TF Team

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Matchmaking Update

July 22, 2016 - TF2 Team

Thanks for all of your feedback over the last couple weeks. In our previous post, we talked about a number of issues with the Meet Your Match update and what we were doing to address them. Here's a quick recap on what has happened since then:

Matchmaking:

• We have been working hard to improve the matchmaking system, greatly reducing queue times and eliminating most causes of errors when attempting to play. On average, queue times are now below ninety seconds for most players. There are still some issues with lower population regions and game modes that we are looking into.
• We have identified and corrected several issues where players weren't being sent to fill empty slots for in-progress matches. There should be far fewer matches where this happens, and we will continue making improvements here.

Casual Mode:

• Players are now able to specify the maps they would like play on when using matchmaking. However, it is sometimes the case that players joining in-progress matches (aka "late join") end up on maps they did not select. This will be fixed in an upcoming update.
• Abandon penalties have been removed, which means players can come and go as they please.
• Vote-kicking has been added. Players that are kicked retain the experience they've earned to that point, in order to reduce the likelihood of players using the system to grief others.

Next, we would like to give you a quick overview of the things we are working on, and go over some of the issues you raise as needing more attention and work.

Abandons in Competitive Mode:

• We are going to make abandoning penalties much harsher. The current system increases matchmaking ban times based on the number of abandons over a period of time. We are making a change to more quickly move serial abandoners into really long ban times. We will also subtract the maximum number of rank points possible, per abandon. The amount lost will be far higher than what could normally be lost in a completed match.
• In addition, we are investigating several options to offset the impact abandoners have on games that are in-progress. More on that when we have details to share.

Griefing in matchmaking:

• We are working on systems that will give players with high numbers of in-game reports automated cooldowns from matchmaking, to discourage disruptive behavior.
• As a side note, you can report players while in-game by clicking the "Report Player" button - located in the "Play" section on the main menu.

High ping and queue times:

• There are still cases where players can wait longer than we'd like. This is more common in lower population regions and game modes in Casual Mode matchmaking, and the result is that players sometimes end up on a server where their ping is higher than normal.
• One solution we are investigating is allowing matches to start with fewer than 24 players -- in cases where there are not enough available players to form a complete match, or when the players being considered are too far away. The system will instead prefer to start a smaller match more quickly, with a more appropriate ping, filling the remaining slots as more players become available.

Experience and incomplete matches in casual:

• Right now, leaving a casual match results in no experience being earned. We are looking at changing this to avoid penalizing players for having to leave after investing significant amounts of time into a match, while still providing rewards for playing matches to completion.

We are monitoring the game around the clock, and we continue to read all your feedback and suggestions. Thanks again for taking the time to help improve TF.

Casual Mode Update

July 8, 2016 - TF2 Team

It's no secret that Casual Mode has had a rough launch. We wanted to give you an update on what we're doing to address your concerns.

Short version: We hear you. Later today, we will be shipping a patch to Casual Mode that will remove the penalties for abandoning a game, and allow you to narrow your game mode selections from two modes to a single mode before queuing. Additionally, in the very near future, we will be shipping a more comprehensive Casual Mode patch that will let you select the maps you will be matched into.

We've provided a more detailed breakdown of Casual Mode's issues and how we are addressing your concerns below.

First, and most important, queue times. The queue times you are currently experiencing are a bug, not a feature. It is something we are actively working to correct. Several backend issues appeared post-launch that culminated in long wait times. Removing this issue is our highest priority right now.

Second, abandonment penalties. We had put in a ten-minute cooldown period to encourage players to complete matches. Your feedback has convinced us that it is more important for players to be able to come and go as they please. Today's patch will remove abandonment cooldown penalties from Casual Mode.

Third, user choice. We'd intended to roll out the number of match options available to players incrementally, so as not to overload the matchmaking system with too many variables on Day One. In retrospect, of all the match options to hold back, map selection should not have been one of them. It is the next feature we are adding to Casual Mode, and you will get it very soon.

Fourth, Casual Mode levels. Levels are a cosmetic feature that show how much you've played. They can never be lost, and they do not affect matchmaking. We did a poor job of communicating that Casual Mode Levels are in no way similar to Competitive Mode Ranks (which do affect matchmaking, and can be lost).

Finally, we wanted to note that we value the role the community plays in the development of this game, and do in fact read all the feedback sent to us, as well as through reddit, the forums, streams, and more. We are not always as talkative as we perhaps should be, but we are listening.

The Meet Your Match Update is LIVE!

July 7, 2016 - TF2 Team

The Meet Your Match Update is now live!

Meet Your Match Update Day 2: All Out War!

July 7, 2016 - TF2 Team

It's the return of the afterburn! Introducing the Flash Fryer, the Pyre of Wild Fire! The Napoleon of Napalm, the Arsonist Assassin! The Sultan of Scorch, the Talent with the Torch! Deranged at close range, the white-hot knight to ignite the fight! PYRO!

And in the other corner... The Defiant Giant! The Beast From the East! The Towering Hulk with Overpowering Bulk! He's a Communist maniFISTo, the Red Son with the One-Ton Minigun! HEAVY!

Two men enter! One man leaves! Followed shortly after by the other man, also leaving!

But! Even though both of those men will be allowed to leave, and both will be unharmed, and there will have been no real consequences as a result of them entering, and they may actually go on to be dear friends, only one of them will get a future Class Update!

But! Okay, both of them might get new Class Updates at some point. In fact, it's highly likely they both will.

But! Only one of them will get it first. Click here to find out how to make your vote count in the biggest election of the year, the epic showdown of The Maestro of Maim versus the The Thrower of Flame! Heavy versus Pyro!

Oh, and new taunts, new crates, a whole crapload of game balances and a bunch of other stuff.

Plus, now you can celebrate your anticipatory pre-victory (or pre-commemorate your assumed defeat) with official Meet Your Match merch!

The Meet Your Match Update is Coming

July 6, 2016 - TF2 Team

Before today—literally the moment before you started reading this sentence—the only way you could enjoy matchmaking on your computer was through dating sites. That got us thinking. What if you took the promise of dating site matchmaking, and, instead of getting matched up based on Snapchat's face-reshaping filters and lies about how much you love hiking, it was based on your actual real-face dating performance?

That's when it hit us: Take matchmaking and apply it to video games.

"But what about...?" you say, and we cut you off mid-sentence, gently place our fingers on your lips and whisper: Matchmaking has never existed in video games before.

But now it does! Click to find out how Matchmaking is going to change the way you play TF2 in the upcoming Meet Your Match Update!