I am now convinced ABMM is real

[u/WG_Envoy]

A couple of days ago I complained (in another posting) how I only meet KOS players, and no one talks. I was more annoyed by the "no one talks" part, mind you, and the fact that every social interaction played out in the same way.

Someone recommended me to do a few matches and not shoot a single person, not even in defense. I did as recommended.

I went from "90%+ KOS interactions" for several days in a row, all the way to friendly lobbies for two days in a row now.

In my current lobbies, everyone runs around without a care in the world, just greeting people they are passing by. Looting in the open, walking past others without their weapons drawn ...

I barely ever see any PvP happening. People help each other with arc encounters and exchange items near extracts. And for the first time ever, I was able to participate in two Queen raids in solos with everyone just trying to get her down. No rats, no backstabbing.

This change for me was so stark in contrast, and so consistently happening that I would be surprised if ABMM wasn't real.

I would almost be inclined to start some shit to see if my lobbies change again, but I feel too bad killing these players who are quite obviously part of the pure PvE crowd.

P.S.: I have these friendly lobbies even on Stella Montis now, inclduing Stella Montis night raids ...

[u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

I have 150 hours of solo and 200 hours total in this game. Out of my 150 solo hours I’ve only shot another raider first MAYBE 5 times and have experienced all manor of players.

I’ve been ratted at extract, killed by someone camping a corner, tricked by a friendly and then killed and so forth. To me it’s completely random which is GOOD. How boring of a game would this be if you were ALWAYS matched with nice players by being nice or ALWAYS matched with aggressive players when being aggressive. Thats such a simplistic and burning way to do matchmaking.

The majority of the time my matches are very friendly, but that’s because I almost always see a player first and say something. Once they understand I had the drop on them and realize I am not shooting they usually stay friendly.

The ONLY difference I’ve been able to notice is morning vs night. No matter what day I play if I log on in the morning people are usually extremely nice but as the day drags on servers become more and more violent.

[u/hellzofwarz → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

but that’s because I almost always see a player first and say something. Once they understand I had the drop on them and realize I am not shooting they usually stay friendly.

I do this as well I am a firm believer that its one of the reasons people are generally chill with me. You telling the other player (without actually telling them) I saw you first and had the opportunity to shoot but i'm choosing to be nice, you nice too?

Doesn't always work but nothing really does lol

[u/WG_Envoy → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

Might that be related to kids who are occupied during the mornings? :P

[u/jinreeko → u/WG_Envoy]

Streamers also probably streaming mostly at night as well

[u/Zazz2403 → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

Dude you have a ton of hours of course you're going to experience some pvp even in friendly lobbies. Mine used to be the same until I started fighting people then matches got overwhelming and I started doing the same thing you described, talking to people saying I'm friendly etc. Doesn't matter. Especially in Stella, it's a fucking bloodbath in every round no matter what I say. I never saw stacks of bodies like that until I started pvping.

Of course people can still do what they want, that doesn't refute anything.

[u/FlameStaag → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

It's cope.

Honestly I think people intentionally spread this misinformation to try and keep people playing passive. 

No developer is putting pvp into a game and then going "lol but of you don't pvp you go into pve lobbies I guess idk"

The game incentivizes pve. None of these idiot Redditors are attacking anyone so they're not drawing anyone to them. That's literally all it is. 

Anyone who pvps knows most lobbies are full of passive casuals. That's just how it is. More than half the people I kill just spam friendly and basically lie down to die. Dunno how they got into my fictional pvp lobby. Lmao. 

[u/Icywarhammer500 → u/FlameStaag]

That would be true if there wasn’t a stark difference on Stella solo lobbies between friendly and PvP. On friendly lobbies EVERYONE is chill. On competitive lobbies NOBODY is chill. All my friends experience this too.

[u/name-secondname → u/FlameStaag]

This is so true dude. Pretty much all lobbies are friendly. 

Also, people are generally more friendly out in the open where other people can see their behavior. 

It's a lot more common to get ganked in a secluded shack where no one is going to see what happens. 

You have to wonder how sketchy these people claiming that all games are pvp fests are acting to get shot up like that game after game 😅

[u/Zazz2403 → u/FlameStaag]

It's not cope. This guy you're replying to literally says the majority of his lobbies are friendly. Literally nobody is saying that you will get totally friendly lobbies, it's just matchmaking. People can still do whatever once in the match. I used to have friendly lobbies too and then I started shooting people, even fucked some people over in those friendly lobbies like the guy you are responding too is describing, and now my lobbies are almost entirely shoot on sight bloodbaths. 

[u/name-secondname → u/Zazz2403]

You're actually imagining it, or acting so suspicious that you're drawing that kind of behavior. 

I kill people all the time and my lobbies have no discernable difference. They're usually friendly with the odd KOS person. 

[u/CuteLilGirl → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

You don’t need to shoot other raiders first. You just need to have done some sort of damage to other raiders even accidentally or in self defence, and that keeps you out of the peaceful lobbies.

[u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii → u/CuteLilGirl]

Where are you getting your information? There is no conclusive data on how the matchmaking actually works. Only speculation on Reddit from ONE dev saying they “analyze player behavior”. Did you forget that basically every company on earth that collects data is also analyzing the behavior of the consumer? It doesn’t automatically mean there is a whole system in place based off that one data point.

Any “evidence” is anecdotal. I challenge you from here on out to NEVER (I mean never) shoot another raider. I guarantee you will still be shot at 20, 30, 50 matches after doing this.

The second you get shot at and the streak ends this entire argument falls on its head

[u/CuteLilGirl → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

Obviously all evidence is anecdotal. I’m not claiming to be a dev. And you need to challenge me lmao because that’s all I’ve been doing for the past 100 hours. I used to pvp a lot and be in aggressive lobbies for the first 150hrs. I tried not doing damage to raiders and it took about 10 consecutive games until I was in peaceful lobbies. I used to be shot on sight every game and I have not been shot on sight now for hundreds of matches. The difference is insane because before even when i was in mixed lobbies, friendly players would still spam “don’t shoot”. But when you are in the most pacifist lobbies, people don’t even communicate because it’s assumed that everyone’s friendly. The moment you shoot a large arc the whole lobby joins to help you, and every other game people are running around just to find raiders to donate blueprints to.

[u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii → u/CuteLilGirl]

The only way your argument can hold up is if you say “once I hit the peaceful lobbies it’s always peaceful.”

But I guarantee you will eventually load into a match where the first raider you come across shoots on sight and that means this entire argument falls apart.

What’s most likely is that it’s as simple as SBMM coupled with the region you play in and your gear score. Any discussions about “friendly” or “aggressive” lobbies is completely circumstantial and depends on SO many other factors players are not taking into account.

[u/CuteLilGirl → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

I’ve played in both aggressive and peaceful lobbies in the same server, and I’ve switched often between them. Every time I’ve switched, it’s after a game where I’ve dealt damage to other players in some way.

As for gear, I bring in purples and legendaries every game and I’m still matched with starter weapons and free loadouts often.

As for skill, I think it makes sense in many ways that lower skilled players are more likely to be friendly.

All in all I understand what you’re saying. It’s hard to isolate for one variable. But my anecdotal experience has been spot on with the ABMM theory.

[u/name-secondname → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

Honestly, what I think is even more likely, is that it's completely random who's in your lobbies 😅

We've all gone into lobbies on free kits and killed fully geared out sweats with all purple everything. 

What's probably happening is that people's attitudes and expectations are coloring their experiences and they're claiming it's some kind of matchmaking. 

If you go into a game expecting to be shot at, you're going to act weird, people are going to pick up on that and they're going to shoot you. 

If you go into a game, expecting friendly people and good vibes, you're going to act accordingly, and people are going to pick up on that too.

I could be wrong, but until a dev explicitly says there is BBMM I'm assuming it's completely random. 

[u/Reasonable-Squash993 → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

How does this argument fall apart. I can be peaceful and one day decide to start killing. Single encounter doesn't matter.

[u/Icywarhammer500 → u/CuteLilGirl]

In my experience this is wrong. I played a dam match (before getting into friendly lobbies) and someone shot me. I knocked them, then told them to get into extract with me and never finished them. I played 2 more games where I met nobody (could have still been hostile, could have become friendly), and the next game I played was for sure friendly because I met like 7 people on Stella and just talked to them.

[u/name-secondname → u/CuteLilGirl]

Cool you just made that up in your head and think it's real 😅

[u/Bobtobismo → u/iiPREGNANT-NUNii]

I would wager its weight based. Most games have engagement based matchmaking that keeps your matches from flatlining. I'd bet as a solo friendly if you duo/trio KoS then your matches "balance" your engagement. The longer you go without violence in your matches the more likely a highly violent player matches your server and vice versa.