Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Lumos game analytics

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by matthewminer, May 27, 2011.

  1. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    That's a UNIX timestamp, which is how we store dates/times internally. So, for example, 1348469733 represents September 24. We should probably be outputting our dates in a more readable format though. I'll file a bug report and we'll get that fixed shortly.
     
  2. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    Thanks!

    Is there a simple excel conversion formula?
     
  3. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    The formula I've seen suggested is =CELL / (60 * 60 * 24) + "1/1/1970", and format the cell as a date/time. The UNIX timestamp starts on the first day of 1970, which is why the addition makes sense. Hopefully that works for you.
     
  4. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
  5. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Just a FYI that we deployed an update that uses more readable timestamps in exported CSVs. Excel should interpret them as dates just fine now.
     
  6. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2013
  7. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    We plan to allow all data to be downloaded, the feature just simply hasn't been implemented yet. I hope that we'll have an "export everything" function ready soon.
     
  8. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    I'm about to release a major update to a product that was using Lumos, but I'm a little concerned about using it this time round.
    Why?

    You've moved to a paid service ( with a generous free plan still, ty!) but there are some major gaps in functionality.
    The previously mentioned sorting, and data export are what I would consider basic functionality..especially if you were paying for it.

    I also just upgraded to the new Lumos Powered api and the first thing I see on going to the readme is:

    Lumos
    =====
    TODO: Write introduction.
    Current version: 1.0
    Getting Started
    ---------------
    TODO: Write getting started instructions.
    Contact Us
    ----------
    If you run into a problem or have a suggestion, let us know by emailing
    support@lumospowered.com or by visiting our support page at
    http://support.lumospowered.com.


    1. The current version on https://www.lumospowered.com/downloads is 1.4
    2. "TODO: Write getting started instructions."
    3. http://support.lumospowered.com returns server not found

    Also, the Asset store version is the old site's version, so what use is the update check in preferences?

    Finally, in the actual documentation:
    https://www.lumospowered.com/docs/advanced

    void OnLumosReady () { LumosAnalytics.RecordEvent("Lumos-Initialized"); }

    I get ": error CS0103: The name `LumosAnalytics' does not exist in the current context"

    EDIT: Ok, now I see I have to install separate packages for analytics/diagnostics?
    This is getting crazy, but I'll try the update method on analytics...

    Error while importing package: Package has unknown format
    UnityEditor.AssetDatabase:ImportPackage(String, Boolean)
    LumosPackages:ImportPackage(String) (at Assets/Editor/Lumos/LumosPackages.cs:269)
    LumosPackages:MonitorImports() (at Assets/Editor/Lumos/LumosPackages.cs:102)
    UnityEditor.EditorApplication:Internal_CallUpdateFunctions()

    ;-(I like Lumos because it's simple, but I'm not getting a good feeling about this at the moment.
    I know you need to charge, but if you do that things have to be right.

    This really feels like a beta at the moment.

    just my 2 cents!

    Edit2:
    I finally worked through and updated everything, and ran a successful test.
    It would be useful to add a debug switch to the Lumos game object rather than have to set/unset in code for testing purposes.

    I like the new Lumos...just needs some rough corners polished imo.

    ty!
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2013
  9. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Thanks for your input. I agree that Lumos has some rough edges yet to be smoothed out, but we're working non-stop to fix bugs and add missing features. We have an update to our Lumos client in the pipeline that addresses many of the frustrations you ran into (should be released this coming week). To address some of your concerns:

    This slipped under the radar. We'll get the README fixed in the next version. I apologize for the dead support link.

    We've had our newest package submitted for review to the Asset Store for some time now, but it hasn't been put up yet. We're unsure why there's a holdup; it's been a painful experience for us. We built the update check specifically for this reason — relying on the Asset Store to distribute updates has been problematic. We hope that the latest version will be available there soon, but unfortunately it's a step in the process that we don't control.

    This is going to be remedied in the next release of the Unity package (again, due this coming week). The original idea was to use a package manager to only include the libraries that developers need, but this has caused more hassle than we anticipated. Moving forward, the Unity package will include code for analytics, diagnostics, and social, even if one of those components isn't being used.

    In the Lumos inspector there's a checkbox that reads "Record While In Editor". Unchecking that prevents data from being sent while in development. Is this what you're thinking of, or something else?

    Again, we appreciate your feedback, keep it coming.
     
  10. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    No. That's very useful but I'm referring to https://www.lumospowered.com/docs/advanced
    You can also view sent and received data in logs by enabling Lumos.debug. This can help determine what data is coming back from Lumos, including errors. Logs prefixed with "[Lumos]" should be the only logs coming from our services.

    void Awake () { Lumos.debug = true; }
    Being able to turn this on and off via inspector in Lumos GO would be handy.
    I'm using it for testing verification (combined with above editor data), but I don't think I'd want it on for production unless it was to hunt a particular issue.

    ty!
     
  11. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Ah, I see what you're saying. We can certainly expose the debug switch in the inspector. We were hesitant to make it public, but if developers are using it then an inspector variable would be useful. We'll add this in the next version.
     
  12. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
  13. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    Still no export functionality?
    To be able to use stats for anything but fun you really need to be able to export them, a simple CSV file would go a long way : )
    Also, how do i clear the stats from the webpage?
     
  14. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    A lack of Asset Store presence shouldn't change our business at all, it just makes it less convenient for users to receive updates and initially download the Lumos package. It's a bummer, but nothing show-stopping. We'll likely add an update notification to the package and explore alternative ways to make distribution as easy as possible.

    The ability to export logs to CSV is implemented, but presumably you're looking to see other data exportable. Just so we get our priorities right, what data is most critical to you? We'll likely add a specific "export events" function before one that dumps everything to CSV.

    Unfortunately we don't yet have a way to clear all data. Some developers create different games for testing and production, switching the API key before release, though we realize this is a pain. In the meantime, if you need some stats cleared, just email us and we can do it manually for you.
     
  15. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    I was thinking about the playing statistics since i think that can be of importance to many. Good to hear the logs are exportable though, have not added those yet to my game but planning on doing that : )
    Clearing data is no big deal, i can just remove my game and make a new one i guess? Was just unsure if i missed a button somewhere : )

    I like your service since its very easy to set up and use and also the webpage is very clean and clear.
     
  16. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Good to know. We'll work on getting the additional export options ready as soon as possible.

    Making a new game for a fresh start works pretty well, and there's no real downside to doing so. In the long run we want to have a "Clear Data" function, but it might not be ready for some time yet (for some games, clearing all data would take significant effort).
     
  17. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    Great to hear : )
    Btw, i get this error:
    NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
    LumosAnalytics.Ready () (at Assets/External/Lumos Powerups/Analytics/LumosAnalytics.cs:48)
    Lumos+<Start>c__Iterator0.MoveNext () (at Assets/External/Lumos/Scripts/Lumos.cs:127)

    only followed the instructions on the webpage "Check that the LumosAnalytics.cs script is on the Lumos Prefab in your scene. "
    Draged the Lumus prefab on to the scene, added the LumosAnalytics.cs and the LumosDiagnistics.cs to it.
     
  18. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Hmm, I can't seem to reproduce the problem. What version of Unity are you using? Do you have the latest version of the Lumos package? (the Read Me file should say the current version is 1.5)

    We plan to push out a new version of the client today, so we'd love to snag this bug.

    edit: Scratch that, we found the problem. There's a race condition happening that we missed. We'll have a new package released pronto.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2013
  19. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    Happy to help : )
    Btw, one more small wish : p
    To be able to sort Logs by count to identify the most common errors/warnings.
     
  20. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    We fixed the problem you highlighted. You can get an updated version of the package on our downloads page: https://www.lumospowered.com/downloads.

    I'll add sorting by count to our TODO list. This may actually take us a bit longer to implement as we haven't indexing the log count, but I agree it'd be convenient.
     
  21. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    Works now!
    Just a note, you have different version numbering in the package and in the release notes on the page : p
     
  22. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Ha ha yep, we just noticed that ourselves and are in the process of pushing the change. The file that's linked to (1.5.1) is the most recent version.

    edit: inconsistency fixed. Good eye.
     
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2013
  23. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    What's up with the new website?
    It looks nice but using firefox the sign in button will not work for me.
    I sent a password reset then the change password button would not work either.

    Seems to be related to mouse clicks not working, when I used enter key it worked.

    Works in googlechrome though.

    very frustrating!

    Edit: The next / back buttons won't work with mouse in firefox either. Strange site design!
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2013
  24. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    Hmm, that's odd. I'm unable to reproduce the problem myself, though my hunch is that it's related to the form validation JavaScript we use. I disabled it for now; let me know if you're still unable to sign in. What version of Firefox are you using? Do you have any plugins enabled?
     
  25. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    seems ok now. Must have been the validation js.

    Latest ff, a few plugins but not a lot, disabled most of them.
     
  26. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    So, any hot-fix planned to get rid of all those Unity 4.3 warnings? : p
     
  27. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    OK thanks. We'll do more testing and see if we can find the root of the problem. If not, we'll just keep the form validation script turned off.

    Indeed, we'll ship a point update later today once we ensure the package remains compatible with Unity 3.

    edit: A new version is ready to go that removes the warnings in Unity 4.3.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2013
  28. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    Hurray : D
     
  29. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    Did you just change the free plan from 1000Mau to 100Mau without telling anyone?
     
  30. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    We wrote a blog post and tweeted about the change. We've held off sending mass emails to keep from being too spammy, but we notify developers individually when they exceed the free tier.
     
  31. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    I didn't see either.
    That is a significant reduction out of the blue and seems more designed to force people into a paying plan while still testing your service.

    I thought I had plenty of headroom to test your system, because to be honest - while I like Lumos - with the lack of functionality of the current system I don't see the value in a paid plan.

    Sorting is minimal.
    Export is minimal.
    Many things "are coming"

    Then you just slash the plan out of the blue with no warning at all.
    If you could send an email when we go over you could certainly send one as a warning to change the system.
    As a courtesy to existing users who may turn into paying ones, not pissed off ones!
     
  32. Brad-Keys

    Brad-Keys

    Joined:
    May 1, 2006
    Posts:
    161
    To add to what Matthew said, we'll be writing newsletters regularly starting in the new year. We hope it will further help us to inform developers about new features, changes, and other useful information. We certainly don't wish to surprise anyone with changes that may affect them negatively, and we apologize if this was the case for you. If there is an alternative method you'd like to receive notices from us, we'd love to hear about it :)
     
  33. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051

    In advance, not out of the blue. #NotImpressed

    ps: I understand the need for income streams (duh), and do not object to paying for services which deliver
    As noted above, Lumos is "OK" imo but currently not "OK Enough" to be worth paying for due to well noted frustrations with functionality that is lacking and/or missing.

    my 2 cents!
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2013
  34. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    The free tier is indeed designed to encourage people to upgrade — we don't want repeat the mistakes of other companies like Playtomic that gave their (very good) service away for free but ultimately were unable to keep the lights on. As it is, 1000 MAU on our free tier costs us too much to remain sustainable.

    We're working hard to find the right price point that gives developers value while allowing us to stay in business. We may make more changes yet as necessary, and we'll work on communicating these changes better.
     
  35. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    Playtomic was horribly buggy and didn't work very well. That was their main problem.

    I suggest you put more effort into solving that problem first before trying to force users to upgrade to use a system which is not optimal.
    1000 to 500 or 400 would have been sensible, leaving headroom. Slashing to 100 really does seem like a bait n'switch to be honest.

    I actually run two analytics collections in my app atm, as insurance based on my horrible playtomics experience. Lumos and one I host myself, which while not as low detail as Lumos still gives me valuable data.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2013
  36. Brad-Keys

    Brad-Keys

    Joined:
    May 1, 2006
    Posts:
    161
    In that case it sounds like our newsletter system should satisfy you. In addition we have something else planned that will give developers weekly updates from us, but we're saving that announcement for our first newsletter.

    100 was a magic number for us. It allows indies and studios to do their testing (even large iOS teams can use their full list of test devices). In addition it allowed us to drastically reduce costs from the thousands of Unity games using our service for free, with very minimal negative impact for those devs. If you have over 100 people testing your game, it's our belief that you can most likely afford $15/month to allow for 10K MAU.

    Much of this past year was spent completely redoing our platform from scratch so that we can offer the best, most stable, and most affordable services. As of recently we consider that rebuilding stage completely done and are very happy with the state of the platform. As our newsletters and other communications will tell you come January, we are finally focusing on some really kick-ass features that anyone subscribing to plans now or in the future will automatically get and we're sure will love. We understand if you don't feel our services are worth your money at this time, every studio and game has different needs. But you better believe it's our absolute goal to continue busting out features that will convince you to change your #NotImpressed to #VeryImpressed.
     
  37. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    I think you need to recalibrate your beliefs because they are inconsistent with the reality of different products and business models that now comprise the multi screen appscape.

    100 or 10000 MAU with nothing in between?

    Additionally, you need to have the service functionally working properly before you start charging, not after.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2013
  38. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    We're the first to acknowledge that our current pricing plans may not fit every use case. However, the 1,000 MAU free tier was costing us substantial amounts of money. Servers aren't cheap. What price point would be attractive to you?
     
  39. sonicviz

    sonicviz

    Joined:
    May 19, 2009
    Posts:
    1,051
    Sure, we all understand that.

    Suggest you work out what it costs in terms of blocks of 100 (or 200 etc) units of MAU, for example, and add plans that are more flexible in terms of adding blocks of users to increase capacity as needed. That is consistent with the Amazon model of pay for what you use as well.

    I don't need 10K MAU atm, esp for US$15 / mth with lacking functionality.
     
  40. matthewminer

    matthewminer

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2005
    Posts:
    331
    A sliding scale system is a possibility. Another concern we have is keeping the pricing simple to understand. I too appreciate Amazon's pay-per-use approach, but it can be difficult to estimate how much the resulting monthly bill will be. Perhaps blocks of MAU is a good approach. In any case, we'll do our best to communicate any further changes to the pricing.