Cool thing, just some things that come to mind.
...a uniquely tweaked game mode each time.
...slightly modified versions of classic mode maps
I doubt making modifications to the game mode itself every time is necessary or desired by the potential players. I believe it would be preferable to have it close to the regular game mode at least since the players primarily interested in it will have quite a few hours and muscle memory built on the "default" style. As I see it people want to know how they rank against others playing the regular style. Map variations can totally be implemented. But then it would make sense to release them to regular matchmaking too, or custom.
Players will earn points based on their in-game performance and be ranked based on their cumulative points.
Points only increase and never decrease.
Not a fan of this. This means someone who plays more will rank higher than someone who plays better than them but plays less. This doesn't measure skill this measures primarily playtime as it sounds. Which is not the reason to have a ranked system even if timely limited. Not being able to lose points is mainly at fault here. There are a lot of thoroughly tested ranked systems in other games. I'm not a fan of Party Animals copying other games (Crisis, Nemo Kart, ...) but in this case you could just rely on an already tested system. Please do it. Because like this:
Winners of each match will receive more points
it doesn't make any sense. So even when you lose you gain points too? This makes no sense in this case. At this point it's just a regular event and not a "rank mode". It's there to pretty precisely measure skill. Not playtime/Amount of games.
Rankings reset every two weeks
This feels very strict. Have you considered extending the time a bit? Regular ranked "seasons" will be maybe 2-4 months long. 2 weeks sounds very uncomfortable to me as a player. More on it below.
To ensure a good matchmaking experience and gather players who enjoy high-challenge gameplay this mode will only be available during limited time slots on weekends, scheduled to accommodate different time zones worldwide
This sounds like corporate talk for "since the player base is so small we can only have it in peak hours where the most players in the whole week play". Which I guess is fair but also makes me rather uninterested in the mode. I don't think players wanted this when they asked for a ranked mode. They want a playlist to play instead of casual. All/Most of the time. I can see it being restricted to all peak hours (evenings) but not only evenings on weekends. And what about people who work during these times but would like to participate? Can they.. just not?
Since the ranking system is cumulative point-based, players who don’t play for a while will naturally drop in rank. Some might find this frustrating. This type of system is common in high-ranks in other games but isn’t typically applied across all tiers. What do you think about this?
What about static ranks and the stats reset every few months? This together with gaining and losing points makes a lot more sense to me. Also you would be able to "lose" your rank if you don't play for a while but regain it if you play well in re-ranking games. Not sure how many ranks there will be but if we assume it's 5 then make the lower 3 static and the 2 higher tiers "dynamic" as in the example. In the end it wouldn't really matter if people could also lose points. I think that's my main critique.
We initially considered a point system instead of a traditional rank-tier system
Yeah just do it. Longer (example 2months) seasons. Every day while peak hours at least. Being able to lose points.
Players will be replaying the same modified classic map for the duration of the two-week cycle.
Boy we have been playing on the same unchanged maps since, idk almost 80 weeks now? We don't have to rotate them now to keep them "fresh" every 2 weeks. Make several slight iterations of a map and have every game play on one of those different versions.
... it could perhaps start to feel like a job?
Yes probably. The fixed time slots make it very uncomfortable already. This all sounds more like you guys would be better off making automated tournaments at set times like some other games (Rocket League for example) do.
Questions
Q: Will there be separate queues for 1v1 2v2 3v3 4v4?
Q: What will be more important for gaining (and i hope also losing) points, overall team performance or individual performance?
Q: Will there be a minimum level to play? (Would probably make sense)
Q: Will there be leaderboards?
Q: What will the resets look like? Full reset makes sense for bi weekly "events" I have a hard time calling that a ranked mode. But soft resets would make sense over longer terms with an actual ranked mode.
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Recommendations
R: Adjust the rounds to win if there is a 4v4 playlist. 3 points make the games feel quite insignificant and sometimes random. Make it a BO7 or BO9.
R: Display the MMR in this mode.
R: Map picks and bans for higher tiers.
R: In that thought make it an overall BO3 and make 2 teams play against each other for multiple maps in a row.
And all of the above...
Please give it a thought.
Pudding