I search alone.

[uberge3k]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tijW_SrCoxs

I search this empty rankeds
On the boulevard of broken searches
Where the ranked players sleep
And I'm the only one, and I search alone

I search alone, I search alone
I search alone and I search alone

[Chorus]
My search progress bar's the only one that searches beside me
My shallow Aeon icon's the only thing that's blinking
Sometimes I wish someone out there will ranked me
Till then I search alone

S-earch, S-earch, S-earch
S-earch, S-earch, S-earch

I'm searching down the rankeds
That divides me somewhere in FAF
On the border line of the edge
And where I search alone

Search between the lines, if you're searching every thing's all right
Check my find games tab to know I'm still searching
And I search alone

I search alone, I search alone
I search alone and I search a

[Chorus]

S-earch, S-earch, S-earch
S-earch, S-earch, S-earch

I search alone, I search a

I search this empty rankeds
On the boulevard of broken searches
Where the ranked players sleep
And I'm the only one, and I search a

[Chorus]


(after searching unsuccessfully for 1 hour without getting a game; with apologies to Green Day)

[noobymcnoobcake]

^^ agree. Ranked is not used as much as it should be. I prefer hosting custom games on the maps i like as i dont really like the map pool. But i think most people too scared to click the button. If more people just clicked the button then we would get better matches and less wait times, resulting in more people playing ranked. Also icon not very big. Some people probably dont even know it exists. Also its called automatch. Surely someone can come up with a better name than that?

[Raging_Squirrel]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0wqZJXA6v8

So faf, your gilded rankz have turned
From "once upon a time" to "darkest hour"
Claim to the top - the search takes longer
I burned myself to increase my rank

Only one-second search makes you beautiful
And one has got to be mine
Only completed game, turned cynical
Sniped my commander fine

Someone broke the connection and now my game's gone
Remember what I play like?
You can keep my old build order
I'll have my bomber over, thank you for all the kills

That's how it ended...

Only one-second search makes you beautiful
And one has got to be mine
Only completed game, turned cynical
Good game, a typical rhyme

Only one-second search makes you beautiful
And one has got to be mine
Only completed game, turned cynical
Good game, a typical rhyme

[FunkOff]

^^ agree. Ranked is not used as much as it should be. I prefer hosting custom games on the maps i like as i dont really like the map pool.

This pretty much. It doesn't include any of my favorite 2 player maps and includes a bunch of horrid 8 player maps. And it only ever matches me against other top 10 players. How will the noobs learn to fear me if they never get murdered by me in ranked?

[-_V_-]

^^ agree. Ranked is not used as much as it should be. I prefer hosting custom games on the maps i like as i dont really like the map pool.

This pretty much. It doesn't include any of my favorite 2 player maps and includes a bunch of horrid 8 player maps. And it only ever matches me against other top 10 players. How will the noobs learn to fear me if they never get murdered by me in ranked?

Jsut be sure to put cheats on and you should be fine to murder them on any map

[Tressor]

Lucky you at least you have some chance to play at your rating
Every time i try it takes like 20min and after those 20 of staring at screen i just quit
I was 40+minutes once in a q so i got tired of waiting n quit- it just take too long

I dont know how the matchmaking system works, does it q top players with 200 rated noobs or is it somehow similar rating matchmaking but when i watch replays there arent any from 1300 or less or are very few

Also when i first started using faf i had no clue how to get into 1v1 since all it shows is few icons and automatch above, i figured it out how to use it but i guess some new ppl wont even bother and often when u click the icon it just has a green progress bar lasting anywhere from 1to even 15min making it very hard to spot that you actually joined for 1v1

And most of all i thing some new players are scared to 1v1 since there is no1 to carry them to higher rating so other new players like me have no way to get into 1v1 unless 30 min+ q and i dont really mind who i play against-stronger the better
after all you really learn from defeats and pros will use every weakness of my strategy to win hence you improve faster imo nothings better then learning from mistakes

And to ppl that may say host 1v1 game its nice to do so but not the same -you chose the map u see what faction your enemy has theres no randomness in it and i guess randomness is what makes it so much better

[noobymcnoobcake]

i dont really mind who i play against-stronger the better
after all you really learn from defeats and pros will use every weakness of my strategy to win hence you improve faster imo nothings better then learning from mistakes

And to ppl that may say host 1v1 game its nice to do so but not the same -you chose the map u see what faction your enemy has theres no randomness in it and i guess randomness is what makes it so much better

I donlt like getting smashed in 5 mins. My first 2 ranked games against lucun and ubergeek. Not fun. Yes when you lose you can improve but if your smashed so fast there is little you can see that you can optimise.

I actualy dont like the randomness. Chances afe you get a map you dont like with an enemy who is 500 better than you and your the wrong faction for it. After you waited 20 mins. So i host lots of 1v1 games. You see them. They say 1v1 1300-1700 rating (im ~1500. Because people know what map and rating to expect they join fast, the games are balanced ad we have fun.

I also think randomness can make you better. Being able to adapt to any situation that you are not prepared for requires skill.

[Asinius]

As a very new player, I would like to agree with most of this. I've loved the game for a while, but I'm just now working on some matches with the Sorian AI (after playing a few ranked matches). It's a bummer, especially considering my history in RTSs. I like the ranking system and am thrilled that FAF exists, but I'll admit that I was not terribly thrilled to be facing people in the top ten right off the bat.

I'm all up for a challenge to improve my skills, but getting steam rolled is more counterproductive. Is there a way (and I know very little about the FAF program itself) to set up a matching with at least somewhat similar ranks? I don't know how much this is asking, so I can understand if it's a lot of work - especially considering the people responsible for keeping this up aren't reimbursed. Still, I think it would liven up the matchmaker.

[Ze_PilOt]

I think you don't understand how the matchmaker works.

It tries to match you with only people your rank (that's why uber have trouble finding opponents). And it's working really great.


I'm really, really proud how well it work. Not only 99% of the matches have more than 80% chances to result as a draw (meaning : a even match), but the average win/loss ratio is 50%. These two components are the main aspect of a perfect matchmaker, and, well, datas prove that we are as close as we can be from it.


But when you start it, how can it know your level !? It can't. I can't program something that magically evaluate your skill by reading your mind, sorry.

It randomly match you to some players present in the system (often good players as more good players play it), until it has a fair idea of your approximate level (after 4-5 games).
This is similar to the starcraft 2 matchmaker and the "placement matches".

For the map pool, there was a poll going for 2 weeks, only 10 votes, so you have no right to complain. A new poll will start soon, we will see how it goes. But sorry, I don't take any complain about it seriously as there is a way to express yourself, and you don't do it.

For the icon, I can make a big red text saying "THIS IS THE LADDER BUTTON" with a big flashing arrow, we know it won't work.

"Matchmaking" is the universal for describe what the icons are doing, I don't see any better term. Because it's NOT A LADDER.
GPGNET had no real ladder either. A ladder would mean leagues. That will eventually come with the tournament system.

[Asinius]

Fair enough. As I said, I obviously don't know too much about the matchmaker, so complaining wasn't actually the purpose. From what I've seen, not a terribly large amount of new players stick around long enough to swell the higher ranks. Not to say the community isn't growing.