Changes to scoring in Versus events

Hi, all,

Will from Demiurge here to talk about some changes we’re making to scoring in Versus events.

There was a loophole in the scoring system that allowed players to coordinate to gain lots of points very quickly, by intentionally losing to one another. We’ve closed that loophole by reducing the amount of points gained from a defensive win to ⅓ of what it was previously. The defender currently wins in a Versus match only about 10% of the time, so this has a small impact on players who weren’t intentionally losing to one another. We’re taking that into account with the next change:

Changes we made to Versus matchmaking in Season XIII increased average Versus fight times by about 30%. We want to reduce the time that it takes to climb the leaderboards and add some additional points into the system to make up for those lost from the change to how defensive wins are scored. We’re increasing the points value of each Versus mission by 50%.

(That affects both the number of points from a win and from a loss. Before the change, if Ada and Bea both have 500 points and Ada attacks Bea and wins, Ada would gain 25 points and Bea would lose 13. After the change, Ada would gain 38 points and Bea would lose 19.)

The change to the amount of points gained from a defensive win has already been made, and the increase to the points value of a Versus mission will take effect with the start of Season XV.

I’m excited to make Versus faster and fairer, and I’m looking forward to getting these changes into your hands!

Q&A (Added 5/27):
Q: What’s the most you’ll be able to earn in a single mission?
A: 75 points, 50% more than the old maximum of 50 points.

Q: Can you show a specific example with a defensive win? If Ada and Bea both have 500 points and Ada attacks Bea and loses, what happens?
A: Once Season XV starts, Ada would lose 19 points and Bea would gain 13 (37.5/3, rounded off).

Q: Can you give us the complete algorithm for figuring out how many points you’ll lose or gain?
A: The scoring system is based on the Elo rating system, but the formula for that is too complex to put here without mathematical notation. Check Wikipedia if you’re interested. But the algorithm goes something like this:
Start with the points change given by the Elo rating system, with a k-value of 75.
If the loser’s score is <=1000, multiply their loss by (their score / 1000).
If the winner was the defender, divide their gain by 3.
Round the result.

Q: Yeah, that’s too much math. How about some more examples?
A: OK! Here you go:

A (500) attacks B (500): If A wins, A gains 38, B loses 19. If A loses, A loses 19, B gains 13.
A (200) attacks B (500): If A wins, A gains 64, B loses 32. If A loses, A loses 2, B gains 4.
A (500) attacks B (200): If A wins, A gains 11, B loses 2. If A loses, A loses 32, B gains 21.

Q: Are you actually excited about this, or is that just a corporate line?
A: I actually get excited about stuff like this. That exclamation point was legit.