(if tldr skip these paragraphs)
So it sounds like we won’t be getting segregated queues any time soon, the technology isn’t there and the development of this would likely take forever based on what the devs have said + how long they’ve taken with spvp development thus far. So without further ado I would like to present a different way to work around the premade vs solo queue pug issue, and that is to balance premade vs solo queue play.
To understand how to balance this ideology we first have to analyze what gives premades the upper hand over a solo queue group (assuming equal individual skill level of players for both teams), and then we have to think about how we can minimalize these advantages. If anyone would like to contribute to this segment of the thread (if I miss something) just leave a post and I’ll give your suggestion some thought and maybe add it in.
Things that give premades advantage over pugs: (the What)
- Communication: Most premades will use VOIP (Skype, Vent, TS3, ect…), the ability to communicate vocally means a few things, the first is that premades can be more organized in fights -coordinating bursts and cc and yelling at people to focus on the target can secure victory for organized players. Another thing VOIP entails is free global awareness; premade players can call out numbers on each point as they are fighting, or call out “incomings” as they engage in another task.
- Team Comp: Team comp hasn’t been a HUGE issue yet, since GW2 is relatively imbalanced, there are no “set strategies” or comps yet, but this could become more of an issue in the future.
- Less Roster Issues (no leavers): A huge problem right now (especially in the higher end of the bracket where queue times are longer) is people submitting a roster, then forgetting about it and logging out of the game; when the match eventually starts, that person’s team will be a man short (4v5). Premades don’t have this issue because if someone has to leave, the leader will retract the roster before queue pops and find the group another person to play with.
How to minimalize these advantages: (the How)
- Communication: Improving the mini map and targeting in sPvP would be the best workaround for communication (ie; tab targeting prioritizes marked targets, replace green dots with class icons + show icons of enemy’s engaged in combat with ally players).
- Team Comp: Tacking on a simple algorithm to match players based on their “games per class” stats (the pie chart in pvp window) to fit a pug into the meta at least somewhat (1 guard + off-node bunker class + 3 roamer classes) would be a good workaround to the whole queuing into a team of 4 of the same class as me issue. Like I said above though, this isn’t a huge issue right now, but as the game becomes more balanced and as population climbs back up, it will be something to consider when those 2 variables align.
- Less Roster issues: This is kind of a no-brainer, just make the queue system remove SOLO players out of the roster if they logg out, but let duo+ (anyone in a party) players swap around characters while they remain in queue to coordinate what they want to play with their teams. -I’m pretty sure Anet is already dealing with this and likely has a better solution than the simple one I’ve come up with.
tldr; Things that give premades an advantage over pugs = the above bold, we should try to minimalize these advantages to give solo queuers a real shot against premades that have players of equal individual skill level.
I probably missed a lot (mainly for time sake -I threw this together in like 5 minutes, have to get back to work) so let me know what else you guys think gives premades an edge over pugs and I’ll throw it in later if its worth the thought.
Also, for those of you who don’t know who I am -my names Nick Knowles (Neglekt) and I’m a journalist over at esportsgaming.net, I’m the main content contributor for the GW2 section of the site. Cheers!
