‼️ Your ELO Rating: What the Number Really Means ‼️

The rating system developed by Professor Árpád Élő is much more than just a score; it's a statistical prediction tool. Your ELO number tells you how well you are expected to perform against other players, regardless of how you choose your opponent.

A player with a higher ELO rating is not just "better"; they are statistically expected by the system to win against any player with a lower rating.

╰┈➤ The Core Principle: The Rating Difference

The most important factor is not your absolute rating (e.g., 1500), but the difference between your rating and your opponent's. This difference directly determines your Win Probability—and thus, how many points you gain or lose when the game is over.

📌| Rating Difference | Win Probability | Simplified Meaning |
📌| 0     | 50% | Your opponent is equally matched. A win results in a neutral point change. |
📌| 100 | 64% | Your opponent is 100 points weaker. You are expected to win about 2 out of 3 games. |
📌| 200 | 76% | You are expected to win about 3 out of 4 games. |
📌| 400 | 91% | You are the clear favorite. The system almost always expects you to win. |
📌| 800 | 99% | Your victory is statistically nearly guaranteed. |

Influence on Gameplay: If you choose to face an opponent 400 points weaker, the system knows you should win with 91% probability.

╰┈➤ The Calculation: Why Upsets Are Rewarded

Your rating is adjusted after every single game. The core formula is designed to reward the unexpected and minimally change your score for expected outcomes:

1️⃣ You win against a much stronger opponent (an "Upset"):

The system expected a very low win probability for you (e.g., 20%).

Because you massively exceeded the expectation, you gain a huge number of points.

2️⃣ You lose against a much weaker opponent (a "Disappointment"):

The system expected nearly a 100% chance for you to win.

Since you failed to meet the expectation, you lose a large number of points.

3️⃣ You win against an equally matched opponent (50% expectation):

You met the system's prediction. You gain a neutral amount of points (e.g., 16 points).

In short: The bigger the surprise, the greater the change in your rating.

╰┈➤ How Ratings Influence Your Score and Progression

Since our platform relies on players challenging each other directly, the ELO rating influences your experience in two critical ways:

Accurate Measurement: The ELO system is the best tool for accurately measuring your skill progression over time. Your ELO is your statistical mirror of your true ability.

Proportional Score Adjustment: It ensures that every win or loss against an opponent you choose results in a fair and proportional point change. If you consistently beat stronger players, your score will climb quickly; if you lose to weaker players, it will drop sharply.

The ELO rating is the key to ensuring that every game played, regardless of the opponent's strength, results in a meaningful and accurate adjustment to your standing.

Hello JMH21,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the scoring system. I understand the frustration you're expressing, and I think it's helpful to clarify a few points to better understand the logic behind this setup.

 Purpose of the system FlyOrDie’s scoring system isn’t designed to favor losing players, but rather to encourage balanced and competitive gameplay. It takes into account the relative skill levels of players to calculate points gained or lost. This helps reward victories against stronger opponents and prevents abuse against less experienced ones.

 Why not a fixed score per game? If every match awarded the same number of points regardless of the opponent, some players might only seek out easy opponents to rack up wins. The current system avoids that by factoring in risk and reward.

 About replays Replays aren’t discouraged by the system itself. What may deter some players is the fear of losing points against lower-ranked opponents. But that’s part of competitive play: accepting risk also means accepting the chance to improve.

📌 In summary ;

The system isn’t perfect, but it’s based on mathematical and fair principles. It rewards actual performance, not just the number of games played. If you have concrete suggestions for improvement, they’re always welcome.