Matchmaking system has been a hot potato in the Dota 2 community for quite some time. A few months ago, Valve introduced the so-called “behavior score” that matched players based on their behavior towards fellow players.
However, the new criteria was not well accepted by all Dota 2 fans who said it does more harm than good. Some players were matched with players whose skills were not as polished as those of the experienced players. The varying matchmaking rating was the reason why many Dota 2 players have clenched fists in frustration. What is more, as RealGear reported, Valve’s title has recently hit the lowest number of active players since 2014. Redditors revealed that they have stopped playing Dota 2 namely because of the problematic matchmaking system.
It seems Valve has taken into account players’ feedback and introduced a new patch. According to the patch notes, its aim is to remedy the situation with the troublesome matchmaking system. From now on, the behavior score will not be such a major factor. The behavior score-based matchmaking will be focused on the worst Dota 2 offenders instead. Valve has also implemented some adjustments to the behavior score of each account so that it reflects the matchmaking system changes.
Matchmaking will be more focused on the number of games played. Having said that, no change has been imposed to the Smurf detection, though. In other words, new players who have higher than usual stats will be matched to other players based on the skill level rather than on the number of played games.
The patch release is a major step Valve has taken towards handling the toxicity in the Dota 2 community and erasing the MMR differences. The developer has recently took draconian measures against bot users, feeders and account sellers and the “suspicious” accounts have been flagged. Alleged offenders have received matchmaking bans.
