- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I'm glad this forum topic is up and the debate is lively. I'm tired of playing Team Slayer and getting Steak Dinners consistently with friends, yet not leveling up; then I switch to a different playlist and get destroyed by Generals with low levels in the playlist. Bungie can easily make the Halo 3 matchmaking system better without needing to collect more data.
Complaint 1: Slower leveling up when a player plays with the same group of friends.
Solution 1: Simple experience formula that dictates leveling up without penalizing people for playing with the same group of friends, (similar to Halo 2's system.)
Who benefits from Solution 1? EVERYONE
If the solution is put into effect, a team of four that has 145 consecutive wins gains the levels they CLEARLY deserve.
The poor players who get destroyed by that Good team don't have to fear playing them anymore.
I know Bungie was trying to prevent players from "free-riding" on the skills of their friends who are better at Halo, but Good teams and Bad Teams alike are hurt by this system.
Good Teams get bored by easy wins, Bad Teams get discouraged by crushing losses. I'm 100% sure that the level 15 players that have lost to the Good team of 145 consecutive wins would have no problems with their opponents leveling up faster.
Complaint 2: Generals with Level 50's in Team Slayer, Lone Wolves, Team Objective, etc. play against low leveled people in other playlists when they first start.
Solution 2: The lowest level a person has in any playlist is equal to half of his highest level.
Who benefits? EVERYONE
The people who are truly level 5, in skill and in level, play against relatively unskilled players (more equal games = more fun).
The people who are level 50 in one playlist play against level 25's in other playlists, meaning the games aren't complete blow-outs that last less than a minute. At the same time, the level 50's in one playlist aren't up against level 50's in the second playlist immediately.
Can anyone seriously say that a person with a level 50 in Team Slayer, who is also a General with 1500 games under his belt, is equivalent to a level 1 in Team Objective just because the General has never played Team Objective before?
Sorry to vent, but I'm just a little disappointed. Bungie did a truly great job in eliminating my primary complaint about Halo 2 (Modding/Standbying). Bungie also was extremely creative in coming up with their Game Video Playback system and threw in something new with the addition of Items. Unfortunately, they messed up Matchmaking. I like Halo 3 a lot, and I have only been standby-ed maybe once or twice over the course of 400+ games in Halo 3 (Less than 0.5% of the time, not bad at all), but the matchmaking issues are wearing down the game's long-term appeal.