Usage Tracker

[Andreas Raht]

Originally Posted by OutS|der

how do we tell who we are?

The unique, random key is in the app.cfg file and it's called inst_key. But please don't tell me your key, I don't want to know it because it's supposed to be anonymous!

[the_32_pitch]

The usage tracker is fine with me and I'm really hoping that people don't see it as a data mining/spying conspiracy.

If I had an issue with it at all it would only be that it connects and uses the internet which would use resources and affect, however slightly, internet bandwidth.

[Andreas Raht]

Originally Posted by the_32_pitch

If I had an issue with it at all it would only be that it connects and uses the internet which would use resources and affect, however slightly, internet bandwidth.

Not really, it does only connect once when you start the game. It transfers the data collected during the previous game session and closes the connection again after that. That should need no longer than one or two seconds (OOTP loads the graphics files during that time) and the amount of data transferred is less than what you download when you open a simple web page.
During playing OOTP, the connection is closed and no data is transferred. OOTP collects the data "off-line", saves it to a file and when you start OOTP next time, it will be uploaded again.

[Germaniac]

Do you work this information into some kind of statistics ??

I have the feeling that I'm only scratching the surface on what this outstanding game has to offer.

I would appreciate if there was some kind of information like "65% of the users use feature X while feature Y would provide the same information, but would offer much more."

[One Post Wonder]

Just came back after a long hiatus (still using 11) and I know I'm necro-ing here, but I don't like this at all.

If you want to know what people are doing with the game or how to improve it, why not just ask? There are pages upon pages of suggestions on this forum which have been debated back and forth, and you could go on that as to what to improve/add. There are bugs you can fix. There's the in game 2D graphics idea that has been batted around.

Plus data that you get in this manner might not give you an accurate direction anyway. Perhaps people who never do or use X feature might actually begin doing X if you improved it.

I'm sure your intentions are good, but I'm tired of software/websites constantly trying to weasel info out of me, and I don't allow games to do this sort of thing just on principle. I'll keep this option turned off, and if there's ever an occasion where I won't be able to turn something like this off, I won't be buying any more versions of OOTP.

Yeah, this is probably an overreaction and I could tone it down a bit, but that's my opinion.

[PSUColonel]

I want the best OOTP possible, and if this is one way to that, then so be it. Although I have many other suggestions as well

[yougo1000]

Quick Q, will we be able to see our individual data?

[RchW]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

Just came back after a long hiatus (still using 11) and I know I'm necro-ing here, but I don't like this at all.

If you want to know what people are doing with the game or how to improve it, why not just ask? There are pages upon pages of suggestions on this forum which have been debated back and forth, and you could go on that as to what to improve/add. There are bugs you can fix. There's the in game 2D graphics idea that has been batted around.

Plus data that you get in this manner might not give you an accurate direction anyway. Perhaps people who never do or use X feature might actually begin doing X if you improved it.

I'm sure your intentions are good, but I'm tired of software/websites constantly trying to weasel info out of me, and I don't allow games to do this sort of thing just on principle. I'll keep this option turned off, and if there's ever an occasion where I won't be able to turn something like this off, I won't be buying any more versions of OOTP.

Yeah, this is probably an overreaction and I could tone it down a bit, but that's my opinion.

Don't be silly. I can't remember what I did this morning so there is no survey or questionnaire that would even come close to capturing what I do each time I play the game. This is not about suggestions, it's about how users play the game. Evidence of non-use or certain patterns may alert the developers that a feature needs improvement. With this evidence they can ask us the right questions.

Please learn to read. No-one is trying to weasel anything out of you. This is a completely transparent, up front, polite question that allows you to say no.

The tracker is disabled by default. Given that, why the histrionics about something that has no effect unless you activate it?

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

I'm sure your intentions are good, but I'm tired of software/websites constantly trying to weasel info out of me, and I don't allow games to do this sort of thing just on principle.

There is no request for nor use of anything which even remotely identifies individual OOTP users. The resulting tracker data is strictly a numerical aggregation of the ways users have played OOTP, e.g. resolutions used, operating systems, screens accessed, and so forth.

I understand the general concern, but in this instance at least, it's misplaced.

[One Post Wonder]

* Edit: Don't want to argue with you, RchW. Happy Holidays.

Maybe that statement of mine was a bit strong, Big Orange... but I hope that tracking and internet access from OOTP, beyond what is essential for gameplay, never progesses beyond this.

I personally still won't use the tracker though. Just my choice.

[Cooleyvol]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

Just came back after a long hiatus (still using 11) and I know I'm necro-ing here, but I don't like this at all.

If you want to know what people are doing with the game or how to improve it, why not just ask? There are pages upon pages of suggestions on this forum which have been debated back and forth, and you could go on that as to what to improve/add. There are bugs you can fix. There's the in game 2D graphics idea that has been batted around.

Plus data that you get in this manner might not give you an accurate direction anyway. Perhaps people who never do or use X feature might actually begin doing X if you improved it.

I'm sure your intentions are good, but I'm tired of software/websites constantly trying to weasel info out of me, and I don't allow games to do this sort of thing just on principle. I'll keep this option turned off, and if there's ever an occasion where I won't be able to turn something like this off, I won't be buying any more versions of OOTP.

Yeah, this is probably an overreaction and I could tone it down a bit, but that's my opinion.

Leave it disabled and move on.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by Cooleyvol

Leave it disabled and move on.

I agree, and that's what I have done, but I think he has a right to be concerned about privacy issues. I am also very, very tired of every entity that I do business with trying to obtain even more information about me. The words "trust us" are not good enough for me.

[OutS|der]

i wonder if the people with the privacy issues ever use Facebook or any other social networking, do you also turn off cookies and all that as well because all that is tacking you.
Even though it's called a usage tracker it's not tracking you, there's no such thing as true privacy online you will always be tracked some how some way

[Lou Gehrig]

I'll turn in on to be a "team player".
Normally I would not but from the previous comments OOTP has earned our trust.