Armored Warfare

[Falconeer]

Remember the whole thing about you being tier 1 and only being matched with other tier 1? Not true anymore.

[Amarr HM]

Yeh the MM is actually -1 +1.

[Falconeer]

Not even. I just logged in for my third match ever, so I am clearly tier 1 in a tier 1 tank, and I got matched with tanks up to tier 3. 

[Amarr HM]

Yeh so if you are the -1 you can be matched with tanks two tiers up, but it's not common.

[Amarr HM]

Some guides here and here

[Pennilenko]

I really suck at this, but I am having a ton of fun.

[Amarr HM]

Did you end up with the collectors edition? look like very good value actually.

[Pennilenko]

Did you end up with the collectors edition? look like very good value actually.

Yes, I don't regret it. I used some of my gaming budget that I had set aside for other games that I didn't end up buying because of mediocre reviews.

The PVE in this is a really fucking nice feature for when you are frustrated and just want to screw around with a new tank or whatnot.

Edit: Another feature that I enjoy but might seem lame for some, is the ability to pick crew faces and names. Also, I am a sucker for the female crew voice overs.

[WayAbvPar]

Have worked my way up to tier 3s in one line. I think I like the tech tree/advancement system. The tanks still handle very strangely. And WOW. The players are AWFUL. I have barely started and I have a postive k/d already. Unfortunately the maps are so large that it is pretty hard to carry a team to victory no matter how well you play.

[disKret]

Have worked my way up to tier 3s in one line. I think I like the tech tree/advancement system. The tanks still handle very strangely. And WOW. The players are AWFUL. I have barely started and I have a postive k/d already. Unfortunately the maps are so large that it is pretty hard to carry a team to victory no matter how well you play.

Its also a problem that there is no real sidescraping - most of the time you will exchange hits. Encounter more than 2 at once and you are dead.

[Amarr HM]

Yes, I don't regret it...

Nice! I think I'll pick one up myself.

Have worked my way up to tier 3s in one line. I think I like the tech tree/advancement system. The tanks still handle very strangely. And WOW. The players are AWFUL. I have barely started and I have a postive k/d already. Unfortunately the maps are so large that it is pretty hard to carry a team to victory no matter how well you play.

I think the tanks handle a bit more realistically. They seem more reactive to the environment, if you're sliding around a lot you're probably on sand or similar. You should try driving the wheeled tanks like the Dragoon, they're mental, steering is way over sensitive.

[Pendan]

Remember the whole thing about you being tier 1 and only being matched with other tier 1? Not true anymore.

The MM actually tries to make games +0. If not enough people to fill a match then it starts adding any other tiers. During the open weekend some matches I had were +4. Friday evening most of my tier 3 games were all tier 3s however by 4 am (I could not sleep) the matches were only 10 on 10 and +3. I don't think tier 1 is a good level to PvP. People get though the tanks too quickly and move on. Most newbies doing PvE in tier 1.

I am more irritated by the match maker for PvE. Bought a brand new tier 4 tank and wanted to get some upgrades before doing PvP. Joined a PvE match and got paired with a tier 6, two tier 4s, and tier 3. The computer players were almost all tier 6. The PvE does not know how to handle different tiers. It just uses the highest tier tank in the match. People who play with friends all at same level have a big advantage even in PvE. Can blow through games quickly if all the same.

[Pennilenko]

I never joined any type of group in WoT,  I might actually find a group to hang with in this game. The caveat being that they have to be tolerant of bad players.

[Amarr HM]

Reading another guide interesting points on the AW MM system or the proposed one for this game.

How players are placed on a team in random battles is referred to as matchmaking. Armored Warfare does more than use the World of Tanks style rating system of vehicle tier and tank type to match tankers to teams for a fair match. What vehicle, how the vehicle is configured, and how many games a player has in a vehicle all go towards a combat rating. Freshly unlocked vehicles will get a bonus rating allowing them to meet easier opponents, fully loaded vehicles will have combat ratings appropriate to their strength.What this system does is make it so that you not likely to see teams where all the high skill players randomly ended up on the same team due to random sorting. -RedFox, developer The matchmaking system will select 30 vehicles based on these combat ratings, tiers, any class restrictions such as the limit of two artillery vehicles per team,  and then begin team formation. Teams within this battle will be divided based on vehicle class and tier, but also player skill level. An internal rating known only to Armored Warfare was developed specifically for this purpose. The rating takes into account the player’s win-rate, average reputation per battle, and other indicators. The matchmaking system then shifts players around so both teams end up with approximately the same overall player rating. This avoids the random chance that one team ends up with the majority of more experienced or skilled players.

The wagons have circled (I jumped on the band-one).

[Falconeer]

I am liking this a lot, but I wonder if I am reading the queue right. I don't think that we can see the number of total players but only those who are queued up with us at any given time. Yet, the numbers seem surprisingly low compared to the first few days. Is this not popular yet? Seems worthy.

[disKret]

I am liking this a lot, but I wonder if I am reading the queue right. I don't think that we can see the number of total players but only those who are queued up with us at any given time. Yet, the numbers seem surprisingly low compared to the first few days. Is this not popular yet? Seems worthy.

It does not show how many games is up and running nor people that are spinning their tanks in the garage. I didnt find any statistics page for this game yet.

[Amarr HM]

Yeh I think as it stands the matchmaker won't work as intended, not enough people in the queue. From watching the twitch streams that if you go up tier 6 you're immediately matched to anything as they're so few tier high tiers.

[Amarr HM]

Another problem is everyone is trying to play arty so they can get the best commanders :(

[Amarr HM]

Reading through the forums the official Dev explanation of how match balancing is supposed to work - http://aw.my.com/en/forum/showthread.php?6655-Matchmaker-in-Armored-Warfare/

After experiences with WG this transparency is refreshing.

Also how they try to balance the games is exactly how it should be done.

These sorted groups are then distributed to both teams based on the player quality. An internal rating was developed, taking several elements into account – these do include player’s winrate, average XP per battle and several other indicators. The matchmaker then shifts the players around the teams so both teams end with roughly the same player rating. Please note that the matchmaking system allows for a certain margin of difference and both teams will never be completely identical when it comes to skill – the matchmaker however is programmed to produce the most balanced teams obtainable. While attempting to keep the battles balanced by skill however, the classes and tiers are ultimately more important to the matchmaker than the skill.

Disclaimer:This doesn't mean your team won't melt.

[Trippy]

The WoT Wiki has a very detailed description of how MM works in that game so it's not like WG is hiding how broken their system is.

[Pendan]

Reading through the forums the official Dev explanation of how match balancing is supposed to work - http://aw.my.com/en/forum/showthread.php?6655-Matchmaker-in-Armored-Warfare/

That article was from 8 months ago and I have seen talk that they ultimately want it to work that way but the swapping of players based on rating is currently not happening. So unless someone can find a recent dev post I would not assume it works this way.

[Amarr HM]

I think it's still early days to figure out whether it works or not, due most players not having any rating or a correct one. As far as balancing the teams per class, it works far better than Wot ever did especially in Beta. The days of 12 arty matches weren't that long ago.

Trippy, does their detailed description in the Wiki mention the game steering as per their patent

According to another aspect, the matchmaking server may store a win/loss percentage for each user (or vehicle) at a given battle level. As the player's win/loss ratio decreases, the player becomes more likely to be placed in battles having battle levels at the lower end of the allowable range, whereas as the player's win/loss ration increases, the player becomes more likely to be placed in battles having battle levels at the upper end of the allowable range. Thus, when a player has been repeatedly put into too many difficult battles, the balancing is done in favor of easier battle sessions, thereby encouraging the player by providing an easier game environment. .

Now maybe AW will have some hidden doomswitch, but for now we can be idealistic and hope they right the wrongs of WG.

[Trippy]

Trippy, does their detailed description in the Wiki mention the game steering as per their patent

According to another aspect, the matchmaking server may store a win/loss percentage for each user (or vehicle) at a given battle level. As the player's win/loss ratio decreases, the player becomes more likely to be placed in battles having battle levels at the lower end of the allowable range, whereas as the player's win/loss ration increases, the player becomes more likely to be placed in battles having battle levels at the upper end of the allowable range. Thus, when a player has been repeatedly put into too many difficult battles, the balancing is done in favor of easier battle sessions, thereby encouraging the player by providing an easier game environment. .

WoT doesn't use that in their MM.

MM video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGiwkPqmbw

Wiki page: http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Battle_Mechanics#Matchmaking

[Amarr HM]

If they did I doubt they would put it on their wiki, anyway the matchmaking in Wot is fairly pants. Hopefully Obsidian do a better job of it in AW.

[Trippy]

If they did I doubt they would put it on their wiki

I don't know why they wouldn't -- it would make the game more enjoyable.

anyway the matchmaking in Wot is fairly pants.

Yes it is.

Edit: en dash

[Amarr HM]

My perception of that mechanic is that it creates a lot of matches where only one side can win. To me that seems backward, it just sounds like a patch up job. Why not just try and balance the game at the source?

[Trippy]

No it doesn't. Battle level is essentially vehicle tier. So there's a bunch of stuff in that patent about how to adjust whether or not you are top tier or bottom tier including factoring in win/loss percentage.

Edit: redundant redundancies

[Amarr HM]

Right I'm probably reading too much into it, challenging doesn't necessarily mean put you with a bunch of 45%ers.

Though bugger if I haven't had a ton of games in WOT recently where every single player on my team was 45% WR and I just don't know how a matchmaker system can allow that.

[Amarr HM]

Man this game is buggy, get kicked from server. matches and it doesn't try to reconnect you. Not good.

[WayAbvPar]

I was literally about to pull the trigger on the Emperor pack, but I think I will wait until they get things stable so I am not wasting premium time.

e- just downloaded a micropatch- wonder if that unfucked things?

[Nebu]

Is it just me or is there an annoying little delay between when you press your mouse button and the tank actually fires?  Even with good latency, I still get a small and annoying delay.

[Trippy]

Yes there's a delay.

https://aw.my.com/en/forum/showthread.php?31503-Shot-delay&p=450583&viewfull=1#post450583

[Amarr HM]

I was literally about to pull the trigger on the Emperor pack, but I think I will wait until they get things stable so I am not wasting premium time.

e- just downloaded a micropatch- wonder if that unfucked things?

Well I've stopped getting server disconnects, but I got booted from a match earlier straight to the garage. I think it's my connection dropping, but the way the game handles it is woeful. Makes no attempts to reconnect.
I was going to buy the emperor pack also, but with these issue I just bought a months premium and the MBT-70.

Weird I don't really notice the shell delay, or at least it's very minor for me.

[Amarr HM]

Q&A where devs talk about the shell delay.

[Merusk]

This game feels much more arcadey than WoT and I'm not entirely sure I like that.  I like using more modern tanks and a PvE mode, though. Especially since the PVP matches take between 3 and 5 mins to set-up when I feel like playing and the PvE took about a minute.

Once again it looks like people will prefer PvE over PvP by about a 3:1 ratio when given the option. Quelle surprise!