Max Hobberman on the failure of Modern SBMM (Gaming)

by squidnh3, Monday, November 27, 2023, 14:06 (152 days ago) @ Schooly D

Have any games with SBMM tried offering "odds" visible to both teams before the start of the match? If the matching engine decides it will let you get stomped next game, it'd be nice and reduce frustration if beforehand it told you "look these guys are killers and you don't stand a chance, just have fun out there."

Several people I've played Trials with look up the other team before playing on Trials Report, which gives you a pretty good idea who you are dealing with. I ask them not to tell me, I don't want to know. All it does it distract from playing your best, whether the other team is expected to be excellent or they seem like a pushover. Definitely don't want to know in-game (although before Bungie let you change your user name there was the "short name hypothesis", where the players with the shortest user names were usually the best).