A 2600 should NEVER be able to play on an 1850 server. There is no competition, none. The 2600 player would be unstoppable. Been there, I leave the match. Since so few people play now, there are definite cut off times, after 9pm Pacific the game (as a sub 1800 player) is beyond my slight ability.
IMHO, very strict mmr limits should be applied but on a sliding scale, the higher you go the greater the gap.
If there is the slightest perception that newbies can play and win they will stay (old vets too, I leave if I can't get a kill), but if they get stomped all the time they won't it's a FACT. Doubt it? Look at the online player numbers...
The problem with that 'logic' though, is that the 1850 server was the highest rated at the time. It would have placed me in there whether or not I manually joined.
There is no need for the majority of unskilled players to harass and scrutinize the higher tier due to the differences surrounding ourselves. It's not that one is better than the other, but rather both have their faults. Lower tier pilots tend to die more, are easy targets, and thus leave matches more than average. Higher tier players do not have the luxury of playing a balanced match most of the time, since those who are, by definition, weaker, outweigh the size of the skilled. In the end, both don't have fun due to the conflicting skill levels.
Of course, with the skill ceiling being naturally quite high, there will be a varying level of MMR spread throughout. Due to the lackluster size in our population at the moment, the inevitable happens more frequently. In other words, the difference in skill level is seen more frequently on each match. It's unfortunate, but we have all been playing the game even knowing so.
I forgive your ignorance regarding what exactly high tier has been suffering through these past couple years, but not your arrogance to the matter at hand. That being said, what many of us have already been saying:
Edited by Draigun, 03 September 2015 - 10:24 PM.