WOC - Matchmaking Issues
I'm getting extremely frustrated playing WOC, and from what I've seen both here and on the EASHL subreddit it seems that everyone else is experiencing it as well. This year honestly feels like EA is...
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What I don't get is the secrecy, the vagueness, the "we'll have to wait and see if it gets addressed" and other platitudes in an attempt to quell a growing number of frustrated and loyal players.
A franchise like EA is unique in that it has thousands of consumers buying one of their products yearly - a plethora of knowledge, experience and passion for a niche sport like Hockey that is not being utilized properly.
For example, if EA were to come out and just tell us what their intention is behind the matchmaking changes, this large database of knowledgeable and experienced users would happily provide detailed feedback on whether those intended changes are actually working in the real world.
But instead, we're met with all this secrecy as if EA is developing a cure for cancer or hiding UFOs in their studios. It just doesn't make any sense why this massive audience that is literally drooling for a quality multiplayer experience is left to be pacified rather than informed.
And we're not asking for promises regarding development or features. (which apparently need to be guarded closely as if they were state secrets) We're just looking for a simple explanation as to why this massive change that's effecting a majority of the WoC players (and their subsequent enjoyment of your product) was made so we can maybe provide real-world insight into its effectiveness.
As a publicly traded company, I can't imagine shareholders appreciate that a product with such a passionate fanbase is not taking advantage of such a unique opportunity.
We're just looking for a simple explanation as to why this massive change that's effecting a majority of the WoC players (and their subsequent enjoyment of your product) was made
My guess as to what happened is this: EA hasn't changed the code for their matchmaking in several years. Then someone gets the idea for the grudge match system, it's thought to be doable, and EA announces it as a feature. Nobody who implemented the code for the matchmaking is actually employed any longer, and so new people start grafting the grudge match system onto it without understanding the underlying system. Grudge matches break matchmaking entirely and they don't know why. Then they discover that by taking an axe to several things like skill-based matchmaking, server location selection, club sizes, etc, they can at least allow people to connect to each other. EA throws their hands up and says:
This is the likely reason. It explains why the Grudge Match option was added to matchmaking recently.
It just boggles the mind that those who work in communications for a fortune 500 company like EA have such a difficult time communicating with their consumer-base the details of these changes. Refusing to do so or acting aloof about the potential resolutions to these issues just fosters resentment, confusion and eventually stagnant sales. It seems the current marketing strategy leans heavily on FOMO.
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