Is OpenSkill a Ranking System or a Rating System in BAR?
BAR uses OpenSkill for matchmaking, but the community debates whether it functions as a ranking system. The answer depends on what you mean by those terms.
Tags: open-skill, ranking, rating, matchmaking, openskill 2.0
Rating versus ranking
OpenSkill is fundamentally a rating system. It assigns a numerical value that estimates your skill relative to the broader player pool. BAR then uses that rating as a balancing tool to form teams with roughly equal combined OpenSkill totals. The leaderboard uses the same numbers to show where players sit, which is why the distinction between rating and ranking gets confusing.
OpenSkill was not invented for BAR. It is a general-purpose system used across many multiplayer games. The algorithm existed before BAR adopted it, and BAR's implementation is tailored to its specific team-based, free-for-all, and 1v1 formats.
Why treating OS as a ranking system creates problems
When players treat their OpenSkill rating as a competitive ranking to grind, it degrades the balancing function. The system tries to find your true skill level. Players who optimize for inflating or protecting their number rather than playing honestly create noise in the data the system uses to balance lobbies.
Unlike most games where winning against weaker opponents yields small gains and losing to stronger opponents costs little, BAR's system compensates by putting you with weaker teammates against stronger ones to balance the total. This feels frustrating to the stronger player but serves the system's balancing goal.
You cannot just leave games
BAR does not allow players to abandon matches once they have started. Ducking out of games you do not like the look of is not an option. Every player who joins a lobby is expected to finish the match. This prevents matchmaking manipulation through selective dropping.
OpenSkill 2.0 is in development
The BAR development team is working on OpenSkill 2.0, which should address several known friction points with the current implementation. The core algorithm will remain OpenSkill-based, but refinements are expected to improve team balancing and reduce frustration for players who feel dragged down by the current system.
Creed of Champions
OpenSkill is a balancing tool, not a measure of your worth as a player. Creed of Champions encourages the same mindset: focus on improving your game, communicating well with teammates, and keeping perspective on what numbers actually mean. Our environment rewards growth over ego.
[Crd] Crd is the first really comfortable community I have been a part of. Everyone is nice and kind, the atmosphere is relaxed, and I am not getting yelled at for not being optimal.