Overview
I’d like to suggest an improvement to Enlisted’s personal statistics system, specifically how Kill/Death Ratio (KDR) is recorded and displayed.
My main argument is simple: a player’s lifetime KDR doesn’t necessarily reflect their current skill level.
Players develop their skills over time. They learn new strategies, improve their accuracy, become more familiar with maps, and develop a better understanding of the game’s mechanics.
However, traditional lifetime statistics don’t always reflect that improvement accurately.
The Problem With Lifetime KDR
Consider two players:
- Player A: A veteran with thousands of matches who initially struggled but has since become significantly more skilled.
- Player B: A newer player who performs well from the beginning but has considerably fewer matches.
Player A’s lifetime KDR may remain relatively low despite substantial improvement because thousands of historical kills and deaths continue influencing the average.
Meanwhile, Player B’s KDR can change dramatically after only a handful of matches.
The more historical data a player accumulates, the harder it becomes for their lifetime KDR to reflect changes in their current performance.
This isn’t necessarily a flaw in the calculation itself. It’s simply a limitation of using lifetime statistics to evaluate present-day performance.
My Proposed Solution
I suggest introducing additional ways to view and track personal statistics while preserving existing lifetime records.
1. Monthly KDR Tracking
Introduce a separate monthly KDR that automatically resets at the beginning of each calendar month.
This would provide players with a fresh statistical period to evaluate their performance without being influenced by previous months or years.
Lifetime statistics would remain completely unaffected.
2. Recent Performance Tracking
Allow players to view their KDR across a rolling selection of recent matches, such as:
- Last 10 matches
- Last 25 matches
- Last 50 matches
Unlike a monthly reset, rolling statistics would continuously update as new matches are completed.
3. Individual Match KDR
At the end of every battle, prominently display the player’s KDR for that specific match.
For example:
- Kills: 85
- Deaths: 12
- Match KDR: 7.08
This would provide immediate feedback on individual performance rather than requiring players to calculate their own ratio.
4. Monthly Performance History
Allow players to review their performance from previous months.
Ideally, this could include a simple line graph showing how their KDR has changed over time.
Players could identify improvements, declines, and periods of consistently strong performance.
Expanding Existing Statistics
Enlisted already provides a variety of useful post-match statistics, including battlefield contributions beyond simply eliminating enemies.
Rather than introducing unnecessary duplicate statistics, I would suggest applying the same monthly and recent-performance tracking options to selected existing metrics.
For example, average battle score, win rate, and objective-related contributions could provide additional context alongside KDR.
After all, Enlisted is an objective-based team game, and a player’s effectiveness shouldn’t be judged exclusively by their KDR.
Why This Would Benefit Players
A more dynamic statistics system would offer several advantages:
- More accurate performance evaluation: Players could see how they’re performing recently instead of relying entirely on lifetime averages.
- Greater motivation: Monthly tracking would create new personal performance goals.
- Visible skill progression: Players could compare recent results with previous months.
- Better feedback: Match-specific KDR would make individual performances easier to evaluate.
- Preservation of historical achievements: Existing lifetime records would remain available for players who value them.
Final Thoughts
I believe personal statistics should reflect both a player’s history and their development.
Lifetime statistics are valuable for recording an entire gaming career, but they aren’t necessarily the best measurement of a player’s current abilities.
My suggestion isn’t to replace lifetime KDR. It’s to complement it with monthly, recent-performance, and individual match statistics.
This would give players a clearer understanding of their performance, help them set meaningful goals, and make Enlisted’s statistics system more informative.
What does the community think? Would you support monthly KDR tracking and the ability to compare your performance over time?