Release: Quickmatching System

[quantum]

Quickmatching system for Spring


Got some time to play? Just pick a mod, set the game size, crack open a cold beer and sit back. Gone are the days of looking for mods, maps, picking teams and getting ringed senseless!


How to get it

It's part of SpringDownloader which comes with Spring, but if you don't have it, you can get it here: http://trac.caspring.org/wiki/sd
It works on Linux with Mono.


How it works

After you select a mod and a minimum amount of players, it joins a suitable game, fetches the necessary files, and readies up when the game meets your requirements. If a better game becomes available, it will switch to it.

While waiting, you can optionally chat in the battle, talk in game channels or exchange PMs with friends.


Supported games

• Balanced Annihilation
• Balanced Annihilation Chickens
• Complete Annihilation
• Complete Annihilation - 1 Faction
• The Cursed
• NOTA
• Spring 1944
• Supreme Annihilation
• XTA

Contact Licho or me for information on how to get your mod added.

We're open to ideas and suggestions!


Game Artwork

Modders: if you send us a 400x100 logo, it will be used to select your game in the GUI. Also, a 16x16 image can be used to your mod's chat channel name.

[Satirik]

does it host new battle according to users preferences and make them join or it just joins existing battle that fit the requirements ?

[JohannesH]

After you select a mod and a minimum amount of players,

I hope you meant maximum

[quantum]

does it host new battle according to users preferences and make them join or it just joins existing battle that fit the requirements ?

It joins an existing battle. Creating a new battle will most likely make the wait longer.

After you select a mod and a minimum amount of players,

I hope you meant maximum

No mistake, since most interested in a minimum. However, in the future we want to support 1v1s, so we'll need a maximum too.

[Satirik]

does it host new battle according to users preferences and make them join or it just joins existing battle that fit the requirements ?

It joins an existing battle. Creating a new battle will most likely make the wait longer.

After you select a mod and a minimum amount of players,

I hope you meant maximum

No mistake, since most interested in a minimum. However, in the future we want to support 1v1s, so we'll need a maximum too.

well then tasclient has already such a system (way more complex) for a while

[Beherith]

I like this, and Ill test it as soon as I get a chance. Can it detect wether FFA mode modoption is set? I dont mean to add bloat to it, since I can also just filter for maps.

[Pxtl]

So it's just a system that automatically makes you idle in battle as an unready player? This sounds more annoying than useful, having seen Licho beta-test it in Springie.

At the very least it should idle as a spectator, and switch to an active player when enough players (and quickmatching spectators looking for a similar minimum player-count) are available. After all, if quickmatchers are aware of other quickmatchers, then why should the player even be in the battleroom irritating the players who are willing to start a smaller game?

[Beherith]

Pxtl, I got the impression from the description that it only joins games that its actually gonna rup you in...
What does it do if it gets forced to spec if less players wanna start the game?

[Pxtl]

@Behe - I don't know if that's the version they went live with, but Licho was using it a few days ago in Springie, and it did _not_ do that. It would idle in Springie. If you rang him, the bot would say "I'm waiting for 14 players, !specafk to make me leave". If you called "!specafk", he would leave the battleroom and rejoin in 60 seconds.

[Auswaschbar]

After you select a mod and a minimum amount of players, it joins a suitable game, fetches the necessary files, and readies up when the game meets your requirements. If a better game becomes available, it will switch to it.

Does that mean hordes of unready people blocking battles, and instantly leaving whenever a 16 ppl DSD autohost finished playing and reopens his battle?

[knorke]

you mean like right now?

[Forboding Angel]

wow, this is neat! Excellent work quant!

[Beherith]

@Behe - I don't know if that's the version they went live with, but Licho was using it a few days ago in Springie, and it did _not_ do that. It would idle in Springie. If you rang him, the bot would say "I'm waiting for 14 players, !specafk to make me leave". If you called "!specafk", he would leave the battleroom and rejoin in 60 seconds.

Hmm, then Im not sure this is the best solution for the 1 CA game that is usually going...

[JohannesH]

For quickmatching to work smoothly, it should only match with other quickmatch users i think. Otherwise its just not quick most probably, and annoying to have some matchbot join your custom game.

[knorke]

yes.
atm its often with for example CA, that there is one 8 player game going on and 8 other players are in the battleroom waiting for the game to finish.
quickmatch should somehow encourage these players to get a second game going instead of waiting..

[Pxtl]

yes.
atm its often with for example CA, that there is one 8 player game going on and 8 other players are in the battleroom waiting for the game to finish.
quickmatch should somehow encourage these players to get a second game going instead of waiting..

Logic I could see: if there exists enough QuickMatching players to start a game (considering the minimums of all those players involved - if 3 guys will settle for a 2v2 and 1 other guy wants a 6v6, that's not enough players), then start a new game. If there are not, then go for the existing game.

[quantum]

yes.
atm its often with for example CA, that there is one 8 player game going on and 8 other players are in the battleroom waiting for the game to finish.
quickmatch should somehow encourage these players to get a second game going instead of waiting..

Logic I could see: if there exists enough QuickMatching players to start a game (considering the minimums of all those players involved - if 3 guys will settle for a 2v2 and 1 other guy wants a 6v6, that's not enough players), then start a new game. If there are not, then go for the existing game.

Yeah that should be done IMO. But the main problem is how to play nice with non-quickmatchers on various kinds of hosts and autohosts.

For quickmatching to work smoothly, it should only match with other quickmatch users i think. Otherwise its just not quick most probably, and annoying to have some matchbot join your custom game.

I think it would really be a waste to ignore all the slowmatchers, besides, I think they'd rather have 3 quickmatchers right now than wait for 3 more normal player, especially if it's not BA.

Pxtl, I got the impression from the description that it only joins games that its actually gonna rup you in...

It joins the best game even if won't ready up: 2 player games tend to never start while 5 player games tend to become 8vs8 in 10 minutes. More people join if they know there are opponents already availabe .

After you select a mod and a minimum amount of players, it joins a suitable game, fetches the necessary files, and readies up when the game meets your requirements. If a better game becomes available, it will switch to it.

Does that mean hordes of unready people blocking battles, and instantly leaving whenever a 16 ppl DSD autohost finished playing and reopens his battle?

They don't actually block battles, they will all leave with !specafk, no offense taken :) . If you ring them you can see how many players they want.







The GUI is done and all clients are aware of each other's intentions, so now it's mostly a matter of experimenting and finding what gives the best results. I wouldn't put too much importance on how exactly it does things right now, since it will almost certainly change. It's sort of like the first unbalanced version of a mod. However it's perfect playable! Licho and I use it exclusively now.

[SirArtturi]

For quickmatching to work smoothly, it should only match with other quickmatch users i think. Otherwise its just not quick most probably, and annoying to have some matchbot join your custom game.

Indeed. Currently this idiot proof system is fucking up the games. Licho & fellows are popping up into games with their afk-assess just to annoy with their Automatic bot messages while we could actually get the game going...

[quantum]

I like this, and Ill test it as soon as I get a chance. Can it detect wether FFA mode modoption is set? I dont mean to add bloat to it, since I can also just filter for maps.

What's the FFA mode modoption? We were planning to assume that FFAs are played on marked FFA maps. I think Springie has a list of FFA maps.

Indeed. Currently this idiot proof system is fucking up the games. Licho & fellows are popping up into games with their afk-assess just to annoy with their Automatic bot messages while we could actually get the game going...

You can just spec or !specafk them, real players wouldn't ready-up until they are happy with the number of players anyway...

[Pxtl]

For quickmatching to work smoothly, it should only match with other quickmatch users i think. Otherwise its just not quick most probably, and annoying to have some matchbot join your custom game.

Indeed. Currently this idiot proof system is fucking up the games. Licho & fellows are popping up into games with their afk-assess just to annoy with their Automatic bot messages while we could actually get the game going...

I disagree - I think quickmatchers should join normal games. I just don't think they should do so until there are enough of them to start the game - if Licho is waiting for 14 players, he shouldn't be joining until the total number of players in-room plus quickmatching-is-gonna-put-them-into-that-room reaches 14.