How to Show OS Ratings in BAR's Spectator View

Quick guide to enabling operating system indicators when spectating matches in Beyond All Reason, plus a note on the current AI display bug and sorting improvements.

Turning on OS ratings while spectating

When you jump into a spectator game in BAR, the scoreboard on the bottom right shows player names and ratings. If you want to see each player's operating system on top of that, here's the trick: open your settings mid-game, switch to advanced mode, and search for "open." That toggle controls the OS display. Flip it on and the Windows/Linux indicators appear next to every player on the scoreboard.

This comes in handy when you're studying replays or watching higher-ranked players. You can see what platform everyone's running, which sometimes helps explain performance quirks or interface differences you notice between players.

The scoreboard sorting improvement

A recent change pushed unknown-OS players down the sorting order. Before this, players showing "??" scattered all over the list — usually around the 15-17 rating range. Now they cluster at the bottom. It makes the scoreboard easier to read at a glance, which matters when you're spectating fast-paced games and trying to track who's doing what.

Known bug with AI players

The OS rating feature has a bug that makes it messy when AI players are in the lobby. It displays wrong or causes clutter. A release update is needed to fix this. If you're spectating games with AI bots, expect the OS column to look off until a patch lands. This does not affect player-versus-player matches.

Why this matters for learning

Spectating is how most BAR players ramp up fast. Watching a 1800-rated game teaches you more than reading any guide. Having OS data visible lets you correlate platform with play patterns if you're grinding replays for improvement. The sorted scoreboard keeps you focused on the actual players instead of hunting through a messy list.