How To Fix SBMM
I completely respect the concept of Skill Based Match Making and believe it's intentions are sound. In theory it alone should set Apex Legends apart from all other Battle Royale and FPS Multiplayer Online games... however it doesn't because in practice... the system is broken.
I should NOT be allowed to face off against players with Diamond or Predator trails just because I end up with lucky back to back Champion Wins racking up 6-8 Kills but actually got "carried" for most of the time.
And I should NOT still be seeing those SAME level of opponents drop with me despite bombing 10 games in a row without a single kill.
THIS is how SBMM SHOULD be fixed: (Based on your Legend's LIFETIME Kill to Death Ratio) or KDR.
If your Legend's Lifteime KDR meets the following requirements, you should NEVER be matched up against players of other Tiers in Public Matches... PERIOD.
Sub 1.0 KDR: "Bronze" Tier
1.0 - 1.9 KDR: "Silver" Tier
2.0 - 2.9 KDR: "Gold" Tier
3.0 - 3.9 KDR: "Platinum" Tier
4.0 - 4.9 KDR: "Diamond" Tier
5.0 - 5.9 KDR: "Master" Tier
6.0+ KDR: "Predator" Tier
Some of you may be saying at this point, "Well that's what playing Ranked is for!" But the coincidence in level names is where the similarities end. I'll explain..
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Those playing Ranked do so for the prestige of achieving the highest ranked status (and to earn season ending rewards) and achieve this through maximizing their Ranked Points (RP) by ANY means necessary including (but not limited to) Camping for Champion Wins, 3rd Party Ambushing, Kill Counts, Damage Assists, Intensive Coordinated Teamwork, etc.
Compare this to those who play public lobbies who do so for the Sheer enjoyment of having a fun productive experience (mostly with randoms) without the sweaty intensity ranked games call for. And although the definition of a "productive experience" may vary from gamer to gamer... I'm sure that 98% of you can agree that dropping into match after match averaging a Kill every 2 or 3 games is NOT a productive enjoyable experience... especially after a hard day at work/school and you just want to unwind or practice before even thinking about a Ranked experience.
Finally want that 10 or 20 bomb you've never seen in your life before? Public SBMM should be the place for it!
Want that 2K Damage Badge you've only sniffed a handful of times before but never achieved? Public SBMM should help!
Want to string together a solid week of excellent highlight replays where your Main Legend is racking up 10+ kills per game without breaking a sweat? A Fixed SBMM System will make your dreams come true!
But be warned. Being THIS good for so long WILL come at a price... and if your Legend's KDR avg. just bumped above the 1.0 Line... you'll be playing with the other big dogs now... No more little fish to feast on. That's what you get! Leave the small pond alone and swim with your own kind!
THAT'S what SBMM should be all about.
- @Babbediboopi I disagree. Not only is K/D an absolute reflection of skill but it's likely the ONLY reflection of skill regardless of a broken or fixed SBMM algorithm. But more on the irrelevance of SBMM in regard to skill in a moment. To play Devil’s Advocate, IF K/D ISN’T the best reflection of skill in this game, then what is? I present to you the following stats that just don’t compare.
• Damage – Anyone regardless of skill can rack up enough damage to look “skillful” if given enough time, but the true indicator should more likely be Damage Per Game. But even that stat can be skewed given the wide variety of options available to achieve this SAFELY and without skill thanks to factors such as throwables, sniper rifles, and Ultimates. Doing damage from afar is the Achilles Heal of why Damage Per Game is NOT an indicator of skill.
• Champion Wins – Even I was able to rack up a handful of Champion Wins within the first few days of release, but that had nothing to do with skill at all. Many skill lacking players can win simply by being carried by other “more skillful” squad mates. Combine that with tactics such as camping to avoid fights until the end, scavenging abandoned death crates, and 3rd Partying the Final 2 Squads. Winning as Champion only proves you have abilities to execute a sound strategy, but strategic acumen is NOT an indicator of skill at all.
• Revives & Respawns – Although I admit it DOES take some skill to be able to pull off a safe revive and/or respawn during and after a fire-fight, I would also like to add that it also matters on other factors such as appropriate cover, coordination with your downed squad mate, communication with your surviving squad mate, and a bit of luck. And not a single of these factors are indicative of YOUR skill… if anything, it better reflects the skill of your squad mates as a whole.
• Assists – Unless I’m wrong, an assist is granted for simply causing SOME damage to an enemy before your squad mate gets in the final blow to earn the knockdown. Unfortunately, randomly spraying and praying at an enemy squad, attracting their attention and relying on your squad mates to finish them off is NOT skill. That’s just you being a good sidekick for fodder. High assists per game just proves you are brave enough to always be in a firefight to inflict damage, but sadly, no skill is necessary for that.
Any others I miss? Kill to Death ratio on the other hand proves you possess many traits not readily highlighted by the stats mentioned above. It takes skill to time and down an enemy in a fire-fight, it takes skill to ward off other supporting squad mates, it takes skill to squad wipe in a 1v3 situation, it takes skill to finish off a downed enemy and earn the kill, it even takes skill to survive and escape a fire-fight going bad.
No amount of masterful strategy or tactics will EVER trump an ambushed player with HIGH K/D ratio skills. I’m living proof of this. I have been in squads where we would silently 3rd party a surprised winning squad with throwables and Ultimates, all while shooting from all sides behind cover using the high ground, only to be out-skilled as they would all turn around, jump and crouch like possessed and mow us all down with precise fearless headshots.
Throw SBMM in the mix? It doesn’t matter. When SBMM works as advertised, you’re “supposedly” facing off against opponents with the same lethality as yourself. Shine and excel against those, and that’s a true reflection of your K/D avg. With a broken or nonexistent SBMM system? Now you’re mowing down noobs in a lobby where you’re equally likely to face off against a Diamond – Predator, only difference is, you have no idea what type of opponent you’ll be encountering in any given lobby. You could be picking on noobs, or you could be picking on a bully. As for me, I’d be better prepared knowing I’m about to engage with an enemy that in all likelihood is just as good as I am. Yet comforted in knowing they shouldn’t be significantly better than me. A broken or missing SBMM system is just what we have now… Public lobbies where only Diamond+ thrive as they feast on the rest of us because they KNOW the odds of encountering a higher ranked opponent is slimmer compared to running into the rest of us.
