In Defense Of Skill-Based Matchmaking In Apex Legends

Truly random matchmaking allows so-called "pub stompers" to cannibalize less-skilled players. And, as annoying as it is for top players to constantly have to square off against other sweaty players when they're just trying to have fun with friends, it's also demoralizing for lower-skilled players to have to face off against pros and keep getting beaten over and over ag


This is a tough problem, and unfortunately, I’m not paid enough to solve it. But I would recommend that the game consistently adjust and re-roll lobbies based on performance in the previous games played in their recent histories. So, if a strong player plays two or three games in a row alongside other players at their skill levels, they default to easier lobbies for a while regardless of their own skill levels. Us potatoes will be fine with this as long as there are occasionally some lobbies where it’s possible for us to win as well. Regardless of how it's implemented, if SBMM is in the game, it should still always feel as though a player is facing off against random lobbies in public ga


Based on my Xbox data, it appears the top one percent of players still put in almost double the time of even those in the 98th percentile. Theoretically, the 98th percentile has spent half as much time in the game and would therefore still not be quite as good as the top one perc


Tasked with a unique challenge, Respawn team set out to develop these heroes. At this point, it could have been enough to develop a generic backstory that brought everyone together or even to simply leave it undefined. After all, at the time, people weren’t looking for stories within the battle royale sett


Disco Elysium is a game where you can be a godawful human being or a superstar cop. I don't think I've had more fun this year with a game than I did stumbling around as my drunken detective, wearing a kimono and waxing poetic about liquor, karaoke, and the pointlessness of life. It's not for everyone, but if you love world-building and playing as self-loathing scumbags, then you should be playing Disco Elysium until you're face down on the fl


The idea of a robot impersonating an old-school cowboy sounds like the most ridiculous thing in the world. So, props should be given to Fallout: New Vegas for making such a ludicrous character one of the best parts of the overall experie


In pursuing the hop-up route, it might prove more successful than the Hammerpoints in bringing some life to the Mozambique and P2020. Players could conceivably be given the option to pick up a second Mozambique as a hop-up rather than a standalone wea


Fire Emblem had been spinning its wheels for a long time before the release of Three Houses . Who could have guessed that the latest Fire Emblem game would be one of the most absorbing games of the year, with an interesting overarching story and an incredible battle system that is engaging without being watered down or too difficult to grasp. It can be hard to finish a game once, but Fire Emblem: Three Houses can easily convince players to go through it three times to see the whole story. It’s just a shame that you can’t pet the dog


Destiny 2: Shadowkeep may not be the biggest expansion set in Destiny's history, but it has elevated Destiny 2 to a place players always hoped the game would get to. There is so much awesome content to pursue and such an interesting, meaningful grind. Two months later and my raid team is still getting together most nights to play crucible, run the Pit of Heresy dungeon, or raid. Even jaded vanilla Destiny 2 players have come back and found the game they always wanted. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is the most fun I've had in any game this y


Claptrap or CL4P-TP, was created by the Hyperion with a zealous personality. He frequently discusses his loneliness such as the time players attend his birthday party and no one else shows up. The little guy is a bit disappointed but manages to have a good time. It is so bizarre why no one would show up to his party even though pizza and music were pres


Horizon Zero Dawn is full of robots, but the largest and most menacing is known as the Thunderjaw. The Thunderjaw is practically a T-Rex on steroids. It has lasers, a razor-sharp tail, missile launchers, and stands significantly taller than Aloy . It is hard to believe that this creature can be killed, but the feeling, once it is dead, is pure adrenal


Respawn has done an excellent job of listening to player feedback, and while I don’t know that the changes to SBMM will be instant, I have no doubt that the team there is listening to feedback. Algorithms are extremely tough to master, especially when it comes to a software product that’s still relatively new, like Loba Apex Legends Legends . If I’ve had Instagram for seven years and still can’t get it to stop showing me pictures of my friends’ babies, then suffice it to say players may have to be patient while Respawn masters its SBMM mathemat