Image courtesy of dota2hq.eu
Like many of Valve’s most recent Dota 2 feature-additions, Ranked Roles mode has sparked a contentious response from players frustrated by how the new mode was implemented, and the mixed results it has produced. While games like League of Legends and World of Warcraft have utilized role selection queues for years, Valve only recently incorporated this exclusive feature for TI8 Battle Pass owners. The exclusivity of this new mode is a curious choice that filters the playerbase within an experimental context. This rationale is further reinforced by the temporary duration of the mode - currently scheduled to conclude with the expiration of this season's Battle Pass. Although it typically makes sense for developers to examine significant changes in a test environment, the limitation of this approach alienates non-Battle Pass players, while affecting their ranked experience all the same.
Before we get into why Ranked Roles mode is such a promising and necessary improvement to ranked matchmaking, let's further examine what appears to be another case of well-intended, but poorly executed change.
The Dota Plus subscription has been live for just over two months, and provides subscribers access to a real-time educational overlay (the Plus Assistant) locked behind a paywall. As a strong proponent of proactive solutions, I believe the Plus Assistant is a step in the right direction for players capable of leveraging its suggestions. That being said, if a feature is designed to promote a more knowledgeable playerbase to enhance the overall experience, why would such a tool not be made available to everyone?
In its current format, the paid access required for Ranked Roles mode has divided the playerbase in a similar manner to Dota Plus - provoking cynicism within the community around what could be construed as having to pay for a better experience within a free-to-play framework. While non-subscribers to Dota Plus at least have access to educational resources from sites like DotaBuff and OpenDota, there is no free alternative for better matchmaking.
Current Drawbacks
Monetary concerns aside, players with and without this season's Battle Pass have been subjected to the same logistical side effects. One of the more notable effects has been a diluted player pool by two separate queues - significantly increasing queue times, especially for regions with smaller playerbases (i.e. Australia). In some cases described on Reddit, players (most likely carries) are experiencing fifteen-twenty minute queue times for Ranked Roles mode, and five-ten minutes for Normal Ranked. The importance of shared data related to the particular roles selected and corresponding queue times seems necessary, however no such utility is offered within the client. One could argue such a feature incentivizes selecting less popular roles with shorter queue times, consequently expanding each player's skill set beyond their comfort zones. Having the ability to search for matches across multiple queues-under multiple roles, could potentially mitigate lengthy queue times when paired with categorical data.
Another adverse effect of Ranked Roles mode has been a higher disparity between team variable Matchmaking Rating. The Matchmaking system is already subjected to what many would consider to be too many variables, including behavior score, language, number of games played, player performance, region and now role queue. Adding yet another variable to the matchmaking equation seems counterintuitive without examining which are worth keeping and which should be removed (if any). At the very least, the weight of the individual player's performance/impact throughout each of their matches should be the primary metric for determining MMR. As the MMR gap widens between players on the same team, so too does the level of frustration for players who consistently perform well in the face of lower pairings. Ranked Roles mode has potential to be a worthy component of the matchmaking system, but a trivial addition it is not...
Promising Possibilities
Now that we have highlighted a few drawbacks to Ranked Roles mode's release, let's briefly examine what makes it promising a feature, and why it needs to be made a permanent addition.
Anyone who plays Dota on routine basis has surely observed what I like to call "Mid or Feed Syndrome." One or more player's decides they are going to play their desired role, regardless of how detrimental it may be for proper team composition. Countering your opponents, drafting based on an overall strategy, and selecting synergistic hero combinations is disregarded by the aforementioned player/s - typically inciting a flame war that persists until the inevitable loss of the match. This scenario impacts lower-average skill brackets the most, where players are typically less concerned/knowledgeable in regard to viable lane structures and effective strategy. Ranked Roles mode directly addresses this issue by mandating each player queues under a specific role: support, safe lane, mid lane or off lane, prior to each match. While these categories are fairly limited at the moment, they set a precedent for players which establishes a more balanced team composition.
Based on personal experience and the amount of feedback I have read online, Ranked Roles mode seems to be facilitating better teamwork and noticeably less bickering about problematic hero selections. I believe Valve recognizes that diluting Dota's notoriously complex systems and mechanics is not a viable path to accessibility. Despite some debatable implementation choices, Ranked Roles mode provides a solid foundation to refine over the coming months to what could eventually mature into one of the most impactful features to date. By making the systems that surround competent play more efficient, Valve is tackling Dota's underlying issues with intuitive solutions. While Ranked Roles mode is obviously in an experimental phase at the moment, it is a crucial addition to Dota, and one that needs to be made permanent.
