This is getting fixed I here. Rejoice!

Thank you for your quick reply and while I know it is not an easy issue to fix I did come up with one idea that may or may not be feasible.  Is there a way that there could either be a seperete tab, or just something on the custom game screen that makes it blatantly obvious that the games are either very competitive or casual?  People put things in the game names like, "pros only" but most of the time people who just bought that game or are on the lower end skill wise still join.  Or is there a way to create a game and make it so someone has to meet certain specifications based on their stats (once stats are accurate) that would allow or not allow someone in to a game?

On the subject of random teams I think the major issue here is that it will not fix the issue if 1 out of the 6 is still significantly worse than the rest and also will make it harder to play with friends which a lot of players really enjoy doing.

Thanks again.

I myself think that for more accurate stats we need to have more awards handed out per game.

Healing awards such as:

Amount of overall healing
Saves of someone who normally would have died (no clue how this could be done but if it could be done it would be the most amazing thing)

and these things would need a record. Maybe a large log that would take the gametime and compare it to other games endscore with the same people

Example:

Player - kills - 5

Past game other player - kills - 3

past game other player - kills - 8

past game other player - kills - 7

past game other player - kills - 0

Now i know this would be inaccurate at first but after a while i think we could compile a large database of games even with the randomness of teams. Now sure there is going to be some outlyers changing the average but over 1000+ games it sort of all fixes out. If feeders are accounted and same with someone who can't get a kill at all it would/should balance out to an average. And if you are within the top half of the gaming community with this character on this map then you get access to a Pro-gamer area in addition to the casual players area.

Now this would need tweaking and it would split the community but I think most games do it and it works out okay MOST OF THE TIME.

Now you would need to periodically wipe the rankings every so often so that new players get a chance to raise their ranking. Instead of screwing themselves the first 20 games with all losses and then being mad when they win the next 35 straight and someone who has played 5 games and won 3 has a better rank.

Team automatch is not hard.

Seriously Brad, GPGnet had everything the competitive community needed (minus a few bugs but whatever). You guys chucked it in favor of whatever it is you expected Impulse to become. "Random Teams" does not solve the problem. The outcome of a skill based RTS should not be determined by a roll of the dice.

could u add another info tag in the lobby for a clan tag or somethng.  this way those who want to create pre arranged matches can make sure they're facing a team all on the same team/clan. this could also be used for those looking for friendly pub games and would help to boost clan recuitment.

a simple box by (or in) the name thats say 5 characters.  then when ur in gam the names would come up like:

Light Side

[UoC] TheScottishAlien

[UoC] PyroFred

[UoC] SkullPheonix

Dark Side

/F|B\ Gokind

/F|B\ Theasent

/F|B\ Kiol877

i know a few peole alreay use can tags (i'm talking about u Exilir) and all it woul require would be a text box at the top of the lobby we lookng games in Customs were yu enter in your clan name (or madeup one for friendly games)

I think there's a lot more people who play in pairs than that, though I appreciate it's difficult if not impossible to get an actual number of how many pairs/threes of friends play the game.

Perhaps the best indication is the amount of discussion over premades? Pug players are obviously dissatisfied because a significant number of their games involve being trounced by a pair or three, surely that would imply there is a significant portion of both groups.

I guess "Random Teams" will clearly indicate that a lobby isn't a Premade, but what about pug players who don't use the feature because they want to know which characters are playing with who?

@Alien:Maybe if you could see that a lobby made by someone was a premade lobby by adding the clan tag to the lobby name, so the pug players avoid it and other pre's can join it without having to hope the host is willing to kick randoms to make space for their team.

Custom games are prolly only really a favorite because you can actually see that you're going to get into a game...I finally played a bit of Pantheon and it was more enjoyable, but waiting around with no feedback on whether the matchmaking process is working is a bit of a drag.

Plus if you look at the stats pages, there are three tabs on the rankings -- Ladder, Custom Game, and Skirmish:

http://pantheon.demigodthegame.com/rankings/ladder/

That implies they're separate -- may as well keep Custom rankings limited to the Custom tab.

This is great, Frog!  Thanks.

what about people like me who have a casual play schedule but a competitive attitude?

i don't get to play as often as people like Shadow and I don't have a regular pre-made team, but i very much still want to be matched with skilled players who can provide good competition for me and be good team-mates for me. 

skill or rank matching is always going to be important, even if it doesn't involve pre-made vs. pre-made teams. 

When I asked for a refund they deactivated my Sins of a Solar Empire CD Keys(Which had nothing to do with Demigod) and labeled my accounts as "fraud".

But hey.. I got my refund thanks to the dedicated people at the credit card company fighting for their account holders.

Something else that might help this problem is a better chat system through impulse...the current one is not very good.  SOmetimes I dont get messages, I am not alerted when receiving a message and it is hard to keep up with people.

[EDIT: by the real Stone_McPhone]

Another way to have chat improve the overall game quality is for talking to be a major part of the game.  To be honest, about 1/3 of foolish newbie deaths can be prevented by having the more expereinced players talk to them.  Additionally this allows the newbies to learn about the game while the more experienced player can have a more fun competitive experience. 

Basically I'm saying that one NEEDS to be able to talk to thier teammates at least.  Typing in a game of this speed just doesn't cut it.  The chat system IS completely worthless but that doesn't really affect the game itself.  To make communication a more important part of this game, we gotta have voice chat.

Even more to this, the premade teams that f-up everything right now are all on ventrilo anyway.  When you came out with the whole gameranger thing, Frogboy, you mentioned that you dislike promoting outside software.  Well don't promote vent, have your own system!

[/EDIT]

Also on a different note would it be possible to make the random function try to avoid doubles and triples on the same team?  You would still get a random Demigod, but it would be less likely to put 3 Regulus on one team and make it a terrible game.

I'm also on the receiving end of mismatches most of the time in RTS as well, and I usually do not do consistent arranged teams.  I honestly do prefer random more than arranged team in games that support either method, as there tends to be a wider variety of players to play with / against and less wait time.

I think one key thing that any serious RTS player should do is try to help others via instruction assuming they're willing to accept it.  I don't mean "run away you f'in n00b", I mean solid guidance.  You'd be surprised at what even the newest of players are capable when they're given sound advice. 

In regards to Demigod, I do wonder if an arranged team setup would be underutilized.  Perhaps SD / GPG could run a poll to produce actual numbers?

Yep - I agree here that one factor is the rather small player counts of the typical demigod game, compared to other team-based competetive games. The less players you have on a side, the more impact a weaker player will have on their team, which generally leads to a less satisfying experience for everyone involved if the match is one-sided.

As Frogboy hints, this problem (especially random team vs premade team) is especially severe in RTS games  - the traditional 'slipperly-slope' with the weaker side falling further and further behind certainly doesn't help. Although problems of exactly this type were also really common in left 4 dead versus games.

Hypothetically, if demigod were to featured integrated voice chat, this might help to level the playing field somewhat between random teams and premade teams of friends. 'Cause the premade teams are probably using voice via some external application.

edit: re:

I agree. Again, this would be easier with integrated voice chat (but I can understand if that isn't at all a priority). I'm damn new to the game, but I play with a couple of friends who aren't, and it's much much easier to learn the ropes when you're able to chat with your team mates.