I am not particularly deep into the multiplayer scene, but I don't get why they dramatically shortened season lengths after the first 2. I mostly just do team quickmatch with friends every now and then, but it's irritating that we're busted back to zero points seemingly every other time we play. The length just seems to defy most other definitions of "season". Even League of Legends is still on a relatively low season number, right? So I'm curious to hear Blizzard's rationale behind it, though I doubt it will convince me on why they're so damn short.

Yeah, they've recently shortened the length of seasons pretty significantly. I don't know why they did that. Maybe because of Heart of the Swarm stuff?

I think it solves a lot of the problems with grand master league and people not getting promoted properly.

@BisonHero: FYI League season 2 just ended. 3 will be starting soon.

edit: has started in fact.

Some people like it because it resets things and gives a definite chance at promotion (or demotion!), though usually that isn't the case. I think it has to do with a lot of people play lots at the start of the season then drop off until the next season begins so if the seasons are shorter they will come back sooner to play their placement matches. 
 
And yeah the whole GM thing. It forces it to reset since you can't get knocked out of GM unless you don't play so there were people abusing that and staying in GM. 
 
It isn't a big deal anyway. It doesn't really affect you most of the time other than it puts you in a new division. It doesn't mess with your MMR unless you don't do placements for a season.

I just want to make clear I don't actually know why they do it, I'm only piecing together stuff from what I remember and know.

But, yeah it wouldn't only benefit grand master players. It effects all leagues. There's only certain percentages of people in each league, something like 20/20/20/20/18/1.8/0.2 percent in each league. So anytime people go in active or purposely drop their MMR it can mess the system up if the league season were to go on for too long. This way it just refreshes who's in what leagues based on their existing MMR that doesn't get changed during resets. It pretty much benefits any players that play regularly and doesn't effect inactive players badly either, because they just need to play a single game to get placed in a league from their existing MMR.

Also it gives people a nice looking career summary, where they can look back and see what league positions they've been in. Having something too long wouldn't mean much to many people, or newer players.

It may not be a perfect system, but it works well and keeps league and ladder placements interesting in my opinion.

I just want to make clear I don't actually know why they do it, I'm only piecing together stuff from what I remember and know.

But, yeah it wouldn't only benefit grand master players. It effects all leagues. There's only certain percentages of people in each league, something like 20/20/20/20/18/1.8/0.2 percent in each league. So anytime people go in active or purposely drop their MMR it can mess the system up if the league season were to go on for too long. This way it just refreshes who's in what leagues based on their existing MMR that doesn't get changed during resets. It pretty much benefits any players that play regularly and doesn't effect inactive players badly either, because they just need to play a single game to get placed in a league from their existing MMR.

Also it gives people a nice looking career summary, where they can look back and see what league positions they've been in. Having something too long wouldn't mean much to many people, or newer players.

It may not be a perfect system, but it works well and keeps league and ladder placements interesting in my opinion.

points are meaingless

@baldgye said:

points are meaingless

Oh noooooooooooooooooo. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I gotta go slit my wrists now.

@BisonHero said:

@baldgye said:

points are meaingless

Oh noooooooooooooooooo. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I gotta go slit my wrists now.

just saying, I can't really work out why it matters tbh... if you don't ladder enough to get your mmr high enough to be promoted then your season points are meaningless... its the problem with the current ladder system... my MMR is high enough for me to be player top diamonds and random masters but im usually stuck mid/high plat...

so it shouldn't make any diffrence to your life really, especially when points mean so little

@Ben_H said:

It doesn't mess with your MMR unless you don't do placements for a season.

@haffy said:

So anytime people go in active or purposely drop their MMR it can mess the system up if the league season were to go on for too long. This way it just refreshes who's in what leagues based on their existing MMR that doesn't get changed during resets. It pretty much benefits any players that play regularly and doesn't effect inactive players badly either, because they just need to play a single game to get placed in a league from their existing MMR.

Well, thank god it won't disrupt my measles, mumps, and rubella. Or my maternal mortality ratio. Or my merchant marine reserve.

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I said "I am not particularly deep into the multiplayer scene". Assume that to mean "I probably don't know any of the acronyms you will use so please explain in plain English."

The MMR is the hidden number value put on your account that is the real world rank (if you like) against your account, it determins if you get promoted/demoted etc

@BisonHero said:

@Ben_H said:

It doesn't mess with your MMR unless you don't do placements for a season.

@haffy said:

So anytime people go in active or purposely drop their MMR it can mess the system up if the league season were to go on for too long. This way it just refreshes who's in what leagues based on their existing MMR that doesn't get changed during resets. It pretty much benefits any players that play regularly and doesn't effect inactive players badly either, because they just need to play a single game to get placed in a league from their existing MMR.

Well, thank god it won't disrupt my measles, mumps, and rubella. Or my maternal mortality ratio. Or my merchant marine reserve.

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I said "I am not particularly deep into the multiplayer scene". Assume that to mean "I probably don't know any of the acronyms you will use so please explain in plain English."

When I gave you a short version of what it means, you didn't understand and came away with stupid assumptions. When I gave you the long version you get pissed off that you don't understand.

Why don't you just fuck off.

@BisonHero said:

@baldgye said:

points are meaingless

Oh noooooooooooooooooo. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I gotta go slit my wrists now.

just saying, I can't really work out why it matters tbh... if you don't ladder enough to get your mmr high enough to be promoted then your season points are meaningless... its the problem with the current ladder system... my MMR is high enough for me to be player top diamonds and random masters but im usually stuck mid/high plat...

so it shouldn't make any diffrence to your life really, especially when points mean so little

@Ben_H said:

@baldgye said:

@BisonHero said:

@baldgye said:

points are meaingless

Oh noooooooooooooooooo. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I gotta go slit my wrists now.

just saying, I can't really work out why it matters tbh... if you don't ladder enough to get your mmr high enough to be promoted then your season points are meaningless... its the problem with the current ladder system... my MMR is high enough for me to be player top diamonds and random masters but im usually stuck mid/high plat...

so it shouldn't make any diffrence to your life really, especially when points mean so little

You just have to be more consistent then. I was in that same range of platinum for a long time. Playing more is about all you can do. Also remember now that division ranks actually mean stuff now because they changed it so where your rank is depicts what percentile of that league you are in. IE the top 10 of a division are in the 90th percentile or more (IE top of the league and likely to be promoted. Both of my accounts were in the top 3 when they were promoted to Diamond last season).

yeah I know, I played about two seasons soldily trying to get into dia and never made it, so I gave up (becasue keeping at that skill level was not easy to do (as im garbage)) and now I mostly play silly team games on smurf accounts and ladder on broken as shit HotS...

given up caring and just challenge any dia terran or protoss if they think they are shit hot LOL

also I found devision ranks to be pretty meaningless, when I got back on my account within a few games I was back to #1plat and stuck there for a while, now with work I dont have the time to ladder as much as I did... so meh :P

 I remember getting to the top of a Gold league and it was the best thing... and then it got taken away from me.  Haven't played since.
 
Guess people that are really anal about Grandmaster and such like it to revolve a little more.  But if you're a casual player it feels like sort of a burn when you've worked for weeks to get on top, putting in a lot of time relative to your other games, and then you have to do it all again for that same feeling of accomplishment.  Kind of a bummer.

@csl316 said:

I remember getting to the top of a Gold league and it was the best thing... and then it got taken away from me. Haven't played since. Guess people that are really anal about Grandmaster and such like it to revolve a little more. But if you're a casual player it feels like sort of a burn when you've worked for weeks to get on top, putting in a lot of time relative to your other games, and then you have to do it all again for that same feeling of accomplishment. Kind of a bummer.

gotta suck to find out being rank 1 is meaningless

You guys are doing it backwards, bronze is where the game really starts.

They're really not that short...if you're getting reset "every other time you play" then you must really not play a lot at all, in which case it's hard to complain.

@baldgye said:

@BisonHero said:

@baldgye said:

points are meaingless

Oh noooooooooooooooooo. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I gotta go slit my wrists now.

just saying, I can't really work out why it matters tbh... if you don't ladder enough to get your mmr high enough to be promoted then your season points are meaningless... its the problem with the current ladder system... my MMR is high enough for me to be player top diamonds and random masters but im usually stuck mid/high plat...

so it shouldn't make any diffrence to your life really, especially when points mean so little

If your MMR is high enough then you should get promoted when a new season comes. You need to be consistent though. It took me forever to do Diamond to masters because I'd never be consistent enough to keep my MMR around the masters level. It's harder too if you've been in a league for a long time, because you really need to "prove" that you belong in the new league, and just aren't having a win streak.

I don't really have a problem with the shorter seasons.

Like others have mentioned, I think it's so people can be placed according to their skill level. When I was on a Starcraft binge early this summer I was stuck in the top three for Bronze League. No matter how many games I won or how many points I gained, I just could not break into Silver.

#BronzeLeagueForLife

@Nadril said:

@baldgye said:

@BisonHero said:

@baldgye said:

points are meaingless

Oh noooooooooooooooooo. It's been nice knowing you guys, but I gotta go slit my wrists now.

just saying, I can't really work out why it matters tbh... if you don't ladder enough to get your mmr high enough to be promoted then your season points are meaningless... its the problem with the current ladder system... my MMR is high enough for me to be player top diamonds and random masters but im usually stuck mid/high plat...

so it shouldn't make any diffrence to your life really, especially when points mean so little

If your MMR is high enough then you should get promoted when a new season comes. You need to be consistent though. It took me forever to do Diamond to masters because I'd never be consistent enough to keep my MMR around the masters level. It's harder too if you've been in a league for a long time, because you really need to "prove" that you belong in the new league, and just aren't having a win streak.

I don't really have a problem with the shorter seasons.

im consistent, in how I play and my results, but how much time I can spend laddering isn't which is why its taking me a while... also my account started in copper league so my MMR still probally isn't too great...

...but the only 1v1 I'm playing now is HotS