It’s been a busy summer for DartCounter. Across three separate updates between June and August, the scoring app has rolled out a reworked practice bot, a system for running in-person tournaments, and a new competitive ranked mode. Three releases, that taken together, mark one of the more significant stretches of development the platform has had in some time.
Here’s a rundown of what’s changed.
DartBot gets some character
The first update, back in June, focused on DartCounter’s practice opponent, DartBot. Previously built around a straightforward level-and-number system, the bot has been reworked to behave more like a real opponent. Described by the developers as giving each level its own identity, whether that’s a steady scorer or an opponent liable to find a big visit out of nowhere.
The update also expanded which games DartBot can be played in. Where it was previously limited to 501 and Cricket, players can now take it on in Around the Clock, Bob’s 27, Halve-It and Shanghai too.
The standout addition, though, is the fully customisable DartBot. Using sliders, players can now build their own opponent from scratch. Ultimate subscribers have the ability to set checkout percentage and hit rate for 501, fine-tuning how the bot selects between singles, doubles and trebles, or dialling in a specific difficulty for the other formats. “Push for the higher levels, build it up from level 1 or create the perfect opponent, it’s your choice,” said DartCounter developer Ruben Hoogmoed. “Either way, DartBot will be happy to meet you on the oche.”
Local Tournaments take the admin out of match night
A month later, DartCounter turned its attention to organising in-person events. Local Tournaments, launched in July, is aimed at anyone who’s ever tried to run a darts night and found themselves spending more time on admin than actually playing – Tracking players, managing fixtures and keeping tabs across multiple boards.
Setting up a tournament requires the DartCounter Ultimate subscription, but joining and playing doesn’t. Players can be added manually or linked to their own accounts via a QR code or host-provided entry code. Matches don’t need to follow a fixed order, can be played on any board at any time, and can run independently on separate devices, with results submitted automatically once a game finishes rather than needing to be relayed back to the host. Where players are linked to their accounts, results feed straight back into their personal statistics.
“You shouldn’t be spending half the night organising a tournament,” said DartCounter developer Jesse de Wild. “You should be playing. That is exactly what we built this for.”
Ranked mode goes live
The most recent addition, launched this week in beta form, is Ranked, a competitive ladder that pits players against opponents of a similar standard. Wins earn points, losses cost them, and progress is tracked across five ranks – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond, each split into divisions, with matchmaking based on rating so that every game is, in theory, a genuine contest.
Ranked play does require a camera setup, though use of DartCounter’s own OMNI scoring divide is optional rather than mandatory. Results count toward a player’s existing personal statistics as well as feeding a separate set of Ranked-specific numbers. Matches played, wins, losses, average, checkout percentage and current rank come together to give players three distinct views of their form across personal play, tournaments and ranked matches.
“Ranked is where you find out how good you really are,” said Jesse. “Improve, win and climb the leaderboard.”
Three updates in three months is a fair clip of development for any scoring app, and between a more unpredictable practice bot, a genuine answer to organising club nights, and a competitive ladder aimed at giving casual players something to chase, DartCounter has clearly been trying to broaden what the app offers beyond simple scorekeeping.
Whether that’s enough to shift habits in a market with established alternatives remains to be seen, but it’s a meaningful run of updates regardless of where you play your darts.
Images: Dartcounter
