How Exactly Are Regatta Groups Created?

[Anemone]

I would love for the devs to let us know how a co op ends up in whatever regatta group is ends up in.

Is it number of racers? Because we have been in a number of races where there were less of us than the teams we were up against. We thought this was a common thing, just bad luck of the draw.

Is it the overall level? Because we always end up being right next in position to teams with much higher over levels. Sometimes our highest level is still lower than their lowest.

Is it some kind of average of points we got in the last race? I don't know how to see what the other racers got, so maybe this is it. But I doubt it since we are always in competition with teams that get like 5,000 points in a couple of hours from the beginning of the race, and just keep on going. So unless they had a bad race the week before, I don't think we are in the same league pointswise.

Is it how many trophies you've already won? All the top level teams we race against have lots, the top three especially, some of them have over 30 trophies in gold league, including 10+ first place trophies. So can't be that because we have yet to get a first, we have barely gotten a bronze and a silver.

Can't be how many races you've won. There is a huge difference between being in the top three and being in the top 10, yet technically you're still winning because you haven't been demoted back one league.

I keep reading how a little low level new co op CAN win against a super co op. So far I don't see how. We don't have the resources. Yes, their tasks are harder, but our tasks are hard for our lower levels and the higher levels can't take them all, leaving the lower levels with nothing. And unless every member of our co op can do 16 tasks for 135 points each, we are not ever going to beat a super team. And we don't even get enough of those 135 tasks that all our members can do in the regatta duration.

As I said elsewhere, it's a David vs Goliath thing, and David is not winning. There are way too many Goliaths in this league, who are complaining about how bored they are because they don't get decent competition. Well, super teams, there are just as many of us complaining that in every single regatta we are placed not against teams we can fairly race against, but against super teams we see no chance of ever beating, and it's not boring, it's disheartening and we are not having fun in a game that says it's all about fun.

Can't the devs place all those super teams with their 30 top three gold league trophies all in groups together, and the rest of us normal teams in groups together, so that the all teams can have some fair competition? The way it's going, every single gold regatta group is going to have more and more teams with lots of trophies racing against teams who have not been able to collect one single first place. It already seems impossible to be placed in a group without at least 3 super teams that we are supposed to be able to beat.

And just curious, when your co op has like 30 gold league trophies and you are bored of beating the small fry, where do you go from there? Right now, our co op would be thrilled to have just the one.

[Jommeke]

Anemone: I absolutely agree! It's just no fun to race in the Gold League. We recently started a new coop, so we could start all over again and get out of the gold league. Sometime soon we will do that again. I wish there was a way to stay in Silver, let those Goliaths race eachother in Gold.

[Graylady]

In all the regattas we have done, I do not remember a race where we did not have the same number of racers in all teams. Different size of co-op, all the time as not everyone race every week.

From my experience, I was under the impression they match us with team with similar average results over some weeks but I am not sure anymore reading some other team comments.

One thing is sure. We are getting crowded in the gold league. That is what make it so hard for newcomers. After 1 year doing it, everyone in my team know exactly what they can do or not.

[Anemone]

Regatta 135, I like your comment, I’d say you are right on all counts.
I am not yet bored with the game, I am still a fairly low level, but I am really discouraged with the regatta part of it. Right now our whole co op is considering just racing hard enough to stay in the 4 to 10 positions, during seasonal regattas only, to get some of the decorations and stuff from the yacht club.
Trying to get top 3 just is no fun anymore and it’s too expensive.

[Sanity]

This week we were paired with particularly strong teams. Someone in another post mentioned they changed something in the pairings this week. Anyone know what they are doing for sure and whether it is going to be like this going forward?

To the OP: They always match up the same number of racers despite overall coop size. I don’t want to be harsh but it sounds like you guys aren’t really racing very hard. You might want to reevaluate whether your coop goals are being competitive in the race or being casual. If casual, don’t sweat it. If you want to compete then you need to set goals for coop members and have a task dumping strategy. Be nice but you have to remove players that aren’t up to your point production thresholds if they won’t opt out of race. I’ve been in several coops and what I’ve noticed is that until you actively manage the team you aren’t going to win races in golden league. These other teams are doing this and that is why you are losing.

Maybe they need to make it so teams that aren’t as competitive drop into lower leagues easier so they aren’t stuck in golden league. But I think the way they have structured it where you get the most prizes in golden should not reward mediocre teams by pairing them with easier teams, in my opinion.

[Peggy77]

Anemone: I absolutely agree! It's just no fun to race in the Gold League. We recently started a new coop, so we could start all over again and get out of the gold league. Sometime soon we will do that again. I wish there was a way to stay in Silver, let those Goliaths race eachother in Gold.

There IS a way to stay in Silver, it's what my co-op has been doing for around a year now. The entire co-op Opts Out the week where you are supposed to be racing in the Gold league. The following week you are demoted back to Silver and can race again.

We opt out every other Monday then you can opt back in the next Sunday or Monday. I think you could actually opt back in any time after the race has started but we usually do it on Mondays.

But, every member of the co-op has to be willing to do that otherwise it won't work.

[cdosr]

Just to add more info to the current speculation about pairings......

This week was particularly tough. We had 5 racing so 10,800 was the maximum score.

The top 6 teams all scores 10,800 (80 tasks x 135 points) (we finished 3rd)

The next 3 scored 10,665 (79 x 135) (maybe decided to save the 10T and not buy an extra task)

13th place was 10,388 (412 points off perfect) and was relegated to Silver

Pretty tough competition, tightest race we've had in a long time. I'd be annoyed to score 10,388 and be demoted.

[Bessville]

Mine have been along those lines for a few weeks now. It’s poop.

[dreadnought]

I've read few threads about the pairing issue, and what i can tell so far is that super competitive players are not happy to race with other co-ops with the same level of competitive-ness, because if they lose when having the same score, but were slower, seems unfair. If not so competitive co-ops are paired with super competitive ones, they feel like they didn't stand a chance to begin with, also unfair.

Out of millions of players (~4), let's say there are half a million co-ops, i don't see a way that would satisfy the needs of all of them simultaneously..

[Bessville]

I agree Dreadnought, one solution won’t ever fit us all. That’s why I think the platinum league idea is a good one. Current rules and leagues for us ‘normal’ folk, uber league with different rules and requirements for the GLB super-set. And make that league both very tough to get into and very tough to fall out of.