Erroneous league assignment

[Kamikaze28]

(07-26-2012 07:31 AM)GreatGonzales Wrote:  I am very curious as to how the ranking system works. I'm wondering what the harm is in sharing the exact algorithm that they are using, and what their justification is for using anything beyond a straight ELO system. I can't think of a reason to use anything beyond straight ELO...can anyone else?

The only thing is the league system - so they have artificial skill thresholds that they decided from the outset and restricts calculations. The issue being that as the community grows, the highest ELO score will continue to grow for some time, well beyond after the point when everyone has played their original 5 placement matches. Thus, someone who reaches an ELO of 1350 let's say, might qualify for SuperTitan (everyone starts at 1200 FYI). But 3 months from now, 1350 is probably better suited for Masters, since the highest ELO will likely be 1800 or something (the highest ELO score is a function of the size of the population). But I think this is solvable by introducing a league above SuperTitan for those super high rated people. All that to say, I don't know why they need anything other than ELO, and perhaps some level of shifting standards for each league, in order to determine league promotions and demotions. But maybe there's something I haven't considered?

Anyway, just my two cents.

Short answer: look here and here.

Slightly longer answer: Outwitters doesn't use ELO. Explaining the inner workings of the current system would take quite an amount of time which is better spent on fixing bugs and improving the system. Knowing how it works doesn't make any difference other than satiating your curiosity. Even if an official explanation with formulas and everything existed, very few people would be able to or interested in understanding it. The current system has been designed so that players worry less about the outcomes of their games and more about playing, enjoying and giving their best at all times.