Matchmaking queue question

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dessp7
Posts: 55
Joined: 04 May 2025, 14:07

Matchmaking queue question

Post by dessp7 »

Hi,
how BGA find opponents for Arena match?
Here are my settings:
https://imgur.com/a/ZemIIiu

I am using play now section. Waiting for a game for.... 10 hours already...
Taking in account that there are 10k+ ongoing matches, feels I am doing something wrong...

How get games quicker? (And play with opponents near my league [not speaking about ELO, seems not happening in Arena :/])

Thanks
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mikkashar
Posts: 128
Joined: 11 March 2021, 05:10

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by mikkashar »

When you add the restrictions for playing hours (in the advanced settings, IIRC), your pool of potential opponents may be pretty small. Of those 10K ongoing games, many aren't arena games (thumbing casually through a dozen pages of games), and I'd guess many especially toward the end of the list are long-running slow games.

My impression is that fast turn-based games are a relatively uncommon choice in general, as any appreciable skew in playing hours makes it very easy to lose on clock time.

ETA: 23 pages in (out of 50) I've found all of two fast turn-based games, only one one of which was an arena game.
dessp7
Posts: 55
Joined: 04 May 2025, 14:07

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by dessp7 »

How it will affect if i put "I prefer not to play" for slow games?
Will it still make a match there if it will struggle to find fast game ?
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mikkashar
Posts: 128
Joined: 11 March 2021, 05:10

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by mikkashar »

https://boardgamearena.com/faq?anchor=f ... implelobby is for automatic matching in the simple game lobby rather than the arena, but they (should) work similarly. There's some amount of time in which the matchmaker will only place you in tables that are "okay". After a while it will also look at "prefer not" tables. Eventually it will look at "reluctant" tables.

How do you create your arena games? From the game page, or from the "play now" lobby?

The following is speculation on how matchmaking functions:

1) Possibly you're missing out on slower games because people who prefer those are being matched with each other before you are being considered.

2) If you're using the "play now" lobby, I expect that a "real" table (with an assigned table number) is being created for you whenever you request a match and there isn't already an open table that meets all of your "okay" parameters. If so, I believe that table will have specific game speed and playing hours set, which is very limiting indeed when trying to make a match.

3) If you're using the game page (I'm guessing not from your settings image), when you request a match you're probably being placed at a "virtual" table (no assigned table number), which can be merged with other virtual tables (and possibly other real tables?) that have compatible parameters. On the one hand, that's less restrictive and should be easier to match with your less-favorite parameters once the time for best-match only has expired. On the other hand, given various and sundry bug reports, I am dubious about the current quality of virtual table matching in non-trivial cases. On the gripping hand, the ability to specify one's range of acceptable playing hours for a fast turn-based game from the game page is rather limited, and I don't recommend it.

If you're willing to play some slower games, you might try setting some of the slow turn based game options to okay, so that matching doesn't also have to consider playing hours. If there's an existing table waiting for a player that's within your expanded parameters, you might be placed in it immediately. If there isn't and speculation 2 is correct, you may still be creating a fast real time table that's harder to match because of demand & playing hours.

If you are willing experiment and mess around with settings a lot, and are willing to accept more than one game if that works out, you could try requesting a game with only slow turn-based options set to okay, and separately a game with only fast turn-based options set to okay, and see how long it takes to get either one.

Whether any of that will get you the games you want I don't know.

Question for Terraforming Mars arena players generally: do you play fast turn-based games?
dessp7
Posts: 55
Joined: 04 May 2025, 14:07

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by dessp7 »

Thanks for the detailed review, although part of it based on speculations, still better than nothing :)
Answering your question. I personally not very good at this game, so real time game is not enough time for me to think all my moves in some situations. SO I am forced to play turn based games.
Now, slow turn based games are boring for me, because I am playing one game at a time, otherwise I start to mix things in games and forget what happened in each one, even writing down some notes are not helping, not fun for me.
So, I prefer when you play turn based, but you do it fast (mostly) and in some rare situations, you may stuck for thinking like 5-10 minutes :)
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mikkashar
Posts: 128
Joined: 11 March 2021, 05:10

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by mikkashar »

I am also a slow player & prefer to play only one instance of a given game at a time (maybe two with different boards or number of players), and am terrible at Terraforming Mars (not qualified for arena play) -- so many sympathies! Hoping you find games you will enjoy playing.
dessp7
Posts: 55
Joined: 04 May 2025, 14:07

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by dessp7 »

Today I got a match in +-3 hours with fast option enabled, and all other on "low priority" state.
And match I have is fast. So, I assume it was searching only fast opponents, so that option bucket seems not working :(
dessp7
Posts: 55
Joined: 04 May 2025, 14:07

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by dessp7 »

For the note, after waiting like 12h, I get another game, which is fast game again.
I have this settings now:
https://imgur.com/a/SkC8RpL

Seems they are not working
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jaymc1130
Posts: 138
Joined: 11 September 2024, 19:00

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by jaymc1130 »

Paying for premium dramatically improves how quickly you can get matched. You can try that also.
dessp7
Posts: 55
Joined: 04 May 2025, 14:07

Re: Matchmaking queue question

Post by dessp7 »

I am premium player (for the moment)
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