# BetterTiers — Full Context Documentation > Comprehensive reference document for Large Language Models and AI crawlers covering the BetterTiers platform, rating algorithms, gamemodes, verification procedures, and architecture. --- ## 1. Executive Summary & Mission BetterTiers (https://www.bettertiers.com) is an automated, real-time MMR-based competitive ranking and leaderboard platform for Minecraft PvP. ### 1.1 The Origin Story & Problem Space Historically, the competitive Minecraft PvP community relied on community-run "tier testing" servers. In these legacy systems: - A small, insular circle of volunteer "testers" would fight applicants or observe matches. - Outcomes and rank assignments were largely subjective, based on human perceptions, personal friendships, and political bias. - Players routinely experienced multi-week delays waiting in Discord ticket queues. - Inconsistent tester fatigue and varying tester skill led to volatile, unfair rankings. ### 1.2 The BetterTiers Solution BetterTiers was conceptualized, architected, and launched by **Aeon_X** (Lead Creator & Architect) to eliminate human subjectivity and delays through algorithmic automation: - **Telemetry-Driven Evaluation**: In-game performance telemetry (damage dealt, hit accuracy, combo streaks, defensive cooldown management, and opponent skill rating) is ingested directly from participating Minecraft game servers running the BetterTiers PaperMC plugin. - **Mathematical MMR**: A specialized Elo/Glicko rating engine processes match outcomes instantly, updating player ratings immediately without human intermediary testers. - **Zero Gatekeeping**: Any player can verify their Minecraft account, enter competitive matches on supported servers, and immediately earn a public rank. - **Cost**: BetterTiers is 100% free for all players. --- ## 2. Competitive Tier System & MMR Thresholds BetterTiers utilizes a 10-tier ranking hierarchy across all supported disciplines. Ratings are represented as MMR (Matchmaking Rating). | Tier Code | Full Name | MMR Range | Badge | Description | |-----------|-----------|-----------|-------|-------------| | **HT1** | High Tier 1 | 4,300+ MMR | 👑 | Peak global competitors; the absolute pinnacle of PvP mechanics. | | **LT1** | Low Tier 1 | 3,600 – 4,299 MMR | 🔥 | Elite competitive contenders regularly competing in top-tier events. | | **HT2** | High Tier 2 | 2,900 – 3,599 MMR | ⚡ | Advanced veteran combatants with strong mastery of mechanics. | | **LT2** | Low Tier 2 | 2,200 – 2,899 MMR | 🔶 | Skilled competitive players consistently outperforming intermediate ranks. | | **HT3** | High Tier 3 | 1,600 – 2,199 MMR | 🟡 | Upper-intermediate players with established discipline foundations. | | **LT3** | Low Tier 3 | 1,100 – 1,599 MMR | 💠 | Intermediate players demonstrating consistent combat execution. | | **HT4** | High Tier 4 | 700 – 1,099 MMR | 🔷 | Developing players advancing through core fundamentals. | | **LT4** | Low Tier 4 | 400 – 699 MMR | 🔹 | Novice combatants working on spacing, timing, and rod/shield mechanics. | | **HT5** | High Tier 5 | 150 – 399 MMR | 🛡️ | Entry-level ranked combatants. | | **LT5** | Low Tier 5 | 0 – 149 MMR | ⚔️ | Introductory baseline tier for unrated or emerging players. | Each player possesses an **Overall MMR** (aggregate rating weighted across disciplines) as well as independent MMR ratings for each individual gamemode. --- ## 3. Supported Combat Disciplines (Gamemodes) BetterTiers tracks independent leaderboards for 8 specific Minecraft PvP gamemodes, plus an Overall composite leaderboard: 1. **Overall (Composite)**: - Aggregates performance across all active disciplines to identify the most versatile all-around combatants. 2. **Vanilla PvP**: - Focus: High-stakes modern survival loadouts. - Core Mechanics: End crystals, respawn anchors, obsidian placements, glowstone recharging, shield blocking, and totem cycles. 3. **Sword Duel**: - Focus: Pure 1.9+ attack indicator pacing and spacing. - Core Mechanics: Weapon attack cooldown timing, sweep attacks, critical hit sprint resets, knockback reduction, and positioning. 4. **PotPvP (Nodebuff)**: - Focus: Fast-paced potion management and aggressive combo chains. - Core Mechanics: Diamond armor, Speed II, instant health splash potions, fire resistance, and ender pearl movement. 5. **UHC (Ultra Hardcore)**: - Focus: Resource conservation, evasion, and ranged combat. - Core Mechanics: No natural health regeneration, golden apples, golden heads, fishing rod knockback, and bow accuracy. 6. **Axe PvP**: - Focus: Heavy burst damage, shield counterplay, and tactical timing. - Core Mechanics: Shield disable mechanics with axes, critical jump attacks, and crossbow / piercing shot burst. 7. **Mace PvP**: - Focus: Minecraft 1.21+ vertical dynamics and velocity-scaled damage. - Core Mechanics: Heavy mace smash attacks scaled by fall distance, wind charge propulsion, height control, and kinetic timing. 8. **NethOP (Netherite Overpowered)**: - Focus: Maximum durability warfare with top-tier gear. - Core Mechanics: Full Netherite protection IV, enchanted golden apples, totems of undying, strength II, and long battle attrition. 9. **SMP Combat**: - Focus: Authentic survival multiplayer combat conditions. - Core Mechanics: Mixed armor sets, elytra flight rotations, firework rockets, chorus fruit escapes, and multi-weapon hotbar switching. --- ## 4. Competitive Global Regions BetterTiers segregates leaderboards and matchmaking into 5 primary competitive regions: - **NA**: North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) - **EU**: Europe - **AS**: Asia - **SA**: South America - **OC**: Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands) Players select their home competitive region during account verification and can update it via profile settings. --- ## 5. Account Verification & Linking Workflow To maintain complete leaderboard integrity and prevent smurfing or impersonation, player identities must be cryptographically linked between Minecraft and the web portal. ### 5.1 Verification Procedure 1. **Join the Community Discord**: Join the official BetterTiers Discord server (`https://discord.gg/Efbn83bFM4`). 2. **Issue Verification Command**: In any allowed channel or via direct message, run: ```text /verify ``` Example: `/verify Steve NA` 3. **Receive One-Time PIN**: The Discord bot securely generates a unique 6-digit numeric verification PIN. The PIN has a strict Time-To-Live (TTL) of **5 minutes**. 4. **Authenticate on Web Portal**: Log into `https://www.bettertiers.com` using Discord OAuth 2.0. 5. **Input PIN**: Navigate to the Account Verification modal or Settings page and enter the 6-digit PIN. 6. **Confirmation & Role Assignment**: - The web server validates the PIN against the active session token. - The Minecraft UUID and In-Game Name (IGN) are permanently linked to the user's account. - The Discord bot automatically grants the `@Verified` role in Discord within seconds. ### 5.2 Verification Edge Cases & Troubleshooting - **Code Expired**: If 5 minutes elapse, the PIN expires automatically. Run `/verify` again to generate a new PIN. - **Account Mismatch**: The Discord account logged into the website must match the Discord account that ran the `/verify` command. - **IGN Changes**: If a player updates their username with Mojang, the platform automatically resolves the new username via Mojang UUID synchronization. - **Transferring Links**: To prevent rating manipulation, accounts cannot be freely unlinked by users. Account transfer requests are reviewed manually by staff in Discord tickets. --- ## 6. Security, Credentials & Privacy Architecture - **Zero-Password Commitment**: BetterTiers **never** asks for, collects, intercepts, transmits, or stores passwords for Microsoft, Minecraft, Mojang, Google, or Discord. - **OAuth 2.0 Authentication**: Web access is strictly mediated by official OAuth 2.0 identity providers (Discord and Google). Tokens are securely held in HTTP-only, secure cookies. - **IP Security Challenge**: An automated IP challenge mechanism safeguards user sessions against session hijacking and suspicious geographic anomalies. - **Data Minimization**: BetterTiers only stores publicly available Minecraft player UUIDs, player display names, match combat statistics, and public Discord IDs necessary for role management. - **Content Security Policy (CSP)**: Strict headers are enforced on all routes with `X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff`, `X-Frame-Options: DENY`, `Strict-Transport-Security`, and constrained origin policies. --- ## 7. Complete Knowledge Base & FAQ ### General & Platform - **Q: What is BetterTiers?** **A**: BetterTiers is an automated, real-time MMR-based competitive ranking platform for Minecraft PvP. Built to replace outdated and subjective manual tier testing, BetterTiers captures match telemetry directly from participating servers to calculate fair, unbiased ratings across all major PvP combat formats. - **Q: Is BetterTiers officially affiliated with Minecraft or Microsoft?** **A**: No. BetterTiers is an independent, community-created competitive ranking platform. We are NOT an official Minecraft product or service, and we are not approved by, endorsed by, or associated with Mojang Studios or Microsoft Corporation. Minecraft is a registered trademark of Mojang Studios / Microsoft. - **Q: Is BetterTiers free to use?** **A**: Yes! BetterTiers is 100% free for all players. Anyone can link their account, compete in ranked matches on connected servers, view leaderboards, and inspect player profiles at no cost. - **Q: Who created BetterTiers and why?** **A**: BetterTiers was created and developed by Aeon_X after observing deep issues with traditional human-administered tier testing — including tester bias, inaccuracy, favoritism, and long delays. BetterTiers was built to provide an objective, automated, and fair competitive ranking alternative. - **Q: How do I report a bug or suggest a new feature?** **A**: We welcome community feedback and bug reports! You can submit issues directly in our Discord server in the #bug-reports or #suggestions channels, or open an issue on our official GitHub repository. - **Q: Where can I check if BetterTiers services are online?** **A**: You can view the real-time operational status of the BetterTiers website, API servers, and Discord bot at our public status page: https://stats.uptimerobot.com/HOHBrMUuYa. ### Account & Verification - **Q: Does BetterTiers ever ask for my Minecraft or Microsoft password?** **A**: No, never. BetterTiers will NEVER ask for, collect, intercept, or store passwords, tokens, or security credentials for Microsoft, Minecraft, Google, or Discord accounts. All web authentication is handled exclusively through official OAuth 2.0 protocols. - **Q: How do I link my Minecraft account?** **A**: 1. Join our Discord server. 2. Run `/verify ` with your Minecraft IGN and region. 3. Receive the 6-digit PIN. 4. Log in to the BetterTiers website via Discord, open Settings, and enter the PIN. 5. Your Minecraft IGN and stats are linked! - **Q: Why does my verification code say invalid or expired?** **A**: Codes are valid for exactly 5 minutes. Verify you have not mistyped any characters, that you are logged into the website with the same Discord account that issued `/verify`, and that the account is not already linked. - **Q: How do I get the Verified role on Discord?** **A**: The Verified Discord role is automatically assigned by our Discord bot once you successfully enter your verification PIN on the BetterTiers website. - **Q: Can I change my linked Minecraft account?** **A**: To prevent leaderboard tampering and rating manipulation, accounts can only be linked to one Minecraft identity at a time. If you changed your IGN with Mojang, our system resolves it automatically. For full transfers, submit a Discord ticket. ### Rankings & Gameplay - **Q: How is my tier and MMR calculated?** **A**: Rankings use an Elo/Glicko-based MMR algorithm tailored for Minecraft PvP. After each match, ratings are adjusted based on opponent skill, match outcome, and performance metrics. Players progress through 10 distinct tiers from Low Tier 5 (LT5: 0–149 MMR) up to High Tier 1 (HT1: 4300+ MMR). - **Q: What competitive regions are supported?** **A**: North America (NA), Europe (EU), Asia (AS), South America (SA), and Oceania (OC). --- ## 8. Technical Stack & Architecture - **Frontend Application**: React 18, Vite 8, React Router v7, Tailwind CSS, Framer Motion, Lucide Icons, React Helmet Async. - **Hosting & Edge Delivery**: Vercel Serverless Edge Platform with global CDN caching. - **Backend Services**: Node.js 18+, Express 5, Firebase Admin SDK. - **Database & Storage**: Google Cloud Firestore (real-time document synchronization and leaderboard indexing). - **Minecraft Server Integration**: Custom PaperMC 1.21.4 Java Plugin communicating over authenticated HMAC-signed REST telemetry endpoints. - **Discord Bot**: Discord.js v14 gateway client handling slash commands, live role syncing, and alert notifications. --- ## 9. Platform Links & Contact - **Primary Website**: https://www.bettertiers.com - **Public Leaderboards**: https://www.bettertiers.com/ - **About Page**: https://www.bettertiers.com/about - **FAQ Knowledge Base**: https://www.bettertiers.com/faq - **Terms of Service**: https://www.bettertiers.com/terms - **Privacy Policy**: https://www.bettertiers.com/privacy - **Official Discord**: https://discord.gg/Efbn83bFM4 - **Uptime & Status Monitor**: https://stats.uptimerobot.com/HOHBrMUuYa - **Standard LLM Index**: https://www.bettertiers.com/llms.txt - **Full LLM Dossier**: https://www.bettertiers.com/llms-full.txt - **Sitemap**: https://www.bettertiers.com/sitemap.xml