Many modern shooters share a common problem, but a Halo developer explains what’s wrong and what should be done differently.
What’s wrong with modern shooters? If you ask shooter fans, many modern games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 have a big problem with a clear name: skill-based matchmaking (SBMM).
In its current implementation, the system regularly causes frustration among players. CoD players in particular have been wishing for years that SBMM would finally disappear.
Max Hoberman, a former Halo developer, also knows exactly what the problem with SBMM is and explains on X.com (formerly Twitter) how it could be fixed.
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What does Hoberman say about the SBMM? In his thread on X.com, Hoberman addresses two fundamental problems that the SBMM has in modern games like CoD MW3:
According to Hoberman, the lack of variability in matchmaking in particular leads to frustration and the SBMM fails because it tries to maximize the number of balanced matches. According to him, the problem with a system where matches are always balanced is that they are very competitive and therefore particularly stressful.
The failure of modern skill-based matchmaking, in my opinion, is that it is designed to maximize these perfect match scenarios and minimize the others. When it works, most games become super close and super stressful. This isn’t fun for most players. Where is the variability?
Max Hoberman via X.com
In comparison, the system he worked on for Halo 2 and 3 provided three gaming experiences in ranked matches:
Hoberman himself theorized that a good mix of these three experiences would be ideal (via X.com)
Hoberman also explained that the matchmaking of Halo 2 and 3 differentiated between ranked and unranked. Only in Ranked did the system filter the players based on their level. In unranked game lists, the level of the players was not taken into account during matchmaking.
On top of that, the players’ skills were not measured across the board, but only per playlist. This meant that unranked matchmaking allowed a very wide range of skills. According to Hoberman, this made the gaming experience “casual fun,” as he believes it should be.
SBMM is always a big topic among shooter players. A German CoD YouTuber is also not a fan of the system and especially enjoys the new MW3 when he manipulates the matchmaking:
MW3: German YouTuber says he’s finally having fun with the new Call of Duty when he tricks the matchmaking