sugarvalves [1963573] —
Original article
Find out how Torn's newest player statistic is calculated, and what the consequences are if it falls too low.
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE YOU GREAT BIG SILLIES
Last week’s Patch List was notable for the inclusion of the new Dark Mode feature and the provision of a filterable and greatly expanded activity log. However, one change that was left off the list due to a slight delay in its development was the addition of an IQ score to all players’ personal stats. This is a change that we at Torn City Times have nicknamed Dork Mode.
IQ scores were added to Torn’s long list of player metrics with little fanfare late on Wednesday night, and only a handful of players have picked up on this feature since. Those who did notice this new attribute have been wondering precisely what IQ scores do, as well as how they are generated. Let’s find out.
UPDATE: You may notice some anomalous results when checking your or other people’s IQ stats. These errors appear to be the result of an exploit that we're working to fix before the effects of IQ kick in fully next Tuesday.
IQ GENERATION
It is no coincidence that IQ scores were pushed shortly after the release of the expanded Activity Log. In the same way that revive skill was calculated based on how many revives you had performed, each player’s IQ has been generated using historical data taken from their activity over the past decade. Chedburn is confident that the calculation for each player is both accurate and indecipherable, given the complex nature of the algorithm behind the IQ system.
“The algorithm we use is called a Diverse Intelligence Variable. It works by comparing a user’s activity in one area to those of the group and other areas of gameplay relevant to the original statistic. On a basic level, each DIV is a snapshot of how well you’re doing in one area.”
Torn’s DIV system is based on the work of Catalonian computer scientist Follador Gruixut of Girona’s BELM institute. The DIV algorithm's exact nature has been deliberately kept secret, but Chedburn gave us one simple example that explains how it works.
"If a player has used, say, 4,000 energy in one month, the outcomes of that energy usage will be compared with their peers, with attacking actions, gym trains, dump finds, and more all analysed by the DIV. There are thousands of DIVs operating in Torn, and when all of these are combined, we use them to form the Absolute DIV, a model that takes into account each individual DIV to tell us how intelligently any one player is playing the game.”
The result of these calculations is a numerical value which is then rounded to give you an IQ score. But does any of this really matter? Is player IQ a vanity stat, like ELO, serving little purpose other than to show off your big bumpy brain to others? Or does it have a more meaningful impact upon your Torn experience?
WHAT IQ DOES
Gradually, over time, IQ will become one of the defining aspects of Torn City life. To begin with, player IQ will affect the effective length of books, your ability to gain work stats, the percentage likelihood of failing a crime, and the time it takes to complete any education courses you have not yet finished. And that's not all. What will worry most about this development is that IQ is unique in that it allows for both progression and regression.
“IQ will rise and fall during your time in Torn based on how well you’re doing overall. If your IQ falls, you’ll start to see negative consequences slowly creeping in. You might have to retake an education course. One of your weapons might suddenly become less accurate. You’ll also be given more tokens at the casino, as logically speaking, gambling is one of the stupidest things you can do.”
The full and complete construction of “Dork Mode” will take place gradually behind the scenes over an indeterminable period of time (shorter than soon, longer than very soon). Eventually, it is hoped that a language algorithm can be added to include the analysis of private messages and chats too, with the existing algorithm solely focusing on forum DIVs alone - hence why certain notable individuals have been hit with a lower than average score.
Furthermore, the committee is currently working up additional negative consequences for those with particularly low IQs. Initial suggestions include friend list caps, failure outcomes when eating candy, a negative impact upon faction respect, limitations on forum posts and upvotes, and an increase in the size of trade warnings to a 48pt font. Some of these were suggested jokingly, of course, but there is a keen desire among the developers to add some unpredictability to this new feature, so don’t rule anything out!
Tl;dr: New IQ stat added to Torn. Keep it high to avoid negative consequences.
NOTE: Those with low IQs may have had certain parts of this article redacted to protect your smooth, innocent brain from overheating.
Last week’s Patch List was notable for the inclusion of the new Dark Mode feature and the provision of a filterable and greatly expanded activity log. However, one change that was left off the list due to a slight delay in its development was the addition of an IQ score to all players’ personal stats. This is a change that we at Torn City Times have nicknamed Dork Mode.
IQ scores were added to Torn’s long list of player metrics with little fanfare late on Wednesday night, and only a handful of players have picked up on this feature since. Those who did notice this new attribute have been wondering precisely what IQ scores do, as well as how they are generated. Let’s find out.
UPDATE: You may notice some anomalous results when checking your or other people’s IQ stats. These errors appear to be the result of an exploit that we're working to fix before the effects of IQ kick in fully next Tuesday.
IQ GENERATION
It is no coincidence that IQ scores were pushed shortly after the release of the expanded Activity Log. In the same way that revive skill was calculated based on how many revives you had performed, each player’s IQ has been generated using historical data taken from their activity over the past decade. Chedburn is confident that the calculation for each player is both accurate and indecipherable, given the complex nature of the algorithm behind the IQ system.
“The algorithm we use is called a Diverse Intelligence Variable. It works by comparing a user’s activity in one area to those of the group and other areas of gameplay relevant to the original statistic. On a basic level, each DIV is a snapshot of how well you’re doing in one area.”
Torn’s DIV system is based on the work of Catalonian computer scientist Follador Gruixut of Girona’s BELM institute. The DIV algorithm's exact nature has been deliberately kept secret, but Chedburn gave us one simple example that explains how it works.
"If a player has used, say, 4,000 energy in one month, the outcomes of that energy usage will be compared with their peers, with attacking actions, gym trains, dump finds, and more all analysed by the DIV. There are thousands of DIVs operating in Torn, and when all of these are combined, we use them to form the Absolute DIV, a model that takes into account each individual DIV to tell us how intelligently any one player is playing the game.”
The result of these calculations is a numerical value which is then rounded to give you an IQ score. But does any of this really matter? Is player IQ a vanity stat, like ELO, serving little purpose other than to show off your big bumpy brain to others? Or does it have a more meaningful impact upon your Torn experience?
WHAT IQ DOES
Gradually, over time, IQ will become one of the defining aspects of Torn City life. To begin with, player IQ will affect the effective length of books, your ability to gain work stats, the percentage likelihood of failing a crime, and the time it takes to complete any education courses you have not yet finished. And that's not all. What will worry most about this development is that IQ is unique in that it allows for both progression and regression.
“IQ will rise and fall during your time in Torn based on how well you’re doing overall. If your IQ falls, you’ll start to see negative consequences slowly creeping in. You might have to retake an education course. One of your weapons might suddenly become less accurate. You’ll also be given more tokens at the casino, as logically speaking, gambling is one of the stupidest things you can do.”
The full and complete construction of “Dork Mode” will take place gradually behind the scenes over an indeterminable period of time (shorter than soon, longer than very soon). Eventually, it is hoped that a language algorithm can be added to include the analysis of private messages and chats too, with the existing algorithm solely focusing on forum DIVs alone - hence why certain notable individuals have been hit with a lower than average score.
Furthermore, the committee is currently working up additional negative consequences for those with particularly low IQs. Initial suggestions include friend list caps, failure outcomes when eating candy, a negative impact upon faction respect, limitations on forum posts and upvotes, and an increase in the size of trade warnings to a 48pt font. Some of these were suggested jokingly, of course, but there is a keen desire among the developers to add some unpredictability to this new feature, so don’t rule anything out!
Tl;dr: New IQ stat added to Torn. Keep it high to avoid negative consequences.
NOTE: Those with low IQs may have had certain parts of this article redacted to protect your smooth, innocent brain from overheating.
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