Why are there member-only templates?
The Warzone API, which the MTL uses to create games, only allows games to be created if both players would have been able to create the game themselves. These member-only templates utilize features that only members can use. Although non-members can't play these templates, this will have no effect on their ratings or ability to rise on the ladder.
Having to play games on 51 templates sounds overwhelming. As a new player do I have to play on them all?
As a new player, you will start with 5 templates unlocked and unlock a new template every time you win a game. However, you can elect to unlock all templates immediately at any time.
You will automatically have all templates unlocked if your rating rises above 1900.
What if I don't want to play games on some of these templates?
You can veto up to 35 templates if you don't want to play games on them, but vetoing more templates will have an impact on the veto adjustment portion of your rating.
How frequently are games scheduled?
Games are scheduled every 2 hours.
How is my next opponent determined?
The MTL prioritizes matching players with similar Elo ratings. You will be matched with a similarly rated opponent whom you haven't played too recently. You can't be matched with a player who is ranked more than 20 places above or below you when ordered by Elo rating.
How often can I play the same opponent?
Two players can play against each other at most once every 5 days.
How does the ladder determine what template a game will use?
The ladder excludes all templates that either player has vetoed or not yet unlocked. If either player is not a member, it will exclude all member-only templates. It also excludes all templates that either player has played in their last 5 games. Then it chooses randomly from the remaining active templates. If there are no templates left, the ladder will use Strat MME.
How are ratings computed?
The MTL uses a veto-adjusted version of the MWElo rating system. Ratings are a sum of three components: Elo rating , an activity bonus, and a veto adjustment. The Elo k-factor used on the MTL is 32. Players who are not actively joined to the ladder and have not been ranked in the last 180 days will have their rating converge towards 1500 by 1 each day.
How many games do I need to finish to stay ranked?
All players joined to the ladder with 20 or more completed games in the last 150 days will be ranked.
How can I get the MTL trophy?
A player earns the MTL trophy (which is also displayed on your Warzone profile), by finishing 10 games in first place without ever dropping out of first. These games don't all have to be wins if you have enough of a buffer to stay in first place. Currently, 11 players have earned the trophy!
Why is there an activity bonus?
The activity bonus rewards players who play more games, since having a larger sample size of games played allows the ladder to have more confidence in their ratings. It also serves to encourage players to play more games on the MTL!
How is the activity bonus calculated?
Each game completed by a player increases their activity bonus by 4. Every day, the activity bonus decreases by 2%, meaning it has a half-life of ~34 days.
The activity bonus is capped at 80, but behind the scenes there is a buffer that enables active players to keep their activity bonus full.
Why is there a veto adjustment?
The MTL aims to test players on a wide variety of the best strategic templates Warzone has to offer. Vetoing many templates subverts that goal. In addition, a player gets a comparative advantage when they have vetoed many more templates than their opponents, as they have fewer templates to learn how to play.
The veto adjustment is a way to mitigate these issues and encourage players to challenge themselves on a wider variety of templates.
Do vetoes on templates I haven't unlocked affect the veto adjustment?
The veto adjustment only counts vetoes on templates that both you and your opponent have unlocked.
What happens if I veto a member-only template?
Vetoes on member-only templates do not affect the veto adjustment so that members are not penalized for having a membership, as non-member effectively have an enforced free veto on all member-only templates.
How is the veto adjustment (VA) calculated?
The ladder has a handicap function: h(vetoes) = logistic(maximum=100, midpoint=10, growth_rate=0.33)
It then computes each player's handicapped rating: HRold(player) = Eloold(player) + VAold(player) + h(player.vetoes)
The ladder then treats these ratings as Elo ratings and computes new handicapped rating HRnew for each player based on the outcome of the game, as well as doing the same for the real Elo ratings.
The veto adjustment is then updated as follows: VAnew(player) = HRnew(player) - (Elonew(player) + h(player.vetoes))
TL;DR?
Your rating will be increased by the veto adjustment if you have fewer vetoes than your average opponent and decreased if you have more.
How much can I expect the veto adjustment to affect my rating?
The impact on your rating is dependent on how many vetoes your average opponent has, but if we assume they have 4-5 vetoes, you could see your rating increase by up to 10 points if you have no vetoes. Again, assuming 4-5 opponent vetoes, 6-7 vetoes will see your rating decreased by around 10 points, while 9-10 will see it drop by roughly the amount you'd see from losing a single game you would otherwise have won (32 points). You'd approach the maximum negative adjustment of ~90 with around 20 vetoes.
The theoretical minimum and maximum veto adjustments are ±100.
Who created the MTL?
The MTL was created by Deadman.
Muli and ps also made contributions in its early stages. It would not be possible without Fizzer having created this amazing game and exposed the CLOT framework.
Who maintains the MTL now?
The MTL is currently maintained by Beren Erchamion with help from JustinR17.
Who designed the rating system?
The MWElo rating system including the combination of Elo with an activity bonus and rating decay for inactive players was designed by Math Wolf and Deadman. The veto adjustment was designed by GiantFrog and Beren Erchamion.
Who selected templates for the MTL?
The templates have been selected over the years by a rotating group of expert players in the community. There are too many of you to list here, but we appreciate your contributions!
