Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Enmity Podcast Interview with TORParse Owners Blockhead and Hayward

Hey everyone!

We recently sat down for an interview for Enmity Podcasting, a weekly SWTOR podcast put out by 42gaming.com. In it we discuss future updates for TORParse, the creation of our dev team, TORParse's history, and the current challenges we are facing making TORParse work to the best of our abilities.

You can view the podcast here: http://42gaming.com/podcast/episode-8-torparse-owners-developers.html
And here is the related Reddit thread: http://bit.ly/1coVf7i

Best,
Hayward and Blockhead

Friday, November 1, 2013

TORParse is looking for additional developers!

EDIT: Thanks for the applications everyone! We'll continue accepting applications until November 15th, at which point we will begin individual and group interviews with those who expressed interest in joining the dev team.


Hey everyone!

The owners here at TORParse are currently looking for several individuals interested in helping with the future development of both the TORParse website and the TORParse in-game client.



To be a part of the TORParse website development team, you will need to be highly proficient in the following areas:
  • HTML 5
  • CSS 3
  • PHP 5
  • MySQL
Additional experience with the following is also a plus:
  • Javascript
  • jQuery
  • Adobe Photoshop/Graphics Design



To be a part of the TORParse in-game client development team, you will need to be highly proficient in the following areas:
  • Adobe AIR
  • Adobe Flash
  • Adobe ActionScript
Additional experience with the following is also a plus:
  • HTML 5
  • CSS 3
  • Javascript


If interested in either of these positions, please send an e-mail to ian@torparse.com illustrating your previous dev and coding experiences, your qualifications, and why you think you would be a good fit as a member of the TORParse dev team.

Currently these positions are voluntary ones and we cannot offer any monetary compensation for them, however we are looking to change that in the future if we continue to receive enough funding support from TORParse users like you (it's still pretty awesome to tell people you help develop TORParse though, isn't it?)

Best,
Hayward and the TORParse Owners

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

TorParse Client update!

Hey everyone!

A quick introduction is in order, I'm BigBlockhead, and together with Hayward who you have been hearing from the past month we are the current operators of TorParse. I've been hard at work this past while getting ready for a major update to the desktop client of TorParse, and I'm here today to give you all some information regarding this update!

Here are some of the new features being added:
An enrage timer: I'm setting up an enrage timer for each boss in every operation. Flashpoint bosses I'll be adding on a backfill basis, but I'm starting with operation bosses. Keep in mind that due to the nature of how SWTOR tells the combat log when combat starts, that is to say on occasion a combat log will recognize combat has begun a second or two after the boss was engaged, especially with healers and dps who hold back a couple of seconds, this enrage timer might be off by a couple of seconds. With this enrage timer will come a sound notification that will alert the group leader when it is being approached (default is 10 seconds). This notification time is customizable up to 30 seconds.

Death notification: This feature is also for group leaders. When someone in the operation group dies, the group leader will receive (currently) the last 5 seconds of that person's parsed log. In this way, the leader will be able to at a glance see what killed that member, with the intent to aid group's in refining strategies.

Detailed damage breakdown: This change will affect the solo tab of TorParse. Currently when you view the damage taken tab, you see how much total damage each target did. This is going to change. In the future, you will be able to see a breakdown of damage from each target. In this way, you will be able to see how much damage came from various attacks. As a tank myself, I find knowing what attacks hit me for more damage to be more informative then just knowing what enemy hits harder.

Miscellaneous performance upgrades: Thanks to feedback (mainly from my personal guinea pigs, I mean, my operation team) I've tweaked the client here and there to improve stability and speedup various processess here and there.

I've got other ideas for new features and upgrades, but I'm going to hold them in reserve for now, mostly because I want to make sure I can actually deliver on them before I preview them!

With that in mind, I always value your feedback. There are lots of ways of getting ahold of me. Posting in the forums found on our website is a great way, as is getting on our new TS server and sitting down to talk to me. Also, for all you players on Jedi Covenant, send a tell to BigBlockhead (yes that's really me) or if you don't see him online, look up any member of Tranquility and if I'm on another toon, they will be more then glad to get ahold of me!

Finally, a shameless plug for Tranquility, as my guild leader (no, I'm just an officer, not the GM) is pestering me non stop to throw this up somewhere. <Tranquility>, an LGBT friendly guild and the owners of TORParse, are recruiting! 3 total ops groups (2 on 16-man new op HM progression), PVP, TS server, website, guild bank, xp bonuses, and weekly alt-leveling.

BigBlockhead

Official TORParse TeamSpeak Server Launched!

Hey all,

I'm pleased to announce that we have partnered with Tranquility Guild of Jedi Covenant to provide a 100 slot TeamSpeak user open to all TORParse users!

Whether you want to raid with your guild, pvp in a social setting, or just chat it up and meet new people, everyone is more than welcome on the server.

Currently the server is managed and moderated exclusively by members of the guild Tranquility, however we are looking for people who are interested in helping to moderate the general purpose TORParse channels. If you think you're qualified, please e-mail me at ian@torparse.com with your application to become a Server Operator, highlighting any previous experience managing TeamSpeak servers and other social groups. Only detailed and well-written applications will be considered - a simple sentence or two won't cut it.

If your guild/group is interested in having a permanent channel on the server, feel free to send me an e-mail and we can set something up. We look forward to chatting with you!

Server Information:
Hostname/Address: ts.torparse.com

Best,
Hayward

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Facebook, Twitter, and Website Updates

Hey everyone,

I'm pleased to announce the launch of our new TORParse Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as some new additions to the website.

You'll notice we are now listing the most recent blog posts on the TORParse index page in an effort to better keep you up to date with the latest news from the developers. The plan is to use Twitter to keep you updated with the little things we're working on in an informal setting, while the larger and more detailed updates will continue to be posted on the blog, site index, and Facebook.

We've added a small set of social media icons to the upper right of the site so you can easily switch between them (let us know if they are displaying incorrectly, they are still in an experimental stage).

Lastly, we've added several new categories to the TORParse Forums specifically for Theorycrafting. If you would like to discuss the best-in-slot gear for your advanced class, optimal rotations, and so on, then head on over to our Theorycrafting forums and start a new topic!

Best,
Hayward

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

2.4 Patch Updates

*Update 1* We have finished coding in boss IDs for the 16-man story mode operation "The Dread Fortress."

-Hayward



Hi all,

We're currently working on coding in all the new boss IDs for the two new operations that were released in the 2.4 patch, as well as for the two Czerka flashpoints from the previous patch.

At this time we are looking for combat logs from people who have completed both 8-man and 16-man Hard Mode operations "The Dread Fortress" and "The Dread Palace." If you or your guild has done so, we ask that you please e-mail your combat log to ian@torparse.com so that we can code the boss IDs from those fights into the database.

- The TORParse Team

Friday, September 27, 2013

Scheduled Maintenance

*Update 3 - Maintenance Results* We have successfully restored some combat log information that inadvertently became corrupted or lost. Everything on the site should be back to normal. We are currently re-generating the Statistics, which should be complete in a couple hours time. Please feel free to contact us if you notice any other issues. Thank you!

*Update 2* We are anticipating that the website and combat log upload capability from the ingame client will be restored tomorrow (30 Sept) in the afternoon to evening hours (EST). Thank you for your continued patience.

*Update* We have identified the issue causing some combat logs to appear incorrectly parsed. The repair process is ongoing and the website will remain unavailable until it completes. The ingame client server is currently available; however, no combat logs may be uploaded at this time. This process will take an extended amount of time. Thank you for your patience.

Hi everyone,

We will be performing some scheduled maintenance and database repair work in the next few hours to restore the missing combat logs that seemed to have disappeared after the server ownership transition, in addition to preparing for the 2.4 patch.

There will most likely be some downtime ranging from several hours to several days, depending on the severity of the database issues, so hang tight and bear with us this weekend as we get everything back to how it should be.

You can also expect a client app update within the next few days as well.

- The TORParse Team

Sunday, September 22, 2013

New Ownership and Server Transition

Hello everyone!

I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself, Ian "Hayward" Trudell, and the other new co-owner of TORParse, Sam "BigBlockhead" Kiramathypathy. We've been SWTOR players since launch, Sam originally coming from Keller's Void and myself from Shii-Cho, and today we play exclusively on the Jedi Covenant server with the Republic guild Tranquility. Chances are if you've ever played on Jedi Covenant you've seen us around on one of our many characters (Sam's favorites are BigBlockhead and Profian, and mine are Hayward, Stardust, Hypnus, and Haim).

Sam was previously a statistics admin for TORParse, working closely with James over the last few months to ensure uploaded combat logs were genuine and helping to develop the many features TORParse has to offer, including work on group parses and group uploads (oftentimes using Tranquility as a guinea pig for testing). Despite what his character name may imply, he's very knowledgeable of the inner workings of TORParse and the TORParse client, and will help ensure TORParse remains an excellent choice for SWTOR parsing and statistics logging going forward. He happens to be Canadian, but I won't hold that against him if you won't.

As for myself, I come from an interesting assortment of gaming fansites that I managed as a server administrator over the years, ranging from "RuneHQ," one of the largest RuneScape fansites, to "TORCommunity," the first SWTOR fansite. Born and raised in the United States, I currently live in Indiana.

We're really excited about what lies ahead for TORParse and we're grateful for the opportunity to continue the excellent work James has done this past year making TORParse into the exceptional site and client it is today. We recognize that we still have a ways to go to improve the features and services offered here at TORParse, and hope that you continue to support and contribute to making TORParse the best it can be.



Now I'm sure you're all interested in hearing about the details of the server transition. We originally planned on moving the server completely to a new host after the ownership transfer, but we've decided instead to continue using the same host in order to ease the transition process.

As it stands, the server is funded primarily through advertising, however we are interested in upgrading the server's capabilities to help increase performance and minimize downtime and excessive server loads. To do this we will most likely be starting a crowd-funding campaign within the next month to raise money for upgrades and site and client development. Our goal for TORParse is not to turn a profit, but rather to build upon and continue offering the best available services that we can - something we can only do with your support.

At this point, all statistics have been unfrozen and you will now see new combat logs appearing on the top 50 lists once more. Over the next few days we will continue to iron out any bugs that have arose from the ownership transfer, so expect some intermittent down times as we complete the transition process. Again, thank you for your patience over this past month, and we look forward to working with all of you moving forward!

P.S. We will be doing an AMA on /r/swtor on Monday, September 23rd, 2013 if you have any questions.

Best,
Sam and Ian
New Owners of TORParse

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Server Transition Details

Hey everyone,

The server transition to the new site owners will begin taking place in the next few days. This means that recently uploaded combat logs may not transfer, so please save these combat logs in case you want to re-upload them after the transition is complete.

We have also ironed out details on how to best reduce the size of the combat log database. The details are as follows:
  • Remove all combat logs uploaded anonymously, unless the combat log is ranked
  • Remove all combat logs older than 30 days uploaded by a member, unless the combat log is ranked
  • Keep ranked combat logs
We are taking these steps to make transitioning the site as easy as possible and to bring down server costs to make sure we can keep offering this site free to everyone.

Thanks!
James

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

TORParse's Future

Hey everyone, I'm happy to let you know that a new home for the TORParse project has been found! So, please continue to use the website and client as you've always done and, in time, I'm sure you will see the client and website grow in new ways as the new developers bring a fresh view to the project.

Thank you to everyone that contacted me. Honestly, at first, I attempted to contact everyone back, but the response was quite overwhelming, so I became a bit selective in my responses. My apologies to you if you didn't receive a response from me, but I meant nothing personal by it and I definitely appreciated all the interest.

So, moving forward, over the next couple weeks, I will be working with the new developers to transition the website and server for the ingame client over to their server. We will attempt to minimize downtime as much as possible, but please be forewarned that there may be some minor downtime as a result of switching the DNS to the new server.

We have decided to take this opportunity to clean up and optimize the database for the site that stores all of the combat logs. We have not finalized the details of this yet, but will likely remove most of the older combat logs from the site. This will help rid the database of PTS and faked logs and also help reduce server costs to keep the service free for everyone.

And, lastly, I will hold off on introducing the new developers and let them introduce themselves when they deem most appropriate, likely sometime after the transfer has occurred. Just know that the project is going into competent hands and this transition will be good for everyone. The new developers were also kind enough to let me remain on the team; however, I will take a backseat to them and mostly function in the role of creative consultant and part-time coder.

Thanks again everyone, it's been a lot of fun.

James

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Update to TORParse status

Hey everyone, I want to provide you guys with a small update and let you know what's going on.

First and foremost, TORParse won't actually be going anywhere! There has been a lot of interest from a lot of different people in continuing the project, and I appreciate everyone that has contacted me. If you have not yet received a response from me, I apologize for the long response time and will reply when I can (it may take me a few days). So that everyone is aware, no deals with anyone have been made yet, but I'm confident that one will be made.

There is a possibility that transitioning the site will go past the original date I had specified of 27 July, but I will continue to manage the site until the transition takes place as to minimize downtime as much as possible.

Lastly, there has been a lot of interest in making the code for the site and parser open source. While it is something I seriously thought about doing, I have decided that the code for the project will not be open-sourced. This is subject to change later and whoever takes over the project may change this decision if they wish.

I'll post another update when I have some more information.

Thanks,
James

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

End of Service Announcement

Hey everybody, I've got some bad news today. I've been struggling with this decision for a few months now, but have made a decision to end the TORParse project effective 27 July 2013.

I've had a lot of fun developing this project and working with the community the last year and a half, but have ultimately made the decision to end this project due to a couple reasons. The most important reason is I do not play SWTOR anymore. While I still have an active subscription to the game, I haven't actually played the game in several months, and even more so, haven't played any high level content that this website is based around in over half a year. It is extremely difficult to stay motivated to work on a project that I no longer have any passion to develop. I'll keep my opinions on the game to myself, but wish the developers and players of the game all the best; maybe one day I will return.

Secondly, there has been a lot of change in my personal life that has limited the amount of free time I have to work on this project. This has always been a hobby for me and continues to be. Unfortunately, this is not actually my job, even though some days it feels like it is. There are so many things that need to be worked on between the website and ingame client that the project has just become too time consuming. I think I've done a good job at prioritizing thus far, but due to my lack of free time the past few months, it has become ever increasingly difficult to even work on the simple things.

So, with that, I want to thank everyone that has used the website since it launched on the 8th of April, 2012. Your support with words of encouragement, feature requests, and from some, monetary donations has been incredible. It goes without saying that the website and client would not have seen as much success as it has without a great community behind it driving its development.

Lastly, I will consider only serious offers to transition the project to another development team. I would love to see this project last beyond just my own involvement. If you're experienced and interested, please contact me at james@torparse.com. If there is no interest in transitioning the project, the website and ingame client will go down as planned on 27 July 2013.

Respectfully,
James

P.S. Some might be interested to know that over the project's lifespan (as of 9 July 2013), an approximate 623,747 people have visited the website and combined have spent 106,557 hours browsing (a little over 12 years). Since the ingame client's launch (22 April 2013), the ingame client has serviced over 20,000 unique users with an average of 1,000 being connected at any given time. The website currently hosts over 330,000 combat logs totaling nearly 600GB of combat log data!

Friday, May 24, 2013

PTS Combat Log Request

Hey all, if you are running the nightmare mode ops for S&V and TFB on the PTS, I would greatly appreciate it if you could send me your combat log. You can either email me a link to the uploaded combat log on the site or send me the combat log text file, either works. My email is james@torparse.com. I'd like to make sure these new encounters get added to the website before 2.2 is live.

Thanks!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Server Migration

*Update* 7 Apr 2013 - Okay, after a very long week of getting everything working correctly on the new server, I'm finally finished! I will be taking the website (and ingame client server for those of you in the alpha) offline sometime in the wee hours of the morning tonight.  I will then point the DNS for the website at the new server.  It shouldn't take more than a few hours for most people to be re-directed, but it may take up to a few days.  Unfortunately, DNS propagation is out of my control, but most people will experience very little interruption in service.

As a friendly reminder, all data on the website will be rolled back to 31 March 2013. Any combat logs uploaded to the website after that date will need to be re-uploaded tomorrow.  Thanks.

-----

*Update* 2 Apr 2013 - I have run into some issues during the data transfer that have greatly slowed the process.  The migration is still proceeding, but at a rather slow pace. It may be a few more days before everything is migrated. In the meantime, feel free to use the website as normal, just remember that data will still be rolled back to 31 Mar 2013. Thanks.

-----

*Update* 1 Apr 2013 0145 PST - Just wanted to give everyone an update and let you know that I have transferred everything from the old server to the new server. I'll be getting everything setup and then switching the site over to the new server. This means that any combat log data uploaded to the website from Sunday 31 Mar will need to be re-uploaded once the migration is complete.  As long as everything goes smoothly, this should be done sometime today.

-----

Hey everyone. I am currently in the process of migrating servers.  The website may become unavailable for an extended period of time. I will remove this post when the migration is complete. Thank you!

Monday, March 25, 2013

TORParse Desktop Application Update

Hey everyone, I know it's been quite some time since I've posted an update on the progress of the ingame application.  Apologies for the drought of information, but fear not, I have been quite busy.  The ingame application is coming along very well and is getting closer and closer to being ready for the public. Below, you will find some new screenshots and information.

This image shows the "My Logs" area of the ingame app. This area allows you to do a few useful things:

  • Set the parser to load your newest combat log automatically
  • Load previous combat logs into the parser so you can check out your stats from older logs
  • Upload combat logs directly to the website if you need them broken out even further than the statistics currently offered by the ingame parser


The image below shows the "Group" tab.  Group parsing is coming along great.  All the buttons listed below currently work.  Group setup is very easy.  It is modeled after SWTOR groups in the sense that you invite people to your group and that's it.  No syncing or anything else required to get started. The nice thing about group parsing is that it supports all the functionality of the solo parser, including viewing information from previous fights and even including your companion in the mix if you're just questing with a friend.


The image below shows the "Group Damage Dealt" screen. As you can see, the bargraphs have been slightly redesigned to allow for information to be better presented.

The image below shows the "Damage Dealt" screen from the solo parsing portion.  It too features the redesigned bargraphs. Text too small for you? Due to great feedback from the alpha testers, font options to all ingame overlays have been added!

So, that's all I've got to show this time. I've also done a tremendous amount of work on the backend/server itself, which doesn't have a GUI to speak of, so I can't really show you much there.  But, everything is coming along very well and the parser is quickly approaching the "beta" milestone, at which point it will become more widely available for use.

Thanks,
James

Sunday, March 3, 2013

PTS Log Requests

*Update 3/12* Thank you for all the combat logs. I really just need Scum and Villiany 16 Story Mode now, especially Styrak.  The logs below are still okay to send to help me confirm the data I have.

Hey everyone, I'm working on adding all the new boss encounters to the site.  I have all the new bosses added to the database but I need to confirm which boss belongs to which version of the instance.  If you can help, please email me (james@torparse.com) logs from the following instances below.  Please indicate the mode of the instance you ran (ie, 8-man story mode, 8-man hardmode, etc). You can email me the original combat log text file or a link to the uploaded log on the site, either works.

  • Scum and Villiany - All modes and bosses
  • Terror From Beyond NM
  • Athiss HM - Bonus Boss only
  • Hammer Station HM - Bonus Boss only

It's okay if your combat log includes stuff besides what is requested.

P.S. The desktop application is still coming along, but I do not have any further information to present about it at this time.  When I get the group parser functional, I will post a new blog update.  Thanks!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

New Staff and Desktop Application Update

Hey everyone!

First off, I would like to introduce our new website staff.  Please join me in welcoming Joshua, Peter and Sam. They've been apart of the site now for almost two weeks, and they are all doing a fantastic job.  Their main responsibilities lie in keeping the Statistics pages looking good, and there is quite a bit of work to do.  I never really thought the website would get to the point that I would be recruiting outside assistance, so they are working with me through some growing pains while I get all the proper tools setup.

I'm sure as the website grows and expands even more, their responsibilities will also grow.  I'm glad to have them as a members of the team! :) If you wish to learn more about the new additions to the team, you can find more info on the About page.

Secondly, I have some new information and screenshots for you on the ingame parser. I've spent the past couple weeks fine tuning the combat log parsing code, updating the ingame overlays and fleshing out the solo parsing system.  While there is still a little bit of work left to do, the vast majority of the solo parser is complete.

This first screenshot is the entire solo parser in action (the image is extremely large). I have a multiple monitor setup, so on the left side you will see the main application running. On the right side, the game is running and all ingame overlays are running also. (P.S. I use a Nostromo for keybindings).


This next image is a look at the options available on each ingame overlay.  Each ingame overlay will remember its own options, position on the monitor, and size of the window, so you will be able to setup the parser how you like it and then not have to worry about setting up the windows every time you run the application.


Window Scaling does what you would expect and scales the window down in size. This slider goes from 20% to 100%, with 100% being the default. (Note: I'm running 1920x1080 resolution to give you an idea of the size of the window)

One of the new options available is "Auto Dim". This feature will automatically dim the window after a certain period of inactivity, which you can set from 1 to 20 seconds.  This screenshot below shows the window mid-dim. The screenshot after shows the window in full dim... it's just barely visible. Mousing over the window or new activity will cause the window to come out of dim.


Each fight is saved in the solo parser, allowing you to go back and look at previous fight data. To accomplish this, there is a drop down box at the top of the solo fight that allows you to choose previous fights.  I haven't quite come up with the final solution to non-boss fights, as you can see below. As of this moment, any fight that appears in the "Boss" filter tab on the website will be listed by name in this dropdown. So, if I fought Kephess, instead of "Generic/Trash Fight" appearing, it would say "Kephess the Undying". The numbers in the brackets are the start and end times.


The parser gives you a few options with respect to your companion and they mirror the options available on the website. You can choose Player, Companion, or Player + Companion. The options do pretty much exactly what they describe.  It is also completely retroactive, so if you wanted to see how just your companion did for one fight, choose the fight and then choose "Companion" and only his/her stats will be displayed.



The "Detailed Stats Breakout" button does not do anything at this point, but my idea for this button is to create a new window that is not an ingame overlay designed for people with multiple-monitor setups.  You will be able to click this button and get a new window containing all the same information offered in the ingame overlays plus more.  I don't have the plans on this window finalized yet and am still kinda working through it, but I think it will turn out well.

I have plans to add a "Just the Stats" ingame overlay for those of you that don't care about bargraphs or numbers specific to the spells and just want to see the main stats like Damage, DPS, Heals, HPS, etc. This window will be modeled just the same as the other ingame overlays but will just be numbers.

And lastly, I want to work on adding more options to the ingame overlays that give you control over the information being displayed. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to present these options yet and how much control I will be able to provide, but I think the more the better. This will probably not be implemented until a later date.

So, what's next?  Well, I will spend the next couple weeks finishing up the solo parser, stabilizing the server code and begin drafting concepts and ideas for the group parser.  The more I do, the more I realize needs to be done.  It's coming along very nicely, but I still cannot offer a solid time frame of when the parser will be ready for release.

Thank you everyone that has emailed me and expressed interest in participating in the testing phase(s) of the parser. I hope to have more information available for everyone soon with respects to testing the solo portion of the parser. If you are interested and have not yet contacted me, feel free to email me at james@torparse.com.

Thanks!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Desktop Application Update

Hey all, I took a small break for the holidays but have gotten back to work on the desktop application.  It is coming along quite nicely.  I only have a couple new screenshots to show, as a lot of work was put into server code and group relay code.

I've completed all non-combat aspects of the group function and it does everything you would expect a group in an MMO to do.  You can invite people, promote leaders, assistants, and kick people.  I've completed the friend's list and split it up into two tabs for online and offline friends. I've added a status bar at the bottom of the application that will display internet usage and notification information.  I've added the ability for the application to check for updates and update itself.

And I've started working on building the solo parser portion of the application.  My next project will be to completely finish the solo portion of the application.  After this is done, I will have to do a little bit of server coding, and then I will be ready for some early testing of the solo parser.  At that time, I will contact those who have emailed me and expressed interest in testing the application.  This portion of the project will be a huge undertaking, so it may still be some time before it is ready for testing.

If you are interested in testing, feel free to contact me at james@torparse.com.

This screenshot is of the solo tab for the application:

This screenshot is of the group tab for the application:

Thanks!

Looking for a moderator or two

*Update* Recruitment is now closed. Thank you.

Hey everyone, I'm currently in search of a couple people to help me out with moderating the statistics pages. If you are interested in helping, please read the following, and then if you are still interested, keep reading :)

  • I cannot offer any compensation for your time. This is a 100% volunteer position.
  • You should be an active and devoted SWTOR player.
  • You should be able to devote at the very minimum 4 hours a week to the website.
  • You should be able to be easily reached via email or other means (and can expect the same from me).
  • Programming experience is a plus, but not required (PHP, JavaScript, AS3)

Ok, so if you feel that you meet the requirements, then please feel free to read on. 

At this moment in time, the job is very specific but there is nothing stopping it from opening up should the need or opportunity present itself.  The statistics pages are updated once a day, and often times spoofed logs or faulty encounters make it into the statistics pages and rankings that should not be there.  While I do my best to skim through the rankings, it is a lot of work for one person on top of everything else I am doing. The job would be to review the statistics pages to ensure no faulty encounters are present, and if they are, flag them for removal.  I have programmed tools that make this job a lot easier, and your account would be given access to them to help you with this task.

If you would like to apply, please email me at james@torparse.com. The application can be informal, and does not require any professional resume or template. With that said, please include the following:

  • A brief description of your SWTOR history (server, character, when you started, etc)
  • One thing you would like to see changed on TORParse.com
  • Your account name on TORParse.com (just the name, *not* the password)
  • If you have any previous experience doing things like this (it is okay if you don't)
  • Any programming experience? (it is okay if you don't)

I will do my best to reply to all applications in a timely fashion. Thank you!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Small Update to Analytical View

Hey everyone, today I have pushed an update live that I have been working on for a little bit now. I have added the ability to view your Analytical breakdown in two new ways, they are labeled on a new bar above the existing breakdowns. They are pretty self-explanatory what they do. "Player" is the default setting and will only show information related to the main character of the log (this is what existed up until this point). "Companion" allows you to see only the companion information, if there is any available. And "Player + Companion" adds your companion stats together with your own stats.  It's been a requested feature for quite some time and I'm glad to finally have it done! Enjoy :)

Also, I have fixed a pretty significant bug on the Heals Taken and Damage Taken pages that was causing the "by Source" breakdown to lump everything together and list the source as the main character of the log. These areas will now correctly break out the information into the source of the damage/heal.

And last but not least, I have added the ability to direct link all the way down to a specific tab in the Analytical View.  The "Link to Current Fight" link on the top of the pages now reflects this addition.  This does not yet work for Group logs but I hope to add it soon.

Thanks!
James

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Upcoming Log Limit Enforcement

When I say limit, I am referring to time limit, there will be no number limit on the amount of logs you can upload. This is just a friendly warning that I will soon be enforcing the log limit policy that I outlined in my Welcome Back post back in July. The size of the database is getting to the point where if I don't begin to enforce this policy, it will cause degradation to the quality of service provided.  This is the way it will work:

  • Any logs that contain boss fights will be moved to an inactive archive database. They will be inaccessible at this time and will be used only for overall stats on the statistics pages. I may allow limited access to them at a later date.
  • Any logs that are ranked will not be removed. This includes archived rankings which can go back up to 60 days.
  • If you are a member of the site, your logs will stay on the website for a maximum of 180 days since its last viewing unless it contains boss fights. This means, if you upload your combat log, look at it once, and then never look at it again for 180 days, it will be deleted on the 181st day. If you look at your combat log on day 179, it resets this counter.
  • If you are uploading a combat log to the website as an anonymous user, your logs will stay on the website for a maximum of 60 days since its last viewing unless it contains boss fights. Same rules as above apply.

This policy will ensure the website can continue to function quickly and efficiently as well as reducing costs.  The numbers above are not set in stone and may change from time to time, but I will attempt to be as transparent as I can about the process.

As an FYI, I ran a test of this system to see what the results looked like.  As a result of running this system for the very first time, the following numbers were observed:

  • Anonymous logs to be deleted: 23176
  • Member logs to be deleted: 296

By the numbers above, you can see that very few member logs will be affected by this new policy relative to the total number of logs in the database (there are a lot). There are quite a few anonymous logs that will be deleted upon activation of this new policy. A large majority of both numbers will be moved into the inactive archive database vice being permanently deleted.

I will turn this system on in approximately one week to give everyone ample time to make sure none of your important, can't-be-deleted logs fall into the deletion state. I will need to bring the site down for approximately four hours to run this system for the first time as well as conduct database maintenance after it has completed. This maintenance is currently scheduled for Monday, 14 Jan 2013 4AM PT/7AM ET/1PM CET/9PM AET.

After I have run the system for the first time, it will be setup to run automatically every few days. The site will only need to be brought down for the first run, and subsequent runs will be transparent to the user.

Thanks,
James

P.S. I should have a new desktop application update ready by this weekend. I took a little time off for the holidays, but have quite a bit of new work to show everyone!

TL;DR: New log time limit policy: 180 days since last view for members; 60 days for anonymous; boss fight logs will be moved to inactive database, not accessible, only used for overall statistics numbers; ranked logs will not be removed. Scheduled maintenance: Monday, 14 Jan 2013 4AM PT/7AM ET/1PM CET/9PM AET. Maintenance length approx 4 hours.