I propose introducing three distinct types of matches in Enlisted: Ranked Matches, Historical Matches (like War Thunder) and Casual Matches. This change wouldn’t require any significant gameplay alterations but would help address some of the frustrations expressed by players on various forums.
Ranked Matches
Designed for competitive and tactical players, Ranked Matches would feature BR matchmaking and utilize the Military Rank System. This mode would provide a space for try-hard players to challenge each other.
Historical Matches
This mode would focus on historical accuracy, featuring historically accurate squad names, positions, weapons, vehicles, and support. It would cater to players who prefer a more immersive, historically grounded experience. The Military Rank System could be used, and BR matchmaking could be optional.
Casual Matches
Casual Matches would be similar to Ranked Matches but without the Military Rank System. BR matchmaking could still be employed, making this mode ideal for players who want a more relaxed and less competitive experience.
This would be ideal BUT there is nothing stopping some sweat from going to a casual match.
and second our playerbase needs to be built up first or at least make bots capable enough that it could ignored.
i am all for it… just one problem… how do you increase playerbase by minimum 10x so those modes would be viable?
here is little old info. i didnt make concurrent players number, but one player that did had graph showing number to be between 6-12k concurrent players ingame across 6 servers.
like i said before i doubt we will have massive influx of new players with steam release. historically similar games that have been out for few years didnt perform good on steam (e.g. WOWS got ~10% of playerbase first few months after release). they have already marketed to huge potential customer base over the years and people who want f2p games have already played(and quit) or are playing the game.
people will probably be attracted by “new” game for a day or two until they see that they will need to grind for minimum of year or two. most popular f2p games dont have grind so they are more accepted by general gamer population.
There are around 6k to 12k players on average every day? I thought the player count was between 500 and 1,000. Those are actually pretty solid numbers, especially when compared to other free-to-play FPS games like PlanetSide 2, which has a steady dying player base. I’m actually surprised it’s still getting updated.
I don’t see that average player base as being low, IMO. Player count could help players choose which game mode play.
In summary , it’s only to separate a bit more the try-hard from the casual players at the end of the day.
concurrent, so playing any time of day. there are 6 servers, so that is ~1000-2000 players on average per server (well region). average match is ~20 minutes long so that leaves ~50-100 players in queue at any minute. divide this by 4 factions and 2 BR tiers (just high low for ease of calculation) and you get 6.25-12.5 players in queue for BR queue per faction per minute.
btw situation is somewhat better in reality cause crossplay on servers are more populated than crossplay off and there is time difference between servers so it doesnt translate well into average.
Even with enough players it would be bad.
Rank would just make it even more necessary for balanced introduction of new gear and overall flesh out certain nations otherwise it would intensify faction imbalance. Also, this is really personal, but I despise making or calling games competitive when it is mainly filled with Tesla Bots.
Historic is meme, especially since it is pretty vague on how it would even work. In most cases it would result in Soviets lol-cowing the Germans with Fedorovs and T-34s and later one the Germans lol-cowing with Tiger H1 and Ofenrohr and Burgers constant lol-cowing Japs with Shermans and Bazookas while Japan would at best have their ATR.
Casual is current main mode and should stay like this.
people are overestimating the effect Steam will have … is there people that are waiting for it yes: but you have to remember:
A) the “test” they did put a massively bad taste into the Steam userbase
B) Steam has a game somewhat similar to Enlisted already (just not a f2p) and it isn’t “overly popular” (Yes Enlisted does have a game that it is similar too … it is not as unique as people think). Will Enlisted’s F2P status bring some people? sure, but it’s not going to be this massive Massiah that some are predicting … also remember that many that go to steam already play and are just moving over.
As for Rank Match, Historic Match, and Casual Matches. I agree that the playerbase is simply too small to properly support it in the current number of servers etc. I think that Rank and Historic are best suited for events as they have done in the past (See Fair Fight events of old). Enlisted is at its core a casual game, but it has 2 major problems holding it back when it comes to matchmaking (IMO):
A): New Player Matchmaking / New Player Seal Clubbing
The current new player matchmaking is simply inefficient. It too short to really do its job of getting people into the game and doesn’t make an effort in terms of getting them equipped at least with BR I squads before putting them into main matchmaking. Expanding NPM should be heavily considered. Expanding would also reduce the number of bots within it (as you would have more new players playing). I could write an entire thread on my thoughts on this and maybe I will sometime.
B) Susceptibility to Player-base Faction Stacking
The fact that DF has failed to spread “interest” when it comes to the 4 factions has been apparent for a while. Being able to choose the faction of your choice combined with the smaller player-base which is not large enough to absorb it with enough mains means that faction stacking will almost always be prevalent. For Enlisted to really grow, this problem needs to be fixed. People are also overestimating how much the XP % bonus for join any team will help. It won’t be used by a lot of people. It will be marginal improvement at best.
The current new player matchmaking is simply inefficient. It too short to really do its job of getting people into the game and doesn’t make an effort in terms of getting them equipped at least with BR I squads before putting them into main matchmaking. Expanding NPM should be heavily considered. Expanding would also reduce the number of bots within it (as you would have more new players playing). I could write an entire thread on my thoughts on this and maybe I will sometime.
I totally agree with you on this point, the new player experience is somewhat atrocious and not very rewarding as it stands right now.
Y’all bring some valuable points! Thank you all for sharing, really appreciated
aren’t they preparing for Steam? It would work…
