Highlights
Live Test
Hi everyone - the new Scenario Matchmaking system is almost complete, and it's time for another test on the Live Server! We've been fixing up bugs and improving the system since our last live test, and if all goes well on this test, then the launch of the new system will be imminent.
This test will run on the Live Server starting on January 27th at ~9 AM UK time, and will run for the entire day, with the possibility of remaining on the live server longer if no crucial bugs are found. If we spot any critical bugs, we may adjust the testing duration in order to fix them up.
As is always the case with testing of new systems like this, there's a small chance of major bugs occurring. We don't expect there to be any rollbacks or major issues, but if this becomes necessary, we'll let everyone know.
Please be aware: We may perform a rollback if any major bug impacts progression.
Note
As before, please note that the changes in this test are not finalized. We are not testing any scenario gameplay changes at this time; the test is purely focused on the matchmaking system. We welcome feedback on how the matchmaker is performing, including how balanced matches feel.
It’s also important to understand that if matches don’t feel perfectly balanced, it does not mean the system is broken or that the work was wasted. The matchmaking algorithm is just one part of the larger system overhaul required to get it functioning. Now that the system has been overhauled, the algorithm can be easily tweaked and refined based on testing feedback. We cannot emphasise this enough.
New Scenario Matchmaker & Improvements
The New Scenario Matchmaker is focused on building better balanced parties in Scenarios, and we're also adding in a few more quality-of-life improvements alongside it! There's even more we're building under-the-hood, which we may spotlight and talk about closer to launch.
Redesigned Scenario Lobby
The old scenario lobby screen is quite outdated and since we added the random scenario queue (Solo Skirmish, or Discordant Skirmish) the interface came to be slightly confusing. We found that a lot of players used the “Queue All” feature and relied on addons to blacklist scenarios they did not want to play.
We have redesigned the Scenario Lobby screen to be more modern.
The new interface now features a list of active scenario queues instead of the pages of the old one, allowing you to see all the scenarios currently active at a glance. Additional informational iconography is shown on scenarios to indicate things like the current Weekend Warfront. Additionally, the current Average Queue Time is now shown for your level and archetype for that specific scenario queue.
Scenario Blacklists
We understand that players sometimes prefer different scenarios or game modes and would prefer to play them less frequently. Therefore we have added a scenario blacklisting system.
Blacklisted scenarios will be selected less frequently when searching.
For scenario queues which pick from a random pool of different scenarios, such as the “Random Scenario” queue, a player will be able to choose a number of scenarios to blacklist. Blacklisted scenarios will be remembered, even when the scenario pool is rotated, however some selections might be removed in order to not exceed the maximum number a player can blacklist.
Scenario Party Reservations
Now if you queue as a group, your party will stay together automatically in the scenario, without needing to hit the white flag icon and move parties. Slots will be automatically reserved for your party members until they join, keeping your groups, well - grouped!
Match Balancing
One major issue with the previous scenario system was that premade groups often ended up facing completely solo PUG players, leading to unbalanced matches. To address this, the matchmaker now evaluates the composition of each party and assigns it a score, then uses these scores to match teams. When backfilling, it may also add additional players to one side to help even the fight, ensuring that premade groups are more likely to face balanced opposition. These changes result in fairer, more competitive scenarios and a better overall experience for all participants.
The matchmaker now actively tries to find players of certain archetypes to add to a scenario, helping balance the overall distribution. This applies even when backfilling, preventing situations where one side has too many of certain archetypes or lacks essential roles entirely.
This change does mean that there will be times when one faction may have tons of DPS but lack the Tanks or Heals to get a scenario to pop. In these situations, we're introducing a new bonus to not only allow players to see which archetypes are needed, but to reward them for playing them:
Incentive Bonus
New single-SC bonuses are now periodically applied to certain Archetypes. Queue times are now periodically analysed, and if a role is queueing too long, other archetypes are incentivised to help speed things up.
For example, if DPS players are waiting much longer than others to get into a match, Tanks and Healers may get an incentive bonus. Likewise, if one side has tons of Tanks or Healers but fewer DPS, the system will temporarily grant the bonus for DPS players to motivate them to queue. This encourages healthier queue balance and, long-term, should motivate improved queue times.
Start Time Adjustments
Scenarios can now start with fewer than full players. Players load in early with a 2-minute timer. As the scenario fills closer to the threshold, the timer reduces to 30 seconds.
“Give Me a Minute” Improvements
If you click “Give me a minute”, you’ll be automatically teleported in when the timer ends. This helps avoid missing the start and getting a quitter debuff.
Unified Random Queue
Instead of separate queues per scenario map, there's now a single random scenario queue, which will improve queue speed and map variety. We're just testing this single queue on PTS, and behind-the-scenes we're discussing how best to handle Weekend Warfronts and other Scenario types, which we'll share more on later.
City Siege Changes
Due to changes in the matchmaking system, which was heavily used for City Sieges, we have made some small adjustments to the flow of City Sieges. These changes are intended purely to keep the system running and ensure City Sieges function correctly.
When the queueing phase of a City Siege ends (when players can queue at the portal), the matchmaker will run and create matches as usual. Once this process is complete, the City Siege will appear in the scenario lobby list, allowing solo players and parties to queue. During this stage, no new matches will be created, but players can backfill into existing sieges.
Additionally, the scenarios “Altdorf War Quarter” and “The Undercroft” will no longer open during the siege process.
Ranked
The ranked game mode will be unavailable during the testing period.
I've found a bug!?
All bugs can be reported on our bugtracker.
https://bugs.returnofreckoning.com/
Please select "Matchmaking Test" as the Product Version so we can filter the reports.
Thank you!
Thank you for helping us test - we're excited to launch the new SC Matchmaking system soon on the live server, and everyone's help during these tests makes this possible!
