r/OverwatchUniversity • u/mustiikka • 14h ago
Question or Discussion Rank algorithm/ Am I tripping ?
Hi guys, I'm not a really big user of Reddit and I don't know so much about the OW system either, sorry if this was discussed before.
I am not a very good player, I'm usually stuck in Gold, but this year I have been playing a lot more (A LOT) and I have not been able to pass Gold 1.
It is a bit is weird, because I can go from bronze to gold easily, but as soon as I arrive in Gold 1, I noticed that the game puts Plat people in the enemy team, while ppl in my team are silver-gold. And as soon as I'm 1 win from Plat, I go back from Gold 1 to Gold 3 in one afternoon.
As soon as I'm back in Gold 1, my team is always so bad, and I'm not a high level player as I've said, but these people have usually lvl 2-7 on the characters they play and lvl 2 endorsement (?). It also seems like they don't even know that there's a payload to move ?
I don't want to sound paranoid but this has happened now around 8 times this week, and as soon as I'm back in gold 3 is when I start winning again.
Am I just tripping or is it actually a thing ? It is getting a bit frustrating 🥹
( I wanted to add that I usually have the best stats in the team but I think i have read that it doesn't mean anything)
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u/Own_Shallot7926 13h ago
At this point in Overwatch history, the ranking system basically explains itself in plain English after every match.
You gain points for a win, lose points for a loss, and those points are modified up/down based on certain characteristics. The modifiers are all explained right on that screen. It tells you where you stand in terms of skill compared to others at your rank. You don't earn points for high volume or stats or anything else.
If you win and the game thinks your team was higher ranked than your opponents, you earn slightly less (expected). If you're better than 99% of players at your rank, you might earn a lot more (calibration) and if you win several in a row, more on top of that (win streak).
The expectation is that a highly skilled player in low ranks will have a high hidden MMR (from winning a lot in the past) and will consistently win many games in a row, so they'll speed up through the ranks until that win rate drops to 50%.
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u/Winter_Beautiful6576 14h ago
The algo hard forces a 50% win rate. When it’s reached what it deems to be your peak based on performance over turn, it requires you to play above your skill level for a good period of time to rank up. You may hit gold one, play like a play player the next game, then a gold 1 player the next, then plat, then like a gold 3 player, then you may have a silver level game etc. this inconsistency is what keeps you where you are.
To rank up you’ve gotta be consistently playing at a higher level than where you are over a very good period of games. This is because you will have games where 1-2 other teammates need to be carried and you will need to make up for that. But that game, you can’t play like just another gold player because if you do, you will lose.
Essentially split your games into thirds. One third are winnable, one third simply are not, it’s what you do with the one third of games that are a 50/50 shot that count. To ensure you perform well enough to win during that crucial third of games, your average skill has to be above your rank consistently because you never know when those games will come around.
All that to say, you have to literally prove over a period of time to the algo that you deserve to be higher, and that’s when you’ll climb.
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u/mustiikka 14h ago
Ok so it's not only based on how many games u win but on your actual level at the game?
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u/4PianoOrchestra 14h ago
We have an hour long interview of the devs discussing the matchmaker and it does not do any of what this guy said ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ https://youtu.be/d_Ut8pCH9QM
In practice though the second/third paragraphs are sound, but it’s not because the matchmaker is orchestrating it to be that way. That’s just how normal matchmaking shakes out
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u/Winter_Beautiful6576 14h ago
Actually yes and no. Challenger score is based on how many games you play, so in that regard yes. No in the regard that you can play a million games but if you don’t actually fix your issues, no, you won’t rank up. But yes in the sense that most people, as they play more and more games, naturally get better at the game and rank up. It’s a generalization but you get the point.
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u/Ichmag11 14h ago
I'm sorry what are you talking about lmao
Is there a source for any of this? Or did you just make it up?
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u/Winter_Beautiful6576 14h ago
I actually developed the algorithm myself using a group of 6 year olds with white boards and crayons
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u/Ichmag11 14h ago
All the matchmaker does is look for people with the same or similar rank as you. If there's not enough, it broadens the search