How to fix Third party...fourth party...etc

@RockScorpion384 very one-sided argument - looking for a perspective of a "poor" team who gets 3rd partied.

Think from such perspective - will take Ranked as looking at Pub games is like making sense of big bang:

1) matchmaking allocates in one lobby players with similar yet not identical skill levels (some say the gap is way too big) = some players/teams are stronger overall, some are weaker

2) some parties are set - pre-made teammates - less risk that one or few players will wander off and die in 1 vs 1/multiple situation

3) there are still technical issues where people get in-game but are AFK / disconnected, leaving their teams at a disadvantage

4) cross-play and aim assist on controller 40-60% as it is rumored = controller player(s) in 1v1 or 3v3 will have slightly less tacking to do vs M&K players

Maybe there are more factors that I did not list, but what I am going towards with all that is that if there would not be an option to get into an already ongoing fight = 3rd party a fight, all fights would be at best 3v3 straight up => you would have a constant chance of 50/50 in theory.

Now add matchmaking, in reality, the situation would be more like - 1-3 teams (pre-made highest-ranked) squads would have close to 100% win chance because they are just better and would win most of their 3v3 no matter how many because they are just the best in the lobby and there are not threats of 3rd party arriving as per you suggestion (or this chance is limited).

Add the above-mentioned cases and teams that have a disadvantage in terms of players getting straight into 2v3 all the way = 100% or close to that to lose every encounter.

Controller players just closing in the distance and outright abuse aim assist over players who are not ideal in tracking, again without risk of being 3rd partied.

Finally reducing the risk of 3rd party, limiting sound in-game also takes away skill gap:

• newbie player sees enemy - shoots right at him vs. a better player who first assesses how many enemies are in the PIO, where are potential other squads, who has an advantage, waits for teammates, focus-fires enemies to end the fight as fast as possible to mitigate 3rd party risk
• newbie player sees wildlife, starts shooting to get loot vs. a better player who evaluates, talks it over with the team, who has what attachments, loot, does the risk of shooting wildlife and making noise is worth it or better remain undetected
• newbie is late for rotation, takes trident, rides away through the map vs. a better player first of all getting rotations correctly but even if stuck in zone evaluates where are crafters, can he remain in the zone while crafting medkits to rotate in really late, is there a way to get heatshields, assesses what are possible routes to take with less noise
• etc.

In the end, even if you take away audio and leave it to say to 200m and teams fight less due to 50/50 chance = you will get competition-style outcome more often than not = zone 3+ has 10+ teams in them and eventually, everyone will 3rd party everyone because they will be in ~200m of each other 🙂

If anything Apex would need to improve the sound in a more directional way - currently it is still hard to detect which level of the map enemy is on e.g. in buildings. Also, I would add more dampening effect for the audio that comes through bigger / solid obstacles e.g. if a fight takes place on the other side of the huge mountain ridge people on the other side should have a limited chance of hearing that, same e.g. if a fight takes place on the other side of a bunker and both doors are close. And vice versa if there are no "solid" obstacles or bunker doors are open, teams should hear gunshots maybe even further away than now.

Ideally eco would come to play meaning that in enclosed places like Checkpoint or caves you would hear enemies even louder, same could apply to Anten with its huge dish-like surface, while in areas like North Pad or Barometer sounds would dissipate faster and would be less accurate, dampened.