We all know the basics. You join the queue and at some point you gets matched against other player(s) based on your settings. But does anyone knows something behind the math behind this system?
For the sake of the argument, lets look at 1v1 only, since it will be the easiest to understand.
I cant remember if i ever being matched within 1 minute. In my experience matches are made after about 2 minutes. For the pros and the real bottom it will take much longer, but i neglict these parts also just for making the example more simplistic.
Why do two players with close elo (sometimes the gap isnt even more then 10 elo) both wait for 2 minutes into the queue before they gets matched? Why isnt it possible to have this match pretty much instantly? It will reduce the queueing time, so players are able to play more games, which seems great.
I also have another question about matching for team games. For the sake of simplicity i just ignore premades. So we are talking about a 4v4 with only solo players involved. Sometimes it feels like teams are made first and then matches are mades based on these team. As result you can re shuffle the 4v4 and make the average elo of both teams more equal. Just as example: It favors a team of 4x 1600 vs 4x 1700 over a team of 2x1600+2x1700 vs 2x1600+2x1700. To me the seconds seems to make more sensen to, but it looks like the system prefer the first match up. This seems odd to me. Anyone else nothice this behaviour of the matching ssystem?
Both questions are a major part of the match making algorithm. Based on these observations it looksfor an outsider of the devs team like the match making algorithm can be improved, which quicker and better matches as result.
Does someone has more details about how the match making system will mathematically works?
I’d guess it prioritises matches to get those who have waited long periods of time so you might not get on average as close elo but it means no1 has to sit there while you have multiple people who have searched after you yet found a game before. Obviously as time carries on the difference in elo will likely widen but actual number and scripting for this is likely impossible to get
The more players are online queuing (especially the ones who are they close to your ELO) the faster that you get a match.
Even the pros when for example Hera and Viper streaming they got a match so fast, not even more than 2 mins sometimes especially if they faced each other first time then queue again, they will have a big chance to face each other again with short time.
IMO the major problem is the players base that play online, and in AOE2-unfortunately- the online players are not even 10% or 20% as max from all AOE2 which most of them are unranked and single players. So those 20% online will have different times around the world with different ELOs with different numbers so by this the 10% or 20% will be less and less depending on those factors.
From what I’ve heard in Ashleylynn’s twitch, when she was playing DM TG with True, after 7 minutes the matchmaking system will put you against anyone who’s queuing, no matter the ELO difference.
Though I don’t know why it takes 2 minutes to find someone to us, plebs, play against
What i know is that the elo search starts very close. If you are longer in the queue, it will search more widely. As result you will end up with a big elo difference if you are in the queue for really long. People have said the 7 minutes mark as point at which you can match against everyone. I dont think if that is really true. But every minute the searching range will be bigger and bigger. For that reason also players in the 1v1 ladder sometimes have issues with getting an opponent and after 7 minutes or something like that are matched against 1.7k players sometimes. So the skill becames really big, but i dont really know if the Elo difference is completely gone. I dont think so. They will never face 1k players for example.
It also looks like if Player A can be matched against Player B, since player A is in the queue for a long time and have a wide search range, but Player B isnt long into the queue, so Player A isnt in his searching range, they still got matched, so Player A can play a game.
Next to rating it will probably also looks at server ping. I have never played on an server at Australia for example and there is a reason for that. So that is part of the matching algorithm as well.
But i still have no idea why 2 players with really close elo (for example 10 difference) both have to wait for 2 minutes in the queue before they get matched.
Nice player names. I cant find any proof of this game really happens in ranked. It will be one of the worst exceptions in which matching goes really wild.
