As I said in my post, it's not just the merits.
Sorry for not responding sooner.
The merit log is parsed every minute. Activity is updated once per hour (can I decrease this?) Trust on parse and recognition on change.
The ranks are recalculated every min as well, but only if needed. So with merit not updating, the ranks would only update when something else changed.
There are only five badges right now, but I want to add a sixth for DT status.
No, I do not use any sub ranking because I don't know what best to rank on. MSSQL cannot guarantee the order of non ranked columns, so your ranking may change as the ranking tables are updated.
Thanks for the explanation of the updating - I'm still trying to figure out how to utilize this tool for the Known Alts thread (I see others are referencing the site)
I was in a group of writers a while ago that had a ranking system for the various figures, how many contributions, how many pages posted etc. One person came up with a formula (will have to dig it out to reference it) but it was something like
square (number of ranks) root of ( 1/rank1 X 1/rank2 X 1/rank3 etc ) It's been over a decade since I last had a look at that formula so I'll have to hunt it out and pass it on to you for consideration.
It did seem to work with varied ranks.
*edit* May have been
square (number of ranks) root of ( 1/( 1/rank1 X 1/rank2 X 1/rank3 etc ))*second edit*
Did some calculations during my break at work today, am trying to recall a formula I saw more than 20 years ago and haven't referenced in over a decade/dozen years...
square (number of ranks) root of ( rank1 X rank2 X rank3 etc )
This gets you an accurate number - but I hasten to point out that it isn't the same number as when you add the values together and then do an average, you get a different result.
(not sure where the inverse came into it - again I'll have to hunt out paperwork from 20 years ago, can't do a search all, just the old fashioned read each page until I find what I'm looking for method)The same goes for in statistics where you divide (or square root) by a number less one where one number is wildly out compared with the rest.
eg,
I have four values above 1,000 as does
Vod LoyceV has all five values above 1,000 and yet another
xtraelv has just three values above 1,000 so taking one out still leaves one value above 1,000 which drags his score down considerably. For a sample group of a quarter of a million UID's, you would have to use all five values bearing in mind some people would apear to drop down but that is only because their score is deficient in some areas.
To save confusion perhaps a generic shield with
>1K
>5k or
>10K
be added - so that anyone down the totem poll doesn't start asking the repetitive question of why someone with three shields is lower (or higher) down/up the ranks than someone with four or five shields.
(And I just recalled the "Donation" Shield was the extra Shield I was counting in my earlier question)