Ranked Matchmaking is Extremely Unfair for Solo Queue Players

3 more battle pass levels and I am out whatever level I am at, cba to grind to D4, games are just horrid, honestly today I had almost anxiety when loading into the game and game quality did not "disappoint" - people keep hitting everything with G7 and 30-30 from 100+m, you shoot them point blank and no-regs are there, soloq teammates of IQ of a kindergarten child... very very sad state of the game.

Bruh, I can't take Apex seriously until they fix this crap.

The devs have been letting solo queue players run amuck in Ranked with no end in sight FOR YEARS. All my teammates do is run in the open, ping spam, then die. I got a dub earlier. But man, this isn't cool that the devs are M.I.A. (missing in action). They're on a Reddit more than the EA Forum. Make that make sense. SMH. 

The two core issues the devs are having is sticking to their "gaming philosophy" and understanding "gaming psychology". Basically, if Apex is a competitive game stick to that and make the competitive "environment" better. In regard to competitive integrity don't let the players, especially solo queuers, dictate how Ranked should be played. You either play with your team, go to zone, rotate, fight hard, etc. or go play another game mode. It's that simple.

You can play a role in my life but not the lead. - Lil Wayne

I think it all comes down to "sorry, just business":

• devs have probably no time to read forums, even just "decent" posts -> need to think about next loot pack to be sold so Pokemon collectors are happy to spend their $$$
• many things can't be said out loud because of the effect it will have on the game / company aka "fake it till you make it or die trying"
• streamers generate buzz and income = must be pleased
• pros are ones keeping up competitive scene = must be pleased
• people giving too much constructive feedback = silenced, we don't need haters (Apex Legends devs actually banned me from whole reddit just about stuff I posted in their thread, Reddit mod confirmed it to me :) )
• most people who give such feedback (like I) have not spend and will not spend 1$ on the game = can't be bothered to listen to freeriders

It is sad that we are in the state where everyone is so concerned about money, shareholders, share prices that fake news, marketing and "fake it till you make it" rules even freaking PC games :D

Anyways... done with my 3 levels, actually finished on some wtf lobby (me and my team had 20 KP, one of my teammates though might be hacking even while doing less than I did) so Apex is back to "done and dusted" shelf till better news about matchmaking and cheating comes around.

Valorant here I come :)

Valorant puts me to sleep. LOL. But it looks cool. 

I just finished a game, and it was something. My last game is an example of what's wrong with Ranked for ALL to see. 

I haven't mic'd up lately because it makes no sense to. Most games I win I'm not on the mic. Sometimes I'll use chat to communicate short phrases. Before each game I tell my teammates: FIGHT TOGETHER AND PLAY ZONE. It's short and simple. No toxicity at all. My teammate became disgruntled about my message, and the conversation went like this:

Me: FIGHT TOGETHER AND PLAY ZONE

Teammate: 10K kills n 2.5 who r u?

Me: A 41 year old gamer (just turned 41 on Sept. 30 :-))

Me: I'll just follow you young buck

Teammate: That's it don't tell me to camp in zone

Me: LOL

Me: Got it

At this point, I thought to myself, "this game is chalked". I'm going to the zone to save my points and wait for the next requeue. 

Teammate: Thats not how u progress

Me: Got it

About 2 minutes later both of my teammates are eliminated. At that point I mute my teammates, so things don't get toxic. I go craft banners and respawn them. After respawning them I try to head to Watchtower to setup, but I started getting shot at and my teammates were M.I.A. Game over!

Gameplay: This Is Apex Ranked

This is a complicated issue with a simple solution, SWT feature. Players don't want to go to zone most games. Personally, I get more elims when I just play the game and focus on winning. For some reason players have a mentality that elims is the primary way to rank up. I disagree, I think the best way to rank up is by playing smart and winning, which obviously involves getting eliminations but strategically. 

I'm older so it is what it is. This game doesn't have to cater to millennials, I get it. Right now, Apex most definitely feels like a Gen Z/Alpha game. Personally, I will always have poker as my go to anyways when I'm chilling. Apex actually reminds me of tournament poker. The fundamentals of poker is easy to learn. Playing poker may seem easy at first until you realize it's not just a card game; it's a psychological game. Apex Ranked shares some similarities in a sense. You take the fundamentals of the game, which includes the legends, weapons, maps, perks, etc., and you try to win every game by gaining a psychological advantage over your opponents. Basically, the psychological advantage boils down to "who gets where first" within the zone. If teams don't have the thought process to play off buildings (I call it building armor), play off the best positions in each zone (god spots), and understand that "high ground is king" then they will struggle to rank up to their "best potential". 

The reason a lot of solo queue teams get stomped on by stacked teams is because stacked teams use the fundamentals of the game and use tactics "faster" than solo queue teams. For example, good, stacked teams will loot quickly then use an evac tower to surprise attack an enemy team/POI. If that enemy team hears the audio cue of the enemy evac tower and doesn't respond quickly then more than likely it's game over, etc. There's A LOT of different scenarios in Apex and that's why I play. I'm not here to boast about my stats and question my teammate's identity just because they type: FIGHT TOGETHER AND PLAY ZONE. 

If nothing changes to enhance "competitive integrity" in Ranked, then so be it. This is the vision the devs have for the game, but it will hurt the competitive scene. 

Yeah Valorant is dynamically totally different game - more 2D so to say + very mechanically and teamwork coordination taxing.

At first it seems kinda boring, but when you get into it at least I get better emotions there (with all its problems) vs Apex which has become really unplayable for me, today was really sick feeling grinding the battle pass just not to leave "game money on EA's table".

As for generational thing - agree and disagree:

• I being older age gamer for sure just don't get most <20 yo, to me they all seem insecure, uneducated, drug or other substance addicted ever attention seeking "humans". As you said above no matter what can easily trigger them just like that
• Also adding to the above from the game perspective - I don't get how people after losing 100+ games playing same style can't just get it that it will not work for them as soon as they get out of under their ELO level lobbies...yet they are unable to change, accept fundamentals and rather not try that but die for the 200, 300, 500 time placing 10th-20th and brag about how bad others are, how much more damage they have, that they got a kill or few while you did not (despite everyone getting negative RP) <- in this sense I love Valorant's system = team loses = everyone loses even if you do 10x more frags than anyone else you still get negative progress
• at the same time I see a lot of 25, 30, 30+ people aka "evening/weekend gamers" who are not better...kinda grown up people yet they act like kids

My assumption is that Apex just attracts such audience. With rare exceptions like yesterday when I got matched by older gamer - also was P3 btw - in first game he used mic just a few times then switched to typing including during fights, that just tilted me because we of curse lost like 2 or 3 during the game, managed to respawn and lose again. I just told him straight up everything I had to say - rough feedback.
Next game we are matched again, this time I just trash talk him straight up for not using mic during whole game and being introverted. Dude just calls it fair feedback, says "I will use mic, you then please be less toxic" => we end up going like top5 with really good teamwork and only our mechanical / team cohesion skills let us down at the end. Point being - older people just can take a harsh feedback and move on, find solution most of the time, while kids just block off an start ranting or panicking. Weird because even at their age I was exactly as I am today.

As for ranking up - yeah, many just don't know facts e.g. 10+ teams EACH FREAKING GAME gets 3 or less KP, average KP in fair lobby is like 5-10 for the top teams yet every nub goes for 10+ in their minds etc.
Plus in Apex there are so many variables even in higher ranked lobbies:

• what is skill difference between worst and best squad
• how many hackers in the game
• how teams decided to rotate vs your assigned droppoint = will you have teams on each flank and can't take any fights or vice versa
• what is your loadout
• how many teams have scanned the map and know what is going on where, about to 3rd or not
• etc.

Today as well as I said I ended up with my top kills per split (at the end I guess it was like 9? + 5 or 6 assists + 5+ participations) and top 4. Got like 200+ RP I guess form that game. YET to do that:

1. me and my random teammates did stick together like max 50 m apart
2. each of us were good enough - ex 3x master badge owner did like 1100 damage, me and other dude did 2600 and 2500 accordingly
3. everyone was fighting with midrange guns, rarely pushing close range, only when we had advantage
4. had like 3 situations where 3rd party was perfectly late = they arrived as soon as we managed to finish off a team and armorswap / heal and arrived too hot = easy first kill(s) for us to open 2nd fight
5. we almost died like 3 times yet luckily recovered
6. 2 times enemy teams (2 or more) shooting us decided for some reason to start shooting eacother
7. we redeployed using Path ult or Evac towers like 4 times during the game and during fights to get out of very stick situation / gain amazing advantage flanks
8. I did not miss a beat with 301, I think I one-clipped like 5+ people (pretty much never happens)
9. we probably were top3 if not top1 squad in the lobby (I just got demoted from P1 to P2 and other two dudes were P2 as well)

In other words to get such games A LOT OF RANDOM STUFF need to align.

The fact that streamers do those 10+ 20+ and some time ago even 30+ KP games is outcome of them being always top3 team in the lobby thanks to matchmaking + hacks, take that away and you see same old story as 10-15 seasons back when Imperialhal rages during ranked games because 3stack TSM places <15th place 3 games in a row etc.

I like Valorant. I've watched some pro stuff too. Teamwork is a must in those type of games. Marvel Rivals keeps me awake. but I'm terrible. I play Apex because of familiarity. I haven't found another game where I can jump in and out like Apex. 

I don't game like I used too. I just enjoy the technology and how gaming has evolved. Gaming feels stagnant now though, it's weird. The excitement just isn't there, unless you're into Fortnite K-Pop. 

I usually don't text chat. I just be trying different things. I always prefer to mic up, but I get triggered easily. It's a personality flaw. I'm not with none of that crazy internet talk in a video game. AT ALL. PERIOD. Teammates be your worst enemies. 

I almost made it to Plat 2, but I'm done for now. Randoms just want you to kiss their behind. I've had enough. I'll be back next season. Hopefully this game continues to evolve. 

Time for some poker. :-)

Was not into the mood to play FPS today, decided to waste my time and remembered this dude [Edit, name and shame - CM]

This time dude:

a) gets kinda owned in lobbies where there are multiple preds (also hackers like him), running into them and instadying like multiple games in a row expecting others to be bots or something
b) somehow based on lobby ranks in the beginning of the games for him lobbies get less and less Pred/Masters with every bad game they have = matchmaking adjusting and lowering lobby ELO basically instantly vs us (regular mortals) experiencing exact opposite
c) then after "doing not so good" in 3 games in a row, they get into lobby where there are just them and 1 more Pred squad, rest Diamonds max (video ~40 min in) => dude starts target switching like Neo, continues to show exclusively great sound skills (indicating where enemies are) just to moments later run into dude that is full on W without even noticing him...
d) showing disgusting Pred ego mentality = dude calls the play that he will rat on incoming enemy player, 2 min later calls out another enemy "**bleep**ing ratting" when he gets totally surprised and dunked on...
e) dude at this Diamond lobby game goes stating that there are 4 squads!!! (just) left with 7 people -> seconds later they see one team respawn in Clinic while being in Gardens -> dude ego pushes one team, gets knocked, picked up and then is surprised that team from clinic is shooting them... like omg that is PLAT- level game awareness and dude is #13 PRED somehow...clearly at least he is not using wallhack (all the time at least) or he is even more mentally impaired than most bad game awareness players
f) try not to laugh at ~52 min mark - his friend #45 Pred in screenshot above totally panics, does not hear multiple calls that he can pick up this foryxan dude, being like 3 m from him he just turns around and runs away letting him bleed out :D :D :D lmao typing this still...totally Pred material
g) now laughing is over, they place 2nd in that Diamond lobby with 20+KP, next game they still get just 4 other Master/Pred containing teams?! like how? 20 **bleep** KP!!!! vs getting <10 and instantly easier lobbies...
h) next game they again mess up badly, get whipped clean by other Pred 3stack -> requeue -> 1 Masters team and only them as PRED... like how the f matchmaking be so f obviously tailored towards Preds / Masters?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??! Obvious, blunt and insanely unfair!