I forgot about KM. However, I think more people quit the mod because of regular skill stacking than because they can't always join the side they want. If, as a new player, your team gets rolled for five matches in a row, you're probably just going to quit. Also, some of the best Empires matches I've played have been between well balanced teams. I think some type of skill-based balance plugin would make these types of matches more common. With regards to vets spec stacking, I find many long-time Empires players don't mind playing on opposite sides, they just don't want to be the only competent player on a team. This type of balance plugin would help ensure that.
Decent system that could work: Get the server to track howwell someone scored the last round; kills, deaths, build points, building destruction - somehow add those together to form a "how useful is this person" metric - take into account time spent in game (someone who scored 100 points in 10 minutes is FAR more useful or skilled that someone who scored 150 points in 30 minutes.) Then, at the next round start, rebalance teams - as someone joins a team, the skill of that team rises. Try to keep the skill level of each team equal, while also keeping the number of people equal. This doesn't allow people to PICK teams anymore, or if you do allow people to pick, it gets more complicated. People joining who didn't play the last round count as zero skill (and THIS is the major pitfall of the system.) Skill numbers must also persist even after someone leaves, to prevent asshats from leaving/rejoining to circumvent the system.
Well, single sample is the simplest way; a true back end for stat tracking based on steamID is better, but requires more work...and requires someone to put up the back end servers (and then somehow prevent people from getting access to them - you can't just password the server, you have to autorize certain server IPs to add data (reading anyone can do - adding has to be limited so someone can't just insert fake data and make themselves seem more or less skilled than they really are.)
While I agree with you in theory, I don't think that's the case with Empires. Largely, the same people are still here. Sure, a few left, and there are a few new guys, but it's basically the same group. Likewise. In theory, yes; however, translation into reality is where we encounter problems, of which I will elaborate below. Exactly. The question becomes are there enough skilled players to sustain such a system? I think the answer is starting to tend more toward the affirmative than the negative, and the tutorials will push it even further in the former direction. It's also invalid. Single samples are inaccurate and irrelevant unless combined with other samples. We have the infrastructure, security, and competent individuals to make the technical aspects of such a system a reality.
You're still here Evan? WTF? /OT There are three questions that must be answered to everyone's satisfaction before such a system goes forward: The theoretical - How will skill be accurately determined (hours, points, etc)? The technical - How will "balancing" be implemented (team join restrictions, auto assign, scrambling, etc)? The moral - Will the community accept such a system? In the past, the answers to the first two have all been wrong to some degree, and the third wasn't even considered. With rational pragmatic answers to the first two materializing in this thread, and vastly different reaction to the third, we may, perhaps, be able to seriously consider the idea; that being said, moving slowly, and ensuring everyone has an opportunity to express their point of view are key to the success of such a system.
What about doing something like picking teams on a pickup game of hockey or football. Everyone votes for a Captian (commander), then the comm picks the teams from a list of players. Comms are usually experienced enough to realise who are good players.
It becomes a reverse stack because the initial stackers act bitchy thinking "meh we is counterstacked. lets gtf out of here no fun with equal skill in other team"
Easiest system is time based only. No assessment on skill, just experience. It won't be perfect, it won't be 100% accurate, but it would work for at least 80%. Under 10 hours is worth 0.5 players, 10-100 is worth 1 player, 100+ is worth 1.5. Servers can turn off this balance system if they want, as long as it still tracks player hours for other servers. No points over time shit that can be whored, just simple hours. Only time actually inputting into the game counts, i.e. if you don't for 30 seconds, it stops counting. Stops idling, and we make it not count specs. Sure, there are ways around this, but if 1 or 2 people want to clock up their hours for no apparent reason, just to make it harder for them to join the team they want, that's up to them.
i think removing all identifiable characteristics of players like names, how they talk, language etc is far more efficient in making people not stack that or randomise teams...
