This might not completely eliminate the smurf accounts destroying the ranking system and gaming experience for others, but it sure would be a start. Remember in H3 when if you wanted to play ranked, you had to play with someone within +/- 10 levels in that playlist as you? The same thing could be done with H5 divisions. If they are friends who arent competitive, there are social playlists for a reason. Which is also another point in bringing back a permanent social slayer playlist that does NOT factor KDA into everyones arena stats. Any thoughts on this?
EDIT: I mean this as it would only apply to ranked arena playlists.
> 2533274838217981;1:
> This might not completely eliminate the smurf accounts destroying the ranking system and gaming experience for others, but it sure would be a start. Remember in H3 when if you wanted to play ranked, you had to play with someone within +/- 10 levels in that playlist as you? The same thing could be done with H5 divisions. If they are friends who arent competitive, there are social playlists for a reason. Which is also another point in bringing back a permanent social slayer playlist that does NOT factor KDA into everyones arena stats. Any thoughts on this?
Then you also eliminate players who aren’t interested in ranked playlists. I for one do not go near Arena unless I’m trying to warm up or trying a new configuration before I step into Warzone which comprises most of my game time. With that being said, I’ve only been ranked once, maybe three times in the past since the game has been released, I’d be one of the people who’d get hurt by this filter if I decided to party up (and believe me, my parties ain’t no farmers, we’re more like, potato growers.)
> 2535461287427665;2:
> > 2533274838217981;1:
> > This might not completely eliminate the smurf accounts destroying the ranking system and gaming experience for others, but it sure would be a start. Remember in H3 when if you wanted to play ranked, you had to play with someone within +/- 10 levels in that playlist as you? The same thing could be done with H5 divisions. If they are friends who arent competitive, there are social playlists for a reason. Which is also another point in bringing back a permanent social slayer playlist that does NOT factor KDA into everyones arena stats. Any thoughts on this?
>
>
> Then you also eliminate players who aren’t interested in ranked playlists. I for one do not go near Arena unless I’m trying to warm up or trying a new configuration before I step into Warzone which comprises most of my game time. With that being said, I’ve only been ranked once, maybe three times in the past since the game has been released, I’d be one of the people who’d get hurt by this filter if I decided to party up (and believe me, my parties ain’t no farmers, we’re more like, potato growers.)
Im talking about for searching in ranked arena only.
Normally I would be bothered, but Gears/BF1 releases next month… Then there is the fact that I really never had a problem with Smurfs.
> 2533274819667356;4:
> Normally I would be bothered, but Gears/BF1 releases next month… Then there is the fact that I really never had a problem with Smurfs.
Personally I dont have a problem playing against them (even though it is very annoying because 1 or 2 losses can erase a whole nights effort) except when playing with friends from work who arent nearly good enough to keep up. My problem is that all smurfs are doing is diluting the ranking system and beating newer players into not wanting to play halo anymore. Ive had 5 irl friends return the game in the past 3 months after only playing for a couple months.
> 2533274846988418;6:
> What is smurfing?
Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
> 2533274885638438;7:
> > 2533274846988418;6:
> > What is smurfing?
>
>
> Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
>
> OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
Yeah, basically im saying for example a diamond 5 would not be able to search team arena with a platinum 1 in that playlist or lower. not saying thats the exact gap I recommend, but just an example.
I’m pretty sure some people have been banned for doing it. Because they are abusing the ranking system.
> 2533274838217981;8:
> > 2533274885638438;7:
> > > 2533274846988418;6:
> > > What is smurfing?
> >
> >
> > Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
> >
> > OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
>
>
> Yeah, basically im saying for example a diamond 5 would not be able to search team arena with a platinum 1 in that playlist or lower. not saying thats the exact gap I recommend, but just an example.
Now that I’m in platinum games have gotten easier than when I was in gold.
Not it only that though occionally ive seen people with champion to gold all mixed in together which I don’t think is entirely wrong as long as the teams are divided up evenly.
> 2533274962122285;10:
> > 2533274838217981;8:
> > > 2533274885638438;7:
> > > > 2533274846988418;6:
> > > > What is smurfing?
> > >
> > >
> > > Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
> > >
> > > OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
> >
> >
> > Yeah, basically im saying for example a diamond 5 would not be able to search team arena with a platinum 1 in that playlist or lower. not saying thats the exact gap I recommend, but just an example.
>
>
> Now that I’m in platinum games have gotten easier than when I was in gold.
>
> Not it only that though occionally ive seen people with champion to gold all mixed in together which I don’t think is entirely wrong as long as the teams are divided up evenly.
Yeah thats usually the problem, its not even. Those “golds” are just other champs or onyx on smurf accounts. So they get to stomp on anyone in the gold-diamond ranges. I haven only heard of a few people being banned for doing it. It is pretty hard for 343 to keep up with all of the accounts, which is why I suggested what I did.
> 2533274838217981;1:
> Remember in H3 when if you wanted to play ranked, you had to play with someone within +/- 10 levels in that playlist as you?
No, I don’t remember it working that way at all. I remember routinely being in ranked games with 25 or 30 point rank spreads. Routinely.
There is no force on earth that can stop someone from starting a second account for the purpose of playing easy matches that are below their skill level… if they want to. There is no force on earth that can stop someone from sandbagging in their qualifiers in order to rank artificially low… if they want to. There is no force on earth that can stop a superior player from partying up with a significantly inferior player for the purposes of getting easier games… if they want to.
If you remember Halo 3 as having any special mechanisms for preventing any of these things then you’re remembering it very differently than I do.
> 2533274873843883;12:
> > 2533274838217981;1:
> > Remember in H3 when if you wanted to play ranked, you had to play with someone within +/- 10 levels in that playlist as you?
>
>
> No, I don’t remember it working that way at all. I remember routinely being in ranked games with 25 or 30 point rank spreads. Routinely.
>
> There is no force on earth that can stop someone from starting a second account for the purpose of playing easy matches that are below their skill level… if they want to. There is no force on earth that can stop someone from sandbagging in their qualifiers in order to rank artificially low… if they want to. There is no force on earth that can stop a superior player from partying up with a significantly inferior player for the purposes of getting easier games… if they want to.
>
> If you remember Halo 3 as having any special mechanisms for preventing any of these things then you’re remembering it very differetnly than I do.
In H3 if you searched with a level 5 and a level 50 it would take forever to get a game, and when it did, it would treat the lower rank as if it was only 10 levels below the higher one. When this happened the weight of the level 5 would be closer to level 40, thus discouraging people to make those accounts. Not sure what game you played with ROUTINE 25-30 level spreads unless it was MCC.
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> > > 2533274838217981;8:
> > > > 2533274885638438;7:
> > > > > 2533274846988418;6:
> > > > > What is smurfing?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
> > > >
> > > > OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
> > >
> > >
> > > Yeah, basically im saying for example a diamond 5 would not be able to search team arena with a platinum 1 in that playlist or lower. not saying thats the exact gap I recommend, but just an example.
> >
> >
> > Now that I’m in platinum games have gotten easier than when I was in gold.
> >
> > Not it only that though occionally ive seen people with champion to gold all mixed in together which I don’t think is entirely wrong as long as the teams are divided up evenly.
>
>
> Yeah thats usually the problem, its not even. Those “golds” are just other champs or onyx on smurf accounts. So they get to stomp on anyone in the gold-diamond ranges. I haven only heard of a few people being banned for doing it. It is pretty hard for 343 to keep up with all of the accounts, which is why I suggested what I did.
But even popular halo youtuber admit to smurfing and telling people how to do it.
> 2533274838217981;13:
> > 2533274873843883;12:
> > > 2533274838217981;1:
> > >
>
>
> In H3 if you searched with a level 5 and a level 50 it would take forever to get a game, and when it did, it would treat the lower rank as if it was only 10 levels below the higher one. When this happened the weight of the level 5 would be closer to level 40, thus discouraging people to make those accounts. Not sure what game you played with ROUTINE 25-30 level spreads unless it was MCC.
No, not MCC, although the problem is even worse there.
I have no knowledge of how long it make take to find a match for a 5 and 50 in the same party, since I never partied with anyone in that game. I only know that it would not be uncommon to see 48, 33, 20, 17 on one side, and 49, 48, 20, 15 on the other. Your assertion that the game would only do this reluctantly may be plausible, but in my experience reluctance must have been… well, as I said, routine. And I’m not saying that the low-ranking players were smurfs. To the contrary - it always seemed like legit noobs who were willing to get their butts kicked for the privilege of hanging out with “cool” high ranked players. In that scenario it’s the high rank player who is gaming the system for an easier match. It’s a different form of smurfing, but smurfing nonetheless. And it was probably the majority of the matches I played in the last year of that game as the wheels were reallys starting to come off that matchmaking bus.
> 2533274873843883;15:
> > 2533274838217981;13:
> > > 2533274873843883;12:
> > > > 2533274838217981;1:
> > > >
> >
> >
> > In H3 if you searched with a level 5 and a level 50 it would take forever to get a game, and when it did, it would treat the lower rank as if it was only 10 levels below the higher one. When this happened the weight of the level 5 would be closer to level 40, thus discouraging people to make those accounts. Not sure what game you played with ROUTINE 25-30 level spreads unless it was MCC.
>
>
> No, not MCC, although the problem is even worse there.
>
> I have no knowledge of how long it make take to find a match for a 5 and 50 in the same party, since I never partied with anyone in that game. I only know that it would not be uncommon to see 48, 33, 20, 17 on one side, and 49, 48, 20, 15 on the other. Your assertion that the game would only do this reluctantly may be plausible, but in my experience reluctance must have been… well, as I said, routine. And I’m not saying that the low-ranking players were smurfs. To the contrary - it always seemed like legit noobs who were willing to get their butts kicked for the privilege of hanging out with “cool” high ranked players. In that scenario it’s the high rank player who is gaming the system for an easier match. It’s a different form of smurfing, but smurfing nonetheless. And it was probably the majority of the matches I played in the last year of that game as the wheels were reallys starting to come off that matchmaking bus.
That would make sense if you were looking at their highest achieved level, but I played H3 religiously and there wasnt much fluctuation in playlist rank. I had a 50 in 3 playlists but I also only had a 20 in lone wolves because I never played it, so if I played it I matched other 20s in lone wolves. If that is what you are trying to say then yes that is true, but when it came to playlist rank it usually was pretty consistent.
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> > 2533274838217981;11:
> > > 2533274962122285;10:
> > > > 2533274838217981;8:
> > > > > 2533274885638438;7:
> > > > > > 2533274846988418;6:
> > > > > > What is smurfing?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
> > > > >
> > > > > OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Yeah, basically im saying for example a diamond 5 would not be able to search team arena with a platinum 1 in that playlist or lower. not saying thats the exact gap I recommend, but just an example.
> > >
> > >
> > > Now that I’m in platinum games have gotten easier than when I was in gold.
> > >
> > > Not it only that though occionally ive seen people with champion to gold all mixed in together which I don’t think is entirely wrong as long as the teams are divided up evenly.
> >
> >
> > Yeah thats usually the problem, its not even. Those “golds” are just other champs or onyx on smurf accounts. So they get to stomp on anyone in the gold-diamond ranges. I haven only heard of a few people being banned for doing it. It is pretty hard for 343 to keep up with all of the accounts, which is why I suggested what I did.
>
>
> But even popular halo youtuber admit to smurfing and telling people how to do it.
Yeah I saw the video and he should be ashamed of himself. Everyone has done it for -Yoink- and giggles a couple times, but the people who do it constantly are why rank means almost nothing in H5. I know a ton of diamond players who are truly better than onyx players, but dont use smurf accounts so they have a harder time ranking up.
> 2533274838217981;17:
> > 2533274962122285;14:
> > > 2533274838217981;11:
> > > > 2533274962122285;10:
> > > > > 2533274838217981;8:
> > > > > > 2533274885638438;7:
> > > > > > > 2533274846988418;6:
> > > > > > > What is smurfing?
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Smurfing is when a player either creates a new account or ranks really low not based on their skill, to dominate lower skilled players. Generally people do it if they are having trouble finding matches at such a high level, or if they want to just relax and plow through much lesser skilled people. This obviously ruins the experience for the people with much less skill, and creates very unbalanced matches.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > OP, I’m a little confused on your post. Are you saying that you would be ranked with people very close to your rank, or division?
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Yeah, basically im saying for example a diamond 5 would not be able to search team arena with a platinum 1 in that playlist or lower. not saying thats the exact gap I recommend, but just an example.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Now that I’m in platinum games have gotten easier than when I was in gold.
> > > >
> > > > Not it only that though occionally ive seen people with champion to gold all mixed in together which I don’t think is entirely wrong as long as the teams are divided up evenly.
> > >
> > >
> > > Yeah thats usually the problem, its not even. Those “golds” are just other champs or onyx on smurf accounts. So they get to stomp on anyone in the gold-diamond ranges. I haven only heard of a few people being banned for doing it. It is pretty hard for 343 to keep up with all of the accounts, which is why I suggested what I did.
> >
> >
> > But even popular halo youtuber admit to smurfing and telling people how to do it.
>
>
> Yeah I saw the video and he should be ashamed of himself. Everyone has done it for -Yoink- and giggles a couple times, but the people who do it constantly are why rank means almost nothing in H5. I know a ton of diamond players who are truly better than onyx players, but dont use smurf accounts so they have a harder time ranking up.
I think the rank of an actaul player can vary widely depending if they are in a team or alone. I’m almost completely a lone wolf because any time I enter a party there is a high chance my game will crash for some reason.
If we were to use the rank as a way of determining skill I think full teams and solo players should either get different amounts of rank earned or sort it so randoms play with randoms more.
People tend to say well don’t play ranked but it’s the maps I want to play more than actaully ranking up. My rank has slowly been going down month after month but as I’ve went lower its got harder but as I’ve went higher it’s got easier.
> 2533274846988418;6:
> What is smurfing?
We used to call them 2nd accounters, among other things.
And yeah it’s harder when you rank gold now, as said above. As someone who plays solo most of the time it’s a real pain and does make the game less enjoyable. The bigger problem is matching solo to teams as most of them run in teams and most teams, even if not smurfing,can put a hurting on a team of randoms
> 2533274800197043;19:
> > 2533274846988418;6:
> > What is smurfing?
>
>
> We used to call them 2nd accounters, among other things.
> And yeah it’s harder when you rank gold now, as said above. As someone who plays solo most of the time it’s a real pain and does make the game less enjoyable. The bigger problem is matching solo to teams as most of them run in teams and most teams, even if not smurfing,can put a hurting on a team of randoms
I am firmly convinced that terrible matchmaking is more of the problem than smurfs. I’ve played over 700 games in arena. I can only remember meeting one smurf. I know they were a smurf because they had played less than 15 games I think and utterly destroyed my team and carried the other team. the team was 5k/15d or worse and there he was with his 30+ kills I think. I even sent him a message afterward calling him out on it. He never responded which is even further proof to me I was right. But out of 700 games I only have noticed one smurf. but terrible matchmaking I experience every time I play. Terribly unbalanced teams. Me at 119 XP with two more guys at 80+XP play a team that is 30 or lower XP wise and we are all silver. And they get destroyed. Or Vice versa. I get stuck with 3 players with no experience whatsoever playing 4 guys with 80xp or more.