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Posted by: Achronos
It isn't our shiznit anymore.
Copy pasta'd from another thread:
1-50 and "accurate ranking system" should never be used in the same sentence. I will explain the reasons why 1-50 should never be used as a ranking system in any future Halo as well as propose a system to replace 1-50 that far succeeds the capabilities of the 1-50 system. Feel free to agree/disagree with my argument as you please and offer criticism.
Main arguments against 1-50 systems similar to Halo 3/2
- Does not prioritize giving a player even matches
- Ranks of similar status are un-comparable due to:
a. formula for calculating ranks does not take into account the ranks of other players
b. No specific information is given about the rank you earn
The primary purpose of a ranking system should be to match players of similar skill together. Then why is it that the 1-50 system is purposefully slowed down in the initial ranks and the progression of further ranks? I trust ranking systems to match me with players of similar skill to me as fast as technically possible. 1-50 represents a grind. It is a solid fact in the Microsoft Trueskill Ranking system explanation that the Trueskill system can narrow a player's trueskill in as little as 12 games. The reason Bungie slowed down this system was to represent a grind for players. Observing your trueskill fluctuate from a 7 one game to a 29 after the next devalues the point of working towards that 50 you want. Treating the ranking system as a leveling system similar to many RPG's was one of the fatal flaws of 1-50.
Ask yourself this question: What exactly does having a 50 mean? A popular saying around many threads in Halo forums is:
"Not all 50's are good players, but all good players have 50's."
This means that the pinnacle of the ranking system, the very elite ranks given to those on the top does not accurately represent the best players. So why is this? It is because the base formula for 1-50 does not take into account nor keep record of the ranks of other players other than on a game-to-game basis. More questions to ask yourself:
a. How many 50's are there?
b. Am I the best/worst 50? Where do I stand among every other 50?
c. Did this person I am comparing myself to obtain his/her 50 in a easy/hard playlist?
1-50 does not answer any of these questions. I find it hard to believe in any ranking system that does not at least attempt to answer these questions.
The Halo 2 phenomena
Among the 1-50 supporters there is a group that calls for a Halo 2 ranking system. I never understood this train of logic because Halo 2 was even more of an annoying grind that did not prioritize even matches than Halo 3. In Bungie's own explanation of the ranking system, it is easy to tell from the charts that the system was built for a grind due to:
a. The loss factor increasing as you progress through ranks
b. The win factor decreasing as you progress through ranks
c. More experience required to reach the next rank tier
I ask again, what is the point of making the 50 that represents your true playing skill so hard to obtain? Why not give it out to the player as fast as possible so they can find even matches to have fun in?
In comparing 1-50 to the Arena, both have flaws but the Arena system is closest to perfection out of the two. With a few tweaks Arena can surpass 1-50 in every way.
Main arguments for the proposal of a new ranking system: The Arena's successor
- Divisional system answers questions that 1-50 could not
- Purer Trueskill system prioritizes even matches
- More flexible of a system
- Ranks based on current skill of entire population
When you get a division, answering the question of "Where do I stand among other players of similar skill, and in effect the entire other population?" is a great advantage for the Arena to have. You are able to accurately tell whether your gold division placement is better than another player's gold division placement by looking at the percentages within that division.
The Arena's largest advantage is that its ranks are based on the current skill of the entire population. This means that if a player really proves him/herself to be good, they skyrocket through the ranks which results in the ranks of those players he/she passed to decrease. There can never be more than a certain percentage of the Arena population in a division at a time, which emphasizes fighting for your rank.
Arena prioritizes matching players evenly with its reliance on a more pure form of Trueskill. That means your rank progression through Trueskill no longer looks like:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
And looks more like:
1, 7, 19, 27, 35, 32
Which means the system is able to put players in games where their opponents are more evenly skilled faster. Of course this requires that the Arena population be large enough to support this ranking system which was one of the main reasons for its demise in Reach.
As we saw with the past and current Arena system, the formula for calculating people's divisions can be changed drastically. It is possible to change the Arena system to reward purely individual exploits or team efforts and everything in between. 1-50 is only able to record the outcome of the game, and is very inflexible in that regard.
The main reason why many players don't like the Arena system is its seasonal system where everyone's ranks reset after the season. This is understandable, but unfortunately there is no way around the problem (that I am aware). The Arena needs to reset people's ranks to:
a. Accurately provide an up-to-date leaderboard of who is currently the best
b. Make sure people don't reach the upper divisional placements and sit on their rank by not playing, making it impossible for players below these "sitters" to rank up.
Besides, if the gametypes and maps are balanced enough few would worry about playing a few dozen games in the playlist they love in order to get placed in a division. I believe this issue stems more from the playlist choices themselves (gametypes/maps) than the ranking system itself.
The changes I would make to the Arena ranking system would be:
a. Visible division across all playlists.
b. Even more specific ranks (i.e. 37th percentile Onyx, special rank for being the absolute best)
c. Ability to see how many players are in each division and how many players were given a division.
d. Ability to see what playlist a player received their division in.
e. Incentives for getting ranked like Cr bonuses or special armor/nameplates.
With these changes I believe the Halo ranking system can be revolutionized.