Endorsements-Based Matchmaking
This recent post from Riot Games got me thinking…
What if player endorsements had an influence on matchmaking?
To avoid negatively impacting queue times, there would be a weighted system that places priority on matchmaking players of equal reputation.
Why?
I feel like we’ve beat the dead horse of incentivizing healthy gameplay through game design. …maybe that is the wrong approach for DBD.
Rather than “playing nice” because of the “survivor rulebook” or “killer rulebook,” players are incentivized for being great to play with and against because it directly benefits the quality of matches they experience in the long run AS WELL AS the communication they receive from players post game.
Thoughts?
*Edited for clarity
Comments
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That system affecting matchmaking would be extremely bad. People wouldn't want to upvote many people for silly reasons and now those people would wait longer than others. That wouldn't be a fair system and very abusable.
Now if it didn't affect matchmaking and it just gave you banners or tags showing how much people liked you for different things so just cosmetic, then sure.
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Be great to players? What's that mean in the context of DBD? I get invective and hateful messages all the time for merely winning.
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How would this even work? It would have to be implemented for survivor only unless you're suggesting killers just never find a game if they do well and survivors don't endorse them.
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Even when a killer plays fair, but wins, when facing a malicious toxic swf, that swf could rate them low four times in an attempt to make their matches easier in the future by weeding out the skilled opponents. The same is true for a killer getting stomped and upset about it, they could rate their opponents low, but they would have less influence being only a single vote.
Anecdotal fact: When matchmaking was based on rank, many players would DC to lose two pips just to derank fast, making them face easier opponents. Some would just play AFK, letting the game progress without participating so they would derank.
Personally, I don't believe the players can be trusted to manipulate matchmaking.
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Well it'd start with a PTB—preferably several. BHVR would want to test against a control, and they would likely want to test 2 different samples (1 with player ability to see ratings, and one without) so I would suggest they test the feature over the course of 3 seperate PTBs.
It would be a player-based rating, not role-based.
It doesn't matter if you are Killer or Survivor, the goal is to cultivate a community of players who want to support each other and are active participants in creating the online culture they want to see going forward.
PTB 1
Notice to Players: "…we implemented an endorsement system that allows you to recognize exemplary players in the fog and reward them for being role models in the community. At the end of every trial, players will have the ability to award others with [insert jargon about the individual awards a player can be given—only one award per player or possibly only one award per trial]. Player endorsements are linked to your account, and are considered during matchmaking. Each time you search for a match, the matchmaker places you in a pool based on your endorsement rating. As queue time extends, the matchmaking algorithm will continuously expand your endorsement pool until you have found a match.
Test: New endorsement system will be implemented. Players will have the ability to see their own endorsement rating, but not other players’. During PTB 1, the matchmaking system will not be active—players will not be told that it is off.During the test, BHVR will monitor all necessary data (what awards are being given most, who is receiving them, and the outcome of a match relative to commendations).
After X number of games, players will be encouraged to fill out a BRIEF participation survey.PTB 2
Notice to Players: *Same as before + “player endorsement ratings will not be revealed”
Test: Everything the same as before, only now the matchmaking system is working AND it is leveraging that data from PTB 1, so that players are not starting at 0 endorsement ratings (unless they didnt participate in last PTB).If valuable insight was given after first PTB, regarding UI, Endorsements, etc., maybe BHVR considers implementing it between PTBs.
PTB 3Notice to Players: Same as Before + Endorsements will be public knowledge—everyone’s rating is visible.
Test: Everything same as before
Final survey will be released for feedback on all 3 PTBs.—
A few things to consider…
a) Maybe endorsement resets when ranks reset
b) Maybe only one award is given at the end of every trial—majority wins and tie goes to killer
c) Players would not be able to endorse those who they are queued withThe overarching objective with this, as I said above, is to place responsibility on the individual to contribute to the gaming culture they encounter.
Toxicity in gaming will never change until players feel the consequences of their actions OR they feel rewarded for being a decent human being.
If players want to be treated with respect, they need to treat others the same way.0 -
How would players endorsing a killer increase or decrease their chance of facing a player of a certain skill?
Social ranking and MMR would be two completely different grading systems.
You are suggesting that there is a correlation between skill and social behavior.
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It would only matter to survivors, there is no way you can utilize those system for opponents so killers would be outside of this system
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The above LoL System that you're referring to does not actually affect a player's matchmaking experience in LoL. It simply added a mark to the profile picture when they are getting into a game.
It did work work in 2x very small ways when I used to play.
#1, people behaved themselves a little more, in order to hopefully earn the approval markers.#2, it was actually extremely easy to get the approval markers if you were polite, helped the team, and didn't throw a tantrum during a LoL game. I got mine in something like 2x days. So what actually happened was, if you ever saw any players WITHOUT the endorsement markers, that was rare and almost certainly a red flag, letting you know you were in for a ill-behaved teammate.
Anyways, that's the context for LoL's system, it doesn't affect their matchmaking at all.0
