Balance
How many deaths hit a player who was healthy a moment ago?
A death out of nowhere feels unfair and gets blamed on the game, not on the player. This entry shows how to tell sudden deaths from the slow, understandable kind in your log, even when the health notes are sparse.
Is the hard mode really harder, or do only the best players pick it?
Comparing everyone on easy with everyone on hard mixes up the mode with the kind of player who chose it. This entry shows how to learn the mode's real effect from the people who switched between them.
How many tries does a player really need for a rare drop that gets likelier with bad luck?
When a rare find becomes likelier after many misses and is guaranteed at some point, the number printed in the game is not the wait players feel. This entry shows how to work out the real average and the unlucky tail.
Is the respawn time of trees and ore too slow for the players you have?
Players complain that everything is already mined, but you do not know which respawn time would fix it. This entry shows how to test a new time against what players really tried to gather, before you change the game.
Does the world run dry when the server fills up with players?
Resources that feel plentiful with a few players can feel scarce with many, and an average over all hours hides it. This entry shows how to compare what each player earns at different crowd sizes.
How much of the session do players actually spend fighting?
Fights that overlap or follow each other closely are easy to count twice, which makes the game look more violent than it is. This entry shows how to merge them into real fights and measure their share of the session.
Are some players earning far more by just standing in one spot?
A farm spot that pays more than playing the game will empty the rest of the world, and it shows up only as a few odd sessions. This entry shows how to compare income while standing still with income while moving.
Do players pile up materials they never use?
A few players with huge piles can make a resource look abundant for everyone, or make a missing use look like a missing resource. This entry shows how to read stockpiles over play time so one overflowing chest does not mislead you.
Which players keep dying at the very same spot and cannot get past it?
A single hard spot can stop a player cold, but overall death numbers never show it. This entry shows how to find repeated deaths in one place and tell them from a player who is just wandering through dangerous country.
Which step on the way to better gear makes players give up?
Average times between gear levels look fine because only players who got through are in them. This entry shows how to count the ones who got stuck and left, so the slow step stands out.
How long do players really spend with hunger or thirst nearly empty?
If your game only writes down the meter now and then, the dangerous stretches fall between the notes and hunger looks harmless. This entry shows how to measure the time spent in the red from sparse notes without fooling yourself.
When does repairing a worn tool stop being cheaper than making a new one?
If each repair makes the tool a bit weaker, the cheapest choice changes over its life. This entry shows how to work out the real cost per use and when a sensible player stops repairing, so you can tune repair prices.