Fixes to Preferential Matchmaking

This past May saw us test changes to the KV-5. Had they proven agreeable, they would have been applied to other preferential tanks. The results didn’t align with the intended outcome, however, and the majority of player feedback was negative. As the feedback and testing showed, the reason you take these tanks onto the battlefield or bring them into your Garage in the first place is their preferential status and unique characteristics. In response to your comments, we went back to the drawing board to work on another round of adjustments.

Here's a look at where the current setup is falling short and how the upcoming changes address those areas.

Basics

Problem: Tanks with preferential status are likely to get matched into two- or one-tier battles, where their status combined with combat parameters does more harm than good. In certain battles, they can’t compete with Tier IX and feel inferior against regular Tier VIII tanks.
Goal: Improve the experience for preferential tanks while keeping the preferential matchmaking parameter and their unique characteristics intact.
Solution: All-around vehicle rebalances on a tank-by-tank basis combined with matchmaker rule revision. The latter is aimed at reducing instances of getting matched at the same position (top/middle/bottom) on the list for several battles in a row.

As a side note, regular Tier VIII vehicles face a similar issue with matchmaking, amplified by the fact they also compete with Tier X tanks. Matchmaker rules revision is designed to better the experience for them, too.

Vehicle Rebalances

We'll kick-off the preferential tank revision by tweaking combat parameters. We originally set these parameters so tanks can play comfortably and competitively in Tier VIII-IX battles, where they are weaker than other machines in combat given their stats. With this in mind, at Tier X, these tanks would be ineffective, which is why they have preferential matchmaking. We will definitely look at their stats to ensure their effectiveness is comparable with the performance of Tier VIIIs and remain competitive in those battles.

There is no blanket solution to this problem, so we’ll address it on a tank-by-tank basis, starting with Tier VIII vehicles. Combat parameters will be improved to better suit the Tier spread, while also keeping their gameplay-defining characteristics intact.

VIII KV-5	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 167 to 182 mm	Relatively small improvement of the radio operator’s cupola should still allow vehicles of lower tiers to penetrate the vehicle’s armor.
	Improve frontal armoring of the commander’s cupola (+40 mm, 150 -> 190); improve armoring of the radio operator’s cupola (+20 mm)	Improvement of the commander’s cupola to the level of the frontal turret armor will allow the vehicle to take advantage of its turret armor.
	Improve aiming time from 2.9 to 2.3 s	General improvement of the penetration value and gun handling parameters.

VIII IS-6	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Increase penetration from 175 to 182 mm for the standard shell and from 217 to 225 mm for the Premium shell	Increased penetration value, improved gun handling parameters. Minor improvements to turret armoring. The vehicle remains a multi-purpose HT.
	Improve aiming time from 3.4 to 2.8 s
	Improve the frontal turret armoring (up to 190 mm on sides of the gun mantlet)

VIII FCM 50 t	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Improve the specific power from 19.5 to 23 h.p./t.	Kept and improved the role of a dynamic HT; increased battle performance.
	Increase damage per minute by 10% (from 1,920 to 2,100)

VIII 112	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 175 to 182 mm	Overall improvement of the technical characteristics.
	Increase velocity of the HEAT shell (Premium shell) from 640 to 720 m/s
	Increase damage per minute from 1,775 to 1,850

VIII WZ-111	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 175 to 182 mm	Minor improvement of the vehicle that does not require major adjustments.
	Increase velocity of the HEAT shell (Premium shell) from 640 to 720 m/s

VIII M6A2E1	SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS:	DESCRIPTION:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 198 to 204 mm	Improved maneuverability and stabilization while keeping the vehicle’s armoring and role on the battlefield.
	Review the vehicle armoring; make minor improvement to overall armoring
	Improve hull traverse speed from 24° to 28°
	Decrease dispersion on turret traverse from 0.18 to 0.16

VIII T-34-3	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 175 to 182 mm	Overall improvement of the technical characteristics.
	Improve the gun depression angle from -5° to -6,5°
	Increase velocity of the HEAT (Premium) shell from 640 to 720 m/s

VIII Type 59	SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS:	DESCRIPTION:
	Increase dynamics and specific power from 14 to 15.5 h.p./t	Improved vehicle’s technical characteristics to the level of other MTs. Overall improvement of the technical characteristics. Improved gun handling parameters.
	Improve aiming time from 2.3 to 2.1 s
	Increase damage per minute from 1,725 to 1,775
	Review the vehicle armoring; make minor improvement to overall armoring (possibly)

VIII T26E4 SuperPershing	Suggested improvements:	Description:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 192 to 202 mm	Players feel rather negative about this vehicle. Made minor improvement to dynamics while keeping the vehicle’s low mobility as compared to other MTs. Improved gun parameters.
	Increase damage per minute from 1,750 to 1,800
	Increase dynamics and specific power from 9.9 to 12 h.p./t

VIII 8,8 cm Pak 43 Jagdtiger	SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS:	DESCRIPTION:
	Increase the penetration value of the standard shell from 203 to 212 mm	The worst vehicle on the list in terms of statistics. The vehicle receives significant improvements to all characteristics crucial for tank destroyers.
	Increase vehicle’s durability from 1,300 to 1,400 НР
	Increase rear speed from 12 to 14 km/h
	Improve aiming time from 2 to 1.8 s

Matchmaker Improvements

In its current state, matchmaker often fails to ensure proper rotation among the top/middle/bottom of the list. Getting matched at the same position for several battles in a row slows progression and degrades the overall experience for all vehicles. Unfortunately, simply tweaking the current algorithm won’t fix it.

We tried to artificially lower the probability of getting preferential Premiums in +1 Tier and same-tier battles. This created more problems, however, by increasing the number of single-tier battles and waiting times for not only Tier VIII and IX but tanks tiered VI-X.

So we’re looking into redesigning the underlying matchmaker rules to improve 3/5/7, 10/5, and 15 template distribution. This will aim to prevent cases of spending 80 percent of in-game time in 3/5/7 battles at the bottom of the list.

As you can understand, to find the optimal solution will take some time (about half a year) and we ask for your patience. We have already laid down a plan and work on the matchmaker is underway. We will give more information when we have it in a separate article.

What’s Next?

We’ll be watching the Supertest data very closely to ensure vehicle rebalances are working as planned and are generally resonating well with players — be it this particular solution or something else. Hit the forum to share your thoughts on the suggested changes and stay tuned for a closer look at what’s in store for the matchmaker.