Tick Mark Underneath Bell Graph

[MadDoctor]

I've noticed a tick mark underneath the bell graph. The first times I noticed it, I though it was a bit of lint on my screen. After I ruled that out, I realized it was right underneath the star that marks my solve position. I thought it was to mark my place on the x-axis. The last few times, it has been in the same place (it has always been in the same place) but the star marking my position has been different. Is this a feature that marks my average location on the graph so I can tell if I am doing better or worse than I normally do? If not, what is? Has anybody else noticed it? How long has it been there. It's not very big so it could go unnoticed for a very long time. Am I losing my MIND?

[admin]

Am I losing my MIND?

Nope, just sloppy code on my part. Should be fixed now.

[MadDoctor]

I was hoping it was my average position. The tick was placed a little higher than I thought it would be, but close enough to be believable. If I had to guess, I would put myself in the top half of average. The tick mark was just shy of fast. It made me feel good thinking my average score was that high.

BTW, I am losing my mind, or rather lost it long ago.

Any chance of getting a REAL tick mark to show our average position on the graph? Possibly representing the last 100 puzzles (I wouldn't want all those 'Very Slow' results I had from when I started to pollute my position. I have enough bad scores to do that as is.), or an average of this month.

[LLapp]

Any chance of getting a REAL tick mark to show our average position on the graph? Possibly representing the last 100 puzzles . . . or an average of this month.

MadDoctor, you can see your scores for the current month, including average speed, under the "My Scores" tab. The chart on that page has 3 tabs -- Lifetime, This Month, and Last Month. The current month scores are updated in real time.

I think it's perfect for that real-time "This Month" tab to stay where it is -- always a few annoying clicks away from wherever you are -- so you can enjoy playing without checking your monthly standing after every solved quote. For me, it's best for peace of mind to keep the "This Month" tab just a little out of my easy reach.

[MadDoctor]

Unfortunately, that data is only for competition players. The main reason I don't play in competition mode it that I can't get a clue (ie vowel) when I'm stumped. I solve virtually every cryptogram, one way or another. It may be my OCD that I have to. It also gives an average solve time, not a graph placement. For example, you would have a better average solve time if you solved some easy puzzles with slow times vs difficult puzzles with fast times. That's why I would like it related to the graph.

[LLapp]

Ahhh - so you want to use clues AND you want the site to track your solving statistics. I've seen players request that feature in the past, and it has not happened. Programming-wise, I'm just guessing, but I imagine it's simpler for the site to track only competitors' stats, so it can pull individual and competitive-ranking stats easily from the same database.

Consider this: How meaningful would your statistics even be if you're using clues? Statistics track how well you're doing on your own bare wits . . . without, y'know, steroids. There's nothing wrong with using clues, and you should use them if you prefer to, but (as I read somewhere) you cannot both eat your cake and have your cake. You can't expect the marathon to clock your speed if you took a taxi. I guess it would be fun to see how fast you could solve with clues, but the speed is not real.

On the other hand, you could always track your own times while still using clues. Problem is, that will probably not help you get better at this game.

Here's the point: We are all here to compete with ourselves, far more than with each other, and your wish to track your times suggests you're ready to compete with yourself. So do it! Ditch the training wheels and click "Yes" for "Participate in Competition". Sure, it will be painful, and you will do abysmally for a while. We all did. You may get faster gradually, or you may remain slow and leisurely forever, and in any case you will always take forever at least sometimes. Players come in all speeds, and it's all good. It's just a game.

[LLapp]

Any chance of getting a REAL tick mark to show our average position on the graph? Possibly representing the last 100 puzzles (I wouldn't want all those 'Very Slow' results I had from when I started to pollute my position. I have enough bad scores to do that as is.), or an average of this month.

MadDoctor, if I understand it right, you want the bell curve on the quote solution page to become an individualized graph of your own recent performance, rather than a universal graph of that particular quote's time statistics -- yes? That's a whole different graph, and I would still want to keep the graph showing me where I fall on the curve for just that quote. Your idea sounds like an interesting idea for the "My Scores" page, if it's doable. My guess is that this might require a more personalized level of programming than the site can provide for free. But who knows.