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by AnIdiotOnTheNet 2323 days ago
> The better the player gets, the harder it is to find others of similar ability. I don't know the answer to this problem.

Make it fun to lose too.

In the before times, in the long long ago, there was a Half-Life mod called Natural Selection that I played entirely too much of. It was an asymmetrical FPS/RTS hybrid. In the earlier versions (pre 3.0, I think), Aliens were considered to have a slight advantage over Marines, however this was ok because losing as Marines was a lot more fun than losing as Aliens because they got to roleplay the Alamo by locking down their last base with ludicrous defensive measures and holding out against wave after wave of Alien attacks. This strategy would actually rarely result in a sudden turn around in the game as it was possible for a skilled Marine to escape through the Alien horde and find a quiet spot to begin construction of a stealth hail-marry base, or get in position to just barely kill a hive before they could be taken out. For mechanical reasons, this strategy was not possible on the Alien side and consequently losing as Aliens was an exercise in waiting to be curb stomped and no fun at all.