Session Name: | Skill, Matchmaking, and Ranking Systems Design |
Speaker(s): | Josh Menke |
Company Name(s): | Activision Publishing |
Track / Format: | Programming |
Overview: | With the establishment of professional online gaming, high quality matchmaking and ranking systems have become expected components of competitive multiplayer games. This talk will cover the following: skill determination, matchmaking, ranking, how they relate, and direction for the future. It will cover what can be expected out of the latest state-of-the-art skill determination systems. It will discuss how skill can be properly used for matchmaking and how good matchmaking can free gameplay designers to design with depth. It will suggest best practices for ranking systems, and discuss how ranking interacts with matchmaking, pointing out pitfalls to watch out for in their design. It will draw from industry experience working on competitive systems in the World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2, and Call of Duty franchises. |