Just downloaded the game and there was not one player or ranked match going! I live on eastern standard time and it seems like the game is still popular, what gives?

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That's odd. This game usually has a good amount of games running. You should create a match. I'm sure people will join.

Just all comes down to what time of day you play.

First off, DONT use the Quickmatch feature. For some reason, it not only wont find games alot of the time, it misses games that ARE on....i've experimented with this, and found that games are available through custom where quickmatch cant find them. Strange i know, but thats how that is. A connectivity oversight i am sure the creators arent going to fix anytime soon if they havent already.
Next, try playing at different times, using the custom match feature to find games, or host your own.
I find that playing during "prime time" (6pm-9pm) central will get you the most (and the tougher players)...playing in the morning hours will get you alot of the japanese and euro players (although this may come at the price of lag)....and if you play late night you get the american pot-heads...no seriously....munchies and all....
Again, your mileage may vary.
Here are the settings i use to find games using custom.....
Leave everything the same, except change minimum timer to 2min, and minimum wins to 2 wins, then search...
Or even better, just host your own game, and wait a bit...players DO show up, depending on the mode you choose, and what level you chose to play on. For best results DONT use the DLC boards (anything past Big Top), as many players dont have them. Bombing Run and Normal are the most popular to attract players, although Zombie can be pretty popular too. My personal fav is "paint" which alot of players dont like for some reason (they call it lame, but in reality i think they just dont "get" the idea..its more than just color the floor people...)
Most frags is the opposite of zombie (you try to get the most kills within time, instead of most tiles within time), which i like also, but since Most Frags is a DLC mode, you may not get alot of players. I've found when i do start a Most Frags game though, 6pm-9pm central seems to work best AND you get the hardcore players (rarely noobs) because they liked the game enough to have downloaded the stuff....and have gotten quite good at it.
There ya go..i hope that helps you somewhat. My gf started me on Bomberman, and it has become quite a favorite...very addicting. And i always look for and get players online...whether they stick around or not is another question ( I rank in the top 100 with a 70 % win pct. in player matches, and i imagine once i run someone over a game or two, and they know that i am, they quit).

The online set-up sucks a little really. It would be cool to search for open games going on right when you search & just drop into their board. So a game that starts with 2 ends up with 8 after a few rounds as people drop into it, depending on how many the host allows. Sure, hosting a game works - but you usually end up with a two player game when bomberman is best with 4. Shame really, because its such a great game. Hey, if anyone wants a bomberman friend, hit me with a FR. Cheers, tet

Ya, getting "ranked" matches is tough. No one seems to play those. Go to "player" match mode. The leaderboards track your wins, losses, win pct, etc. on there too, so really, the "ranked" mode is kinda ignored, as that mode doesnt let you use custom rules (ya, ya, i know, its done so all players are ranked on an even playing field, but still, players prefer choice...).

I think the players who play for bragging  rights and "moving up the ladder" (of which i am most definately one of them...currently ranked #78 with a 70% win ratio, by the way, hehehe..on player leaderboards =) .....well we tend to ignore ranked and just go right to player matches.
Again, just pick a popular mode, host a game, and wait on players..they'll show.

OK cool, thanks for the tip!