Something needs to be done with BGs

Urvoth

With Elsweyr around the corner, it's been nearly 2 years since the release of Battlegrounds, and while they were a great foundation to build upon when they first came out, almost nothing has happened with them since then. A new map here and there has been nice, and there have been a few changes to the MMR system, but no real progressive content to retain current players and incentivize new ones. I love BGs and I play them pretty much daily, and it's very disappointing to see all this potential go to waste.

Several interconnected problems currently plague the BG system:

1) Long queue times - At high MMR, the queue times are horrendous, often making you wait 20+ minutes to get into a match, or even more if you're in a group.

2) Terrible rewards - The BG rewards are just straight out terrible, and you lose way more gold on potions than you ever can make from BGs.

3) Leaderboards based on who plays the most, not MMR, win rate, or skill - Although the leaderboard rewards are usually garbage, the actual leaderboard placing is essentially meaningless and due to the long high MMR queue times, low MMR players can play several games before a high MMR player can even get in one.

4) No long term incentives - MMR is hidden and arguably not even useful to gain since your queue times get worse and worse the higher your MMR is. There is no real ranking system to progress on or real rewards to achieve. Aside from fun, there is no real incentive for your average player to play more than their daily BG every day or to keep working towards something. This ties in with a lot of the other problems and is one of the main reasons the BG population is low. There just isn't anything for players to work towards in BGs. Additionally, there isn't really anything to even objectively measure long term skill progression such as character stats.

5) No lobby system for premades to deliberately fight each other - This is one of the main things other BG players have brought up when I've talked with them about improvements. A lot of solo players complain about fighting premades, but a lot of premades really would like a way to play against each other.

What could ZOS do to help grow the dwindling BG population and expand on the current system? I think to start with, ZOS needs to release some long term incentives, for example a skin unlocked after 500 wins, or an actual ranking/leaderboard system that soft resets every month. There needs to be more reasons for players to start and keep playing BGs. Additionally, some sort of private lobby system for premades to fight each other would greatly improve upon the BG "endgame." In the long run, having some sort of gameplay season where you could register 4 player teams and play against each other with titles/cosmetics as rewards would be ideal.

Qwazzy

Make a solo queue option.

Aurielle

The weekly leaderboard should be based on your average score over a bare minimum of 10-15 matches. There’s one toxic PS4 NA player who thinks he’s hot s*** at the moment because he’s in the top ten, and he is regularly outclassed by other people on his team and on opposing teams. When he’s called out on his toxic behaviour, he tells you to look at the leaderboard. Excuse me while I roll my eyes right out of my head.

A leaderboard based on average score rewards players who are consistently pulling their weight. Since it would be based on the average score, not cumulative points earned, all those no skill scrubs who think they’re awesome because they’re unemployed and can no-life the game all week and place high on a meaningless leaderboard will get the rude awakening they deserve.

MaxJrFTW

Just remove mmr altogether. I was against it, but i'm tired of having 10-15 minute queues just to be put against a premade.

Canned_Apples

People actually care about leader boards?
They should try fixing BGs before implementing anything else.

brandonv516

They could have done something cool with the sigil or expanded on it somehow instead of removing it completely (yes it was OP the way it was used).

Going from CP to no-CP was a good thing. But then adding a terribly flawed MMR queue system put things in reverse.

This last few maps have been creative but this latest is bonkers - not a fan.

jcm2606

Aurielle wrote: »

The weekly leaderboard should be based on your average score over a bare minimum of 10-15 matches. There’s one toxic PS4 NA player who thinks he’s hot s*** at the moment because he’s in the top ten, and he is regularly outclassed by other people on his team and on opposing teams. When he’s called out on his toxic behaviour, he tells you to look at the leaderboard. Excuse me while I roll my eyes right out of my head.

A leaderboard based on average score rewards players who are consistently pulling their weight. Since it would be based on the average score, not cumulative points earned, all those no skill scrubs who think they’re awesome because they’re unemployed and can no-life the game all week and place high on a meaningless leaderboard will get the rude awakening they deserve.

Easiest counter to that is make a new character or jump onto a character you've never done BGs with, kit it out in decent gear, then just no-life BGs for a couple hours doing matches back to back, to get fairly high up on the leaderboard. Screenshot the leaderboard with your play time, and when they talk *** next, just link them that screenshot showing that the leaderboard is actually meaningless.

Aurielle

jcm2606 wrote: »

Aurielle wrote: »

The weekly leaderboard should be based on your average score over a bare minimum of 10-15 matches. There’s one toxic PS4 NA player who thinks he’s hot s*** at the moment because he’s in the top ten, and he is regularly outclassed by other people on his team and on opposing teams. When he’s called out on his toxic behaviour, he tells you to look at the leaderboard. Excuse me while I roll my eyes right out of my head.

A leaderboard based on average score rewards players who are consistently pulling their weight. Since it would be based on the average score, not cumulative points earned, all those no skill scrubs who think they’re awesome because they’re unemployed and can no-life the game all week and place high on a meaningless leaderboard will get the rude awakening they deserve.

Easiest counter to that is make a new character or jump onto a character you've never done BGs with, kit it out in decent gear, then just no-life BGs for a couple hours doing matches back to back, to get fairly high up on the leaderboard. Screenshot the leaderboard with your play time, and when they talk *** next, just link them that screenshot showing that the leaderboard is actually meaningless.

I don’t need a counter to *** in BGs. If they want to teabag, trash talk, stroke their tiny epeens, and refer to the leaderboard as though it means something, that’s on them. I WOULD like to have a meaningful leaderboard though.

PhoenixGrey

Just remove MMR for starters.

Urvoth

Aurielle wrote: »

The weekly leaderboard should be based on your average score over a bare minimum of 10-15 matches. There’s one toxic PS4 NA player who thinks he’s hot s*** at the moment because he’s in the top ten, and he is regularly outclassed by other people on his team and on opposing teams. When he’s called out on his toxic behaviour, he tells you to look at the leaderboard. Excuse me while I roll my eyes right out of my head.

A leaderboard based on average score rewards players who are consistently pulling their weight. Since it would be based on the average score, not cumulative points earned, all those no skill scrubs who think they’re awesome because they’re unemployed and can no-life the game all week and place high on a meaningless leaderboard will get the rude awakening they deserve.

Yeah, zos needs to make a real system like that and make the rewards meaningful. The current leaderboard system is a joke.

Urvoth

PhoenixGrey wrote: »

Just remove MMR for starters.

I don't think it should be removed entirely, just reworked. If the system drastically started decreasing the MMR you search for after say 5 min of being in queue, that would work too. The problem with no MMR is that teams end up being extremely unbalanced and the games are way less fun to solo queue imo. Right now, at least when you solo queue you have a good shot of having competent teammates, but without MMR there's a high chance of getting bots on your team every game and that is no fun.

ChunkyCat

I hate it when I get those pesky bots are on my team. All they do is stand there auto looting the same alchemy node. How rude.

PhoenixGrey

Urvoth wrote: »

PhoenixGrey wrote: »

Just remove MMR for starters.

I don't think it should be removed entirely, just reworked. If the system drastically started decreasing the MMR you search for after say 5 min of being in queue, that would work too. The problem with no MMR is that teams end up being extremely unbalanced and the games are way less fun to solo queue imo. Right now, at least when you solo queue you have a good shot of having competent teammates, but without MMR there's a high chance of getting bots on your team every game and that is no fun.

Personally i like facing the best BG players on our server in the same BG. But its extremely hard to take down premades with the right team composition so the imbalance kind of still exists. If they don't remove MMR probably just separate solo vs group queues.

Iskiab

PhoenixGrey wrote: »

Urvoth wrote: »

PhoenixGrey wrote: »

Just remove MMR for starters.

I don't think it should be removed entirely, just reworked. If the system drastically started decreasing the MMR you search for after say 5 min of being in queue, that would work too. The problem with no MMR is that teams end up being extremely unbalanced and the games are way less fun to solo queue imo. Right now, at least when you solo queue you have a good shot of having competent teammates, but without MMR there's a high chance of getting bots on your team every game and that is no fun.

Personally i like facing the best BG players on our server in the same BG. But its extremely hard to take down premades with the right team composition so the imbalance kind of still exists. If they don't remove MMR probably just separate solo vs group queues.

I had a game like that. I heal so always get *** scores so think I’m mid MMR, but I got pulled into a game of all good players.

Problem was two of the teams never filled, one of them being mine. Premade of 4 vs a team with the Dottz guy with 3 and my team of 3. Our team was a stamblade, magplar and myself healing. Everyone played well and if we had 4 I think we’d have won, but in that context a team of 3 can’t compete.

Largest issue is teams that have to fight with 3 all game.