Trending Feature

[Ghoulish]

I want to bring up the trending feature which is shown via the in game browser. It's a great addition for sure, a useful tool for highlighting those MODs which are new and popular, or those you missed.. The number shown in the trending column though, it means what exactly? Clearly it's linked to whatever wizardry is going on to work out the trending system, but in and of itself it seems superfluous?

However the point I want to raise is when you hit the trending header, the column reverses, and you're shown what now? Negatively valued trending stuff? So it's not trending? Or it's just not trending any more - but it once was, just not as much? Browsing the trending section via the MOD portal website it's just listed A to Z as per the script, should be the same in via the in game MOD installer.

I say this (and the reason I created the thread) Because earlier today I went to install a MOD, and I knew the names of a couple I wanted to try, one was trending positively and the other not. And subconsciously I went to install the one which was trending higher. I stopped myself and thought - hang on, both do the same thing, both are stable and have been out in the wild for a while. Yet I was going to install one over the other based purely on a number which I had no context for.

I'm being a little facetious saying I don't understand the what the trending number means, it has a job, and it does it. Here's the big but, that number being shown I feel, will lead to an artificial skewing of which MODs are downloaded - just like I almost subconsciously did. The fact a MOD starts to trend (or the downloads slow..) Might (does?) Create a feedback loop within the trending system and force MODs higher or lower, for no other reason than the trending system is there, and showing a contextless number.

The trending system is great, most useful. Ditch the number, so long as it's clear which the top and bottom of trending is, it's not needed.

[Sanqui]

The trending system essentially reflects how many downloads the mod has had in the past month. The negative numbers are just a byproduct of the algorithm. A mod that got a record number of downloads today will almost always start trending negatively in half a month, unless it continues to beat its downloads (which it cannot do infinitely). This keeps the top of the trending page fresh and gives each mod a change to shine. However the numbers are somewhat meaningless and should not be showing in the game, I agree.

[slippycheeze]

However the numbers are somewhat meaningless and should not be showing in the game, I agree.

I certainly find them ... an unhelpful sort, I guess, when it comes to answering the question "which mod is most likely to meet my needs."

What might be interesting was a weighted score based on both downloads recently, and downloads over time, as well as the oldest and newest updates. Something that has continued to update since 0.12, and is still updated for 0.17 is almost certainly a better choice than a mod launched ten minutes ago, simply because it has the proved track record.

...ah, and here is the post, "how not to sort by average rating" that I was looking for. It covers a bunch of things that are basically edge cases waiting to sort badly. It has the annoyingly advanced math for doing an average score well, but also thankfully the SQL to spit it out given a simple table structure holding rankings.

[Optera]

Good read.
The current trending is something i check for laughs, if anything.

Even the pure download number for a certain version holds more meaning.

[FuryoftheStars]

Glad I saw this post.

Yeah, I was wondering about the trending numbers and was feeling the same way about it as the OP in that if something happens to go negative, it may have an impact on whether or not someone downloads it simply because it's negative.