Hackers aside, the biggest problem is how Trials MM works. On paper, it makes sense to put players on their (insert win on that card here) against others like them, but in practice, it means people who have gone Flawless 8 times that week can be paired against people who have never gone Flawless even in D1. Of course, I shouldn't have to tell you that since you intentionally designed it like that. A system like that almost sets people up for failure because all most players can do is hope the enemy team isn't as good, otherwise many will feel like they have to switch to loadouts they don't like such as Arbalest or a shotgun rushing build because it's so effective (went against 3 different teams using each in one night before giving up).
The card MM system does set it up to feel more competitive, there's no denying that, after all, what would you expect to make people play harder? Two teams on their 6th win with 0 losses, or a team with 5 wins against a team that's just starting out? By default, it's already a flawed system just because of what I said above. I do believe it would be better with SBMM and no one can see the other team's streak, I probably would've been Flawless finally if I didn't get paired against people who play so cheaply that it's not much better than cheating.
However, then comes what you people define as "skill". K/D ratio? Team K/D? ELO? Team ELO? KA/D? Team KA/D W/L ratio? Current winstreak? I can easily go into detail about how most of these wouldn't work. Beyond the emblem that turns the gold red and 3 or 4 weapons, there's no real motivation for me to go into it. The problem though will either be search times or the one that exists right now and that players won't get better if they keep being forced to play against others who are significantly better every other match or play like I mentioned above.
You could put people who have gone Flawless against others like them, but this wouldn't work either (accounts, not characters, make carries and recovs a little harder by implementing this on groups with even one player who has gone Flawless). The reason is because of search times and the fact that was one of, if not THE reason you removed SBMM. With that said, both parties would have longer search times, top it off with how the card system works and you'll be in orbit longer with each win. Then when you finally do go Flawless after your 10th card, you're stuck playing against the super tryhards who go Flawless on every other card if they're unlucky. So for many players, they'd just get the Flawless reward and then probably grind the 3-5 wins until they get good rolls for those if they're worth grinding.
If you intend to keep Trials, what you need to do is stop trying to keep it as "competitive" as it is because it isn't at all. There's no competition to be had between a team on their 8th Flawless in a row and a team struggling to reach 4 without losing. If it was SBMM, people wouldn't have too much trouble reaching the Lighthouse, but as long as it's locked behind an extremely flawed MM system, players gatekeeping, and in some cases, paywalls (paid carries and recovs that you should look into profiting from at this point). You want players to keep trying, but would you want to keep trying if you went against players on their 20th Flawless card that week every 2-4 matches? They're not getting better, and they're essentially in the Destiny equivalent of Overwatch's "forever gold" going up against Masters/ Grandmasters and Top 500s (coming from a guy who's placed in plat every season I played and was 1 win away from Diamond).
The other option is to make good alternatives to be earned in PVE with the possibility of pinnacle perks or otherwise unique combinations, especially when people grinded their a**** off for weapons like Redrix, only for them to be sunsetted, then for the pinnacle perk(s)/ combinations to be put back in, but time gated and locked behind many walls:
Trials has Messenger with (insert barrel/ mag), Rapid Hit, and Desperado? Reprise a weapon like Horror's Least (make an adept version) and give it a roll like Rangefinder and Killing Wind or switch up the pinnacle part and put Magnificent Howl on it.
Trials has Igneous Hammer and can get maxed range? Reprise a weapon like Warden's Law (adept version too, change firing mode to be similar to double barrels in games like Warframe) or make a 180 with Timed Payload and Explosive Rounds (flinch machine).
If you're not going to fix the game mode you put-what? Two years in bringing back only to release it "half-baked" like you said you wouldn't and make it unrewarding at that to everyone who isn't able to go Flawless to no fault of their own in most, if not every case, you need to put good alternatives in other pinnacle activities like Master and Grandmaster NFs. Trials isn't getting better, there's less motivation to attempt Flawless each season, and waiting weeks or months to grind a weapon just causes people to lose more interest.
Edit: I find it funny how many people are trying to say I'm asking for a handout by wanting SBMM while others are seriously trying to tell me to just not lose or get better when probably the only thing any of them have on me is reaching the Lighthouse. I can guarantee my skill isn't an issue, if anything, all I'd need to do is switch to a playstyle I'm not used to because I hate said playstyle. I wouldn't be surprised if most of those people were carried or even paid for it from what I've seen.
English
#destiny2
-
32 Replies1. You're complaints are legitimate. Every TRULY hardcore competitive pursuit has some degree of skill-matching. Its why you don't see NFL football teams beating up on the local high school teams. They play other pros. 2. But you have to understand is that Trials was NEVER set up to be truly competitive. It was set up to be PREDATORY. To allow the best pvp players to prey upon weaker players for fun-and-prizes, while largely AVOIDING playing each other. 3. Ever since Rise of Iron back in D1, Trials has been painfully unrewarding. Especially to players of average skill and lower. They get served up to get curb stomped by the top 5%...and largely get little more than a kick-in-the-teeth for their time and the abuse they take. Which is why the game has been self-destructing at regular intervals. ever since. Without average players to prey upon, the game's format stops working. There aren't enough players in the pool to make MM work....and without average players filling up that pool, the talent is so concentrated that Trials become super sweaty and the difficulty in going flawless sky rockets. Which of course, creates the market for cheating, carries, account recoveries, etc. Which just makes an already broken game mode even worse. Unlike you, I don't play Trials....so at the end of the day I have no dog in this fight either way. But I've been here long enough to see what's wrong, why its always in trouble..... ...and why it never gives an enjoyable play experience to anyone but the very best players....and often not even to them.