Some questions and ideas about Skill Rating

Forza Motorsport Forza Motorsport (2023) Discussion
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I came across a Reddit post that suggested Skill Rating might bebased on how many places you pick up during the race. For example, if you start at P6 on the grid and finish at P3, your rating will improve. Obviously, finish at P8, skill rating drops.

My first question is, is this correct? Is this how it is calculated? Is it more complex?

I had suspected it may have to do with the skill rating of other drivers in the race. Finish better than a driver with a higher skill rating, yours goes up. Its probably not that.

I have an issue with calculating based on starting position and finishing position, if that is true. Skill Rating does not factor in to start position. Rumour has it, start position is based on something to do with your xbox account that has little to do with the game. Some say it is a hidden value associated with your gamertag. Some have suggested the age of your account influences your start position. One thing is clear, it is not random, and it is not based on any in-game values. It is an arbitrary and unchangeable value.

I am one of those accounts that almost always starts near the front of the grid. Even when I don’t post a qualifying time, I am placed right after those that have. If Skill Rating is calculated based on the difference between start and finish, my Skill Rating becomes very difficult to improve. As an example, I started a race the other day in P2 because only 1 driver posted a qualifying time. I finished that race in P4, pretty good in my opinion, but my skill rating dropped slightly. I find this quite unfair. When you put in the effort to race clean and well, you should expect the rewards to reflect the effort. In my case at least, and I am sure many others, I am punished for something outside of my control.

My skill rating hovers around 4500 and I have little trouble maintaining an S safety rating. I hear so many stories of other drivers with S safety and 4900+ skill rating and they don’t seem to be way better drivers than I am. I don’t claim to be an excellent driver, but I feel like the rating I have is not very reflective of my actual skill.

I know I shouldn’t really care all that much about it, its kind of a meaningless number, but this is a video game and one of the fun things about them is making the numbers in them do things. This is one number in the game I can’t seem to manipulate in a satisfying way. There are few opportunities in the game to feel like you are advancing or progressing. This could be one thing that may give players some real sense of progress. Besides, I want the bragging rights.

I have previously suggested using Skill Rating to sort drivers on the starting grid: Skill rating could be used to sort he grid when drivers do not qualify - Motorsport Features / Multiplayer / Online - Official Forza Community Forums

I reiterate that request here, and ask for clarity from the developers in how exactly Skill Rating is calculated. As it stands, Skill Rating does not seem to be a very meaningful statistic.

I would also ask for clarity about how the grid is sorted for players who do not post a qualifying time.

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The best thing you can do about the Skill Rating is to stop wasting any thoughts on it. It never meant anything and it will never mean anything. Cheers!

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It’s a brutal way to reply to a post looking for engagement and constructive criticism but I agree with you :sweat_smile:

To the OP though. In a perfect world where car balancing is close to perfect, the main judge of skill should be the stop watch, over one lap, and over a stint with one type of rubber. Then you have race craft, the ability to read situations and make key moves, but also the ability to stay put and not risk it.

I’m at S4998, I’m happy with a 1:48 at Mugello in most GT3s, but I’ve seen people post 1:46 during practice at night. So even if that person is S4999, it’s way off the mark given the speed difference with me.

This topic has been approached many times and some great ideas were brought up, only to disappear in the forum thread-list while the developers remain coy on the matter.

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the starting position if i am not mistaken is when you enter the lobby if you enter the lobby at the last second you will start last.
Also i think the way skill rating is calculated is based on your position you end the race and the rating of the drivers in front and behind you not on overtakes or the position you started on.

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You definitely used to be able to lose points even if you beat the majority of drivers while starting from the rear.

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I always start from pole and I always hand around 4998-4999.

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I understand this position, but that’s not how I roll :slight_smile:

It’s in the game, it should have meaning. On some level there is very little to chase in this game other than lap times. Our careers in this game could use some meaningful statistics.

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I don’t think that’s right. I’ve joined many races with seconds left and wound up mid pack after not qualifying. I think it’s totally random.

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This is all speculation but I think both the position and also other drivers rating affects your SR. Otherwise that wouldn’t make much sense because sometimes the race have minimal effect on SR and other times quite a bit with similar race results on both races.

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Supposedly it’s based on the age of the Microsoft account being used.

My main account is from the early 360 era and if I don’t qualify I am always the 1st or 2nd non-qualifier on the grid.

Conversely, I did an experiment with a brand new account and was placed at the back when not qualifying.

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That sounds ridiculous, but i certainly don’t know how it works lol.

I def know it’s not order of joining though. Last night i joined a server with three people. By the time the race started there were 11. One person qualified and i started 6th

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I guess I’ll keep posting this suggestion link in the hopes more people vote.

The problem with the current system is not that it only doesn’t match and fill lobbies properly, it also incentivizes people to quit because driver rating means so little. I’ve been disconnected or ran out fuel before and never lost my 4999 rating. Preregistered races with shorter practices/qualifying would give porper full splits with mostly full lobbies. Driver rating mattering incentivizes people to not quit on a race for fear of losing large amounts of it.

I honestly believe a proper rating/matching system is the system many people don’t even realize they need. Slower drivers will have more competitive lobbies with greater chances of winning and fast drivers will regularly have real competition. It handles lower player counts better than match as you go systems do as well leading to fuller lobbies.

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My experience is the exact opposite of that:
My Xbox Live login is nearly 20 years old, and when I don’t qualify in Featured Multiplayer, I start in dead last place 99% of the time.
The other 1% of the time, I start second-to-last.
I don’t remember ever starting any higher up than that without qualifying.

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I’ve asked so many times for rating info and transparency but never get any info

I believe matchmaking lobby is just made up as many different ratings try to match you up with at least someone else, I think it’s similar a balanced matchmaking

S
S
A
A
B
B
C
C
D
D

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Well, there goes that theory. It’s clearly based on something though.

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My microsoft account is as old as the game and ive had plenty of dead last, and near the top starts.

An easy way to test this would be to invite a friend to a public MP lobby and see if you and that friend always qualify ahead of each other every single time or if it varies.

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My account technically dates back to the Games for Windows days and I’m still routinely last or near-to-last when I don’t qualify, despite consistently being S-499x, regardless of when I enter a session. In a full lobby of 24 I think the highest I might have started without qualifying would be in the high teens (ie 18-19) but due to time differences I’m rarely in session that busy.