Ranking System + Game searching tool

default01

In short: It could be nice to have an actual ranking system (ladder), with it seasons, where points are won and lost, and a "searching for game" system implemented, like it happens in many other online games such as "Starcraft"... (so people could play normal, ladder, or tournament games creating a better experience...)

It would not be so difficult, and the whole structure could be completely copied from other games, as commented before.

Thisisnotasmile

default01 ttapulse.com for 2 player games.

WanderingWolf

default01 isnt international and intermezzo championship a ladder system where points are won and lost, and people move up and down over consecutive seasons?

default01

Thisisnotasmile I believe it should be within the app itself. But also, to be able to look for 3p and 4p games... and automatically be in games with people more less with the same skills than me (hence the ELO/ranking/ladder suggestion as well).

So it becomes easier to find the games you want... "I am looking for: and you fill it up, like creating a game (2p-4p), (random mix, basic...), (default async...)... and "ladder/casual" game would be the last to choose... and then the system automatically pair people up for the games, based on their exposed preferences... Everyone happy.

Jorrig

This has been discussed quite a lot. First thing, if you don't know: You can exclude certain ranks by finishing your game name by something lke "40+" or "25-35" or "30-". Selecting by rank is arguably a bit arbitrary, but it helps at the beginning. Above rank 40 you can find anything from amateurs to pros, but I have the impression this doesn't matter too much. If you like competitive play, there are several tournaments out there which will put you in a place with some peers. Some huge ladder system (I checked the one of SC2) would probably too much for a rather smaller player base like this one.
Problem with some kind of ladder is also that player sections don't always overlap. Many prefer a certain speed or player count, and these are not directly comparable.

default01

Jorrig actually I have seen people putting 35+ with autostart and then people of level 15 joining in and triggering the game to start. Perhaps I am wrong but it sounds a bit more like "people begging others not to join if they are not 35+" and not an actual system...

Regarding the "game speed", it can be included within the things to fill up on preferences to find a game with the search tool... simple, no?

Regarding the overlapping, that thing shall not happen, since the match maker would only help you with one game. Once the game is found, you have to activate again the matchmaker again... so they would find new people... (you can even put 10 min in between matchmakings to prevent it, for instance...)

default01

WanderingWolf No. It is for 3p only, and it is not integrated, and does not allow to matchmaking games based on win ratio, and so on... check starcraft matchmaking, and you will see how it works... easily and simple... (you can download starcraft for free, check it online "ladder" and you will see what I mean... very very simple and effective system... )

Jorrig

default01 If you end the game description with '35+', for example 'Good players 35+', they shouldn't even see the game. I've seen many players doing things like 'Good players 35++++' or 'Good players 35+ only', and that won't work, anybody will see it, and some people join, anyway. As game owner you can kick them, though.

srpwnd

Hello,

This topic has been discussed and addressed many times before, but I will briefly explain our stance.

We don't want to bring ELO or ranking play into the game because we don't believe it would benefit the community. Keep in mind that this is a board game first, and it was never designed to be played competitively. That fact alone makes it almost impossible to make balance changes to the game (that happens very often with competitive games). We want to stay true to the tabletop version and provide the same experience (only a bit streamlined with the technology).

However, we've heard the demand for competitive play from many of our players. That is why we implemented the tournament system and cooperated with TTA Pulse to provide you with ways to enjoy this aspect of the game.

A matchmaking system is an idea that seems so good that it raises questions as to why wasn't it ever implemented. This also has some reasons. Considering there are 216 possible combinations of match settings to choose from and an active player base of a few hundred players would make it almost impossible to match up. Not to mention adding an option to chose between ranked and casual play (that would result in 432 combinations).

That all being said, it is also a matter of resources. All of these features would require us to pour a lot of work and resources into maintaining them. For a small team such as ours, that would take our focus away from developing new games -- and that is something we want to do right now 🙂

I hope this brings a bit of insight into our work and plans.

gamblerch

understood. May I know if there is any plan on new features of our beloved TTA digital? more statistics data, such as the winning rate for me to use Roman Roads?