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The Real Reasons Riot is Forcing Dynamic Queue

PM Faker Nudes·6/22/2016, 6:30:24 PM·181 votes·12,800 views

A lot of players seem to think Riot's decision to implement dynamic queue has something to do with them wanting to improve game-play and/or the players' experience. In reality, Riot's primary goal is maximizing profit and the players' experience is at best a secondary consideration.

Below is a Google Trends chart showing LoL interest over time: http://i.imgur.com/clWuyaQ.jpg Source: https://www.google.ca/trends/explore#q=league%20of%20legends

The chart clearly shows that interest in League of Legends as a game has reached its top and is now on a down trend. If you're Riot, you can either let the down trend continue or try to change the dynamics of the situation.

Dynamic queue was implemented to stop, or at least slow down, the decline of interest in League of Legends.** It's an attempt to force users into having a personal connection with the game by making relationships a major part, if not the major part, of success in the game**. Riot does not want you to play solo because once you've had your fill of the game, you have no reason to keep playing.

Just like Facebook, Riot wants to profit from your relationships. They don't just want you to play a free game.

How Riot Benefits from Dynamic Queue:

  1. Players are less likely to quit if they have friends they'll leave behind.
  2. Friends are more likely to gift each other.
  3. Friends are more likely to buy skins and champions to impress each other.
  4. Friends are more likely to form real life groups that can serve as an introduction for new players.

In conclusion,** Riot is making a business decision and solo players are just collateral damage**. However, Riot now realizes solo players are necessary for dynamic queue to function and so are attempting to keep solo players content enough to participate in the system without affecting their new social business model. Badges are a manifestation of this realization.

218 Comments

BeeCuz6/22/2016, 8:55:13 PM83 votes

[{quoted}](name=Enemy Feeder,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=1cQuwVZN,comment-id=,timestamp=2016-06-22T18:30:24.138+0000)

It's an attempt to force users into having a personal connection with the game by making relationships a major part, if not the major part, of success in the game.

We cannot fault a business for wishing to prosper.

But we can point out that pre-made teams are not of universal appeal, and the imposition of such is synonimous with disenfranchising a part of the market.

The Whamboozler6/22/2016, 6:42:27 PM46 votes

This all sounds about right. It doesn't change that the game is an unbalanced, frustrating mess with nearly every change made to it lately being one that has made it abjectly WORSE for me and many other solo players. It also doesn't change the fact that I got fed up enough to stop playing the game about a month ago... just like half my friends list had already done.

BluePolarizer6/22/2016, 9:44:26 PM21 votes

I looked at the data and from what I can see, it's even worse. After hitting a peak during s3 worlds, throughout season 4 interest flatlined and went into a STEEP decline during season 5, going from a relative interest of 100 during season 3 worlds and steady 80's-90's during season 4, to 60's during March-April of season 5 (ahri+katarina+cinderhulk meta).

The Bilgewater event in August raised interest back to the 70's and worlds raised it back to the 80's, but during preseason 6 the decline was even harder than expected, going down to 60's. Right now the game is in the worst state it has ever been in for years, with a rating of 52 and likely to drop further.

It literally has not been this bad since preseason 2. Seasons 1 and 2 were the rise. Seasons 3 and 4 were the golden age. Season 5 was the slow decline. Season 6 is the hard decline. Riot has to reverse it.

Evewynn6/22/2016, 8:25:32 PM15 votes

They took a gamble, and they're feeling the repercussions. I hope league comes out okay. I never liked the stress of ranked personally so DQ doesn't effect me as much as other people, I just hope that the game doesn't decline too far because of this.

I want league to be big, for it to be a leader in esports and something I can enjoy for years to come.

Carnarius6/22/2016, 9:35:50 PM13 votes

spot on topic

i'd also add bad balance decisions, having more and more damage by everyone and unhealthy champions (many said that s5 tank meta was one of the healthiest moments in the game, we have pretty much the opposite now)

macromite6/22/2016, 11:31:51 PM12 votes

Dynamic is more the result of an attempt to solve some of the issues that have been plaguing league for a very long time.

The first of those issues is the Rank Dichotomy, Or the difference between the rank one has and the rank one plays at. This Ranked Dichotomy has been apparent throughout league's history, with a more famous depiction being that of elo hell. Now if you know what elo hell is, a Player that is of moderately higher skill playing with players of lower skill but still losing due to the effects of matchmaking, you can begin to understand this issue. Dyna of course is helping, even with the boosting, By pushing more and more players into higher skill levels. Without a booster, players that were boosted too far are doomed to fall, but if they don't, Then they aren't compromising ranked, as that was the rank at which they would've stopped regardless.

Another issue that has been plaguing league before rampantly were auto lockers, or players that played one role every game regardless of the roles of their teammates. This of course has been solved mostly by the newer style of champion select, but dynamic has also had a large hand in dealing with the issue, of course by making sure one tricks can have their one trick.

A third issue that having a queue of friends thoroughly helps is General ranked toxicity. A lot of people will tell you I'm wrong, But it is in fact those people that are wrong. They are like flat earthers, They ask for proof and as soon as you give them some they Decide it's false. The reason its less toxic is because toxicity is diffused through camaraderie, and though toxic games will be worse, as it will be more pungent, the frequency should be going down, especially after some time passes.

There is also the Issues of Supports. In the old days, support was just a Fuck you option most the time. More often than not supports were either players that did not understand the role, or players with a group, and even in the second case, it dictated that a support would need to exclusivly rank up with a friend. Not saying all cases mind you, Just most, at least In my experience. This over time would eventually lead to more and more issues, especially without any of the proper care the support role needed, and still needs. Specifically what this shortage means for a pure solo is that It would not function without a forced fill role, which in essence defeats the purpose of the new champion select entirely, or With Astronomical Wait timers, Such as Teambuilder.

Of course there is also the business side, But I think that Overall Dyna is a good thing. There are still kinks that need to be worked out, But it's all good.

Also, Let's see if this piece of shit comment can hit -100. Come on you Dyna haters, I know you guys are allergic to facts and reasoning, Bring it On, I'll Take on the lot of you.

Niyumi6/22/2016, 10:17:05 PM10 votes

You mean to say that Riot is a greedy asshole of a company, and cares nothing about their game or the people that play it so long as it makes money? Oh, hm, well gee, I wonder how many times I've said that before...

Thanks kids, for allowing F2P to become a thing. We laughed at the concept 15 years ago, but now it's fucking everywhere because "FREE GAMES! I DON'T NEED MY MOM'S MONEY NOW!" So, while it's hilarious that you see what happens with greedy F2P companies, I sure do miss having fun games to play.

Duke Anax6/23/2016, 4:30:51 AM6 votes

The problem they don't realize is that most of that decline is not from loss of interest, but actively bad decissions at Riot.

It seems a lot of people comnsider the game itself to be in it's best state in Season 4. the continous declined roughly matches up with a series of permanent changes that have been generally considered to be bad, like preseason 6 and the temporary peaks line up with good but short time events like Bilgewater.

Biff Manly6/22/2016, 11:08:25 PM5 votes

I keep forgetting how awful the Boards' BOLD text is until I notice how much BOLD text I missed.

You can barely see it, such that **the parts of ** a post somebody wants to emphasize hardly stand out at all.

Obungo 6/23/2016, 4:19:02 AM1 votes

This DQ scapegoating has to stop, its not coming back and there are still threads coming everyday.

You do realize its just a thread, right? Riot looks at the title - nope - they don't even read them anymore. And its not like the solo players could just stop playing to prove a point: they're all too addicted to this game.