I wanted to ask the community if a ladder system would be useful/fun for Portland (and nearby) gamers. See details of Seattle’s application of such a system and a brief overview of how it works here. We could also always go back to the idea of ranbats, though with less discussion and more implementation and then adjustments this time. Or we can avoid all of the rankings and just do report cards only, with random tournies when we’re feeling them.
All of this needs discussion, feedback and ideas. Gimme what you got. Feel free to ask questions if you’re unsure about anything, or need more clarification where I’m bein’ vague.
Cross posted in PDX Sole Purpose thread.
Personally these are my opinions on the matter.
A ladder idea, while great in theory, I don’t know if it can really be executed to the point of where Seattle has it.
The way I see it, is that there are a lot of places to play in Portland, and sometimes, it feels as there are too many places to play. Off the top of my head there’s The Crow’s Nest, The Dungeon, Sole Purpose, OMNE’s House of whatever, Jeromies and thats 5 off the top of my head. I also didn’t mention Tilt, because I do not know if they have converted to Super yet.
Now if there were to be a true execution of a ladder, I honestly think that the community would need to agree on a location to actually hold matches when everyone is on their game. Sure we could just say that you can challenge people X number of spots at whatever location but to me, it takes away from people getting hype about matches and people seeing them aka me recording hype matches.
With that being said, if we’re talking about doing random tournaments, I think its best to find the most prominent location with the equipment to do tournaments. If we’re trying to get people ready for tournaments and want to make things hype, then we need to do it with the right stuff and equipment. Thinking back to K’s on the Super Pre Party, we had what…3 setups that could’ve been 4 and that was definitely hype and definitely laid back (aside from the noise).
Now if we’re talking about community building and trying to get us stronger as a group, then IMO smaller sessions are going to be more ideal. Getting 10 or so people together and playing on setups, learning and talking would help make us stronger. Yeah, they will be smaller sessions, but its also more direct communication and more play time. Having 15-20 people play on 2 or 3 setups can be pretty lame, but it also gives a chance for the more experienced players to observe and give their insights as I think that would be helpful as well since they (the experienced players) would be able to pick up on bad habits and what not.
Just signed a lease today, gonna be moving to Portland on the 21st of May. Pretty hyped up; now I might be able to stick around at events instead of taking off after playing 2 matches :woot:
Cool shit. 
congrats man, looking forward to getting to play you more often.
nice post David, my first thought is the ladder seems like a good idea even with my limited knowledge of how it works. the challenge limit would makes it alot more flexible then most ranbat set ups ive seen so far, being as players dont need to ALWAYS be in the same place at the same time to participate.
Slash also has alot of good points though, im going to have to read up on these links and give a better answer.
still my first thoughts about the whole discussion of “getting more things going on in the community” are positive, you listed alot of good ideas its just going to take community interest and acceptence to get the ideas to become a regular thing.
id be down to do what i can to help, but i can see its going to require more players to communicate via these forums then there currently are or some kind of dedicated offline option to relay match results. Maybe a middle man is designated and contacted via phone or text about the results and then that person updates SRK(or wherever the results end up being posted).
Looks like I won’t be working Fridays anymore for a while. :tup:. Who got games? Also, everybody add me on XBL and we’ll get matches in; it’s still not great but I’ve had better connectivity than I ever remember in vanilla.
ALL credit for the report cards go to Ray. Im just trying to implement them in our sessions for everyones benefit. So thank you Ray.
Ok now lets be honest here. How many times have we left things open for discussion for ranbats without shit happenin? People get mad and fight over stupid details and the shit never even goes down. Whats even more ridiculous is the fact that some of the people that were fighting over the details RARELY if EVER made it out to casuals as it was. Pointless right? Dont get me wrong its important that we discuss and plan this properly but if we are serious about this then we need to go about this the right way wether we do Ranbats or the ladder system. We should meet this weekend and DECIDE as a group what our plan of action will be. No bs-ing online fighting over details again. I encourage everyone to come and make thier opinions heard. Now lets talk about where to meet.
Slash brings up a good point. There are several places hosting casuals right now which has its pros and cons. Hes right though if we are gonna do this we need a centralized place that will be able to host a shitload of players at once with the right equipment. Nothing personal to all the other great hosts, but Sole Purpose is much larger than all our other options. Not to mention the location is more centralized for everyone as a whole. The main day where most of the players show up is Sunday, although there are smaller sessions happening there pretty much every day. Ethan (The Host) isnt always able to play due to work and other obligations but has been kind enough to open Sole Purpose to us even when hes to busy to host. I believe Panda and MetalHealth have been hosting at Sole Purpose when hes too busy. Im not sayin we should only have casuals here (because in all honesty every venue has something unique and HYPE to offer which is why I go to all of them lol), Im just saying for the big events such as Ranbats, Tournys, Or Ladder System this is clearly the place to do it and we need evryones support. If you guys wanna be part of this please attend Sole Purpose this Sunday so we can make this happen. With EVO comin up this time is crucial and we need to be ready. Team watched you play!!! FTW!!!
i’m not going unless theres free food n sake
It’s good to see people chatting about doing new things in the group. I like the ladder idea as well, for a couple of reasons. We don’t really have a ranbats right now, and I can’t speak for everyone, but I certainly would like to see what my ranking would be within the group. Be kinda fun actually, not only being a part of it, but seeing it updated continuously. Of course executing it the right way and having the support of the majority of the group is integral. I’ll also study more on what Seattle is doing, but again like the idea of getting locally ranked.
Slash makes some good points regarding the hosted sessions for sure. If the group decided to go with a ladder system, it would be ideal that it was in one place. Filming matches if you always knew where they were going to be would certainly be easier. Our current problem is that players are strewn everywhere, and due to either availability or lack of transportation, we cannot all be present at these sessions (is that one of the reasons ranbats didn’t continue?). I personally would like to be attending more sessions Friday and Saturday, but my work prevents me most of the time. Anyway, a central location for many ladder matches would again be ideal, but the flexibility of the ladder would allow for other locations if two players were not available to attend.
In regards to the various places that are hosting, I think the main reason they all exist is that not everyone can make it to the other spots, thus hosting at different locations and times has popped up more recently in Versis’ absence. Of course no location is perfect, different spots have different attributes. Speaking on behalf of the Sole Purpose house, I believe the success in our attendance is because the house is just damn easy to get to and is centrally located, we have a lot of space, and work to be welcoming to all. In the case of the Crow’s Nest, they have great set ups without a doubt, and as I have mentioned before, the minute you walk through their door you realize it was worth the journey to be there. Additionally those guys are super nice as well. Regarding how many people show up at the venues, small to large is fine with me, as long as the place can facilitate the amount of people, both in terms of size and set ups. Slash is right, too many players and few set ups does suck, and too many people crammed into a very small space on a regular basis can be pretty rough too. Anyway, I haven’t experienced Tilt yet, but it sucks Versis closed. At least a bunch of people stepped up instead of no one, that would have been really rough. More coordination within the group (between players, hosts, and so on) is definitely a good thing, the more organized the better. We went to K and AJ’s last night for a couple of reasons; aside from the gaming we wanted to interact with them and chat about the scene (gotta say I got hooked on K’s emulator while there however). Anyway, people interacting consistently about the betterment of group is a no brainer methinks.
Slash also mentioned something key; new people in the game/scene. That is a goal of mine, to bring in more people to the scene and keep it growing. There is all sorts of promotional stuff that can be done for this, Ground Kontrol is a decent spot (our house has gained more attendance from interacting with people there). Also the idea of having the really experienced players interact and give advice to inquiring people is legit for sure. That segues kinda into Ray’s report card Angel is looking into. At our crib, with our access to more than a few set ups, we were talking about sectioning off one set up for training (mode) and having experienced players give advice if requested. Better for new peeps than just getting beasted over and over, I figure. Angel, let’s chat more about that for sure. As it is totally an optional thing, it should be available to people that want to use it. I figure having the option on hand at least can’t hurt.
I’ve been chatting it up with various people in the community, after Bragging Rights and interacting with some of the Seattle guys I had a few new perspectives about things. Kurt’s final point about just getting dialog going is a good one, more communication, more brainstorming, more organization, more results. I am always looking to improve as a player, and would like to see/help that along in our group as well. Anyway, just a few thoughts.
ps, free food and sake is legit, can’t argue that
Too many places to play…is a great number.
Alright. My opinions? A ladder system would work for Portland better than anything else. It’d be better than ranbats because of the fact that we can better utilize all of these places to play at. It could be more competitive in the sense that there would be more playing of challenges, and if someone is after money, they can still play in whatever tournaments are going on. (shameless self-promotion: $2 tourney and new character tourney at Sole Purpose this Sunday, see thread for details) I also personally like ladders more, I think it can help keep every person in the community more excited about being involved. The top guys can focus on staying on top or getting that couple more challenges done for first place, and the lower level guys can focus on taking out that guy two ranks ahead instead of seeing themselves tied for 17th once again. (personal experience joke here? ;P) The system itself is pretty standard, and for specific details and rules, I was thinking we could use the bracket system Seattle is using in their most recent update of their system, which is itself adapted from a Seattle player’s tennis ladder experience. If we need adjustments for our different community, that wouldn’t be a problem. If we can get most of our community involved in this, I see no negatives, really. Only unlimited possibility and fun. :tup:
I agree with Angel and think the Sole Purpose house is our best option due to large size and constant availability and openness. The house has a good track record for consistency and communication, and it’s location is probably second to none for anyone outside of Hillsboro. If we want a central location, that would be a great one. The cool thing about something like a ladder system would be the ability to play anywhere though, including any agreed upon system, including online (ugh D;). Just to bring the point around again.
I also agree that we need to talk this out irl without the bs trouble we’ve had in the past. This shit shouldn’t be too hard to get started, and once it gets rolling, it’ll be hard to stop. Starting is simply what we must do first. Let us talk as a community Sunday then, at the Sole Purpose house. I’ll be there at 6pm. See you there.
Honestly, Ladder system is great and all. But how are we gonna seperate it from the casuals that usually happen.
Main reason i usually dont come out is there are too many randoms playing at events. I sucks waiting for the 2 open consoles with 15-20 people there to have some random i have never seen before come up wanting to "try" and i have to sit and watch a kid mash buttons. It gets even worse when some good player is jackassing around against said person that wants to "try". It kills the game for me and im sure for a lot of others as well that might be to scared to say it.
Not trying to sound elitest or whatever. Its just is what it is. Im trying to get to better and sitting through a bunch of randoms mashing buttons and not knowing basic commands dosent do shit for me. Another thing that needs to be added is consoles. Gotta make sure whoever brings a console can STAY FOR THE ENTIRE TIME. None of this, I lost so im going home type shit right in the middle of it.
Ranking system should matter very little, seeing that a perfect one dosent exists. Just pick one and run with it. Theres plenty of different ranking systems out there. Just lets not have people get all butt hurt about the rankings when they do come out. Shit we might as well use Cole’s seeing his shit is what inspiring people to due rankings in the 1st place.
jackassing around is fun n what is the point of a ladder system…to see where you fit into portlands scene of 10 people?
OMNE: We can seprate the ladder system just like we did at your place for the RR. Have 1 or 2 set ups deidcated for just the ladder matches while we have casuals on the side. Don’t worry about the amount of set ups. We can easily get 4 or 5 and Im willing to bring mine if needed. Also, we can always have a dedicated day for these matches as well if thats what everyone wants but again I believe the details are something we should discuss in person this Sunday.
I understand how you feel about Randoms. Trust me I much rather play someone who is good and can show me some tight shit than play someone who is still learning the basics. BUT you have to remember everyone was a random at 1 point. To be honest their current skill level is irrelevant. If we can help them level up and get better then guess what? Thats means MORE COMPETITION for us. The BETTER your competition is and the MORE competition you have… the BETTER you will be. You see were Im goin with this? Im not saying you have to be buddy buddy with em, but getting some tips from a player with your experience can GREATLY improve thier game. Remember when you helped me with my ryu? Remember how scrubby I used to be lol? I still have alot to learn but Im a much better player now cuz of the advice I recieved from players like you, Ray, and Simon. We need to be there for the newer players to help them get to where we are at so we can reach a new level ourselves.
Yangsing: You soundin like GRAYSALT over there lol. There is a SHITLOAD of players in Portland. The majority of them just dont travel. Remember how HYPE Fatbears place was? Everyone was straight crackin out. In order to attract more players our sessions need to be just as hype. The ladder system is just one way for us to do this. Jackassin around is fun too but we can do that anytime. If we want our scene to change then the ways we do things needs to change first.
my bad…12 people ->
Simons gone stir crazy from being snowed in so often 
Why a ladder system would be great for this community:
1: Besides tourney placings, it can provide a more accurate rating for each player.
2: It gives some players motivation to gain rank.
There aren’t many negatives to have a ladder system except:
1: Some players will not care for it. They simply just want to play casuals. This is why there should be a dedicated station for ladder/rank battles only. A player that doesn’t wish to participate doesn’t mean he/she isn’t serious about getting better, it’s just one more thing to “worry” about.
2: Some players don’t have the time or means to travel to all ladder/rank locations. Maybe have a separate ladder/rank list for each area?
Ladder/rank suggestions:
1: It might be wise to set a limit to how many times a player can be challenged. When I tried this for 3rd Strike, one guy kept trying to rank match me repeatedly for around 10 games, wtf? Limit the challenges to 1-3 games per session and call it a day.
2: Weekly/Monthly totals.
3: Match stats. How many times has Simon beat Panda? Which characters were used? These type of stats could also go a long way when commentary is done during streams. Jetay - “Simon has beaten Panda 7 out of 12 matches this season with Sagat, so he’s my favorite to win this match.”
EDIT: Created a mockup listing with “Weeks highlights”.
Thanks for the comments Ray. We’ll take your suggestions into account on Sunday. I hadn’t thought about keeping track of stats, but that sounds useful and fun. Good ideas.
for real, thanks Ray. helping Portland from Hawaii, cant ask for much more then that lol
Legit.
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