Exponential Decay
Points fall off by a fixed ratio per place, so the gap between first and second dwarfs the gap between fifth and sixth. The steepness is tunable.
decay_base ^ (placement - 1)
Best at
Groups who want a sharply top-heavy curve and are happy to tune one number.
Where it misleads
The totals are hard to hold in your head, so nobody can work out their own standing mid-session.
How it works
Exponential Decay assigns points that decrease exponentially by placement. The gap between 1st and 2nd is much larger than between 5th and 6th, creating a steep reward curve.
How it works: Points = decayBase^(placement-1). With the default decay base of 0.85: 1st gets 1.0, 2nd gets 0.85, 3rd gets 0.72, 4th gets 0.61, and so on. The curve is configurable.
When to use it: When you want a mathematically elegant system that strongly rewards top finishes. The configurable decay base lets you tune how steep the drop-off is.
Watch out for: The numbers aren't as intuitive as simple placement points. Players may struggle to mentally track their standing without seeing the actual point values.