Forum Discussion

New Scout

2 years ago

Solved

I think I'm going to quit Apex, here's why...

Almost 3k hours, I am at the point where I feel like I'm wasting my time and energy with this game. I need answers. Are casual players leaving this game? Because it seems like Smurfers have infested this game as well as constantly queuing in Master/Pred lobbies.

I'm a casual player at heart and I've worked very hard to get where I am at consistently hitting Diamond. Obviously, with the unfortunate rework of Season 17 ranked, I reached Masters and of course I don't feel like I deserve it. I know I don't deserve it. I know I belong in Diamond until I can get better. I know we have our good days and our bad days. However, a straight week of playing this game and having to deal with the consistent flood of insane players is just frustrating. It's so mental. But the pace at which this game promotes, the addiction is clear. GG go next.

The consistent queuing with these insane players really just demotivates me and makes me not want to play. I want to have fun but every team I come across just have this insane level of gun skill. I am constantly skill gapped. How can I improve when I don't even have the room or breathing space to? Now before you comment me to tell me to get good, I do get good. I've had consistent improvement season to season working on my movement and gun skill. But this season, I feel like I'm being hit by a damn 18-wheeler going 200mph. Having to lose almost 20 times before we can clutch up a dub is just something I don't care to continue to do. So, ONE good game but 20+ losses back-to-back; it's almost unimaginable to me how people think it's okay to put themselves in that situation. I would even accept having a good fight between a few teams and not get the dub because obviously you cannot get all the dubs. But even upon landing, hot dropping or a long rotation, a team just beams the S**t out of you. It's insane...

To give you some perspective, here are my stats and they are not impressive:

-511 Career wins (Started Season 7) (PC player)

-5+ Million Dmg (Lifetime)

-1.06 K/D

I think the 1.06 Lifetime KD I have is what gets me. For this season, my KD is 1.24 which to me is not impressive. It's improvement but not impressive. Considering the majority of actual Master and Pred players double or even triple that. I'm speaking specifically the difficulty/matchmaking in PUBS. Ranked is totally different and I feel that I would definitely do better because I am forced to 3 stack to have the best comms and strategy making possible vice hoping the randos will even consider team play.

But Pubs? I believe that I shouldn't be queuing against MASTER or PRED players with the KD I have. So what type of Matchmaking does this game really have?? I am 1.06 KD LIFETIME. Where are my 1 KD players at? I KNOW that I will be outplayed by a Master/Pred where I have 6k+ kills with octane. How does this compare with the average Master/Pred who have over 20k or even 30+k kills with one singular legend? I don't even die by a Diamond or Plat player anymore. I die by low level accounts which are most likely SMURFS or Triple badged Masters and Pred. So, how about this...if you're telling me that's just the way it is, then why don't I have Master or Pred players in my squad? I get lvl 2-3-400 players non-prestiged or possible smurfers sub lvl 50??? Tell me how that's fair? Where are even my Diamond or Plat players to Queue with me. I'll accept them??? Instead, I feel like based on my non-impressive stats, that's why I get these players...then enter the lobby who just have insane stats that we have to fight against...I am led to believe that SBMM is just...TRASH.

Observations:

-I've noticed that most American servers are insanely cluttered with questionable skill. Not only with smurfs but the questionable beams.

-I've noticed that A LOT of players are moving over to controller and I think a lot has to do with pro players influencing that move as well as borderline exploits with ALC settings. It's everywhere. It shows up on my TikTok, I've seen it on youtube as well as Macro/Config users. Additionally, I've played with a controller using those "recommended" ALC settings and the MAGNETISM even at 40% for PC is INSANE.

-I looked into "Config" while I've been informed that it's a banable offense, sources like YouTube have videos showing what PITO strafing is, NEO strafing and all that. All people have to do is pay into their Patreon and receive the config files or do it themselves...why isn't this talked about more?

I feel like no actual investigation is being done with this as long as Respawn and EA meet their acquisition quotas. I want to have fun and I feel like I'm just not gonna get that. Maybe I'm asking for too much but I'm not trying to be the next ImperialHal, Aceu, Faide or whoever. Just a casual guy who likes the mechanics of the game, legends, lore and all. But now I'm just more than ready to hang up the gloves.

At the end of the day, it's a game. And for the majority of people who play games, I'm sure they want to have fun with it.

Seriously, tell me your thoughts. I'm not having fun anymore. It's a sweat fest and I'm ready to quit.

Pro players, sure, give me your thoughts.

Casual players, I want to know your thoughts do you feel the same way?

I'm just one casual player, but I wonder how many others feel this way these days. I can only imagine if there is a continuous decline of player loss for this game, Apex might have some issues to face.

Thanks for reading.

discussion

reconzero
2 years ago
@AREYOUSITHREOUS

Well said, and well thought-out.

And 500+ wins on 11k matches is a little less than 5% - nothing to sneeze at, especially if you're an "all out" player as most seem to be.

Maybe this will help you feel a little better: I'm at 23k+ matches total, with a win rate hovering around 7+%, but only because I'm NOT an "all out" kind of player. I have a high k/d but it's artificial because I will seldom treat a match as kill or die. It's more kill until my teammates get themselves killed and then bail. The k/d would look even less impressive if you saw my kills/total matches. It's spectacularly low. If I played ranked, which I don't, my rank would maybe peak at high gold. Maybe. I just don't have the patience or the teamwork or the aim or the ambition to push that envelope.

But what we definitely have in common is the sense that there are a good many players in this game who, when you meet them, are not just shooting back at you. They're an impenetrable wall of 95% accuracy gunfire. You don't engage them. You get vaporized by them. That tends to feel like bad matchmaking, but there are times when I hit every shot I make and have a handful of kills by second circle, and for no very clear reason that I can make out. Then, mostly, I'm getting vaporized by what look and feel like aimbotters, but are probably just well coordinated teams.

I think @hayhor hit the nail on the head: take a break for a few days. I have an enforced break coming up and I'm actually looking forward to it.

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AREYOUSITHREOUS
New Scout
2 years ago
Recon,
Thank you for your reply.
Apologies for leaving out total Matches played. I have 10.8k games in the books. I really do appreciate your take on this, and it does give me a little bit of perspective. I took a day off of Apex so I can properly gather my thoughts on the game and try not to be subjective before I submitted this post. However, it seems like my frustrations with the game still outweigh developing a clear and objective point of view. I'm going to have to agree when you said, "...but I'm also not convinced that sbmm is doing anything to you that it isn't doing to everyone, or that it's doing anything that I would qualify as fundamentally unfair." I have to consider the skill ceiling in this game as a challenge. Perhaps I am not a "casual" player like I claim to be considering that I do devote a lot of time to Apex, but I don't care enough to be a part of that 2 percent. I'm just looking at this as far as having to play a game where I don't want it to be easy but not feel like my improvement progress is for nothing having to experience the fundamental flaws of multiplayer gaming. Objectively speaking, almost any multiplayer FPS game (BR/non-BR) will have its unique characteristics and player base that make it difficult and frustrating. I don't think any other FPS game is easier if I decide to retire and play say CoD or something. It just seems as if we have identified the issue with evidence but rarely anything concrete has been done to resolve these issues.
"That said, it sure would be nice if they would develop an algorithm to detect smurfs and then instantly bump their mmr so they get NO cakewalk matches at all." I think this has been done but it's not a perfected solution/strategy. It's probably why we get these waves of smurfs in our lobbies based on our stats as they move forward. It's not like a lvl 10 smurf player will constantly queue in a lobby full of actual inexperienced players. I think that what should be done is if the maturity of the account does not compare to say an account like mine with 3k hours at 1.0KD, then their accounts should be banned for smurfing. I also think that in order to mitigate Smurf usage for the purpose of boosting, trolling or cheating, they should face harsh obstacles such as not being able to rank until they reach lvl 100 or something. Anything to extend the time for them to try and make it easier for them or the teammates they desire to boost. In addition, this could slow down the amount of purchased accounts in those 3rd party websites. I feel that this could perhaps solve inexperienced players to not jump straight into ranked as well. I just don't see why Smurfing should even exist. It just tells me that they feel capped at their level and can't handle higher elo lobbies or their main or previous accounts have been banned. Just keep them out. What do you think?
I'm a bit hard on myself and I feel that the peak of a good stat health or the average player is classified as Diamond tier whereas the actual bell curve is Gold Tier based on previous seasons stats. I would consider my time in the game being the result of having a 1.0 KD average. However, not at the rate where some people can achieve this in a fourth of the time that I've devoted to. Probably just better understanding, general FPS experience or being naturally gifted are some factors. My capabilities I feel, don't compare to those who can just pick up a game and be good at it. It really does take quite some time for me to be good at something. This is most likely why I believe I'm that casual player.
Thanks again for your reply. I've also noticed that you have responded to my older posts. Thanks for coming back!
hayhor
Hero
2 years ago
@AREYOUSITHREOUS Lots of interesting points. I'd always encourage people to take a break and play games that leave you happy at the end of a session.

One question I have tho- You mention it takes 20 games to get a win. With trios being 20 teams if MM and all the BR luck works properly this is the rate you should win at. One thing people struggle to understand is that in a BR where you have one life you are going to die a lot before you win. The key really is if you are having fun in the games you are not winning. You have a positive KD and make diamond so you are a better player. Is this not enough? What has to happen to make it more fun?
XxColdFangxX
2 years ago
@AREYOUSITHREOUS
I've pretty much quit the game as well. I only pop in from time to time to check and see if the match making has improved any. Quickly get burnt out on all the bs and go back to playing fortnite or some other less infuriating game like the new exo primal.
reconzero
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
@AREYOUSITHREOUS

Nothing you said about Apex matchmaking is wrong. It IS infested with smurfs, it does NOT work well, the experience IS brutal. But here follows a few quick observations:

I feel like there is an inconsistency between the way you describe yourself as a "casual player" and then acknowleding that you're a diamond tier player.

"Having to lose almost 20 times before we can clutch up a dub is just something I don't care to continue to do." One win in twenty could actually be interpreted as high-functioning matchmaking. Not without taking other metrics into consideration, but this still puts your win rate in line with the average casual player. Though still not convinced that description fits you....

Ah, now we come to the stats. The career wins would tell me more if I knew your total matches played. Either way your k/d, career AND seasonal, are what I would call healthy. If you're breaking 1.0 then you're doing something right, especially with the high-skill lobbies you're getting lately.

You used the phrase "non-impressive stats" and I have to say again: they're only non-impressive when compared to the top 2% of players who are legitimate master/pred players and/or outright cheaters. Of which, as you noted, this game has more than a few.

Yes, the matchmaking in this game is imperfect. It never has been perfect, or even close, in any game I've ever played.

It looks to me like you're experiencing some of the fundamental flaws of multiplayer gaming. Namely, over time it becomes easier and easier to burn out on the game. It also becomes far more likely that, as you get to know the game intimately, that you get less tolerant of its quirks. It also becomes far more likely that, as you put more hours into the game, you begin to expect to feel subjectively as if you're getting better at the gameplay. When in fact skill-based matchmaking is designed to make you feel subjectively as if you can only barely keep your head above water. This describes best what I'm reading in your post. You're not in any way wrong for this to be your take away (it's mine as well), but I'm also not convinced that sbmm is doing anything to you that it isn't doing to everyone, or that it's doing anything that I would qualify as fundamentally unfair. That said, it sure would be nice if they would develop an algorithm to detect smurfs and then instantly bump their mmr so they get NO cakewalk matches at all.
Kyldenar
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
Yes, Casual Players are leaving the game.
I uninstalled from PC seasons ago, and am only playing on PS4 right now because my PC waiting for a new CPU and I realized _I just never got a lot of games for the PS4._