Dota 2 to receive a new method of calculating rank
Dota 2’s MMR and ranking system has endured for a decade. Nonetheless, the system can always be improved. According to Github user muk-as, new Dota 2 depository strings suggest a transition to Glicko ratings.
Skill games are rated using the Glicko and Glicko-2 systems. Mark Glickman devised it in 1995 to improve the Elo rating system for chess. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Team Fortress 2, Dota Underlords, Guild Wars 2, and others have used Glicko ratings.
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Ratings deviation (RD)—a confidence check on a player’s rating—is a Glicko-based system’s defining feature. A player who hasn’t played in a year will have a high RD since the algorithm doesn’t trust their rating. As the algorithm is swiftly yet precisely calibrating this player’s skill level for balanced matching, their rating may fluctuate.
In ranked matchups, Dota 2 players will see the Glicko rating system’s affects as their MMR changes with each game. Glicko will change players’ MMR with “MMR Uncertainty” in each match.
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The algorithm might reward smurfs in low-ranked matches with increased MMR to move them closer to their bracket. In reverse, a player returning from a lengthy sabbatical may lose more MMR as they won’t be as skilled as they were a year before.
Dota 2’s ranking system has evolved throughout time. Every Dota 2 game gains or loses 30 MMR for solo queue and 20 for group queue. No system is flawless, but stagnant gains have generated a growing gap for elite players. A 13,000 MMR pro player is Immortal, the same as a 6,000 MMR player, yet the gap encompasses the whole rank progression from Herald to Immortal.
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Valve’s Glicko rating system in Dota 2 will eliminate point changes. Dota 2 players on Reddit speculated that the Glicko system may be similar to the game’s old rating system. In Dota 2, weaker opponents gave less MMR while stronger opponents provided more.
On higher levels like the Immortal tier, players may gain a small MMR if they beat inferior opponents but lose a lot if they lost. That made it hard to get 10,000 MMR back then.
If Valve verifies this report, this new MMR method might impact new accounts, smurfs, and gamers returning after a long layoff.
