With all the excitement surrounding Gears of War this past week, I thought I'd compare its multiplayer with that of my other favorite Xbox game, Halo 2. Of course both games have great multiplayer aspects to them and both are quite fun, but for the sake of this blog post I'm not interested in what the multiplayer is like, I'm looking at how the matchmaking system is implemented. I really want to know how easy is it to get into a game that is ranked, how easy it is to setup a game in which your friends can play, and overall how the multiplayer experience is managed. I pick at my brain for these answers to this multiplayer conundrum ... after the break.First let's look at Halo 2. When released Halo 2's multiplayer management was unique, different, and some really didn't like how it worked. First, there were no visible lobbies, no way to search through games that you could joy in which is something that PC players were very familiar with. Instead, Bungie implemented a system where you could attach yourself to friends or foes and join what they call a "party". In this party you could create a custom game or navigate the various matchmaking playlists. These playlists were preset game types, preset variations of either team or single player based. When you or your part joined a matchmaking playlist, randomly you'd be matched with other players and randomly being assigned a game type and multiplayer map. Odd ... I know. This also affected ranked games in that you'd be assigned a "ranked number" and be paired up with similar ranked players. If the gametype is team based, you can still use your party system no matter what your partners rank is, the system simply averages ranks and assigns the best team to duel against. Are you getting all of this? Again, this is a real basic rundown of how Halo 2 does their multiplayer sessions over LIVE, checkout the bullet points below.
Pros: Easily manage your friendslist, easily play games with them and easily create custom games. The ranking system allows for you and your friend(s) to play ranked games and getting into and completing a game is extremely quick.
Cons: No way to see other games being played or join other people's games if they aren't on your friend's list. And the randomness of the system bothers the PC die-hard.
Okay, now let's analyze Gears of War. Gears uses a more PC based multiplayer structure and Microsoft's self-touting TrueSkill matchmaking system. You can easily find games to join as all game lobbies are listed after you setup your search criteria, BUT this only works for finding games by yourself. You can't party with your friends as you'd have to send them a game invite once you find a game to play and hope that it doesn't fill up before your friend arrives (fashionably late). Of course there is always the option of creating a custom game and inviting you're buddy in, AND making it a public game so others can join in. The issue here is that it can take a while (upwards of 10 minutes) to fill your lobby and get gaming. Ranking is another matter as this game's ranking system is based on the individual and not the team's win versus loss ratio. This prevents you from having a friend join your team because the TrueSkill matching system won't allow it. Though, the system still searches and randomly finds a game for you to join in on, similar to Halo.
Pros: Find games created by other players and join in their custom games. Also, TrueSkill allows players to play against others at the exact same talent level.
Cons: Unable to party with friends and unable to join ranked games with them. Difficult to create/modify custom games and invite players.
So what's the verdict? For me personally I prefer playing with my friends and following them wherever they go in a game. Gears of War doesn't allow me to join in on ranked games or even party with a friend, so there is a constant cycle of leaving a game, join a new one, send an invite, wait for your friend to join, try to get on the same team, etc. It's just a freakin' hassle! Halo 2's matchmaking is an odd machine, but it just works if you want to play with friends. Since Epic has been pushing the whole team nature of Gears, why on Earth wouldn't they allow you to party with your friends, create a clan and create a well oiled team machine?
