KDR Notes:
When I first started - probably my first 1000 kills my k/d was about .59. I ran out - combat only - getting in fights with players of all levels slowly learning how to read the map - take cover (and what cover was actually "good"), and snipe people on the streets near me before the could auto lock on me. I was killed/griefed a lot but that's where I really learned combat - not from a plan, buzzard, or tank. I never used passive mode as a defensive weapon even when I should have - I never left when I was getting an ass whipping either.
Since then my k/d - now nearing 5000 kills - has slowly risen to 2.84. To me 2.84 is a real reflection of my combat skill since I payed me dues learning how to truly fight without resorting to tanks/jets/passive mode/glitching/quitting. I still don't use tanks or jets and the odds are that 99% of the time I'm the last guy you want to bother. The 1% that I can't handle are usually players with 10,000 kills or more which I believe means more then k/d alone as long as they are tank/jet pussies.
So k/d can mean something - I kept my stats on Social Club open so you can see that I don't use tanks/jets to boost it. Here's the exceptions:
K/D Reflects Skill Except:
If you are tank/jet pussy
If you don't even have a 1000 kills - give me a break ... why are you worrying about k/d noob????
If you do everything you can to avoid good players, ground combat, and situations where the playing field is evened or not in your favor
If you use passive mode way too much - killing somebody once then turning on passive
Really, to me, if you have had a high k/d from the start it means you probably suck at the game. I learned far more in my first 1000 kills when I hand a terrible k/d then at anytime - if I had just played passive pussy or flew around in a jet I would probably have an even higher k/d now but I would suck in all respects from a true strategy
and skill standpoint.
The points in bold above are why many people don't trust k/d and, to be honest, I rarely run into a player that even has a chance against me that has a k/d as high or higher then mine. The players that are my biggest threat are the the 10k+ killers that don't use tanks and jets to get there. There are just a few of them that I know and every so often we hop into each others sessions clear out a lobby together.