Recently, the "Honor of Kings" official team launched the first issue of their column on optimizing the match environment. Addressing player complaints about frequently encountering teammates who throw games or go AFK, as well as losing streaks, they updated the ranked matchmaking rules.
Previously, the official team collected over 7,000 pieces of player feedback on matches. The most common complaint was being continuously matched with teammates who frequently violated rules, threw games, or fed kills, making it significantly harder to rank up.
This matchmaking algorithm now includes a new "negative credit" evaluation dimension. Players with normal gameplay and no frequent violation records will not be continuously matched with players who have negative credit, sparing them from encountering disruptive teammates match after match.
The official team also invited professional coaches to review numerous losing streak matches and provide adjustment proposals for the matchmaking logic. If players encounter matches with extremely poor experiences, they can email feedback to the development team. Emails should include "losing streak" or "match report" in the subject line, along with screenshots of their profile and match recordings. Selected submissions may lead to targeted adjustments to the mechanism.
Overall, these matchmaking changes directly address players' pain points in ranking up. Players who consistently play seriously will no longer have to endure the negative impact of poor teammates.
The ranked matchmaking algorithm in "Honor of Kings" has long been criticized. In the S42 season at the end of last year, the long-awaited ranked matchmaking mechanism received a major optimization. The new algorithm, focusing on "primary rank, secondary skill score matching," was fully implemented.
Previously, the large rank disparity in ranked matches was a major point of contention among players. The new algorithm has achieved significant results, increasing the proportion of matches with a rank difference of 5 stars or less from 66.8% to 99.6%, and those with a difference of 2 stars or less from 36.1% to 90.7%.