Would skill based match making be good for FFXIV?

[SturmChurro]

Maybe if we had a legit pvp mode this would be something to consider, but for df content this really isn't necessary. A waste of time actually. Why would I need to be matched with equally skilled players to clear content that can be face rolled? I wouldn't, the content is easy enough to be cleared with varying skill levels. Why would I want to wait an extra 10-15 minutes to clear something at best 5 minutes sooner?

And what would skill be based on? Dps done? Deaths? What about healers; will healing done factor in? If so how would it, and would it be accurate? What if I mess up a mechanic and it kills others, does that lower their skill or mine?

Nope!

Yeah, this part I should have mentioned for actually being bad for the game. Queue times would increase, especially during content lulls. In a perfect world players at the lower end would be encouraged to play at a higher level, and higher level players would get swift queues, and clears. Unfortunately, neither would happen - at least not consistently on a mass level. Yeah, what would it be based on in the first place? This is a pretty lofty system, and I doubt it would (or could) even be implemented well.

[Ayuhra]

I swear I see more hand wringing in this game about "vets" having to play with us filthy casuals than I have in any other MMORPG I've played.... And I've played quite a few.

It seems to me like this game being very dance like causes this rift. Either you have seen the various mechanics this game throws at you and can play with your UI turned off, in which case you know the moves or...you don't know the moves. It has a higher skill floor than most other games and a lower ceiling so you end up with one crowd who feels the game is way too easy and another crowd that finds it frustrating.

IDK where I'm going with this just...the topic of vets and casuals always comes up. It always makes me feel a little self conscious and sad.

[Rein_eon_Osborne]

The intention is... understandable. Not something that I would object.

But splitting DF further, I don't know. Sounds counter productive? We do have PF for that after all.

[Shurrikhan]

Also if you're that high of a "skilled" player then why are you doing fast easy content?.

Because that's where the game put the efficient means of acquiring high-end gear (i.e., via tomes) outside of static hours/play. Those players aren't likely doing content that quickly becomes mind-numbing to them for the mere fun of it.

It seems to me like this game being very dance like causes this rift. Either you have seen the various mechanics this game throws at you and can play with your UI turned off, in which case you know the moves or...you don't know the moves. It has a higher skill floor than most other games and a lower ceiling so you end up with one crowd who feels the game is way too easy and another crowd that finds it frustrating.

That's actually a surprisingly accurate and comprehensive summary for how concise it was. 10/10.

[Faafetai]

Doesn't the game already do something similar? I remember when I had the burger king crown it felt like I was matched up with sprouts more often. I currently got rid of it, and it seems like I get matched less often with sprouts? I'm unsure if that's intentional or just RNG though.. ???

When I first started playing I would always be put into either an all sprout group or a group with one mentor or one person with the flag(the in a party symbol next to your name you get when the game makes you not a sprout anymore). It may also have just been rng but later I began to notice when I hit around level 60 or 70 that I was now being placed with all sprouts. The same thing has begun to happen when I play a class I have less experience with regardless of not having the sprout symbol anymore, usually being placed with people who have the class I am playing at a high level or a mentor in the group.

My thought process has been the game may take into consideration dungeon clear times, time someone has spent on a given class, play time in general, how many times someone has completed a dungeon, possibly even how many times someone has died, and queues you with that information. I assume it is to place people who are more experienced with those less experienced with the assumption that mentoring could occur for someone who may just not know what they are doing yet.

This may all just be an assumption on my part, I may start taking more notes, and ask others to as well to see if it is more than conjecture.

[kaynide]

The entire business model is to attract new players and to ensure they can get through content as painlessly as possibly so that, ultimately, they enjoy the game enough to pay the bills.

To the devs, the more people diverted from that “help new players loop”, the worse. Thats why we have Khloe’s book, and to a lesser extent, why the story progression will very likely include clearing more and more older content like Crystal tower or even possibly Binding Coil.

So, while it’s not a bad idea and it should certainly be encouraged to find groups that best for your play style.. I just don’t see the devs making a system that will do more than they currently offer.

It would make more sense if the game was actually more challenging than it is…but for whatever reason, the devs have decided that the difficulty in general of the game should be very easy. Like, does anyone remember early days Titan/Ifrit and Garuda? Those were basically DPS/Healer/Tank check-gates.

..there was even a time the only way to do Titan HM was to wear +Vit accessories on every party member. Those days are gone, I think. We’re talking like Darklight armor era.

[hydralus]

It would be amusing to see what would happen when groups filled with no DPS healers who still manage to let tanks die, single-pull tanks who can't hold aggro and use no mitigation, and no-AoE DPS who do less damage than a decent healer all start playing exclusively with one another.

[Jettinson]

But how does DF work in general though?
Do you have a bigger chance to be grouped with new players or such if you haven't completed said trial/dungeon/raid for example?

The idea is already splitting further and frankly most of content is not hard but I still have no idea how grouping works between, sprouts and non sprouts.

[Vyrerus]

It wouldn't work out very well.

They'd have to design metrics for performance, and what SE would consider high skill players would not actually be high skill players, so not a lot would change for the people ranked high.

Meanwhile, all of the players on the low end or who expect to be carried during roulettes would get frustrated and start complaining. In short order we'd go back to what we have now.

[Wolwosh]

You can buy Ultimate runs. That would prob make you a "skilled" player immediatly