In Defense Of Skill-Based Matchmaking In Apex Legends

The majority of people complaining about SBMM seem to be in the top echelon of players. Their complaints are valid. But it’s important to look at this as a mathematical challenge. The reality is that without SBMM, even middle-of-the-road casual players have an extremely high chance of being consistently matched with top players against whom they don't stand a cha


How could it be anything other than Slay The Spire (I say, knowing full well I almost put Tetris 99 in this spot)? After initial frustration, Slay The Spire's various baddies are like old friends now - they're familiar, I've learned their rhythms. The cards and relics aren't mysteries to me anymore. Its delightful weirdness is old hat. And yet I find myself returning to it time and time again because it's just so clever, and it makes me feel clever - when I pay attention to it, when I'm not zoning out and just enjoying the jour


While there were so many outstanding game releases in 2019, what usually garners the most attention is consumer backlash against developers. In each of the following circumstances, a lack of communication or an overwhelming show of greed was often the reason for a fallout between the two sides, and hopefully there are lessons to be learned to make 2020 a better y


It's not unusual for Respawn and Electronic Arts to put subtle teasers into their trailers. A recent tweet from the official apex legends legends guide Legends Twitter account showed correspondence that alluded to the fact that Caustic was becoming soft. One hypothesis is that this sets up a Caustic Town Takeover on Worlds Edge this season, similar to past takeovers for Wraith, Octane and Mir


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


While I loved playing every game in my top five, I put Control at number one because of the way it grabbed my attention and held it in a way that the other four just couldn’t. It was creepy and bizarre in all the right, unique ways. I’d obviously never want to actually venture into the Oldest House for real, but Control made it a joy to explore with its unsettlingly intriguing twists and tu


SBMM needs to exist because if the top one percent of players spend more than 300 times as much time in the game than any player in the bottom 10 percent, then in a true random system, the low-tier players will consistently be matched in lobbies with these top one percent players who play the game 300 times as much as the no


Revenant's final ability is his powerful ultimate, Death Totem. This allows his squad a finite amount of "immortality" as it only allows for their health to be depleted and when it would be completely depleted they will be teleported to the location of the to


This ultimately solidifies Revenant as a powerful support/offense hybrid who excels at keeping his team alive and picking apart the foundation of a squad. Placing a Totem wisely will allow your teammates to never lose advantage during a fight and can be the difference between a frustrating team wipe or a tide-turning rally on a strong enemy squad. The totem can be used as a means to allow your team to loot areas in the damage dealing anti-play zone and it can be an excellent tool in order to up your squad's surplus of powerful it


To think about it another way, the average household income sinks significantly if you take out a handful of billionaires that skew the data set. Using made-up numbers again, assume that if you include them, an "average" income across a given country is $500,000 dollars. But the vast majority of people make much less than that. Take the billionaires out, and the average income starts to look more like $50,


These thematic Battle Pass skins are intriguing as they play into the Jekyll-and-Hyde aspect of the trailer. Skins sometimes connote a nod to the game's lore, such as the Wraith Voidwalker skin. While it may be a stretch, it's possible that the two-faced theme may end up with Lifeline, Wraith and Wattson usurped by darkn


The following is full of assumptions and made-up but easy-to-understand numbers. The goal is to illustrate the math driving the SMBB argument as there’s no accurate game data publicly available for these calculati


Revenant has access to one of the most powerful skills in the entire game. Silence is an extremely potent ability denying skill that can turn the tide of battle in one smart play. This makes the already deadly assassin one of the most powerful legends in the entire ros


Smaller Indie game developers meanwhile have a harder choice to make. For instance, the developer of DARQ turned down an exclusivity agreement with Epic Games because of his principles. He was aware of the free advertising his game had received in the years leading up to the release of the game on Steam, and he had reaffirmed his release on that platform days before being approached by Epic Games. To go back on his word so soon would make it difficult for consumers to trust him in the fut