, matchmaking in different game modes is mainly based on the user's distance from the server, player level, win/loss ratio, time spent in a match, and current rating (specifically in Ranked Matches). Some of these indicators do not always reflect how well a person plays. As a result, a strong player may remain at lower positions for a long time, while teams with noticeably different skill levels may end up in the same match.
The current matchmaking system can lead to several issues:
matches can sometimes be too one-sided;
strong players have to keep defeating weaker opponents for a long time to climb higher in Ranked Matches;
new players may find it difficult to play against more experienced opponents;
the system barely takes a player's individual contribution to the match into account;
players in lower Ranked Matches leagues often have a low win rate.
The main idea behind the new system is to match players based on how well they perform.
What will the new system take into account?
A hidden Match Making Rating (MMR) will be calculated for each player — please don't confuse it with the Ranked Matches rating! Players will not be able to see this rating directly.
Individual performance will also be important.
Different metrics will have different weights depending on the class. For example, a Medic is not expected to get as many eliminations as a Rifleman or Sniper. However, healing and reviving efficiency will be taken into account.
Winning will still be the most important factor
Individual performance does not replace the team result. If your team wins, it will have a positive effect on your rating. If it loses, your rating may decrease. However, the system will now also take the opponents' strength into account.
For example, if your team is weaker than the opponents but still wins, this will be considered a more significant result. If a strong team unexpectedly loses to a weaker one, the rating loss will be more noticeable. Or, suppose a player performs significantly better than their team — this will also be taken into account when calculating the final change to their MMR. In other words, not every victory will be treated equally.
How will the system determine your skill level?
At the start of the autumn season, each player will be assigned a hidden rating used for matchmaking. It will be calculated based on statistics from the previous season. New players will receive a starting rating above zero. After the launch, this rating will be adjusted based on match results.
What will this mean for strong players?
Imagine a player who, for example, is in a low Ranked Matches league but consistently performs significantly better than average for that league. Currently, they simply have to keep playing and winning, gradually moving up.
The new system will be able to detect this difference and accelerate the player's progression if they are genuinely much stronger than the players around them.
This will help players find their appropriate league faster and reduce the number of situations where a strong player gets stuck at lower positions for a long time.
What about weaker players?
The goal of the system is not simply to improve the ranking position of strong players faster. If a player performs below the others, this will also be taken into account. This will allow the system to determine their skill level more accurately and gradually match them with more suitable opponents.
At the same time, changes to the hidden MMR will not be too drastic: the system has limitations in place to prevent a single bad match from immediately dropping a player several levels.
Match history will be taken into account
We also want to make matchmaking more varied. The system will take into account the skill level of the players you have been matched with in your recent matches. This is intended to prevent situations where you constantly end up being either the strongest or the weakest player in the lobby according to the new rating.
Therefore, matches may alternate: in one, you may be closer to the upper end of the appropriate range, in another — to the lower end, and then you may end up somewhere around the middle.
At the same time, the main priority remains the ability to create a suitable and balanced match.
What happens if a match takes too long to find?
Waiting too long can be frustrating. Therefore, the longer a player stays in the queue, the more the system expands the search range for suitable opponents.
In other words, the system first looks for the most suitable match possible, but if the wait becomes too long, the requirements may be relaxed slightly so that the player doesn't have to wait indefinitely.
An Important Note
To introduce the new system at the start of the autumn season (beginning with matchmaking in event modes), we are using a complex algorithm that takes many factors into account. It cannot be fully tested through internal PTS testing because of the small number of players. Therefore, it is especially important for us to see how it performs on the live server under real load and with a large number of users.
We will closely monitor the results and greatly appreciate your feedback. If you notice unusual matches, opponents who are too strong or too weak, or any other matchmaking issues, please report them to Support, providing your in-game nickname and the approximate time of the match.
Your feedback will help us understand how well the new system works in practice and what else needs to be improved.
What are your expectations for the new system? Tell us in the comments!