Before TMM was launched I always believed that it would provide the best experience for teamgames. That we could move on from custom games and global rating. However after it was released I have no longer felt that way. These days I only play custom 15x15 1800+ mapgens. Why is that? Why is the tmm experience so much worse than customs?
Here are some of my thoughts:
- as a high rating player in tmm I can almost never find a match, because the lower ratings keep getting matched against each other. However customs don't have this problem. In a custom virtually any host will let me in even if I'm far above their rating
- in customs various things can be done to fit me in if I join late: larger team sizes, closing slots to hold a spot, people being kicked etc.
- a tmm game starts immediately upon matching which means that I have to be ready to play at a moments notice for hours on end. In customs I can just say afk 10min in the chat, and the worst that can happen is getting kicked. I can play other games, shower, or even go to the store, while searching for a custom.
- in a custom lobby there's an indicator of progress being made when other people join the lobby
- you can chat directly with the players you are about to enter a game with, which makes waiting in a lobby a social experience
- I'm partial to the 5v5 format (over 4v4) and mapgens in general
Some advantages of tmm:
- it makes getting into a game very easy for a new player (as long as they can find a game within a few minutes, otherwise the game may feel dead)
- it improves the integrity of the rating system (as opposed to custom)
Could the tmm system be improved or do we just have not enough players to make it viable? Idk really I haven't thought that far I just wanted to complain x)