Matchmaking DEV Recap

r1ggedgame​ first of all by now it is publicly voiced starting by Hiswattson (let's assume he is credible) that Apex does not have SBMM but EBMM, especially for past seasons when player count due to hacking etc. has dropped a lot it clearly makes sense, especially given how uncompetitive environment is, people complaining even by pub game matchups -> if SBMM would be a thing = games would become more "harder" and faster (adjust) = people would have to sweat = quit/complain/smurf/hacks.

I am not EA fan, but just to give a benefit of a doubt Apex maybe is taking it ok, maybe these people just had fall off game or did not try or whatever before finishing 5, 10, 20+ games with much better results. We can't see that unfortunately as Apex e.g. does not have their data sorted either so tracker of stats is buggy to say the least vs e.g. Riot's Valorant where you can actually see gazzilion of stats of each player who opts to make them available. So let's assume Apex is doing ok here ->

What this system in Apex would still fall short would be smurfing (like in most games it just messes up system too much), Apex is too passive to ban those players, have blurry criteria what even is smurfing -> if I see my games this season (grinding a lot) 10-15 players in D4+ level lobbies are under level 200 yet D4 in many cases D3+ which imo is clear indication of smurfing, 5-10 players will be even under level 100, sometimes even under indicated level 50? to be eligible for ranked and those 90% of a time hack as well. => so maybe system takes into account player level and your "**bleep**ty" teammate is aligned with smurfing (hacker) and thus game thinks it is ok.

Still even that is not enough to make conclusions, what you should need is complete picture at the end of each game:
- maybe you would see that most teams got "**bleep**ty" teammate or combination of "overall same skill" but in a different form
- you should look at top 5 squads and see how much better they were vs rest, what is happening now these top5 squads usually are like 2x better than everyone else in the lobby, ideal example how Preds get mostly Diamonds in their lobbies most of time, this is the worst imo what Apex did (feeding Preds fast queue times and easy pray, not to mention ignoring a more serious issue with Preds khm khm)

So overall ranked in Apex is just better version of Pubs = game where people at least sometimes try vs never at all try.

I personally just focus on my skill - see how well I read games, called rotations, how good my aim is. For the rest I don't care, game is too random = some seasons Masters is free to take, in some I hover between D3 and D1, in some I can't get out of D4 despite reaching it basically with 0 effort... ranked is just too random. Basically if you would go off the stats = if you are Diamond these days = you can play the game alright, if you get above D2 = you are good, way above average, closing in on territory you might consider going competitive, D1+ = you are either unique or you just hack / abuse the game :)

"Squad matchmaking looks at closest skill to fill out your squad."

I too would have said this was an out-and-out lie. Except that:

"They are a similar skill value based on the number and how we measure it."

Their skill assessment algorithm is deeply flawed and then add to that the fact that they are 100% correct that match goals, play style, etc. can make teammates with same mmr play the game in completely different ways. Which is why I think this:

"You dont need to know what we consider skill, thats common knowledge."

is completely untrue.

I have far too many squadmates who think I'm your Fuse until the final two when I down 2 out of 3 enemies and set up the third for my squadmates. It isn't that I don't know what to do. I just won't do it until it suits me. And that attitude is absolutely endemic at my end of the skill spectrum, though it mostly plays out in the opposite way: squadmates who actively seek enemies and push them even though one or both squadmates are somewhere else. That solo pusher is doing what suits him when it suits him even though I have zero doubt that he knows what the outcome will be. Play style. Match goals. They mean a lot in this game unless you're knocking on Masters where you really do have to stack and play the meta. Which is where ""You dont need to know what we consider skill, thats common knowledge" becomes true. Below that level though, it's a free for all where some players have amazing mechanical skills and zero game sense, while others understand strategy perfectly but can't hit the broadside of a barn when it's time to shoot. And that's why skill assessment fails and teams of "similar skill" end up looking like The Village People and acting they're not even playing the same game. Because they really aren't.

Matchmaking. Me D3 :)

For me it's sick and that's why I don't play ranked above D4.

I understand the beginning of the season when there are few masters and preds, but at this point there are 16,598 of them and the game still creates a lobby based on easy victory for one team 3stack pred?

And usually that one 3 stack of preds is usually a pred from the top 100. I've been through this before and I'm pissing myself with warm **bleep** on that MMR from Respawn.

Indeed.

I skipped last split / season or one before that as well because this stuff was just crazy - after like 8 PM on EMEA you as D4 just became cannonball meat for preds - 1-4 squads of clearly premades, often hacking vs D4 and lower random soloqers. Switched to Valorant for 3? months in the beginning of this year, enjoyed matchmaking there despite it not being perfect either.

Now this stuff happens only after midnight for me on regular basis, yesterday grinded a lot, stayed up late and after like 1 AM me as D3 was regularly in similar lobbies: 6 masters = two 3stacks, most of them with at least one wallhacker (obvious on the team), one in ~5 games Preds came on from all accross the board (remember playing vs #460 something as well as #sub 30, 20 something) and it really makes you wonder (laugh) about posts regarding skill based matchmaking = hard to believe that 3stack with hacker(s) on the team would have the same result as me battling for 4h with brainless soloqers that 2 out of 3 times as soon as WE came into rotation drop Fragment into 4+ teams and instadie... yeah right.

Well on a bright side - I gave some Masters / Preds a boost (maybe they stop playing now) as they without an exception!!!! hunted me down as soon as my teammates created distance between us / died and I had to rat. Their wallhacking is just sooo obvious and Respawn just does not give any F#%^ about that nor above mentioned matchmaking. Gladly it just happens now at night = motivation for me to stop playing and go to sleep :)

I would be actually ok playing vs legit masters e.g. yesterday somehow game decided to match me with 16k current master and other D1 player (neither was in a party, we were just 3 randoms) = I outperformed both of them, they were just as lost as any other D4 player, maybe a bit more inclined towards teamworking, yet when we had to clutch there were no coms, pings etc. Just made me wonder how long did they grind to get to 16k as I barely broke D3 after like a week's grind, really tried yesterday and it worked.
What I am trying to say is that "legit" Masters on a lower level is exactly the same skill level as D4 that has brain, skill but is soloqing and maybe not giving it all every game.
But Preds are just killing it for me, make me stop playing as they either on different level or as clearly seen in many cases just hack, abuse game mechanics, graphics and it is like fighting against a person on steroids while being natural.

And I would assume Respawn had to make adjustments to EBMM not to create lobbies like in good old days where Preds actually played mostly against preds, queue times were like 10 min+ and it was a grind for them. Nowadays that would lead (already has lead to) streamers and pros playing vs blunt hackers -> losing RP, not putting out content with highlight shorts and creating situation like in one of Zeu's videos where in Oceanic server top 5 teams? in last zone were all wallhacking and it was "funny" to watch how hackers prefire hackers and try to figure out how to win now a game were everyone knows everything :D

"I have far too many squadmates who think I'm your Fuse until the final two when I down 2 out of 3 enemies and set up the third for my squadmates."
nope i dont think so, that Dude ran into the enemy 3 times (i respawned him twice) wasnt even able to use his knuckle cluster nor his ultimate (otherwise he would have had easily 100dmg+), basically your typical bot but with a Platinum Rank which he got out of a vending machine.

I said it before and i say it again : Occams Razor - if a system feels rigged, its most likely rigged.

Eshshshss​ 
Respawn said a 1000 times that there is no EOMM in place, you wont get banned on this forum mentioning the EA Patent for EOMM.
They will just send out another dev tweet ensuring its not EOMM.
On the other hand, if you mention certain "accomplishments" from  other fps vendors,   you will get banned in the matter of minutes ! 

Regarding "Fuse" type players who feel more like bots, less like people who play ranked - I actually love the Valorant's system (tracker) which shows at the legend pick what is latest player's winning / losing streak.

That actually helps a lot - you see a player that has like 7 games losing streak = chances that he is trolling, throwing, boosted are very high -> you forfeit pick, get warning or like 5 min penalty but it is worth it vs potential 20 min of being rolled over.

Given Apex lobbies for seasons now for some odd reason most of the time are not fully populated 1-3 people almost always are missing - I would see this as an option in Apex as well. Would also solve the issue of re-queuing with the same people you just played and don't want to play again as for some reason you can't "block" every player in Squad menu and even if you do it does not work I have literary done that for fun for 100+ times and still got instantly matched with the same people even when they drop fragment, do 0 damage, spectate for the rest of the game where I get like 1k + few KP...

the block applies only for messages or friend requests.
the usual respawn excuse also applies here : "would hurt our queue times..."
what they dont factor in, players leaving bcs of the crappy matchmaking does what ? It hurts the queue times !
Imho a "real" competitor would finally force Respawns hand, so i hope Ubisoft doesnt let us down.

r1ggedgame​ I will try to pay attention but if not mistaken "block" even does not do that.

How I manage to track players in game that are bad / I had bad experience = by the end of a game I just go to squad menu and mute their voice AND ping options -> next time when I get matched with them they show as muted = I know what I am getting into.

Block is just redundant gimmick :D

Meanwhile on the topic: was playing yesterday as D2 (mid), crazy losing day, lost like 500+ RP overall while doing my best, EMEA got overpopulated with hackers -> decided to switch to NA East server (at the time had like 3? games with major negatives, crazy bad game), first game I got in NA:

Ended up killed from ~60 m in one clip via devotion with 3x on by streaming 40k Master who clearly using software (reported via WEB form) :) switched back to EMEA immediately as at least there I have better ping but same experience :D