Games Talk Hatsu 2025

[Kachikoshi 26]

I wanted to toot my own horn and note that in each of my 9 tournaments playing Sumo Game I have won 9+ times.

https://www.japan-guide.com/sumo/rikishi.html?1335
 

Despite this I am still ranked in Makushita.

[Jakusotsu 5,914]

12 minutes ago, Kachikoshi said:

Despite this I am still ranked in Makushita.

Yup, that's Sumo Game for you. You not only need success but also a truckload of patience to escape Makushita Hell.

[Jejima 1,368]

I once won back-to-back 13-2 Makushita yushos in the Sumo Game, after which I was ranked at ms33E.

[Asashosakari 19,215]

I managed to have back-to-back days in Toto in which I was the first player below the line, and then the last one above.
 

1 hour ago, Jakusotsu said:

Yup, that's Sumo Game for you. You not only need success but also a truckload of patience to escape Makushita Hell.

If anyone's ever wondering why "my" games see KK players promoted so aggressively, not wanting to be like that was one of the primary reasons I set it up that way. No newcomer to the games should be expected to essentially sign up for a lifetime career just to get anywhere relevant on the banzuke.

Edited yesterday at 20:18 by Asashosakari

[Kachikoshi 26]

23 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

If anyone's ever wondering why "my" games see KK players promoted so aggressively, not wanting to be like that was one of the primary reasons I set it up that way. No newcomer to the games should be expected to essentially sign up for a lifetime career just to get anywhere relevant on the banzuke.

I think Sumo Game's ranking system works fine in Makuuchi and Juryo. The problem is the movement is the same at the top of the banzuke as at the bottom. God help us if there were an extra 200 players; then it would take a decade minimum to get to Juryo.

Further, since Sumo Game actually matches you up with people near you on the banzuke, the rankings actually matter for having competitive matches. In real ozumo, if you are overranked, put up a weak performance and go 4-11, in the next basho you'll be put approximately where you belong and will have a good shot at a kachikoshi. In Sumo Game you'll be slightly demoted and be up against players of approximately the same skill level who will probably once again put a beating on you.

My simple fix would be to double target promotions/demotions in Makushita, so that a 9-6 is worth +6 ranks instead of +3. And maybe split the bottom of Makushita off into Sandanme and triple the promotions/demotions there.

[Asashosakari 19,215]

7 minutes ago, Kachikoshi said:

My simple fix would be to double target promotions/demotions in Makushita, so that a 9-6 is worth +6 ranks instead of +3. And maybe split the bottom of Makushita off into Sandanme and triple the promotions/demotions there.

It's often not that simple because the glass ceiling between juryo and makushita will still be the same harsh mistress, so sudden breaks in treatment from one division to the other rarely work. FWIW, back when I was doing the banzuke for the Fantasy Sumo game (it's been dead for over five years, but used to have over 200 ranked players ranked like SG), I was gradually increasing the ranks-per-win multiplier in half-rank steps from 2.5 at the top of makushita up to 4 towards the bottom. (Plus some extra generosity for particularly strong records.) But it's hard to do that by algorithm because the sensible break points aren't necessarily at the same ranks every time.