[Alneyan]

I tend to agree with the Primitive One about third and fourth places. However, if players were to agree, an agreement could be reached between them to determine who is third and who is fourth. (The same went true for 1st and 2nd position in the first 2vs2 rated game) And if you assume a team game, the second player, provided she is in the winning team, should deserve some points for the victory.

Let's do the calculations for the aforementioned 2vs2 game with the system you proposed Slick.
- Gecko: 4rd, rating 990
- Belisarius: 3rd, rating 1050
- Slynky: 2nd, rating 1104
- Alneyan: 1rd, rating 1000

So, assuming I plugged the right figures in the formula, we have the following:
- Gecko:-16-11-13=-40 points
- Belisarius:-18-14+13=-19 points
- Slynky: -26+14+11=-1 point
- Alneyan: +26+18+16=60 points

While it would be very nice for me to gain 60 points (what an unbiased opinion!), I don't feel I deserve such a jump in the Ratings. Likewise, Slynky should win a few points and it does seem harsh for the poor Gecko. I will likely plug the numbers in your own system Slynky to see how it would come out, even if the only example we currently have is a bit peculiar.

All in all it does look like a complicated matter, and I do not envy you Slynky for having to sort it out.