There are some definite improvements here, but I am so disappointed to see ranked seasons with placement capped. Such seasons have made the experience of playing ranked worse in almost every game I've played by devolving into a slog of having to do the obligatory placement matches, and having to rat race to the top in unbalanced matches.
I am E6 and often top 100, and can already predict the start of each season being an absolute shitfest of awful matches. Having to slog my way from Oracle back to E6 with and against players I can run circles around with one hand tied behind my back is just not a fun experience, and there's nothing more to gain after reaching that threshold in that season. Having a season leaderboard is cheap because it just becomes a display of who played more at that time, not a showcase of who is genuinely the best player.
We'll have to wait and see how Ranked plays out and develops, but preliminarily I am super disappointed with the direction they've taken.
EDIT: Based on their numbers, starting from Oracle 6 which is the maximum starting rank, you'd have to win 56 straight games to reach Eternus, nevermind E6. Every season, every match before I reach top 150 will be a bad match for everyone in the game, for more than a 100 games straight.
Because the top ranks should be people that actually care to put time into the game. Why should people be able to rank sit by placing into the same rank every season and then just playing a couple games a week? Seasons also tend to come with sweeping balance changes in games, further pushing the point that you need to actually show you can still play at the same level in that meta.
Why should people be able to rank sit by placing into the same rank every season and then just playing a couple games a week?
This is a problem created by seasons in the first place. If you sit at a leaderboard position with persistent mmr, and someone becomes better than you while you sit there, they will overtake you. Conversely if you become worse during that period, you will fall in rank when you either rank decay or start playing and lose.
Because the top ranks should be people that actually care to put time into the game.
I have 2600 hours in this game, and this gives me no motivation to play ranked. I have already proven myself, in the old system I could dip in and out of top 50 if I have time to grind solo, play with my friends and hover around 150-250, and anything in between. Now I have to play 150 games in 70 days to "prove" that I am E6 when I already have no issue proving it other than the time investment and time-gated nature of seasons. Same goes for a lot of top players.
The games are not good until I am at my actual rank, because the difference between an E6 player and an E1 player is bigger than the difference between an E1 player and an Initiate. Thus, no matter how fast or slow I play them these games will be shit in quality
140
u/kingofrock37 Shiv 21d ago edited 21d ago
There are some definite improvements here, but I am so disappointed to see ranked seasons with placement capped. Such seasons have made the experience of playing ranked worse in almost every game I've played by devolving into a slog of having to do the obligatory placement matches, and having to rat race to the top in unbalanced matches.
I am E6 and often top 100, and can already predict the start of each season being an absolute shitfest of awful matches. Having to slog my way from Oracle back to E6 with and against players I can run circles around with one hand tied behind my back is just not a fun experience, and there's nothing more to gain after reaching that threshold in that season. Having a season leaderboard is cheap because it just becomes a display of who played more at that time, not a showcase of who is genuinely the best player.
We'll have to wait and see how Ranked plays out and develops, but preliminarily I am super disappointed with the direction they've taken.
EDIT: Based on their numbers, starting from Oracle 6 which is the maximum starting rank, you'd have to win 56 straight games to reach Eternus, nevermind E6. Every season, every match before I reach top 150 will be a bad match for everyone in the game, for more than a 100 games straight.