Lets Talk About 'Skill-Based Matchmaking'?
INTRODUCTION
Hey there, let me start with that I know that most of the users here are players of Apex, but this also seems like this is my best chance at getting some communication from the Apex Developer team on their thoughts and actions regarding SBMM (Skill-Based Matchmaking) as it currently is. Although I don't have high hopes given the track record of the team's communication to players about certain issues given how busy they are, let's do our best to offer them our insights regarding this topic in a respectful way. I have yet to find a better outlet where I could talk about ideas with the developers, so this is my shot in the dark, at worst if that doesn't work I hope this thread might offer them insights into the current SBMM design. I encourage other players to talk about their experiences in unranked / casual / quickplay matchmaking below in a reply.
TOPIC
To start, I am a predator level player who has achieved a competitive predator ranking. I have around 900 hours in the game at the moment and I offer my thoughts from the mindset of a higher level of player than the average. I play for more than two hours per gaming session. I have played Apex since the launch before it even finished downloading, and I feel like I am being punished for playing unranked games.
When I enter unranked lobbies, at least half of the teams I fight are pre-made, as in they are a full squad who queued up together. On top of this, they tend to be around the same skill as players I have fought in Platinum competitive matches. I understand based on my previous experience with competitive games why SBMM is added, its primary goal is to encourage a space for newer players to not feel intimidated by players with a better understanding of the game. Despite understanding why someone would want to add this to an unranked mode, I cannot help but come to the conclusion that the current model is not sustainable. As you perform well, you are placed against other people that perform just as well. You are punished for performing well by being pitted against players of an equal or higher skill level. Your options are to perform better than you did in the previous match, or just die. As someone who now plays mostly with a group now to feel like I can reasonably compete with other squads, I can no longer play alone or with some lower level friends in unranked matches unless I severely outplay the enemy teams. Over 500 of my hours were playing solos, to meet people and have fun, largely before the SBMM change. Ranking systems like how the current SBMM is designed are best fit for competitive play, not what should be unranked.
Developer Questions
- Do developers see this as a potential problem?
- What potential changes are the developer team considering to address this issue?
- Is this a higher priority issue?
Recommendations
I enjoy this game and want to keep playing, but my time played the last month or so has been steadily declining as a result of this experience. I cannot see myself playing as much alone or with a team as things stand. I would like for there to be a better line of communication with the developer team. If I were to make a recommendation, it would be to scrap the higher end of SBMM. Limit SBMM to apply to those on the lower end of rankings. Imagine if we were all ranked by numbers ranging from 1-100, players rank 30 or below would be matched to players of a similar skill level, but once you reach any ranking above 30, you would match with anyone within the range of ranks 31-100. A battle royale game should be a game with a disparity in skill, only one team can win. I understand that encouraging a healthy environment for new players is important, so this is my recommendation with that in mind. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from everyone. ☕
