NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

Nba 2k20 has to have the community in mind when opening up modes such as walk on/Jordan Rec Center. There needs to be a better matchmaking algorithm put in place because as its currently constructed, its a mess and creates a lot of uneven matches when you play JRC.

I've got over 1000 games PLAYED IN JRC THIS YEAR. Each game lasts about a half hour. That's a lot of time to be stuck in a match with the wrong archetypes, the wrong overalls and no communication. I feel its in the community's best interest that 2k20 features this game mode with a revitalized matchmaking to encourage the best team play possible.

here are a few of my suggestions @mike wang and whatever devs are responsible for this game mode.



1)No multiple archetypes at the pg/sg and at the center/pf. When it comes to 2k20,we need to have floor spacing being a premium. In that case, 2k20 should never have you matched alongside a Rim protector @power forward, if you're a rim protector at center. Or if you're a play sharp at the pg, you shouldnt have a playsharp @sg It can be frustrating to showcase your talent when there there are similar archetypes on the floor that do what you do as well.

2)2k20 should search by archetype. Basically i feel like 2k20 should search by whos online and and what archetypes are in the game. So a typical search should be like...lets say:

u join a lobby as a sg lock...the queue should not allow another lock in the lobby. Now any other arch by position should be available to run. the next thing is make sure the queue always has a sharpshooter primary in the lobby and always have a stretch 4 or 5 if the lobby is occupied by a rim protector primary or glass cleaner to prevent poor floor spacing and paint balling.

In most rpg's theres a class system in place such as:

Warrior / Fighter: The melee hack-and-slash class that is often the hero of the game.
Knight / Paladin: A class clad in heavy armor, made to absorb all that enemies dish out.
Barbarian / Berzerker: The big guy with an equally big weapon, used to smash enemies.
Monk / Martial Artist: A melee class that forgoes weapons for their powerful fists and martial arts.
Archer / Ranger: The ranged class with bows or guns. This role can also be taken by the Rogue or Hunter classes.
Thief / Rogue / Assassin: The sneaky bandit with itchy fingers and a nose for treasure, and wields a mean dagger.
Priest / Healer: The class who makes sure the party survives the encounter with their heals and revives.
Mage / Wizard: The class with the spells to burn, freeze, electrify, or just make enemies disappear.
Summoner / Necromancer / Druid: Minions galore with the summoning powers of this class.


i see no difference between:

Archer/Rangers-Sharps
Priest/Healers-Playmakers
Mages-Shot Creators
Barbarians-Athletic finishers
Thief-Lockdowns
Monks-Slashers


With 2k's take on MMORPG "the Neighborhood" the one place most people go to get their bball fix in, there has to be a better variety of player archetypes when matched up alongside each other.

3)Tiers....Theres no way that amateur 1's should be playing against pro'1s 2's and 3's and better. The way its constructed now is that you can be a noob at the game and you will be matched up with people who are wayyyy more experienced than you at the game and it will show in the box score at the end of the game. 2k needs to address this issue because it's not fair that low overalls or inexperienced myplayers are being matched up with more experienced players.

4)Require a Microphone to be plugged in at all time for this mode or after one minute of gameplay without a mic plugged into gamechat, you get kicked out for poor sportsmanship. Because technically, that's exactly what it is to be in the walk on/JRC without a mic. it's irresponsible, selfish, and can make or break if you get a win or not. All you have to do is look at the NBA 2k combine every year to see how important having a mic during gameplay with people you've never met before. Countless people on social medial complain about how horrible the experience was and so did a lot of NBA 2k league players voice their concerns about how poor the communication is during these modes.

I say make it a requirement to talk to your teammates so you guys can be on the same page on offense and defense.

5)Jordan Rec Center doesnt encourage people to stay in matches and people quit out a lot in this mode. Why not increase the amount of mypoints you get after games just like mycareer and if you win the game, the following game if you guys stick together should be double xp for every win after so you can promote streaking and building chemistry with people.
Nothing worse than being in the 4th quarter and there's only one or two people left on the opposing team and they stay there with one minute left in the game just to quit so the other team doesnt get their progression bar.

6)Progression bar stats should count towards your myplayer regardless of early quit outs. SO lets say the example from the above post(number 5) happens and the opposing team quits, whatever progression you've accumulated up to that point should go towards your progress bar. Nothing like giving your last 30 minutes into a game and walk away with nothing to show for it.

This game mode should be 2nd or 3rd most played mode when online next to mypark and mycareer. No reason why we cant have the best experience possible. Thats all i have for now. I'll update this list when i have more ideas to improve JRC/Walk on. If you guys have suggestions or ideas you'd like to add to this list \, please feel free to chime in. I'd love to hear what the rest of OS has to say.

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

Matchmaking would take years if 2k was to incorporate some of these features. It already takes a long time searching as is so making it even more complex would just make it that much worse. Sounds like you just need to go to Team PRO-AM and call it a day rather than have 2k cater to the lineup you want in JRC.

Let's break this down though

1 & 2. Putting a certain set of archetypes in a JRC game still doesn't solve spacing issues. It's not so much the archetype it's the players using them. A lot of people in this community don't know how to space the floor or use their archetype the way that it should so this wouldn't pan out too well IMO. You're still gonna be faced with issues of running with complete randoms that don't know what their doing. Also having 2 of the same archetypes on 1 team isn't that much of a bad thing as it seems. It sucks having 2 inside centers on your team but other archetype/builds work from time to time. I think a good focus for 2k is to not put multiple positions on the same team. SG is a very popular position this year and it shows. I'm always on a team with 2 other SG's (3 total) if I go in by myself. I see this happening with the Center position as well. They'll throw 2 on the same team pretty often. We didn't have that issue in Walk On last year.

3.) I think most folks play JRC to get some casual runs in so introducing some type of skill based matchmaking may ruffle a few feathers out there. If you want comp to face comp 24/7, then that's something that should happen in Team. This would be okay for the abusers who come in with 5 beating random's all day but a person like myself would be at a huge disadvantage with a feature like this. I run with 1 other person in JRC and we're both Pro 2's. With this idea in place I'm sure We'd be running against Full 5's all day getting crushed even with "experienced" randoms on our team.

4.) Not happening. It would be great if everyone had a mic in JRC but kicking someone because they don't is a bit harsh. I have a mic and 80% of the time I rarely say anything unless someone is getting cooked or we're facing a squad.

5 & 6. I agree with these although I thought you still got XP regardless if folks quit out or not? I never pay attention to my rep bar anymore but yeah 2k needs to make sure folks get their XP regardless if the game finishes or not.

Not knocking your list at all but it sounds like you need to spend more time in Team Pro-AM rather than play JRC. You've played over 1k games so I'm sure you can find a consistent 5 to run with. The game mode can definitely be a lot better. Hopefully we take a step in the right direction for 2k20.

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

could probably take a nap before you get 4 teammates let alone an opponent lol

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

thanks for your reply. after reading through your comments i just want to touch on what you said.

1)yeah its not perfect, but absolutely i feel that having the right archetypes being put in the game helps out tremendously. Regardless of skill set, the fact that the suggestion of no two inside centers, or two of the same archetypes in a lineup helps with the fact of suggesting everyone have mics would make communicating with all parties involved that much easier. Even if you don't have that much experience, if you heard me on the mic and I or another teammate requested that you go to a certain place on the court, if i was a pg, at least me knowing you can hear me, gives me hope that we can communicate and try and get a victory together. Thats all we want at the end of the day.


Searching by archetype makes it an even playing field and not lopsided victories from the opposing team because there isn't enough offense or enough defense or rebounding on the floor. How it is now you can definitely walk in to rec with this weirdo lineup on a regular basis:

sg-sharp slasher
sg Lockdown
sf-2 way shot creator
pf-2 way athletic finisher
pf-rebounding athletic finisher

^^^^^

That's a terrible floor spacing lineup. I mean really really good players can make this lineup work for a win...but against good players or comp? hell nah...if everyone has a mic like i suggested, putting the right archetypes on the floor increases the likelihood of communicating with your teammates on both sides of the floor to ensure that you have the best possible chance of coming through with a win! 2k needs to fix this asap bro. i agree to disagree with you on this point.

3)Why do you call people who get 5 together to run JRC "Abusers"? Isnt the whole point of playing JRC is to come out with a victory? How does playing casually with people you dont know NOT in a party and NOT communicating with you ensure that you come out with a win? You said comp should play comp in team pro am. this laughable at best. Im on xb1....All i gotta do to see if JRC is casual or comp is to head down to my posts on the xb1 dashboard and see what everyone is looking for. They all say the same things:

"Have 4 need one for rec. Must have ________% to play. Dont bother if you have dont have high win%"

"Need Stretch for rec, 92 win% elite 2, don't sell me"

"Must Have Mic, 97 ovr, elite3 super sweaty, need comp big man for rec or team, must be a snagger and high win%"

People who want to win reply to these posts to get together , not because they're not good, or because they dont like playing casual. its because they know that playing in a party with the people you're running with, plus requesting certain archetypes ensures that the people involved have the highest chance of victory. Not relying on 2ks matchmaking saves everyone a headache and makes your record look a lot cleaner than just pressing start and hoping everyone is on the same playing field as you and doesn't come in to games with their own agendas(stat chasing, trolling, grinding jrc FOR BADGES INTENTIONALLY INSTEAD OF GRINDING MYCAREER)

4)Kicking someone out for not having a mic in a game where communication is premium is fair and not harsh. Drinking lemon juice straight is harsh, sitting here telling people the requirements to enter a game mode is fair game.
It's 2019, where live in age of smartphones, Super APPS,drones, Supercomputers, Virtual reality, 4k TVS, electric cars...man we living in the Jetsons, and you mean to tell me that every owner of an xbox which used to come with a Kinect and now comes with standard controller and mic, that its being harsh to make it a requirement that you use the mic that came with your system? sheesh ....thats tough.....

5&6 you agreed with me so i dont have much to say but yeah 2k definitely isnt allowing us to keep our progression with badges once the opposing team quits which isnt fair and a complete waste of time for all users involved for the "winning team".

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

Having ranks or tiers as you put it is a must for JRC. Amateurs should be matched up with amateurs and pros should be match up with pros and above. Squads should not be able to join JRC. At most, you can bring one teammate to the JRC and the other three players should be random. 60 overalls should not be able to join an lobby and there should be a higher overall minimum in order to join. There are probably more issues but these are the ones I can think of. At the moment, the game discourages new players from playing JRC ever again.

On a sidenote I feel like the court is way too small in relation to the player models.

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

First of all to have a good tier system it has to work with experience points (again?) to rank up instead of depending on your winning percentage as I believe it is now. I‘m still an Amateur 1 (sometimes Amateur 2) in JRC because I only run with randoms and lose about 50% of my games so I’m never ranking up except I’m running with a good squad for a while and have a winning streak.

I believe using a mic in JRC is a good thing in general but I mostly don’t speak because I tend to play late at night and don‘t want to wake anyone up. Making it a requirement wouldn‘t fix it in my opinion anyway because there is always the option to mute your mic so I don‘t think there would be a benefit from a forced rule like that.

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

You say must have a mic plugged in to play, I don't usually plug mine in but if it's required it will be plugged in, muted, volume turned down and sitting next to me on the couch.

I specifically avoid using a mic because you either get called the N word every time someone speaks to you, or someone is blasting their terrible music in the background, or the team ball hog is yelling at you because you missed your one open shot of the game after doing all the dirty work.

You don't need to speak to someone to play good team basketball. It helps sure, but factoring in the 2k community and the people you're likely going to come across on the mic it's a hard pass from me to subject myself to that willingly.

Re: NBA 2k20:Matchmaking in JRC/Walk-On needs to be Addressed
 

Kind of off topic but XP gained towards next cap breaker still counts if the other team quits, IDK about badge progress.