Hostile Environment

[BunsenGyro]

Can we all agree that Rivals' environment is, while I would not say "toxic," very unfriendly to anybody who has not mastered the game or came from competitive Melee? As a product of both the game's online matchmaking and general player attitude.

I'll first begin on the matchmaking point. The game's low player numbers online can lead to, as had happened to me today, there being literally only 2 players online (or 2 compatible players, regarding playable ping). If you're like me, and are pretty good at Smash but not a master (such as playing in locals in Smash Ultimate), then you just don't get to have fun. There's a huge chance the other individual is a master, because that's the only kind of player playing the game nowadays. I faced this one same player around 12 times in a row, back-to-back, and I got trashed every time, never winning a set (Only winning 2 matches at all). This was in ranked mode, since the casual battle experience is no better, either having no players at all, or the mode does not care about player skill whatsoever.

That said, with as few players as there are, ranked mode's intent of setting up players of equal skill basically does nothing, because there are no compatible players of my skill level. Even so, your actual rank does not seem to be a good indicator of your skill level anyway, because your rank can never decrease. If I'm a Bronze 3 rank and I lose 20 times in a row (even losing to other Bronze 5 players), you better rank me down to Bronze 5 if it is supposed to mean anything. The fact that it did not tells me that it really doesn't mean anything related to your skill level. Furthermore, the Silver 4 player I faced 12 times in a row should not be able to rank up to Gold off of one single opponent who is clearly no challenge for them.

"You just suck lmao" -- very helpful feedback, thanks. I'll have you know that I am competent; I beat the story modes, did the tutorials, and, in regards to general Smash skill, I generally place well in my local Smash Ultimate weeklies. It would be one thing if I literally didn't know how to use a controller, but as it stands, I feel like I've "earned" my right to have fun in this game.

Speaking of player attitude, though -- if you're not a master, you're going to get destroyed, taunted, sandbagged, and demeaned if you play. Seriously, if you're sandbagging, taunting, and demeaning one same player over and over again, just lay off. You're not cool for trying to make someone not want to play Rivals anymore, and it's because of your behavior that the game cannot grow beyond the small population it currently has, as you're turning away any interested people at the door. The time, effort, and will it would take to reach a level that would allow you to play on any semblance of an even playing field is so vast that it is unreasonable for the average Joe to achieve before they just decide to quit because you curbstomp them fifty times too many.

("You're telling us to stop being so good, lmao" -- no, I'm telling you to lay off rubbing opponents face into the mud on your shoe so much. You can win and not kill off any hopes of this game living for another year or two. Just stop being so freaking high and mighty and rude about it.)

I don't like to rant about issues without presenting potential solutions, though any solution-y ideas I have don't sound that great on paper:

• "Shadow ban" certain player matchups if it their matchup is well beyond 90-10. People are resilient, and may try bashing their head against the wall until outside factors stop them. Even if there are only 2 players online at once, not playing at all is better than trying over and over again, and just getting crushed every time and getting it rubbed in your face, and the game could have the authority to call it quits for you.
  
• Make ranks matter in ranked online. Make it fall if a player is losing a lot, particularly to lower-ranked opponents. Make it not rise if a player defeats the same low-ranked player for the 9th time. Make it impossible for a Gold 1 player to be matched up with a Bronze 5 player (unless the matchmaking has reason to believe the Bronze player already belongs in Gold or something).
  
• Give Casual Online a reason to exist, by considering damage handicaps if someone is really, really losing a lot. The point of this mode is, theoretically, to have fun, not necessarily have competitive matches, yes? Since there's no rankings being kept anyway, in the interest of both giving the master players some challenge, and giving not-master players any fighting chance, some sort of handicapping could be a reasonable thought. (I get the feeling this suggestion will not be well received at all, though -- people have a knee-jerk reaction to the concept in a lot of games.)

I don't want to hate Rivals of Aether. I can feel Smash running in its veins, and Smash is one of my favorite things to do -- and it has Shovel Knight play in a game as close to Smash as can legally happen! And for these reasons, I want to see the game survive AND thrive. But in its current state, I don't think that can happen, if there's no newcomer retention whatsoever.

[Ghuffy]

The thing is this kind of game IS NOT catered to casuals. Having some knowledge of how melee mechanics work is going to help you i.e the tutorials are a great resource btw.

This game was made for people who want advanced mechanics. Honestly you are pretty salty about getting bodied in matches, but I don't mean this to be rude. You even say yourself

Originally posted by BunsenGyro:

There's a huge chance the other individual is a master, because that's the only kind of player playing the game nowadays

While I disagree that everyone here is a master, I believe that there's simply just not enough of a playerbase to evenly distribute everyone around so that every player can play within their skill level. This isn't to say there isn't a problem, there definitely is a big problem for new players, among other things. I made a review not too long ago as well were I forgot to list this actually.

If you are looking for a more casual platform fighter I highly recommend Brawhalla. Its free, although very different from smash, and with an actual playerbase.

[Wes3]

Originally posted by Krayken 95:

The thing is this kind of game IS NOT catered to casuals. Having some knowledge of how melee mechanics work is going to help you i.e the tutorials are a great resource btw.

This game was made for people who want advanced mechanics. Honestly you are pretty salty about getting bodied in matches, but I don't mean this to be rude. You even say yourself

Originally posted by BunsenGyro:

There's a huge chance the other individual is a master, because that's the only kind of player playing the game nowadays

While I disagree that everyone here is a master, I believe that there's simply just not enough of a playerbase to evenly distribute everyone around so that every player can play within their skill level. This isn't to say there isn't a problem, there definitely is a big problem for new players, among other things. I made a review not too long ago as well were I forgot to list this actually.

If you are looking for a more casual platform fighter I highly recommend Brawhalla. Its free, although very different from smash, and with an actual playerbase.

Yeah this game may not be made for casuel players but you are going to get those people who are drawn to the game but are not really good at it. I am in the small majority that has is decent at the game but become sand bags for Zettaburn. (the only person I see most people play on here)

As a platform fighter fan I would love to see more people get into this game, but with the major skill gap I tend to see this game is is tipped to only one side of the platform fighter community. When I bought Rivals I played nothing but the Story and the A.I until I felt comfortable with the game's mechanics that I have learned and got a handle on, but quickly learned that this game is for those who have spent there lives playing games like smash to a point where I uninstalled cause I didn't want to deal with the players or even the comminuty for this game. (I got forced into a bet match and got all my money taken from me by one of the E-Sports players and it took me till last month to get it all back in local games)

I think this game should cater to both the skilled and not so skilled players out there cause I think this game really challenges you to think out side the box and the frame data in most fights and I love it and the amazing characters in this game. But if it's only purpose is to exist for the die hard Melee fans then it might see a small time of play like playstation all stars.

[klvgn]

If you want play this game more casually, then you should try to find 3 - 4 friends that you can play with, because the game is somewhat balanced when people don't abuse stuff. casual and ranked online matches can be really discouraging because people often use grimy tactics that can be very hard for new players to deal with.

I actually do believe there is some hostility in some of the mid and upper levels. There is salt to be found and there are some play styles that feel like the opponent is intentionally trying to piss you off. On one hand, it is not a bad stategy to annoy an opponent, but I feel that there is a psychological aspect of all online games. Because you create your own conceptions of the game, you may view some tacticts as cheap and unfair, and when you play someone online who abuses these tactics you immediately label them as an idiot that you could destroy if it weren't for something out of your control.

When I play melee with friends, there is always a human being nearby that I know and can relate to, which makes me want to try to come up with better strategies instead of complaining. Characters like Kragg, Etalus, and Ranno can feel really cheap because they can stop you from playing the game for periods of time, but though they have good tools, they can be exploited and overcome.

If you are willing to put in the grind, you should definitely stick with rivals because although at times the game can be super frustrating, that frustration can lead to amazing rewards if you have the patience and attempt to grow as a player. It took me 8 - 9 months to gain any sort of understanding of the game, and after that I was able to excel and learn properly.