JaggedSac on 19 March 2010
For those unaware of what Arena mode entails: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/62873
Q&A from this Bungie Forum Thread: http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=42231833
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In the recent info regarding arena it was said that players would have to play EVERY day to earn an overall ranking in each months league.... is this true?
No, not every day. We're still adjusting numbers, but let's say you need to be Rated on 5 days to qualify for a Division. If that were the case, you can play any 5 days you want. And you can play more than 5 days if you think you can do better and move up to a higher Division. But you have to play at least that many days to be assigned to a Division. No more. |
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Will our arena stauts/rank effect our rank in the other playlists ?
No. |
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Will we be able to view Arena games in Theater mode?
Absolutely. I hope that high Rated Arena films are a popular commodity in the (new and improved!) File Share. |
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My question for the Arena is this: will Bungie fix the language boosting trick that was prevalent in Halo 3? With more options available to choose how you want to be matched, I feel it would be much simpler to exploit a form of this. Obviously in Arena, people will want to be in the highest division so I feel it could become a problem.
Yes, this is fixed. Our playlists can now be configured to match in two stages: find teammates, then find opponents. Each stage can have different parameters. In Arena playlists, for example, we would consider Language Preference for finding teammates, but not for finding opponents. So (ideally, population permitting) you'll be on a team with people who speak your language, but your opponents will be the most appropriate skill and ping match. Somewhat harder to exploit. |
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Are you familiar with how Blizzard is currently operating their ladder system in the Starcraft 2 Beta?
Afraid not, I haven't had a chance to install the Beta. :( |
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Will each grouping have separate divisions? Will there be an Onyx 1 and an Onyx 2, or will all Onyx players be ranked together? Additionally, will there be a way to view the players in your division?
Are there any plans to incorporate teams into this system? Let's say a friend and I compete in a 2v2 ladder, are there any plans to rank teams of players against other teams? As an extension of this, are there plans to implement a clan system with the arena? There will be some subdivision within divisions when the competition is most heated. Think "Gold Division, Top 5%". There are no plans to implement a clan system specifically for Arena. If we did Clan support (not saying we are, mind you), we would support them across the board. |
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Is arena the only ranked playlist?
They are currently the only playlists which will display a playlist specific ranking/rating/etc.
But all of our other playlists are built on the same tech that made Halo 3's Ranked playlists work, which means they will have strong skill matching and high match quality (population permitting, as always.)
They are currently the only playlists which will display a playlist specific ranking/rating/etc.
But all of our other playlists are built on the same tech that made Halo 3's Ranked playlists work, which means they will have strong skill matching and high match quality (population permitting, as always.)
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If we were to use Halo 3 as an analogy for the Halo: Reach matchmaking system would Arena be akin to a specific playlist (e.g. Rumble Pit, Big Team Battle et cetera) or would it be a grouping (e.g. Ranked, Social, Hardcore) or none of the above?
It doesn't really map to Halo 3 analogies. This is a new beast. The old favorites from Halo 3 will still be there, as improved as we can make them. Arena is something being added on top, to scratch a particular itch. |
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Are you guys putting just as much love into the Social Playlists of the game as you are the: "Super Hardcore Arena Playlists?"
Absolutely. This isn't an "us or them" thing to us. :) |
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What are seasons?
They're like sports seasons, except over a shorter timeframe. For example, an August 2010 Season would start on August 1, end on August 30, and would only count games played between those two dates. A new season would start on September 1. |
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Will there be an Arena Season in the beta?
Gotta test it, right? :)
Gotta test it, right? :)
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Does the Arena rule out any chances of a specific 'MLG' playlist?
No. |
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Once in Onyx Division will you permanently remain in Onyx Division, or do you have to earn it month after month?
If you want to be able to state "yeah, I'm Onyx this Season", then yes, you'll have to earn it each Season.
If you want to be able to state "yeah, I'm Onyx this Season", then yes, you'll have to earn it each Season.
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Are there going to be vehicles in the Arena?
(And all other questions about parts of the sandbox, like abilities or specific weapons)
Our goal is to only include parts of the sandbox which lend themselves well to a competitive but even game. If there was a Scorpion on the map, and one person could go on a tear with a dozen kills with it, then the Arena would turn into "first person to the Scorpion gets a high rating!"
That is not our goal. The Arena is not intended to be a measure of how fast you are at getting to the single rocket launcher spawn.
(And all other questions about parts of the sandbox, like abilities or specific weapons)
Our goal is to only include parts of the sandbox which lend themselves well to a competitive but even game. If there was a Scorpion on the map, and one person could go on a tear with a dozen kills with it, then the Arena would turn into "first person to the Scorpion gets a high rating!"
That is not our goal. The Arena is not intended to be a measure of how fast you are at getting to the single rocket launcher spawn.
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Are there going to be rewards--other than honor and glory--for being a top ranked Arena player? Like armor permutations, b.net mentions, etc?
No. We do not want people who do not enjoy Arena style playlists to feel compelled to do them to get the helmet that they really want. The Arena and its Ratings/Divisions are their own reward, intended for the people who crave that particular flavor of reward. |
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Are there 5 ranks for every season or every day?
Every game, you will get a Rating. E.g., 1340 Every day that you play at least X games (say, 3 games), your best X games will be averaged to give you a Day Rating. E.g., 1314 Every Season that you get rated in Y days (say, 5 days), you will be assigned to a Division based on your performance across all games in the entire Season. E.g., Silver Division |
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Will you be able to bring in a party to arena, or is it a single player entrance into the playlist like slayer?
You can bring in a party, but only up to the team size. E.g., 4 player parties in a 4v4 playlist. |
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How big of a role will the social search criteria play into finding teams in the arena?
Will the social search options play a role into the types of teams you get matched up against? In Arena, Social Preferences will matter a lot less than Skill. When finding opponents, probably not at all. At most, they'd be a tie-breaker. |
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What did you have for lunch?
 Will this seasonal class tier thing be the only ranking system in reach or is it just exclusive for arena? A chicken chalupa, and because it's Friday and I'm doing forum posts, a marguerita. Seasonal Divisions and Ratings are Arena only. As for other ranking systems that people are asking about, sorry: "more details Soon." :) |
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What would happen if I were Onyx division and chose to search with a friend who hadn't played a game of Halo yet? Would I get matched with players in Onyx division or players in lower divisions?
They will match with Onyx players, equal to the highest player in the party. The Arena is not a place to bring a date.
They will match with Onyx players, equal to the highest player in the party. The Arena is not a place to bring a date.
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Will quitting out of matches have an effect on one's Arena ranking?
Yes, in as much as it will count as a loss, and if you do it too much, the Banhammer will apply a special new kind of punishment targeted specifically at quitters. (No, I can't detail it right now.) |
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If you were to incorporate objective games later, would you be required to keep them in their own playlist(s), or would you be able to use different forms of ranking for each individual game, enabling you to create playlists that are a mix of slayer and objective?
I can answer this on philosophical terms: if we added an Objective Arena gametype, with a good, robust Rating scheme that didn't ruin the gametype ("yeah, imma betray you so i get points for carrying the flag, sux2bu"), we would put it in its own playlist so that players can measure their skill specifically in that gametype
I can answer this on philosophical terms: if we added an Objective Arena gametype, with a good, robust Rating scheme that didn't ruin the gametype ("yeah, imma betray you so i get points for carrying the flag, sux2bu"), we would put it in its own playlist so that players can measure their skill specifically in that gametype
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Ferrex do you personally think that because of this arena more people will be camping?
I don't think so, no. The way the Rating formula works, it is important to not throw your life away, but not so important that sitting behind a corner with a shotgun and going 5-0 in a game to 50 means you get a good Rating. But we'll see. I'm sure some players will still find this to be optimal. |
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Will the stats and ratings from the Arena be posted on Bungie.net? And if yes can you specify wether it's the Beta Arena's stats and ratings, the actual game[Halo Reach] itself's stats and ratings or both?
I think these are both a safe bet. We like stats on b.net. |
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Will the new voting system be restricted in the Arena as there is (currently) a notable lack of Objective games?
Also, have you guys tweaked the Trueskill system as you did for Halo 3 (but obviously in a different way, such as making the system more fluid) or is it left in its original form this time around?
Arena playlist voting options will definitely be different. For example, you might find yourself voting more on the map you want to play than the gametype.
And the way we're using TrueSkill this time is closer to its original form and intended purpose, which (as I've mentioned before) it's really quite good at.
Also, have you guys tweaked the Trueskill system as you did for Halo 3 (but obviously in a different way, such as making the system more fluid) or is it left in its original form this time around?
Arena playlist voting options will definitely be different. For example, you might find yourself voting more on the map you want to play than the gametype.
And the way we're using TrueSkill this time is closer to its original form and intended purpose, which (as I've mentioned before) it's really quite good at.
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Does the numerical rank decrease or increase with greater skill? By that, I mean are we striving to get 0001 or, for example, 5000?
The Rating (it's not a ranking, because it isn't relative to other players) will vary within a range of 0 (far, far worse than the worst imaginable performance) and 2000 (an inconceivably good showing.) Most ratings will be around 1000-1500. It'll be easier to see when we publish the formula.
The ideal is that players strive to make it better, such that you can say "hot damn, I cracked 1600 last night", and your friends will know what that means.
The Rating (it's not a ranking, because it isn't relative to other players) will vary within a range of 0 (far, far worse than the worst imaginable performance) and 2000 (an inconceivably good showing.) Most ratings will be around 1000-1500. It'll be easier to see when we publish the formula.
The ideal is that players strive to make it better, such that you can say "hot damn, I cracked 1600 last night", and your friends will know what that means.
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Grenade Launcher
The GL fills a similar role as the Brute Shot, in that it can disrupt vehicles without being an overwhelming anti-infantry weapon like the Rocket Launcher, which means we can use them more often. Functionally, though, it's a very different weapon with a lot of nuanced tricks. We'll see how close to balanced it is the Beta! |
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How far is the skill level between someone in the 99th percentile of Onyx and the 1st percentile of Gold? Would the Onyx player own the Gold player, or would it be very even?
Same goes from players in the same division, IE 1st percentile Gold and 99th percentile gold.
The highest player in Gold and the lowest player in Onyx would be practically identical, existing as neighbors right on the very threshold of the Divisions.
I can't speak to the difference in players within a Division, though. Besides being different per Division (for example, there might be a wider skill range in Bronze than Silver), I just don't know our Arena players yet. :)
Same goes from players in the same division, IE 1st percentile Gold and 99th percentile gold.
The highest player in Gold and the lowest player in Onyx would be practically identical, existing as neighbors right on the very threshold of the Divisions.
I can't speak to the difference in players within a Division, though. Besides being different per Division (for example, there might be a wider skill range in Bronze than Silver), I just don't know our Arena players yet. :)
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Legit 1200? So what division does that put you in?
It doesn't. It will make more sense later, but a Rating only tells you how good you did against the people you played against (i.e., your peers.) You could have a Silver Division player who gets a Day Rating of 1200, or an Onyx Division player who gets a Day Rating of 1200. Both of those players know "ugh... I didn't play very well* last night. I need to do better." Short version: Division = who your peers are Rating = how well you played against your peers *1200 is not very good. :( |
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I know its hard to know what the population might look like in terms of sheer numbers, but do you have a rough target percentage for how many players would be in Onyx, Gold, etc.?
We won't be comfortable answering that till after the Beta and we've seen some real numbers. Sorry. :( |
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How will you see your position within a league? I know that global leaderboards have brought problems in the past.
Your Division assignment approximately indicates your position in a playlist. There is no leaderboard beyond that. Our experience with leaderboards has been that they strongly motivate players to cheat, and ultimately only really matter to the top sliver of players anyway. Do you really care if you're #12000 or #11990? |
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In team based gametypes is it possible for the system to rank you as a team, rather than just individually? I may or may not be probing about the possibility of clans...
It is possible, in that Halo 3 did just that, but Arena playlists rank players as individuals. (And yes, victory as a team does affect that ranking, but not so much that the worst player on the winning team ranks above the best player on the losing team, a la Halo 3.) |
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Does the numerical rank decrease or increase with greater skill? By that, I mean are we striving to get 0001 or, for example, 5000?
The Rating (it's not a ranking, because it isn't relative to other players) will vary within a range of 0 (far, far worse than the worst imaginable performance) and 2000 (an inconceivably good showing.) Most ratings will be around 1000-1500. It'll be easier to see when we publish the formula. The ideal is that players strive to make it better, such that you can say "hot damn, I cracked 1600 last night", and your friends will know what that means. |
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Are you approaching The Arena with an interest in having a balanced game while still keeping a varied sandbox in play?
We always have that interest. We sometimes allow ourselves to fall short of that goal to add fun things to the game, like Gravity Hammers and Mongooses.
Or is it Mongoosen?
We always have that interest. We sometimes allow ourselves to fall short of that goal to add fun things to the game, like Gravity Hammers and Mongooses.
Or is it Mongoosen?
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Legit 1200? So what division does that put you in?
It doesn't. It will make more sense later, but a Rating only tells you how good you did against the people you played against (i.e., your peers.) You could have a Silver Division player who gets a Day Rating of 1200, or an Onyx Division player who gets a Day Rating of 1200. Both of those players know "ugh... I didn't play very well* last night. I need to do better." Short version: Division = who your peers are Rating = how well you played against your peers *1200 is not very good. :( |
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I know its hard to know what the population might look like in terms of sheer numbers, but do you have a rough target percentage for how many players would be in Onyx, Gold, etc.?
We won't be comfortable answering that till after the Beta and we've seen some real numbers. Sorry. :(
We won't be comfortable answering that till after the Beta and we've seen some real numbers. Sorry. :(
