Analysis of Ultimate Game Poll

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AuthorTopic: Analysis of Ultimate Game Poll
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Saturday, March 11 2006 09:46 Profile Homepage #0
Poll results analysis

1. How many people didn't play the game enough to rate it?
These answers had mild and seemingly random variation. Some of them make me a little worried about the accuracy of the poll. In particular, the numbers were very similar for the Exile trilogy (4, 8, 5) and the Avernum trilogy (4, 6, 4). I *know* there are a number of people here who've played Avernum but not Exile. Few people can say the reverse. Other notes: Fewer people played G2 and G3 than G1, and almost everyone played BoA. The least played games were forum favorites E2 and Nethergate.

2. Of those who did play, how many registered?
The answers are again similar for most games, around 50% registering, but with some exceptions. BoA had overwhelmingly the greatest registration % (20/24), followed somewhat surprisingly by Exile 3 (14/22). The games with the lowest % registering were once again forum favorites E2 and Nethergate (8/19). Even on these forums they aren't good sellers. :(

3. In general, did registered players like the games better?
Yes, but only by a little. The average game was rated 5 great, 4 good, 2 okay, 1 poor by registered users, and 3 great, 3 good, 3 okay, 2 poor, 1 terrible by unregistered users. That's about half a rating category per user difference.

4. Were registered users ever disappointed?
Rarely. The only game with a large chunk of low ratings from registered users was Geneforge 3 (4/11 rated it poor). The next closest was Exile 3 (1 poor and 1 terrible out of 14).

5. What games did people like, but decide not to register anyway?
Once again -- the forum favorites! From demo players, Nethergate got 5 great ratings and Exile 2 got 4 great ratings. Avernum 3 got 5 great ratings from demo players as well. Very strangely, Geneforge 3 also got 4 great ratings from them -- more than G1 or G2.

It's possible that G3 players may have been persuaded to try other games instead, by all the G3 hate on the boards. And conversely, it's possible that all the E2 and Nethergate love on the boards has made even those who don't drop money on them think better of them.

6. What games had the biggest and smallest differences of opinion between registered and unregistered players?
Smallest differences were Exile 2, BoA, Nethergate (very high ratings) and Geneforge 3 (low ratings).

Biggest differences of opinion were E1 and E3, and A2 and A4. A4 shouldn't surprise anyone, and the others are likely explained by kamikaze E2 fans and pretty graphics snobs.

7. In general:
Most-loved: BoE, Nethergate, Avernum 2
Least-loved: Avernum 4, Exile 1, Geneforge 2
Most-hated: Avernum 4, Geneforge 3, Exile 3
Widest range of ratings: Geneforge 1, Geneforge 3

8. Also of note:
EVERY registered user of BoE thought it was great.
A1 received the most "okay" ratings, followed by E1.

Note: I do not plan on updating this when more people respond to the poll. 28 is plenty, and the analysis involved staring at Excel for a while.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Andrea
Apprentice
Member # 6852
 written Saturday, March 11 2006 23:55 Profile #1
Might want to correct your final BoE statement there now.

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http://desperance.net
Posts: 35 | Registered: Friday, March 3 2006 08:00
Ash Lael
E Equals MC What!!!!
Member # 5491
 written Saturday, March 11 2006 23:59 Profile Homepage #2
quote:
Originally written by Nathan Ashby:
The Man And His Dream:
Might want to correct your final BoE statement there now.
quote:
Originally written by Slartucker:

Note: I do not plan on updating this when more people respond to the poll.


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SupaNik: Aran, you're not big enough to threaten Ash. Dammit, even JV had to think twice.
Posts: 1861 | Registered: Friday, February 11 2005 08:00
Andrea
Apprentice
Member # 6852
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 00:30 Profile #3
Yes, but it's me. That means something.

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http://desperance.net
Posts: 35 | Registered: Friday, March 3 2006 08:00
Jumpin Salmon
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 00:36 Profile #4
quote:
Originally written by Andrea:

Me, me, me, me. That should mean something.
FYT.
:P

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Well, I'm at least pretty sure that Salmon is losing.
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Andrea
Apprentice
Member # 6852
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 00:44 Profile #5
quote:
Originally written by Fish Brain:

Care for a game of chess, Mr. Fischer?
FYT.

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http://desperance.net
Posts: 35 | Registered: Friday, March 3 2006 08:00
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 08:22 Profile Homepage #6
quote:
Originally written by Slartucker:

8. Also of note:
EVERY registered user of BoE thought it was great, except for Djur, who is the most notable and important personage this forum has ever seen; for although Djur is whinier than Ed, more self-centered than Thralni, more filled with hate and viciousness than TM, and less constructive than arghhhhhhhhh, we should all worship the words she excretes.
FMT. :cool:

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
ReMeMbEr
Agent
Member # 6581
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 08:26 Profile Homepage #7
Someone can explain me what FTY and FMT means?

EDIT:(Looking myself in front a mirror)"MagmaDragoon, you are an idiot!" :)

[ Sunday, March 12, 2006 08:27: Message edited by: MagmaDragoon ]

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Download Geneforge 4: Rebellion

You have 6 posts. Nobody cares what you think. - Thuryl

Wikipedia may be your friend, but UBB is not. - Dikiyoba
Posts: 1310 | Registered: Tuesday, December 20 2005 08:00
BainIhrno
Infiltrator
Member # 5132
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 08:48 Profile Homepage #8
FYT = Fixed your typo.

FMT = Format(?)

[ Sunday, March 12, 2006 08:48: Message edited by: BainIhrno ]

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Bestrafer_fin
Warrior
Member # 3241
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 08:55 Profile #9
quote:
Originally written by BainIhrno:


FMT = Format(?)
Fixed my typo?

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Visit the www.monkkonen.net and if you like, be the member of the forums.
Posts: 76 | Registered: Sunday, July 20 2003 07:00
radix malorum est cupiditas
Lifecrafter
Member # 6403
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 08:56 Profile #10
Is it really that hard?

FMT = Fixed My Typo

EDIT: Damn posting at the same time as someone else.

[ Sunday, March 12, 2006 08:57: Message edited by: Infernal666hate ]

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??? ??????
???? ?????
Posts: 883 | Registered: Wednesday, October 19 2005 07:00
Micawber
Agent
Member # 2759
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 09:00 Profile Homepage #11
"fixed your typo" and "fixed my typo", respectively. Not meant sincerely - more tongue in cheek.

Back on topic, I need convincing that the sample sizes are valid to analyse anything about the collective opinion of this board. I like the results for Homeland, though!

Edit: when I started there were 0 responses. Now there are 4. It's almost like a popular topic, or something.

[ Sunday, March 12, 2006 09:04: Message edited by: Micawber ]

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"I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius

Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4
Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00
Slarty
Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 09:08 Profile Homepage #12
That's a good point Micawber. A larger sample size is almost never a bad thing. This survey doesn't have a truly random sample, but it seems close enough to me.

I think the tricky question here is deciding what delimits the board community. We'd get very different results if you include only frequent posters, than if we also included the thousands of quiet or lurking newbies that have at various times been part of the boards. And then what do you do about someone like Djur, who has been around a long time, used to post regularly but now rarely stops by, and whose opinions tend to lie on one extreme?

Also, while this goes without saying, it's important to remember that the board community would probably have very different answers from Spiderweb fans in general.

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Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central
Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 09:35 Profile Homepage #13
quote:
Originally written by Slartucker:

...we should all worship the words HE excretes.
Fixed your factual error.

—Alorael, who hopes Pygmalion is excreted before RiB.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
M.
Too Sexy for my Title
Member # 5654
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 09:53 Profile #14
You see Johnsé, I believe he made that typo on purpose.
Posts: 1035 | Registered: Friday, April 1 2005 08:00
Sir David
Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 19:19 Profile #15
It's funny - for a community that places such a large emphasis on wordplay, particularly the harmful, sarcastic, vitriolic kind, we tend to suck at detecting sarcasm and such in others. That goes for almost all of you, not just Alorael (in fact, he's generally quite good at it, due to his relatively low levels of arrogance and self-obsession, not to mention years of practice).

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And though the musicians would die, the music would live on in the imaginations of all who heard it.
-The Last Pendragon

Polaris = joy.

In case of emergency, break glass.
Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00
Dikiyoba
Councilor
Member # 6600
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 19:39 Profile Homepage #16
[SARCASM]That is why Dikiyoba uses sarcasm code.[/SARCASM]

Edit: Sig change.

[ Sunday, March 12, 2006 19:39: Message edited by: Dikiyoba ]
Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 20:04 Profile Homepage #17
quote:
Originally written by Dikiyoba:

[SARCASM]That is why Dikiyoba uses sarcasm code.[/SARCASM]
Eeeh. That's always seemed tacky to me, sort of like laughing at one's own jokes.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Or else o'erleap.
Law Bringer
Member # 335
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 20:22 Profile Homepage #18
I fail to grasp the humor in altering Djur's gender.

—Alorael, who can in fact grasp all kinds of humor in altering Djur's gender, but it is not apparent from Slarty's post. That grasping is figurative, by the way.
Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00
Dikiyoba
Councilor
Member # 6600
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 20:24 Profile Homepage #19
Originally by Thuryl:

quote:
Eeeh. That's always seemed tacky to me, sort of like laughing at one's own jokes.
But sometimes there's a comment I really want to make (and the above post wasn't an example) but I just know that out of the dozens of people who will read my post, one of them will misread the post and comment angrily on it if I don't make it clear that it is a joke. And the realization that I have to add something to make it clear that it is a joke usually helps me realize that I either shouldn't say it or should rephrase it.

And Dikiyoba laughs at Dikiyoba's jokes all the time, either because no one else is around to laugh at them or because everyone else is laughing at them. The former is when Dikiyoba is well and truly alone. The latter is usually just a cover up.

Edit: Added quote and changed sig.

[ Sunday, March 12, 2006 20:29: Message edited by: Dikiyoba ]
Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 20:26 Profile Homepage #20
If you really must indicate that you're joking, the :P emoticon is less obtrusive and serves the same purpose.

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Jumpin Salmon
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
 written Sunday, March 12 2006 20:47 Profile #21
quote:
Originally written by Thuryl:

If you really must indicate that you're joking, the :P emoticon is less obtrusive and serves the same purpose.
And we've come full circle now. It's a shame that Djur has a big button labeled "Don't push me!" and it's equally shameful that I can't resist pushing those buttons. Even when I used the :P emoticon.

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

Well, I'm at least pretty sure that Salmon is losing.
Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
ReMeMbEr
Agent
Member # 6581
 written Monday, March 13 2006 04:33 Profile Homepage #22
quote:
Originally written by Infernal666hate:

Is it really that hard?
For an Italian like me, yes.

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Download Geneforge 4: Rebellion

You have 6 posts. Nobody cares what you think. - Thuryl

Wikipedia may be your friend, but UBB is not. - Dikiyoba
Posts: 1310 | Registered: Tuesday, December 20 2005 08:00
Sadako
Warrior
Member # 37
 written Monday, March 13 2006 09:10 Profile #23
Most hated? Uh-oh, I better hit the cancel button on the Avernum 4 download, because I alllways listen to what other people tell me about the game.*

*lie ;¬_¬

[ Monday, March 13, 2006 09:10: Message edited by: Atari Dumbledore ]

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Pushing the hermaphroditism evolution agenda...one botched genetics experiment at a time.
Posts: 179 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Zeviz
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
 written Monday, March 13 2006 12:03 Profile Homepage #24
quote:
Originally written by Micawber:

...
Back on topic, I need convincing that the sample sizes are valid to analyse anything about the collective opinion of this board. I like the results for Homeland, though!
...
The sample size looks pretty good, if you are looking at population of active members of these boards. According to Aran's stats (http://www.ironycentral.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=003203), this board has about 200-300 "active" members in any given month and only about 70-100 of them make 10 or more posts per month. Currently, the poll has 48 responces, so that means a lot of active members have voted already.

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Be careful with a word, as you would with a sword,
For it too has the power to kill.
However well placed word, unlike a well placed sword,
Can also have the power to heal.
Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00

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