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Home Epic Games updates

Epic sorry for Gears 2 matchmaking problems, tries to help

3:44 PM on 11.18.2008, Jim Sterling 16 comments

Epic sorry for Gears 2 matchmaking problems, tries to help photo
     Epic Games

Since Gears of War 2 launched, it has earned massive complaints over problems with the multiplayer lobby, specifically with the length of time it takes to get a match started. While the launch weekend was generally okay, it has been pretty bad since then, and matchmaking can take a very long time indeed.

Epic has addressed this issue and apologized, calling the situation "unacceptable." Senior producer Rod Fergusson has stated that no one problem can be singled out as the cause, implicating "a number of factors" for the multiplayer frustrations.

Fergusson has promised that a permanent fix is underway, hopefully to be launched soon. In the meantime, the Epic man has provided some helpful hints to try and ease your online pain. Such tips include trying different playlists, starting matchmaking in parties of two, three or five, and hanging on to a party once you've played with it. 

The full list of suggestions is included after the jump, so hit that if you want to make your Gears 2 playtime more bearable until the patch comes. I wonder ... will the patch be released before Castle Crashers'? The answer, as we all know, is yes.

"If you're experiencing long delays (longer than 2 minutes) or you're seeing your matchmaking search restarting over and over again, please try a different playlist as that indicates a possible population issue with the currently selected one.

The problem seems to be heightened for parties of 1 and parties of 4 so please try to invite at least one friend into your party before matchmaking. And of course the fastest way to play is to have a full 5 person party before looking for a match since you won't have to find any teammates beforehand. Fortunately our new "What's Up" feature makes finding Friends who're playing Gears 2 online easier.

Also, after a match, if you'd like to continue to play with the 9 people you just played with, simply press Y to look at the previous match stats and press X to invite them all to your party so you can continue to play in a Private match if they accept. Private matches, while not arbitrated, gives you the flexibility to set exactly which map and mode you want to play along with customizing other aspects of the game.

And as always, please ensure that your router is set correctly so that your NAT is considered "Open" by Xbox LIVE as "Moderate" and "Strict" NATs make Xbox LIVE matchmaking more difficult. There are many guides available online to walk you through the process of correctly configuring your router for Xbox LIVE so I won't go into the specific details here."


Next page: More Xbox 360 stories




moocow21's Avatar
moocow21 at 11/18/2008 16:03
I don't even know why they felt like the needed to add matchmaking. Personally, I've been against it ever since Halo 2 debuted. It doesn't give you any freedom to choose what exact map/mode/length of ranked game to play; why not just use a server list like in many PC games?

Personally, I think they should have stuck with the multiplayer setup in Gears 1... at least then I could have a 19 round warzone ranked match on Canals going with 7 friends (Count 'em, 7! Instead of 4 now...) within a minute or two. Now I sit here waiting upwards of 5 minutes just to get in a game on a random map with typically 3-5 rounds only.
sickNasty's Avatar
sickNasty at 11/18/2008 16:15
I've always liked matchmaking. I like that I get exposed to all the gametypes and maps that the game has, so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth.

Also I like the variety and quickness of it. It's easier than exiting a match and trying to find someone hosting something different.
AClockWorkMelon's Avatar
AClockWorkMelon at 11/18/2008 16:19
Really? I haven't had any waiting issues or lag. =O
necrozen's Avatar
necrozen at 11/18/2008 16:32
I think this is to be expected for most popular games. Little Big Planet was laggy for around six days after launch, and then it got fixed - and that was on PS3's free service so Microsoft should have this nipped in the butt in half the time. Resistance didn't have any lag issues, but there is a problem with splitscreen coop which I hope they are working on, but since I don't play splitscrean, I ddnt notice it until I read the blog.

Either way, I think this is just part of launch now. What counts is how fast they fix it.
Origim's Avatar
Origim at 11/18/2008 16:46
Damn does this mean I have to actually make friends to play GOW2?
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 11/18/2008 16:51
Just so everyone's clear, the Castle Crashers patch IS finished. It's just waiting for Microsoft to certify and release it. And Microsoft doesn't give a fuck anymore, it seems.
brainboy77's Avatar
brainboy77 at 11/18/2008 17:10
if they don't release this soon, i might trade in gears 2 for fallout 3. horde just doesn't do it for me, and the multiplayer is flawed. and the matchmaking just does not make it worth it.
Kyousuke Nanbu's Avatar
Kyousuke Nanbu at 11/18/2008 17:23
@Necrozen

It has nothing to do with the servers, its the netcode that's shit.

But yea, Im not a big fan of matchmaking, takes away control and 90% of [people will choose the same map and same gametype, why even bother putting guardian and execution when everyone just picks execution.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 11/18/2008 17:36
@sharpless

Doesn't matter. It's still not patched, and I still can't play it properly and I still feel like I wasted $15 buying a broken co-op title.
360hellance's Avatar
360hellance at 11/18/2008 19:17
one great tip i can give is DON'T do the players choice... just choose the game type you want, and you'll get a game like in a minute TOPS. I was in players choice for like 10 minutes and read the "choose another playlist" tip from epic, and it works
Crumpet Lips's Avatar
Crumpet Lips at 11/18/2008 20:24
Matchmaking has been a little rocky since the day after Gears 2 was released but I am happy Epic really wants to fix the problem.

Still hasn't really tarnished my experience with the game anyway, I play Horde whenever I go online with friends so we never get problems with that.
necrozen's Avatar
necrozen at 11/18/2008 21:23
@ Kyousuke Nanbu

Oh, right on. I don't actually own the game, I was just going by what folks were saying. Either way, it can't be THAT long for such a popular title.
Sharpless's Avatar
Sharpless at 11/18/2008 23:47
@dvddesign
Well, most of my games were played offline, so I didn't feel it that badly. I've simply lost interest in it. It's a good game, but there are just too many other games that I'd rather give my attention to.
carg0's Avatar
carg0 at 11/19/2008 09:07
if it wasn't for 'horde' i doubt i'd still be playing. it's better than the campaign
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