BaNaNaS statistics

[MagicBuzz]

Hello,

This isn't really an OpenTTD suggestion, but about BaNaNaS (that could be included in OpenTTD though).

It should ne nice if the BaNaNaS server was able to display some statistics about GRF and other contents uses :
- List of all updates for a content with date, size, etc.
- List of all download for each content, with date, if possible, client version (OpenTTD, patchpack, TTD, etc.)
- List of all GRF from an author
- Any other revealant info (such as "this content is mostly used with this one", etc.)

And graphics and palmarès related to those data.

This would help a lot :
- (new) players to choose "alive" contents, or commonly use content rather than niche an deprecated contents
- contributor to know if their contents are actually used, and where to concentrate compatibility concerns
- discovering other GRF when a contributor who designer a GRF we like released others
- etc.

I know some of these statistics probably can't be implemented "as is" today but it always needs a "day 1" to start something.

[Auge]

Hello

This isn't really an OpenTTD suggestion, but about BaNaNaS (that could be included in OpenTTD though).

Am I right assuming that you want this to be seen in the ingame-window of Bananas?

It should ne nice if the BaNaNaS server was able to display some statistics about GRF and other contents uses :
- List of all updates for a content with date, size, etc.
- List of all download for each content, with date, if possible, client version (OpenTTD, patchpack, TTD, etc.)

Are these both items not more or less the same (updates = downloads)?

- Any other revealant info (such as "this content is mostly used with this one", etc.)

Where Bananas is supposed to get the info about the (mostly) shared use of content items?

Tschö, Auge

[MagicBuzz]

Am I right assuming that you want this to be seen in the ingame-window of Bananas?

I have no preference. Ideally, BaNaNaS whould provide an API to allow OpenTTD, TTDPatch or any Patch Pack to display there statistics, but only a web version on BaNaNaS would also be sufficient.

Are these both items not more or less the same (updates = downloads)?

No, number of update (total, last year, last month by exemple) would be the number of updates uploaded by the author during the period.
This would help to see which file are actively maintained/developped and which one are abandoned

Downloads, on the other hand, would be the times clients downloaded this file during the period.
This would help to see how popular is the file.

Where Bananas is supposed to get the info about the (mostly) shared use of content items?

I imagine four possible sources:
1/ when the client downloads multiple files, the server could be able to store "this file was download at the same time as this one" (using a session cookie or something like that, or only timestamp)
=> very low accuracy (but at least it would exist) and totally anonymous
2/ when downloading a file, the client could send a unique id (would require a patch of the client) that would be provided if the player give his autorisation
=> not as much anonymous, but clearly more accurate
3/ when downloading a file, the client could send the list of all installed GRFs if the player give his autorisation
=> still somewhat anonymous, and even more accurate
4/ when stating a new game, the client could send the list of all active GRFs if the player give his autorisation
=> still somewhat anonymous, and even 100% accurate

All the solutions above are anonymous as the server never knows any information about the player himself.
Some of them could be categorized as "statistics cookies", and could be disabled (by default?) by the player.

[odisseus]

I understand it in this way:

• How often (or how recently) the author of an add-on releases new versions. This information is in fact already present on the Bananas Web pages.
• How often the add-on is downloaded by players, preferably split by the version of the game client. This should be easy to tally up on the Bananas server. This statistics will be somewhat inaccurate because the same client can download the add-on multiple times, but I don't think this would ever cause significant distortion.
• What add-ons and versions are most often used together with a given add-on. This information cannot be obtained from the Bananas system, but it can be determined by scanning the public list of game servers. Of course, there is no way to account for private offline games.

All of these statistics would be of interest to add-on authors and server masters, but not so much to the casual player. Therefore, I don't see the need to integrate it into the game interface, but it certainly would be nice if these data were accessible somewhere on the Web.