This article is a translation of the following Japanese article:
Original: 【スマブラSP】戦闘力が急に下がる理由|内部レートと連敗の仕組みを徹底解説
In online battles in “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate”, your “Global Combat Power (GSP)” changes each time you win or lose.
However, while playing,
- “The numbers suddenly dropped”
- “Even though I’m winning, it’s not going as well as I expected”
- “After consecutive losses, it becomes more and more incomprehensible.”
Have you ever felt that way?
Actually, this “combat power behavior” has internal mechanisms and psychological influences, and it moves in ways that cannot be measured simply by winning or losing.
In this article,
- Mechanism of world combat power
- Causes for sudden drop in numbers
- Psychology and countermeasures when losing consecutively
etc. will be explained in an easy-to-understand manner based on the latest information and community information. Author: “There are many aspects of online ratings that cannot be explained only by winning and losing, and if you do not understand the mechanism, it will cause you to be “more depressed than your ability”. It is important to have a perspective that does not get swayed by numbers.”
1. What is “World Combat Power”?
The first thing to understand is that the combat power in Smash Bros.
World Combat Power is a relative number that shows how many players around the world you are better at.
That is,
- The higher the number, the more players you have beaten
- If the number is low, it has not reached the top players
.
Also, the world combat power is
- Online battle (with someone)
- Winner brawl
- Kumite (100-person kumite, etc.)
It is known that each mode is calculated separately, such as
. Furthermore, many players have both “combat power for each character” and “overall combat power”, so even the same player may have different values depending on the character.
2. Three mechanisms that reduce combat power
The numerical fluctuation of combat power in Super Smash Bros. SP is not determined only by wins and losses. The combination of the following factors can lead torapid declines and instability.
(1) Rules for a big drop if you lose to a lower rank
It is said that the increase or decrease in combat power is not determined by the difference in strength between you and your opponent, and is not determined by a simple 1 increase or 1 decrease of victory or loss.
Specifically,
- If you lose to an opponent with lower combat power than you, the value will decrease significantly
- Even if you win against an opponent with higher combat power than you, the increase will be small
.
This mechanism works because even if you win or lose the same amount, the amount you gain and the amount you lose are different.
“Even though it seems like we are winning, the numbers are sluggish.”
“If we lose just once, the numbers suddenly drop.”
.
Author: “This is a design that allows for many equal-level matches to occur throughout the game, and is designed not to be evaluated based on simple win rate.”
(2) Being pushed back to the “center of the mountain” in the population distribution
World combat power is calculated not by simple ranking, but by the percentage of all players.
The online population of Super Smash Bros. SP is
- Average player (median)
- Top players
- Lower players
It is thought to be divided into three layers, with the players near the center forming the “mountain”.
In this state,
- When you finally approach the upper range, the growth width tends to become smaller
- Once you go down, you are likely to be pushed back to the center of the mountain
occurs.
This is because even if the win rate is the same, the “shape of the mountain” and the relative relationship affect the increase or decrease in the numbers.
Author: “This is not just a bug, but a behavior that should be understood as a characteristic of the online rate system.”
(3) Fluctuations due to population changes over time
World combat power may change even when you are not playing a match.
If the total population of all players or the number of opponents changes, the relative ranking changes, so the numbers themselves may go up or down.
That is,
- Even if you’re not doing anything
- When other players are competing strongly online
- Your numbers will go down
is also possible.
Author: “The feeling of “going down even though you haven’t won” may actually be related to “factors other than the number of matches you play””
3. Psychology and tendency of continuous losing streak
Apart from the mechanics of combat power numbers, the psychological burden of consecutive losses makes the sense of a decline in numbers even stronger.
There is also an opinion in the community that “If you are too conscious of your combat power, your concentration will decrease.”
For example,
- Avoid consecutive battles by worrying about numbers
- Unwilling to fight against low combat power band
- Being too cautious because you don’t want to lose once
Behaviors like lead to a psychological vicious cycle of repeated losses.
Author: “If you focus only on numbers, you will lose your original concentration on the game, and as a result, you will end up making unexpected mistakes and strange habits.”
4. How to deal with and deal with combat power
What is important when your combat power decreases is not to make the numbers themselves an objective.
(1) Focus on “increasing the winning rate”
Since combat power is a relative evaluation, increasing the winning rate is ultimately the most stable measure.
To increase your winning rate,
- Research on weak characters
- Replay analysis
- Improvement of handling
.
Author: “Rather than worrying too much about your combat power, creating a habit of playing strong will ultimately lead to more stable numbers.”
(2) Stance of not worrying too much about numbers
It is important to understand that combat power always changes and sometimes decreases.
Many players report that they have improved by not worrying about their combat power.
Author: “If you view numbers as an indicator of your own growth, rather than just looking at them as an objective, the quality of your play will improve significantly.”
Summary | Combat power decreases both mechanically and psychologically
The following factors affect changes in the world combat power of Super Smash Bros. SP:
- Instead of just winning or losing, Mechanism that increases or decreases based on relative evaluation
System that changes depending on player population etc.
The psychological effects of worrying too much about numbers will be reflected in your play.Author: “Look at numerical fluctuations in combat power as a temporary “evaluation index,” and what is more important is to “improve your skills and responsiveness.”As a result, your numbers will grow more stably.”