The Secretive Streamer Lobbies Of Black Ops 6 (0.5KD)

[@TheTacticalBrit]

happy to have had the opportunity to work with the guys over at thetechieteam.co.uk for getting my PC tuned and helping me collect the content for this video! #gifted

[@blakeeggleston2716]

It's worth having the conversation, without sbmm in place, the lobby would never be players with 0.1-0.5kd, it would be on a wide variety and alot fairer, it's a system in place for no reason, that needs parameters to fix problems it itself creates. Part of the game was getting destroyed playing the better players and trying to recreate what you'd seen them do to you in the killcams 😔 maybe leave sbmm in place for ranked, and casual playlists prioritise connection 🙏

[@TheTechieTeam]

Was an absolute pleasure working with you bud!

[@johnhoward5450]

@TheTacticalBrit I'm curious what would happen if this test were to be performed with a "low stat" player joining a "high stat" player. How much does the "algorithm" control? With the 2 boxing method, it seems like the overall connection is better, almost like the "algorithm" completely ignores whatever the stats may be of the joining account. Good players are gonna be good no matter what, but sometimes it feels like the game decides a lot of the outcomes and manipulates the connection to make said outcome a reality.

[@fry__236]

The quickest way to bring about actual change is making the method public knowledge.

[@omegacon4]

ALL you content creators ruined multiplayer gaming. Simply because you get get real jobs in the real world. To hell with you all.

[@sweetbabyrayso5262]

i think we have to remember that these kind of lobbies is NOT what happens or what happened when sbmm was largely nonexistent in the older cods. These lobbies arent average players. They are the bottom of the bottom, super bad at the game. The great players, the good players, the bad players, and the inbetween players. The majority is the inbetween and both the bad and great players are anomalies on the spectrum. To anyone reading this, recognize that 2 boxing lobbies like this is NOT indicative of what would occur without sbmm.

[@obsequey96]

exactly. nothing beats organic lobbies and this is what the new generation of cod players never experienced. People believe that those who don't like sbmm just want bot lobbies .

[@BaldDemon]

This will be overlooked as it always is during this discussion. 2boxing doesnt turn off SBBM, it manipulates it.

[@yoxyox6434]

So true. I think people just want to have random lobbies. Even players who consider themselves to be very good, who in some lobbies will get smashed and some lobbies will smash. Then the majority of lobbies will be a mixed bag where they have an average game. Don't want to play bots every game, but don't want to play against 6 sweats either. Just want random.

[@Thiccness_Is_Delicious]

Nah there are legit bot lobbies like I ended up in one the entire team agreed to not kill the enemy team after realizing how bad they were and we could not only run around them but they'd miss shots at less then 10ft which is impossible unless you don't have thumbs.

[@awake9749]

You don't remember Christmas noobs You could get lobbies like this not often but it would happen

[@2SSlowLy]

As someone who has played cod for the last 16 years, I prefer the old organic lobbies that were mixed skillset as opposed to sbmm.

[@HashBandit]

Remember you would load up Modern Warfare 2 (2009) - Within 1 minute of the game loading up you were searching for a game. After 10 seconds you found a lobby full of people who are local to your connection. You make friends with people who live in the same areas as you who you're still friends with to this day. Whenever a game would finish - you stayed in the same lobby with the same people that you just had an enjoyable match with. Bulletproof system yet it's been exchanged for this horrible algorithmic BS system to "engage" you to play as long as possible. Manipulation of the consumer is what is occurring. But I'll never forget 2009.

[@deejeh9494]

It's funny because the algorithm pushes away the fans and seems to be trying to tempt new players.

[@varunaX]

@@HashBandit haha i remember exactly that. I'd mash the A button on the multiplayer menu and get into a tdm game so fast. It was great

[@FREVQUEBEATS]

servers were reactivated not too long ago, it’s definitely still worth playing

[@xreve_]

@@deejeh9494 you hit the nail on the head, and it’s honestly pretty straightforward. Activision's patents ensure “protected” lobbies-for example, for disabled players and absolute beginners. These groups are meant to be off-limits for anyone who would exploit them, which is why “two-boxing” (smurfing) and trashing these players is especially low. Beyond that, they have separate brackets, mostly filled with regular casuals. Then there are just a few reserved for the more skilled, sweatier players. Now, think about it: how many sweats are there compared to casual players? Very few. The sheer number of casuals would make for the kind of authentic lobbies we all loved back in the day. But now, those casual players are shielded from players like me. Sure, I know I’m skilled-but not exactly a “sweat.” I can casually get nukes in MW2; I just don’t need to strain to make it happen. But because my stats are solid, I’m permanently assigned to these sweaty brackets, with zero chance of escape. Activision’s goal is clear: create a safe space for the “casuals of the casuals.” They don’t want these players feeling outmatched or under-skilled-heaven forbid someone feel less skilled in 2024, because that’s just “discriminatory.” Why should someone who’s invested years in the series and developed skills have any edge over a newcomer, right? Skilled casuals like me end up lumped with the sweats, where we’re stuck for good. It’s all about catering to the masses and making sure the majority of casual players have fun, while the skilled players? We’re in gaming purgatory. So the irony here is not to git gud, its about being so average, you are not getting punished and can then "enjoy" the game.

[@xreve_]

Activision's system works like this: Win, lose, win, lose-rinse and repeat. They think this artificial back-and-forth keeps players hooked. But for those of us who started in COD’s golden era with MW2, did we really care about winning or losing every match? Not really. Winning was nice, sure, but the real thrill was in the grind, getting better every single day. We put in hours to improve our map routes, sharpen our accuracy, and hit our goals. After a long session, we logged off satisfied, maybe tired, but always with a sense of achievement. In those days, lobbies were random mixes of players near you with similar latency, not some concocted skill-based setup. Some were better, some were worse-it was all part of the fun. Sometimes you'd have a stellar 60-20 match, sometimes you’d go negative, and it didn't matter. The drive was always to improve. The time we invested meant something. Over months and years, you’d “master” certain guns, maps, spawns, and grind new camos. Now, all that effort and skill? Pointless, thanks to systems that handicap you on purpose. I’m fine with playing against others at my skill level-it’s the rigged latency and real-time manipulation in BO6 that’s maddening. You’re not just playing a game; you’re playing against the system itself. It’s EOMM, SBMM’s bigger, badder sibling-not matching based solely on skill stats, but constantly adjusting to “engage” you by throwing obstacles in your way mid-session. The result? The most frustrating experience imaginable. The irony of SBMM and EOMM in Call of Duty is that, while designed to enhance “fairness” and “engagement,” they often ruin the fun for veteran players. Instead of rewarding skill, the system punishes experienced players by trapping them in sweaty, exhausting lobbies, making the game feel more like a chore than a challenge. COD, once about improvement through organic competition, now insulates casuals, preventing growth while frustrating skilled players who just want a casual experience. And the biggest twist? New players now taunt veterans with “skill issue” claims, without ever having faced the true competitive grind.

[@wheatyasf9093]

The problem with SBMM that you don’t bring up is that it nearly completely eliminates the purpose of the videogame as a whole. The thing that makes video games so charming to so many people is the ability to improve. Many people like myself enjoy getting on the game on day one and getting slammed, then being able to progress and improve to be the one who is slamming people. That’s what gives video games charm, the progression. The reality with SBMM is that it completely eliminates the idea of improving, every lobby is going to feel the same. This is why I believe they actually hurt their player retention in the long term, it gets stale always feeling like you’re average.

[@alessandromorelli5866]

that's not necessarily true though easy case is league of legends, you slam people at bronze and as a result you go up to silver and so on until you stop slamming them. Every LoL match feels like a struggle and not because of it you stop playing, do you? you will always struggle with the match, the goal is that you are shown you are at a better rank now, there are other ways to show skill level

[@H8Magnet]

Keeping a positive k/d is so sweaty. I have a 1.4 and it feels like work.

[@blackjack19811]

Right there with you. I think my K/D is 1.28 and every match feels like the COD World Championships. I’m already burnt out on the game and probably done with it.

[@foxxrider250r]

I am 1.4 too.

[@rickjames3249]

😂😂😂 feel like everyone is a 12.0 KD

[@rlsu3663]

Same. 1.4 here. Reality is we are all actually around one since assists count as kills. Just not a fun experience anymore. Most people are going about even which is how the game is designed.

[@william9922]

Try 2.0

[@thatguywhodropshots3277]

I grew up on cod 4 there wasn't sbmm back then all you done was play till you got good you i cant count how many time i went extremely negative but after you play for a while you get better thats how it works

[@Farat9622]

I'm just tired of sweating my balls off against people in my skill bracket. Mixed lobbies are the best. You can learn against better players while still being able to actually do something.

[@Night_City_Vibes]

@@Farat9622 you don’t want to play people as good as you. You want to take advantage of people are just learning. What a feminine state of being bro

[@DaVizzle_Bro]

Exactly, I want to come home and have a couple of nice games with a good KD ratio to brag about after working a 10-hour shift but then it's just like I have one good game and then for the rest of the night every game after that is me getting 0.5 KD ratios on all my matches. The latest game that I can think of where I actually had a really fun experience because of no skill-based matchmaking was X Defiant from Ubisoft. I had so much fun with that game because I didn't have to worry about logging in and constantly getting one shotted from an AR across the map

[@ImmortalMachine]

​@@DaVizzle_Bro well go and play that then. 🤷

[@DaVizzle_Bro]

@ImmortalMachine well at this point I'm just enjoying myself with cod zombies and we'll wait and see how Warzone plays out when it gets released but other than that I'll probably just make Delta Force my main go to when they finally release that game

[@sullentamp9140]

100%

[@rorymclaughlin1609]

SBMM shouldn’t be in casual Lobbies. My friend last night went 1-31 and kept dying repeatedly in my lobbies and couldn’t have fun. SBMM is the worst thing about CoD right now

[@RobL350]

He couldn't have fun? Well he was matched up with players around the same KD/skill level as him so maybe he just wasn't on that night. 1-31 with players around your skill level isn't expected, maybe he was sick or something during the match.

[@rorymclaughlin1609]

@ Nah it was Babylon or that map. They were pissed and haven’t played since. I honestly felt horrible about it tbh 1-31 is crazy

[@RobL350]

@@rorymclaughlin1609 Everybody is on the same map, it's not like playing on Babylon gives your friend a unique disadvantage. But oh well, it's a video game. Raging in video games shouldn't be what adults strive for. There's a big world out there.

[@CrownxMe7]

Y’all have no idea what you’re talking about. You would have been paired with people on his skill level since he’s so bad at the game. It’s not going off your skill level, it’s evening the playing field. SBMM can be a little strict, but overall it’s been in COD since day 1. It’s not new, the only thing new is people’s egos and believing they should be going 35-2 every match.

[@rorymclaughlin1609]

@ Nah not even.. we played like 7/8 games.. the lobbies where pretty difficult. Especially for my friend. Which suck ass for them. I was doing decent. Not great. Sometimes a struggle. But don’t sit and think I’m out here thinking I’m Optic Scump and should be destroying kids. Just saying my friend had many horrible games. But 1-31 is crazy

[@triggamanful]

If SBMM wasn't so strict then this exploit wouldnt be so common

[@NHGXCII]

Exactly, this is where the point is being missed.

[@CrazyPanda688]

This. Nobody would even be doing this if it was actually fair

[@superjke718]

This. I’ve only been 2boxing the last few days because of the insanely sweaty sbmm that currently exists.

[@rando6854]

​@@superjke718 You are in sweaty lobbies because you are sweaty.

[@spelunky5765]

@@rando6854 yeah no shit sometimes u can pop off. sometimes u are shit at the game. we arent fucking robots little jonny. doesnt mean we need to be thrown into sweats after sweats after one or two good games. what happens when i want to casually play? you dont get a say because of sbmm. use ur head will you

[@SlCKNESS_]

One thing that's REALLY IMPORTANT and I wish people paid attention to when talking about SBMM and K/D is the fact that recent form (K/D in the last 10 games or so) is SIGNIFICANTLY more important to SBMM than your overall "career" K/D. And by significantly more important I mean I'm pretty sure your overall K/D isn't even part of the SBMM calculations.

[@UGAfan12132]

The biggest misconception is that only the top 1% are affected and that just isn’t the case I’m barely average and get wrecked by sbmm just as much I don’t understand how anyone can defend it

[@CrazyPanda688]

Anyone who defends it must be legit trash at the game because my KD is a pathetic 1.2 yet every match is like the cod world championships Ofc exceptionally sweaty players would defend it because they get matched against the noobs for some reason despite them being clearly above most people’s pay grade in this game You see it all the time. Most players doing mid, and one or two guys on each team absolutely popping off, spamming non stop CUAV’s and UAV’s. Those are not the hallmarks of an average player, but those who manipulate SBMM because they’d get clapped if they played against their own KD

[@nicholasgangwer4895]

It’s not just the top 1.%…i struggled with sbmm all throughout mw2 and mw3. I used the harder lobbies aa motivation improve. If you are above average sbmm will kick your ass

[@reckless_iguana6143]

Honestly, I disagree.It’s been five years since MW19 and despite player complaints, Activision’s sales keep breaking records every year. This success means they have little incentive to change, and when they do communicate about matchmaking, it feels dismissive or vague. It’s like we’re being gaslighted into thinking this is normal, but in reality, the experience for a lot of us has just gotten worse.Bottom line is,the casual player base is still much bigger,and we are being gaslighted and sacrificed.

[@UGAfan12132]

@@CrazyPanda688 same I’m about a 1.2 as well

[@BlueLightningSky]

​@@CrazyPanda688yeah if you have a pathetic 1.2 KD you would feel like every game is the grand finals because you will never know what being in the grand finals feels. Perspective is a thing that you don't have to say something like that.

[@DrkInf]

Im placed into lobbies where 1 of 2 things happen: 1- My whole team quits 2- The enemy team quits I played about 10-15 matches yesterday and i would say 80% of those matches were outcomes not predetermined by the dopamine drip feeding EOMM and more so by people simply leaving the match.

[@Contendforthefaith1]

It’s been like that for me the past few days more than normal. Also, seems like my connection has been super laggy which is uncommon as well

[@Historicallygamified]

SBMM has no business in casual playlists.

[@sweet_psycho_]

@@Historicallygamified I second this. As someone who has a 1.20 ish kdr (I'm not grate at the game) I'm just doing camps. One game I got a positive game the Next I'm getting my ass handed to me that I'm getting board

[@bpw8214]

they do it for business reasons hense more money $$$....i do it because its the way it should be...and its more fun....because its the way its always been in previous og cods....sbmm is for people that have no business playing a fps shooter game....like what are u doing....get better like the rest of us...or just sit this one out....in hindsight they created something to create more money for themselves...by screwing over the fans...

[@RayRayNickens]

I understand that 31 to make sure people can play but I was under the understanding if you want to become good at something you have to practice now for kids fell down we're not going to tell them all we're going to tell our kids to get up and do it again when I first start playing call of duty I used to get tore out the frame I was lucky if I got 10 kills and be 20 something in the negative and I still kept playing and that's why I got better

[@BadPandaWoodworks]

@@sweet_psycho_ My KD is about yours. I had a great game one time... Hit like 4.5KD.... Next game..... Got spawn trapped and ended up with a .2kd.... It was horrific. The other team all hit 5+kd.

[@sweet_psycho_]

@RayRayNickens honestly I feel that, I think when I started my kdr was 0.60 maybe less. I both hate and love the challenge...I love it when I'm not working because it makes me get better but when I just want to play a chilled game after work I don't want to have a constant sweat fest

[@cholo_478]

i’ve played older cods like og mw2 and compared to the sbmm in todays cod it’s not bad ppl just don’t wonna get better , bo6 is prolly the best cod to me in a long time. any old players trying to get into it again, feels like it’ll be a breath of fresh air. New movement is fun imo

[@notperry717]

Headshots sure would be easier in this instead of the lobbies I play in against people trying out for Optic.

[@CrazyPanda688]

Fr fr

[@chrisestep1948]

Me too

[@mrjoeboe1]

You know that, the dream lol

[@varunaX]

@@notperry717 same here

[@ArnisGoldberg]

fr i feel like i'm in CDL top 250 everytime i jump on nuketown 24/7

[@tonycuciniello6373]

Thank you for bringing this to light. I just recently got an argument with a content creator just promoting a paid service to do exactly this. It’s just crap ruining the game for everybody. Don’t understand how it can be enjoyable to go in and just destroy a whole lobby that’s not fun for me.

[@Bloodline2009]

There should be a protected bracket for newer players and no sbmm for everyone else. If we had a server list in game, most of us would play in our own countries to get the best ping. Or if we fancied, a server close by. I met many Day of Defeat and Battlefield friends this way. Sadly, Activision will never do it.

[@THX-1138]

The protected lobbies create a fake experience and prevent the average player skill rising

[@cryptodipso]

We need a full time job lobby where you can only play in if you have less then 5 hours gameplay a week 😂

[@ray_collins]

XDefiant did exactly that. A protected playlist with SBMM, that disappears as soon as you hit level 26, at which point there's no more SBMM. It works great.

[@WellyWonkaDonka]

oh so you know like how games used to do it...

[@TheTacticalBrit]

I agree

[@Sunnyside845]

Feels like skill based teammates. Me and my buddy are constantly dropping a ton of kills while my teammates are going 0-20. 🤦‍♂️

[@sillyweebanimeisforkids3413]

We need dedicated people to tank and stay in these lobbies who only play for real when a streamer joins and just spends the whole game ruining their clips.

[@Ogchampayne]

This would be beautiful. A white knight group protecting new and lower skill players from the cancer that is clip and content farming

[@DarkLordLinkOfficial]

You’ve just inspired me.

[@focus_sr3416]

not gonna lie this could be good content for the one doing it

[@spiedi7272]

the problem with this is that they would just say "see guys? I get sweats as well!" and move on. The problem are the clips and general k/d that they use to advertise while hiding that these were made exploiting sbmm

[@Stormthorn67]

That would be a very funny niche for someone to do as their own channel.

[@joelheidrich8779]

Good for you speaking about and being honest about how they exploit the system. Watching Shotzzy running at between 2-4 highlights how much a lot the streamers are exploiting things. Guys like mark of a hero is ridiculous claiming a nuke with every gun, 20+ kd and every camo completed. It’s really sad beating up on people who don’t know how to aim but also making money off streaming and videos.

[@TheRealNagster]

I don’t mind SBMM, but it shouldn’t come at a cost to connection and stability. Bullets registering on an opponent should be the same every match.

[@djmerc100]

Yea I wouldn't care to fight sweats as often if my guns worked like they did in the previous matches

[@merrickx]

Okay but SBMM is merely an aspect of EOMM

[@StevenP726]

@@merrickxit’s so funny how that’s a term because, in my experience older cods were way more engaging and I was willing to spend hours playing a single lobby with the same people

[@MillVillage]

@@djmerc100 Sweaty lobbies with bad connections are infuriating. It doesn't help the ping display is completely fake.

[@pedrogamma]

I play with a 60ms latency all the time :(

[@dancovich]

Funny how people talk about removing sbmm and getting back random lobbies but nobody tries to manipulate the matchmaking system to get into lobbies way above their skill level. They say they want randomness back but truth is that want "randomness" to mean "mostly lobbies below my skill level"

[@callumyt69]

No I’d like mixed between good and bad, a couple sweats per game is better then ALL sweats cos it’s factually more fun

[@Pfish98]

I run a 1.3 K/D so I’m not crazy at CoD. The issue with SBMM even at this rating it makes using off-meta weapons pretty hard to do and camo grinding. The issue is that I’m essentially playing the same match over and over and I don’t want that. Even more so if I’m just trying to mess around. Mainly I just want varianty. Keep in mind the SBMM/EOMM is super manipulative too, you’re ignoring that. Part of the issue with strong SBMM is that it in turn makes it easier to manipulate. Plus SBMM also takes into account how much you move, how you move, Score Per Minute, accuracy. Basically every statistic on your account possible.

[@TheHollowBlade]

You have a 1.3kdr because of the sbmm.. the game tries its hardest to keep your kdr as close to 1 as possible. Idk how good or bad you actually are. But theres a chance if sbmm were to be removed you could possibly a 1.5-2.0kdr. You are forced to sweat within your skill bracket forever, if you put in work to improve your skill bracket just increases and your back to likely having a 1.0kdr even tho you have actually improved. Its a frustrating system that punishes you for becoming better, but also makes you feel like improving is a pointless effort. It makes you feel like you dont improve.

[@Pfish98]

@ which you’re right and that’s a big problem, I never play ranked but I get with people with Top 250 and Diamond rank emblems and player cards in the past 2 games. So that’s what I gotta go based on. My issue is it feels like the same problem over and over

[@Nil2none]

That's the point. Your supposed to be gamingvwith other gamers at your level....

[@Pfish98]

@@Nil2none yes, and I feel like I’m playing the same match over and over. If I wanted that, I’d play ranked, I want variety It’s also EOMM so it’s manipulated more than that to determine when you should win or lose a match

[@Kemkachi]

@@Pfish98 I don’t even understand why they have this system if they have ranked. Leave pubs random.

[@SnivyTries]

I legitimately hate SBMM. It leads to wildly swinging match quality, where after three games of doing really well, I then end up facing entire lobbies of dark matter speedsliders who drill my face before I even register they exist...and then after three games of that, suddenly I'm in the .5 kd lobby again. Also this video explains so much...now I know how these people with the highest tier camo keep getting matched into my lobby.

[@johncapewell7520]

Sbmm should be in ranked playlists only. They need to get rid of it in casual playlists. Then we have the option to play with or without sbmm. It should literally be that simple.

[@blahblahgdp]

I swear we have been saying this for years, but they just dont wanna listen..

[@bannedmann4469]

@@blahblahgdpSilly Brit wants to stay on Activisions good side. He’s pathetic.

[@johncapewell7520]

@blahblahgdp yeah, I doubt it will ever change. I've already uninstalled it. If everyone else who hates sbmm as much as me did the same we might not have this issue anymore. I stopped playing cod a few weeks into MWII and didn't even bother with MWIII. I only tried bo6 on gamepass. I wish I never bothered. I was right to give up on it a couple of years ago.

[@StevenP726]

@@johncapewell7520 people would hate it, I have the opinion that anything can change and that result of the change will always be undesirable from the cod community’s pov

[@johncapewell7520]

@@StevenP726 only the people who are protected by sbmm would hate it. But they could just practice to get better without getting punished for it.

[@frothdoff4546]

Wait you mean Theseknivesonly getting a Nuke and holding a 2+KD isn’t legit!!! Well I never! 😂 So glad you’re exposing these frauds it’s crazy how many people are just gullible enough to believe some of these gameplays! Great work Sir I subbed!

[@kungfukenny1540]

@@frothdoff4546 🤣

[@isaiahrichards9319]

Dude I saw that the other day and was thinking I was out of my mind. Some of my highest streaks have been knife only in previous cods but this guy almost dropping 2 nukes, during a live commentary, just seems crazy.

[@frothdoff4546]

@ I mean he has a 2 kd right? So he should be playing against people with 1.5 - 2.5 kd roughly? My kd is 1.2 and I there’s a huge difference between the players I face and the players he faces (who all seem to have either run out of ammo or had a controller disconnect) I wouldn’t even mind if he/they were honest and just said like yeah u know it’s just easier to make content this way. But u read the comments and people are thinking it’s just a legit lobby and he’s that good! There are way better tomahawk users out there than this guy!

[@Boo-QuiQui]

@frothdoff4546 he has been in the game before sbmm was even a thing... I don't think he's exploiting to that extent. What I think is the likely solution is he plays horrendous a couple games then pops off 1-2 games and the cycle repeats. That usually results in a 2 kd.

[@frothdoff4546]

@@Boo-QuiQui sbmm has ALWAYS been a thing. It’s just been more extreme and noticeable in the latest cods. 2 boxing isn’t a new thing it’s been going on for years! Now don’t get me wrong he’s obviously very good with knives and throwing knives but if you got him in a free for all with the legit 10 best tomahawk/throwing knife players he would come last! I sound like I hate him but I assure u I don’t and I do enjoy his content but that’s just it, that’s what he’s good at, content/voiceovers! I’d just like him to be honest with his fans about he gets those gameplays!

[@TheosIsTrash]

We really just need PBMM with SBTB (ping-based matchmaking with skill-based team balancing) and I don’t understand why Activision doesn’t see the benefit in that

[@edgemclean]

My biggest problems with COD's matchmaking are: its not optional, and it's too manipulative. Genuinely it makes zero sense why there cant be an option to play with or without SBMM. I know they addressed that in their white papers, but their agrument was just that they felt bad players wouldnt enjoy that playlist, which is a no brainer, they can stay in their protected lobbies then. The reason why I feel that is manipulation is because the only rational reason I can see, is that they want to try and fool bad players into thinking they are way better at the game. If they had a playlist with SBMM off, and a bad player joined in and got destroyed, that bad player would now know just how much COD holds their hand.

[@KAY0DE]

I love how ranked is just sbmm but for some reason cod needs 2 ranked modes.

[@aliensKR]

My current problem is I play with my friends who are not good so much that my stats have inflated past what they should be, and now my solo experience is awful.

[@erk489]

90 percent of the rebirth sweats been doing this for years

[@TheTacticalBrit]

Yes, but not as efficiently as the method I noted

[@xreve_]

As a long-time Call of Duty player since COD4 with a solid K/D history (2.8 in COD4, 3.6 in MW2, 3.4 in MW3, 3.2 in BO1, and 3.4 in BO2), I haven’t bought a COD game since Ghosts, which I felt was a letdown. Recently, I tried BO6 through Xbox Game Pass (I’d never pay €80 for it) and noticed my K/D dropped to 1.4. Despite maintaining my skill over the years, BO6 leaves me stressed. I miss the casual, authentic lobbies with balanced players and similar latency. I don’t want to play against algorithms that constantly adapt to my playstyle, create “optimized” lobbies, or attempt to keep me engaged at all costs. I just want a fun, mixed lobby experience, not the repetitive, artificial matchmaking that SBMM has introduced.

[@TheMagicJ07]

@@xreve_ blud really kept track

[@xreve_]

@@TheMagicJ07 it was what made me play the game, the motivation to keep improving. And one way was my KD.

[@TheMagicJ07]

@@xreve_ I respect that

[@dsfgklfdgdh]

My opinion on current state of SBMM is that if you are average or above, your experience will inherently be worse compared to older call of duties. There is no variance in the games. Want to use something else than the meta? Well, get ready to get stomped 5 matches in a row until matchmaking decides to put you in a lesser skilled lobby. Fun right? There is nothing to work towards. Usually games with SBMM contain ranks, something to works toward. Yes, games might get harder but atleast you ranked up right? In CoD however its hidden, therefore you NEVER feel like you improve because the matchmaking immediately punishes you for doing good without nothing to show for it. The fact that the CoD experience is essentially falsly advertised through youtubers and streamers makes it even worse. Atleast before you could trust the gameplay and therefore know that if you played enough you might end having yourself a good game yourself. SBMM just makes it even easier for youtubers and streamers to manipulate the matchmaking and get gameplay videoes, not to mention by having SBMM so strict the skill gap between new and veteran players becomes even wider than it used to be. I fully support having a protected bracket for new and bad players, but I think the game is trying to harshly, and at the detriment of connection also, to matchmake evenly skilled players in a game that has always been casual, creating a dull experience. I understand why its in place, but if the game is a worse experience for me personally because of it then that just means the game is not for me anymore. This is not even mentioning that if you play with a group of friends, the lower skilled ones in the group has a much worse experience. I've literally lost the ability to play with friends because of it.

[@Manakuski]

Bullshit. I have 1.38E/D while camogrinding, i play on mouse and keyboard and i have a W/L ratio of about 1. I have no troubles in my lobbies while camogrinding with whatever gun i use. This is just purely a skill issue. Yes, sometimes teams are extremely poorly balanced where i get all the timmy-no-thumbs, but even then i can do just fine. I only agree with the connection issue being really annoying. I legit never connect to the closest server in stockholm, unless i play hardcore. Otherwise from finland i mainly connect to frankfurt, paris, london, dublin and so on. Especially london and dublin give me the shittiest experience at 44ms/49ms latency. Legit feels worse than a 105ms USA east coast lobby. This is of course due to the UK having awful internet ;)

[@dsfgklfdgdh]

@@Manakuski Not sure what you are referring to as bullshit or a skill issue.

[@dillon_r_hansen]

⁠@@Manakuskiman finding anything sub 50ms ping in the states really isn’t a thing either how sad.

[@Manakuski]

@dillon_r_hansen all my NA friends play at 10-35ms latency only. Most of them are in the east coast. You might need to get better internet for yourself, open the ports and stop using wifi, connect your device with an ethernet cable.

[@Manakuski]

@dsfgklfdgdh not being able to use other than meta guns is bullshit. Bo6 guns are quite well balanced with their own strengths and weaknesses.

[@xjamiec]

We never had protection in the early days of CoD, just had to want to improve because the game was fun to play. Those very bad players will never improve by playing equally bad players, CoD has became an algorithm and its playing you.

[@BornSupreme28]

If Activision’s motives were noble, then I would agree. However the system only exists to manipulate every skill level in the game into playing longer. Sweats and ultra casuals experience is the same. So you’re a little critical of people manipulating the manipulation?

[@YORKSHIREMAN86]

Exactly, the games manipulating the lobbies to make you play more, but it’s unethical to manipulate the matchmaking to bypass their manipulation. To much manipulation if you ask me, just let people play whoever 😂

[@George-li1yv]

I dont get it though how you guys are being manipulated to play more? I get sweat lobbies 2 games in a row I'm exhausted and coming off. Doesn't make me play more at all makes me play far less

[@ChevyRedneckGFX]

@@BornSupreme28 you forgot the part to getting people to spend more money in the shop

[@BornSupreme28]

@ Indeed I did sir

[@BornSupreme28]

@@George-li1yv We’re not, it’s the ones who aren’t “in the know” that are being manipulated. They assume their experience is organic…we know better

[@Lukes-PC-Flips]

I've seen a few of your videos, but this one made me subscribe. I love the data and critical thinking you bring to the conversation

[@TheJynx2011]

Has 3.0-4.0 k/d games 5 times in a row sweating my ass off. I then had 4 games in a row of 100ms+ latency with wallhackers/aimbotters. I've been shadow banned by the algorithm for playing too well. I can't play by myself because of this, I can't play with friends because they don't enjoy themselves in my lobbies. Thank you, Activision, for ruining what was once my favorite shooter.

[@basedanon420]

@@TheJynx2011 you got spam reported for playing too well (on pc). Consoles are immune to shadowbans tho.

[@TheJynx2011]

@basedanon420 on PC. It's awful man...

[@thehammann6670]

That's my biggest problem with sbmm, my friends don't play cod with me anymore because i'm a sweat and it gets lonely

[@megacluckcluck2302]

I really like these more structured vids when you do them, Lachy. Keep up the great work and I’ll catch you in the streams!

[@TheTacticalBrit]

Thank you

[@alecfrancis2084]

I’m a casual player who tbh isn’t very good at COD. But I have game pass and currently have a broken foot. So I’m playing quite a lot of COD. The last cod I played online was MW2 on the 360. I think SBMM in theory is correct, but it’s just not there yet. Even at my painfully (probably) below average skill level if I have one “good” game and then I know the next hour is gonna be unenjoyable. I just wanna play and have fun not sweat till I wanna quit playing

[@253MC]

I feel like something you miss is that not all people who "came home from a long days work" are average or poor players. I myself don't play every day, I'm self employed and sometimes work very long hours. However, I happen to be a pretty decent gamer with a 2-3KD ratio. Every single match I play feels like I'm in the CDL finals. I am not even prestiged, I only have 1 gold camo gun. I get put into lobbies FULL of other 2+KD players who are 7-9th prestige and I have to play like my life depends on it. I am a casual player who just so happens to be good at the game, and I get PUNISHED for it. I dont think anyone wants to be in bot lobbies 24/7, but there HAS to be a better solution where talented players are rewarded and not punished, and the bottom 10% of players are protected. There must be some middle ground. It's unfair.

[@samuelault4723]

K/d has become meaningless with sbmm though. Instead we should be using accuracy stats to define “skill”

[@BLEEDINGSKELOS]

@@samuelault4723 i think w/l ratio would be a better indicator.

[@samuelault4723]

@ I’d have to strongly disagree as a solo player. I come across way to many 2-3 stacks that organize themselves far better than the randoms on my teams.

[@Dr1ftop1a]

Especially that its Elim/D now lol. Be it a kill or assist, you get 100 for ,,elim". We actually dont know our K/D anymore.. 😅

[@dillon_r_hansen]

@@Dr1ftop1agood point, no more assist stat.

[@DarkLordLinkOfficial]

The game knows when you get a real kill and an assist for challenges I don’t know why they can’t just let us see it

[@Waynside]

Even if sbmm remains, it needs to be toned down. Doing this I believe will cut down on the problems of manipulation, give casuals an opportunity to play with better players a little more often and improve while not mushing them into the dirt, and make the top percent a little more happier over all.

[@_Bradley]

It’s not even an “if it remains”, it will always be in cod now, they’ve made that clear. You either deal with it or you manipulate it by “two boxing” or using a VPN/GeoFence

[@Los714]

That was ME in the first clip!!

[@Xcalibadude717]

One of the biggest issues with SBMM is the fact that it prevents people from being able to get better at the game. Back in older CoDs you could see a below average player grow in skill as they play and learn not just the game, but strategies from people that have bested them in lobbies from time to time. It's how I got to having a 2KD in games like MW3 and BO3. Nowadays by having SBMM people are stagnant, and can't improve because they're not in an environment that pushes the drive or desire to improve and get better. This is why such a high majority of people sit in lower brackets. I think SBMM needs to exist for the extremities but the brackets between need to be much wider to allow for more variance

[@kucikiro3343]

I've never heard of a content creator asking for the removal of SBMM so that they can encounter players you're showing. All I've heard and which I agree with, is to remove the SBMM from the "non-protected layer". There is a layer at the far bottom which is meant to only matchmake between these 'ultra bad' players, not the ones above it. I don't mean this as a negative thing, those players could have handicaps, be very young or very old. The layer that we want to matchmaking to be random with, is the general playerbase. Sometimes you get a lot of good players on both teams, sometimes you get many bad ones. I don't feel like sweating every. single. game. having to pull out META guns/attachments to stay somewhat reasonable in the game. I don't mind these games occurring every now and then, but when it is every game, it drains the fun out of it. I don't disagree with having a strict SBMM (or engagement optimized matchmaking, EOMM) for the players in your video. I don't think your video is bad, it's a good subject to discuss and it's presented well, I've never watched your channel before, a thumbs up from me.

[@JLRCUK]

it’s difficult to justify sbmm when back in the day the way we got better at the game was being hammered by the better players, there was never any complaints about matchmaking

[@overpoweredcasual2599]

I love how when I play with my girlfriend which she is not up to my skill level I'm now considered a cheater. Keep in mind I'm not even a super crazy good player either, I have like a 1.4 kd and she has like a 0.7 but the community now considers this as 2 boxing even tho I'm just trying to chill with my gf

[@chrisconel8384]

@@overpoweredcasual2599 They arent talking about you lol, they'de talking about people who make content... and purposely 2 box to make the content.

[@overpoweredcasual2599]

@chrisconel8384 I know that but because of the people who abuse the system I get reported when I do play with my girlfriend. And like I said my stats are nothing to brag about

[@TruckerBaz10]

​@@overpoweredcasual2599so if that's the case instead of stomping all over them and abusing the fact your gf isn't as skilled, relax enjoy the game with your gf and play for fun instead. Maybe set yourself some challenges like pistol headshots or something.

[@overpoweredcasual2599]

@TruckerBaz10 that's the thing I don't try but I'm not gonna just sit back and not play the game that's dumb

[@malikhallsmith]

Honestly the only difference between normal match making and sbmm is that people manipulate the system to get “better” games

[@Achiez-z]

My biggest problem with SBMM is that I cannot play with my friends anymore, because they refuse to play with me due to my high KD. When a couple of my friends play with each other and without me, they can perform well or relatively well, but when they play with me, they get slaughtered. It has come to the point where they straight up told me that they were not going to play with me. How the fuck is this acceptable?

[@heroinmonsterj]

@@Achiez-z EXACTLY. I'm tired of sticking out lobbies with my friends going 20-50. It's like ik I'll be having more fun if I'm in a lobby by myself.

[@ArcAngelttv]

@@Achiez-z same has happened to me. I’ve played less because I don’t have anyone to have fun and play with because they don’t want to be with me until ranked. Just sucks…

[@Glubbdubdrib]

Imagine how casual gaming would be if we didnt have streamers and youtubers.

[@bay0r]

cod streamers are the worst of any kind. hyping up for no reason, fast content, dumb content and doing everything possible to stay relevant and drop killing streaks for content. this was the case for mw3 and all mw titles and its getting worse. thanks for exposing this

[@xCriZzZ]

And then they say that game is great and we should buy it 💀😆 If there wouldn't be SBMM, most of these streamers would not exist

[@skuzzyj]

The smurf is real. I remember once demonstrating to a friend of mine how strong modern SBMM is - he didn't really play (this was MW19) but he popped up online so I joined his lobby just before it filled up. I then went around 130/25 or so in core, just using pistols. He asked something to the effect of "damn, do you ever go outside?" and I had to explain that we're just not in the same skill bracket and I basically never would have been in that lobby naturally. The effect of us being partied up regularly would just be a bad time for him since he'd probably end up getting pulled into significantly tougher lobbies than he would see normally. Maybe he'd "git gud" but more likely he'd just stop playing the game entirely. There's a reason these systems exist but it should never be this easy to manipulate.

[@jcuttyfoe]

SBMM rewards bad players for being bad and punishes good players for being good. So bad players will never ever learn how to get good since they will always be in a bot lobby. But also, SBMM doesn’t save bad players, it actually hurts them and holds them back

[@Stormthorn67]

It does neither of those things. How do you imagine it does those? It puts like players with like. A .5KD player isn't being rewarded. He's just being put with players on his same sweat level.

[@jcuttyfoe]

@ if someone is bad, and gets put with other bad players, then it’s a win for them. You can’t get any worse than the worst. But if someone that is average has 1 good game, then they get put with players that aren’t, on average, their same skill level. They get put with players that on average do better than this average player in question. Not that hard to understand.

[@punkradio5384]

It will get to point where new players will leave and the 2boxers will be fighting each other

[@mryellow6918]

Like the good old days

[@InevrAsked4This]

the worst thing about being in the highest bracket is that you are forced to try your ass off for nearly every game you play, which just isnt a viable option if you play every day, that kind of mental focus will drain you

[@Puffking42069]

The thing is sbmm and engagement optimisation ai stuff doesnt only negatively affect the 1% of players cuz just like you said if your 1 kd in a 1 kd Lobby it feels Like hell and thats basically the whole Game expierience, an average ratio of 0.86 of dopamine to 1 frustration and every match is the same. You basically dont get rewarded for your progression since you wont get good Matches and cant even get streaks because the ai will take you down, seriously. Just look at gameplay of anyone really and youll see that regularly occuring „odd“ moments lead to deaths especially after feeds or on streak and then through the rest of the game everyones kd miraculously balances out

[@Destinylover14]

the thing is that sbmm actively punishes players for doing better, if you have a good match its likely the match after you'll get absolutely stomped. skill progression is no longer linear, the better you play the harder matches would be.

[@Mario-d1s7q]

I work 10 hours a day and can spare few hours to play call of duty at night but I’ve got so sick of how sweaty my lobbies are that I decided to create a new acc to just see how the lower bracket of SBMM lobbies look like and I was astonished and furious at the same time.. because in normal SBMM lobbies I have to deal with kids constantly sliding under my gun, jumping and drop shooting with god tier aiming that don’t miss single shot. But in these lobbies no one is slide canceling no one is abusing Omni movement just casual players enjoying the game with little to lethal/tacticals spamming .. i just got so mad at how activision manipulates the match making putting you in constant sweatfest lobbies if you are a bit above average player.. now I dont want to play in these lower bracket lobbies because it’s boring but I also don’t want to play in constant sweat fest lobbies. I just want random matches with bad and good players.. there has to be a middle ground. SBMM should be in game to protect players with disabilities etc but it shouldn’t be the way it is now day.. it is just extremely strict and frustrating to play in..

[@Triggerhappy825]

Stop reverse boosting

[@tyler_keeble]

I'm a casual player and a big advocate for SBMM. I like to use XDefiant as an example on why SBMM can hurt a game. I know for an undisputed fact that everyone I personally knew who played the game dropped it BECAUSE of the lack of SBMM. Lobbies were frequently unbalanced favoring one heavily over the other which made the game simply not fun for us casuals. Since BO6 dropped, most of these same friends have switched over to COD and are having MUCH more fun. Even those friends who have hardly ever played an FPS game in their life are getting paired with players of similar skill resulting in a more balanced and fun experience for them (literally their own words, not mine). I will say, while I advocate for SBMM, I know it's not perfect. Match making in a squad with players of various skill levels often leaves those of lower skill left to suffer, but I don't think removing SBMM would fix this at all. Using fighting games as an example is other reason I advocate for SBMM. Even in unranked matches, you simply don't see Diamond ranked Street Fighter players getting paired with Iron ranked players. Why should COD ranked FAZE clan players with "just got home from work, 9-5 dads?" Most people who advocate for no SBMM are high level players who have little empathy for lower skilled players. They are simply a stepping stone for getting clips and "just trying to chill." Now let me ask, if you're "just trying to chill", does that not suggest you are doing very well with little effort, which in turn suggests the players you are going against are worse than you, which in turn suggests that those players are in fact not having a good time? TL:DR - you wouldn't pit the 1990s Chicago Bulls against Rinky Dink High School Basketball team against each other. For those who say this is a poor example, even if you split the Chicago Bulls and Rinky Dink teams in half, and balance the two teams dispersing players equally, the Rinky Dink players are going to get curb stomped and the Chicago Bulls players are still going to sweat between each other (this would happen quite frequently in XDefiant). Let Rinky Dink High School play against Dinky Rink High School and let the NBA players play against, surprise, other NBA players.

[@Anon-m9c]

I could give a shit if the SBMM was reasonable, but it’s cranked to fuckin 11, that’s my problem,

[@Dr1ftop1a]

Simple as that, well put.

[@Nthusiast58]

The fact that these people ruin an entire lobbies fun just so they can have a good time shows just how narcissistic our society has become.....

[@JustArry]

1:32 "unethical" there is nothing more unethical than modern Call Of Duty SBMM/EOMM Nothing a player can do will ever come close to how manipulative the SBMM is. Activision are the only ones doing anything unethical here and this video proves it

[@melvinluyindi7658]

@@JustArry say it louder for the negative kd players

[@ItsCiRO6]

Anyone who defends EOMM and SBMM in pubs needs a serious brain evaluation.

[@GT_177]

Nothing more unethical 😂😂

[@zantoxiv6373]

Bruv hahahaha my man is speaking facts crazyyyyyyy activision shithole…..

[@PentagonThief1]

My problem is that my friends don’t actually want to play with me because of my lobbies. I consider myself a casual, I work a 8-5 and can only play in the evenings a couple times a week. On top of my friends not wanting to play with me, I can’t kick my feet up and try to relax or even have fun because every game is a sweat fest against people who play like their life depends on it.

[@MrKool951]

As a below average player who always felt like SBMM was non-existent or not nearly as strict as everyone makes it out to be and needs to be stricter, I now wonder if my lobbies are constantly getting crashed by some asshole.

[@Chemical_Symphony]

So glad I stumbled upon your channel. Its hard to find anything worth following nowadays and content has been focused into the popular areas. I'm really appreciative of what you got going on here and the way you communicate the information. Instant sub after 5 minutes into the first video amd now I'm going down the list tonight.

[@mille_eintausend]

From the community that brought you the term 'soundwhoring' (a.k.a. using a headset and listening to ingame sounds to locate enemies) we now have creators exploiting the matchmaking system for 'content farming'. Call Of Duty has a 'creator problem'. The issue: Creators are hating on SBMM (again, like every year) and their followers are willingly joining them in the hate, not understanding that it's them that the SBMM is for. *edit: Thank you for this video. :)

[@stoplosinglilboy1461]

@@mille_eintausend ppl will prolly just complain about how sweats ruined cod if they got rid of sbmm

[@TheSceletonx]

funny thing is that the "hate" went so deep, that even below average evening couch gamers are hating it now, because they think they play vs "pros" because of how sweaty (aka balanced to their skill level) the games are for them without realizing how bottom of the skill level they actually are when compared to the whole community. But if suddenly SBMM didnt exists, a lot of those people would just get farmed and quit, because they would actually get good sweaty players in their games.

[@youtubehandle-u2l]

@@TheSceletonx i played consistenty during bo1,bo2,bo3. i was around 8-15, had less free time than I did now. I can recall playing enjoyable multiplayer games. I know im good at the game, mechanics, positioning wise, but the sbmm formula is “Play good, sweat a little bit. Next game Im matched with people who are sweating their asses off, next game is still sweating their asses off.” It’s genuinely a problem, but its simply a “i grew up with sbbmm so i dont know anything other than what ive had” vs someone whos had both. I only play zombies now, which sucks but knowing that the game is tailored with sbmm just ruins any feeling of playing multiplayer. My mind goes “If I play well, ill end up paying the price for it in 20 minutes and I dont want to be angry at a game or get into the habit of backing out.”

[@TheSceletonx]

@@youtubehandle-u2l but you are completly overlooking the fact that everyone (well not everyone, but majority of people) were shit at the game back that. What was standard average lobby back then, is not considered absolutly worst of the worst bot lobby. As it happens with every game that is 20+y old, the playerbase grow with it and there is less and less newer players and complete noobs. And what would be considered top of the ladder skill 10 years ago, is now pretty common. We are in the age that even couch dads are meta gaming (or at least semi metagaming) because of how spread out the information about the cod is atm, and how much experience average player have over the years. You can see it even with Warzone, back in early 2020, warzone was full of new players, either completly new players, new players to genre, or new players to cod. Thats why many people have such a good memories of verdansks times. RIght now it is very rare to meet such peopel. Even in very low skill lobby you will have several squads meta gaming etc.

[@Thinkagainbro]

Video starts @ 4:30

[@CryoCare]

So sad. They almost all do it. Like playing against bots and flexing it.

[@TheSceletonx]

I have seen so many people two boxing, on stream, without even hiding in. Just to get into low skill lobby, just to trash talk they opponents after, how bad they are. Like... not shit sherlock, you literally manipulated the system to get those people into your game. at least fucking have some decency and dont be toxic moron.

[@craigratio]

I played a guy last night on Nuketown. He was lagging all over the place jolting back and forth yet when you died he was moving absolutely fine. You’d just have to shoot around him in the hope of landing a few shots wherever he actually was. I genuinely think his deaths were all to random grenades. Guy finished 76-4 in domination. Reported. Not sure what he what he was doing but it was definitely unfair.

[@Mettifrags]

So you think you are top 0.1% with your manipulated 3-4 kd but a "CDL PRO fighting for his life at a 1.2kd isnt?" lolololololol its YOU that doesnt understand how SBMM works.

[@Dr1ftop1a]

Tell us how is it then? I wont take ,,no" for an answer.

[@TheTacticalBrit]

That's the structure for warzone. When SBMM is efficient, 3-5KD players will be sitting at 2, max, if that.

[@Mettifrags]

@@TheTacticalBrit Yeh so you don't get how it works. I'll give you and the other comment the basic run down. SBMM has almost nothing to do with KD. Simple way to show this, a bunch of 0.5 KD people cant play against a bunch of 0.5 KD's because thats impossible to maintain that number across the board. Some people NEED to be higher. What is clearly the main metrics is actual skill, as in accuracy, the amount someone is moving, sliding, diving ect. KD means nothing because what you will find is no matter the bracket, the average KD's are exactly the same, but their KD work for THAT bracket, but ofc if the "0.5kd" guy was playing against everyone "sbmm off" he would actually be a 0.5kd or lower, but these guys you say have 0.5kd without any proof, likely have the 1 - 1.5 like everyone else that isn't manipulating the MM. Although I agree with the SBMM, needs to be in the game to some extent, but the state it is in now is just insanity. I have been playing since COD 1, Im on M&K, and have aimbotty aim but im sitting at around 1.4 kd and the lobbies im in are mind blowing, like I cant even slightly relax.

[@Mettifrags]

@@TheTacticalBrit Just to add incase I didnt explain the KD part right its because KD only matters if there is no SBMM, that way you will really see what your real KD is, but with SBMM, KD isn't a metric that matters in any way. Thats why when you have some bad games, nothing changes, you are still playing against the same people. It knows you are better than how you are performing because of the things I listed.

[@youtubehandle-u2l]

⁠@@Mettifragssame. it sucks having to explain where youre coming from too. Bottom line, sbbmm just makes the average player go through a “get dominated. play decently. have a close game thats intensely sweaty. get dominated” ontop of having to constantly alternate lobbies and players every game. Ive played since bo2, and i remember being dogshit and then getting into my groove near the end of the games life cycle. The very idea of SBBMM is just a dark cloud that hangs over every multiplayer match that i just stay in zombies now to avoid the frustration. Imagine playing the game ans thinking “damn, im gonna get destroyed next game.” or “is it even worth trying to win since if we lose, ill get an easier game.” its just bullshit

[@Devil0rdante]

One thing that I hear absolutely nobody talk about is how back in the day when there was no SBMM, the topic of "I can't join a match without a prestige 10 player stomping the match" was still a thing. You just had all the time in the world to be the one stomping back then. (or at the very least decent enough to be in the middle). I also agree that most people are perfectly fine with how things are and the whole conversation is inflated. I play with quite a varied group of friends of different skill levels and we always have a ton of fun playing together because we aren't focused on winning the game or even getting more kills than the other. In MW2 (the new one, not OG) we'd use the gunsmith to make "let's try to make the worst gun" challenges, or some other equally stupid but fun in-game. Again. I'm most probably biased in this conversation because I already have fun with the game and have friends that also do, but I don't care about what happens to SBMM.

[@Matt-n3v]

Players played as a team back in the day , new kids today just rush and don't do team work. And cry that they died and call everyone a camper

[@BroManGuy7]

The issue is not that i have to play good players. The issue is that i have to sacrifice connection to connect to a lobby half way across the country. And trust me, I FEEL IT when it happens. My ping goes from 5ms to 25 - 30ms and it makes a huge difference

[@alfameqeagle]

Hahaha 30? Try 150 here

[@BroManGuy7]

@@alfameqeagle lol sorry for your loss

[@antsa85]

40-55😂

[@BroManGuy7]

Yall gotta get fiber

[@antsa85]

@@BroManGuy7 allready have one. 1000/100 fibre and wired connection. Still my ping is high. Other fps games my ping is like 5-15

[@EliaMarc]

Finally somebody is talking about this negatively. The worst thing about this, is that it isn't even condemned by a large part of the community. This is called smurfing in every other game and people hate smurfs. Its unfair and basically like cheating. They don't see the point of sbmm and think this is valid and a good thing to do. "They also got smacked back in the day so its okay to do it to others." Its the same logic as parents abusing their children because they got abused too when they were a child. Some people always try to gain through exploiting the system but the thing is, if somebody is having a great round, the opposite is also true. And those lobbies are often for people with disabilities, that can't physically play better because they are maybe missing a few fingers. Treyarch absolutely needs to fix this ASAP. It absolutely destroys the game for me to know, that people are gaining XP by destroying the fun part for all the 'bad' players. Treyarch tried to give every skill level a great time but the community thinks its ok to destroy their play experience. I am speaking of the people hating on sbmm without even a second thought, that they are the most toxic community I have ever witnessed. Its heartbreaking. Can't even really call it a community if the thing this 'community' likes to do is actively destroy the fun for lesser skilled players. It is like Magnus Carlsen going to a kids chess tournament and having fun absolutely smashing those children in chess, while destroying the fun in the game of chess for those children. It's horrible. And if somebody is defending sbmm like me, you get comments like "skill issue", even though technically they are complaining about getting lobbies were people are too good. they have the skill issue. I know there are flaws with the system, but solution can not be ban sbmm outright if the majority of the Players are benefitting through it

[@flashpoint5292]

I do not trust Activision's SBMM white paper. They have every incentive to lie and they did quite a lot in that paper. SBMM did not exist since MW1, we had solely team balancing which only looked at K/D. We know for a fact connection gets worse the higher up you are on the bracket. We know for a fact that turning SBMM off would only aid in the game being better for the vast majority of players. However we know from Xdefiant that without SBMM, newer cod players won't want to play the game because they think they're way better than they actually are

[@xCriZzZ]

SBMM existed in OG CoDs BUT here is a thing that they didnt said. SBMM was only to protect really bad players like kids with disabilities, that can't even shoot.

[@explorationofgames]

Good video mate i would add one thing though. SBMM gives you false representation of your skill, players don't even know if they're good or bad because every lobby they play is against the players of their skill level. We've seen this with Xdefiant were there is no SBMM and suddenly majority of those players that were against SBMM turned out to be the ones SBMM is protecting

[@ConradWeasel98]

Bro, yes these bad players might be getting home from work or school and just want play and enjoy their 0.5 KDs. But so did we 10-15 years ago playing Blops1 and then working to get better at the game. Why should these people have it so easy and now higher skilled players are punished by being forced against other high skilled players - this is what ranked play is for. We also have work and jobs, and want to unwind, not sweat. I agree that if these are bottom of the barrel players, they should be protected, perhaps they have disabilities or genuinely just don't play video games much. But there is no point forcing 2+ K/D players against one another and trying to hide it with Elim/D ratios rather than K/D. And I'm sorry but this gameplay is just reminiscent of Blops 1 - MW3 - Blops2 pubstomping days, being able to play solo, chase red dots and go for big streaks/nukes/MOABs, I miss it.

[@shifterdude]

@@ConradWeasel98 found the guy who manipulates lobbies ^

[@ConradWeasel98]

@shifterdude I choose to play through SBMM, I just don't agree with it. Get better at the game!

[@shifterdude]

@@ConradWeasel98 What's your KD? I'm sitting at 1.45 and every game is so damn sweaty. Feels like I'm playing against CDL players

[@ConradWeasel98]

@@shifterdude 2, then I got shadow banned because people spam reported me :) Game is rubbish.

[@shifterdude]

@@ConradWeasel98 lmfao

[@Aloofasf]

I can't have fun knowing winning isn't up to me. I will always uninstall once the game starts deciding my outcome

[@JohnnyHeracles]

Its funny because people who complain about being in nothing but sweaty lobbies are only there because they sweat. They just want to be number 1 without the effort.

[@acev3521]

@@JohnnyHeracles you clearly have no idea how sbmm works please stop talking

[@JohnnyHeracles]

@acev3521 all I know is im having fun as long as no one is cheating. I like playing people around my skill level.

[@aaronthelegend]

I think u need a better definition of casual. I consider myself a casual player of games. I have a full time job and play games for fun. But since my KD is 1.2 the game punishes me because I’m good. How about not being woke and stop protecting bad people. “Everyone gets a trophy”. If ur not good then get better. Pubs are not ranked. This is a 17 and up game if u are above that age u should be able to learn and get better. I am almost to the point of 2 boxing. Have not done it yet. But I am almost there. Protecting people that are bad is for weak minded people.

[@Eternal_Motion1]

SBMM is the reason I had to stop playing The Finals. I absolutely loved the beta when it felt like the teams were all over the place. Come about a month into release, casual lobbies became so sweaty that I would get exhausted playing, and I died so often to people who were just running circles around me that I had to give it up. I'm not opposed to SBMM in ranked modes, but XDefiant really has shown me that random lobbies can be really refreshing and it's not like you're just the only good person, the whole point is that the variety of the matches sky rockets. I get the argument for bad players needing something to help them not get steamrolled constantly, but there HAS to be a compromise that isn't just "play with other people like you, forever"

[@jonathgn]

So people just want to farm bad players that's why they hate sbmm

[@aj7765]

Or it's because SBMM punishes you for improving at the game.. The game is trying its hardest to keep you at a 1 KD and a 50% W/L..

[@Triggerhappy825]

@@aj7765No people just want to farm bad players

[@360PATCH]

@@Triggerhappy825 No people just want organic lobbies like they used to get back in 2007 where every game wasn't a fight for your life and you weren't getting systematically punished just for playing slightly above average or in the opposite case put in complete bot lobbies just because you lost a few games or tried out a class you weren't proficient with.

[@aj7765]

​@@Triggerhappy825 Back in the day, we were all bad players. But we eventually got better and we were rewarded for it. Now if you get better, you just go up the mmr ladder. You never feel that same sense of progression..

[@jonathgn]

@360PATCH I agree I prefer organic lobbies I hate the mind games the game plays. I like the fact sbmm keeps me fight good player but I hate it for giving me easy or harder games when I lose or win respectively.

[@apollodivine]

I don’t think SBMM is needed solely because back then you’d have lobbies with trash players, average, and high skilled players all in one lobby on both teams It evened itself out

[@jordanfoster2955]

There is the massive downside of that this will make a lot of casual players leave which inturn affects cod as a whole

[@MellowSocialist]

Very interesting video. As someone who’s played COD for over a decade and recently been more casual. I HATE SBMM. I’m a good player, but when I get on once a week to play, I don’t want to always play sweaty pub matches. I’m good enough to be put in competitive lobbies but not interested enough to sweat for hours and typically don’t play in a party. They need to either expand the middle zone of SBMM or they should break it into a ranked vs pub. I get not having the very top players always in with the very bottom players, but it does ruin the experience for a lot of people. It really feels like I play 3 good games and all of a sudden I’m against a full party of sweats fighting for my life. The new SBMM recently is worse than ranked play in like BO2.

[@Poncap]

Bring back the mixed bag of players. Love when theres one really good player on the other team for a challenge but you’re guaranteed kills on the lower players. I remember being that 0.3 Kd player looking up to the 2 Kd players wanting to be up there. The new COD players won’t ever get to experience this kind of worship.

[@xSimpii]

SBMM was introduced during BO2 (more than a decade ago) therefore I'm used to it. Sometimes in past cods I will intentionally just jump off the map 60 times a game to get better lobbies. For those who are bitching, it's been in every cod since BO2....

[@CheesyCasserole]

As a 1.7 KD player with 80/90% of my games being 6 very good players I promise i would rather take my chances with a randomized lobby

[@nogi2167]

SBMM has always existed in competitive games, especially shooters. It’s only become an “issue” now because content creators benefit when it’s turned off. The obsession with winning and high kds and skill gaps has optimized the fun out of games. The lack of SBMM is one of the major reasons for the horrendous new player churn in XDefiant. Not having SBMM can let you absolutely seal-club, but what most people don’t understand is, statistically, you’re the seal, not the clubber.

[@imthatguy7394]

I do like how people abusing 2boxxing are getting shadow banned and they have to play with actual cheaters for a week or more. That's a nice touch

[@MrZachary5757]

It’s wild man. So I have a group of friends who don’t really play call of duty (they haven’t touched any of COD since Verdansk went away) anymore but since they have game pass, they gave it a shot. They knew that I play a lot. I have a 1.8 KD and they wanted to play with me so I joined in their lobbies. Everyone was below level 10 and I wiped the floor. It was just insane. I dropped 122 kills Like I felt bad. Then they want to play search and destroy I hate the mode, but I played and I got a chopper gunner like I understand. Skill base matchmaking now, but it’s still rough when I’m playing in my own hobbies.

[@HippieMagic]

I noticed this a while back when certain content creators could run circles around people and kill them like nothing with 100ms or higher latency meanwhile I have 15-25ms ping and people are lasering me across the map with submachine guns, sliding and jumping with ridiculously high sensitivity, and are acting like they are in ranked.

[@Jus_Joj]

I always call myself so trash at cod, but seeing this kind of lobby makes me think im actually not nearly as bad as i thought i was. As tempting as it may be to look into this strat to max out my camo grind quickly, I dont want to ruin someone's day to do it. I'm at the very least better than that.

[@arsbawlwin9940]

I dont understand why COD doesnt have a ranking system with dedicated servers like other major platforms like Overwatch! There needs to be a ranked lobby where performance counts and a playground for learning

[@jonfox4022]

OG mw2 sbmm is what I would prefer. We saw latency be the main priority and the lobbies were a mixture of good bad and in between players. The lobbies didn't disband and would reshuffle between games to find a bit of a balance. If you were running with a couple friends that were good you probably just rolled lobbies until you ran into an opposing squad, I think they should adjust for this. The priority would then be squad size -> latency -> mix of sbmm. There's also no reason why they can't pull players with less than X amount of hours and put them in a separate pool so they're either running into other new players or smurf accounts.

[@Lk77ful]

it's just that every time you make a good game, the next game you get shredded to pieces

[@JungleForce]

The thing is what people (myself included) is not to have .5 kd twoboxed lobbies nor do they want the constant Y,Y sliding meta lobbies. What people want are lobbies of average ppl and above all put together. You can have a protected bracket for the barely able to play ppl

[@fernandochapa1433]

I actually dont mind sbmm, it adjusts pretty quickly at your recent performance so when you dont want to try as hard and chill out it takes like 3 games for the lobbies to reflect my playstyle. The only thing that I absolutely hate is that the lobbies disband after every game, the social aspect is terrible nowadays

[@benhayes5396]

To be honest I personally think it’s needed now. The average player is now just too good at video games, people look back at ‘old cods’ and forget that back then, everyone was far more casual, took video games far less seriously and were no where near as good. Everyone wants to be top of the team with a 4kd and everyone thinks they are decently above average at the game. Without SBMM the completely casual players will leave and you’d eventually get a situation where the game becomes far more sweaty and unenjoyable

[@PolyWaves]

Didn't understand why people with crazy animated gun skins were in my lobbies until now. Started yesterday with friends and we kept running into diamond+ skins getting 50+ kills over 2nd place getting like 20 kills lmao. thankfully we still had fun

[@chipps3134]

Honestly the best video about sbmm, a loud vocal minority (content creators) giving the masses a false impression of sbmm. For 99% of players it does its job and is there for a reason