Posted 27 February 2019 - 12:23 AM

A solo's only queue might have worked when it was first tried out but it was done as a 'freelancer' queue which wasn't really a great way to do it.Trying it out when there was also the release of Scouting as a brand new mode for us to try also didn't help.Maybe it would still work at the absolute peak time when there might be enough players online to fill group and solo queues.But it is yet another division of the player base, doubly so if it means having to do a solo queue for scouting as well and that would take our magnificent queue tally up to 23 I believe.Queue tally being all the different regular PvP areas we can attempt to get a game in. It's worse if you add in comp queue, private lobbies and solo areas such as the testing grounds or academy.So for the simple reason that more queues is not a good thing. No.Ditch the additional servers?Sure, why not.That does stuff all for Faction Play, but for the love of gaming do it for quick play.The proposed changes to the match maker are going to do stuff all as well. We already have the prioritizing of groups to build the teams and filling the gaps with solos so I don't see how sorting players by the SSR is going to help without having enough players in the queues anyway.It might be all fine and dandy and seem like there isn't a problem in some timezones. But in other parts of the world it feels like there are barely enough players to get regular solo quick play matches.And that, to me, is the single biggest and most pressing problem for MWO and it is a problem across all the modes because there is no functionality in the match maker to allow for smaller teams.Lets put it this way.IF the only time I have a chance of reliably getting a Faction Play drop is between a few hours either side of midday on a weekend, then there is simply not enough players in the mode and certainly not enough to split queues.Many players don't want to be restricted from playing the mode whenever they want, nor from being able to group up with their friends or unit members. But if you can't even get a game in those modes (FP/Group QP) then what choice have you got but to go drop in Solo QP and try to get a match together. Sync dropping? Yeah sure, why not. I mean there are only 24 players in total in the queue. Could get a drink and a bite to eat and then click ready and it would still be sync dropping.Solos are needed for FP because we don't have any structure or control on forming groups. This is also making it more difficult for the match maker. (I would also apply this problem to Group Quick Play btw)IF groups were limited to either 2 or 4 players then it would be very easy for the match maker to put together a team of 12 players.IF our group screen allowed us to link three groups instead of just being a single blob then we could have a way to allow individual groups to drop into a match while also allowing a way to get those groups into the same match. (After all, we are talking about the Group modes)IF the match maker had the flexibility to allow smaller teams to form, based around the lance structure, then we have a function that will allow for matches to scale up and down without needing a new queue which would help immensely during off peak times and when there are players that spill over.Given the current group priority in the mode, it would be reasonable to assume that for the matches you might then only get 2 or 4 solos in a team combining with the groups.It would also be reasonable to assume that with the shunting, those solo players might end up in their own match anyway and play anywhere from a 4v4 to a full 12v12.There are some other benefits to putting in a modular structure and giving flexibility to the match maker:Scouting and Invasion could be a single queue and therefore we consolidate the playing population. (-1 buckit)IF groups were also limited to only consist of players from a single clan or house faction, then it would be possible to have interfaction conflict between those clans and houses all in the one queue. This would mean something to loyalists in particular but is particularly relevant for units.So with all the other bits and pieces that are being looked at for FP, I want to see two things addressed in this order:The ability to get games reliably with minimal wait time. Please look at groups and team size restrictions (For Faction and Group Quick Play).Allowing interfaction conflict and returning meaning to belonging to a faction. Please look at group composition and inter-faction match making.

Edited by 50 50, 27 February 2019 - 12:24 AM.