How PitchPulse historical card ratings are built
PitchPulse uses an original fantasy-historical rating scale for gameplay. This page explains what the numbers mean, what they do not mean, and how a player-era card is selected.
Ratings are game design values, not official ratings
PitchPulse ratings are not EA SPORTS FC ratings, FIFA ratings, club ratings, federation data or an attempt to produce an official all-time ranking. The scale exists to make a browser draft game readable. A card needs to communicate whether an era is ordinary, strong, elite or exceptional quickly enough for a player to make a squad-building decision.
The top of the scale reaches 115 because PitchPulse uses a deliberately wide fantasy range. That extra space makes it possible to distinguish the rarest historical peaks from excellent but more common cards. A 115 card therefore means “one of the highest gameplay tiers in PitchPulse,” not “this player was objectively 15 percent better than a 100-rated footballer.”
What a player-era entry represents
The database contains player-era entries rather than one permanent number per footballer. An entry belongs to a selected national-team tournament or club season used by the draft. This matters because the same footballer can have a different role, position profile or peak level in another period. Where a player appears in more than one pool, the card is intended to reflect that particular game context.
V1.0 currently contains 208 player-era entries representing 176 unique footballers across 26 historical draft pools. Those numbers describe the current game database, not a claim that PitchPulse covers all football history.
Five attribute groups used by the draft
Cards use simplified attributes such as pace, shooting, passing, defence and stamina. They are deliberately broad because the game must compare footballers from different roles and eras without pretending that every historical performance can be reduced to modern tracking data. The attributes are used for card comparison, squad flavour and parts of the simulation model.
Position still matters more than a single headline rating. A highly rated striker cannot solve a missing goalkeeper slot, and a natural centre-back may add more practical value to an unfinished XI than another attacking star. This is why Draft uses position compatibility and why the squad-building guide recommends protecting scarce positions.
How rarity relates to rating
PitchPulse has seven rarity tiers: Common, Rare, Epic, Mystery, Legendary, Icon and Ultra Icon. Rarity is primarily a game presentation and collection layer. Higher ratings are associated with higher tiers, but rarity does not replace the underlying attributes, position compatibility, chemistry or budget decisions.
Reveal odds are base game weights. Position filters, duplicate protection and the remaining eligible player pool can change the actual cards available in a particular roll. The Odds screen describes the reveal system inside the game rather than presenting a real-world probability.
Historical judgement and uncertainty
Comparing footballers across decades requires judgement. Roles changed, competitions changed, tactical responsibilities changed and many older eras do not have the same detailed statistical record as modern football. PitchPulse therefore treats ratings as editorial game values. When a historical comparison is uncertain, the goal is a balanced playable card rather than false numerical precision.
User feedback can be submitted through the rating-feedback tool. Suggested changes are not applied automatically; they are intended to be reviewed before an override is made. This gives the project a correction path without turning every rating into a popularity vote.
What information PitchPulse should not be used for
The historical card database is not a live transfer feed, official registration database, betting model, scouting service or financial product. Tournament results are fictional simulations. Current contracts, injuries, official statistics and real-world team selections should be checked with authoritative football sources.
Why this methodology is published
A historical football game is more useful when players can understand the rules behind the numbers. Publishing the methodology makes the game easier to evaluate, makes rating feedback more specific and separates PitchPulse’s original game system from official football products. Future database updates can refine individual cards while keeping these principles stable.