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How ELO Matchmaking Works in Grow Wars
·1 min read
Grow Wars uses a standard ELO system with a few RTS-specific tweaks to keep early games fair and late-ladder games competitive.
The base system
Every player starts at a baseline rating. Wins and losses shift rating based on the opponent's rating relative to yours, so beating a higher-rated opponent moves your number more than beating a lower-rated one.
RTS-specific adjustments
Because Grow Wars matches can end early through economic collapse rather than elimination, we weight rating changes slightly differently for short games versus full-length games to avoid rewarding rushed, low-skill wins too heavily.
Climbing the ladder
Consistency beats streaks. Rating converges toward true skill over roughly 20-30 games, so early volatility is normal.