Some suggestion re Unique DLs and percentages

[mechatech]

I was having a discussion about total downloads vs unique downloads and I think there is still some confusion about it. Maybe this thread Unique downloads counter should be pinned for easy reference.

 

While the top 100 shows how popular a mod is based on endorsements it doesn't show how poplar a mod is compared to others. Maybe another stat that is a percentage ratio of endorsemenst to unique downloads could be introduced. For some modders this may be a handy tool. For example mod #1 might have 10000 unique DLs and 100 endorsements giving 1%. Mod #100 has 500 unique downloads and 5 endorsement also giving 1%. While mod #100 is not as popular as mod #1 it at least has the same level of user satisfaction. Or it could be listed in every mod stat page so that the modder of #203 could also see where he stands. Maybe unnecessary but percentage stats did help me make a valid point with another user.

[ub3rman123]

The data could very quickly become skewed, though. Suppose a brand new mod shows up, that only 20 people bother to download and one decides to endorse it? Bam, that mod is, according to the data, better than either mod #1 and mod #100.

[mechatech]

Good point. I was thinking of the number as a measure of user satisfaction. Because of that skewing problem popularity should still be based on endorsements. However it is surprisingly consistent. I calculated the percentages of the top 100 and found that many hover between 1 and 2 percent (average was 1.65%) Ten mods have more than 2.5 percent. Maybe it shouldn't be calculated until a certain number of endorsements and/or DLs is reached.

 

My thinking was I produce a mod. It gets 2300 DLs and 33 endorsements after 2 years. How does my mod rate in the overall scheme of things. It's not that popular but maybe I wasn't looking for that. I see the percentage is 1.43%. That means I'm near average in user satisfaction so I must be doing something right. If it was too low, like 0.04%then I need to improve it and they may result in more DLs. If it's higher, 2.99%, then my mod is fine, its just that what I made is not to the majority of tastes. It's more a quick reference for modders than anything. IMO endorsements alone is a bit abstract.

[Thandal]

Almost zero value-add for the overwhelming majority of users. Those who care (authors?) can calculate their own stats. But even then I'm struggling to see what one might DO with the information... As you noted, the corrolation with overall endorsements is already pretty consistent, so how (and who) does it help?