Resetting of Ladder on 26-September 2005

1.19 Ladder Implementation
An updated version of the Warcraft III ladder Automated Match-Making System (AMM) will be deployed alongside the ladder reset on September 26. This is the technology that allows players to find opponent’s of similar skill to compete against on Battle.net ladders. Although

Season Three is focused on the solo competition, we’ve made updates to the ladder that we feel will positively impact the experiences of all players on Battle.net.

Search Times vs. Game Quality. There is a reverse correlation between the two. The longer the system waits to find an opponent of similar skill, the more likely it is to find a closely matched opponent. Conversely, we can reduce the search time for an opponent at the expense of making skill levels more disparate. We’ve re-evaluated this trade-off for all ladder formats.

Random Team. We’ve increased game quality of Random Team games significantly.
Solo. We’ve increased game quality of solo competition moderately.
Arranged Team. We’ve decreased search times for Arranged Teams significantly.

Minimum Game Requirements. Game requirements now scale better across the entire level range.These requirements have been slightly increased for players of levels 1-50 and significantly decreased from the existing numbers for players over level 50.

Less Sensitive Experience. The way experience is calculated has been modified to make it less sensitive moving away from the mean. The target level for the average player has not changed, but players will be distributed in a tighter group at the peak of the level bell curve. For the majority of Battle.net players, the achieved level will be similar between the old and new systems. However, for very strong players, it will be more difficult to progress into the higher levels.