Score or Skill Inflation?

Question for the old timers here: Have people gotten better at the game, or have scores simply inflated?
Well, I know there were times when being major made you conqueror, and the higher ranks were seen as unachievable, and now being colonel does not guarantee being in the top 250.
Is this simply a natural inflation in score, or have people really gotten that much better? or in other words... does it take as much skill to be captain or major, or colonel now as it would have 1 year ago?
Well, I know there were times when being major made you conqueror, and the higher ranks were seen as unachievable, and now being colonel does not guarantee being in the top 250.
Is this simply a natural inflation in score, or have people really gotten that much better? or in other words... does it take as much skill to be captain or major, or colonel now as it would have 1 year ago?