I've only been doing the daily in GSF and it's clear a lot of people are playing a lot more and are well ahead of me in unlocks and that makes their weapons and defenses a lot more powerful.

 

Imagine what it's going to be like for Preferreds, F2Pers and subs alike having wins/losses dictated by how many of your pug team had early access and built up both unlocks and experience playing GSF.

 

It's not going to be fun for anyone and while subs should have been given something nice this head start is only going to cause frustration for them in the coming months.

Subscribing is paying to win, right?

 

Early access isn't done to put subs into an advantageous position - it was mainly done to alleviate potential stress on servers. Much like the early access for pre-orders on ROTHC and Vanilla game back when it was released.

 

Will subs be at an advantage? Sure. But what's the alternative? Nullify requisition/upgrades? During the early access period players don't earn requisition?

 

I'll personally make a point of starting a brand new Hangar when GSF opens to f2p access. Because I can and because I'll have something to shove down the throats of the complainers.

I've only been doing the daily in GSF and it's clear a lot of people are playing a lot more and are well ahead of me in unlocks and that makes their weapons and defenses a lot more powerful.

 

Imagine what it's going to be like for Preferreds, F2Pers and subs alike having wins/losses dictated by how many of your pug team had early access and built up both unlocks and experience playing GSF.

 

It's not going to be fun for anyone and while subs should have been given something nice this head start is only going to cause frustration for them in the coming months.

 

There are 2 times as many f2p players as there are subs (last time i saw the statistic). That means the newbies will mostly be fighting other newbies, with a couple of vets mixed in (on both sides, hopefully). Shouldn't be too bad.

Matchmaking is, or will be, based on upgrade level. I imagine if it's not already this way it will be implemented before the preferred rollout.

Here's something that I think a lot of players arent considering: there's going to be more ships.

 

We've heard that there are roughly 15 other ships being added (not ship classes, but ships within the current classes, and one additional class for bombers) when GSF is opened up to everyone. A lot of players that are upgrading their ships now will find a new ship that they like more, and then they'll have to start from the bottom upgrading a new ship all over again because ship requisition is per-ship and not shared. When you unlock a new ship, it starts at 0 requisition and with no upgrades at all.

 

That alone will level the playing field. Sure, some players will still keep their upgraded ships and have a power advantage (at least for a short while until others get upgraded), but not everyone will.

Here's something that I think a lot of players arent considering: there's going to be more ships.

 

We've heard that there are roughly 15 other ships being added (not ship classes, but ships within the current classes, and one additional class for bombers) when GSF is opened up to everyone. A lot of players that are upgrading their ships now will find a new ship that they like more, and then they'll have to start from the bottom upgrading a new ship all over again because ship requisition is per-ship and not shared. When you unlock a new ship, it starts at 0 requisition and with no upgrades at all.

 

That alone will level the playing field. Sure, some players will still keep their upgraded ships and have a power advantage (at least for a short while until others get upgraded), but not everyone will.

 

i Like you xD

 

you are posting nearly everytime totaly my thinking =)

I guess you didn't read this part from the Lead Designer, Michael Backus:

 

We literally wanted to make the pool of players as large as possible, so everyone from level 1 to level 55 will queue together, taking into consideration how developed your ships are (yes, our matchmaking system will attempt to put beginning players with beginners, and more advanced players with each other—that’s the simple version).

Some of my most dominant games have come on alts with few (if any) upgrades. Subscribers will be way ahead of other players in terms of experience, but I doubt the actual ship upgrades will matter much with how the matchmaking works.

Matchmaking is, or will be, based on upgrade level. I imagine if it's not already this way it will be implemented before the preferred rollout.

 

You don't have to play many a solo queued ground PvP 4v4 to know the exact level of skill BW has exhibited in creating effective matchmaking systems.

 

Those who care about gearing in any PvP system will take a small % advantage and let their skill do the rest but if you give them 10%+ in every department as they are here, you're asking for unhappy customers one way or another.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Rykko

In theory, new players will fight new players until they get geared up and experienced. It's hard to judge how well it will work with such a small percentage of the player base playing the game now. Wait until we see preferred players enter, and it will get a little better.

 

If, on the other hand, you are one who has already prejudged Bioware's ability to create a matchmaking system and found them wanting, then it doesn't really matter, since the same problem would exist with or without early access.

 

For myself, I will wait and see how it pans out over the long haul.

Here's something that I think a lot of players arent considering: there's going to be more ships.

 

We've heard that there are roughly 15 other ships being added (not ship classes, but ships within the current classes, and one additional class for bombers) when GSF is opened up to everyone. A lot of players that are upgrading their ships now will find a new ship that they like more, and then they'll have to start from the bottom upgrading a new ship all over again because ship requisition is per-ship and not shared. When you unlock a new ship, it starts at 0 requisition and with no upgrades at all.

 

That alone will level the playing field. Sure, some players will still keep their upgraded ships and have a power advantage (at least for a short while until others get upgraded), but not everyone will.

Very good point, thank you very much.

You don't have to play many a solo queued ground PvP 4v4 to know the exact level of skill BW has exhibited in creating effective matchmaking systems.

 

Those who care about gearing in any PvP system will take a small % advantage and let their skill do the rest but if you give them 10%+ in every department as they are here, you're asking for unhappy customers one way or another.

 

Being butthurt about the ground pvp matchmaking system, which less players participate in and is trying to match based on skill and role, doesn't itself constitute a convincing case that the space matchmaking, which is based 100% on upgrade level, is or will be similarly flawed.

Edited December 12, 2013 by FridgeLM

I don't think it will be too bad. I started a sage day before yesterday, and jumped into GSF with zero upgrades...granted, I know what's going on, but still, i used the novadive with starter loadout and racked up 12 medals, 10 kills and 6 assists, somewhere in the neighborhood of 29k damage in my first match.

IMO, I don't think matchmaking is really working atm ONLY because the current GSF is for subs, so the player pool is very small. The queues would not pop as quick if it truly worked. Not that I am complaining, I do get frustrated getting shredded by maxed out ships, but I've also gotten better with my reflexes as a result which will help me in the long run.

 

I'm thinking I will just horde up my points until the actual game hits and see what kind of new ships can be unlocked.

 

I didn't know there would be that many more ships added next month, that is a welcome suprise to me.

 

I didn't know there would be that many more ships added next month, that is a welcome suprise to me.

 

Here's the relevant quote from the Dev Blog about early access:

 

In February for our full Launch, we add a new role (the Bomber) plus 10 more Starfighters for a grand total of 24 ships to customize and take into battle.

[/Quote]

 

So there will be 10 new fighters, or 5 per faction. For each faction, I'm gonna guess at least 2 bombers and 1 or 2 more gunships, and then 1 or 2 more scouts/strikes. Some of those will likely be Cartel Market ships as well, since the reference to 14 ships right now includes the 2 cartel market ships for each faction (even though they are identical across factions in all but name).

I think it would be appropriate to reset upgrades and the like on the release patch. Not fleet requisition or unlocked companions, but just the upgrades.

 

That way, competitively, everyone's on the same footing - besides, the adjustment most ppl have to make will still be there and even with base upgrades a GSF vet is going to wipe the floor with the newer players anyway.

I think it would be appropriate to reset upgrades and the like on the release patch. Not fleet requisition or unlocked companions, but just the upgrades.

.

 

So you're asking them to almost completely wipe out all advancement players have made on their ships? Yeah, that would make for a number of unhappy campers. Especially since I would bet a number of people have sunk a fair amount of CC into upgrading their favored ship. No, they aren't going to reset anything. And the advantage a leveled ship will bring to the field is going to dwarf the effect that practice and skill does. So resetting upgrades will make no real change.

 

Wait I take that back. It will mean the newbies will be getting even more butchered since lack of upgrades will pair experienced players with them more often.

I've only been doing the daily in GSF and it's clear a lot of people are playing a lot more and are well ahead of me in unlocks and that makes their weapons and defenses a lot more powerful.

 

Imagine what it's going to be like for Preferreds, F2Pers and subs alike having wins/losses dictated by how many of your pug team had early access and built up both unlocks and experience playing GSF.

 

It's not going to be fun for anyone and while subs should have been given something nice this head start is only going to cause frustration for them in the coming months.

 

except space is skill based. i'm waiting for all the ganre old-hands at space combat to come along, since they cannot be arsed subbing just for gsf, and troll people with measly base model scouts etc, with their 10 K plus hours of xp in games such as tiw fighter, wing commander, freespace and elite, x, x2, and x3.

Some of the games you listed are rather trading sims than flight sims, as far as I know.

I wouldn't be scared of upgrades, just experience.

 

Even my GSF main doesn't have any ship mastered, just kinda upgraded NovaDive, and I don't see any imbalance in fights with enemies who seem elite and probably mastered.

 

Tried a few GSF games in pure basic NovaDive on alt character, and against mostly the same players, my performance was pretty much the same, as with the main.

 

It will be more about experience, they will get eaten alive in first couple of games, like I did, and if they won't rage quit, the playerbase will quickly get levelled.

Agreed with OP, anyone who has not already started may as well not unless they like being fodder for maxed out ships.

 

Probably the worst designed PvP I have seen in a long time.

1) Not enough participation to implement matchmaking, the Q times would be horrible

2) Huge gear gap between new players and existing players

3) No PvE component where people can learn the basics, so basically new players have to lrn2fly while being farmed by existing players

 

Reminds me of a game called EVE, the whole game is basically designed to feed new players has fodder to the existing "bitter vets".

Some of my most dominant games have come on alts with few (if any) upgrades. Subscribers will be way ahead of other players in terms of experience, but I doubt the actual ship upgrades will matter much with how the matchmaking works.

 

not necessarily.

 

i've said it b4, but i'll say it again, wait until it's open to everyone, and all the vets from other games in the s[ace combat genre who are old hands come play as prefs or f2p's and murder everyone in their un upgraded basic novas / bolts, guards / rycers

Agreed with OP, anyone who has not already started may as well not unless they like being fodder for maxed out ships.

 

Probably the worst designed PvP I have seen in a long time.

1) Not enough participation to implement matchmaking, the Q times would be horrible

2) Huge gear gap between new players and existing players

3) No PvE component where people can learn the basics, so basically new players have to lrn2fly while being farmed by existing players

 

Reminds me of a game called EVE, the whole game is basically designed to feed new players has fodder to the existing "bitter vets".

 

 

>yfw i trollkill players with far more heavily upg'd ships in my comparatively base ships.

not necessarily.

 

i've said it b4, but i'll say it again, wait until it's open to everyone, and all the vets from other games in the s[ace combat genre who are old hands come play as prefs or f2p's and murder everyone in their un upgraded basic novas / bolts, guards / rycers

 

Yes, experience in other space sims (and even regular flight sims) is very significant. However, I doubt we'll see a huge influx of people just for GSF...Bioware would love it if we do, though.

Yes, experience in other space sims (and even regular flight sims) is very significant. However, I doubt we'll see a huge influx of people just for GSF...Bioware would love it if we do, though.

 

you forget just how hard up gamers are for space, since devs tried to kill it off as too hard to do well, and publishers tried to kill of the genre because >muh profit margins arn't 300% plus!

 

 

we have star citizen... orr........ star citizen, since the 'new x' is a total PoS.