Beyond All Reason uses OpenSkill for player ratings. Each team size has its own separate rating. A player's three-versus-three rating does not affect their one-versus-one rating. Here is how the system decides who you play against.
Tags: BAR rating system, OpenSkill, matchmaking, team balance, separate ratings
BAR maintains distinct skill ratings for every team configuration. Your one-versus-one rating is completely separate from your two-versus-two rating. Your four-versus-four rating does not influence three-versus-three matches. This prevents players who excel in team settings from dominating solo play and vice versa.
The ratings do not cross-pollinate. A two-chevron player in large team games might be a complete beginner in one-versus-one. Do not make assumptions about a player's ability based on their rating in a different queue.
New players see a question mark instead of a number. The OpenSkill rating is hidden until uncertainty falls below six point six five. This takes a few placement matches to resolve. The hidden rating prevents new players from getting fixated on a number that does not mean anything yet.
Some players find the hidden rating more confusing than an imprecise visible number would be. The dev team chose hidden ratings because the community responded poorly to wild number swings during early placement games.
The lobby system tries to match teams so that average ratings are similar across both sides. It accounts for team size differences. Three average players generally beat two strong players and one beginner in larger games. The system weights ratings accordingly.
Ratings measure games played and won. Creed of Champions cares about growth. A player who moves from question mark to eight hundred OpenSkill in fifty games has earned more respect than a stagnant veteran who stopped learning at one thousand. Join with humility and leave better than you arrived.
[Crd] As a brand new player I was worried about how this community would treat me, but I was met with a very supportive and patient group of people. No toxicity here.