| IDL First Tier Ratings System Under the original system implemented by the IDL, we created a ladder environment unlike any previously attempted for Descent. And while we were greatly pleased with this accomplishment, we also learned from our efforts and have built upon those achievements, creating a new arena for IDL members who prove able to compete at the very highest levels. This arena is our First Tier, and tailoring this environment to foster the highest level of competition while filtering out distractions and supplying extended services and privileges (as well as responsibilities) is what we aim to achieve. The old IDL lives on largely undisturbed in our Second Tier, where those of refined skill and professional attitude can showcase their qualifications. Those who rise to the top will gradually be invited up to the First Tier by their peers who have already been nominated and approved. Karash hand-picked a small pool of players of distinguished skill that he felt he could rely on to begin the evolution of the new IDL, and these he invited to initiate the First Tier. Seven of the eleven invitees accepted the invitation. These players now control the fate of the ladder, as they will determine who among Second Tier members has demonstrated sufficient skill and class to join them in the first tier, and will set and maintain the standard by which all members shall be judged. This process will take time, and this is by design. For it is our intention to maintain the highest possible level of quality control for the First Tier arena. To reward players and enrich the gaming environment for those who have been invited to join the First Tier, I, Sirian, as Policy Team Leader, have conceived and designed a new ratings system. These ratings do not affect the win/loss records of players, nor do they impact ladder rankings, both of which remain the player's primary concern. Instead they provide more subtle information about game performance, which takes into account the strength of each opponent. There are four ratings in the system. The Kill Rating is the backbone of the system, a hard stat based on the scores of reported matches. Kills that you score in games are counted against a total of kills you could have scored, meaning the number scored by the winner. In most cases this will be 20 kills. If you can win every match you ever play, your Kill Rating will be an impressive 1.0000. If you want to improve your Kill Rating, win. It's that simple. And if you lose, keep it close. Wins all count the same, since only YOUR kills are counted; but losses factor the severity of the defeat, so a close loss means a better rating for you than a crushing defeat. A shutout is the worst case, giving you a Kill Rating for that game of zero. A player who loses most of his matches but keeps all the games close may end up with a higher Kill Rating than a player who wins more but also loses big on some occasions. A player who loses big all the time is going to have a very poor rating, and this may be an indication that he needs to improve his game to compete at this level. The Strength of Schedule measures the strength of your opponents based on their ladder rank and Kill Rating prior to your match. Not every game can be rated for Strength of Schedule, since your opponent must first have a Kill Rating to qualify for this statistic. Any games played against such opponents will not count toward your Strength of Schedule rating. If you want to improve your SoS rating, seek out the strongest available opponents. Obviously, a higher Strength of Schedule rating is a sign of prestige, since it means a player engages the fiercest opponents more often; but some folks may end up with a lower rating through no fault of their own because they ARE the fiercest opponents. :) The Success Rating measures your game performance much in the same way that the Kill Rating does, except that your opponent's record is factored in. If you play only undefeated opponents, your Success Rating will read the same as your Kill Rating. Over time, as you play a variety of opponents, your rating will reflect your degree of success relative to the strength of your competition. A close loss to a highly rated opponent will sometimes rate much higher than a victory over an opponent with a less stellar record. Not every game can be rated for Success Rating, since your opponent must first have a Kill Rating to qualify for this statistic. Any games played against such opponents will not count toward your Success Rating. If you want to improve your Success Rating, you must not only compete successfully, but do so against opponents with strong records. Playing opponents who have weaker ratings means staking your reputation, since a loss to such an opponent will be reflected in your Success Rating. Remember that your Kill Rating is unaffected by the strength of opponents, however, and that winning (or at least competing well) remains the prime factor in determining your Success. Courage Factor is the final rating. It is a subtle statistic that factors both the Success rate and Strength of Schedule of your opponents. Your performance in games does not affect this rating; it measures only your range of opponents played. The more courageous your opponent has been in his choice of opponents, the higher YOUR courage factor is going to rate for a game against him. Thus it measures the courage of both players, and over time this will serve as an indication of the overall level of competition that you engage in. Not every game can be rated for Courage, since your opponent must first have a Success Rating and a Strength of Schedule. Any games played against such opponents will not count toward your Courage Factor. If you want to improve your Courage rating you should seek out the fiercest available opponents: those who play the best the most often with the highest degree of success. Unlike other rating systems, the IDL First Tier Ratings are a fluid system. The numbers will fluctuate based on how close the games are. If all the games are close, the average numbers will be higher. If there are more blowouts, the numbers will be lower. If used wisely, these Ratings can measure not only a player's performance relative to his peers, but also give clear indication, over time, of the strength of his game and his worthiness to remain among the elite. Even a player with few or no victories will be rated highly if he fights hard and keeps every game competitive. Also keep in mind that the IDL is a closed system, and that every game will have a loser. These ratings are here to supplement the win/loss records so that the high level of competition expected of First Tier members will shine through even if they keep getting beat by a few points by certain of their peers. Others who enjoy greater success will have a more telling means of comparing their performance to that of their rivals. This Rating System was designed by Sirian for the enjoyment of First Tier IDL Members. If you are a Second Tier Member aspiring to be invited up to the First Tier, know that we are tracking your ratings as well, and that your ratings upon promotion to the First Tier WILL be carried over in diluted form, so keep on your toes. The system was originally designed to see every game rateable, but this became impossible when the original database was lost. As a result, some games, especially at first, will not be rateable in all categories for both participants. This will diminish with time and eventually fade away, leaving all games fully rateable as originally intended. The ratings themselves will also grow in accuracy over time, as the First Tier grows in size and the players develop performance history. The evolution of the ladder is now in the hands of the Members of the First Tier. Thanks go to all the IDL Staff for helping to iron out the details of this system. Special thanks go to donut, whose skill with CGI has turned this scheme into a smooth, automated reality for you, the player. As a final note: any forfeits made by players WILL affect their ratings. So you are advised to fight for every point even if your chances of winning have become remote. All First Tier Members are expected to exhibit class as well as pride in their game, and to compete at their best in every situation against all comers. No matter how skilled you may be, you can maintain tenure in this arena ONLY as long as you also maintain a healthy reputation among a majority of your peers. Best of luck in your games. |