[hybridx]

The Numbers Don't Lie.

The following is less of a list and more of a discussion about the current state of the game while giving some credit where it's due so far this season.

Okay so by now I think we can all agree that the new rating system has really revolutionized a lot of things about our game. A big thanks to Dip and Odoacer for their work on this project. If anyone else was involved I am forgetting, sorry! We can now run about three CTAs in the time it used to take to simply pick a captain. Blowouts are a rare occurrence now and overtime losses are becoming quite common.

Thanks to this system, we finally have a great tool to measure player development and the overall skill pool. As we continue to use this system, it will become more refined. However, I hope to some day see a rating system that considers both the community's opinion, a council (that the community appoints) and CTA/league statistics (which perhaps the council could consider as part of their job instead). This brings me to the basis of my post. I am going to take a look at this season's CTA statistics and offer a brief analysis/commentary of the active players on the game right now. We have a lot of active 1900s, but sometimes the 1300s on your team make more of a difference.

Wins, some may argue, are the only stat that holds any weight. At the end of the day on any game, the victor gull the spoil. This statistic used to be a little skewed on Armor Critical in my opinion. When CTA first started up, there were a lot of 4 map games being run because of their popularity. Obviously when you're playing in game where only 1 of 4 teams can win, the chance of getting a loss rises considerably. I can't speak personally on the season before this one, but in my experience over the last two years this game has definitely shifted into a 2 team game type. The most popular map right now is Hectic, getting sometimes 5 hosts in a single day. Because of this shift in map styles and our improved rating (draft order) system, I feel WINS and ROUND WIN RATIO are among the most important stats a player can strive for. Let's take a look at our current leaderboard this season.



One thing I like to point out about the statistics is the importance of games played. I think playing 50 or 60+ games and maintaining a statistic is obviously much more impressive than 20-30. But right off the bat you have to give credit where credit is due. This season, Fiya and Castiel have above and beyond found a way to win more than the other players currently participating. Castiel's percent is tied with Agent, who is obviously no slouch himself and I consider highly underrated. But with over 100 games played each, keeping a win percentage like that is something that cannot be simply ignored. Next on this top list is another player who is underrated and that's Venture. Taking up two spots in a row (so a combined games played of 70+ at the same win%). The last player in the top 10 who doesn't get enough recognition is ChippedSpear. A player who has been improving over the last few weeks, somehow finds a way to win. Whether it's just being aware of when to rotate someone out of the corner on hectic, eating shrapnel on money regen or rushing to hit the switch on bait – these players bring that special something to their team and continue to win on a consistent basis.

Not to discount the rest of the top 15, the only other players with a considerable amount of games played are Lunu, ElAsesino and myself all hovering at around 60%. Say what you will about what it takes to win games, but at the end of the day the players who win the most have accomplished the most.

Now, onto another interesting statistic – round win ratio. I feel that this stat can be out of the hands of the player at times, such as when a stomping occurs. However, players who can maintain a high ratio over a good number of games played deserve recognition for doing so.



At the very top of the list, you have to give some respect to him despite the low numbers of games played. Kenf333 is has by far won the most rounds out of the games he's participated in. and its by a fairly wide margin considering. However I think the real credit is given to dip and venture here. Playing in 40+ games and winning 25% more rounds than you lose is nothing to scoff at. Again, some familiar names (which obviously makes sense given the link between these two stats) pop up with Fiya, Lunu, MUAHAHA, Castiel AND tobiashi putting in a staggering 100+ (158 tobi!! ) games and still winning a ridiculous about more of rounds than they lose. Lunu here is the tough luck loser though, as his overall wins rank is far below that of fiya's. Either that or that ugg wearing tom brady lover is just a really lucky mf. Further down the list we see two entries from Agent (aka SAM) and Endo. Endo is another candidate on my 'underrated' list and someone I'm always happy to see “fall” to my team. Shout out to akma for being in both the top 15 wins and round ratio but on different names.

Now, onto the stats that are a whole lot more within the control of the pilot. I liken WINS and WIN % to a pitcher in baseball. It's a team effort, but your individual performance can go a long way to helping secure the decision. The batter's stats are almost completely on the batter's shoulders. The influence from your team (Who's on base? How many outs?) can impact these final numbers but a majority of the burden is on the batter's to product. The same can be said for the pilos you see on the following lists, which you will notice are eerily similar to the game's 'top player' lists!



KD ratio.. probably one of the oldest stats to ever be counted after wins. GP is going to come into play here just like before, because like anything else .. larger sample size is more impressive. But right off the bat it's a familiar name at the very top, and like seasons passed, it is tobiashi on top and the fact he's done it over 158 games is just the cherry. Moving down we see Sebek, DreAm, the mystery man Dormin and for the third consecutive list, Agent. Of these four I really think there's only one person who doesn't get the credit they deserve as the other two are almost always on a 'top players list' in the last 3+ years. Moving down the list further we see typical top list frequenters ElAsesino, Unreal (with two names cracking the top 15), Turbo, Odoacer and Dario. In fact, of the entire top 15 listed, the only players who aren't in the 1800 or higher rating bracket are myself, Agent, wispeel and Fudorm.

And onto the last stat, perhaps meaningless out of the context of the type of maps played we have Damage Ratio.



The top 4 players here need to have a mention simply because of the length of time they've maintained the place they're at. I wouldn't say Odoacer, ElA or tobi are known for being 'overly passive' players. ElA used to be but he's become arguably the 2nd best active CTA player behind Drue (perhaps even better than him at this point) and the fact he's kept such a high DR is actually pretty impressive. Gotta give a shout out to Fudorm for leading this cat with 117 GP but I think that it's a little bit of a hollow accomplishment and you aren't quite in that tier of player yet. Moving down the list we see for the 5th time, Agent. Sebek is just ahead of him but both have a small number of games played for this list so take these ranks with a grain of salt. DreAm makes another appearance here and makes a solid final showing by being in the top 10 for both KD and DR and doing both at nearly 100 games. An interesting note here is that Unreal, Drue and Akma all have two names on this list with just about the same ratio. Rounding out this list we see myself and Dario despite only 35 games played. Again, the list of players on this list not in the 1800+ rating is rather short. Myself, Agent and Fudorm.


Armor Critical is a new kind of game than its ancestors, and in order to be considered a top player now you need to be able to thrive in a plethora of maps, styles and situations. I think this is how the game should have always been. Awareness has become more important than ever as maps range in size, pen time and weapon damage. Considering all of this and the stats I've been going over for awhile now, it is difficult to argue against the current rating list. These players are pretty damn accurate, at least in a tier sense. If you don't already know how the system works, not every one who is a 1600 is a 1600. It ranges from 1600-1699 and changes daily, explaining the moves up and down. Even though I know this is how it works, I still consider the rating system as a tier because it's hard to argue a 1950 is more useful to his team than a 1948 and so on. I attempted to go through each tier and offer insight, but there's not a lot you can say in general about a lot of these. Just a few spots need to be corrected near the top, a little more attention given to the middle and more playing time for those in the bottom to see what rises to the top.

Perhaps next time I'll through the rating system and try to offer a “Overrated/Underrated” list. But I would like to maybe partner up with someone for their input before releasing this.

UPDATE YOUR DRAFT SHEETS ALL THE TIME!! The more we do this and the more people we rank the more accurate it's going to become! Thanks for reading.

[Yosh]

k

[eekum]

Can I just point out the fact that Fudorm is up there for K/D and D/R because he blatantly has been playing for stats for months. He's actually had an extremely negative impact on his teams chances to win more often than not because of his refusal to help the team out in any way.

[hybridx]

(09-16-2014, 05:15 AM)eekum Wrote:  Can I just point out the fact that Fudorm is up there for K/D and D/R because he blatantly has been playing for stats for months. He's actually had an extremely negative impact on his teams chances to win more often than not because of his refusal to help the team out in any way.

that's exactly the kind of commentary i want. i can only do so much as one individual and was i careful not to praise Fudorm too much for his statistical accomplishments. however in the relative terms of what i was exploring, it would have been wrong to completely neglect where he's at. keep in mind, he's nowhere to be found on the WIN and ROUND WIN lists which imo are more important. i think most players can draw their own conclusion to a player with a high KD/DR but awful win percentage. bad luck can only come into play so much.

if anything, i'd like this post to at least bring attention to the rating system and perhaps adjust players accordingly. i had a small piece written up for under/overated players but didn't post it with this because i want to work with some people on it. fudorm was someone i don't think should be in the 1700s.

any comments are welcome. i'd like to get access to the top 30 for next time, so i can see more variety.

[tengo]

"Let me find the statistics I did well on and make a horrible argument for why they determine who's a true top player." - Hybrid

Players earn the highest ratings because they are the best in the game, period. How do you determine "the best"? Do you have superior mouse control, spreads, dodging, awareness, and teamwork than others? If so, you'll make it to the top. You cannot mask lack of technical ability with irrelevant statistics.

Just look at the examples you've provided, the statistics lists. Several 1900s don't make the cut, however they (we) consistently display the superior skillset required to win. Does Castiel having a higher win percentage than Ela mean anything? Lol, no. 10/10 would recommend Ela as a teammate, unless you're a complete dumfuk. The next list, does Venture deserve a higher rating because he has more Round Wins than tobiashi? Jesus no. K/D and DR are more reflective of the skillset of any given player, but there's many ways to cheat at it. You could be super passive and maintain high rates for both stats, and the way CTAs are played, that could be detrimental to winning. Also, you could always play corner in Hectic or Stronghold and easily maintain a high K/D and DR. Finally, you could be a super dumbass moron like Fudorm, who camps the portal in Bait.

One thing that should be kept in mind is the clusterfuck that is CTA matches and the rating system that requires top-tier with bottom-tier. Sometimes (much of the time) the 1900 is going to have a teammate or two that's going to be borderline useless (such as someone who provides minimal damage and many deaths.) Yes, I just used two statistics, but relevant to my point. When you have a bottom-tier produce half of the average damage of the team, with a significant higher DT then that means he/she is a medkit. These stats show that the lack of skillset in the bottom-tier, his inability to maintain mouse control and spreads for damage, his inability to dodge to avoid damage and more than likely his lack of understanding of how to be a team player. Thus, the entire team suffers, so do the rest of their stats (especially win percentage and RWR.) This isn't to complain about the rating system, which I believe is very effective overall. The reality is, sometimes the top-tier player is producing 40% of the total team damage, and that should never be the case.

Back to the clusterfuck that is CTA, it is difficult to determine who is the best or displays superior teamwork when it's an 8v8 Stronghold or any map with that many players. Sometimes I feel like wherever I shoot, I can inflict damage, and sometimes wherever I go, I'm going to take damage. These aren't the ideal settings to determine who is better than whom. You have to play small games to find out where you truly stand. 4v4 or less in most maps is the true display of skill. If anybody thinks otherwise, organize your top players from the statistics against the top-tier according to the ratings, and get fucked.

[hybridx]

not sure what you're talking about, i didn't leave anyone off. i am looking purely at the top 15 for this season of cta. if you didn't make the top 15, you will not even get a mention in this post. and i did my best to avoid mentioning myself whenever i appeared on a list.

i also cannot recall the last CTA i played in that was a clusterfuck. the refs have done a good job at playing maps in 6on6 or 7on7 as a max. this season's statistics are actually fairly telling in comparison to many others in the past.

and again, maybe i wasn't clear but to quote myself.. this is a brief analysis. i'm not going to make another top 20 list with the same names we always see. i feel like you just read through my post way too fast and missed the whole point. i am in no way insinuating players like castiel and venture are studs.. they're just like ranked in the 80s and playing far better than most give credit. even if its their better teammates carrying them. that's your job as a better teammate lol.

[niveus]

Enjoyed the read, but I really have to make the case that CTA statistics are not really worth discussing. I get what tengo was saying and have to agree with tengo minus his trash talk.

Look when it comes to stats on the CTA site, it really doesn't mean shit. There are so many situations where the statistics are nullified. For example we have all heard the argument in domination type maps. Most of the time in koth, I see people hitting 30-40 switches in stats, while I have a mere 10-20. Does that mean anything? Think about players like Lugz who just rush every switch and die, then think about players like Odoacer who take a group of switches and holds them. This is just one example why stats really don't mean shit.

Another example is bait. I love to fucking win, and I plan my strat accordingly. If my team is winning and we have the flag, most likely my job is going to be to occupy mid and try to make sure the other team doesn't get the flag. Will this mean I have the most kills or deaths? Probably not.

Statistics are a great novelty that give us information on a players characteristics. I don't think you can look at a players profile and see their DR and KD and establish if they are worth a damn. I think you have to see how players play individually in a variety of maps.

Sorry lugz but this is why TOP DD AND KILLS is overrated.

[hybridx]

(09-16-2014, 10:30 AM)niveus Wrote:  Enjoyed the read, but I really have to make the case that CTA statistics are not really worth discussing. I get what tengo was saying and have to agree with tengo minus his trash talk.

Look when it comes to stats on the CTA site, it really doesn't mean shit. There are so many situations where the statistics are nullified. For example we have all heard the argument in domination type maps. Most of the time in koth, I see people hitting 30-40 switches in stats, while I have a mere 10-20. Does that mean anything? Think about players like Lugz who just rush every switch and die, then think about players like Odoacer who take a group of switches and holds them. This is just one example why stats really don't mean shit.

Another example is bait. I love to fucking win, and I plan my strat accordingly. If my team is winning and we have the flag, most likely my job is going to be to occupy mid and try to make sure the other team doesn't get the flag. Will this mean I have the most kills or deaths? Probably not.

Statistics are a great novelty that give us information on a players characteristics. I don't think you can look at a players profile and see their DR and KD and establish if they are worth a damn. I think you have to see how players play individually in a variety of maps.

Sorry lugz but this is why TOP DD AND KILLS is overrated.

i'm with you on every point you just made. every CTA stat should absolutely be taken with a grain of salt. the best players IMO are the ones with the awareness you just described in bait. the player who can go from camping tele, to rushing mid, to pushing a switch and be great at all three. DR and KD take a backseat to things like winning for sure. can this be demonstrated with a cta top list? no way, absolutely not. imagine how many great players missed the top 15 win percentage because they have a 59% instead of a 61%? i couldn't even account for them. this is just a very very small sample to hopefully spark a discussion about the best CTA players/ratings/etc.

in the future, or if it's possible, i'd like to see a top 30 or perhaps even just a total list of every player in the current season arranged by games played. it would be really cool to see who plays what maps the most. having a separate rating for each map would be a really neat feature.

now i'm all ripped.

[eekum]

(09-16-2014, 10:30 AM)niveus Wrote:  Sorry lugz but this is why TOP DD AND KILLS is overrated.

I try to tell people like Lugz and Cartman all the time how #TOPDD means absolutely nothing when you are taking 25% more damage than even the worst player in the game. They don't understand how though. I guess people don't understand that sometimes just holding a certain position and pushing somewhere into a certain spot for 30 seconds and stalling them can be 10x more effective than getting 3 kills in that same timeframe.

[tengo]

DD has meaning behind it. Can someone who has poor mouse control and spreads achieve top DD? Nope. DD means superior mouse control and technical skills. Having the ability to inflict damage is a good thing.

Like it's been said, achieving DD in a negative way, i.e. lugz style is of course meaningless.