Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

CCP's upcoming free-to-play DUST 54 promises to be fairly groundbreaking in its implementation - it will tie in with EVE Online despite being a different type of game and being released on a different plattform. So when the company announces that it will be working on a new Instant Battle Matchmaking system for their next update, one has to wonder if this, too, might be fairly groundbreaking:

To this end, we are introducing the first part of the Instant Battle Matchmaking system that will be included in our next patch, the Precursor update. The goal of this system is to put players who are at the same “skill rank” into the same battle, for those looking for a fair battle.

To do this, Dust 514 will use an algorithm that takes into account certain criteria when considering whom to populate into a quick match. Some criteria are hardware-based, such as internet speed/latency, while others are based on player statistics, measuring players’ overall strengths and then pulling them into balanced teams using that information.

In addition, the Instant Battle Matchmaking system is the first part we are releasing of a new feature where battles are actually fought for planet district ownerships within the EVE Online universe on behalf of NPC corporations. Finally, as part of the Instant Battle Matchmaking system you will be able to form four-man squads (we will raise this number over time) with friends and join a match on the same side.

We expect to test this new system during the beta phase and improve its design and implementation over the course of the beta, ultimately delivering more “arete” moments to our players.

Source: EU Playstation Blog