Focused matchmaking pref not working correctly

Games Other Halo
1

I’ve played 20 or so matches since the matchmaking preferences were introduced (which I am grateful for.
The preferences were explained as follows:

  • Balanced (default): Search for a match based on your fireteam’s skill and network connection quality. - Expanded: Widen search parameters to find the first available match with reasonable skill matching and network connection quality. - Focused: Narrow search to find the best match based on your fireteam’s skill and connection. Search times may be longer than normal.I’ve had the following problems:

  1. I don’t get matched to people of the same skill. I ranked platinum 3 this season from the start and with the focused setting I’m still playing against Onyx and diamonds searching solo. The occasional diamond 1 or 2 no problem but Onyx? how is that focussed? I think this is due to the following:
    - First, I think the problem is that it will create a match that, based on statistics, will end in a 50/50 chance of winning or losing, while that shouldn’t be the case entirely (it should also be based on represented rank). If that mean’s I am being matched against onyx OK, but than derank them to platinum 3.
    - Second, it says the fireteam’s skill, when searching solo I don’t want to be matched with/against a fireteam (in a party…) where the average skill (=fireteam skill)is platinum 3. Imo the highest ranking skill should be the one you search around. for example: A fireteam of diamond 3 and gold 3 should be matched against diamond 3’s team and not a platinum 3 average. This is especially frustrating when searching solo. I think using the fireteam skill is OK expanded search pref.

  2. I think the connection is worse now for some matches (minor complaint)

Have you experienced the same? Let me know what you think. I hope 343 will fix/change this.

2

Hi OP,

I think it was a mistake by 343 to mix both connection and skill into one single search variable. They should be separate options/preferences. I must however say that skill/ranking in this game is so messed up that essentially gold to diamond can be of equal skill. It´s just a matter of how those 10 placement matches went down and there are a lot of factors that could determine the outcome of those 10 games. Besides, population and search time comes into play here and they´ve tried to hit the sweet spot for those variables.

Anyways, I would always prioritize good connection before skill. I don´t mind losing to better players as long as I feel like we play on equal terms. Losing to players who win solely based on better ping is extremely frustrating.

My experience after the update is that focused search did improve my connection experience overall. It did not exclude crap connection games though and I am still not content. There is something about the networking code and servers that does not work well. I want to be able to connect to specific servers or at least have skill and connection quality as separate options in the mm process. I also want full transparency as to what server and ping I am playing on in each game.

A bug to report: using “focused” search preference in FFA I get to step 2 in the mm process (starting dedicated server) but then I get thrown back to the menus with an error message. This does not happen with other search preferences or in other playlists…but strange things do happen and there is still that “retrieving data” going on a lot.

3

Link to what I’ve experienced here:

https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/forums/58b8518e005f432381ab99fbcaf931e0/topics/focused-please/80814ef2-c7a4-4b1a-a421-a69cb64abd46/posts?page=1#post13

4

@ unsung hero, totally agree with you, to bad ranks don’t work,
If they matched on 50/50 balance based on expected outcome would work because people of the same rank were playing against each other.

@ sleepingdog, what I understood from your thread is: No one really understands what the preferences actually do…

I think it would be better if the there were seperate options (I think it worked better in H3 first search within same skill (highest skill within a party counts) and than widen the search if no matches are available (at least for ranked matches). Let people give the same preferences as back than or like reach (chatty vs non chatty etcetera).

Connections were best for me at the start when H5 came out. Back to region lock or at least as an option, I don’t want to play people outside EU if not necessary.

5

@MJBfox, I agree with you 100%. I was having almost the exact same problems with getting paired against onyx players when running focused search. I’ll be honest I stepped away from the game for a few months. Trying to come back now I can see how I’m slow to react from still trying to relearn the maps and what not but being in Plat ranking playing against onyx feels as if I’m fighting the uphill battle.

6

I am finding this focused mm to be both a blessing and a problem. When it works its great. Im a uk onyx ffa player and find if i play on us servers games are unplayable. Now most of the time i play shots connect and i finish top 2 way more consistently and beat diamonds almost every time (i suspect those ones to be high onyx in reality that got blammed over by the placement system) and most onyx as well. Problem is that i still get put on laggy as anything servers too often (almost every time since the update its responsible for me placing less than 3rd), presumably us servers from past experience and gamer accents, and i rarely match anything but diamonds meaning i rank up.super slowly for beating them. And thats when i even find a game. I really need to be playing higher ranks now that i am playing on better connections most of the time. I got to onyx 1809 last season in ffa on virtually non stop usa servers, meaning i was at huge disadvantages all the time, so i really want to test myself on an equal footing.

Im not sure if my new higher mmr (nearer my true one than on us unplayable servers) and csr is making me harder to find games? Also why on earth am i, as an eu player, still put on us servers on focused mode? That is never good connection wise. Due to all these factors my rank still nowhere near reflects my ability (i am onyx 1828 now) and i want to get champ, but refuse to play on default and get put in unwinnable matches against us players where none of my shots register at all.

7

Ranking system and focused matchmaking a myth.

8

They need to seriously adjust the search parameters. 9 out of 10 “focused” searches are Join in Progress. I only play Warzone and if I relied solely on LFG or my friends list, I’d play maybe 1 or 2 games a day.

They mentioned that the new search parameters were looked at and being adjusted, but of course they didn’t mention a single detail about what was wrong or what was being looked into.

Again, focused should be the best option. Right now it’s best at putting you in a crappy, JIP.

9

Search preferences only seem to adjust search times. I am still constantly placed on US servers despite using the focussed search and cannot remember thelast time I played with anyone from the UK I did not enter in a fireteam with. I struggle with shots not connecting, being shot around corners, and players teleporting around. I have dropped right down the ranks but still cannot compete. I have actually been killed as I spawn, but friends have told me I had not only spawned but was stood still for a few seconds despite on my screen still counting down. When I originally had no issues, we really need the option to search only local EU servers as Halo has gone from one of my favourite games to a frustrating, anger inducing chore to play and as such I rarely do these days

10

It doesn’t work, in short. Focused and balanced produce the same matches as they did pre-update. Now, I suck, I know this and I’m fine with it. What I hoped would happen is that the update would give me matches where everybody is around the same skill level, but it doesn’t. Take warzone assault, my main playlist as an example: just as it did pre-update, whether in balanced or focused, you get four or five people in every match who are ten times better than anybody else, and the match outcome is predetermined by the distribution of these players. This is fine in balanced, it’s what balanced means, but I expected focused to be more about fairness. Furthermore it’s just plain boring being cannon fodder. If it can find 20 people at my skill level, why not 24? Make it a fair match - I don’t care about winning or losing if it’s close.

The one thing that does make a difference is expanded. I’ve tried that once in wz assault, and got matched against a team of 9, all csr 147 or above, and with ridiculous win %. One of them had played over four THOUSAND warzone matches, and lost 7. SEVEN! Kudos to them, but I hope I never play against them ever again.

Going into arena, it’s much the same, though I hear that previous rankings affect current rankings and/or matchmaking, which I think should not be the case. In Team Arena, I tend to rank gold, but I’m always getting matched against plats or even diamonds, which is ridiculous. It’s gotten to the point where I play my 10 matches, then unless I’m on with friends I never go back for the remainder of the season.

My one great arena experience at the moment is Breakout. I ignored that mode pretty much since release, but decided to try it out this season, and it’s easily the most fun in the whole game. I played my 10, ranked silver 1, and I’m always playing with and against people at my skill level. The result? Tight, close, and most importantly FUN matches, where it can go right down to the line. This is what I want in all games, and if it can be done in bloody Breakout, then how come it doesn’t work like this in all other modes?

11

> 2533274846146476;9:
> Search preferences only seem to adjust search times. I am still constantly placed on US servers despite using the focussed search and cannot remember thelast time I played with anyone from the UK I did not enter in a fireteam with. I struggle with shots not connecting, being shot around corners, and players teleporting around. I have dropped right down the ranks but still cannot compete. I have actually been killed as I spawn, but friends have told me I had not only spawned but was stood still for a few seconds despite on my screen still counting down. When I originally had no issues, we really need the option to search only local EU servers as Halo has gone from one of my favourite games to a frustrating, anger inducing chore to play and as such I rarely do these days

This is exactly my experience too as a uk player. As well as not finding onyx 2000s any more on ffa this is the major reason why i cannot rank up past onyx 1912. Like you said us uk players need a region lock.option or the game is not worth playing.

12

Servers connections have been terrible for a long time. On focused I play players that live in other countries as well. My kd is steadily going down for no other reason than bad server connections. I’m losing my mind. Halo 6vneeds more servers and a better rank system or I’m not gonna waste my money

13

Oh yeah 343 really needs to fix the matching. Like, I busted my butt reaching onyx rankings… And I get paired with platniums…I want to play 4 onyx/diamon3+ v 4 onyx/diamond 3+

perfect example, today I got paired with an onyx, a diamond, and an unranked (another problem for another thread). Against… 3 champions and an unranked… (Roy,Lunch, Ninja and Victory X…)

cmon 343… In what world does that match?

14

ranking with randoms vs teams in doubles, well count me out

15

Hey guys, post you experiences in this new 343 servers topic.

16

matchmaking system is terrible, ranks dont line up at all. platinums with onyx’s make no sense. i think that they should go back to the H3 ranking system, by number works well. That was the most fair and equal ranking system to date