What do you expect from smart balancing?

[AfterDune]

You know how it is. You're a squadmember in a VOIP squad, having awesome firefights, good communication and above all, you're having fun! But then suddenly, the script of darkness switches you to the other team, because the teams are unbalanced! The horror! The pain! And you go FFFFUUUUUU.


So. I'm looking for ways to improve smart balancing (yes, my AD Smart Balance module).

What it does right now:
- Check if the difference of the teams is greater than x (default = 2). If it is, switch players until balance is OK again.
- Commanders and squad leaders don't get switched, ever
- Players only get switched if they're dead (of course)
- Players don't get switched if their name (or part of it) or clantag is in the reserved list


The next step is, if balancing is needed, first switch squadless players. I think this would already be a good improvement.


What do you think, are there even better/friendlier ways to balance teams? What more could be improved?

[RedAlertSF]

Thank god somebody is finally repairing this. After destroying all enemy tanks in Kashan, enemy TOW blows up your tank and autobalance switches you to the side you just destroyed. Is there anything worse than this?

I agree that squadless players should be switched first. That probably repairs the whole situation.

Another term could be clan tags. If same clan tags are on the same team, don't switch the player, if the same tags are on the other side, switch the player.

[Cassius]

I think that would be a great idea, albeight it would do little on the server I am a regular with, since they kick squadless players. I guess the next step would be preventing squadleaders from being switched. Switch snipers first jk.

[AfterDune]

Yeah, forgot the mention the 'reserved list', of course there is one .

[kaufman_23]

Another term could be clan tags. If same clan tags are on the same team, don't switch the player, if the same tags are on the other side, switch the player.

yeah, grouping clan tags on the same side would be a nice thing to have

[AfterDune]

I guess the next step would be preventing squadleaders from being switched

Squadleaders don't get switched (in AD Smart Balance, what I'm talking about )

yeah, grouping clan tags on the same side would be a nice thing to have

Exists already.

[arjan]

TBH, i really really really hate clan vs pubbers

Most of the times your playing its clan vs unorganized pubbers.. and the clans just steamroll over the pubs.
I would like a system that puts 2 tags against eachother, but hey thats my point of view.
So stuff actualy gets ''balanced''.

EDIT: about that, im talking about 2 different clans against eachother not same clan.

[cyberzomby]

Is there an option to filter on class? For example, only switch riflemen? Lets face it, riflemen are the least important in the squad. Or is there some way of doing it like TG, the person who last joined the server?

[Cassius]

TBH, i really really really hate clan vs pubbers

Most of the times your playing its clan vs unorganized pubbers.. and the clans just steamroll over the pubs.
I would like a system that puts 2 tags against eachother, but hey thats my point of view.
So stuff actualy gets ''balanced''.

EDIT: about that, im talking about 2 different clans against eachother not same clan.

The whole concept of PR defeats pubby playing. You do not need to be in a clan, I am not, but you do need to become a regular on a server so teamplay can happen with people you know.

[Dougalachi]

Is there an option to filter on class? For example, only switch riflemen? Lets face it, riflemen are the least important in the squad. Or is there some way of doing it like TG, the person who last joined the server?

Both of those are suggestions I approve of.

As for clan balancing, I've been in enough clans, and out of clans enough to know that they have their pluses and minuses. Splitting up clans on a server encourages the feeding of intel between the clan mates on opposing sides, and can often make for an unfair game, especially on insurgency maps (don't say it never happens, I have seen it way too many times).

Keeping them together encourages teamwork for the side that has a cohesive unit. The problem comes when the other side has no cohesive unit, and so they get steam-rolled and people get pissed off, leaving, or trying to switch to the side that is winning. Unfortunately, there doesn't really seem to be any way to resolve the issue which is good for both sides...

The whole concept of PR defeats pubby playing. You do not need to be in a clan, I am not, but you do need to become a regular on a server so teamplay can happen with people you know.

Are you saying that those of us who have to work full time and do things other than sit in front of their computer playing games more than a once/twice a week shouldn't be a concern for the community or developers as a whole? Because I can't put a bunch of hours into the game and get to know players in a server, my enjoyment (or lack of it) shouldn't matter?

There are people that enjoy going up against a challenge (myself included sometimes), but winning a game every now and then sorta feels good, doesn't it?

[Excavus]

For me, autobalancing always kicks in at the worst times, like if I'm a medic of the squad and I need to respawn, so I'm waiting for the squad leader to set a rally point, only for the server to kick me to the other team. When this happens I just lose all momentum and I just don't want to play anymore. I will simply leave the server If I am autobalanced, it isn't worth starting up in a new squad mid-game.

[Tim270]

I think the best way may be to try and switch people that are joining/loading before anyone else (if possibile/does not already do this). When players are joining their ping is 0 (or at least to ppl in the server) so maybe switching anyone with a ping of 0 first may work.

[AfterDune]

Yeah, does already do that.

[Arnoldio]

Switch the players who just joined (joined earlier)
Switch players who are in squads with 2 or less members

[killonsight95]

Switch the players who just joined (joined earlier)
Switch players who are in squads with 2 or less members

yeah i agree with this, that way dedicated players don't get switched

[Tim270]

yeah i agree with this, that way dedicated players don't get switched

Well I mean a 2 man squad could be a tank, apc cas/huey trans.

[AfterDune]

I recognize the "get switched, lose interest in playing" thing, Excavus. Horrible..


Two-man squads can be just as effective as a fullblown 6-man squad. Totally depends what they are doing.
What if they're tankers? Drivers gets out to reduce noise, gets killed, switched... meh..



Thanks for the replies so far. It's good to discuss what annoys us about balancing and how we can try to make it more friendly.

[Aquiller]

How about adding a new feature that would balance the teams according to the overall points they have? When one side has lets say 20k points and the other one 10k, the script would shuffle some of the players to even the score at 15k points on both teams. More or less - just a thought.

[Akagi]

Well, I have read the comments other people wrote, I'm fairly experienced in PR, fairly new on the forums. But wouldn´t it be a nice suggestion if people get switched from squads with the least points, because im often in one of the top squads ( looking at points, kills-death ratio. And I get switched . While some shave tail louis squad with such bad kill death ratio is left untouched.