Fixing Matchmaking

PROBLEM I think, and this is just my opinion of course, that matchmaking is seriously broken. The skill levels of players in games are all over the place, it feels random. Games feel like luck in regards to teammates.

Especially now in light that players can choose their lanes- potentially matchmaking should be better than ever.

Since the dynamic queue changes I feel like its fallen off the edge. There are a few major causes of this in my opinion.

MMR If I am placed silver 2 in my first promotions ever, but then go 7/3 and placed bronze 5 in my next season, something is wrong. There also isn't a NEED for mmr anymore, plus its concept is, in my opinion, inaccurate. Let me explain why I think so.

Mmr is actually NOT a reflection of MY play. Its a reflection of my play impacted by the 4 randoms on my team, against 5 other randoms. Depending on the skills of all of those other players, my mmr is decided. This leads to incredible inaccuracy.

Even over time, since you're always playing with randoms, your mmr will never be accurate. Then you will be matched to players with a similar mmr and the circle of life spirals out of control.

HOW PLAYERS ARE JUDGED Players are not judged on their own performance, as I said above its a skewed number that is massively impacted by other players.

Players need to be judged according to their performance, at least in some sort of respect, in order for the ladder to accurately place them.

For instance, lets say each game is worth 20lp, you win +20lp, you lose -20lp. Simple.

If you win/lose in a row, modifiers are added so that it scales. Second win you get say 24lp, third 28lp... something like that, so better players will climb faster, worse players will fall faster.

Then, lp modifiers based on in-game performance. Say 1lp per kill, -2 per death, 1lp for assist. This makes kill stealing a non issue and punishes deaths. A 7/7/4 would be an additional -3lp, pretty neutral. If you lose -23lp, win +17lp.

0/5/2 in a loss -28lp, in a win 12lp 18/4/8 in a loss -2lp, win 38lp

With this system a player is judged in part by performance. Even if you lose, but you did amazing, such as the 18/4/8 example, you only lose -2lp.

This means that good players are not punished for bad teams. This means that people aren't carried into higher brackets by their teams. You have more control. You only control you, and now it matters how you individually perform.

This is a team game, but its also soloq. We play to beat other human beings, thats the fun. This makes it more rewarding, and in turn, more fun.

How satisfying would it be to lose a game and gain lp? Or at the very least know that those bad players in your last game tanked in lp while you went neutral. You don't have to deal with them again, the ladder system is working.

REMOVE DIVISION CAPS Tier 5s have caps that you are not dropped out of the division like standard tiers. Remove this and let people go where they go, hell I would say remove the 5 game promos and make them 3 games, like everything else.

Climbing the division should be the big deal, not breaking through into the next division, thats just the next step. Plus, the way it is now, when you do break into the next division, it feels like you're getting PUNISHED for climbing.

WHY DO THIS? No one wants to be punished for other peoples bad play. No one wants to break into another division and wish they hadn't. Thats currently what it feels like, you know when you get into the next tier 5 that you're going to be sad.

Changing this makes game enjoyment go way up, makes for a better more fun experience.

When these items are fixed. Then we can match by division/tier/lp, even right down to lp if we want. A toplane is always the division and tier vs a matching division and tier. Not the mmr is equal in the game, but well we've got a bronze 2 toplane vs a silver3 because he brought his bronze5 friend.

This rewards good performance and punishes bad performance. This balances the ladder.

DISCLAIMER So I don't know everything, I don't have all the angles. I'm not even a good player. I'm just a problem solver for a living. I see a problem and I think this is how it could be fixed. Shrug. I'm just a dummy trying to make things better.

Mainly I'm hoping to get a discussion started to find out if the idea is good or bad and why. Ultimately with a hope to make the game better overall.