Josephine [1923258] —
Original article
Torn's resident statistiatrix Josephine is back at it again with a set of seriously unsolicited and loosely compiled statistical observations.
There is no single way to play Torn — even the game's advertisements claim that you can choose the path of the fighter, the criminal, or the executive. But regardless of which playstyle you adopt, certain parts of the game and experiences are universal to everyone.
For example, most people travel — when Natural Selection allows it — regardless of whether they're focused on war or making money. You can travel for rehab, for profit, or to escape a persistent foe. Even those who don't care for flowers and plushies will likely find themselves on the way to Hawaii or South Africa sooner or later due to the multitude of merits to be gained from traveling.
Pictured: I'm here for the sun, the surf, and the Shark Bait merit.
Merits are one of those universal experiences I mentioned earlier. The specific and often arduous nature of the tasks required to gain most merits can motivate players into doing things they normally wouldn't. Just as people with no interest in traveling may do so for no other reason than to gain the related awards, those who are averse to gambling may also venture to the casino for the same purpose.
Most awards can be achieved by anyone who is dedicated enough, regardless of their prior behavior. But what about those players whose playstyle directly conflicts with certain merits? Pacifists, for example, are unlikely to get attacking or respect merits if they've sworn off violence forever. Those who don't wish to use drugs will miss out on plenty of easy merits too. And players who wish to cosplay as a complete and utter a**hole in the forums will likely never come close to the top-level faction merits, by virtue of the fact that the best factions simply won't touch them.
In recent weeks, we've also heard how being too strong can make certain merits hard to obtain, as was the case with Bodybagger and the Gone Fishing award. But there is another group of players whose playstyle is perhaps even more restrictive than any other: Level Holders.
For the uninitiated, a level holder is someone who possesses the XP necessary to reach a higher level but has thus far chosen to avoid pressing the big fat Level Up button. There are many reasons why a player might do this, including the fact that it makes people underestimate you, you are cheaper to bail out of jail, and you might not appear towards the top of people's attack lists during competitions like Elimination and Dog Tags.
Regardless of motive, Level Holding is known to hinder you in a variety of ways. Yet while many holders refrain from activities that are hindered by their choice, many are irreverent towards the disadvantages and somehow continue to obtain a great number of awards. But exactly how hindered are level holders in their pursuit of awards? Let's consult the statistics, shall we?
Pictured: You, right now.
In this study, I looked at the top 100 in experience of every level between 15 and 25. If I'd included those at level 14 and below the results would be skewed, as such players are incapable of getting travel merits, among other things. That is not to say there are no holders below 15 with a considerable amount of awards, because there are, but we'll save that information for another time.
This data was initially compiled on December 29th, 2019, and was then compared with further statistics gathered on February 28th, 2020, so that we may witness any notable changes. This article was delayed due to Covid, so certain statistics may now be out of date. However, if my conclusions are sound, they should still apply regardless of the freshness of the data.
MERIT MILESTONES
We will begin our analysis by looking at the number of holders above certain award milestones. Once upon a time, the Seeker merit for having 250 awards was considered quite the achievement, back when the number of awards available was fewer, and many were rarer. It is for this reason that I have looked only at holders with over 250 awards, with the results analysed in brackets of 24; 250 to 274, 275 to 299, and so on and so forth.
At the time of our first analysis, looking into the 1,100 names of those with enough experience to be on the top 100 of their levels, we found 148 people above 250 awards. As of February 28th 2020, that number had increased to 161, meaning 13 more holders passed that milestone in those months.
As you can see from the graph, all brackets except the lowest 275-299 group saw either no change or a positive change between the two dates, while the one bracket that did have a negative change suffered a minimal one. The highest brackets, those above 375 awards, remained entirely static. These results reflect how the speed at which merits are gained decreases based on how many you've already unlocked.
The point at which merit hunting slows is likely reached much sooner by those who chose not to get the higher level merits. However, we can see that even the lack of those high-level merits has not stopped a considerable amount of holders from getting plenty of awards. Originally, the percentage of holders above 250 awards could be estimated as 13.45% of our sample, while our second analysis increased that number to 15.25%.
Before we move on to a deeper analysis of the data at hand, it is worth noting that 44 of the holders examined on December 29, 2019, leveled up past 25 before February 28, 2020, and have thus been removed from our consideration, leaving the number for further calculations at 1,056 holders. That means that while the change in that percentage is there, it may not be significant, as the size of our statistical sample decreased while the number of holders above that milestone increased.
After the modifications that lead to us having to drop those 44 holders from our analysis, the distribution of our sample users can be seen in the chart below - only levels 19 and 25 retained all 100 of their original sets.
Pictured: Who put everything in this on dark mode and why?
These results got me thinking that the speed at which merits are obtained may be another area of interest. We analyzed this aspect in two ways. The first method was to compare awards gained between the first and the second sampling. The largest increase in awards noted was 32, while the lowest was 0. That leaves us with the highest increase being approximately 0.52 awards per day. If we take only the 548 who gained awards into consideration, the average becomes 0.07 awards per day, or 0.13. Viewing the information like this limits what conclusions we can draw as the timeframe was little over two months.
We then concluded that the fairest way to analyze the information would be to compare the age to award ratio. This, of course, does not account for periods of inactivity, but as there are plenty of awards to be gained from age and time alone, this would likely be a non-issue in the bigger picture. Using this method, we calculated the average number of days which passed between awards being gained, with the result being 42.91 days per award.
However, the lowest result in our sample belonged to an inactive player over 5400 days old who only had 7 awards, and who inexplicably managed to remain within the top 100 of level 18. His awards frequency is one award every 776 days, with the next lowest being every 334 days, making him an outlier within this analysis. As this reporter has no formal statistics training whatsoever on which to draw more elaborate conclusions, we will focus on the finer details for now.
Let's look at those who seem to be getting one award for every 10 days or less, a group that accounts for 374 players out of 1,056 holders. At the time of analysis, there are no holders averaging below 2 days between awards. As with our analysis of the earlier brackets, this is probably best appreciated in a visual format.
Unsurprisingly, the number of holders averaging 2 days is low. However, the frequency at which holders obtain awards actually peaks at 3 days per award and begins to decrease after that point, with a small increase seen at 10 days per award. These results suggest that most of these players are in the process of actively seeking awards.
But what about our entire sample set, not just those at 10 or fewer days? Levels 15, 20, and 25 have the lowest day difference between awards, presumably because there are so many holders in those levels that the top 100 (those in our sample) are bound to be some of the most efficient ones. Conversely, for reasons beyond our understanding, those holding on Level 19 take over 30 more days between awards than any other level in our sample.
Before we finish with the numbers, it would perhaps be wise to mention the average total awards of our sample size. In addition to their 114-average-days-between-awards adventures, the top denizens of the level 19 bracket also appear to have an inexplicable habit of averaging fewer than 100 awards, sitting at 85, with level 24 being the next-lowest at 104.
Level 15s once again take the lead with 246 awards on average, followed by Level 20s with 232, and Level 25s with 227. That being said, keep in mind that the lowest of the top 100 of each level drag this number down, and there are exceptional players above 300 or even 400 on all levels.
You likely still have questions after all of this analysis, and for that, we won't blame you. To attempt to answer some of them, we felt it wise to not only cover the numbers but also the views of those involved. To this end, we contacted two exceptional people we met during our investigation and asked them whether they intentionally sought out their haul of awards.
First, we spoke Pingu4ever, the first low-level holder to reach 400 awards.
"I merit hunt only awards that don't dmg my training (like revive, hunting, etc). Awards are not my main focus in the game, but still important."
Our second curio, inx, is a young player who was notable for being the closest 3-digit-age player to 300 awards, having had 299 at the time of our investigation.
"At one time yes. Torn was an obsession, I'd wake up on the dot to take xanax, or chase a pray merit. [...] I'd be able to chase down a few more merits but too many things pulling for my focus. [...]"
Our topic of conversation then shifted to their opinion on how their level holding might affect the seeking of merits. Pingu4ever does not consider it an issue.
"Award hunting for lvl holders is same as for everybody except the level awards."
On the flipside, inx's thoughts on the matter were rather bleaker.
"Level would have a huge effect in certain areas of merit chasing, defends for one. But sucks in others busting and respect farming (low hp)."
These, of course, are the opinions of just two players, but they are helpful as both have valid points and it is easy to see them as different ends of the same spectrum. Older players with higher stats wouldn't find activities like attacking to be that much of an issue, and busting merits could be obtained as time went by, while younger players might find merit-hunting itself to be thrilling. For some, like Pingu4ever, level might eventually become a non-issue, while to inx it might seem a double-edged sword that helps speed up defends merits but slows down busts.
In short, we can say surmise that there are certainly massive obstacles to be faced should one choose to hunt awards at a low level, whether it is self-imposed or not. Nevertheless, the examples we've found show that it is far from an impossible quest, and for level holders, this extra hurdle likely makes their achievements all the more satisfying.
NOTE: The completion of this article was delayed during quarantine so apologies are due on my part there. I must give my thanks to Yasen for the assistance in the compilation of data, to Grif and sugarvalves for the helpful editing, and to Pingu4ever and inx for their responses.
For example, most people travel — when Natural Selection allows it — regardless of whether they're focused on war or making money. You can travel for rehab, for profit, or to escape a persistent foe. Even those who don't care for flowers and plushies will likely find themselves on the way to Hawaii or South Africa sooner or later due to the multitude of merits to be gained from traveling.
Pictured: I'm here for the sun, the surf, and the Shark Bait merit.
Merits are one of those universal experiences I mentioned earlier. The specific and often arduous nature of the tasks required to gain most merits can motivate players into doing things they normally wouldn't. Just as people with no interest in traveling may do so for no other reason than to gain the related awards, those who are averse to gambling may also venture to the casino for the same purpose.
Most awards can be achieved by anyone who is dedicated enough, regardless of their prior behavior. But what about those players whose playstyle directly conflicts with certain merits? Pacifists, for example, are unlikely to get attacking or respect merits if they've sworn off violence forever. Those who don't wish to use drugs will miss out on plenty of easy merits too. And players who wish to cosplay as a complete and utter a**hole in the forums will likely never come close to the top-level faction merits, by virtue of the fact that the best factions simply won't touch them.
In recent weeks, we've also heard how being too strong can make certain merits hard to obtain, as was the case with Bodybagger and the Gone Fishing award. But there is another group of players whose playstyle is perhaps even more restrictive than any other: Level Holders.
For the uninitiated, a level holder is someone who possesses the XP necessary to reach a higher level but has thus far chosen to avoid pressing the big fat Level Up button. There are many reasons why a player might do this, including the fact that it makes people underestimate you, you are cheaper to bail out of jail, and you might not appear towards the top of people's attack lists during competitions like Elimination and Dog Tags.
Regardless of motive, Level Holding is known to hinder you in a variety of ways. Yet while many holders refrain from activities that are hindered by their choice, many are irreverent towards the disadvantages and somehow continue to obtain a great number of awards. But exactly how hindered are level holders in their pursuit of awards? Let's consult the statistics, shall we?
Pictured: You, right now.
In this study, I looked at the top 100 in experience of every level between 15 and 25. If I'd included those at level 14 and below the results would be skewed, as such players are incapable of getting travel merits, among other things. That is not to say there are no holders below 15 with a considerable amount of awards, because there are, but we'll save that information for another time.
This data was initially compiled on December 29th, 2019, and was then compared with further statistics gathered on February 28th, 2020, so that we may witness any notable changes. This article was delayed due to Covid, so certain statistics may now be out of date. However, if my conclusions are sound, they should still apply regardless of the freshness of the data.
MERIT MILESTONES
We will begin our analysis by looking at the number of holders above certain award milestones. Once upon a time, the Seeker merit for having 250 awards was considered quite the achievement, back when the number of awards available was fewer, and many were rarer. It is for this reason that I have looked only at holders with over 250 awards, with the results analysed in brackets of 24; 250 to 274, 275 to 299, and so on and so forth.
At the time of our first analysis, looking into the 1,100 names of those with enough experience to be on the top 100 of their levels, we found 148 people above 250 awards. As of February 28th 2020, that number had increased to 161, meaning 13 more holders passed that milestone in those months.
As you can see from the graph, all brackets except the lowest 275-299 group saw either no change or a positive change between the two dates, while the one bracket that did have a negative change suffered a minimal one. The highest brackets, those above 375 awards, remained entirely static. These results reflect how the speed at which merits are gained decreases based on how many you've already unlocked.
The point at which merit hunting slows is likely reached much sooner by those who chose not to get the higher level merits. However, we can see that even the lack of those high-level merits has not stopped a considerable amount of holders from getting plenty of awards. Originally, the percentage of holders above 250 awards could be estimated as 13.45% of our sample, while our second analysis increased that number to 15.25%.
Before we move on to a deeper analysis of the data at hand, it is worth noting that 44 of the holders examined on December 29, 2019, leveled up past 25 before February 28, 2020, and have thus been removed from our consideration, leaving the number for further calculations at 1,056 holders. That means that while the change in that percentage is there, it may not be significant, as the size of our statistical sample decreased while the number of holders above that milestone increased.
After the modifications that lead to us having to drop those 44 holders from our analysis, the distribution of our sample users can be seen in the chart below - only levels 19 and 25 retained all 100 of their original sets.
Pictured: Who put everything in this on dark mode and why?
These results got me thinking that the speed at which merits are obtained may be another area of interest. We analyzed this aspect in two ways. The first method was to compare awards gained between the first and the second sampling. The largest increase in awards noted was 32, while the lowest was 0. That leaves us with the highest increase being approximately 0.52 awards per day. If we take only the 548 who gained awards into consideration, the average becomes 0.07 awards per day, or 0.13. Viewing the information like this limits what conclusions we can draw as the timeframe was little over two months.
We then concluded that the fairest way to analyze the information would be to compare the age to award ratio. This, of course, does not account for periods of inactivity, but as there are plenty of awards to be gained from age and time alone, this would likely be a non-issue in the bigger picture. Using this method, we calculated the average number of days which passed between awards being gained, with the result being 42.91 days per award.
However, the lowest result in our sample belonged to an inactive player over 5400 days old who only had 7 awards, and who inexplicably managed to remain within the top 100 of level 18. His awards frequency is one award every 776 days, with the next lowest being every 334 days, making him an outlier within this analysis. As this reporter has no formal statistics training whatsoever on which to draw more elaborate conclusions, we will focus on the finer details for now.
Let's look at those who seem to be getting one award for every 10 days or less, a group that accounts for 374 players out of 1,056 holders. At the time of analysis, there are no holders averaging below 2 days between awards. As with our analysis of the earlier brackets, this is probably best appreciated in a visual format.
Unsurprisingly, the number of holders averaging 2 days is low. However, the frequency at which holders obtain awards actually peaks at 3 days per award and begins to decrease after that point, with a small increase seen at 10 days per award. These results suggest that most of these players are in the process of actively seeking awards.
But what about our entire sample set, not just those at 10 or fewer days? Levels 15, 20, and 25 have the lowest day difference between awards, presumably because there are so many holders in those levels that the top 100 (those in our sample) are bound to be some of the most efficient ones. Conversely, for reasons beyond our understanding, those holding on Level 19 take over 30 more days between awards than any other level in our sample.
Before we finish with the numbers, it would perhaps be wise to mention the average total awards of our sample size. In addition to their 114-average-days-between-awards adventures, the top denizens of the level 19 bracket also appear to have an inexplicable habit of averaging fewer than 100 awards, sitting at 85, with level 24 being the next-lowest at 104.
Level 15s once again take the lead with 246 awards on average, followed by Level 20s with 232, and Level 25s with 227. That being said, keep in mind that the lowest of the top 100 of each level drag this number down, and there are exceptional players above 300 or even 400 on all levels.
You likely still have questions after all of this analysis, and for that, we won't blame you. To attempt to answer some of them, we felt it wise to not only cover the numbers but also the views of those involved. To this end, we contacted two exceptional people we met during our investigation and asked them whether they intentionally sought out their haul of awards.
First, we spoke Pingu4ever, the first low-level holder to reach 400 awards.
"I merit hunt only awards that don't dmg my training (like revive, hunting, etc). Awards are not my main focus in the game, but still important."
Our second curio, inx, is a young player who was notable for being the closest 3-digit-age player to 300 awards, having had 299 at the time of our investigation.
"At one time yes. Torn was an obsession, I'd wake up on the dot to take xanax, or chase a pray merit. [...] I'd be able to chase down a few more merits but too many things pulling for my focus. [...]"
Our topic of conversation then shifted to their opinion on how their level holding might affect the seeking of merits. Pingu4ever does not consider it an issue.
"Award hunting for lvl holders is same as for everybody except the level awards."
On the flipside, inx's thoughts on the matter were rather bleaker.
"Level would have a huge effect in certain areas of merit chasing, defends for one. But sucks in others busting and respect farming (low hp)."
These, of course, are the opinions of just two players, but they are helpful as both have valid points and it is easy to see them as different ends of the same spectrum. Older players with higher stats wouldn't find activities like attacking to be that much of an issue, and busting merits could be obtained as time went by, while younger players might find merit-hunting itself to be thrilling. For some, like Pingu4ever, level might eventually become a non-issue, while to inx it might seem a double-edged sword that helps speed up defends merits but slows down busts.
In short, we can say surmise that there are certainly massive obstacles to be faced should one choose to hunt awards at a low level, whether it is self-imposed or not. Nevertheless, the examples we've found show that it is far from an impossible quest, and for level holders, this extra hurdle likely makes their achievements all the more satisfying.
NOTE: The completion of this article was delayed during quarantine so apologies are due on my part there. I must give my thanks to Yasen for the assistance in the compilation of data, to Grif and sugarvalves for the helpful editing, and to Pingu4ever and inx for their responses.
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