Microsoft and 343 are supporting “Glass” which I heard would allow you to setup matchmaking games.
“If” 343 releases these APIs then other website might be able to setup matchmaking based on skill calculation algorithm of their own.
A website like halotracker should/might setup this kind of environment and we should then be able to dump Xbox matchmaking and enjoy a ranked playlist with rank visible on halotracker.
I know if 343 releases these APIs I might give a try at web-programming to support ranked playlists.
Ranked Playlists are over-rated. The only reason I played them on Halo 3 was because they required that players had specific map packs.
And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
> And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
> > And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
>
> <mark>1. I do need a number to motivate me to play.</mark>
> 2. For me k/d and skill have always been different.
…So you need a number to motivate you to play a game?
Strange. I was always under the impression that the reason people played games was to have a good time.
> Ranked Playlists are over-rated. The only reason I played them on Halo 3 was because they required that players had specific map packs.
>
> And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
K/D =/= Skill ; K/D ∈ Skill .
You can’t define the skill of a player by games like CTF.
> Ranked Playlists are over-rated. The only reason I played them on Halo 3 was because they required that players had specific map packs.
>
> And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
Are we honestly still having this discussion? I can’t even call it a debate anymore, since your viewpoint has been proven wrong so many times.
It’s not about the number/emblem (*for most players. There are exceptions for all cases). It’s about evenly-matched games. I find spawn-killing noobs extremely fun, but to do it for 2 years straight gets really boring. Thus, I stopped playing Reach and picked up Halo 3. With an invisible ranking system, 343i (or Bungie) can tell everyone, “Don’t worry, it’s there, working as it should”, while we’re left fighting Armor Lockers and kids with half of a thumb. At least a visible system tells you that the opponents are evenly matched.
Continuing off that point, visible ranking systems also show you how well you stack up against others. To nullify your second question, should kills-per-game be enough? Shouldn’t the number of flag caps be enough? Shouldn’t your gamerscore be enough? No, they aren’t enough. They are all constantly changing, adjusting after recent games, or not even based on skill (skill is defined here as multiple characteristics). K/D, while commonly used to judge how good a player is, is inherently flawed. I can easily lose to an MLG pro with a K/D of 1.05 and mine is 1.86. With a visible ranking system, the MLG pro will likely be the highest rank, while I’m sitting a little below them.
So please, don’t say, “Why do you need a number to have fun?” It’s not about the number! It’s about knowing how well we stack up against others, it’s about knowing we are playing even games, and it provides another aspect of the game for players to attempt to master.
> All matchmaking in Halo 4 is skill based, you just don’t have a shiny number next to your name to represent that skill.
So is this what happened in Halo Reach? Because Bungie promised us that there was a hidden trueskill, but I always play in games where I’m the best player and everyone else is terrible. Every now and then, I’ll meet someone who is better than me, but it’s not often. This shouldn’t happen and won’t happen with a visible system that works.
> So please, don’t say, “Why do you need a number to have fun?” It’s not about the number! It’s about knowing how well we stack up against others, it’s about knowing we are playing even games, and it provides another aspect of the game for players to attempt to master.
With all due respect, I doubt many people wanting ranks are thinking:
“YES! I WILL GET TO BE IN EVENLY MATCHED GAMES!”
Most people who want ranks want them to show off and brag about how many 50’s they have to prove their worth.
I’m not saying you do But it seems to be the general census.
> > Ranked Playlists are over-rated. The only reason I played them on Halo 3 was because they required that players had specific map packs.
> >
> > And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
>
> Are we honestly still having this discussion? I can’t even call it a debate anymore, since your viewpoint has been proven wrong so many times.
>
> 1) It’s not about the number/emblem (*for most players. There are exceptions for all cases). It’s about evenly-matched games. I find spawn-killing noobs extremely fun, but to do it for 2 years straight gets really boring. Thus, I stopped playing Reach and picked up Halo 3. With an invisible ranking system, 343i (or Bungie) can tell everyone, “Don’t worry, it’s there, working as it should”, while we’re left fighting Armor Lockers and kids with half of a thumb. At least a visible system tells you that the opponents are evenly matched.
>
> Continuing off that point, visible ranking systems also show you how well you stack up against others. To nullify your second question, should kills-per-game be enough? Shouldn’t the number of flag caps be enough? Shouldn’t your gamerscore be enough? No, they aren’t enough. They are all constantly changing, adjusting after recent games, or not even based on skill (skill is defined here as multiple characteristics). K/D, while commonly used to judge how good a player is, is inherently flawed. I can easily lose to an MLG pro with a K/D of 1.05 and mine is 1.86. With a visible ranking system, the MLG pro will likely be the highest rank, while I’m sitting a little below them.
>
> So please, don’t say, “Why do you need a number to have fun?” It’s not about the number! It’s about knowing how well we stack up against others, it’s about knowing we are playing even games, and it provides another aspect of the game for players to attempt to master.
>
>
>
> > All matchmaking in Halo 4 is skill based, you just don’t have a shiny number next to your name to represent that skill.
>
> So is this what happened in Halo Reach? Because Bungie promised us that there was a hidden trueskill, but I always play in games where I’m the best player and everyone else is terrible. Every now and then, I’ll meet someone who is better than me, but it’s not often. This shouldn’t happen and won’t happen with a visible system that works.
Your logic doesn’t make sense. Just because there is a visible “trueskill” system doesnt mean it will work amazingly. Look at Halo 3…It is totally possible to have an invisible “trueskill” system that works just fine. The only problem you TRULY have with an invisible ranking system is that…well its invisible. I bet you even if this invisible ranking system WORKS…you people will still have a problem with it.
I just want a couple of visibly skill ranked playlists so that I can actually have decent competitive matches in matchmaking. Unlike many players seem to here, I don’t enjoy stomping on guests and other players that aren’t even trying to win in social.
More emphasis on skill in match ups is not going to remedy the problems brought forward by conflicting and contrasting mindsets and playstyles being mixed together in the same playlists. It certainly isn’t going to provide competitive matches the same way visible skill ranking always has, as it was meant to.
<mark>> > So please, don’t say, “Why do you need a number to have fun?” It’s not about the number! It’s about knowing how well we stack up against others, it’s about knowing we are playing even games, and it provides another aspect of the game for players to attempt to master.</mark>
<mark>></mark>
<mark>> With all due respect, I doubt many people wanting ranks are thinking:</mark>
<mark>></mark>
<mark>> <mark>“YES! I WILL GET TO BE IN EVENLY MATCHED GAMES!”</mark></mark>
<mark>> <mark><mark>Most people who want ranks want them to show off and brag about how many 50’s they have to prove their worth.</mark></mark></mark>
<mark>> <mark><mark>I’m not saying you do But it seems to be the general census.
[/quote]
I can only speak for myself but “yes I will get evenly matched games” is exactly what I’m thinking</mark></mark></mark>
> <mark>> > So please, don’t say, “Why do you need a number to have fun?” It’s not about the number! It’s about knowing how well we stack up against others, it’s about knowing we are playing even games, and it provides another aspect of the game for players to attempt to master.</mark>
> <mark>></mark>
> <mark>> With all due respect, I doubt many people wanting ranks are thinking:</mark>
> <mark>></mark>
> <mark>> <mark>“YES! I WILL GET TO BE IN EVENLY MATCHED GAMES!”</mark></mark>
> <mark>> <mark><mark>Most people who want ranks want them to show off and brag about how many 50’s they have to prove their worth.</mark></mark></mark>
> <mark>> <mark><mark>I’m not saying you do But it seems to be the general census.
[/quote]
I can only speak for myself but “yes I will get evenly matched games” is exactly what I’m thinking</mark></mark></mark>
> <mark>> <mark><mark>
[/quote]
Which is fine haha. Just something I’ve noticed.</mark></mark></mark>
> <mark>> <mark><mark>Confession: I like ranks…simply because it shows me how good I am. and my hope for well matched games just comes after that :P</mark></mark></mark>
> <mark>> <mark><mark>And apparently im not very good ;)</mark></mark></mark>
> > > And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
> >
> > <mark>1. I do need a number to motivate me to play.</mark>
> > 2. For me k/d and skill have always been different.
>
> …So you need a number to motivate you to play a game?
>
>
>
>
> Strange. I was always under the impression that the reason people played games was to have a good time.
The double standardness in this post is astounding
> Microsoft and 343 are supporting “Glass” which I heard would allow you to setup matchmaking games.
>
> “If” 343 releases these APIs then other website might be able to setup matchmaking based on skill calculation algorithm of their own.
>
> A website like halotracker should/might setup this kind of environment and we should then be able to dump Xbox matchmaking and enjoy a ranked playlist with rank visible on halotracker.
>
> I know if 343 releases these APIs I might give a try at web-programming to support ranked playlists.
>
> Fingers crossed.
They’ve announced a ranking system with invisble ranks, and have practically also announced ranking and social playlists. That’s all YOU need to know. Personally I’d like to have a ranking system later than never.
> > And who really needs to see a number/emblem by their name to acknowledge how good they are anymore?? A simple look at the K/D ratio is good enough right?
>
> 1. I do need a number to motivate me to play.
> 2. For me k/d and skill have always been different.
Doesn’t a good K/D indicate you have some skill? If anything I didn’t really like playing Halo 3 ranked with a bunch of noobs on my team who all went negative in their K/D’s while I was the only one to go positive and was the only hope our team had of winning. Then we would end up losing cause they all sucked (but somehow they were ranked higher than me?) I would end up losing rank even though I did well and had a positive K/D. So that’s your idea of a good ranking system? One that punishes you for losing even though you did good and it was the rest of your team that sucked?
I hope Halo 4’s ranking system is K/D related. If I have a good K/D I want to play with others that have good K/D, I don’t care about their win/loss because that if anything is not a measure of skill. If you have a team of 3 good people and 1 noob and the noob leaches off of the other players to keep ranking up because the other players keep winning, does that mean the 1 noob is good because his W/L is good?
I’ve been playing Halo 3 ranked the last couple of weeks to get ready for Halo 4 and let me tell you, it’s not the holy grail of competitive gaming many would have you believe it is. Like I said, I’ve been hating the ranking system in Halo 3, I keep doing good but keep getting paired with people who don’t try or suck and somehow managed to rank up. If everyone else on my team was truly as “skilled” as me then our teams would usually win and I would probably be in the 30’s or so for a rank, but that’s not the case.
As long as Halo 4 actually pairs me up with similarly skilled players so it’s an even match, I will be a happy person.
I know it’s hard to comprehend you guys but PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT IS FUN. Just because you don’t need a skill based ranking system for a game to be optimally fun doesn’t mean that others are wrong for desiring one. A lot people want skill based ranking for even matches, a lot of others want something to strive for an something to let them know they are improving or need to try harder, a lot of others simply just want to play the game. No one is wrong for this. Just like how we’re not wrong for liking video games over physical sports or other hobbies. To say “suck it up, it works for me” is just being selfish.
Not to mention, the majority of the people who play a game for it’s entire lifespan are the competitive, dedicated players. Sure 90% of the population at any given time is full of “casual” players who only pick it up for a few hours on the weekend or when friends come over, but those of us putting dozens of hours in every week, and playing the game into the ground, are the competitive hardcore players, many of whom will enjoy the game much more with something to strive for. Are there hardcore players who aren’t competitive? sure tons! Are there hardcore players who are competitive but don’t need a ranking system to have fun? sure, tons as well. But a significant portion of the hardcore Halo players do have a emphasis on skill and competition.
Hardcore players put more hours in than thousands of casuals combined; they are the ones buying all the DLCs, promoting the game to friends etc etc. with the competitive players being a significant portion of this hardcore population, we are just as important as any other demographic, regardless of the % of the population we make up.
> > So please, don’t say, “Why do you need a number to have fun?” It’s not about the number! It’s about knowing how well we stack up against others, it’s about knowing we are playing even games, and it provides another aspect of the game for players to attempt to master.
>
> With all due respect, I doubt many people wanting ranks are thinking:
>
> “YES! I WILL GET TO BE IN EVENLY MATCHED GAMES!”
>
> Most people who want ranks want them to show off and brag about how many 50’s they have to prove their worth.
>
> I’m not saying you do But it seems to be the general census.
This…100% this. Sure some people are here wanting a ranking system for equal matches, but you don’t need a rank system for equal matches. In fact it may be that a ranking system could do the opposite and make matches less equal.
Myself and many others do want a shiny number/rank to play for. Why? Because that is fun for me. I have grown up competing in everything I do, to be the best and earn something. Competition is fun for me, and playing for little or nothing just isn’t. Whether it’s a game of monopoly, a game of poker, or a game of pick up sticks, I will be competitive and I want something on the line.
In Reach I was competitive for a while, but it got to the point of not caring. Why? Because it didn’t matter; win and I get XP, lose and I get XP. It was just a mindless XP grab for me. To the point of popping grunts for hours on end. Was it fun? No not really, but I wanted to rank up. Sure in retrospect it was ridiculous , but I was playing for something.
I want Halo 4 to have something to play for every single game. And playing for XP is not it for me, a rank IS.
Just like some people care about having certain helmets, or armor, which are also, just pixels, I care about getting a rank.
But it seems to be the general census.