What's the point of Rank tiers
I could stir up some arguments here but honestly, just remove the tiers (Rookie all the way to Pred). What's the point of playing in Ranked, say you started at Rookie only to get clapped by some sweaty Master player, smurf, or sus no data Bronze player. So here you'll tell me, "Oh, well, those are just players who are just getting out of that particular rank to get to their appropriate rank." Then if this is the case, why don't you just base it off of total RP gained over the ranked season? Then you can use that RP and apply it to a leaderboard system. It's disheartening to associate skill based off of a rank when it seems like it doesn't matter what rank you are anymore. Everyone is sweaty at all levels.
It's simple, the lower your RP, the casuals and low leveled players sit there till they can get better and earn those points. The higher your RP, you'll be with the try hards chasing that high score. At least in this concept, as a "Diamond" level player, while I'll feel bad having to defeat a low skilled player based off the start of my "0 RP", at least I know that I'm moving up, can recognize my skill lvl and away from their RP/skill bracket. Not the, "Oh they are Master/Pred sweats crawling through" which happens a little too frequently each match. If we value the concept of each ranked tier, we should theoretically blast through Rookie through Gold because I am a Diamond Skilled player. I should effortlessly destroy an actual Rookie lvl player not get destroyed by one...
Think of it this way...imagine an exponential graph. As you play the game based solely on RP, you'll start at the bottom, but eventually appropriately cap at a certain part of the curve until you get better right? While there will still be volatility in the amount of RP gain and loss, I feel that it's a much smoother ride up to the highest amount of RP you can earn. But again, the higher you are in that graph, the more appropriate it would feel like you're within your skill bracket instead of relying on some SBMM system where it really feels like your teammates are as good as a bag of bricks.
Here's my reasoning:
I'm tired of Sitting in "Gold III" this season having to be clapped by some no data Bronze player because they triple stack with their hard stuck Silver friends to boost them. It's psychologically painful and frustrating. I know my skill, I know I do well but because of this AMAZING SBMM system we have, I queue in with some of the most brain-dead teammates, no comms, ego as hell players; I'm having to yield 1-2k dmg while they have maybe a few hundred all while having to deal with a triple stacked sweats. If I really am paired with other "Gold III" players, shouldn't they yield the same amount of dmg/kills as me? if not at least around that? In other situations, I can play 10 straight games ending on a loss, and yield 0 to ONE kill with 1k dmg basically fighting for my pride and my life hoping I don't get beamed effortlessly anywhere I go.
I DON'T even see an actual GOLD, PLAT or Diamond player (assuming badged on their banner) to come contest me and proceed to have a good fight. I would accept that loss and know that I was outplayed by that appropriate rank. I always lose to some no data account default skin, or Bronze player, Silver player who runs the map down like it's ALGS.
And pleaaaaaase tell me SBMM is working cause I see a ton of S17 Master players who flex that badge who aren't really Masters that basically create this imbalance in the system as well as smurfs with presumably a high KD but low level account to get queued in lobbies they are more than capable of mowing down game after game after game.
Now I understand this concept of gathering RP is the same as with the Rank tiers (Because you have to earn RP to get to that rank), but the VALUE of each tier/badge all feel so meaningless. I ABSOLUTELY don't feel like a Diamond player (Currently at Gold III crawling up) when some smurf just claps me with their eyes closed. I would rather chase points and not think about some stupid badge if that means Silver and below players constantly clap me and my teammates. And hear me out, SBMM can be removed because if everyone theoretically started at 0 RP, those "try hards" we can't avoid will zoom through the points and match with others since they can accrue RP at a faster rate, MEANWHILE those low level, actually low skilled, or casual players will sit at some particular RP average so they can continue to play with their peoples as the season moves forward. So now it's basically equal opportunity. God, every ranked game at any tier feels like ALGS and is just low key a let down man...
And the biggest difference is, say I had 14,000 RP, I will be with players with the same amount of RP which in a sense means they have the relative skill to earn all those points right? That eliminates the concept of SBMM and being paired based off the elements of K/D, Maturity of account, Account level or w.e. complex bracket formula they use. And let me tell yea, just cuz I'm a Diamond player, it doesn't mean I'm playing with other players in my bracket; at least it doesn't feel like it. I get paired with some octane main stimming into a team thinking he's Faide and dying before I can even get loot or an actual booger skilled player who doesn't belong in Gold because they probably ratted their way there...
Iono yall...I'm slowly giving up on this game tbh...It's just not fun anymore, really. I don't expect to win every games but I'm tired of being decimated 20+ games in a row before entering a lobby where I feel like my team and I finally have a chance at winning fights.
Share me your thoughts and opinions. If this doesn't make sense to you all, then I guess I'm just the biggest complainer.
- @AREYOUSITHREOUS
You are laboring under a grave misconception as to the purpose and nature of a ranking system.
The misconception: We all jump into to rank grinds so we can find out where we stand compared to other players, so we can "earn" whatever things it is the dev wants to dangle in front of us as a "reward" for grinding, and so we can slap that rank badge on our banner and show off to every other player who fell just short of that same rank.
Reality of ranking systems: The developer has an interest in keeping you playing as often as possible and for as long as possible. So they have every reason to drag out the grind, and they know they can get away with it because games are addictive, and the players most likely to form that kind of relationship with the game are the same ones who will do virtually anything, endure virtually anything, to climb that ladder. They will learn every in and out of the system, they will come to an intimate understanding of every foible and flaw the system has, and how those flaws conspire to screw them over, and they will persevere almost without regard for those flaws. And then, when they discover that the fun/frustration ratio is about 1:100 they will start actively exploring soft cheats. Then boosting. Then hard cheats. Pretty soon (not sure which season exactly, but I'm sure real rank grinders could almost pinpoint the day) people start to realize that between the poorly constructed rank system, and the army of cheaters which arises to conquer it, that the game is beyond repair and that ranks have no meaning.
But here's the kicker: even in the early days when the ranking system was both reasonable and understandable, before every streamer created a new Smurf account every weekend so they could do a new rookie-to-pred run, before Hal switched to controller because, I guess, he wasn't winning enough, before any of the BS creep that has completely ruined the rankings in this game...
...you still had a system based on the arbitrary values of the designers, and a system that ranked players individually in a team-based game. That makes the system useless to me personally, but most people just pushed ahead because it is, as they say, what it is. There's nothing you can do about it except throw your dice and see what comes up. Those dice are weighted and they always were, and now it's even worse. Ranks are for chumps and cheaters. Play pubs and start enjoying the gameplay instead of the grind.
Rant over.
