Hey all,
In this weeks update they are releasing freelance. I'm assuming you know all about it so I won't go into detail. They are trying to solve a problem but I believe they are potentially created bigger problems by doing this. Here's why:
Player segregation - separating your players into two groups naturally creates longer queue times. I don't know the statistics of how many players play in fire teams, but expect one of these playlists to have fairly long queues.
Latency - two playlists mean less players to choose from. This means you are less likely to play against players that are more local to you. Expect at least one of these playlists to have more lag/latency issues.
Skill - same as above, you are less likely to find players of the same skill. It sucks playing against fireteams that coordinate, but it also sucks playing against players that are far better than you.
Now what's the best scenario? Players split 50/50 increases all these things minimally. Next best, players ignore the freelance mode and we deal with the issue of fireteams. Worst case, IMO the most likely, most players go to freelance mode making these problems extreme in the normal mode. Basically discouraging players to play together in a cooperative game...
We can hope for the best but this is a bandage to the problem that only seems good in theory. I think the risk is too high for the reward. Let me know what you think.
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You make a lot of assumptions concerning latency and skill gaps in both playlists. If your assumptions are correct then people will not play in the bad playlist. Currently many solo players avoid playing in team focused playlists completely. This may increase the overall player count in crucible and as solo players become more proficient in the roles and objectives in team based games, they may move back to the team playlists with new friends they've made in the freelance playlists. Regardless the direction it goes it's worth a shot to try.