I recently had the pleasure of making rank 1 on 4v4 USF random. It was probably one of the most gruelling experiences of my life, taking an insane amount of games with a terrible win/loss ratio. If you want a bitter laugh, have a look at the 4v4 top 10 ladders on the side of the page. Compare the win streaks of allied players vs axis. The usual refrain seems to be that this is because of balance in favour of the axis. While a game with 4 asymmetric teams as complicated as this one will always likely have balance issues, I don’t believe that’s the main problem (although I really do hate jagdtigers).
Since having the pleasure of discovering CELO I’ve found that I’m privy to information that most players apparently don’t have: Everyone’s rank. This is what the average 4v4 random matchup looks like, in my considerable experience:
Simply put, decently ranked Allied players are almost unheard of. The matchmaking system has no choice in making a fair game. I’ve occasionally had a good run of teammates on some weekends (about the only reason I was able to rank up so much), but that’s about it. The number of times my score at the end of the match had highest damage and kills and yet we still lost was just excruciating. When you have 4 opponents it’s extremely difficult to singlehandedly turn a game around. I’ve also had teammates who couldn’t beat the AIs when most of the other team dropped.
However, I enjoy playing as Allies nonetheless. They are a good exercise in micro. So, in an attempt to attract more decent Allied players back to 4v4 random, and help everyone else improve, here are my best tips for winning:
Bad Maps
Under the current patches teams *always* start on the same side of each map. Maps can be notoriously unbalanced in this game though. So, ensure you always veto as many of these maps as you can:
Ettelbruck Station
Reason: More like ‘Stuka Barrage’ Station. Zero flanking combined with creeping barrages on narrow streets makes pretty much everything but Soviet heavy tanks useless.
Steppes
Reason: The open map is great for Allied tank swarms late game, but it can be hard to get to that point. The lack of cover is perfect for Axis HMGs and kubelwagons to lock everything down early, not to mention paks. Good luck holding any fuel. Only experienced teammates are likely to be able to micro squads and snipers adequately.
City 17
Reason: Axis get an awesome building to camp the right fuel, and you don’t. The left fuel is nice and open so that Axis can spam HMGs and kubels.
Faceoff at Rostov
Reason: You have two narrow chokepoint routes to your fuel, at least one of which is red cover. Expect to get kubel-rushed and locked out. You also have to cross a river to get to anything. The Axis fuel is surrounded by excellent buildings and numerous wide entry points. This is probably the single least balanced 4v4 map and in desperate need of reworking. Or at least, you know, randomised starting sides again.
Vielsam
Reason: Still getting a feel for this new map, but it seems to favour OKW base camping at key points.
Hi very nice post Cyanara. Thank you for taking the time to write it up.
I would like to give my theory on matchmaking and why it is so dreadful. Generally, you may have already noticed, there are more players searching as Axis than Allies. It is quite normal to see something like 70% Axis - 30% Allies search rates in 4v4. Since Axis teams have to wait longer to get a match due to the smaller amount of Allies players, the matchmaker expands their search criteria to incorporate even newbies. This is why bad matchups end up happening, probably to Allied players more than Axis, i assume.
I also believe that it is common knowledge to 4v4 players that Axis have it better in big team games. This may lead to players leaving the 4v4 mode altogether or switching to Axis. This dilutes the playerbase even further.
Good info on the maps, and i totally agree. Why Rostov still in the rotation, i will never know
Find a regular good groups of folks to play with.
Know when to call it quits. If they have held both fuels for more than 5 minutes straights its time to call it GG's.
That is actually a very bad attitude when approaching games, Napalm, although it is somewhat true in a sick way.
Relic Entertainment
보드카 중대 
