Gears of War TrueSkill ranking: A wrong move for Microsoft?

If you’ve visited Microsoft‘s Gears of War forums, you probably have spotted this:

“Yes, itÂ’s a cert requirement. You may not choose who you get to play with in a ranked match and you may not keep the session together. The theory is this prevents collaborative cheating (I kill you ten times, now you me, etc.)…The players youÂ’ll meet arenÂ’t random. They are the best fit for your skill level.”

To some, this sounds like something Microsoft’s reprisal against Halo 2 cheaters, but we’re talking about Gears of War (GoW) here, so let’s get it straight. Gears of War, Microsoft says, will be played according to the prerequisite that all ranked matches must be based on skill. This means you won’t be able to play tactically with any of your Xbox Live friends anymore.

Those who know better argue that Microsoft’s goal is to avoid friends boosting their own rank with each other and getting achievements and so on. The TrueSkill ranking system, which matches you with other players of roughly the same ability, supposedly assures a fair game. In fact, Microsoft has now required all 360 games to come with a ranked multiplayer that picks “random” people to play against (a bit of a confusion here, since it picks the people closest to your skill, therefore not truly random at best). Epic supported it since games without such a feature won’t ship.

It may be a dealbreaker for a lot of Xbox Live gamers, others may not give a whit, but others may simply find this upsetting. GoW is supposed to be a game that exploits teamwork, and players are always looking forward to band with their buddies to win. However, Microsoft also has a ground for implementing this rule, as it prevents cheating (level-boosting) in the game. Question is, do all players actually care about ranks? Sure, Microsoft’s move is all in the best interest of the players, and we certainly appreciate it. TrueSkill ranking system has been implemented in other games such as Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, so other players aren’t bothered.

But then again, there are some gamers who are bothered by the ranking system. So, what’s your opinion on this?

Pre-order: [Gears of War]

If you’ve visited Microsoft‘s Gears of War forums, you probably have spotted this:

“Yes, itÂ’s a cert requirement. You may not choose who you get to play with in a ranked match and you may not keep the session together. The theory is this prevents collaborative cheating (I kill you ten times, now you me, etc.)…The players youÂ’ll meet arenÂ’t random. They are the best fit for your skill level.”

To some, this sounds like something Microsoft’s reprisal against Halo 2 cheaters, but we’re talking about Gears of War (GoW) here, so let’s get it straight. Gears of War, Microsoft says, will be played according to the prerequisite that all ranked matches must be based on skill. This means you won’t be able to play tactically with any of your Xbox Live friends anymore.

Those who know better argue that Microsoft’s goal is to avoid friends boosting their own rank with each other and getting achievements and so on. The TrueSkill ranking system, which matches you with other players of roughly the same ability, supposedly assures a fair game. In fact, Microsoft has now required all 360 games to come with a ranked multiplayer that picks “random” people to play against (a bit of a confusion here, since it picks the people closest to your skill, therefore not truly random at best). Epic supported it since games without such a feature won’t ship.

It may be a dealbreaker for a lot of Xbox Live gamers, others may not give a whit, but others may simply find this upsetting. GoW is supposed to be a game that exploits teamwork, and players are always looking forward to band with their buddies to win. However, Microsoft also has a ground for implementing this rule, as it prevents cheating (level-boosting) in the game. Question is, do all players actually care about ranks? Sure, Microsoft’s move is all in the best interest of the players, and we certainly appreciate it. TrueSkill ranking system has been implemented in other games such as Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, so other players aren’t bothered.

But then again, there are some gamers who are bothered by the ranking system. So, what’s your opinion on this?

Pre-order: [Gears of War]