To coincide with the year-end update, featuring 1v1 mode and many other changes to the Kolossium in general, we'd like to offer a FAQ (frequently asked questions). Specifically, it deals with the rating and ranking system.
HOW THE RATING SYSTEM WORKS
In order to create balanced fights, the server needs to know characters' power.
This power is represented as a rating, which is visible to players in-game.
The way it's calculated is fairly complex, but these are the main principles used to determine it.
A rating consists of two values:
- Mu: a character's power as perceived by the system
- Sigma: the uncertainty related to this power
The Mu value increases after a victory and decreases after a defeat. There is a minimum of +/-5, no matter what happens, which was not the case before Update 1.61. A cap was also added; you can no longer gain or lose more than 100 Mu from a Kolossium fight.
The Sigma value increases after a surprising result and decreases after an expected result.
That is, if you lose a fight you were supposed to win or you win a fight you were supposed to lose, the uncertainty of your rating goes up, because the system will assume that your power was miscalculated.
In contrast, if you win when you were the favorite, or if you lose when you had a higher chance of losing than the opposing team, the system will assume its predictions were accurate in relation to your power, so it will reduce the associated uncertainty.
A character's rating is equal to: Mu – (Sigma*3)
This means that a character whose power is high but uncertain could get a very low rating.
In general, the more fights a character engages in, the lower their uncertainty will be (the system has an increasingly easier time determining a character's power over the course of multiple fights).
If a character hasn't been in any Kolossium fights, they can't get a reliable rating (since they've never battled, the system has no way of knowing their power level). To prevent newbies from being matched with just anyone, we assign a base power and uncertainty to each character.
The assigned power value will at first be calculated using the character's level.
The assigned uncertainty is equal to their power divided by 9.
To more effectively predict the power of newcomers in the Kolossium system, the power first assigned to each new character in their first Kolossium fight will be dynamically updated, based on the character's level.
To allow character ratings to quickly reach their actual value, while also preventing them from fluctuating too greatly, a rating's rate of change will directly depend on the uncertainty associated with the power; if the uncertainty value is low, the rating will slowly change.
This rating system makes it possible to rank characters relative to each other based on their power, as well as to determine the power relationships between multiple characters (for example, character A is 2 times more likely to beat character B). These power relationships allow for balanced teams, with characters whose power and level may differ.
HOW MATCHMAKING WORKS
To ensure that players won't search for Kolossium fights for hours without finding any, we've reworked the "relaxation" system within matchmaking for Update 1.61. Also, it will be possible to simultaneously register for 1v1 mode and 3v3 mode.
Thus, initially the system will try to find opponents of a comparable power and rating. As time goes on, the system will increasingly broaden its search to opponents that meet fewer of these criteria.
These are the current primary rules:
Kolossium 1v1
|
Indicator |
Rule |
Relaxation |
|
Level |
There is a maximum of 10 levels difference between the two players. |
No |
|
Rating |
We try to match players with similar ratings. |
Yes |
|
Last class fought |
We try to avoid having two matches in a row against the same class. |
Yes |
|
Last player fought |
We try not to match up two players that just fought each other. |
No |
Kolossium 3v3
|
Indicator |
Rule |
Relaxation |
|
Level |
There is a maximum of 20 levels difference between the lowest-level and highest-level character in a match. This difference is calculated from the six players in the two teams. |
No |
|
Rating |
We try to match players with similar ratings. |
Yes |
|
Class duplicates |
Class duplicates are prohibited within a single team, whether formed through matchmaking or at players' initiative. |
No |
|
Enemy and ignore list |
The system won't match a player with a team if the player is on the enemy or ignored list of one of the team members. |
Yes |
Questions
I have 11 wins and 0 losses, but I'm lower ranked than a player of the same level with only 3 wins and 0 losses. Why is that?
Using the explanation given earlier, it means that the player who got 3 wins defeated opponents of a much higher ranking. Whereas in your case, the opponents you faced were of an equal or lower level than you.
I lost a fight and my rating went up; how is that possible?
That's entirely possible, especially at the start of a "season". At that time players have a higher uncertainty level; when a player loses a fight, they lose both Mu and uncertainty. Sigma decreases faster than Mu, so the rating increases by way of the formula previously mentioned: Mu – (Sigma*3)
For example:
- A player has 1200 Mu and 120 Sigma. That gives them a rating of 840.
- They lose against a player with the same amount of Mu but a lower Sigma value, say 5.
- The losing player then has 1118 Mu and 78 Sigma. So their rating is now 883, again using the formula above.