Dota 2 continues to try and find that sweet spot of ensuring that MMR is fair. Indeed, there have been a number of changes with the most recent update looking to make a big change again.
Back in September 2019, Dota 2 experimented with a new system known as ranked roles. In this system, Dota 2 gave players the option to choose between core or support. For Core there were Mid, Safe Lane, and Off Lane roles. For Support there were Hard Support and Soft Support roles. The idea was that players could choose roles before queuing and then match with other players who chose other positions. This system also made it easier to report players, particularly those who didn’t follow the roles that they queued in. There was also time when players who queued for the support positions were able to join games faster.
For the latest change, the Core/Support have been removed and players are now placed in a single rank. However, handicaps are given for each of the five ranked roles and represents a player’s relative strength in playing each position. In a blog post, Valve revealed that the latest update should be able to “help the matchmaker better account for a player’s different performance levels between various roles.” This means that winning or losing games now modifies one single rank.
What about when queuing for a match? The matchmaker now considers the full MMR. However, for players who are queuing for their weaker roles, it results in the matchmaker putting players in a match having a lower MMR.
What happens now is that when players match into a game, the display shows the adjusted badge levels that were used to match each player. As such, no matter what role a player queues for and plays, the outcome of the match affects the actual MMR value.
In addition, the initial levels for each of the roles are computed based on the player’s previous Core/Support MMR values, along with analysis of the previous 100 games. Players can track their current role adjustments in the Role Queue menu.
No doubt Dota 2 has again changed how players are matched in the hopes of offering a better gameplay experience. It could also be that the game is testing new features in preparation for the upcoming changes in the tournament format. Whatever the reason may be, it shows that Dota 2 continues to find ways to improve and give players a more rewarding time playing the game.
