Lobby demands reach new heights!

The community's demands for lobby and social features reach new heights on leFacebook.

Ha?

I've given up waiting for a lobby, maybe one day I'll wake up to a surprise.

When you have a feature that part of the community dislikes, only the unsatisfied part tends to come to the forums and complain. And this might give the erroneous impression that "everyone is against this".

So, just for the record: I for once am glad we don't have the vCoH basic matches. That was, IMHO, the worst part of vCoH. The community was segmented into all the different automatch modes, plus basic match, making the time to find a match punishing. If you wanted to play with a buddy, you were pretty much confined to basic match, as the automatch AT modes were deserted.

And that's when the problems started. Most basic matches were set up by a team of buddies, who tweaked the rules as to benefit their faction the most, and played always on a set map, with fixed locations, running a pre-determined "script" every game. Almost every basic match lobby consisted on a game with one team full of players and the other empty. Lots of annihilate games with only the Wehrmacht team filled up. Not to mention that host would often "select" the opponents, kicking anyone who didn't look like an easy win.

It was extremely annoying and it often would take me 30 minutes to start a game, and I'd play a lot of BS matches. Now it takes me less than 5 minutes. If what you care about is PLAY, rather than TALK, I pretty much prefer the current system. I acknowledge that there are things that can be made - a separated chat room where you could friend people and from there play with them could work. But seriously, if Relic ever reverts the matching system to that of vCoH, with lobby, basic matches and everything (which I don't think they will), then I might as well go back playing that game instead.

+1 to Bob Pontes

When you have a feature that part of the community dislikes, only the unsatisfied part tends to come to the forums and complain. And this might give the erroneous impression that "everyone is against this".

So, just for the record: I for once am glad we don't have the vCoH basic matches. That was, IMHO, the worst part of vCoH. The community was segmented into all the different automatch modes, plus basic match, making the time to find a match punishing. If you wanted to play with a buddy, you were pretty much confined to basic match, as the automatch AT modes were deserted.

And that's when the problems started. Most basic matches were set up by a team of buddies, who tweaked the rules as to benefit their faction the most, and played always on a set map, with fixed locations, running a pre-determined "script" every game. Almost every basic match lobby consisted on a game with one team full of players and the other empty. Lots of annihilate games with only the Wehrmacht team filled up. Not to mention that host would often "select" the opponents, kicking anyone who didn't look like an easy win.

It was extremely annoying and it often would take me 30 minutes to start a game, and I'd play a lot of BS matches. Now it takes me less than 5 minutes. If what you care about is PLAY, rather than TALK, I pretty much prefer the current system. I acknowledge that there are things that can be made - a separated chat room where you could friend people and from there play with them could work. But seriously, if Relic ever reverts the matching system to that of vCoH, with lobby, basic matches and everything (which I don't think they will), then I might as well go back playing that game instead.

I for one used to have great fun hopping into a game of my choice. Some of my best memories with vCOH were on Annihilate games on Route N13 the constant back and forth, those games could last for a couple hours. I'm almost certain that a large portion of the COH2 community at launch were baffled at the fact COH2 didn't have a lobby system.

Basic matches just allow you to set up a game that you want to play. Not everybody wants to play an automatch and go all out try hard mode. Some want to just relax and play an Annihilation game or a 1000 point ticket game.

The casual players, I suspect are greatly turned off as they can only play automatch or invite a friend to a private lobby. And even then it's limited because the player in question might not have any friends that own the game. But because there is no chat system the player in question cannot ask others if they want a game. Thus, the player decides to go and relax on a different game instead.

I just don't see how people can say that the absence of the lobby system is a good thing. It adds stability and longevity to the community. But I guess it's just a matter of personal preference. I just think that adding a lobby doesn't harm anyone.

I had the same expierience with CoH1 Lobbys, it never actually got me a good game, and I played it only casualy. Good games were only with friends against bots, the Lobby never got us anywhere because you would get kicked, or you would find noone else to join your game.

No lobbies, ever.

The problem isn't that some people could use lobbies. The problem is that most didn't know the problems inherent to player controlled lobbies.

It created a very negative community experience when you'd be directed to use lobbies after the automatch takes forever (Again, due to all people being in lobbies). Then the game you'd get is deliberately made lopsided, or just silly.

Lobbies may add a small amount of what can be considered stability and longetivity, but it's the wrong kind of stability and longetivity, the kind that leads to a small, stagnant, toxic and elitist player community that causes the game to hemorrhage any new players. Similar to the sort of people spamming and insulting people for lobbies to come back.

I don't think Annihilation mode needs to be brought back for automatch or lobbies. I would agree something more silly or cooperative for groups of players to play would do well for the game. Similar to the niche that ARAM modes fill in LoL, for instance.

Maybe reuse the moniker of "Frontline" maps for some new mode that's much less serious.

Lobby is an industry standard for 10 years already.

Should be automatic and expected in any MP game.
(except perhaps low budget kickstarters)

No lobbies, ever.

The problem isn't that some people could use lobbies. The problem is that most didn't know the problems inherent to player controlled lobbies.

It created a very negative community experience when you'd be directed to use lobbies after the automatch takes forever (Again, due to all people being in lobbies). Then the game you'd get is deliberately made lopsided, or just silly.

Lobbies may add a small amount of what can be considered stability and longetivity, but it's the wrong kind of stability and longetivity, the kind that leads to a small, stagnant, toxic and elitist player community that causes the game to hemorrhage any new players. Similar to the sort of people spamming and insulting people for lobbies to come back.

I don't think Annihilation mode needs to be brought back for automatch or lobbies. I would agree something more silly or cooperative for groups of players to play would do well for the game. Similar to the niche that ARAM modes fill in LoL, for instance.

Maybe reuse the moniker of "Frontline" maps for some new mode that's much less serious.

There were a lot of people who had good time using lobby games and features that come with it, me included.

I went from complete noob to decent player through lobby basic matches, mostly I had fun.

A lot more than I do now in unbalanced automatch games that mostly finish with crushing defeat, or overwhelming victory.

All but few turn into skirmish games..........

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Relic attempt to introduce automatch during COH days (3v3's and 4v4's) that no one used even tho, it is so much better according to you?

Bottom line is, if majority of people are happy with automatch team games, than Lobby custom games will end up a complete failure and no one will play them. Everyone will keep playing automatch. But then again, you know that is not true and so does Relic.

In other news, the joke was that he said he wanted a lobby with annihilation mode. As in, you could annihilate opponents in lobby or something *insert weak laughter here*

I'll just show m'self out so you guys can ultraspank the dead horse in peace...

Don't know if you weren't reading, but the reason why people didn't use automatch were many. One of which was that lobbies existed and people tended to be directed to them. The concept of automatching was actually somewhat new and untried since console multiplayer wasn't as big a thing.

Another problem with CoH1 automatch was that the system fractured player pools many times over. First there was the split between Allies and Axis, then you would choose between 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4 which were all separate pools of players.

CoH2 fixes most of that by letting players choose checkboxes for multiple modes, maximizing the number of players in each pool.

Bottom line is, you don't actually know how many people actually were happy with lobbies. What you have is anecdotal, and while many did have a positive experience, the vast majority did not. I'd wager real money that most people either don't care, or found lobbies appalling.

A vocal minority is still a minority, no matter how vocal. A few facebook posts doesn't equal a majority, or "going to new levels."

A vocal minority is still a minority, no matter how vocal. A few facebook posts doesn't equal a majority, or "going to new levels."

A vocal minority matters more than a silent majority, cos a silent majority, literally, has no say on the matter.

You also can't profess to know what a silent majority thinks (or that it supports YOUR position), because, guess what, they are silent, and therefore you have no idea what "they" are thinking.

This is basic stuff. You set yourself wide open on these.
Think a little before you post, please.

Furthermore, he is no more a "vocal minority" for supporting his position on the issue, than you yourself are also a "vocal minority" for supporting your position on the issue.

I'd wager real money that most people either don't care, or found lobbies appalling.

Id take that bet and beat you with it, any day of the week.

The sentiments FOR lobby expressed in this thread exceed the sentiments AGAINST a lobby, by count.

Do you know what that is?
Thats called a majority...

These are not difficult concepts dude. Elementary.

Lobbies, don't care.

DOTA 2 doesn't have lobbies and it is fine.

Random people on a forum in which all people are not participating does not make a majority. You need to realize the vast majority of people either don't post on any CoH2 forums, or if they do, they don't care enough to comment on the topic because lobbies matter nothing to them.

If it was a problem, every lobby thread would be burtsting from the many thousands who purchased the game and actively play. Instead, they're finding that automatch, despite the problems, mostly works as intended.

Wow, look at those stretches in logic with majorities. The mind bending rationalization for your incorrect viewpoint. Jumping from talking about how majorities don't matter to trying to redefine what a majority is. It's clear you're making up the argument as you go.

The old style lobbies just have too many negatives that outweigh the positives. Now, the lobbies are actually still there, and their purpose is to allow a group of extended friends to join up via inviting each other into custom games with whatever settings they want. Because it's a game between established friends, you run into less problems with open public lobbies.

So, think a little before you post, please.

These are not difficult concepts, Nullist. Rudimentary.

We are looking at different ways of making it easier for players to find others to play custom games with.

We certainly know that a vocal segment of the fanbase would like to see classic lobbies back.

COHO had the best one, just copy it !!!

COHO had the best one, just copy it !!!

YES. COHO had so much done right. i thought they woulda learned what was good and put it in COH2. but i guess that is not the way it is.

I'd like to see classic lobbies back as well. Although the matching system is awesome for getting 4v4 and 3v3 compared to CoH 1 right now.

Wait... I'm reading this and it sounds like the lobby system is not going to be implemented? That must be wrong... I remember when I pre-ordered and it was a feature. I remember the beta when it wasn't there. Then came launch and still no lobby. Relic said it was because of some "third party" right? ...and they were waiting on them. So when is the lobby system coming?