timppu: Yeah, rubber banding. I think that's the term used for those racing games where the competing cars drive according to how you are driving.

Elmofongo: what else is new?

Themken: You are online! :-)

timppu: Sorry I didn't watch the whole video, I hate these "talking head" Youtube rants, I'd much rather have them in a text format.

I first saw it was talking about some Activision multiplayer matchmaking system that deliberately mixes expert players (with advanced gear) with newbies so that newbies would get frustrated and get an urge to buy similar advanced gear. Yeah, that does sound like BS to, I always thought the point of matchmaking is to match you with others of similar experience, not newbies with experts.

However, when the video proceeded to EA, it complained about a "new" system where the difficulty of the game will be adjusted according to how well the player seems to be doing. Ie. if you are doing poorly, the game automatically becomes easier, and if you are doing great, the difficulty level increases.

While I do generally oppose such "behind the scenes" difficulty adjustment, I don't understand why that Youtuber is presenting it as some kind of new thing? Hasn't he heard about e.g. Sega Rally Championship coin op game? It came out already in 1994, and I think it had a system like that. If you were driving poorly, the competing cars would slow down, and if you were driving great, the other car(s) would also start driving exceptionally good.

I guess the idea was so that competing cars would always stay in your vicinity, no matter how fast or slow you drove, to make the game feel more interesting. Still, I felt that system is bullshit. I shouldn't be punished for being great in a game, nor pampered for playing poorly.

EDIT: So could someone quickly summarize what was the evil thing that EA has now done? Something beyond that Activision stuff which tries to nudge newbies to buy extra weapons? Or was it that difficulty adjustment stuff only?

timppu: Sorry I didn't watch the whole video, I hate these "talking head" Youtube rants, I'd much rather have them in a text format.

I first saw it was talking about some Activision multiplayer matchmaking system that deliberately mixes expert players (with advanced gear) with newbies so that newbies would get frustrated and get an urge to buy similar advanced gear. Yeah, that does sound like BS to, I always thought the point of matchmaking is to match you with others of similar experience, not newbies with experts.

However, when the video proceeded to EA, it complained about a "new" system where the difficulty of the game will be adjusted according to how well the player seems to be doing. Ie. if you are doing poorly, the game automatically becomes easier, and if you are doing great, the difficulty level increases.

While I do generally oppose such "behind the scenes" difficulty adjustment, I don't understand why that Youtuber is presenting it as some kind of new thing? Hasn't he heard about e.g. Sega Rally Championship coin op game? It came out already in 1994, and I think it had a system like that. If you were driving poorly, the competing cars would slow down, and if you were driving great, the other car(s) would also start driving exceptionally good.

I guess the idea was so that competing cars would always stay in your vicinity, no matter how fast or slow you drove, to make the game feel more interesting. Still, I felt that system is bullshit. I shouldn't be punished for being great in a game, nor pampered for playing poorly.

EDIT: So could someone quickly summarize what was the evil thing that EA has now done? Something beyond that Activision stuff which tries to nudge newbies to buy extra weapons? Or was it that difficulty adjustment stuff only?

timppu: Yeah, rubber banding. I think that's the term used for those racing games where the competing cars drive according to how you are driving.

anothername: ... "fuck you Activision/Bungy/Destiny2" ?

Mr.Mumbles: Rubber-banding isn't adjusting to difficulty. It just means if the AI is doing horrible and may be half a lap behind you, they may just magically (teleport) catch up to you again. It doesn't improve the AI one iota. Rubber-banding has never been a good thing.

Elisebathe: I do not care one bit about multi-player, so thanks, EA, for making more people have the same feeling. I hope that they are going to make it in a way, where people will have to pay everything for multi-player.