International MMR Requiring Phone Number to Participate

[5fingers]

I was just wondering the logic behind this change. When I first purchased the compendium no phone number was required to play International ranked. As I understood it, the ability to process a payment was proof of a legitimate account. If an account is proven legitimate via purchase why is a phone number also needed? What changed from the start of the International when a phone number was not required to play ranked to now where a phone number is required? Why, when the reason given by developers to add a phone number is satisfied by a purchase, is it still required?

[opomuc]

You can get BP gifted to you, so it is not a legitimate way to prove an account is not a smurf. This has been changed accordingly to normal ranked, if you don't have a number associated, you can't play ranked. It is simple

[5fingers]

So the ability to gift the BP is the hold up? What about users that use steam gift cards or other means of purchase, gifting wouldn't matter to these users. Shouldn't the fact that they are using their money to support the development of the game be the determining factor in associating legitimate use?

[opomuc]

The sole reason to have a phone number associated is to prevent smurfing. I believe it has decreased significantly over weeks after the patch. But when International came up, they did not proceed with the same scenario, just restored last year's system for international Ranked. After some time they closed this window, nothing special and it should have been expected.

Dota 2 is a Free To Play game, which means that you don't have to pay in order to play the game. The developer, on the other hand, leaves a right to change the game at his own desire without prior notification. If you do pay it goes on a voluntary basis. If you disagree with the creators of the game, you are free to stop playing it whenever you want.

If you associate a phone number with your profile (even now) you will be able to play right away.

[5fingers]

As I understood it the reason to attach a phone number was to give matchmaking a better chance of being correct with their matches. Putting together players of the same skill level. If you want to make your game as good as possible shouldn't they be more inclusive, not alienate more people? I can understand the headache associated with not having a AI like Matchmaking run correctly. Maybe you can't "Moneyball" it or maybe it takes a different kind of mind to do it. Whatever the reason if people have purchased a BP that should be enough to prove a legitimate account and if it isn't a legitimate account that's more revenue for Valve, it's a business...

[opomuc]

As I understood it the reason to attach a phone number was to give matchmaking a better chance of being correct with their matches. Putting together players of the same skill level.

No, that is not the reason. They have different systems working in this direction.

Whatever the reason if people have purchased a BP that should be enough to prove a legitimate account and if it isn't a legitimate account that's more revenue for Valve, it's a business...

It is also a community. Valve is actually trying hard to meet community expectations. The thing with reddit is outstanding in my opinion. There were a lot of complaints of people ruining games with smurfs (additional accounts instead of the main one), so they proposed a solution.

[5fingers]

This is directly from the update blog

Players using multiple accounts create a negative matchmaking experience at all skill brackets, so our goal is to add just enough friction to this process that the number of players doing this will be noticeably reduced. Having more players using their primary accounts will have a positive effect on both Ranked and Unranked Matchmaking.

Seems like the same thing I was saying just worded differently. Agree?

As far as it being a community I totally agree but one side feeds the other. You can't have a thriving community with controls that don't benefit all on an equal basis. Picking winners and losers isn't something that the developers should be focused on imho. I think that adding a phone number to BP purchasers is an unnecessary addition when their legitimacy has already been determined by a purchase.

By the way I see you post on here a lot and I respect that but to argue with somebody just to argue is a waste.

[opomuc]

argue with somebody just to argue is a waste.

Posting here nonsence is a waste of time as well. You will not change anything at all. It is how it is.