As everyone in diamond knows, it is not a high rank. People don’t make accounts and keep them there like they do in the top 500 (where decay should most definitely be a thing).
Diamond is still a rank full of casual players. Sure, it takes a little game sense (and aim, depending on hero) to get there, but it’s not like diamond players play every day.
I do not have time to play every week. When I do have time on a weekend, I reset to 3000 every time. It’s kind of annoying, especially since there’s no reason for decay to be a thing in such a low rank.
So, I say lets get rid of decay in diamond. Who’s with me!!
the old forum had a ton of threads calling out that decay in the diamond range was stupid. As diamond is +1 over average game play wise so it’s pointless to keep knocking players down and even more damaging, it makes it more desirable to just play on alt accounts if a players rank is well over 3k.
Why play a high ranking main early on in the season? Decay requires you to play 7+ games on it week after week. No just do placements late in the season and rocket back up to one’s old SR in 10 games! Same exact results in 10 games that might require 70-100+ other wise. Rest of the time, just screw around on alts.
as for why decay is still there when I’m pretty sure the player base doesn’t like it? Just not a lot of players past 3k, even in lower 3k that’s diamond. They need more churn rate for the sake of match making.
I agree, Diamond is sort of the “young professionals” rank, where I have had the privilege of being in (currently trying to get that back).
As such, a lot of people who end up in this rank tend to have something that takes away 5 days of their week, due to perfectly reasonable causes (jobs, school, uni, etc.).
As such, I think it’s a little bit annoying as to how we are forced to play 7 games over the weekend in order to keep the high SR we have.
Decay was changed back in Aug 2017 to 5 games / 7 days with losses of just 25 SR / day of inactivity. That’s barely any decay at all, especially when you get them back almost immediately on returning with the decay-SR-boost.
If you can’t manage / don’t care enough to set aside time for 5 game a week, then you should stop caring about numbers in a game that you barely play.
I am in college and do not have my Xbox with me. I only play when I go home for the weekend or have a break. It’s kind of a pain to restart at 3k every time.
Why not decay in plat? There’s very little difference between the ranks in terms of how serious the players in each rank are.
Thank you for informing me that it was 5 and not 7. I was aware of the change from 1 to 7, but as time went on, I hardly read the new patch notes.
I play video games quite a lot, but due to the increase in challenges at school, I’m being forced to spend more time to do homework/studies, resulting in less time for games. I play quite a lot on weekends, but that may change in the future.
Regardless, I kinda do care about improving my SR, because, to me, it means personal growth.
One week of inactivity doesn’t drop you to 3k unless you are almost 3k already, in which case you first 1-2 wins will boost you back up so decay doesn’t even matter.
Diamond is where Blizzard decided to set the big boy line, and that’s where they decided to set the decay to. They could’ve made it any rank, but they chose diamond.
Ranks are separately by relative skill, not how “serious” the players are.
Player base distribution https://www.esportstales.com/overwatch/competitive-rank-distribution-pc-and-console
How high is high, that is the question.
Anyhow beyond Diamond is only 4% of player base, and decay is definitely warranted, and why stop it 3499? When stopping at 3000 seems more… appropriate?
and as I said in past decay threads, this isn’t a F2P phone game where a person should need to log in for something. It’s a full price (well back in pre $20 price days) AAA title where we are told that the SR/MMR system is a skill ranking, not some sort of constant gain based system. Like I’m not meh 3k because I played X amount of games and it was just given me like a log in bonus, as if SR was in daily log loot boxes. I’m objectively better than most sub 3k players but worse than mid masters.
but due to the negative side of comp and the fact one should sort of be in a comp mindset to play all try hard comp, I once again rolled into comp but was like “Decay? Lame… pass” and stopped playing comp. If I don’t want to play a game mode, I just don’t want to play it. Forcing me into to hold what I’m told is a skill, not reward number, doesn’t make a lot of sense.
OK fine the game needs more churn at the higher SR/lower percent of the player base, I get it.
Yet still the explosion of alts+smurfs and only playing ones “main” at the end of the season is IMO a direct response on some level to decay factors and still feel the game isn’t better because decay is in it.
Like any skill in life, you use it or lose it. Decay system rewards consistency.
By playing regularly, you show that you consistently play at a #### SR level so your visible SR is an accurate reflection of your skills. When you take a long break (with only 25 SR/day loss after 7 days of inactivity, decay is more than generous), it is reasonable to expect you will not be able to come back and instantly be playing at the same level.
Since OW isn’t showing uncertainties by changing single visible SR into a range, decay is the best way to demonstrate uncertainty. That’s why you also get a SR boost for wins after decay; As MM gets more certain of your returning performance, it is more confident in bringing your visible SR back up to where it should be.
Decay doesn’t affect MM, so you’re still playing with players of equivalent skill.
It’s not forcing you to play, that’s why end of season reward is for peaks and not ending SR.
Alts are made to play characters someone does not feel confident in being able to perform at the same level of their main account’s ratings.
Smurfs are made to stomp lower ranking players.
Both those purposes are unaffected by decay. You can remove decay and those two issues will be just as prevalent.
Decay is an awful system that should have died long ago. The issue with top 500 needs to be resolved in some other way, one that doesn’t screw over everyone else (above 3k at least). It’s been almost 3 years and Blizzard are still unable or unwilling to come up with something else.
“Oh, you’re good at the game? Well screw you then.”
At meh 3k? It’s like a +1 over average level of FPS player. The only reason metal ranks can’t break into it is they lack decent core FPS fundamentals. I took something like 10 season off comp and had no problem coming back and still playing at mid 3k. It’s not a “wow” rank that needs decay.
Decay isn’t in game to prove your rank, it’s in game to force players to be active for the sake of match making. So when player shrug, stop playing main accounts, play alts and so on to duck decay I don’t see how said decay it’s even helping anymore.
plus I don’t think games are better when people roll into comp being they “have to play” vs want to play. The bulk of players who seem to be pro decay never address the negative sides of it and just sort of act like it’s the cost of being 3k+.
Even when as I said, SR is a skill ranking, not a true end goal ladder like reward. You’re SR is your skill, it’s near pointless to decay players IF it’s not helping comp long term. As in more players, more match making more everything.
The FLOOD of players on mains in the last few weeks of the season makes me think decay isn’t helping anymore. I might be wrong.
Because that is the cost of 3k+. Blizzard decided that’s where they want to put the decay, just like they decided to put competitive access at level 25, SR gap allowance for teams, SR rewards per win/end of season, what SR gains/losses, what SR is what rank, etc. Blizzard has the freedom to set whatever they want, and this is what they chose.
That’s just people who just want to do their 10 games for rewards, not decay-dodgers.
Yeah, we all know that… the entire point of these sort of threads, the same as balance etc is IF is should be that way. So stuff like “Yeah well it is being blizzard made it like that” is adding anything at all to the debate on any level.
Decay should not be in play for meh diamond, it’s a masters+ level sort of issue. I also disagree that people are only play for rewards, with no thought towards decay. Before almost my entire friends list of 50+ 3k+ players pretty much all quit playing, many of them grew rapidly tired of “Oh crud, I have to play a comp game right now” because of the decay.
Overwatch isn’t popular enough anymore IMO to keep looking to force players to play.
I suspect that much like past threads on this issues the people who seem to support decay the most don’t have a rank that deals with it. It just feels crappy to see your SR drop and Overwatch isn’t doing much of anything to make players feel like they want to play, so adding any negatives isn’t helping.