[2022] Solution to making ranked more bearable for Solo-Q players

Originally posted by Galatex

we don't want to punish stacks, we want to make solo q more fair

in dota 2 for example you get +30 mmr for a win as solo q(if you lose you get -30), in a party you get +20

Originally posted by Kynexz

While I was climbing to Masters last split which I didnt do full squad for the first time, I got placed into obv full stack pred lobbies while having diamond randoms.

Why do you see it as punish players for playing with friends when this is a teamgame and playing with randoms makes it significantly harder over a coordinated team? It happens rly often where randoms cause u to die early on. Theres not rly a downside to a solo player losing less RP.

Originally posted by HairyFur

Could you not get a sample size of players and measure their average peformance soloqueueing vs in 3 stacks and with a duo, and use that data to adjust entry costs?

Originally posted by linpawws

I hope my response makes sense here.. Do you think the Loss Aversion mentality would convince people who are comfortable playing in a 3 stack to ditch their teammates and play solo just so they have lower entry cost?

After all, even given the lower entry cost as a solo, it's still harder to get KP/ RP as a solo in the first place!

Tbh I'm down for any change to make solo q ranked more fair so I'm open to more ideas other than this. I just wanted to justify this idea cause I think it's a relatively fair change.

Originally posted by linpawws

Alright I see what you're talking about. Now that I know you're putting in work to matchmake 3 stacks against 3 stacks I'm fine.

I have another idea I wanna run buy you. What if we added rank demotion BUT make it like Arena Ranked where you get ranked rewards based on the highest rank reached? So people wouldn't 'stop' playing as once they get to (P4, D4, Masters) they still get rewarded on reaching their highest rank. This is in reference to the comments under your most recent tweet.

I'm trying to accommodate players who just want to get ranked rewards (badge+trail) and the players who rightfully complain that hardstuck randoms play with 0 fear since they're aren't punished for making dumb plays.

Originally posted by linpawws

Alright gotcha. Thanks for taking the time to explain to us. I don't envy your position as this is a really complicated issue but I hope you guys make some meaningful changes wherever you see fit.

Originally posted by Nindzya

Curious how you reached this conclusion when the community at large has agreed that demotion would in fact be effective at addressing reckless play behavior.

If I've hit my peak, I can troll anyways anyways

Ok, but you're trolling in lobbies below your skill level where you can play recklessly to success and thus less likely to sabotage players trying to seriously climb the ladder.

Originally posted by PalkiaOW

there is no easy solution for this by adjusting RP.

How about a performance bonus? Valorant already does that.

Just award players a bit of extra RP based on certain achievements after the match. This would give you a lot of control without all the nasty psychological side effects.

For example, solo queuers receive a bonus depending on how many other solo queuers were in the lobby. Kill leaders and players who wiped an entire squad by themselves also get a nice reward. And so on.

It would mostly be exploit-proof, and you'd even get a nice surprise reward conditioning effect on top.

Originally posted by rspn_exgeniar

"For example, solo queuers receive a bonus depending on how many other solo queuers were in the lobby. "

That is fundamentally the same thing as "solo queue pays less entry cost"

Originally posted by PalkiaOW

That is fundamentally the same thing as "solo queue pays less entry cost"

The outcome is the same, but it fixes the "conditional validity" problem.

I also think you're overestimating the degree to which Loss Aversion would kick in. People would definitely realize that triple stacking is still more advantageous (and infinitely more fun) than solo queueing with a small consolation prize.

At the end of the day solo queuers will always make up a considerable chunk of the playerbase, but unlike other team games Apex doesn't really offer them anything, which probably is why you see so many "game xyz does that" type of suggestions.

Anyway, thanks for giving some insights. I get that it's a very complex issue, so it's good to know that Respawn has smart guys working on it.

Originally posted by PalkiaOW

They already do, why do you think Preps only 3 stack?

Because grinding with your homies is a lot more enjoyable than playing alone. No one's gonna deny their friends just to save a bit of RP.

People who triple stack now would still triple stack after those changes. And again, there are ways to make it feel less punishing.

Originally posted by TheOpeningThread

Jesus f**king christ. These responses make me lose hope in the dev team. The number one reason people don't give a shit about supporting the game monetarily anymore is because of this. Day in and day out, your playerbase tries to f**king say to you "hey, this isn't fun to us. It's not an enjoyable experience. Please do this to change it, or here are some requests." and you all just refuse to do anything because your heads are so far up your ass you can't see sunlight. Everyone sees the base value of the game, and how it's technically and fundamentally good, but every day, more and more people are saying "you know what, I'm done spending money on this game." If they ever did in the first place. Stop implementing EOMM, and FIX the matchmaking so that solos stop getting paired with people far below or above their skill level. Give us solos like we have been ASKING for for two years. LISTEN to your playedbase. Even if you, for WHATEVER reason feel that YOUR thought process and design choice is sound, TRY different things. Stop treating your playerbase like shit. Stand up for the people that are passionate about this game. Stand up for your f**king selves and make decisions WITH AND FOR your fans, instead of decisions that suck the value, uniqueness, fun, and enjoyment out of your f**king game.