Currently, the alpha for the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is running. The testing phase has already brought up some criticisms – one of which has now been commented on by the “Head of Technology” at Treyarch.
What is the alpha? The open alpha started on September 18 for PS4 players and runs until this evening – that is, Sunday, September 20, until 7 PM.
The alpha is a testing phase where players can try out some maps and modes. A lot of weapons are included in the alpha – and a YouTuber has already found out which one is the best.
However, the alpha has already brought up some criticisms. The probably biggest criticism was the possible skill-based matchmaking – on which a developer has now commented.
Developer: Matchmaking is “customizable”
This is the response: On Twitter, Treyarch’s “Head of Technology” Martin Donlon replied to a tweet that criticized SBMM. In the tweet, the user listed several CoD installments that he believed were fun and had no skill-based matchmaking. Donlon simply responded: “They all had SBMM” and emphasized that he had written the implementation for Black Ops 2 himself.
In the following discussion, the user explains that he feels the SBMM in the Cold War alpha is too strong. This aligns with the general feedback regarding the matchmaking: A much-discussed thread in the Black Ops subreddit criticized that the alpha feels like the CoD league finals.
Donlon responded to this criticism: This is an absolutely valid point of view one can have. He also emphasizes: “SBMM is one of many, many customizable parameters of a matchmaking system. It’s funny to see people talk about it as if it were a big switch that can just be turned on or off.”
This tweet, in turn, led to reactions from players. Many players in the subreddit comment that while it may be true that old CoD titles also have SBMM, it is more noticeable in Cold War. If it is “customizable”, it should be adjusted so that matches do not feel so extremely difficult. It is not just the comparison of whether SBMM exists at all, but how it differs from title to title (via reddit). Donlon has not yet commented in this direction. Another developer commented, by the way, on the strong sniper rifles of the alpha.
Currently, Black Ops Cold War is only in an alpha state – so a lot can still change in the game before release. On the other hand, Cold War is also set to release on November 13, which is only two months away. How the new game could then affect Warzone has already been looked at by my colleague Maik Schneider.
