[RULE] Regular Stage: Qualification

[Random McChanse]

As many of you may have realized, it's a lot easier to duel well for two duels and get a high-scoring PDPD than to duel several and accomplish the same (especially with the very high duels fought for those who are competing in that category). It also carries the issue of duelists refusing to duel in a regular stage after two duels if they won both (or even won one and lost one), as to not risk their current PDPD.

Therefore, Matt suggested that we use the Emerald Ranking System's method of determining qualification, and I present it here with a small modification:

The number of duels for qualification in a regular stage will be the median of all of the duels of the participating duelists in that stage (with no minimum required to be counted). If a duelist has a number of duels equal to the median or higher, then he/she qualifies; otherwise, he/she automatically receives one Tour Point for the stage regardless of PDPD.

My modification was to make it the median rather than the mean, as the median is not affected by the relatively few duelists with very high duels fought competing for that 2-point reward. The median will also always be a whole number, so no issues about rounding.

Pros:
- Keeps duelists from gaming the system in order to obtain a high PDPD with the minimum number of duels, and thus guarantees that the highest PDPD goes to the most skilled duelist of the stage.
- The number of duels required is proportionate to how active the stage participants are
- Keeps people dueling, instead of meeting the minimum and leaving, since the true minimum won't be determined until the end of the stage

Cons:
- Bad for those who don't have much time for dueling as it is, as it will on the average increase the number of duels necessary to qualify for a stage
- The minimum required to qualify is unknown until the stage is over
- More work for me, as I'll have to update the stage thread with the current standings (or at least the current median) every day so as to lessen the impact of the previous con

[Cory]

I like the ERS system. While it might hurt those that don't have the time to duel, there's always another time and date to make up for when those people do have time.

As I've seen, TdR duelers are a constant in the venues, they're always there. Unlike many Warlords and Emeralds. So you missed Thusday and Friday. That still leaves Saturday and Sunday. Or, in the case of DoM if you missed Sunday, there's Monday/Tuesday. DoF; Monday thru Wednesday.

I, for one, skip DoF on Mondays now for personal reasons, and duel Fists on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Make me out a bad person or not supporting the duels if you want. I don't like dueling in the FlashChat system. So sue me. I say; Bite me. I tried it many times and still don't like it. But I digress and that's for another thread.

Back to the point, there's still plenty of opportunity to get TdR duels in. No matter the Stage we're in. You miss a Stage, move on to the next. There's plenty of chances to get points and earn the right to wear a jersey.

[Vanion Shadowcast]

I don't like the revised system for the following reasons;


- There is no way to know if you have reached the minimum number of duels, and as such, you may barely miss it and lose out on points even if you have a 4-0 record and high MPDPD.


- If you go the middle route, 50% of the duelists involved with the regular stage automatically only get 1 point. Not only does this lower diversity in placements for rewards, it also screws with the various placement brackets, since you will not be able to "place" 50% of your participants in every stage.


My suggestion? Raise the minimum duel requirement to 3 or 4.

[Tasslehofl Momus]

I don't like the revised system for the following reasons;


- There is no way to know if you have reached the minimum number of duels, and as such, you may barely miss it and lose out on points even if you have a 4-0 record and high MPDPD.

That is the concept behind this. To promote more dueling. It is a risk that everyone who duels will take in hoping that they have the required amount of duels, but to have someone duel only 3 times, and even win all 3, then to have someone who duels 10 times, and has a majority winning record, but still a lower PDPD... which duelest was better? The one that stopped because they were worried about dropping their PDPD? or the one who kept going dispite the possibility that they may lose their great PDPD?

- If you go the middle route, 50% of the duelists involved with the regular stage automatically only get 1 point. Not only does this lower diversity in placements for rewards, it also screws with the various placement brackets, since you will not be able to "place" 50% of your participants in every stage.

As it stands now, everyone gets 1 point for their team (and I think maybe 1 point for themselves if they participate, but don't quote me on that). By giving a 50% line, there are 2 defined sides.. those who made above the minimum duels, and those who didn't. Those 2 sides could further then be seperated by a second 50% line for their respective sides, leaving Upper Above, Lower Above, Upper Below, and Lower Below.


This all can be around the same concept as the WL Ranks, expect they are seperated into thirds, not fourths.



Yes, the problem is that you will not know if you make it, and that makes it more of a challenge, and more fun (at least to me). It will require you to duel more *if* you want to potential to be ranked, and at the same time, pulls more duels in during dueling times/nights. I'm all for the new way, even if I don't make the cut to be in the upper half (and I more than likely won't be since I can only get 2 or so duels in a week.. 3 or 4 if I'm lucky.. but that is for no other reason than my own).

[DUEL Kheldar]

Another way to alter the format would be to not raise the requirement (or raise it a set number) and then give bonuses for the number of wins over that requirement. ERS gave a % bonus for each win over the requirement for the top bracket. This would make it easy to qualify, while rewarding duelers who kept winning, and would allow, though not without some effort, some duelers who got a loss early to still catch someone who won the minimum and stopped for the stage.

[Vanion Shadowcast]

I agree with Kheldar, and when I spoke to Random, my suggestion was to leave the minimum at a set number and offer +MPDPD bonuses for higher duels (you could even have a bracket system for that, +whatever MPDPD if you are in the top 25% of most duels fought, or +a little less MPDPD if you are in the top 50%, etc). This would still promote people fighting more, but would keep the minimum for qualification at a known set.

[Amaltea]

Actually, I am very happy with the way they are calculated right now.

Win or lose I usually never duel more than twice a night to begin with. Why should a person that only likes to duel so little be penilized because the rest have more time to show up to duel more often?

I believe that the numbers are calculated per person at the moment. If that's how it's being done, I like that better. My score shouldn't depend on how often someone else duels.

I also don't like the thought of changing the rules in the middle of the Tour.

[G]

I also don't like the thought of changing the rules in the middle of the Tour.

That's my main beef with everything right now. Let's keep things as they are and change them for the next Tour after we've had more thought behind what all needs work done to it when we see it in this one.

[Karen Wilder]

Win or lose I usually never duel more than twice a night to begin with. Why should a person that only likes to duel so little be penilized because the rest have more time to show up to duel more often?

I agree with Amal completely here.

Not only am I a busy person, but I'm on the West Coast which means I simply can't duel as often as someone on the East Coast.