Two players on a golf course, one is Tiger Woods, the other is a 9 year who plays Crazy Golf at Butlins.
Both could have the same club and ball, the handicap system is there to average things out the game they are both playing is the same.
With SBMM, each player is playing a different game, the crazy golf player has a golf club, Tiger Woods has a Carrot, just because he is the better player.
True, this was a thing back then but was only tied to single player games and its level of difficulty.
In sports games allowed the ai to block, steal more. Your player would lose the ball or throw a pass to the other team, etc all based on difficulty.
In racing your car could slow down. Ai cars get faster, etc.
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But these patents by Activision tell a completely different, aberrant, nebulous yet insidious story. Be it called SBMM or EOMM.
Anyone remember playing BO4/MW and receiving a pop-up screen asking, "
Did you have fun in the last match?". People do wonder why it is happening.
Same thing but a bit more straight forward that was was never fully explained through normal channels why people were getting that popup screen. LOL
To fine-tune the matchmaking process, the system may include an analytics and feedback engine that analyzes player and match data to determine whether a given match was good. A match may be deemed "good" when a player is determined to have enjoyed gameplay associated with the match based on one or more quality factors that are used as a proxy for player satisfaction. The quality factors may include, for example, a duration of a gameplay session (e.g., via analysis of player historical data), player expressed psychological state (e.g., frustration level, after-match rating), premature exit from game (i.e. "rage quitting"), and/or other information.
From the patent.
In mw and cw you are put into a position were you are matched enough times to win and lose a match to keep you playing. As long as you start up the game and play again regardless of your gaming experience they consider you as satisfied. Enough to expect you to buy something.
All this in a attempt to keep you addictive to the game. It is something called Variable Ratio Reinforcement Schedule. In other words if you always win you get bored and stop playing. Same if you lose all the time. But if they create a pattern of you winning then create a higher probability of losing (sweating) subsequent matches you will be addicted to continue playing until you get that win streak again.
This is why people are saying its all rigged. And why you, who has a 1.0 k/d, well compete against cheaters and other high k/d players. When you original thought you were "protected. Unfortunately that is a lie. You are not protected.
The algorithm is against you and will put you in the probability to lose until you rage quite (out of the game). When you come back the algorithm says, "Ok, you weren't happy so I'll make it easier on you". And subsequent matches will show the "probability" of you winning or getting a better k/d. It doesn't mean that is what will happen.
The key here is the "probability". The algorithm will place you in a match with a favorable probability to win when you:
- Buy from the store
- When it's "your turn". The algorithm will assume you are getting bored if you don't start winning.
- Use a particular skin they want you to advert to someone else
- Lost to many matches and rage quite
- Etc.
And a unfavorable probability when you:
- Win to many matches and higher k/d
- When you are targeted for Ad Placement: Are you getting killed by the same person with same weapon/skin using the same tracer?
- When it's "Your Turn". The algorithm will assume you are getting bored if you don't start losing.
- Etc.
From the moment you search for a match you are tailored to play the way activision's algorithm wants you to play.
- Be it you play against bots with 2 or 3 real player on the other team.
- Be it your opponents have a k/d up to and greater then 2x your own
- Be it you are put on a team of bots to be Canon fodder.
- Be it your hitrego, aim and movement is restricted.
- Be it that you are lag comped
- Be it you can no longer hear footsteps or the direction of those footsteps...at all.
- Be it you are lag compensated even though the game isn't P2P and you are not host.
- Be it you start to kill an opponent who has killed you 3-4 times in a row or vise versa an opponent you've killed 3-4 times in a row they become a bullet sponge or your health is reduced.
- Etc
All of this in real time while you are in the match. You're team can be dominated then become dominated on. Are all tactics from their algorithm. Which will circumvent you into their probability statistics of you been addicted to the game. So that you are considered a higher probability of buying into their online store, Battlepass, etc.
That is the theory. Which is why SBMM Warzone app is important. Even though it can be and will be abuse. If you see that you are in a lobby with 5.0 players you can instantly back out and find something else more of your speed.
To fine-tune the matchmaking process, the system may include an analytics and feedback engine that analyzes player and match data to determine whether a given match was good. A match may be deemed "good" when a player is determined to have enjoyed gameplay associated with the match based on one or more quality factors that are used as a proxy for player satisfaction. The quality factors may include, for example, a duration of a gameplay session (e.g., via analysis of player historical data), player expressed psychological state (e.g., frustration level, after-match rating), premature exit from game (i.e. "rage quitting"), and/or other information.
From the patent. And this is only the tip of the iceburg. The algorithm is called the analytics and feedback engine. That is what activision calls it.
