I'm hoping theres an option in matchmaking that lets you pick your preferred class. Say I want to play as a medic. In my search I can "fill" the role of a medic and the matchmaking system would search for people who want to play other classes. This would help in alleviating the possibility of everyone in a game picking operative or another role when they have no intent of ever switching their role.

I bring this up because i've played monday night combat and anyone who's played it knows that you can be stuck on a team where everyone is a sniper. When that happens, your team is so gimped that you all have to be amazing to win.

Thoughts?

I think this could be an option.

It depends a lot on who you're playing with. If your team is flexible, people will switch over automatically. You even receive xp for switching classes.

I think it would be a wasted a feature, since classes are not locked and players can change class in-game at command posts, and also every time they respawn. Also, changing classes is something that is encouraged - to fulfill roles when the team needs them.

I doubt they will have a feature of that sort even though it would a positive addition in my opinion. There's nothing worse than playing with a group that has 3 or 4 snipers, medics or w.e. This is why playing with friends or in a clan is much better experience. There's alot more communication and you can alll agree on who does what.

When you join a game with 6 people who all play operative and refuse to switch you'll change your tone. And yes, it WILL happen.

Yes it will happen. Brink is about letting you play what you want to play. Granted a team with 6 operatives will fail and those people are idiots you don't have to play with them.

If you get put into a game and that's going on what are you supposed to do? Leave? I don't want to play any game where i feel like i want to leave a room. And this option is just to help matchmaking make games that are balanced. You don't have to only play the class you picked, it just matches people together by what class they would prefer to play.

If you were in that situation, you could always switch teams. Besides, your idea matches people by what they would prefer to play - what if you get matched in a game where everyone preferred to play the same class? Also, your method is flawed, since not all classes are equally preferred, meaning, there would still be an overabundance of soldiers and operatives and under abundance of medics and possibly, engineers.

Also, what's the point of this feature, if you don't have to play the class you picked anyway? Wouldn't people be switching regardless?

All i can say to this is wow, your missing the point completely. And you don't seem to understand how a matchmaking system works at all.

'Capt. Awesome Man
"Besides, your idea matches people by what they would prefer to play - what if you get matched in a game where everyone preferred to play the same class?"

The point of the matchmaking is to prevent that. I don't even know how you came to that conclusion. The option is meant to prevent that. You want to play medic and your buddy wants to play soldier? We'll match you with people who want to play engineer and operative.

Capt. Awesome Man
"Also, your method is flawed, since not all classes are equally preferred, meaning, there would still be an overabundance of soldiers and operatives and under abundance of medics and possibly, engineers."

Again, that is the point of a matchmaking system...
It doesn't matter if different classes want to be played more than others. At any given time there could be thousands of players searching for games. Now your telling me out of those thousands of people you couldn't find 8 people who would all prefer to play a certain class?

Capt. Awesome Man
"Also, what's the point of this feature, if you don't have to play the class you picked anyway? Wouldn't people be switching regardless?"

The "point" of the feature is to not be put into a game where half the team picks, for example, operative and they have no intention of switching regardless if they are losing. You can make a game that encourages people to switch classes but that doesn't mean that they will. And no, people might not be switching classes. I plan on playing medic full time through an entire game without switching no matter how the battle is going. I want to play with people who will fill those other roles. And just because this option would be in place doesn't mean the system has to use it for every game. Say the game for whatever reason can't find 2 medics for a team. It can just randomly select someone. The option doesn't mean you have to play that class it's just a preferred class.

And here is where you are missing the point. Even if you got matched on a team that is well varied/balanced, class-wise, There is still a good chance that your team is going to need more/less of a particular class, so your "balanced matchmaking" formula, is short-lived, since all previous SD games (and I don't see Brink as an exception) encouraged class-switching to help the team when needed anyway.


So you propose a system to combat that "stubborn player syndrome," of people who refuse to switch classes, and then you practice the same behavior - please, don't ever get stuck on my team.

Not in Brink.

I can see why you would want this, but that's the fun of it. Switching classes on the fly to change to the battle, and figuring out different strategies that work. It could be included, but I myself would stay away from it.

In monday night combat you can switch your class at any time as well but that doesn't mean people do it. Just because the game says you should do something doesn't mean people will follow it. I don't remember anywhere in my posts where I said you would have to play the class you preferred when looking for a game. Of course you can switch mid-game and of course you can switch to the role needed most. The idea of it is match players based on what role they would prefer to play. This isn't an option where that forces you to play that specific class. It's a guideline to help match players together based on what role they want to fulfill in the game.




Your realy gonna bash me because I want to play the most important role in the game without switching? You will always need a medic, no matter what. Me switching to something else not only takes time but takes away a critical part of the game. If i'm the only medic and I switch to engineer we now have no medics on our team. I WILL be the most important role in any game I walk into and I guarantee not a single person will be complaining that I play medic exclusively.

And when you bring your character into a game in say the level 20 bracket, your character will be tailored to be used in only 1 or 2 roles unless you spread your points out amongst all the classes. If i'm a medic with almost all my points in that class specification then i'm not only gimping myself but my team by switching to something else. I will also trust that my teammates will be able to complete the objectives for their class without me having to switch and "baby" them.

Now you are adding other variables, like, "if I was the only medic." Your original statement was:

"I plan on playing medic full time through an entire game without switching no matter how the battle is going."

You also don't need to lecture me on the importance of Medics - I've been playing them for around 10 years now. Here is my philosophy - IF I am the only Medic on the team, (which happens a lot) I will be reluctant to change class. But if my team just cannot seem to complete the objective, I may switch to the needed class and attempt to do it myself. Fortunately, Medics are the most underused, under-appreciated class, so playing one for the entire mach, is usually not a problem.

Also, this scenario is not strictly restricted to completing objectives. Sometimes your team may need to open up that side route, or place some turrets, or even distribute ammo - and changing classes to address these situations is perfectly normal and expected - you can always go back to medic when you're done.

I'm curious, did you play RTCW MP or any previous SD games? Because I've played them all. I have, even if just a small, sense of how, at least some of the gameplay mechanics are going to work out in Brink.

In TF2, a game with no instructions other than to complete the main objective, I rarely see a team with more than 5 spies or 5 snipers, which is still way too many on a 16 person team. Brink does its best to bribe people into completing objectives and acting like a team. So there will be even less chance of having way too many of one class on the team.

A second problem with your plan is - who decides what the best team composition is? Would your filter just put 2 of each class on each team? would it factor in bodytype? if your filter did its job perfectly, every game would end up with the same mix of classes, which would make the game a lot more boring. One of the main things that will make Brink replayable in multiplayer is that every game will be different, you never know what mix of classes or strategy the enemy will use.

On the internet, sometims you have to leave.

Also, depending on things like map layout, the "ideal team" will not be a fixed combination.

Even if the rest of your team is medics?



Exactly.

It'd be funny if the game rated your playstyle and paired you up that way. There's a helpful and a MEAN rating. And there's a sneaky stabby bastard rating. And a medical genius rating. And so on and so on. A buff it like it's hot rating.

What if instead of ratings, players could earn those titles and they could be displayed as an icon net to your players name on the scoreboard or above your head in-game. It could give a way for players to get some idea of what type of player you are.

I would like to see that as well.

That'd be cool. But it'd be of actual use instead of "twitch shooter". Or "Grenade Spammer". It'd be something you really have to earn by being useful.

Well, you could earn negative badges also. It would still let players know what type of player you are.

Camper, all the medicpacks are belonging to me, Team killing @#@!tard

+1

Ill be honest, I would be actively trying to get that last badge. I love RvB