Separating D1 and D2 ranks

by **StatiC** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 12:12 pm

I really enjoy playing D2 and would like to know how good I am at that compared to D1. Has there been a discussion about having different ranks for each game so that someone that is very good at one game but only good at another could still show others that they are top dog on a specific game? I wonder if we would get more D2 games going if there were separate ladders for each game. Someone at the top might be less likely to play another game right now if they don't practice it alot and it affects their D1 ranking. As Overload comes into the picture and if DCL decides to support it then I suspect this will be even more true. D1, D2, (D3?), Overload.

I reallize a lot of work has gone into the DCL as it is though and I don't know how big of an effort it would be to separate d1 and d2 scores. Maybe there could still be an overall rank too.

by **LotharBot** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 1:44 pm

I don't think people avoid D2 because they're worried about their ranking. They avoid D2 because they don't enjoy it. Personally, I find it to be a poorly balanced game, with few levels/weapon combos actually suitable for 1v1 (but you should check out The Duellists on DMDB -- a great D2 level set.)

But there is a D2 trophy, and those who consider D2 to be a good game mode should be playing for it.

One of our philosophies on DCL is that the players lead -- if a lot more players emphasized D2, it might become part of the core. But right now, it's being played less and less. Season 1, 6.2% of matches were in D2; season 2 it was 3.8%, then 2.6%, 1.8%, 0.5%, and this season 0.3%. It's hard to justify a D2 ladder when there have only been 188 total matches in over 2 years, compared to over 8,000 D1 matches.

by **Mark392** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 4:17 pm

Hey Lothar! Do me a huge favor? Let me know when the D1 games go... "OVER 9000!!!!"

Bahahahaha! I'll make a video for that. (Yes diehard DBZ ppl I know the original was over 8k but got lost in translation--9k sounds so much better!)

by **LotharBot** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:04 pm

I don't watch it closely, but http://descentchampions.org/ladder_stat ... n=lifetime has all the data.

by **Entropy** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:13 pm

by **Sirius** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 7:54 pm

Vicious circle. People don't ask for it, which means they don't get practice in it, which means they don't want to play it as much, which means they don't ask for it...

I have been considering trying to break out of this but as most people know, with the amount I actually play I'm probably not a good candidate to lead the effort.

by **Ashes** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 10:40 pm

Just played a D2 game. It's time to put it back on the radar.

by **Sirius** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 10:42 pm

If anyone in gold is up for a D2 trophy match, I'll answer the call also (assuming I can get online)... there are at least 3-4 suspects I think might be interested

by **StatiC** » Sat Apr 02, 2016 10:49 pm

Sirius... I agree with you. If people had another ladder they could become top dog on I think it would get more people playing it. I am not experienced enough to know about the balance of d1 or d2... I just know I enjoy playing it. I usually disable the Helix, Smart mines, Omega, and Earth Shaker for serious games. I love the burner and mercury missiles the most.

I did do a d2 DCL match with Ashes today which got me thinking more about this. I plan to try and get more D2 matches going.

by **Sirius** » Sun Apr 03, 2016 6:46 pm

There is something to be said for that, though I don't think a separate website would be the answer... and also, if the barriers are in fact too high to be overcome by a few players pushing, I'd figure something small or simple might be a better first step. D2 trophies should actually be a great help - the one issue is they don't give me a reason to look up silver/bronze pilots for D2 games, and that's where more of the players are.

Obviously a "ladder-within-a-ladder" would correct that, but the programmer in me automatically asks "isn't there a less expensive option?"