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Skill-based matchmaking has been a feature in many online multiplayer games, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is no exception. Skill-based matchmaking, or SBMM, is a system used to place players in matches of similar skill levels to balance the teams fairly. This is intended to ensure that there isn't a single top player among average players to dominate the match or a single lower-level player among the elite unable to participate and enjoy the game.
Using a skill-matching system is not without its complaints or faults. Players at all levels feel the approach is only sometimes practical. Higher-level players may think that the upper tiers force them to play using a particular style, leaving them unable to explore all aspects of the game. Mid-tier players might say that their matches fluctuate too much, going from a fun match where their team dominates to one where they get demolished. Low-tier players can fall into a loop of feeling like they're not matched with similar players, or that they always get a lousy team and are pitted against more advanced groups.
High-Tier Players Determine Modern Warfare II Meta
While SBMM receives its fair share of criticism, this doesn't mean that it's ineffective. One point of criticism is that higher-tiered players are pushed toward meta playstyles. However, this is not as much a failure of SBMM as it is what is required of high-tiered players to stay in the upper tiers. The meta is designed by top players as a method of determining the best possible playstyle. Because the top players create this, it's used by them. This will naturally cause players in the upper levels to be pushed into using meta styles, or else they'll lose their high kill-to-death ratio in-game.
Because upper players are pitted against each other in SBMM, they don't have the matchmaking system to blame for the lobbies. The alternative is that high-level players are matched with lower-skilled members and dominate matches. While this would allow them not to play the meta, it would make the game nigh-unplayable for lower-skilled teams, pushing them away from the game and not providing areas where they could improve their gameplay. The only way for high-tier players to forgo playing the meta is to sacrifice their stats or change the meta within the top lobbies, not dismantle SBMM and force other members to suffer.
Average Players Can Vary Greatly in Modern Warfare II
Another complaint about SBMM comes from average players, who claim that the game swings wildly from one extreme to the next. Part of this is that the criteria for what makes an average player can vary greatly depending on the metrics used by the game for SBMM. For instance, if Modern Warfare II decides to use metrics of playtime, kill-death ratio, and rate of kills, various combinations of these could lead to players landing on average. A new player may have had some good rounds, leading to them landing in an upper-mid tier when they belong more to the center. This is the work of SBMM still finding a spot for the player.
For example, if a player has no time in the game but has been doing well in objective and kill-death ratio, they could be placed in a higher lobby based on these two stats alone. On the flip side, there could be a player who has a lot of time in the game and does well on objective but gets killed often. While this player may feel like they're in matches where they always die, they also play the objectives in Domination or pick up tags in Kill Confirmed. Both of these players could be considered average players in different ways. They can benefit a team considerably, leading to wins, but they may be placed in over-skilled lobbies based on a third metric when they are excellent at the other two.
Some extremes that average players may experience can also come from stronger memories of landslide matches over long, drawn-out battles. A landslide victory over an opponent can be an exhilarating experience, especially after a close fight or a recent loss. The same goes for a miserable match where a player can't find any footing and gets repeatedly sniped out of spawn. But this is part of being an average player within SBMM. There will be good matches and bad matches, just like in any tier of play.
New Players Have Mixed Experiences in Multiplayer
Newer and low-tier players can have similar complaints as average players -- that they get placed in lobbies with players who are significantly more skilled. This can happen in SBMM due to insufficient data and odd team compositions. For new players, inadequate or skewed data can majorly affect where they're placed. If a new player starts strong, it could easily lead to matches with experienced players of similar objective or kill stats. Lower-tier players could also go against an entire team stack where one player on the opposing team is at a higher level, multiple players are average to low, and one is low, which drags the whole team average down and leads to an odd match-up. They could also be only remembering the games where they were dominated.
None of these issues are entirely blamable on SBMM. Insufficient data leaves SBMM still learning where to rank a player. The low data leads to skewed numbers that could easily misplace a team member who has only played five matches and happened to dominate in every game until they met a more advanced player. The algorithms that determine SBMM rely on various good and bad matches to gain a complete view of a player and properly rank them for games.
Either intentionally or unintentionally, players can also influence match queues to place themselves in higher or lower tiers. The team composition of players who purposely queued together needs to be placed in a tier that aligns with the players' average. If the average ranks them too high, the majority of the team will be overpowered by enemy teams. But if they're placed too low, it can lead to one or two players on their squad dominating the opposition. This doesn't mean that SBMM should be tossed out for team stacks, as it could lead to a complete dismantling of game queues, which are always one-sided. SBMM is made for balance, and unfortunately, that is difficult when a team has substantially varied stats, especially if high-tier players with low-tier teammates are purposefully manipulating them.
Skill-Based Matchmaking Creates a Balanced Experience for All Players
The hate for SBMM, especially in lower tiers, could be due to a simple mind trick where players believe their team is always the lousy team or that the opposition is overpowered. This is because people tend to remember the bad more than the good. A player will better reflect on the time they were miserable in a game instead of when they wiped the other team. However, this isn't a reflection of SBMM, for if players were always on winning teams, they would be at the very top and face no competition.
Modern Warfare II's SBMM exists to create balanced matches. While the experience will vary wildly depending on where someone falls, teams are not meant to either dominate or lose every time. If players face competition and experience both wins and losses, the system works as intended, even if it may not be what players want. Most players enjoy games where they wipe the other team entirely, but if this were always the norm, there would be no reason to continue playing as it would become boring.