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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Reference The Graphs Thread **IMAGE HEAVY** - Back in Business Again!

Discussion in 'Role Playing Resource' started by DarthXan318, Nov 16, 2008.

  1. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    My pleasure Mitth. :D And thanks for commenting a little on the pattern - I usually like to say something intelligent about the graphs, but unfortunately I don't know a lot about Intervention. The insight is much appreciated!


    Here's another graph showing two games that are among my personal favourites, Lea Monde I and II

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/LeaMonde_timeline.png]

    Both games occupy a little-explored niche in the RPF: the small, short, focused story in a tiny corner of the universe. The story takes place in a single city (the eponymous Lea Monde) on the planet of Valendia and is about, essentially, the players' struggles to tame the darkness within the city. It's a very dark, very deliciously chilling story. And the second story is the only game I've ever known to actually pull off "Rocks fall, everyone dies" in a non-lulz manner. :D

    I don't imagine many people will be interested in this one as there really weren't that many of us in it, and posting fell off sharply in the later months of both games. Despite that, in my personal opinion they're among the best games here.

    Fittingly, there were two years between the instalments, mirroring the 300 in-game years between the games.


    By request, Shadow War!

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/ShadowWar_timeline.png]

    Like Intervention, I'm not in this one and can't say very much about it. If I had to guess however, that lull over summer would be when Sinrebirth had internet issues and took a hiatus from the boards? Good to see activity has picked up there since, and looks well on track to being even more active than ever. :D


    (Note that December 2011 totals for active games are going to be necessarily lower than other months. It's only the 10th, after all.)
     
  2. CPL_Macja

    CPL_Macja Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2008
    Thanks for the Shadow War Graph Xany :D

    You are exactly correct on your assessment of what happened during the three month span during the summer. In Augest Sinre started his fight with DRL. September we were trying to figure out if we should keep the game going or just wait on Sinre. Finally in October I was able to get a couple of PMs going with Sinre so that I could run away with the Guardians of Light storyline.

    I have to give credit to BultarSwan, Sarge221, and Mitth_Fisto credit with bringing some renewed spirit to our side of the game. I hope to keep things going as long as I can so that Sinre can either return or pass the torch onto someone else to run the Sith side of things.
     
  3. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    He'll be back, I'm sure. Sinre always returns eventually.


    Here's another one, Sins of the Saints/Sons/Fathers:

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/Sins_timeline.png]

    It's too soon to comment on posting patterns in SotSo/SotF, but it looks like thus far both of them put together are roughly on par with SotS. Makes sense, most of the players returned, and there are some new players involved.



    What I find fascinating (across all these graphs) is that people's posting habits tend to oscillate up and down every other month or so. We can't sustain long bursts of creativity, I suppose, or perhaps people realise every so often that they haven't posted in a while and then guiltily step things up?
     
  4. SirakRomar

    SirakRomar Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 30, 2007
    Interesting. The very steady coregroup seems to have returned to ASotS. Well, nothing new. I believe the "gaps" are the time when Fin has to go to court. It is a game absolutely relying on GM updates, as only he has the Masterplan. So activity spikes are where he gives us enough food. I wonder how play participation is, but maybe a graph for later?

    Could ou do one of ToRR? I think TGI would love to see it, but he does not know this thread, so I shot him a PM.
     
  5. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Play participation - you mean the per-user breakdown? I'll see what I can do there.

    The Old Republic - Renaissance:

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/TORR_timeline.png]

    Once again, can't really say anything intelligent about it. I do know it went on a hiatus in August, so that accounts for the drop, and then perhaps it just never picked back up again.
     
  6. spycoder9

    spycoder9 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2008
    How about one for Darker Tides? :) All of these are very interesting, especially the SotS games.
     
  7. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Darker Tides:

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/DarkerTides_timeline.png]

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/DarkerTides_timeline_week.png]

    I've done a weekly graph as well as monthly, as Darker Tides hasn't been going on long enough for a monthly chart to give a good picture of what's going on. (Honestly, SotSo/SotF haven't really been either, but I wanted to show them side-by-side with SotS.)

    Looks like activity there has been steadily high since the game started. The graph seems to show a bit of a slowdown, but from the raw data I notice what's really happening is activity spikes every 9-10 days or so and remains constant otherwise. So it's not really anything to worry about, there just hasn't been a spike in a little while. (As for why there are spikes in the first place, you'd know more than me - do you update every 10 days, perhaps?)
     
  8. CPL_Macja

    CPL_Macja Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 2008
    Yes and No. Its because I finally get around to answering my TAG from spycoder so that the episode can end and a new one can begin. :p
     
  9. spycoder9

    spycoder9 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jul 23, 2008
    Actually I update every other day or so. :p Whenever I find the freetime in the evenings, I sit down and go almost immediately to Darker Tides. And so far, it's worked. Despite losing a few people at the beginning, I managed to keep 3 people from the beginning out of 5. Fin could return sometime, and tjace promised to have more freetime after Christmas. So I think we're doing pretty good, but the slowdown can be put on me. [face_blush] With a new baby sister, I was a little slow the past week.
     
  10. Sith-I-5

    Sith-I-5 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 14, 2002
    Looking at this, I was thinking it would be nice to see Intervention, but that I would not ask, then going through the previous page, I see that you have already done us! :D

    Though I was not in it prior to 2011, I had heard there was a low point with just three folks carrying the boat, so it is nice to see the graph showing such things.

    I can even see that the low dip for December 2011 is because we are not through the month yet.
     
  11. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    I think we ought to use these data to establish a probability distribution. That way we can predict what thread has most likely been posted in when there's a new post.:p
     
  12. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    spycoder/Macja - Ahh, that makes sense. A compelling argument for quick updates, then. :D Keeps people involved, keeps the momentum going.

    Sithy - Yeah in hindsight I should have cut off the monthly graphs at the end of November. It didn't occur to me until a few graphs in, unfortunately.

    Ramz - Statistics is not my field. If you like I can send you the raw data. :p
     
  13. Bravo

    Bravo Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 2001
    Wow! Thanks Xany! :D
     
  14. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    Cool thread. If it's not too much trouble, can you do one for Elite League Limmie? I'd be interested to see it.
     
  15. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Elite League Limmie:

    [image=https://sites.google.com/site/xanify/files/Limmie_timeline.png]

    Fascinating how activity appears seasonal, just like a real sports league. Looks like you guys are holding steady between 40-60 posts per month. What happened (or didn't happen) in September 2010?
     
  16. Bardan_Jusik

    Bardan_Jusik Former Manager star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 14, 2009
    These are fascinating. Its great to see the eb and flow of a game in such a visual format. =D=
     
  17. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    Thanks! I've linked your post in the game thread so that others in the game can view it.

    That is interesting that it appears seasonal. From a quick glance, it appears that the low points do indeed correspond with offseasons. I'm not sure what the deal is with September 2010, as that was before I joined the game.
     
  18. Vehn

    Vehn Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 14, 2009
    Very cool! Thanks for doing the graphs and for linking this in the ELL thread.

    September 2010, hmmm. I've been with the game since we kicked it off in May of 2010, not sure what would've happened there. As other people have surmised, most likely an off season.
     
  19. Trieste

    Trieste Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2010
    Like others who have commented, I too find this utterly interesting. Bardan hit the nail on the head when he called it fascinating! Of course, I always like visual representations of things. I guess I learn better that way!

    Quick reference on my part does show that September 2010 did contain an offseason in the game, which at that time was one week off. At the time, there were only four players in the game, one of which was essentially inactive, likely contributing to the low point there. However, it also contained playoffs--in which two players lost in the Quarterfinals--but two players met in the Final. Curiously, that year's champion was the aforementioned inactive player.

    Now, seeing as December has thus far been mainly offseason, it's no surprise that we're down currently, but I do have one question--is the December number a projection based on posting patterns thus far, or is it the actual number for the month? If we've put together 40 posts already in December I'm actually highly impressed by that number. I do feel that we've had a pretty rousing offseason (which is now giving way to this coming Sunday's first batch of regular season games and therefore a definite uptick in activity that may or may not be largely driven by Bardan and I trading verbal jabs at each other :D) thus far!

    Thanks so much for going through the effort Xan!
     
  20. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Based on chats I've had in the past regarding the program, fairly certain it's just the actual number (Not to mention December would be a right true ***** to try and project. Unpredictable winter holiday schedules and all that).
     
  21. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    It's the actual number. I haven't done any projections at all with these graphs. So, yes, you guys are doing rather well considering we're only a third of the way through the month. :D

    That said, these absolute post counts don't make a distinction between a post that contains an OOC note saying "I'll be back soon guys, life's busy" and a 5000-word three-part GM update. What I might do next is redraw graphs based on words posted per month, say. [face_thinking]

    Not that long posts are necessarily better, I can't tell you the last time I've read a 5000-word three-part GM update all the way through...
     
  22. Trieste

    Trieste Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2010
    Many thanks for the clarification! A quick scan of the game led me to believe that it was an actual number, but I wanted to confirm.

    Words per month would definitely be an interesting metric, though I could also see how it would be a pain in the butt to figure out! Unless you guys have super secret mod data that the rest of us peasants don't get. :D Which I also totally believe could be true. ;)
     
  23. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    Neither. The real answer is, I am a huge geek who built my own program to do this stuff. ;)

    It's essentially a less user-friendly, more feature-packed cousin to the JC Backup Tool. Rather than just download threads, it downloads them and crunches them up to produce files that Excel can use to draw graphs. Nothing to do with mod-only data at all - besides I'm not a mod any more - in fact it entirely uses information available to logged-out users.
     
  24. Trieste

    Trieste Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Apr 10, 2010
    In the words of a great philosopher, "Neato torpedo!"
     
  25. DarkLordoftheFins

    DarkLordoftheFins Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2007
    Actually wasn´t there a graph where you had "posts-by.users" analysed? I could use that one on SotF and SotSo for very practical reasons, really. If it isn´t too much trouble. If that option doesn´t work anymore, forget about it. Only if you can do it quick and easy, it would make me one happy GM, really.