Limit Maps Available for New Players [Done]

[lackattack]

I ran some statistics on 100,000 players and broke down game options by how they affect the chances a new recruit making their 1st promotion if it played it in its first ever game.

Some maps like USA had a high success rate over 50%, others like Waterloo and Circus Maximus had success rates as low as 18%.

I added new recruit join filters on all maps with success rates below 40% (that means new recruits can still join games on 47 maps )

I also filtered out some other game options that significantly lower the chance of new recruits making their promotion. See Instructions -> Score, Ranking and Medals for more details.

This should improve the success rate and new recruit experience (for most, as it is based on stats) and cut down on the "newbie farming" going on.

[gameplayer]

I ran some statistics on 100,000 players and broke down game options by how they affect the chances a new recruit making their 1st promotion if it played it in its first ever game.

Some maps like USA had a high success rate over 50%, others like Waterloo and Circus Maximus had success rates as low as 18%.

I added new recruit join filters on all maps with success rates below 40% (that means new recruits can still join games on 47 maps )

I also filtered out some other game options that significantly lower the chance of new recruits making their promotion. See Instructions -> Score, Ranking and Medals for more details.

This should improve the success rate and new recruit experience (for most, as it is based on stats) and cut down on the "newbie farming" going on.

For a while with team games, they were hidden in a join a game but not hidden in Game Finder. Are these games physically banned from new recruits, or are they only hidden from them? For example, if I was a new recruit and on Player X's profile, could I click Find all games with Player X and see them there? Or are they completely hidden from new recruits?

[the.killing.44]

Nice.
lack, any insight on why you were a ? for a bit?

[wcaclimbing]

Nice.
lack, any insight on why you were a ? for a bit?

probably so he could test things and make sure the correct maps were blocked.
He probably set himself to be a ? so he could make sure everything works correctly.

[Optimus Prime]

Nice.
lack, any insight on why you were a ? for a bit?

probably so he could test things and make sure the correct maps were blocked.
He probably set himself to be a ? so he could make sure everything works correctly.

Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good reason.

[wcaclimbing]

Lack, did this block Circus Maxiumus from new recruits?
If it doesn't, it should. That would have a huge effect on a few of the farmers around here

[hwhrhett]

im sure circus is one of the maps they cannot play, i wonder which other ones didnt make the cut and which ones did. and what will happen with new maps?

[Night Strike]

im sure circus is one of the maps they cannot play, i wonder which other ones didnt make the cut and which ones did. and what will happen with new maps?

I'm guessing Beta maps will be hidden from New Recruits as well.

[Optimus Prime]

im sure circus is one of the maps they cannot play, i wonder which other ones didnt make the cut and which ones did. and what will happen with new maps?

I'm guessing Beta maps will be hidden from New Recruits as well.

Yes, Beta maps are hidden from New Recruits.

[Optimus Prime]

Lack, did this block Circus Maxiumus from new recruits?
If it doesn't, it should. That would have a huge effect on a few of the farmers around here

I'm pretty sure it does.

[danalan]

Cool. Thanks for implementing my idea. I hope this works out well for everyone.

[lackattack]

FYI these are the maps that made the cut (I'll revise the list from time to time depending on the stats):

Europa | Egypt: Lower | Italy | Iberia | Luxembourg | Greater China | Australia | USA | Feudal War | British Isles | Portugal | Haiti | Charleston | France | Ireland | Germany | WWII Western Front | Imperium Romanum | WWII Eastern Front | North America | Great Lakes | San Francisco | Malta | Scotland | Classic Shapes | American Civil War | Siege! | Discworld | Philippines | Netherlands | Europe | Soviet Union | Indochina | Ancient Greece | Dust Bowl | Texan Wars | Middle East | Asia | U.S. Senate | Mongol Empire | Hong Kong | World 2.1 | Tamriel | BeNeLux | Montreal | NYC | Africa

[Jeff Hardy]

FYI these are the maps that made the cut (I'll revise the list from time to time depending on the stats):

Europa | Egypt: Lower | Italy | Iberia | Luxembourg | Greater China | Australia | USA | Feudal War | British Isles | Portugal | Haiti | Charleston | France | Ireland | Germany | WWII Western Front | Imperium Romanum | WWII Eastern Front | North America | Great Lakes | San Francisco | Malta | Scotland | Classic Shapes | American Civil War | Siege! | Discworld | Philippines | Netherlands | Europe | Soviet Union | Indochina | Ancient Greece | Dust Bowl | Texan Wars | Middle East | Asia | U.S. Senate | Mongol Empire | Hong Kong | World 2.1 | Tamriel | BeNeLux | Montreal | NYC | Africa

wow, no doodle

[lancehoch]

wow, no doodle

With the amount of speed/freestyle/assassin games on that map, is it really that surprising? I think it is funnier that Classic: Shapes is there, but Classic: Art is not.

[Bruceswar]

wow, no doodle

With the amount of speed/freestyle/assassin games on that map, is it really that surprising? I think it is funnier that Classic: Shapes is there, but Classic: Art is not.

Yeah classic art is a must if you ask me, no matter what the numbers are.

[sully800]

Bravo! This is the best change possible in my opinion to give new recruits a fair chance in their first games.

[lanyards]

Uh oh.

[Incandenza]

Top notch, lack.

Tho I concur with Bruce that Classic Art, regardless of stats, should be available to new recruits.

[lanyards]

How about Waterloo?

[Incandenza]

How about Waterloo?

Please try to be serious.

[Natewolfman]

Bravo! This is the best change possible in my opinion to give new recruits a fair chance in their first games.

agreed! this will be a great help

Question though, if the stats are based on new recruit success rate, and new recruits arent able to play games, how will you judge on new maps? i mean if beta is blocked, then the map goes live, yet no new recrutis have played the map, how does it judge weather or not the new maps will be blocked?

[pimphawks70]

wow, no doodle

With the amount of speed/freestyle/assassin games on that map, is it really that surprising? I think it is funnier that Classic: Shapes is there, but Classic: Art is not.

Yeah classic art is a must if you ask me, no matter what the numbers are.

I agree. Classic art should be a given.

[gameplayer]

Bravo! This is the best change possible in my opinion to give new recruits a fair chance in their first games.

agreed! this will be a great help

Question though, if the stats are based on new recruit success rate, and new recruits arent able to play games, how will you judge on new maps? i mean if beta is blocked, then the map goes live, yet no new recrutis have played the map, how does it judge weather or not the new maps will be blpocked?

Most likely he won't block the beta until enough stats are collected.

[sully800]

Looking through this list, I bet you can guess the type of maps that new recruits will do well on. They are mostly, if not all "classic" game play without a lot of other tricks, or attack/continent structures that take time to get used to. So most likely, if a map is released lack can make a judgment of whether or not it is standard gameplay.

This shouldn't really affect the more complicated maps (in terms of how often they are played) because after 4 games the recruits would be able to play anything they desire, even waterloo. But if it keeps the new recruits coming back to the site, then it is a map they should be able to play.

Or maybe, like you said, he will let them play all new maps first and deem their difficulty based on the data

[ManBungalow]

When a New Recruit looks at the map list now does it have a note saying something about more maps becoming "Unlocked" after they complete their first 5 games ?
If not - that kind of message should motivate new players to keep playing; at least until they unlock the rest of the maps (I would want to know what they look like if I was 5 games away from seeing them ).