How Rank Works (and why it doesn't change that much)

[tpaterniti]

I decided to post this because people talk about rank a lot but there seems to be very little understanding of how it works. So I will lay it out for you. Rank takes basically 3 things into account: Win/loss record, Offensive Rank, and Defensive Rank. If you look at the leaderboards carefully you will notice that offensive and defensive rank is based on cumulative stats, not per/game stats. Thus 2 of the big factors determining rank are based on cumulative factors, and so the way to have a high rank is to play a lot of games.

Here are some scenarios, if I play 50 games and pass for 500 yards each game and you play 300 games and pass for 100 yards, you will be ranked higher than me in passing because you will have 30,000 total passing yards and I will only have 25,000 even though clearly the guy who passes for 500 yards a game is better at passing than the guy who passes for 100 yards a game. Similarly on defense, if you get 8 sacks a game, but have only played 50 games, the guy who only gets 3 sacks a game but has played 200 games will be ranked higher than you in that category because his number of total sacks (600) will be higher than yours (400).

I am not saying that it takes no skill to be ranked high. You do have to win about 2/3 or so of your games, but the key to being ranked high is to play tons of games because it boosts your overall stats. That is the reason Ben is ranked so high (although he is a good player), and that is the reason that if you are ranked, say 100, and you don't play for a couple of days, your rank will steadily decline as other people amass more cumulative stats while your numbers remain the same.

Rank actually has only a little to do with skill and more to do with number of games played than anything, although this does not mean that high ranked players suck and that is not what I am saying. It is not at all like 2K5 where I lost 4 games in a row and went from ranked 99 to ranked 7,000.

[2Nyce]

Oh I see.


Well I have played about 200 games...but I am ranked like 150sh when I used to be ranked like 40sh a week ago, lol.

[Darkheath]

That's interesting. Something I didn't know.

But it seems a weird way to do it. I know I'll never get much higher than I am now then, because I won't play nearly as much as a lot of people.

[YungFresh]

they need to fix da ***ing ranking system like have it in a new patch or sumthin

[fasi22mob]

I went 2-3 last night and my rank went form 88 to 71. I firgured it would drop.

[tpaterniti]

If you play someone ranked high that factors in. Even if you lose your rank will probably still go up.

And YungFresh, no one really even knows what it would mean to "fix" the rank system because no one really knows how to figure out who is the best anyway. I have played people multiple times and won some, lost some. Who knows who was "better"? The problem is incredibly complex. People ***** and moan about the BCS and that just ranks 116 teams. Can you imagine the 17,000+ on Xbox Live.

[YungFresh]

well what i ment was fix the way it is ranked base it off averages and not just cumulative you feel me?

[kcxiv]

It also takes reputation into account. That Reggie Bush guy is like 88 and 11 and cant even break the top 100 becuase of his rep rating. he litterlly had not lost a game becuse he cheats since he learned how to freeze glitch.

[Phillip A Bole]

I decided to post this because people talk about rank a lot but there seems to be very little understanding of how it works. So I will lay it out for you. Rank takes basically 3 things into account: Win/loss record, Offensive Rank, and Defensive Rank. If you look at the leaderboards carefully you will notice that offensive and defensive rank is based on cumulative stats, not per/game stats. Thus 2 of the big factors determining rank are based on cumulative factors, and so the way to have a high rank is to play a lot of games.

Here are some scenarios, if I play 50 games and pass for 500 yards each game and you play 300 games and pass for 100 yards, you will be ranked higher than me in passing because you will have 30,000 total passing yards and I will only have 25,000 even though clearly the guy who passes for 500 yards a game is better at passing than the guy who passes for 100 yards a game. Similarly on defense, if you get 8 sacks a game, but have only played 50 games, the guy who only gets 3 sacks a game but has played 200 games will be ranked higher than you in that category because his number of total sacks (600) will be higher than yours (400).

I am not saying that it takes no skill to be ranked high. You do have to win about 2/3 or so of your games, but the key to being ranked high is to play tons of games because it boosts your overall stats. That is the reason Ben is ranked so high (although he is a good player), and that is the reason that if you are ranked, say 100, and you don't play for a couple of days, your rank will steadily decline as other people amass more cumulative stats while your numbers remain the same.

Rank actually has only a little to do with skill and more to do with number of games played than anything, although this does not mean that high ranked players suck and that is not what I am saying. It is not at all like 2K5 where I lost 4 games in a row and went from ranked 99 to ranked 7,000.

You're only partially right, but for the most part you are correct. I used to be ranked 9, but currently ranked 15 or so (as of tonight). I've played a lot of games, maybe 150 to 170 I'd say (I haven't checked lately). It does indeed seem to take into account cumulative stats, but it takes into account, very heavily, whether or not you play Legend difficulty or not.

You also have to have a good record also, and probably win 2/3 of your games, but in the end, it's not very indicative of how good you are frankly.

If you play on Legend, you can lose several games--and I mean several--and still move up in overall rank. I'm only ranked in the 20's in all pro, 20's or 30's in Legend. My overall rank is 15...so it definitely takes into account the Legend portion and applies a weight to your overall rank.

I have no doubt of this, because it did it even when I was ranked 500 in Legend and moving up (even though I wasn't playing all pro) and even if I was losing it would move me up in overall rank because of the # of games played and overall stats.

Another thing I've noticed is that it is really hard to LOSE rank. I have gone for a couple of days even without playing and only seen my rank drop by a couple of positions.

Frankly, I don't put that much stock into rank. I'm not very good. I'd say I win 2/3 of my games (you can verify this by looking me up), but when I play someone good I either lose or it's very close.

Honestly, the # of good players are few and far between, that's just a fact. When you play a good player it's obvious. He may not be ranked high, but you can tell. The Mod Numski is good, not ranked very highly because he doesn't play alot, but he's good. Rank is over-rated.

[tpaterniti]

I think the legend factor isn't so much because it is legend as that it is a game mode most people don't play, so when it looks at me and I have no rank in legend, then looks at you and you do, it makes your rank higher. It's like you got a 100 on an extra quiz you took at school whereas I just had 1 less grade than you.

And I agree with you YungFresh that it should be more average based. I think it should take both into account to prevent people from having 10 good games and being #1 with ridiculous averages.

[Phillip A Bole]

Either way, and no matter how they rank it, I think people who play alot are going to be higher ranked. I don't think that will change. Playing on Legend DOES make a difference. When they wipe the records, I'll play everything on legend and see how fast I progress this time and report back.

The problem is, it's like you said, all the stats are cumulative, and anyone who plays alot (as I do) is going to be higher ranked. It doesn't mean they're better, it means they play more.

[Bish-Bosh]

Can you explain how then I was ranked 2230 when record was 8-6-0 and a guy in the lobby was ranked 250 with 8-6-0 record aswell. Only 14 games played each. Ranking system baffles me on the PS3.

[BenRichardSON]

It goes by who you play too. I saw some guy named Psonic and he was 249-0 or somthing like that... yet he was ranked 8000... I dont think I am the best, but I am one of the better players out there. I tend not to play lower rank players because I end up blowing them out and get bored really fast. But lately I have been smoking the "top ranks". I beat R&S 28-3, Tha Realest 24-3, Eagles4343 49-14, Unplu66ed 35-7, and a few others.... I could play alot and still be ranked 4000, but I win way more than I lose and I only lose to higher up ranks.

Thats why I am the SIM CHAMP ;) !!!