Arena: nothing changed this season

[HappyMeaI]

It should be a random set of options, different from the previous. It should not be a voting-based system.

Then a group of sweaties can just make it the same format every season for their own benefit.

You can set some parameters for randomization so it doesn’t get out of hand.

[almedeme]

Id go for anything: random map, random awards, colonies... cannot handle second season in a row the same

[RoyalRook]

The truth is most gurus are weak players, who plays tons of casual but ranked matches. The same as the general population, ANY potential changes scare them senselessly. The amount of inertia like changing from 3p to 2p for Arena was hilarious. Change the guru system to only include top 100 elo and/or 70% arena matches player pools would fundamentally improve the Arena selection process. Honestly, it's kinda sad to see a site for board gamer couldn't figure this out, like you guys haven't played enough euros to figure out how competition works?

Yo, who remembed that we had back to back 3p prelude? Yeah, pretty wasted oppotunity, so I am not so surprised how those "gurus" act this way again.

[xspuipuke]

Arena should just cycle through the various player counts and maps periodically. The guru system just incentivizes to pick whatever one thinks is better for oneself. "I suck at 4P? Won't pick that for sure" etc.

[RoyalRook]

Arena should just cycle through the various player counts and maps periodically. The guru system just incentivizes to pick whatever one thinks is better for oneself. "I suck at 4P? Won't pick that for sure" etc.

Truth, tragically it doesn't even get to that far. The current guru system let you vote for the upcoming format, then it double incentivize inertia by giving the test pool an option to keep things as it is in the final round of voting. What do you think the lab rats most likely to do? It's the always the path of least learning, change and resistance, which to them translate to pain.

[xspuipuke]

True, haven't even considered that. Plus, lower player counts tend to be chosen because people can get more games in that way.

[Azoken]

True, haven't even considered that. Plus, lower player counts tend to be chosen because people can get more games in that way.

100 000 games played in arena during 2P, 40 000 during 3P.

About the same number of distinct players.

[jaymc1130]

Arena should just cycle through the various player counts and maps periodically. The guru system just incentivizes to pick whatever one thinks is better for oneself. "I suck at 4P? Won't pick that for sure" etc.

Why cycle through player count? That seems strange. Cycling through maps and expansions and what not seems logical, but arena should always have a 2p, 3p, and 4p bracket. Having only one arena for one format each season is just plain silly. Each season ought to have 2p, 3p, 4p, and then the map and expansions used rotate each cycle with the gurus voting on the next set up combination that hasn’t been played recently (this way each season is slightly different and fresh and it’ll take a year or two to cycle back around to something that’s already been done).

[xspuipuke]

Totally agree, I haven’t considered multiple parallel arenas.

[FrankJones]

Yes. Remove "Keep it as is" from the default voting options. That might help switch things up each season.