Hmm, I'm wondering now myself, what do they use the ratio for? Ranbats or Tourneys?
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In related news, our first ratio tourney was a great success and the feedback was very positive from the several people I asked. 15/16 players participated (16th player didn't know about it, in all fairness, she didn't even know she was participating in the tourney PERIOD) and a 15th player, happened to choose a team that adhered to the ratio system (he also didn't plan on participating--he was our HD Direct Feed boss man, and he was kind enough to complete the 16 player pool). End result, 31 out of 31 characters were used for the tourney, mission accomplished. =)
As far as I've seen, the ratio system is used only at Shinjuku Playland Carnival for their tournaments. The next tournament will be held on 11/27. For those curious, the rules are (if I can remember):
1. 1P and 2P are decided by Rock-Paper-Scissors.
2. You have to choose your characters each match to fit the ratio, no random select.
3. Character changes must be made verbally to the organizers (in order to not time out or go over the ratio).
4. Report any buttons or stick malfunctions beforehand, any made after the match will not be accepted.
BTW, can't wait to see the AI tournament videos.
The page I saw mentioned tournaments specifically. I also saw the 2002UM ratio chart hung up near the tournament bracket for that game, so it's definitely used for them.
I don't know the Japanese term for ranbat, so I can't help there.
It's just ランキングバトル