We strongly recommend adding a new ranked mode—one that only allows solo players to queue for 4v4 ranked matches (disabling the option to form premade groups with friends).
Having experienced over a dozen seasons, it’s clear that a significant number of solo players have been driven away by facing coordinated four-stack premade teams.
If this mode were implemented, it would likely attract a massive wave of veteran players back to Age of Empires IV to participate. The player count for this mode could very well surpass that of the existing one.
This mode should be separate and would not interfere with the original multiplayer ranked ladder.
I trust you won’t doubt my reasoning. This design is precisely what games like League of Legends employ. Notably, League of Legends’ “Canyon of the Summit”—its highest-level server where elite players congregate—completely prohibits players from queueing with friends! You can only queue alone and be matched with three strangers. They might be unskilled or highly competent, and victory rests in your hands!
Even duo queue is not allowed in the Canyon of the Summit! A single powerful duo can dominate the entire course of a 5v5 team match. This is exactly why League of Legends is designed this way.
Forming premades with friends and queuing solo for random teammates appeal to two entirely different types of players!!!
Because!!! Players who queue solo are often 1v1 experts. They find Age of Empires IV’s 1v1 mode excessively dull (a common flaw in RTS games). League of Legends succeeded because it launched with Solo/Duo Queue ranked mode, only later adding Flex Queue. Controlling just one champion in League of Legends could be considered monotonous, but its success lies in players encountering all sorts of incredible teammates/opponents and unpredictable game situations.
In contrast, a game with four fully coordinated players becomes entirely controllable. Every match follows a predictable script. I believe these players will ultimately abandon the game.
For solo players seeking random teammates, their perception is that the game holds limitless potential and possibilities (just like League of Legends! It’s still the same old 5v5 map, but the nine other unpredictable players create a completely new experience every time). Therefore, they will never abandon this game—unless they see zero possibility of such a mode being implemented.
Let me reiterate: This mode would cause the Age of Empires IV player base to increase dramatically!! This benefits not only the existing large player pool but also new players immensely.