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I want new players to have a chance to learn the game and improve instead of ditching it because they get stomped by good players but at the same time I don't want SBMM because that would ruin the experience for good players by punishing them for being good. I think a good idea would to add a temporary separate matchmaking for newer players. For example if you are below level 10 you are put in a lobby with other level 10 or lower players (the level number can be adjusted of course). Once they reach the level threshold then they are put into regular CBMM matches. This allows new players to not get stomped and have a chance to learn and improve but at the same time let good players not be punished by SBMM with laggy connections and not being forced to sweat their ass off every match.

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over 3 years ago - /u/UbiMorning - Direct link

Thanks for the suggestion! The community as a whole seems to be revisiting the idea of implementing some type of SBMM to help improve the new player experience. The common suggestions I've been seeing are a modified type of SBMM to allow new players to be in a group by themselves for a bit, and allow them to join after playing for a bit.

The problem with a system like this is determining what a "fair" cap would be to determine when someone should be ready to play with other experienced players. Considering the only leveling system in the game currently is the Battle Pass, I don't entirely think it is a valid level to base skill off of since you can earn tiers just from watching streams. Alternatively, you could base it off of hours put into the game, but that also doesn't necessarily show someone's skill either. Someone could be decent at the game but only have about 5 hours into the game. I suppose the other decision would be to base it off of stats, but again it can be a little wonky.

Other suggestions I've seen would be to introduce a newcomer playlist where specifically new players can queue up against other new players. I've seen some concerns from others about people abusing it to smurf under and boost stats. I think Holo suggested an idea to visually push the playlist as practice by modifying usernames to say "PRACTICE_" or something in front of the kill feed to devalue kills.

The alternative suggestion that most players seem to agree with would be to add a ranked playlist that has SBMM and leave pub games how they are. Although most players seem to agree that adding new playlists currently, especially on PC, can be harmful to lobby count numbers.

Ultimately, this is a difficult issue to tackle. I think the important priority to look into would be to add tools to improve the new player experience first, like improving the Practice Area with moving bots or a parkour area. New players are missing out on key aspects of the game that aren't explicitly told by the game, especially details about the Crown mechanic. I appreciate your thoughts!