343i,
Things appear to be improving on the Matchmaking side in the MasterChief Collection and that’s the positive; however, I would like to point out that I still think there’s a fundamental flaw with regards to how the matchmaking system is suppose to work in the MasterChief Collection and I fear in future titles. When sessions are being created and the lobby is locked-in with even numbers of players (a rare enough feat) all to often someone ends up quitting or gets dropped out prior to the match’s start or even in the early goings of the game and that particular problem has always been the biggest culprit to a declining online gaming experience with many of the past Halo titles (2, 3 & Reach) for me specifically. It’s why I rejoiced when Halo 4 was announced (back during the lead-up to its release) to include a Join-in-Progress system as I had hoped that it meant that there would be fewer games where I felt like I was simply wasting my time. Unfortunately, that particular JIP system in Halo 4 required lots of refinement and/or tweaking over time and more specifically per playlist to make it even barely acceptable (another big part of its problem is linked directly to a networking system that wasn’t very good as it led to most, if not all, of the in-game black screens). Honestly, that JIP system never had a chance at being ideal because it was paired with a matchmaking system that would progress from “searching for players” to “creating match sessions” when there were uneven teams and an insufficient network. By allowing Halo 4’s matchmaking system to basically bank on the JIP system to provide even teams on the fly (which I get as helping to keep the matchmaking search times down) a core element of the arena-based gameplay (balanced starts) and in turn the online gaming experience were also hurt. I’m hoping that you guys at 343i do realize that the matchmaking system in the MasterChief Collection and future titles (Halo 5) first and foremost need to prevent sessions moving from the player-search aspect to the loading-match aspect when teams are uneven. Also, in Halo 5’s case I hope that a limited JIP system will be incorporated, but one that’s not solely relied or depended on for ensuring balanced teams like in Halo 4. IMO, a JIP system needs to exist in all Halo games but only in a very limited fashion. That JIP system simply needs to be counted on for replacing a player or players who get dropped for whatever reason while a session is in the process of being loaded (it should halt the match’s start until replacement players are found) and up to the first minute or two of action in a team based game (solo and eSport games need not have an active JIP once the match actually begins). Anyways, after that short period of time the JIP service is no longer needed and only serves as a deterrent in regards to the online experience because nobody prefers joining a game already in progress. I implore you 343i to heed this advice and feedback; though, I’m not sure how realistic it would be to implement something like this in the MCC I nevertheless do remain hopeful for Halo 5 and future titles.
Thanks,
Luke
