Overwatch 2 has the latest patch, and it is all set to make things more competitive. There will be no more quick play events, I am afraid. Balanced matchmaking is the name of the game. Developers are now focusing more on skill-based matchmaking for a more balanced play. This is a good step forward towards creating a more level playing field. Players have had an issue with the way matches were made in Overwatch 2 ever since its launch and for a long time, there was hardly in redressal. Now perhaps it will be patched.
Broken System
Here is an example. Many players subjected the game to harsh criticism owing to the fact that its matchmaking system was lopsided. Many bronze-level players, called noobs in a semi-derogatory manner, found themselves facing off against far more experienced Grand Masters. Canadian professional player Crimzo even went to Twitter to call the matchmaking system utter trash. Furthermore, he added that the system in Overwatch 1 was much better. It was indeed a very difficult system until the overhaul remove SR numbers and introduced a tier-based arrangement. Like other popular games in this category such as League of Legends.
The developers have assured players time and again that all their issues will be addressed. The matchmaker is still a work in progress, but still, the March 7 patch removes a lot of difficulties from it. Aaron Keller, the Game Director, revealed in a recent blog post that till now, the matchmaker was the same as the Quick Play and Competitive. However, he also mentioned that the changes will take some time to be implemented. The issue has been patched for now and what remains to be seen is whether players encounter such difficulties in the future as well.
Fine Tuning Ahead
According to Keller, in the new system, whenever players queue up to play a match, the matchmaker will automatically search for a player with an equal skill level. But at the same time, it may often have to expand the search to players with larger skill differences. However, the gap or difference between the players will not be too high this time. Furthermore, Keller also stated that in season 3, they removed the system’s control over per-queue behavior. This means the skill differences will be definitely the same in Quick Play as well as Competitive. A lot of changes in that one.
It is not clear in the first place why the devs’ control over the queues vanished temporarily. However, it has since returned and is now stricter than ever. The patch released three days ago gave the devs back control of the queues and also provided them with the flexibility to modify them. They can also tune the system any way they want now. In the coming week, devs have promised to look into the skill gap in Competitive as well.
Hopefully, now we can steer clear of the horrors of watching newcomers struggle against experienced players. It ruins the fun every time.
