Matchmaking
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'Call of Duty: Warzone' players used an app to cheat matchmaking
A 'Call of Duty: Warzone' app maker was forced to make changes after their anti-cheat tool was used to rig matchmaking.
'Overwatch' will finally address some old problems with Quick Play
While we'll have to wait for Overwatch 2 before Blizzard delivers new characters or big new missions, that doesn't mean developers are done with the first game. Dexerto points out forum posts by lead developer Jeff Kaplan that mention the team will finally deal with a few problems that have been around since the game launched that are tied to matchmaking for its more casual Quick Play game mode. Unlike competitive matches, Quick Play rounds continue even if a player or two drops out, and it attempts to fill the holes on the fly. That can become an issue if you've been waiting a long amount of time to play in-demand classes like damage and you suddenly get dropped into a match with not much time left and no hope of winning, or worse, added just as the game ends so that all you get to see is a "defeat" screen and a Play of the Game that had nothing to do with you.
'The Division 2' hits Stadia with PC cross-play on March 17th
Back in June 2019, Google and Ubisoft announced that The Division 2 would come to Stadia. It's been nine months, but the game will finally launch on Google's game streaming service on March 17th. The open world squad-based game was one of the bigger hits of last year, garnering lots of positive reviews and plenty of players teaming up online. For those who already have the PC version of the game, the Stadia version will allow for cross-save functionality. More importantly, it will feature cross-play with PC gamers. This is important because of the relatively low adoption rates of Stadia. If few people are playing an online co-op game, there won't be many gamers to team up with.
'Apex Legends' adds ranked leagues that penalize players for leaving games
The second season of Apex Legends goes live today, and in addition to new characters, major map changes and improved weaponry, we'll also see the introduction of Ranked Leagues. In a blog post, the game's developers said Apex is a "dynamic game that takes time and effort to master," so Ranked Leagues will be a place players can go to prove their skills and gain recognition for their hard work.
‘Destiny 2’ tackles the original’s biggest problem: storytelling
The first time I played the original Destiny, I felt frustrated and annoyed. It was a fun online co-op team shooter but the game's narrative was insultingly shallow -- a poorly written space opera where a vague "darkness" was out to destroy a mysterious entity called the Traveler that somehow thrust humanity into a golden age, but also might be dead. It took a year for Bungie to patch in interesting characters and emotional hooks with The Taken King expansion, but by then, I had moved on. Destiny 2, however, has my attention. Not only does it look like a good starting point for new players, but it has the one thing every epic story needs: a great villain.
‘Destiny 2’ has the fundamentals to be a solid sequel
When it comes to serialized media, be it film, comics or video games, rarely does someone say with conviction that "the sequel was better." The expectations are always too high. A good sequel not only has to embody the best of its predecessor, but also be new and original enough to stand on its own. Destiny 2's gameplay premiere event didn't completely assure me that it would surpass the original game, but it's off to a great start.
'Destiny 2’ plays matchmaker so you aren't stuck with weirdos
Bungie wants to make it easier to join and play with other people in Destiny 2. Previously, clans were a complicated affair, making you log on to Bungie.net and connect your PSN or Xbox Live account to join them. During a live event today, Bungie revealed that a revamped Clan and matchmaking system will exist in the game itself. This and other new features fell like a welcome push to make the Destiny 2 experience more comfortably social.
Popular 'Destiny' matchmaking site plans app for more games
Online multiplayer isn't just an afterthought for many of today's PC and console games -- it's central to the whole experience. Games like Destiny work best as massively multiplayer experiences, where you're part of focused squads taking down difficult opponents. Quickly finding a competent team can be difficult, however, which is why tools like DestinyLFG have flourished online. DestinyLFG (LFG = Looking For Group) is a website that allows Guardians to submit posts stating what quests they wish to complete, exactly the type of player they're looking for and list other in-game requirements. The site now counts over 6 million users from all over the world. With a dedicated user base using the site daily, the team behind it has decided to branch out. It's headed to Kickstarter to launch For The Win (FTW), a new app that incorporates all of the useful elements of DestinyLFG and makes them available to communities of other popular multiplayer games.
Valve is preparing 'Team Fortress 2' for eSports
Valve plans to kick off the first round of beta testing for Team Fortress 2's competitive matchmaking mode within the next week or so, the company writes in an update on the game's Competitive Beta Steam Group. In the coming weeks, Valve promises to open up the new mode to select members of that group. Plus, it'll host limited-time stress tests with larger numbers of members. "We know you'd all like to start testing now, and eventually we hope all of you will get a chance to play and share your thoughts," Valve writes. "But remember that all testing happens in stages and right now we're at stage one."
The incredibly sad world of niche dating apps
When I exited the market in 2006, online dating was akin to wearing sweatpants in the club. It was a sign that you'd given up on the "real" world; a symbol of existential surrender.
Xbox One service matches you with players who share your tastes
Matchmaking in video games usually involves little more than the games you play and your skill level. Wouldn't it be nice if you could meet gamers who genuinely share a lot of things in common? Overdog thinks so -- it just launched an app for Xbox One Preview Program members that helps you find players based on their tastes in fields like music, movies and (of course) games. If you want to find a Destiny raid buddy who's into dance music, hockey and Star Wars, you probably can. Overdog won't be truly ready for action until the finished March Xbox One update hits, but it'll spread to other platforms some time after that.
Halo: MCC patch tweaks matchmaking (again), up now
The latest patch for Halo: The Master Chief Collection is live now and focuses on matchmaking, UI, stability and other features, outlined by 343 Industries in summary form after the break. For matchmaking specifically, the patch promises to improve search success rates, reduce instances of the "Awaiting Privileges" error, more correctly determine player counts in each playlist, fix an issue where players appeared to be searching in the incorrect "find game" screen, and add a countdown sound effect to the voting timer. The update should improve the network performance of Halo 2: Anniversary, lower the music volume in multiplayer menus and fix stability issues across multiple games in both campaign and multiplayer. The Master Chief Collection has suffered from matchmaking issues since launch, prompting 343 Industries to dole out compensation in the form of a free month of Xbox Live for early adopters, plus a free 1080p, 60fps Halo 3: ODST campaign due in the spring, and a fresh nameplate and avatar. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Halo: Master Chief Collection patch aims at stability, matchmaking
Halo: The Master Chief Collection received another patch this week aimed at fixing the game collection's matchmaking, parties, roster and other issues. The latest update is expected to improve the "reliability" of matchmaking and also guarantee that split-screen, local multiplayer friends are always on the same team in Halo 2. Microsoft said that players should have fewer problems when joining or managing their parties as well. The Master Chief Collection's update should improve stability across the game's menus, campaign playlists, matchmaking and custom games. Full patch notes are available on 343 Industries' blog. The four-game Halo collection launched in November for Xbox One and was met with a number of issues, primarily in the game's online components. It led to an apology from 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross, who said the developer did not deliver "the experience [players] deserve," and that the developer would "make this right" with its fans. 343 Industries also received criticism for a promotion earlier this month that gave Xbox Live Rewards members that purchased the collection $15 in marketplace credit. The developer says another update is in the works to fix a "Legacy" control option issue in Halo 2 and Halo 4, and will offer further content updates to improve the collection. [Image: Microsoft]
Latest Halo: Master Chief Collection update addresses matchmaking, stability, more
Halo: The Master Chief Collection has been plagued with matchmaking problems since its initial launch, but a fresh update from developer 343 Industries' should be available the next time you boot up the game. As detailed on Halo Waypoint, the 523 MB patch focuses on "a number of matchmaking issues, fixes various bugs related to UI and the party system, and also improves overall stability." While a bulletpoint breakdown of the update can be found after the break, highlights include tweaks to how the matchmaking system handles pairing, a change so that custom game settings remain applied to followup matches, and efforts to improve stability both for the user interface and for parties trying to find a match. Previous updates have also addressed matchmaking issues, but The Master Chief Collection has yet to reach a stable state for many players. 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross has vowed to "make this right with our fans" once the The Master Chief Collection's persisting issues have been resolved. [Image: Microsoft]
Halo: MCC dev pledges to 'make this right with our fans'
343 Industries head Bonnie Ross sent out her "heartfelt apologies" to Halo: The Master Chief Collection players yesterday, following a fortnight of matchmaking malaise. It's far from the first time the studio's said sorry for the Xbox One compilation's online troubles, but it is the first time we've seen the matter addressed on Microsoft's own Xbox Wire blog. In an open letter to fans, Ross reiterated 343's commitment to fixing matchmaking issues, adding that the developer will "make this right" with its audience. "On November 11 we released Halo: The Master Chief Collection," Ross said. "The goal being to create a tribute to Halo fans around the world, and to celebrate the Master Chief's debut on Xbox One. With the initial release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, however, we have not delivered the experience you deserve. I personally apologize for this on behalf of us all at 343 Industries. Our team is committed to working around the clock until these issues are resolved. "While our team works on continual improvements and towards solutions, my commitment to you is that we will take care of all owners of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Our primary and continued focus is first on fixing the issues at hand. Once we've done that, we will detail how we will make this right with our fans."
Halo: MCC re-adds Halo 2: Anniversary Rumble playlist
The Halo 2: Anniversary Rumble playlist is live in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, after 343 Industries stripped it out on November 14 to help ease matchmaking issues. Still, the playlist isn't finalized – it currently allows up to 10 players and doesn't feature ranking, and 343 says it will continue tweaking the playlist to eventually support up to eight players with ranked play. "Once we've ironed out existing matchmaking issues," 343 writes. Matchmaking continues to be problematic in The Master Chief Collection, and even before the game's launch on November 11, 343 had to make changes to the announced lineup of playlists. Our review noted that matchmaking was "barely functioning." On November 20, 343 released a patch aiming to fix many matchmaking issues. [Image: Microsoft]
Overdog matchmaking app to pair up online players with similar interests
If you play against an opponent in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, it's safe to assume you found someone who has similar taste in games. But what about the rest of life? Are they still trying to unravel every last plot point of Lost like you? Are they big on the Seattle Seahawks, and can they get down with your guilty pleasure, Kesha? An upcoming Xbox One app from Overdog is designed to help answer those questions and pair players up according to matched tastes in entertainment. GamesBeat reports that a recent funding round has brought in $1.8 million for Overdog, which includes investments from Zynga co-founder Mark Pincus and Machinima co-founder Allen DeBevoise. Overdog told GamesBeat that the funds will go to marketing, additional hiring and the development of their app for a second, unspecified platform. Overdog's website states that its app is due within December 2014 on Xbox One, and Overdog president Hunter Hillenmeyer added that the team hopes to "improve matchmaking for online games across all platforms, whether that's Xbox, PlayStation, mobile and tablet, or even some virtual reality ecosystem that has yet to materialize." [Image: Microsoft]
Guild Wars 2 plans a big PvP patch for December 2nd
On December 5th, the first World Tournament Series for Guild Wars 2 will conclude with a showdown between the four best teams across the United States, Europe, and China. Right before that, on December 2nd, the Guild Wars 2 team will be deploying several large-scale updates to the game's PvP. So if you've been watching the tournament with rapt interest, you'll have a number of shiny new systems to test out; if you haven't, you can still reap the benefits of an improved PvP system in the game. Matchmaking is one of the biggest game mechanics seeing alterations. Players will be sorted by Glicko2 ratings for matchmaking purposes and subjected to a dishonor system that punishes behavior like leaving mid-match. The net result is a full ladder system for the game that will serve as a foundation for large-scale league play, with a test season planned for mid-December to make sure all of the parts work properly. There are more adjustments to be revealed over the next two weeks, but for now, dedicated PvP fans can rest easy knowing that more boosts are coming. [Source: ArenaNet press release]
Halo: MCC removes playlists as matchmaking woes continue
343 Industries trimmed the number of active playlists in Halo: The Master Chief Collection in a bid to ease the ongoing matchmaking issues. Executive Producer Dan Ayoub said the temporary culling of four playlists, leaving the game with six, will lower the wait time for matches. However, 343 Industries admits the change "will not solve all matchmaking issues," and the studio is "investigating" server-side fixes and content updates to address the troubled multiplayer over the coming week. Meanwhile, the Xbox One compilation is due to receive a title update this morning that should fix some of the scoring and stat-based errors. However, matchmaking-wise it'll only feature a "minor fix" for team skill matching.
Halo: MCC to matchmake it up to players with today's updates
343 Industries plans to release "a number of server updates" today for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with the aim of improving the problematic matchmaking. In an official forum post, Exec. Producer Dan Ayoub said the updates are due to roll out this morning (PT), and since they're server-side players won't encounter title updates or things like that. Ayoub added the studio aims to address other "community priorities" with another update this weekend, noting that one issue is causing certain achievements to not unlock. He also apologized to players on behalf of 343 for the issues encountered since launch, re-iterating the studio's efforts to fix things ASAP.
