I think that one of the main things that people have said over and over in this thread is that there is a big AI vs Human difference. Personally I find that 90% of multilayer grievances simply occur because people do not plan for this.
Here's a personal example: Someone thought it would be funny to take the energy sword and camp a corner outside our base in Reach. He had Evade on as an armor ability (basically a double-use dodge roll that takes you forward about five feet or so), and killed me the first time. I simply put Evade on along with a DMR (long range headshot weapon) and simply rolled backward when he did. I took his sword and got a streak with it afterward, while he started complaining about how unfair his death was.
What people don't seem to realize is that online anything is 90% planning and 10% action. CoD players pre-equip their custom classes, Halo players learn where all the vehicles and power weapons are on a map, as well as what armor abilities work well on certain maps, and MK / SF players learn what characters suck against other characters, and what combos to use when you're in different situations. MMO Raiders go to great lengths to make sure they're spec'd and geared correctly before they even think about grouping. Heck, I even have two friends who discuss how to adapt common military operations into Starcraft formats.
Yes, there is a learning curve factor, but it really isn't that much of a factor as many people think. I've seen someone fail in the past five games, then pull themselves together because they know where the Rocket Launcher spawns on the next map. In short, two points: One is that the learning curve and skillset of players is not as big a factor as you might think (excluding the noobs against all pros scenario, as that is an extreme case), and Two is that if you don't like planning before jumping, then you have two options: Stay away from multiplayer, or prepare to search for all your missing body parts when the match is over.
And dude, come on. Raging over the fact that people are giving you ADVICE just makes you look like an ass. It's really not cool. No one claimed to be better than any one else on this thread. You asked for a discussion, and you got one. Getting free advice with it doesn't hurt. Telling someone to eff-off doesn't help them, yourself, or the topic.
EDIT: Just two other points that I didn't address: How fun the planning is depends on personal tastes as well as how you do it. I never really did that much WoW raiding because I feel that getting the gear for it is excruciatingly boring. I did it a few times then stopped. Planning in Strategy Games is something that I do enjoy. Other things, such as finding out where all the weapons are, is something that you can do on the fly. Just make a little mental note of where all the good guns are. Same thing with racing games; a simple thought such as "Wow, I like his engine and tire choice, I should try that combination," can lead to a change or two that grant you more wins. Not everything requires a strategy guide. In terms of move lists, I'm a little mixed, as I'm really not a fan of consulting it every few seconds, but at the same time I don't want Dragon Ball Z simple controls.
As far as a ranking system, it just doesn't work. There's too much variance for a system like that to be effective. You can't do it based on the amount of games played, as some people might not be able to properly learn and adapt. There was an Multi-FPS on the iPhone called Eliminate that I played for a while, and they had a ranking system based on the average amount of credits you picked up each match. Griefers simply refused to take their credits, their average went down, and they griefed 'till the cows came home. You can't do it based on kills, as that is just as exploitable as the Credit scenario. There is no consistent and non-exploitable factor that you can base an effective ranking system on.
The Halo: Reach Beta had a ranking system if I remember correctly. They scrapped it because it just wasn't working.
