Plugin Testers Wanted

I made a couple of Bukkit plugins and now need a couple of testers before releasing them (if possible this weekend). I've been running them myself for a couple of weeks now and don't expect many bugs. I also want to find out if people understand documentation and are able to figure out how stuff works.

I need the plugins for a research project involving statistical analysis of player behavior. More information about the project, plugin download links and source code can be found at https://drz-yen-sid.drz.ethz.ch/heapcraft/?p=plugins

The first plugin (Epilog) records player events and sends them to our server for analysis. A web interface can then be used to access analytics like heat maps. (The web interface is only a prototype currently.)

The second one (DiviningRod) introduces divining rods which help users find other players or specific locations. Named targets can be created by placing signs including hashtags. We want to use this plugin to understand and improve player collaboration.

Even if you are unable to install the plugins on a server, any kind of feedback and input is appreciated!

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The same post was submitted to the Plugin Development forum which was locked since it was not the appropriate place to ask for testers. Epilog also does optional auto updates from servers Bukkit has no control over which is against the guidelines (I will change that before submitting the final version).

The amount of data that is logged might seem extensive, but allows us greater flexibility for analysis and machine learning. It's impossible to know what data is important before evaluating it statistically. We respect user privacy and are anonymizing all data before publishing anything (e.g. scientific papers). We don't intend to steal data; the plugins are targeted at people who want to provide data to help our project.

I am about to add additional information about what exactly is being logged and why; until then feel free to get that information by looking at the source code.

{{Posts merged by Myrathi}}

 

1. why would anyone want a plugin that sends information to someone else...
2. i would be happy to test the second one, not to happy about how you explained the first one, i know its not that much information but i dont like that you are logging other poelpes servers
3. i will test the plugins for you as long as you prove that the plugins are going to do what you said they will do and nothing more, nothing less, so that means no undercover logging or anything like that

 

We created a new site which we will start advertising soon. It also contains new plugin versions: http://heapcraft.net/

The site also explains what data we collect and why in more detail. You can put Epilog in offline mode before the installation if you don't want to send us any data (see the user manual on the website). Alternatively, you can PM me your private server id after testing and I will delete all your data. DiviningRod is usable without Epilog and will not send any data.

I would be really glad if you would test the auto update of Epilog. If you want, I can send you a prepared config file which will send data to a test server which I can erase completely afterwards.

To address your points:

1. We record the data so we can do research. It's my master's thesis. People will let us record their server either because they want to help us, or because they like the features we provide (e.g. the analytics).

2. Honesty and transparency is extremely important to us. If we loose trust, we won't be able to continue our research. I hope this is enough to convince you.

3. If you don't trust us, you can check out the provided source code or disable logging. Please read the new website and tell me if you still feel the same way.