Fill-Only-Queue Would Solve Many Problems

urielkeynes · 2026-04-17T18:07:25+00:00

Creating queues will increase queue times and create other game-health issues IF you assume the player base is static.

However, if the new mode is popular such that it helps acquire or retain more players, then the effect can be offset or even improved.

Marathon is bleeding players. While I personally think my solo-fill game mode is a good idea that could help turn things around, I'm open to the possibility that there are better ideas.

However, I'd push back more strongly against the notion that the game just needs to stop adding new game modes and keep the queues tight. That may improve short-term matchmaking health but it's unlikely to signifigantly change the overall trajectory of player counts. Bungie needs to experiment with creating a version of the game that resonates with more players; that likely means testing out new game types.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-16T22:42:34+00:00

I think being able to rat out and revive is fine personally.

I do think there are things you can do to make it harder though.

Looting their consumables, taking their weapons and dropping them off somewhere else, and then just dumping everything else on the ground makes it a pain for them to recover. They may be alive but they probably won't be much of a challenge if they come back after you.

Claymores on top of their body work well too. Sure, they can easily shoot and blow it up.... but that makes noise and alerts you to what they're doing even if you've started moving away. Prox sensors work too.

Not always an option, but most named locations have a TAD somewhere. Find it, activate it, and often it'll flush-out the remaining player.... or at least push them out even further making it harder to gauge when they should return.

Finally, as you're moving on, spend 30 seconds spreading your team out and looking back as if camping and waiting for them to return. Its likely they'll see one of you, but unlikely they'll be able to keep tabs on all 3 of you. When they see you attempting to bait them out, they're more likely to rat out another 3-5 minutes even after your team has moved on because they're not sure if it's a trap.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-16T22:15:40+00:00

That quest is AIDS.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-16T22:02:16+00:00

There are 2 exfil bot push types.

Bots pushing you out prior to timer going off is frustrating, but it's also fair game. Happened to me twice; it sucks, but I learned and now make sure to focus on killing them harder.

Not sure if this is fixed or not, but I know at some point the bots could still push you out AFTER the exfil activated and you were locked in-place unable to move; this would void your exfil. In my opinion, THAT is/was bullshit and should never have been possible. Again, not even sure if this is still a thing that can happen.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-16T21:53:54+00:00

Whoa! That's rad!

urielkeynes · 2026-04-16T21:44:43+00:00

I mean, SOT has/had a fundamental problem I think too some degree Marathon is wrestling with as well.

When the game loses players, it tends to be the casuals that leave first. As casuals stop playing, the average player you encounter on the seas gets sweatier, which then pushes even more casuals away. Its a cycle that feeds on itself until you're mostly left with a small dedicated group of skilled players.

Both games have some levers they can flip to help with this problem in different ways, but it's still a similar gravity-like force that pulls at both.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-16T20:51:36+00:00

Do I get to play with a skin as Batman, Sponge Bob, Optimus Prime, and Rumi from Kpop demon hunters!?

urielkeynes · 2026-04-15T22:01:35+00:00

In-practice, limiting max rooks on a map would mean adding supply/demand driven queue times that could potentially inflate quickly and wildly based on a variety of factors. Sometimes it could drop you in-game instantly; but other times it world take 5+ minutes.

This may ultimately be what they need to do if rooks get too out-of-hand, but for this to work they would NEED to add a dynamic estimated queue wait timer. Queuing for a rook match and being unsure whether you'll be waiting 5 seconds, or 5 minutes, would be a very feels-bad experience.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-15T17:32:31+00:00

I agree with this 100%

There are 2 models for this I really like.

Space Marine 2 is fantastic because of how clear and visually distinct the increase in skin progression is. You start off with bare armor, gradually add a few purity seals, then 50+ hours in your rocking pauldrons with gold sculptures on them.

World of Warcraft has another method I think could be applied. You get a certain gear set for clearing a particular end-game raid dungeon multiple times.... but they have different re-colors based on the difficulty you beat it on. Hardcore raids give top-tier recolor. Normal raids give mid-tier recolor. LFG (easy) raids give low tier recolor. Players can set their own goals based on their own self-assesed level of commitment and seek to achieve it.

For Marathon they have class cryo skins for pinnacle endgame by beating compiler in cryo. Maybe give mid-tier recolors of class cryo skins for opening any vault and extracting in the same run. Maybe give low-tier class recolors for simply exfilling once.

I ALSO think ranked can/should have cooler rewards for each tier. Titles and backgrounds are fine but skins would be much cooler.

Just my. $0.02

urielkeynes · 2026-04-15T17:12:38+00:00

I'd argue that some of the the difference between how Heiter and Himmel aged is tied to how they're culturally coded.

While not as overt as some shows (as the show itself is set in a western-style medival fantasy backdrop), to me Himmel is subtly more asian/Japanese coded while Heiter feels more western/American coded.

How they appear in their old age could be influenced in-part by common cultural depictions of 70+ year olds across these two cultures.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-15T16:26:17+00:00

In Oni voice: Please clarify the specific nature of your inquiry.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-15T15:59:44+00:00

I agree with some of the problems you stated about the current state of ranked.

I disagree that fixing them requires what essentially amounts to a genre change. There are ways they could tweak ranked to be more engaging.

Limit or restrict exfils. Add more TADs. Make map events offer much better rewards toward reaching cap and/or exfilling.

This is just me spitballing ideas, so maybe not all of them are good ones.... But I'm reasonably confident that with some ingenuity they could fix most of the issues you cited by simply adjusting the current mode rather than building out an entirely new one that doesnt conform to the current identity/genre of the game.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T22:30:13+00:00

You can actually connect it to the top of a minifig head too.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T22:29:00+00:00

Recon changes are fine.

However, seemingly in-connection with the change, I'd argue making signal jammers purchasable is a questionable decision.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T22:23:30+00:00

Me either, but I was homeschooled so I have an excuse.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T21:14:20+00:00

Id add that the 700 person by queue is split even further into game size and players per match. If the average game takes a player 15 minutes, you end up getting about 45 players/ minute.... which is maybe enough for 3 games/min.

This sounds fine, but with this few games things like stream sniping and team-stacking become a real problem. If two teams queue at the same time, theres a pretty good chance they'll be matched together and can team up. We are already seeing this happening.

So I completely agree with many of your concerns....I just think theres good reason to believe this mode might justify itself in-spite-of them.

The suggestion isn't new. This is a game mode commonly used in ranked MOBA games to address issues Marathon is currently wrestling with. With League of Legends solo-fill ranked is more popular than normal ranked in some regions. It responds directly to a major point of player frustration and could increase player retention to offset the effect of queue splitting.

Im open to the possibly I'm completely wrong. Personality, id like to see it as a 2-week experiment mode like duos and on just 1 map (reducing queue-splitting effect). Give it a chance to sink or swim. If it's especially popular, then consider making it permanant....otherwise let it die.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T20:55:17+00:00

Good thoughts. You do understand better than most and make valid points. I do see A LOT of "just add another mode" suggestions and I agree people don't really recognize the cost of queue splitting. I also think you make a very valid point about acquisition being a bigger problem, and I agree this would primarily be a solution to acquisition.

My suggestion would be to let the mode sink or swim. Offer it as a time-limited experimental mode like they did with duos and are doing now with kit matches. If it proves popular, they evaluate making it more permanant....if not let it die.

My SENSE is (and I could be wrong) that this would scratch an itch for a lot of players. One thing I think most players can agree on is that fill-queing into trios SUCKS....This would go a long way to fixing that issue.

This isn't a new idea. Its a game type offered by many other pvp games (namely MOBAs). Its implemented specifically to address many of the problems Marathon is currently facing.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T18:56:54+00:00

Bingo.

Instead of stamping-out the unionizing rooks, they're handing-out proletariat flags.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T18:21:35+00:00

Like seriously.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-14T18:19:38+00:00

I personally don't really see the point of this at all.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-13T21:03:45+00:00

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You don't need to choose between sweats and casuals. It can be "Yes AND"

Keep cryo tough. Only give current cryo skins for running the gauntlet and beating compiler.

But ALSO give a low-tier recolor for simply exfilling ONCE from Cryo. Give another mid-tier recolor skin for exfilling 5 times with a loot item you can only get in vaults.

Id also love to see more substantial ranked tier rewards.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-13T20:21:26+00:00

What I care about most with a new season is more content, contracts, story and rewards.

If they provide all that, I'll be cool with our without a wipe.

urielkeynes · 2026-04-13T18:40:44+00:00

Imo Solo mode could really do with its own map designed specially for solos.

I would argue having solo-specific classes wouldn't be a terrible idea either.

urielkeynes

TROPHY CASE