Reach Multiplayer Arena Q&A Transcript
Will this seasonal class tier thing be the only ranking system in reach or is it just exclusive for Arena?
Seasonal Divisions and Ratings are Arena only. As for other ranking systems that people are asking about, sorry: “more details Soon.” 🙂
What would happen if I were Onyx division and chose to search with a friend who hadn’t played a game of Halo yet? Would I get matched with players in Onyx division or players in lower divisions?
They will match with Onyx players, equal to the highest player in the party. The Arena is not a place to bring a date.
How will you see your position within a league? I know that global leader-boards have brought problems in the past.
Your Division assignment approximately indicates your position in a playlist. There is no leader-board beyond that. Our experience with leader-boards has been that they strongly motivate players to cheat, and ultimately only really matter to the top sliver of players anyway. Do you really care if you’re #12000 or #11990?
In team based game-types is it possible for the system to rank you as a team, rather than just individually? I may or may not be probing about the possibility of clans…
It is possible, in that Halo 3 did just that, but Arena play-lists rank players as individuals. (And yes, victory as a team does affect that ranking, but not so much that the worst player on the winning team ranks above the best player on the losing team, a la Halo 3.)
Does the numerical rank decrease or increase with greater skill? By that, I mean are we striving to get 0001 or, for example, 5000?
The Rating (it’s not a ranking, because it isn’t relative to other players) will vary within a range of 0 (far, far worse than the worst imaginable performance) and 2000 (an inconceivably good showing.) Most ratings will be around 1000-1500. It’ll be easier to see when we publish the formula.
The ideal is that players strive to make it better, such that you can say “hot damn, I cracked 1600 last night”, and your friends will know what that means.
Are you approaching The Arena with an interest in having a balanced game while still keeping a varied sandbox in play?
We always have that interest. We sometimes allow ourselves to fall short of that goal to add fun things to the game, like Gravity Hammers and Mongooses.
Or is it Mongoosen?
Will quitting out of matches have an effect on one’s Arena ranking?
Yes, in as much as it will count as a loss, and if you do it too much, the Banhammer will apply a special new kind of punishment targeted specifically at quitters. (No, I can’t detail it right now.)
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