lobbygames
I tell you i dont understand why i still have 1200 global rank as i didnt play a team game for at least 3 years. I cannot join a game without ruining it for someone else(which i wont).
proposed SOLUTION = rank decay, or hard rank reset on inactive accounts

ladder
think about how much time does a new player need to be properly prepared, to know all the races, maps and tech thats in ladder?
new player is thrown into a pool just after 5 games or so and then they get demolished.

• losing a game because its the first time you encountered a zthuee, or didnt know about 1k reclaim, or didnt have a proper BO for that map, or didnt know the map is fucked and the terrain behaves differently from what you expect from when zoomed out, or lose otherwise won game because of enemy guncom... i imagine it can demotivate

I know there already is a limit on maps in the ladder pool, based on players rank, but i think its not enough.
proposed SOLUTION = for the first 100-200 games, there should be different approach to matchmaking. Less races, less tech, small maps(carefully selected with intention to ) only.

Something like:
#gamesPlayed
1-5 only 1 5x10 map in the pool, only UEF ACU available
6-10 + 1 Map 5x5
11-15 + cybran enabled
16-30 + water map
31-60 + map 10x10 that is good for hover + Aeon enabled
.. you get the idea. slowly adding things to learn about the game, not overwhelming anybody. and smurfs would maybe get bored
for this league, there should be a page reflecting each of the steps (level-1,level-5,level-11) with description of newly unlocked things, and tips and tricks about them, BOs for unlocked maps, common tactics, tricky things about new tech...

and promotion in the client. the first tab opened should be one with matchmaking 1 button away from a game. new players should play ladder, thats the place where they can learn how to play.

• problem with guncom is that its not easy to see it is a guncom. i imagine new people are quite surprised what killed them. not everyone is methodical and watch their own replays, not everyone zooms in to check for the gun, some even might not know how it looks like.

• t2 timing most of the time depends on the map right? hence the low map pool i proposed, and new maps only with guide

• define a new player. i might be one, i lost games because of this in combination with new map. i wont provide any replays as i dont really thing such a replay would prove my our yours point. i think most of the people imagine what kind of shit zthuee can do on maps with water and clifs

• i think there is difference between people. you are talking about map diversity yet most of the people in the lobby play 1 or 2 maps
  yes some people will never be happy with even 100 maps but if you play competitively and ladder is such place, then i believe you want to know the map you are going to play on. now since you cannot choose which one that will be, nor you can ban any map, you must learn them which takes time and not everyone is willing to invest it into a game. i imagine they want to play as soon as possible. then they get to learn the hard way. losing the match and maybe, i say it again, get frustrated

• and i didnt propose to limit the rank under 500 with X maps only. i proposed to base the map pool size on number of the games played, and THEN on the rank. how many maps do the 500 rank access to right now? its certainly not 15 or 20 anyway

@FtXCommando i think its not about losing itself, its about the reason of losing

have you ever played a board game where you have lost because of some special rule nobody told you about? and later again, you played well but you lost because there is a special rule you didnt know about...now you know, but the game is already lost. and you would ask why didnt you tell me before? well because there is just too many of these little things so we just cant tell you all of them, you will have to learn as you go. but many people wont. they leave

i agree the players want big shit stuff, but ladder is not the place where you get it.

and the baby ladder how @arma473 calls it, could exist next to normal ladder so you wouldnt be forced to play it. but new players should be encouraged to