I don't like the upgrades. I'm turning all off in every tourni I create (which is only one for now ;).

Looking at how you're climbing the highscores at the left during the game and then ending at 10th after making what you thought to be a perfect game - realizing that everyone above you is 10+ in levels after the game. It's a bit disappointing not being able to become first, no matter how hard you try.

The fact that the 9 people that beat you are higher level shows that they are more experienced than you. They didn't beat you because of their little upgrades. :)

I still disagree with the assessment that the upgrades don't really matter. (Inter alia, if they don't really matter, then what's the point of having them?) Your example of "only" going from 400 points to 440 belies the number of times -- which I'm sure we've all seen when playing -- where that one creep gets to the exit with just a few HPs to spare. Having 5 towers hitting 440 instead of 400 (especially if they're also hitting, say, 33 times a minute instead of 30 -- basically 14,500 versus 12,000 in total) can make a substantive difference.

Let me make clear again that I'm not complaining, just opining. Every game has rules, and one has to play by them. (And if one can level up merely by playing, then that's cool; I was under the impression that one could only level up by ranking 1, 2 or 3.) I just think that we need to recognize that in a number of circumstances, a mere few % increased strength plus a mere few % increase firing rate combine to yield a much more material cumulative effect, such that two equally skilled players do not get equally ranked outcomes.