@Riot can you change the Auto-Fill description? Its highly misleading.

WoonStruck·Oct 17, 2016·21 votes·3,251 views

By automatically including "Fill" in addition to the two positions selected, we avoid excessive queue times and improve match quality.

we avoid excessive queue times and improve match quality.

** improve match quality.**

How in the hell does forcing someone into a role they're potentially not familiar with, or even knowingly horrible at, improve match quality?

If you guys don't want to be seen as liars, this needs to be changed immediately.

19 Comments

DunkinNoobsOct 17, 201615 votes

By reducing queue times with autofill, it keeps the MMR search range from becoming too wide, resulting in more even matches. Before autofill, matches at the top of the ladder would often have D3-5 players and Challenger players on the same team because there simply weren't enough players to give everyone the role they wanted. Now that autofill exists, there isn't nearly as big of an mmr gap in games, even if that means some people have to play their off roles. You'd still rather have a challenger mid laner on support over a D4 support main any day.

WoonStruckOct 17, 20164 votes

In the large majority of cases where you see auto-fill, like tonight, this is certainly not the case though.

Especially in regards to Normals, where MMR is so unreliable of a gauge that it doesn't really improve match quality in the slightest.

For high MMR, yes, you are correct. But they moved it to all MMRs in all queues when queues aren't extremely populated.

DunkinNoobsOct 17, 20165 votes

Autofill for normals is just to keep the queues from being 10+ minutes every time. That's what normal draft was like before autofill.

WoonStruckOct 17, 20162 votes

I never had over a 5 minute queue even when autofill isn't enabled.

And guess what, queue times are about the same even with it, except now someone gets shafted.

RiotMeddlerOct 17, 20168 votes

{quoted}

By reducing queue times with autofill, it keeps the MMR search range from becoming too wide, resulting in more even matches. Before autofill, matches at the top of the ladder would often have D3-5 players and Challenger players on the same team because there simply weren't enough players to give everyone the role they wanted. Now that autofill exists, there isn't nearly as big of an mmr gap in games, even if that means some people have to play their off roles. You'd still rather have a challenger mid laner on support over a D4 support main any day.

This matches my understanding of it (I don't work on matchmaking stuff myself, but do talk with the folks that do sometimes). Ideally we'd have a situation where people wanted to queue up equally as all 5 roles at all times of the day. Given that doesn't happen we instead look to approaches like this to put together the best matches we can with the players in queue.

WoonStruckOct 17, 20163 votes

It does work out at higher MMRs due to a better global understanding of the game, but this isn't about higher MMRs.

Last night it was affecting ALL queues. Including normals.

We all know how unreliable normal MMR is as a gauge, which means that the Auto-Fill system leaking over to non-ranked queues negatively affects far more people than it would positively affect.

AazzlanoOct 17, 20162 votes

This is the theory of it anyway. But is it known by Riot that you can get autofilled into someone else's primary while they get autofilled into something else (or are pushed into their secondary)?

Something is wrong at some level with either the coding, or the idea. Autofill should only be applied when there isn't a primary/secondary player of that role available... why is it autofilling people into roles with players available?

WoonStruckOct 17, 20163 votes

No idea. I had a game where I was assigned top, and someone got autofilled to jungle.

He had top as either primary or secondary, and jungle was my secondary, so I offered to go jungle.

Things like this shouldn't happen.

AazzlanoOct 17, 20164 votes

One thing that is important to note about autofill is that it (almost) completely discards role preference. When autofill is active, you can get put in your secondary or get autofilled, and another player can get autofilled into your primary. Or a secondary can be put into your primary while you get autofilled.

It doesn't make sense. And that's a huge reason why autofill ruins games.

DolasaurOct 17, 20161 votes

{quoted}

One thing that is important to note about autofill is that it (almost) completely discards role preference. When autofill is active, you can get put in your secondary or get autofilled, and another player can get autofilled into your primary. Or a secondary can be put into your primary while you get autofilled.

It doesn't make sense. And that's a huge reason why autofill ruins games.

I've seen mismatches (where top primary gets jungle and jungle primary gets top) happening since Day 1 of New Champ Select. Definitely sucks when it happens, but blaming it on autofill seems strange.

AazzlanoOct 17, 20162 votes

Well autofill makes it 100x more obvious because people complain when they get autofilled. So it's just noticeable

WoonStruckOct 17, 20161 votes

In that case they're still electing to go to that role, though.

Autofill exacerbates the issue because its the same thing happening, but someone is now involved in a role they don't want and likely aren't proficient at, unlike non-Auto-Fill scenarios.

Very Hard EngageOct 17, 20163 votes

i got auto filled into support. picked morgana got an s+ rating.

happened again 3 games later, got filled into support. picked blitz got a S rating.

won both games. i mean it might just be because im a mid laner and can actually land skill shots instead of being an auto attack dependent top laner who only exerts in lane dominance, but i also rush a sightstone too.

but i agree, autofill doesn't make the game more balanced, if riot wants games to be balanced they just need to stop widening the search parameters to start the match.

riots logic is..... " a crappy game but faster queue" > "better than no match at all"

Lord BoltrixOct 17, 20163 votes

improve match frequency

There, fixed it for you Rito.

OuijaBoredOct 17, 20163 votes

At high ELO you are supposed to have general knowledge of each role, and several champs you can play in that role successfully.

Watch pants are dragon, he plays everywhere support isn't his best role but he keeps himself educated on the role and picks champions that are going to do good there regardless of how mechanical you are at the champion.

The higher you climb the more it's about choosing picks for your team and less about going where you're the best and playing your best champ.

WoonStruckOct 17, 20161 votes

The higher you climb the more it's about choosing picks for your team and less about going where you're the best and playing your best champ.

So many high MMR players would not agree with what you're saying.

The large majority, by far, would suggest sticking to a few champions and a single role or two, expanding your roster in that role, not others, as you gain more experience.