I can haz EA/DICE programming job?

I figured out the secret code to fix team stacking.

x = Number of players on Team 1
y = Number of players on Team 2
z = Max number of players per Team

z = (x + y) / 2

[rq60]

so what about when there is a mass leaving on one team and people aren't joining? what about friends that join a server and want to play together?

[FocusPocus]

no wai brah, 1x team switch per map is much better!!!

Then you can stack teams each map!!!111
win

[Coquito]

what if the team the admin is on isnt overly outnumbering the other team?

[FocusPocus]

Originally Posted by rq60

so what about when there is a mass leaving on one team and people aren't joining? what about friends that join a server and want to play together?

that "formula" should only be applied when people are trying to switch teams

and auto balance isnt working right now..

Originally Posted by rq60

so what about when there is a mass leaving on one team and people aren't joining? what about friends that join a server and want to play together?

I'd rather they be split up than have the teams look like this:

Team 1
-=BU=- bobo
-=BU=- slim
-=BU=- jimmy boy
-=BU=- clown_pants
-=BU=- chet
-=BU=- popcornz
-=BU=- dale
-=BU=- stoopid_head
-=BU=- rawrz
-=BU=- jet
-=BU=- babez_21
-=BU=- roger

Team 2
ILikeRaptors
JakeSully
Rocker_Dude19

[NearNihil]

What if it's 8v7, then there'd be half a player floating between the teams. (for the geniuses, that's 8+7=15, 15/2=7½)

:P

[MaDeuce]

Originally Posted by rq60

so what about when there is a mass leaving on one team and people aren't joining? what about friends that join a server and want to play together?

You suck it up, take it like a man, and play separated from your friends for a round or two.

[rq60]

what if the team are even numbers wise but uneven skill wise?

Originally Posted by rq60

what if the team are even numbers wise but uneven skill wise?

Fine with me, that means they win fairly.

[Coquito]

no joke. I was outnumbered once to a team who would just not use their armor.

I was called a cheat and got kicked.

[MaDeuce]

Originally Posted by rq60

what if the team are even numbers wise but uneven skill wise?

That won't happen for very long... as the teams stack the other side empties out and autobalance would quickly pull skilled players across to the other team.

[Coquito]

Originally Posted by rq60

what if the team are even numbers wise but uneven skill wise?

yeah, theres always that too. you know

[ChillyWI]

There's a lot to take into consideration:
1. Friends on the same team.
Ideally it shouldn't switch friends that are in the same squad unless absolutely necessary. If it does switch them, when someone else joins it should give that person the chance to switch back (a 5 second prompt or similar).

2. If someone has already recently been switched.
If you choose people randomly, someone that was just swapped could end up being swapped over and over if the teams keep unbalancing.

3. If someone is a key player on their team.
Should a team's only medic get swapped before their recon? What if the recon is the best player on the team?

4. Overall skill of the players on each team.
Not sure if you can just base it off rank, but that'd be the easy way. Ideally you'd want the average rank of both teams to be about the same.

5. Overall ping of the players on each team.
You don't want to switch all 150 ping players to one side. You'd prefer that they're balanced out a bit.

6. Is the player currently piloting a vehicle or guarding a planted objective? Are they in the middle of a key firefight? Most likely you'd just choose the player furthest from the enemy players or just switch someone when they die. But what happens if someone never dies? Do you have it force the change after a certain amount of time?

7. Do you change the algorithm based on game type?
Squad rush and deathmatch are more likely to have friends that will only play together, so do you wait longer before balancing?

8. Do you change the algorithm based on total number of players?
In a 32 player game, a 4 man disadvantage (14-18) isn't that big of a deal. In a 10 player game a 4 man disadvantage is huge (3-7).

You also have to weigh each of these things against each other. What should take precedence... someone being recently switched or someone being on a squad with friends (if they just joined)? What about skill versus ping? Etc. In many games it's simple, but the squad aspect of BC2 complicates it quite a bit.

Originally Posted by ChillyWI

There's a lot to take into consideration:
1. Friends on the same team.
Ideally it shouldn't switch friends that are in the same squad unless absolutely necessary. If it does switch them, when someone else joins it should give that person the chance to switch back (a 5 second prompt or similar).

2. If someone has already recently been switched.
If you choose people randomly, someone that was just swapped could end up being swapped over and over if the teams keep unbalancing.

3. If someone is a key player on their team.
Should a team's only medic get swapped before their recon? What if the recon is the best player on the team?

4. Overall skill of the players on each team.
Not sure if you can just base it off rank, but that'd be the easy way. Ideally you'd want the average rank of both teams to be about the same.

5. Overall ping of the players on each team.
You don't want to switch all 150 ping players to one side. You'd prefer that they're balanced out a bit.

6. Is the player currently piloting a vehicle or guarding a planted objective? Are they in the middle of a key firefight? Most likely you'd just choose the player furthest from the enemy players or just switch someone when they die. But what happens if someone never dies? Do you have it force the change after a certain amount of time?

7. Do you change the algorithm based on game type?
Squad rush and deathmatch are more likely to have friends that will only play together, so do you wait longer before balancing?

8. Do you change the algorithm based on total number of players?
In a 32 player game, a 4 man disadvantage (14-18) isn't that big of a deal. In a 10 player game a 4 man disadvantage is huge (3-7).

You also have to weigh each of these things against each other. What should take precedence... someone being recently switched or someone being on a squad with friends (if they just joined)? What about skill versus ping? Etc. In many games it's simple, but the squad aspect of BC2 complicates it quite a bit.

Obviously my post was a comical over-simplification of the solution. It was meant to point out the ease with which a fix for the game-breaking lack of an auto balance system could be implemented.