CRLF [2095076] —
Original article
DA v NS II confirmed as first Ranked Warring test battle. Thirty other factions offer to suit up to participate in beta. Chedburn reveals parameters and tentative schedule for test fights.
Last month Chedburn teased one of the most anticipated updates in Torn history when he made a public request for volunteers ahead of the Ranked Warring testing phase. We can now confirm that the first test fight under the new system will take place between Natural Selection II and Destructive Anomaly, with the exact date set to be decided by the factions themselves.
What is Ranked Warring?
Ranked Warring, which has been disabled since 2017, is a system whereby factions square off against one another in a 1v1 fight. These battles work like a tug of war, with both factions battling to become the first to reach the required score, thus earning themselves unique benefits including items, respect, and an improved faction status.
Chedburn's post announced that Ranked Warring would hopefully be released before Christmas. To facilitate its arrival, the Ranked Warring system needs to be tested, and to do that, Chedburn needs Torn's factions to pair up and battle each other. In his post, he stated he is looking for balanced pairs of factions, and with that in mind, I put together a thread that attempted to match interested factions based on their stats.
Pictured: Torn faction speed dating event. Whose number did you get?
We'll look at some of the potential matchups in the pipeline later on in this article. But first, let's hear from the main man himself as to how this testing phase will work, when it will take place, and what will be on offer for those involved.
When Will The First Test Take Place?
The first test will involve the two factions mentioned earlier, NS II and DA, who will be able to engage in a ranked war as soon as one final element of the system is finished. Chedburn suggested it may be as early as next week that the fight can take place, with the two factions able to choose when they want to begin. He added that additional 1v1's may be set up soon after depending on how the first test goes.
If additional 1v1's are needed in the first stage of testing, Chedburn confirms they will all take place before Halloween.
"Well the Halloween event is literally just a single week, so it's quite easy to avoid. The factions selected can have control over the scheduling for sure.
Then we'll simply enable the beta for them - since only those two factions will have access to the beta they can both Enlist and should both quickly be matched with each other."
Who Gets To Play?
After the initial test, adjustments will be made to the warring mechanics based on feedback from the parties involved. A second round of testing will then follow after Halloween, but who will get to take part?
"We've not chosen any pairs yet... we just generally want a fairly balanced war. I'll go through the pairings table that CRLF made and compare average faction stats and each one's member count to ensure they're balanced."
Chedburn says that the second round of testing will require six factions in total, with two drawn from one tier and four from another tier. These tiers were decided based on a spreadsheet I provided to Chedburn in which I organized interested factions based on my own statistical analysis. The purpose of the second test will be to determine whether the matchmaking system works correctly when factions of different levels attempt to find an opponent.
The third testing phase will involve up to sixteen factions being paired off in a final and full beta test of the ranked warring system.
"If there's a lot of interest to test the system, we'll make full use of it... They [the factions] wouldn't necessarily be matched with their pairing, but they should be matched with whatever faction is most balanced with them."
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What Are The Terms?
Those who are interested in taking part obviously want to know under what terms these fights will be fought. Will expended energy and money be lost? Or will test battles take place in a test area, where nothing is lost or gained?
"They would be completely real with no development tools. The rewards will also be real. Any rank changes however will be reset."
Another commonly asked question is how long these wars will take. Will test fights be time-constrained, or do they simply run until a score is reached?
"Both, the ranked system will reduce the requirements over time if they've not yet been met after 48 hours, ensuring a maximum duration. The absolute maximum duration of a ranked war is 147 hours."
And finally, some wondered how the scoring system would work: Will it be based on attacking results? Or is it less specific than that?
"Scoring is very simply based on the amount of respect you gain from attacks on the opponent faction. So retaliation hits, fair fights, high-level targets, group attacks, chains & their bonus hits, overseas hits - everything will count."
What about outside influence? Out of respect for the testing process, it would be good if the initial 1v1 tests were not interrupted by other factions. But during the latter stages, it may be interesting to see how raids and territorial wars impact the system and those taking part. Chedburn confirms that everything that can presently happen to a faction will remain on the table during a Ranked Warring test.
"Factions in ranked wars can still be targeted by territory wars and raids. Factions can utilize early discharge to counter outside attacks, even within raids. We're not yet sure of the impact of territory wars happening at the same time - currently if this niche case presents itself, the faction may need to decide which they want to prioritise."
Finally, on behalf of those who will not be involved in the testing phase, we asked Chedburn whether these fights and their results will be viewable by the general Torn public.
"I'll see if I can set that up, so it's visible to the outside public via the faction profiles."
Ranked Warring Matchups
Many factions were ready to fight before these questions had been answered. Now that Chedburn has provided us with some insights into how the testing phase will go, the people of Torn are well and truly ready to fight!
Participating factions were asked to find themselves a suitable partner for the testing phase. Some factions already have a regular warring partner, and the top-tier factions know there is a limited pool of opponents they can select from. But many mid-tier and new factions aren’t sure how to go about finding a match for the test phase.
This won't be an issue when Ranked Warring is released, as a matchmaking system based on certain metrics will be employed to pit suitable factions against each other. But if any factions are struggling to find a testing partner, let's see if we can help you with that by asking a few questions of your faction's stats and stats.
How To Find A Match
Total faction respect is not a good measure of a faction's strength. Respect stays with the faction shell regardless of how the membership has changed over time. Instead, many faction leads will tell you that total Xanax usage of the members is a good indicator, as this informs you how active they are.
For my initial faction pairing reports, I used a combination of total Xanax usage, total members, and largest chain completed. My reasoning is that Xanax is the best common denominator for energy use, and the few SSL members knocking around are distributed across factions, meaning they do not impact any one faction by much.
Member count is important so that the teams are of equal size, and this makes it easier to compare their total faction stats too. Chain length also indicates the overall competence and maturity of the faction, although such achievements could have been earned by an earlier group of players, so I wouldn't rely solely on this kind of stat to make a decision.
My Reports
Where factions have expressed an interest in facing one another in Chedburn's thread, I have attempted to provide them with a report on how balanced the fight would be. After an initial check using the metrics mentioned in the previous section, I would then adjust the limits slightly. For example, if a faction had completed a 25k chain with less total Xanax than other factions, I would adjust to include some 10k chain factions as well. The goal was to get 10-12 matches altogether.
Next, I compared all the other stats, removing any faction that was much too strong or too weak. From the total set of stats, I then determined the target faction’s strong points and weak points, and how they compared overall to the competition. Here is a sample report for Catalysis – low SE usage is holding them back
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Larger Link in blue-yellow adjusted
You can view more reports at: Ranked warring: Exhibition wars
The Lineups
Some factions didn't need my help and found pairs on their own. Others used the faction reports, and a few more needed some help in engaging other factions. At the time of writing we have 32 faction pairings made and a further 33 individual unpaired factions. Chedburn's comment that he will make use of the community's enthusiasm for this test means there may still be room for a few more matchups if they can be organized in time.
Pictured: Torn's factions and their polyamorous approach to testing partners.
Regardless of however many additional factions are allowed to test, it looks like we already have a great lineup of factions ready to take part. Here is a list of those who have agreed to fight each other in a ranked warring test if asked. These battles have themselves been ranked according to the total Xanax used by both parties.
Highlights
While this article was being prepared we heard that NS II vs DA was confirmed as the first fight, and The Times may produce a separate article to cover this battle and the results once it's over. But as you can see from the list above, there are plenty of other exciting fights potentially in the pipeline. So to whet your appetite ahead of these much-anticipated duels, here are some quotes from the major players involved in the headline battles that may soon be coming to Torn City.
Natural Selection vs Chain Reaction
Stretch [NS1] - “Chain Reaction is a strong and active faction. We fought them before, it was a good fight but we came out ahead in the end. Looking ahead, as with all wars it will take a group effort, it’s never easy. Chain Reaction has grown considerably since our last encounter.”
MeanMike [CR] - “I think the match-up will be fun. NS brings it, so we are expecting a very active scrap. Yes, we fought them before. I totally beat the crap out of deft’s fist with my face, he was begging for mercy. A fight with NS is never easy, but we are dying to fight someone. NS was willing to step up so props to them.”
NS1
Strengths: Overall strength in stats and activity.
Weaknesses: Some complacency due to game limitations for battles
CR
Strengths: Very active, good sense of humor.
Weaknesses: Not quite to NS’s level… yet
Monarch vs PT Family
This is a much-anticipated match-up, showcasing the new Monarch faction.
Xanty [PT Family] - "There aren't many options when you are in the Faction Hall of Fame Top Six. Since NS 1 paired with CR, and JFK and SA decided to sit out, the only faction that would accept a PT-Family challenge would be Monarch. We have never fought Monarch before but we have fought MnC and R* in the past under different circumstances... Fighting against the proclaimed #2 faction will never be easy -- quite the opposite, this will be an uphill battle."
RGiskard [Monarch] - "We hadn't decided to participate until Xanty of PT-Family approached us. Our two factions have had some back and forth ever since Monarch was formed, and our members have wanted to get some action in general, so we accepted... Stats only ever tell part of the story. Monarch may now have the biggest potato in Torn, but it'll take a whole team effort to defeat a seasoned group like PT. I have hopes that this new system gives us a reason to get into battles besides one-time map resettlements, and if so, I suspect this won't be the last time the two of us go head to head."
Monarch Engineering vs PnB
Madmiketyson [PnB] - “We already had a term war planned with Monarch Engineering, so this would be an interesting fight as a test ranked war. We’ve never fought before but we’re well matched for stats at the top end, except for ME player realistassasin. However, Monarch’s bottom end is much stronger. I expect a very tough fight.”
PnB
Strengths: Enthusiasm and growth.
Weaknesses: Wealth – less money to spend on medical temps, boosters, etc.
HT- vs The Untouchables
Badzena [The Untouchables] - "UNT are chaining beasts and will always fight with passion and heart. We are very active, so this is a massive strength but our stats are a little lower than a lot of others. But we are primarily a growth faction and our strength is helping players to grow and learn from others here. I took one member in when he was 10 days old, he is now a PA beast, and his stats are pretty darn good for time played! I’m truly interested in how this will play out, how the pairs are going to be organized, who can declare on whom and how it will work."
Catalysis vs SA One Punch
Clitasaurus [SA OP] - “We have a great match-up with Catalysis and every morning I rush to check Torn for a Ched update on beta testing. We have not warred them before (except in a vivid dream – there was fire and lasers, 10/10). This will be a hard fight for us as Catalysis is a tough, active faction.”
Shady69 [Catalysis] - “I think it’s going to be a close fight. We were already talking about a termed war prior to this, and I’m excited to see it coming together. SA OP’s stats will be matched by our activity level.”
SA OP
Strengths: BadassBaxia and twerking.
Weaknesses: Our activity level could be better.
Catalysis
Strengths: Very active.
Weaknesses: Overall stats
JUX HQ vs Desert Eagle
themainman [JUX] - "The match-up with Desert Eagle should be interesting. They approached us and would like a challenge. We haven’t fought them before. Our stats are higher but they have more respect. I believe activity is key here. We haven’t been in a war since the medical revamp, which makes this even more interesting. In my opinion, it’s a coin toss, so let’s wait and see.”
Arcadia vs The Next Level
Kamikaze-Tool [Arcadia] - “We were organizing a termed war against Next Level before Ched announced a ranked war beta. We have the advantage in battle stats. Although our bottom end is probably a lot weaker than theirs, we think our middle and top is going to be stronger by a large margin. The biggest difference will be activity. As for winners, a lot depends on the rules of warring, which haven’t been released yet. For example, whether the outcome status can be “leave” or if it needs to be “hosped”,which would allow us to sit on their top players.”
Arcadia
Strengths: Overall stats.
Weaknesses: Activity level, especially for warring.
Dystopia vs Plata o Plomo
Superior- [Plata o Plomo] - "We are really looking forward to our match-up against Dystopia. Nurz seems like a good guy. We haven’t fought them before but I think it will be a decent match-up. I’m always confident in this game, and there’s no harm in losing, if it happens. We are a very tight faction and fun is always our objective. We have been training for ranked warring for awhile now and I think a few will be surprised by how well prepared we are.”
Plata Strengths: Faction unity
NS4 vs PnB Penguins
Infinity [NS4] - “We set up a match a few weeks ago with PnB Penguins, we have not fought them before but our stats line up. I’m hoping this will be a competitive match and fun for all.”
Fatbears [PnB Penguins] - “We have a fairly new crew and this will be out first termed war. We’re excited to see competitive warring move forward. Being part of the beta is truly exciting!”
NS4
Strengths: Very active.
Weaknesses: Limited warring experience.
PnB Penguins
Strengths: Eager new crew.
Weaknesses: Lack of warring experience.
Caledonia vs Ghost Ship
Chupacabra [Ghost Ship] - "The player base has been thirsting for real warfare for a long time, something that includes Fair Fight x3 and War Bonus x2 on respect gains. We will have to see if this new warfare will affect all of Torn or just further increase the gap between HoF and other play styles."
Darkside vs El Condor
Tash [Darkside] - “We haven't fought El Condor before in a war but we’ve been close to them since the faction was created. Condor is a great match for us in stats and activity. I predict this will be a hard fight and a great test case for the beta test. Without a system in place like ranked warring we cannot really gauge our relative strengths and weaknesses.”
Cob [El Condor] - “We have been closely allied with Darkside for years and we’ve grown together over that time. We have some strong fighters and some weaker members. The new ranked warring will give us a chance to see how we stack up against each other and bring some friendly competition to the match. Hopefully the introduction of ranked warring brings a new aspect to the game that a lot of members have yet to experience.”
Wolf Pack Next Generation vs. Onion Smugglers
Archaic [WP NG] - “Through great leadership, guidance and community within the Wolf Pack family we’ve really fine-tuned Next-Gen’s attitude, goals and achievements."
"Having members from all stages of the game has given the faction those challenges between each other that you can’t find in many places elsewhere. Whether that’s stat achievements, money achievements or an IRL goal that we all push each other for. Ranked warring is the next big step as we time and time again prove ourselves with each chain."
Rampage vs In Memory of the Fallen
Cruntcher [Rampage] - "This will be a great match-up by strength of stats. It won’t be easy, IMF has a reputation for fighting hard. We are geared for war, with a great leadership team and war funds to ease the cost.Our weakness is since we’ve split from Warbirds to be an independent faction instead of a sub, we’ve had to do some rebuilding. I hope we are chosen for the beta test, I think this will make a great match-up.”
Prynce [IMF] - “We both want a close match-up and are looking forward to it, both factions are active. In talking to Cruntcher it seems like it will be a balanced fight to be enjoyed by both sides, we are all looking forward to seeing what the new ranked warring is going to be like.”
Adrenaline vs Equilibrium
Cornhub [Adrenaline] - “EQ have a heavier top end than we do, however they have less members currently, so as long as we have good participation,we should be fine - once their big guys are out of E, they're out of E. We’ve fought EQ before but that was two years ago. There are a few ways this can go. I can't really call it now as it all depends on how active the top ends are, as well as participation in general - also, the way the ranked warring system works could favor activity over stats or whatever else so we just don't know yet.”
Metallistar [Equilibrium] - “Adrenaline de-sectored us about two years ago from the Racetrack area. We used the time since then to grow significantly stronger. Even though we are now friendly we would love the opportunity to test ourselves against them. No animosity, just want some good fun action against an old foe turned friend.”
Riot vs Winter Is Coming
Riot [Riot] - “Winter is Coming is a faction we've been friendly with for a longtime. Like us they are very up-and-coming and growing quickly. We are consistently neck-and-neck in the respect hall of fame and we believe they may trump us in activity but we beat them in our upper end stats."
"We have both expressed interest in a termed war in the past but territory limitations have held it back from happening this far. I think it will be a great match-up between two mid-sized factions.”
The Inquisition vs Toxic Reign
Arnout [The Inquisition] - “The new ranked warring will allow us to try and actually seek "legitimate" wars. Normally, factions our size struggle because pretty much every fun opposition is either protected or proxied. It'd be even better if the sectors on the map required some sort of ranking to allow more factions to get a real shot without having to resort to joining gigantic alliances or proxy themselves out."
Inquisition
Strengths: Morale, resilience
Weaknesses: Very new faction with no long term veterans
The Collective vs BoW Hooligans and vs Bootcamp
Walkon [The Collective] - “We put ourselves forward against Hooligans and Bootcamp. I have a huge amount of respect for both factions but have never warred with them so it will be interesting to see how we do. We have been neighboring factions for quite a while and we’ve had the occasional chaining wall. Let’s see what happens with a good ole dust up!"
The Collective
Strengths: Lean roster of active players.
Crime Syndicate vs BoW - The United
ThunderThighs [Crime Syndicate] - "We are having a three-way war now with The United and a third faction. We believe Crime Syndicate is more powerful, but activity also plays an important part. If Crime Syndicate loses such a war, then the members themselves will work out what to improve and train harder than ever to become their best for the faction and themselves. Communication is also key within Crime Syndicate. Everyone knows what is at stake and what is their role to help the plan go forward."
Crime Syndicate
Strengths: Lots of new, enthusiastic, and active players.
Weaknesses: A few rogue members. Weak in strength.
Sacrifice vs Immortal Defiance
Vaas [Sacrifice] - "Immortal Defiance is the only match we managed to find, as most "small" factions didn't want to participate. Although we have the advantage in stats, our opponents have the advantage in numbers. I anticipate seeing which of us is more favored in ranked warring. In territory wars, stats had a major impact on the fight, but in ranked we don’t have enough information yet to determine. Torn has needed ranked warring for years now and i am glad and happy this is coming out now."
Torn Galactic Republic vs Majesty
Princess-Lana [Majesty] - “I don't know how balanced the war will be, as we have fewer members and probably less stats. However it will be a good experience for our members to learn as well.”
SirEmrys [TGR] - “I know that one of the members of majesty has higher stats than us, but we do have more members and are experienced in war and had a lot of practice recently. I think overall we are more likely to come out on top but it will be a good fight and I know how hard majesty fights.”
Faction Personals
We'll end this article with a few comments from the representatives of factions who would like to take part in Ranked Warring testing, but who have yet to find that special someone. If any of the comments below make you feel that your faction may be able to match up, please get in touch!
Ninivah [Naughty Souls] - “It would be good for us to see what we might be facing in competitive warring so we know how to direct the faction's growth. A lot of our members have been working on their stats and they seem to be developing a love for battle. Our recent success with our 25k has provided a huge boost to morale."
Prestindantilas [Jokerz] - “Several of our most recent wars were fairly evenly matched. I think our strengths and weaknesses are the same answer: Participation. Those who participate in wars go all out, we coordinate well, we help each other in any way required. The problem is there are some members who never seem to participate in wars. Overall, I think that for our size/age/respect, we do a pretty good job of holding our own.”
Matty_h [Midnight Plague] - “Being amid-tier faction is both a strength and a weakness. We take young, hungry players who may not meet the stat requirements of the top-tier factions. They are eager to get involved but also inexperienced in some of the war mechanics of the game.”
Earthguido [White Rabbits] - “Historically our faction has been very strong in activity, and we have been able to fight stronger factions (and sometimes win). We were never very worried about territories or alliances, we fought for the fun of it. And we found some factions that also liked to war the same way. Made some frenemies this way. We have a strong group of people in the1-2.5 bn bracket, but we lack an even distribution at the lower levels. We need to keep encouraging our lower levels to train."
Comrade_Joe [New Sith Order] - "New Sith Order has around thirty hyperactive members. However, most of them are newer players and have relatively low battle stats. There's a large gap between our top members and the rest of the faction.We punch much higher than our respect would indicate and most of that is just do to the mass of activity we have and our super active discord."
What is Ranked Warring?
Ranked Warring, which has been disabled since 2017, is a system whereby factions square off against one another in a 1v1 fight. These battles work like a tug of war, with both factions battling to become the first to reach the required score, thus earning themselves unique benefits including items, respect, and an improved faction status.
Chedburn's post announced that Ranked Warring would hopefully be released before Christmas. To facilitate its arrival, the Ranked Warring system needs to be tested, and to do that, Chedburn needs Torn's factions to pair up and battle each other. In his post, he stated he is looking for balanced pairs of factions, and with that in mind, I put together a thread that attempted to match interested factions based on their stats.
Pictured: Torn faction speed dating event. Whose number did you get?
We'll look at some of the potential matchups in the pipeline later on in this article. But first, let's hear from the main man himself as to how this testing phase will work, when it will take place, and what will be on offer for those involved.
When Will The First Test Take Place?
The first test will involve the two factions mentioned earlier, NS II and DA, who will be able to engage in a ranked war as soon as one final element of the system is finished. Chedburn suggested it may be as early as next week that the fight can take place, with the two factions able to choose when they want to begin. He added that additional 1v1's may be set up soon after depending on how the first test goes.
If additional 1v1's are needed in the first stage of testing, Chedburn confirms they will all take place before Halloween.
"Well the Halloween event is literally just a single week, so it's quite easy to avoid. The factions selected can have control over the scheduling for sure.
Then we'll simply enable the beta for them - since only those two factions will have access to the beta they can both Enlist and should both quickly be matched with each other."
Who Gets To Play?
After the initial test, adjustments will be made to the warring mechanics based on feedback from the parties involved. A second round of testing will then follow after Halloween, but who will get to take part?
"We've not chosen any pairs yet... we just generally want a fairly balanced war. I'll go through the pairings table that CRLF made and compare average faction stats and each one's member count to ensure they're balanced."
Chedburn says that the second round of testing will require six factions in total, with two drawn from one tier and four from another tier. These tiers were decided based on a spreadsheet I provided to Chedburn in which I organized interested factions based on my own statistical analysis. The purpose of the second test will be to determine whether the matchmaking system works correctly when factions of different levels attempt to find an opponent.
The third testing phase will involve up to sixteen factions being paired off in a final and full beta test of the ranked warring system.
"If there's a lot of interest to test the system, we'll make full use of it... They [the factions] wouldn't necessarily be matched with their pairing, but they should be matched with whatever faction is most balanced with them."
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What Are The Terms?
Those who are interested in taking part obviously want to know under what terms these fights will be fought. Will expended energy and money be lost? Or will test battles take place in a test area, where nothing is lost or gained?
"They would be completely real with no development tools. The rewards will also be real. Any rank changes however will be reset."
Another commonly asked question is how long these wars will take. Will test fights be time-constrained, or do they simply run until a score is reached?
"Both, the ranked system will reduce the requirements over time if they've not yet been met after 48 hours, ensuring a maximum duration. The absolute maximum duration of a ranked war is 147 hours."
And finally, some wondered how the scoring system would work: Will it be based on attacking results? Or is it less specific than that?
"Scoring is very simply based on the amount of respect you gain from attacks on the opponent faction. So retaliation hits, fair fights, high-level targets, group attacks, chains & their bonus hits, overseas hits - everything will count."
What about outside influence? Out of respect for the testing process, it would be good if the initial 1v1 tests were not interrupted by other factions. But during the latter stages, it may be interesting to see how raids and territorial wars impact the system and those taking part. Chedburn confirms that everything that can presently happen to a faction will remain on the table during a Ranked Warring test.
"Factions in ranked wars can still be targeted by territory wars and raids. Factions can utilize early discharge to counter outside attacks, even within raids. We're not yet sure of the impact of territory wars happening at the same time - currently if this niche case presents itself, the faction may need to decide which they want to prioritise."
Finally, on behalf of those who will not be involved in the testing phase, we asked Chedburn whether these fights and their results will be viewable by the general Torn public.
"I'll see if I can set that up, so it's visible to the outside public via the faction profiles."
Ranked Warring Matchups
Many factions were ready to fight before these questions had been answered. Now that Chedburn has provided us with some insights into how the testing phase will go, the people of Torn are well and truly ready to fight!
Participating factions were asked to find themselves a suitable partner for the testing phase. Some factions already have a regular warring partner, and the top-tier factions know there is a limited pool of opponents they can select from. But many mid-tier and new factions aren’t sure how to go about finding a match for the test phase.
This won't be an issue when Ranked Warring is released, as a matchmaking system based on certain metrics will be employed to pit suitable factions against each other. But if any factions are struggling to find a testing partner, let's see if we can help you with that by asking a few questions of your faction's stats and stats.
How To Find A Match
Total faction respect is not a good measure of a faction's strength. Respect stays with the faction shell regardless of how the membership has changed over time. Instead, many faction leads will tell you that total Xanax usage of the members is a good indicator, as this informs you how active they are.
For my initial faction pairing reports, I used a combination of total Xanax usage, total members, and largest chain completed. My reasoning is that Xanax is the best common denominator for energy use, and the few SSL members knocking around are distributed across factions, meaning they do not impact any one faction by much.
Member count is important so that the teams are of equal size, and this makes it easier to compare their total faction stats too. Chain length also indicates the overall competence and maturity of the faction, although such achievements could have been earned by an earlier group of players, so I wouldn't rely solely on this kind of stat to make a decision.
My Reports
Where factions have expressed an interest in facing one another in Chedburn's thread, I have attempted to provide them with a report on how balanced the fight would be. After an initial check using the metrics mentioned in the previous section, I would then adjust the limits slightly. For example, if a faction had completed a 25k chain with less total Xanax than other factions, I would adjust to include some 10k chain factions as well. The goal was to get 10-12 matches altogether.
Next, I compared all the other stats, removing any faction that was much too strong or too weak. From the total set of stats, I then determined the target faction’s strong points and weak points, and how they compared overall to the competition. Here is a sample report for Catalysis – low SE usage is holding them back
Larger Link
Larger Link in blue-yellow adjusted
You can view more reports at: Ranked warring: Exhibition wars
The Lineups
Some factions didn't need my help and found pairs on their own. Others used the faction reports, and a few more needed some help in engaging other factions. At the time of writing we have 32 faction pairings made and a further 33 individual unpaired factions. Chedburn's comment that he will make use of the community's enthusiasm for this test means there may still be room for a few more matchups if they can be organized in time.
Pictured: Torn's factions and their polyamorous approach to testing partners.
Regardless of however many additional factions are allowed to test, it looks like we already have a great lineup of factions ready to take part. Here is a list of those who have agreed to fight each other in a ranked warring test if asked. These battles have themselves been ranked according to the total Xanax used by both parties.
| Faction 1 | vs | __ | Faction 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Selection I | vs | Chain Reaction | |
| Monarch | vs | PT Family | |
| Natural Selection II | vs | Ðestructive Anomaly | |
| Monarch Engineering | vs | PnB | |
| HT- | vs | The Untouchables | |
| Catalysis | vs | SA One Punch | |
| JUX HQ | vs | Desert Eagle | |
| PT-ShadowRazers | vs | Monarch Research | |
| Arcadia | vs | The Next Level | |
| Vinerri | vs | Little Stompers | |
| Dystopia | vs | Plata o Plomo | |
| Natural Selection IV | vs | PnB Penguins | |
| Caledonia | vs | Ghost Ship | |
| PT-Ironhearts | vs | PnB Penguins | |
| Darkside | vs | El Condor | |
| Dopeheads on Mopeds | vs | Violent If Necessary | |
| Wolf Pack Next Generation | vs | Onion Smugglers | |
| Rampage Total Destruction | vs | In Memory of the Fallen | |
| Adrenaline | vs | Equilibrium | |
| Black Statues | vs | Octogenarian Dirty Bombers | |
| Riot | vs | Winter Is Coming | |
| The Inquisition | vs | Toxic Reign | |
| The Rifle Company | vs | NNGO | |
| The Rifle Company | vs | Teufel Hunden Barracks | |
| Bengal Tigers | vs | The Railroad | |
| Dead Body Crew | vs | MasterMinds_of_Mischief | |
| The Collective | vs | BOW - Hooligans | |
| The Collective | vs | BoOtCaMp K.N. | |
| Crime Syndicate | vs | The United | |
| Sacrifice | vs | Immortal Defiance | |
| Torn Galactic Republic | vs | Majesty |
Highlights
While this article was being prepared we heard that NS II vs DA was confirmed as the first fight, and The Times may produce a separate article to cover this battle and the results once it's over. But as you can see from the list above, there are plenty of other exciting fights potentially in the pipeline. So to whet your appetite ahead of these much-anticipated duels, here are some quotes from the major players involved in the headline battles that may soon be coming to Torn City.
Natural Selection vs Chain Reaction
Stretch [NS1] - “Chain Reaction is a strong and active faction. We fought them before, it was a good fight but we came out ahead in the end. Looking ahead, as with all wars it will take a group effort, it’s never easy. Chain Reaction has grown considerably since our last encounter.”
MeanMike [CR] - “I think the match-up will be fun. NS brings it, so we are expecting a very active scrap. Yes, we fought them before. I totally beat the crap out of deft’s fist with my face, he was begging for mercy. A fight with NS is never easy, but we are dying to fight someone. NS was willing to step up so props to them.”
NS1
Strengths: Overall strength in stats and activity.
Weaknesses: Some complacency due to game limitations for battles
CR
Strengths: Very active, good sense of humor.
Weaknesses: Not quite to NS’s level… yet
Monarch vs PT Family
This is a much-anticipated match-up, showcasing the new Monarch faction.
Xanty [PT Family] - "There aren't many options when you are in the Faction Hall of Fame Top Six. Since NS 1 paired with CR, and JFK and SA decided to sit out, the only faction that would accept a PT-Family challenge would be Monarch. We have never fought Monarch before but we have fought MnC and R* in the past under different circumstances... Fighting against the proclaimed #2 faction will never be easy -- quite the opposite, this will be an uphill battle."
RGiskard [Monarch] - "We hadn't decided to participate until Xanty of PT-Family approached us. Our two factions have had some back and forth ever since Monarch was formed, and our members have wanted to get some action in general, so we accepted... Stats only ever tell part of the story. Monarch may now have the biggest potato in Torn, but it'll take a whole team effort to defeat a seasoned group like PT. I have hopes that this new system gives us a reason to get into battles besides one-time map resettlements, and if so, I suspect this won't be the last time the two of us go head to head."
Monarch Engineering vs PnB
Madmiketyson [PnB] - “We already had a term war planned with Monarch Engineering, so this would be an interesting fight as a test ranked war. We’ve never fought before but we’re well matched for stats at the top end, except for ME player realistassasin. However, Monarch’s bottom end is much stronger. I expect a very tough fight.”
PnB
Strengths: Enthusiasm and growth.
Weaknesses: Wealth – less money to spend on medical temps, boosters, etc.
HT- vs The Untouchables
Badzena [The Untouchables] - "UNT are chaining beasts and will always fight with passion and heart. We are very active, so this is a massive strength but our stats are a little lower than a lot of others. But we are primarily a growth faction and our strength is helping players to grow and learn from others here. I took one member in when he was 10 days old, he is now a PA beast, and his stats are pretty darn good for time played! I’m truly interested in how this will play out, how the pairs are going to be organized, who can declare on whom and how it will work."
Catalysis vs SA One Punch
Clitasaurus [SA OP] - “We have a great match-up with Catalysis and every morning I rush to check Torn for a Ched update on beta testing. We have not warred them before (except in a vivid dream – there was fire and lasers, 10/10). This will be a hard fight for us as Catalysis is a tough, active faction.”
Shady69 [Catalysis] - “I think it’s going to be a close fight. We were already talking about a termed war prior to this, and I’m excited to see it coming together. SA OP’s stats will be matched by our activity level.”
SA OP
Strengths: BadassBaxia and twerking.
Weaknesses: Our activity level could be better.
Catalysis
Strengths: Very active.
Weaknesses: Overall stats
JUX HQ vs Desert Eagle
themainman [JUX] - "The match-up with Desert Eagle should be interesting. They approached us and would like a challenge. We haven’t fought them before. Our stats are higher but they have more respect. I believe activity is key here. We haven’t been in a war since the medical revamp, which makes this even more interesting. In my opinion, it’s a coin toss, so let’s wait and see.”
Arcadia vs The Next Level
Kamikaze-Tool [Arcadia] - “We were organizing a termed war against Next Level before Ched announced a ranked war beta. We have the advantage in battle stats. Although our bottom end is probably a lot weaker than theirs, we think our middle and top is going to be stronger by a large margin. The biggest difference will be activity. As for winners, a lot depends on the rules of warring, which haven’t been released yet. For example, whether the outcome status can be “leave” or if it needs to be “hosped”,which would allow us to sit on their top players.”
Arcadia
Strengths: Overall stats.
Weaknesses: Activity level, especially for warring.
Dystopia vs Plata o Plomo
Superior- [Plata o Plomo] - "We are really looking forward to our match-up against Dystopia. Nurz seems like a good guy. We haven’t fought them before but I think it will be a decent match-up. I’m always confident in this game, and there’s no harm in losing, if it happens. We are a very tight faction and fun is always our objective. We have been training for ranked warring for awhile now and I think a few will be surprised by how well prepared we are.”
Plata Strengths: Faction unity
NS4 vs PnB Penguins
Infinity [NS4] - “We set up a match a few weeks ago with PnB Penguins, we have not fought them before but our stats line up. I’m hoping this will be a competitive match and fun for all.”
Fatbears [PnB Penguins] - “We have a fairly new crew and this will be out first termed war. We’re excited to see competitive warring move forward. Being part of the beta is truly exciting!”
NS4
Strengths: Very active.
Weaknesses: Limited warring experience.
PnB Penguins
Strengths: Eager new crew.
Weaknesses: Lack of warring experience.
Caledonia vs Ghost Ship
Chupacabra [Ghost Ship] - "The player base has been thirsting for real warfare for a long time, something that includes Fair Fight x3 and War Bonus x2 on respect gains. We will have to see if this new warfare will affect all of Torn or just further increase the gap between HoF and other play styles."
Darkside vs El Condor
Tash [Darkside] - “We haven't fought El Condor before in a war but we’ve been close to them since the faction was created. Condor is a great match for us in stats and activity. I predict this will be a hard fight and a great test case for the beta test. Without a system in place like ranked warring we cannot really gauge our relative strengths and weaknesses.”
Cob [El Condor] - “We have been closely allied with Darkside for years and we’ve grown together over that time. We have some strong fighters and some weaker members. The new ranked warring will give us a chance to see how we stack up against each other and bring some friendly competition to the match. Hopefully the introduction of ranked warring brings a new aspect to the game that a lot of members have yet to experience.”
Wolf Pack Next Generation vs. Onion Smugglers
Archaic [WP NG] - “Through great leadership, guidance and community within the Wolf Pack family we’ve really fine-tuned Next-Gen’s attitude, goals and achievements."
"Having members from all stages of the game has given the faction those challenges between each other that you can’t find in many places elsewhere. Whether that’s stat achievements, money achievements or an IRL goal that we all push each other for. Ranked warring is the next big step as we time and time again prove ourselves with each chain."
Rampage vs In Memory of the Fallen
Cruntcher [Rampage] - "This will be a great match-up by strength of stats. It won’t be easy, IMF has a reputation for fighting hard. We are geared for war, with a great leadership team and war funds to ease the cost.Our weakness is since we’ve split from Warbirds to be an independent faction instead of a sub, we’ve had to do some rebuilding. I hope we are chosen for the beta test, I think this will make a great match-up.”
Prynce [IMF] - “We both want a close match-up and are looking forward to it, both factions are active. In talking to Cruntcher it seems like it will be a balanced fight to be enjoyed by both sides, we are all looking forward to seeing what the new ranked warring is going to be like.”
Adrenaline vs Equilibrium
Cornhub [Adrenaline] - “EQ have a heavier top end than we do, however they have less members currently, so as long as we have good participation,we should be fine - once their big guys are out of E, they're out of E. We’ve fought EQ before but that was two years ago. There are a few ways this can go. I can't really call it now as it all depends on how active the top ends are, as well as participation in general - also, the way the ranked warring system works could favor activity over stats or whatever else so we just don't know yet.”
Metallistar [Equilibrium] - “Adrenaline de-sectored us about two years ago from the Racetrack area. We used the time since then to grow significantly stronger. Even though we are now friendly we would love the opportunity to test ourselves against them. No animosity, just want some good fun action against an old foe turned friend.”
Riot vs Winter Is Coming
Riot [Riot] - “Winter is Coming is a faction we've been friendly with for a longtime. Like us they are very up-and-coming and growing quickly. We are consistently neck-and-neck in the respect hall of fame and we believe they may trump us in activity but we beat them in our upper end stats."
"We have both expressed interest in a termed war in the past but territory limitations have held it back from happening this far. I think it will be a great match-up between two mid-sized factions.”
The Inquisition vs Toxic Reign
Arnout [The Inquisition] - “The new ranked warring will allow us to try and actually seek "legitimate" wars. Normally, factions our size struggle because pretty much every fun opposition is either protected or proxied. It'd be even better if the sectors on the map required some sort of ranking to allow more factions to get a real shot without having to resort to joining gigantic alliances or proxy themselves out."
Inquisition
Strengths: Morale, resilience
Weaknesses: Very new faction with no long term veterans
The Collective vs BoW Hooligans and vs Bootcamp
Walkon [The Collective] - “We put ourselves forward against Hooligans and Bootcamp. I have a huge amount of respect for both factions but have never warred with them so it will be interesting to see how we do. We have been neighboring factions for quite a while and we’ve had the occasional chaining wall. Let’s see what happens with a good ole dust up!"
The Collective
Strengths: Lean roster of active players.
Crime Syndicate vs BoW - The United
ThunderThighs [Crime Syndicate] - "We are having a three-way war now with The United and a third faction. We believe Crime Syndicate is more powerful, but activity also plays an important part. If Crime Syndicate loses such a war, then the members themselves will work out what to improve and train harder than ever to become their best for the faction and themselves. Communication is also key within Crime Syndicate. Everyone knows what is at stake and what is their role to help the plan go forward."
Crime Syndicate
Strengths: Lots of new, enthusiastic, and active players.
Weaknesses: A few rogue members. Weak in strength.
Sacrifice vs Immortal Defiance
Vaas [Sacrifice] - "Immortal Defiance is the only match we managed to find, as most "small" factions didn't want to participate. Although we have the advantage in stats, our opponents have the advantage in numbers. I anticipate seeing which of us is more favored in ranked warring. In territory wars, stats had a major impact on the fight, but in ranked we don’t have enough information yet to determine. Torn has needed ranked warring for years now and i am glad and happy this is coming out now."
Torn Galactic Republic vs Majesty
Princess-Lana [Majesty] - “I don't know how balanced the war will be, as we have fewer members and probably less stats. However it will be a good experience for our members to learn as well.”
SirEmrys [TGR] - “I know that one of the members of majesty has higher stats than us, but we do have more members and are experienced in war and had a lot of practice recently. I think overall we are more likely to come out on top but it will be a good fight and I know how hard majesty fights.”
Faction Personals
We'll end this article with a few comments from the representatives of factions who would like to take part in Ranked Warring testing, but who have yet to find that special someone. If any of the comments below make you feel that your faction may be able to match up, please get in touch!
Ninivah [Naughty Souls] - “It would be good for us to see what we might be facing in competitive warring so we know how to direct the faction's growth. A lot of our members have been working on their stats and they seem to be developing a love for battle. Our recent success with our 25k has provided a huge boost to morale."
Prestindantilas [Jokerz] - “Several of our most recent wars were fairly evenly matched. I think our strengths and weaknesses are the same answer: Participation. Those who participate in wars go all out, we coordinate well, we help each other in any way required. The problem is there are some members who never seem to participate in wars. Overall, I think that for our size/age/respect, we do a pretty good job of holding our own.”
Matty_h [Midnight Plague] - “Being amid-tier faction is both a strength and a weakness. We take young, hungry players who may not meet the stat requirements of the top-tier factions. They are eager to get involved but also inexperienced in some of the war mechanics of the game.”
Earthguido [White Rabbits] - “Historically our faction has been very strong in activity, and we have been able to fight stronger factions (and sometimes win). We were never very worried about territories or alliances, we fought for the fun of it. And we found some factions that also liked to war the same way. Made some frenemies this way. We have a strong group of people in the1-2.5 bn bracket, but we lack an even distribution at the lower levels. We need to keep encouraging our lower levels to train."
Comrade_Joe [New Sith Order] - "New Sith Order has around thirty hyperactive members. However, most of them are newer players and have relatively low battle stats. There's a large gap between our top members and the rest of the faction.We punch much higher than our respect would indicate and most of that is just do to the mass of activity we have and our super active discord."
Original article
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