Jokey's Cloak

Project Overview

Jokey's Cloak is a tool that enables you to "smurf" in video games. A "smurf" is someone who purposely sandbags so that they can stomp on people who aren't as good as them — not sure why the word "smurf" is used and not "sandbagger" or something. It's Arduino-based, so it's easily replicable if you want to make one.

Why do this?

Good question. Right off the bat it seems kind of scummy, but let me explain: Skill Based Matchmaking sucks.

Before video games were as big as they are now, multiplayer games (Call of Duty, Halo, etc.) used connection-based matchmaking (CBMM) to find other players. CBMM prioritizes connection quality and matches players based on their connection to the server and their ping, rather than their skill level. This can result in matches with opponents of nearly random skill levels, but with a more stable connection.

Why does Skill Based Matchmaking suck?

SBMM is in the game for profits, not your enjoyment. Games are a billion dollar business now, and companies want to maximize their profits — how? Retain players for longer periods of time. Companies know the people most likely to spend money on in-game cosmetics (skins, dances, etc.) are newcomers. Think of a bell curve: SBMM keeps the players who aren't great at the game (the majority of the player base) separate from the players who are great at the game, in an attempt to keep the majority of the player base "happy" and spending money. Exposing less skilled players to highly skilled opponents might lead to frustration and reduce spending on microtransactions.

SBMM frustrates me to no end. It's a system that matches players based on their skill level, as determined by various metrics such as win/loss or kill/death ratio, so players are matched with opponents of similar skill regardless of location. Why did games implement this? Money.

Bill of Materials

Materials

• Arduino Micro — $10–$30 (or any board that supports the XInput library — check the library's compatible board list)
• 3D printed case — $1

Tools

• Arduino IDE
• XInput library for Arduino IDE
• Micro USB cable
• A PC with Fortnite (not compatible with consoles — for now)

Code

• My code