Alex Hawkins on Jul 17, 2015 wrote:

So I was wondering, will anything be done to prevent this from happening?

As it is now, I can log into my two accounts and queue them up together in Free for All Mode. If they both get the notification at the same time, then I know they got matched up in the same battle. Then I go in what is suppose to be free for all and it now becomes a 2v1v1. I can't buff or shield my other account, but I can make sure to focus the other players first and win first and second place.

The same can happen with clans or friends talking over through Skype or group messages making it a 3v1. Or 4 friends matching up together and trading easy wins to rack up scrips.

Was any of this considered prior to the free for all mode and what does KI plan to do about it?

It wouldn't be fun to go up against a group of friends that gang up on me in this new free for all mode.

i know of a few people who did this yesterday

Alex Hawkins on Jul 17, 2015 wrote:

I just did it today using my two accounts and it wasn't even fair. I just used both my accounts to focus one player, then focus the other.

I don't see what the issue is. It's free for all. You are assuming that the fight is not suppose to include any friends (not to mention that specifically trying to get in the same fight is difficult itself...and will only get more difficult in live).

Even if two friends get matched up and gangs up on others...one of the friends has to lose....thereby losing rank....thereby increasing the chances they don't get matched together in the future.

Alex Hawkins on Jul 19, 2015 wrote:

Is not hard at all to do, if you both don't get the pop up at the same time, then you just abandon and repeat again after.

The problem is not that after a few duels you won't get matched up with one another, the problem is that for those few duels that you DO fight together and gang up on the unsuspecting random players, it makes the game completely unfun for those players. It defeats the purpose of "free for all" if it ends up becoming a 2v1v1 or 3v1.

Alex, let me call it now. This is going to be a mainstay for Battle Royale. I've already participated in numerous Battle Royale matches....and in almost every single match...someone has "teamed up" with someone else. Granted, it wasn't to the lengths you are describing above (pre-coordinated)....but it is the same result. Again, it is a Free For All...there will be alliances....but like I already indicated....there can only be one victor...so the strategy you are describing is not a viable long term strategy. The "pre-coordination" scenarios will become impossible in only a few matches, because all but one of the "teamsters" has to lose and down rank. So the "ganging up" by either friends or a single player with multiple accounts will only occur for one or two matches.

I would rather the Pirate101 team ensure that evenly ranked pirates are matched together....which is more detrimental to the game long term than the rare occasions (two or three matches) you are describing (not to mention helps combat your scenario). This is a major issue in Wizard101 (Privates are consistently matched against Warlords). If you are queuing up your same accounts together, I'm more concerned how often they get matched together at different ranks.

How would KI know if players are legitimately queuing up at the same time or not (do they just get booted if it just so happens)? How can different players on social media or VOIP hit a button at the same exact time with internet latency? Again, I'm more concerned about what you are asking KI to do about your scenario for one or two rare instances...and how that will impact players long term (and their inability to get or exclusion from matches simply from coincidence in timing...especially at odd hours).

If someone thinks they will get to Champion in Battle Royale by using double accounts and "ganking" it simply won't work (unless of course the skill matching system is utterly broke).