Elo Rating System for Spars
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EDIT (PLEASE READ):
Some people have pointed out that adding an Elo rating system into gun spars would be unfair because players, regardless of how skilled they are, would be able to win against more skilled players just because they are using a better-suited weapon.
To somewhat change my original idea, which was to add an Elo rating system (as described below) to all spars, I have thought over this idea and decided that an Elo rating system should only be added to boxing spars (like Mercy Gym). This would be fair because both players are only able to use their fists, and the outcome of matches would be entirely based on skill.
In addition, I've also noticed that not too many people go to Mercy Gym to spar. Rarely will I go there and have to wait more than a few matches whilst in the queue. An Elo rating system designed exclusively for boxing spars would really make Mercy Gym more popular and bring some skilled people in.
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First off, I'm new to the forums. Anyway, based on the title of this thread you've probably already guessed what all of this is going to be about. Now I don't know if what I'm about to suggest has already been suggested in the past, but I'm going to do my best to explain what I'd like to see be added to Era. If you still don't have any idea what I'm talking about here, just continue reading and it'll hopefully make more sense to you.
So basically, I'm curious to know if an Elo-type rating system can be implemented into the game, and more importantly, everyone else's thoughts on it being added. In case you don't know what the Elo rating system is, you can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system.
Reasons to Implement
After playing countless hours on Era over the past few years, many of which have been dedicated to sparring, I've noticed a lot of competition. It isn't always easy to tell how skilled a player is just based off of how many wins they have or their win-loss ratio. That's where the Elo rating system comes in. By adding it:
- There will be a whole new aspect to sparring.
- Players will have a more accurate representation of everyone's skill level.
- There will be increased competition.
- Skilled players won't benefit from winning against newer players (this will also make boosting to gain Elo more difficult).
Mechanics
The following guidelines are the basics to how I think the rating system should work:
- All players start with 1400 Elo.
- The K-factor (the maximum Elo change in a players rating) should be 32.
So, just in case you're still a little bit confused, here are some examples of how the rating system would work:
Let's say there's three players: Player A (1400 Elo), Player B (1400 Elo), and Player C (1800 Elo).
Suppose Player A (1400 Elo) fights Player B (1400 Elo) and Player A wins. Now, Player A would gain 16 Elo and Player B would lose 16 Elo. So the new ratings of each player would be: Player A (1416 Elo) and Player B (1384 Elo).
Now suppose Player A (1416 Elo) fights Player C (1800 Elo) and this time Player A loses. Now, Player A would lose only 3 Elo, but Player C would only gain 3 Elo. So the new ratings of each player would be: Player A (1413 Elo) and Player C (1803 Elo).
Finally, suppose Player B (1384 Elo) fights Player C (1803 Elo), but Player B happens to win. Now, Player B would gain 29 Elo and Player C would lose 29 Elo. So the new ratings of each player would be: Player B (1413 Elo) and Player C (1774 Elo).
Final Thoughts
If you did take the time to read through everything so far, I thank you for your patience. In addition to agreeing or disagreeing with adding a rating system, it would be helpful to post additional suggestions below if you agree, and if you disagree, please explain why. As for me, I don't see any problems with implementing an Elo-type rating system, but if any major complications exist, also please let me know what the problem is. In the event that the idea of adding a rating system gains support, I can provide the developers with some assistance in writing the code. Again, thank you for reading through all of this and please ask any questions below should you have any.
