It has already become clear to us that this year will be significant for the balancer. Big updates are coming in 2019. And in order to see this with your own eyes, you need to look at how the balancer has developed. And at the same time, we will analyze the problems.
Synopsis
One of the most important components of the game is the balancer. He performs a number of tasks, the main among which is the correct selection of the team, taking into account the cars that the players have chosen. The tasks of the balancer also include the selection of:
- comparable team lineups for an interesting game;
- a variety of equipment by type and level of technology;
- cards.
Let the tankers into battle as quickly as possible is the main task of the balancer. Turning to history, we understand that nine years ago, in 2010, this was easier to do than it is today. In those years, there were only three nations, so many different vehicles were not observed, and there were very few gamers of levels IX-X. Therefore, in such a situation, in order to reduce the selection time, the balancer could put tanks into one battle with a difference of 4-5 levels. For example, Tier VI and Tier IX-X vehicles could easily end up in the same battle. Today it seems impossible.
Time passed and the balancer became obsolete. He had a list of missing, but such necessary, tools:
- there were no restrictions on the number of cars in one team depending on the class;
- so-called "platoons with a key fob" appeared, with a difference in equipment by three levels;
- a small number of enemy vehicles of the player's level. For example, 13 Tier 4 vehicles and XNUMX Tier VIII vehicles could be thrown into battle. Such a team was unbalanced, and the comfort of the players, especially the eighth level, was reduced to the limit.XNUMX
It was decided to change the balancer system enormously and create a completely new architecture.
Update 9.18 and template balancer
2017 An update is coming out, which was hoped for in solving problems and acquiring more convenience in the game. What has changed?
- platoons became only single-level;
- the number of self-propelled guns in the team was reduced to three;
- the balancer has become a template: 3-5-7, 5-10 and a one-level battle.
The templates remain the same now, but the queue structure has changed.
What is a queue?
The queue is a list of vehicles that fills up according to the players pressing the “To battle” button. Immediately after choosing a car, players get into this list.
The "Waiting Room" is replenished with vehicles ready to go into battle. It depends on the replenishment of the equipment of the desired level.
How much time you spend in the queue depends on the number of players, levels, types of vehicles. The balancer at this time selects a template, a variety of types and a map.
Prior to APA 9.18, there were four times fewer Tier X vehicles than VIII vehicles. This is why the basic 3-5-7 pattern has proven effective.
New difficulties
Since 2017, the situation with the levels of technology has changed. Today, Tier X vehicles are less than half the number of Tier VIII vehicles. The number of the ninth level has also increased. The queue has gained momentum. When holding game events or promotions, the queue is influenced by them, which is why the load becomes greater.
But speaking about the natural development of the queue, we can say about two serious problems that are being solved:
- frequent play at the bottom of the team list when you have to play against stronger players. This is especially evident with the technique of the sixth and eighth levels.
- Preferential vehicles often end up in battle against a higher-level opponent. Such a fight is going according to the second pattern 5-10. Why the game becomes uncomfortable, given the features of preferential equipment.
The decision on strict templates, taken earlier, will not correct the situation today, because the very structure of the "waiting room" has changed.
Developer decision? Reduce the number of battles against vehicles of a higher level and, conversely, increase the number of battles against vehicles of their own level and below.
Problem Solving Mechanism
Dynamic templates should be the solution for both two-tier and three-tier battles. Soon there will be such templates:
- 7-8, 6-9, 8-7 and 4-11 for duplex;
- 4-5-6, 4-4-7 and even 5-5-5 for XNUMX-tier fights.
Other patterns may be possible.
The 5-5-5 pattern will seem awkward at first for the technique that ends up at the bottom of the list. However, such a pattern will only be applied when the distribution of vehicles in the queue is extreme. The main goal is to reduce the number of battles in which players play with vehicles two levels higher.
The new balancer should work to optimize the battle and the comfort of the participants. It will evaluate the queue faster. The template will be selected based on the number of tanks in the queue and their levels.
balancer
If you look at the example, you will see how often a Tier VIII vehicle hits different parts of the team's roster for different tier battles. The work of the balancer for December 11, 2018 is shown.
After the introduction of the new balancer, the waiting time for a battle may become longer. Developers sacrifice this in favor of a more comfortable game. The waiting time, as always, depends on the state of the "waiting room".
Plans for the near future
The technical part of the system of the new balancer has already been completed. Very soon it will appear on one of the main servers.
At the very beginning, stability and fault tolerance will be checked under normal operation conditions, and information on the distribution of equipment will be collected. Of course, the choice of templates will be fine-tuned.
At the end of the test period, the received data will be analyzed, as well as player feedback. With clear results of using this updated balancer, it will be launched on other servers and work for the comfort of tankers.
