100% proof of RUIN clan member ditching match for a loss!

[RUIN] don't exactly seem to have a sterling reputation for sportsmanship. They've been getting pelters over in the FB group, you might have some luck posting it there, too. Not sure what anyone individually is able to do except see this guy and expect the worst.

I have crossed paths with eight ball a few times and I gotta say, he is one cold, precise player. There's no way that was a dropped connection. On the other hand, my butt hurt feelings aside from him wiping out my hanger (I try to go after em cause I know how bad he is), it's probably a good thing for all of us with a depth to our hanger to do the same. I'm guessing here, but the algorithm in the new MM looks for upper and lower limits of a players range over the period of 50 games or so (going off the stated "percentage" in the stats). There's probably delimiters set in there for posterity and to keep folks from loosing 25 straight, dropping to bottom ranking, then rocking the next 25. Until the upper and lower and period criterion are met in the equation, everybody gets maxed out on competition. You gotta go one way or the other, and crushing folks against 12/12 heavies is good way to find their top limit. Most aren't going down to the very bottom to establish their lower, below the bottom delimiter. Or logging out of the game and logging back in to try and trigger the algorithm to calculate again.

Who knows, it's all vapor at this point. I feel like those dude s in the cave starin at shadows n stuff at this point...

edit** not do the same, i.e. Mess up other players, but go to a light light1/1 hanger and duke it out. 

Yep, clearly the hope there is to game the system to where they have an exploitative competitive advantage. Disappointing.

So I have to ask... When I look back at all the times I haven't really had good experiences playing- namely, being destroyed by those who have also gamed the system for an exploitative competitive advantage ("clubbed")- the name that has always stuck out more than any other is [I(R)ON GRAVES].

How has your clan resolved to put that sort of thing behind it in the wake of the new MM reality?

I don't know how to tag, but maybe #stillclubbing / Intel inside could read us in on what RUIN's doing; that his clan isn't it?

It's not an accident. It's definitely damning evidence. Their win rate is already below 50%. There is no good reason to continue.

I hope this is not the new way of seal clubbing. It is potentially worse than before, dragging down the experience of others on their way to club unskilled players. I can forgive players during the first week of the new MatchMaking for quickly bringing their win rate down to 60% to begin consistent battles against opposing forces. However, if it doesn't slow to a trickle, the game experience will be spoiled.

If it only happens rarely, I take the "glass half full" attitude and change my goal from winning to getting many activity points or taking out a particular target.

If the problem becomes frequent, then pressure should be put on Pixonic to address it. Disbanding infamous clans and closing the accounts of repeat offenders is possible if Pixonic's marketing team is convinced revenue is being affected.

Hehehe, thank you!

I don't think there are clan wide efforts like this (ie, I have not seen whole Ruin squads doing this or even boasting about it) but just some individuals across numerous clans and non clan pilots as well. A number of silver clan members have put in gold equipment and are playing, some have stopped playing, and some are doing things like this. I had some screen shots shared with me of whole 3-4 member intra-clan squads doing the same to a clan brother of mine while he was running what used to be a low gold line up, leaving him in the lurch with a sure defeat. He was pissed but there is nothing he could do about it.

Why are they doing it? To the best of my understanding, it is part protest of the new MM system that they think is crap as they can't run what they want to run and are forced to play their gold equipment (many of these guys have top tier gold hangers - they just don't like the slow pace of gold), part backlash because of the max pilots gloating about killing off 4/12 bots (ie, same tactic as pilots who left matches as a way to seek revenge on their team or the red team because of mag geps in the old MM), and part trying to figure out what is driving the new MM by putting in 1/1 bots and tubing the win rate to zero and then bringing the win rate back up to see the effects on competition.

The only thing I would call out to forum members is that intentionally dropping out of matches to screw a team to make a statement is not new....just look at the Mag Gep/clubber threads that are really not visited much anymore. Full of posts of pilots doing that...deplored by some, but tolerated by many. I deplored the tactic then, and I deplore it now.

Wow... I am just shocked at how much work/time/effort someone would go through just to avoid competitive matches. Granted, we don't know his motives, maybe his toddler reset his hangar (my 4 y.o. loves to re-arm my bots), but if his goal is to lower his Elo, how boring it must be to sit through that, just so you can face off against lesser quality players.

That the win rate is going so low might be evidence that it isn't working. As long as the amount of time and effort spent pulling stuff like this is greater than that to just play the game, I think the Elo approach sets the right incentives.

The question is: how long is the rebound and how much can you game it? If you go from 1/0 to, say, 3/5... and then when that finally starts to catch up, switch up to 6/8... then 9/10... then 12/12... depending on the system you could have a very long ascent after a very quick downfall (assuming dropping games repeatedly has no penalty).

Initially, you lose 50 games in a row by quickly ditching games and bringing your win rate to 0%. You can club for 25 games, bringing your win rate to 50%. Then, start the cycle over again.

It's not simply win % lol. #StillClubbing at 60-70%

i guess 8ball hasn't gotten the memo yet.

I placed 1st for pilot of the hour 5 times since first two days of new matchmaking and my win % was always between 50% and 70%

Clubber Secretz.

I tried this myself as an experiment. I purposely lost about a dozen times. Didn't drop in so my damage and victory stats lowered. As I was doing this the players became lower and lower level with weaker and weaker bots/weapons. When it felt like I was somewhere in what used to be called bronze tier I put level 8 weapons on level 1 destriers and cossacks and started playing. Nothing changed. I was basically gold farming. After a while my teammates and enemies became higher level players with more powerful bots and weapons. I switched to slightly higher level bots but still not as good as everyone else. I was still gold farming for a while. Everyone kept getting better. Switched my bots again. Etc etc. Eventually I was somewhere back in silver tier, usually winning but no longer gold farming. I suspect soon I'll be back to losing to ridiculously higher level players like I was before.

I'm sure altruistic community-interest research is at the very top of their list of priorities...