Actual wait time in queue?

Just out of curiosity, how long do people here actually wait in queue? I find that every time I enter the queue, it says the average wait is about 3 minutes. After about 20-30 minutes I usually get tired of waiting and move on to something else.

Well, I hope they make an adjustment to the solo option. This makes 3 nights now that I have waited 45 minutes without being able to get on a team...

I have 45 minutes left before I have to log off, so even if I get on a team now, I won't be able to finish.

I think part of the problem is that (at least on lower pop servers like Triumph) most people are forming their leagues beforehand. On the spot, but using previously existing tools like broadcast, global channels and the search window. And will often hit the max players for the trial before hitting the queue. So not only do you have entire pre-formed leagues starting trials. But they must start the trials through the same LFG interface; once full they enter the desired trials queue, and (as they already have a league of sufficient size going) are immediately zoned into the trial. Short of a couple people quitting / getting kicked / bugging out, it doesn't tend to leave room for the odd single person using the queue to get in on that league. And because the entire league's wait time in the queue was effectively 0, it affects the displayed average.

So what does this mean? On any server that isn't freedom/virtue*, your best bet is still the global channels, and learning where everyone gathers for the current batch of incarnate trials. On Triumph we've been using Pocket D, although I hear other servers are using RWZ as the primary gathering place.


*this could even be the case on these two servers, but I'm assuming their larger population base means more people in the queue at any time. Also, I've heard that the LFG Queue often forms leagues with the minimum players, and the chance of a sufficient amount of those players being competent is often lower than in preformed leagues.

Don't wait in queue. Go to a coop zone and get in a pre-formed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.

Hi Guys,

I think what is important is the reason for the OP's question rather than the question itself.

I have this thought in the back of my mind, that the new LFG system is a first step to cross server teaming, albeit maybe only for the multi team mass raid type events that we now have a flavour of in the three new Incarnate raids.

When these events do happen, it will need to bypass all server globals as we just cannot monitor every channel all the time. The LFG system is doing that now on a micro one server basis and so to include all servers is a logical (note I do not say easy) step.

However for that to work we need to have faith in the system and by that I mean firstly in the nuts and bolts operation and robustness of the application and secondly in the quality of the end product.

I feel that the first criteria is mainly being filled and players are able to queue and get alerted to and join events.

However it is in the second criteria that the system has virtually failed. The randomness of the grouping system is in opposition to the specifics of the task we have to do. The need for sifted groups to do these specifics is another topic but is at this time a real block to us embracing the system.

So the player base has by and large gone down the other route and the other system of premade leagues. This seems to be the by far most popular method seen ingame at this moment.

This has led to the LFG system being largly ignored and so causing the situations that brought about the question by the OP. I could see a time if no changes are made that the LFG system will increasingly become so marginalised and distrusted by the player base that it will simply be ignored. A fact demonstrated by most of the previous posts.

Vicious circle scenario. Longer wait times and disappointing end results mean less use leading to longer wait times and more unhappy endings!

How this is going to work longer term is for wiser heads than me to decide

Cheers and back to my "Premades" or should that be "Premeds" for me.

As others have said, right now people are filling teams on their own.

This renders the queue system more or less useless.

In fact it's worse than that.

While in queue, you're unable to enter missions as well. So if you queue up, you basically get to stand around for the duration, ostensibly picking your nose and not much else.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

Players are using the Queue merely as a "Contact" to start the trials, and not as a method for forming the teams.

I used the LFG queue the other day. It started a Lambda in about 90 seconds. Unfortunately, the people on it that I was paired with were...not people you want to team with. So I also quit it in about 90 seconds.

Positron was asked about this at the informal developer USTream chat that other day. This really did take them by suprise, they really expected the LFG to be popular. So they are aware of the problem. He did not give any kind of clear answer, but it is being looked at.
Also the thread about a specific area to gather for trails was mentioned to him and he was intrigued. Pocket D and RWZ are being used, but those places already have purposes, and league forming is conflicting with that. Its hard to get teams into the proper RWZ instance. Pocket D holds more but has RP going already. And if you are on Virtue, like I am, you do not want to mess with the RP'ers. :-)

So do not expect things to change overnight, but we do know the devs are aware and thinking about what they want to do.

Most of this should not surprise the devs because this is what you get when you introduce things without any instructions. Paragon Studios seriously needs to document the stuff they put out.

On the flip side, most people don't bother to read any instructions or warning labels. Reminds me of the time I went over to my buddy's house and saw a rickity IKEA shelf he put together, more a parallelogram than a rectangle.

I looked at the pile of unused parts and asked him what those were for. He said, "extras." We spent the afternoon undoing the shelf and using said "extras" that were detailed in the instructions, which included a 4' cross brace on the back.

My data point: on Virtue, early/mid evenings, I've been seeing 5-15 minutes waits in the queue before kicking off successfully. Before success there are often 0-2 unsuccessful "your team has been placed back in the queue". I will note that this is usually a shorter time than I see pre-formed leagues taking to kick off.

As for quality...I've done 50% LFG and 50% pre-formed, and I'm seeing minimal difference in team quality. It's only been a week, but most people already know how to do the trials. I see similar numbers of new-to-the-trial people in each method of formation.

I agree that the kick-off with minimal people hurts, especially in the Lambda. A number halfway between min and max would, in the long run, be fine (I think).

In conclusion: don't fear the LFG! Be part of the solution! Join, and click the "join trial in progress" if you want a guarantee of joining a bigger group.

And please don't quit once you've started. Don't hang another 8-12 people out to dry. It's not nice.