PlayerScore FAQ

What is the GearScore based on?

Gear. Duh. Oh, more specifically? It considers item level, gems enchants, and appropriateness to class and spec. Two handed weapons receive bonuses, as do Hunter ranged weapons.

What is the PvP Gear score based on?

Very similar to GearScore, except it favors resilience where appropriate.

What is the PvP score based on?

Arenas and Battlegrounds participated in, the win/loss ratio, and PvP kills.

What is the Raid score based on?

Raids completed.

If someone's Raid/PvP score is really high, does that mean they're really good at that?

Not necessarily, but it usually does mean they've done it a lot. Hopefully they've learned something.

Why are some scores listed as None / why are there empty spaces in for some scores in the scoreboard?

We can only gather Armory data at a certain pace, and occasional communications glitches occur. We'll try again periodically and all the scores should eventually appear.

Why are some scores out of order on the scoreboard?

Ranking calculations are intensive, so we can only update them periodically. In the interest of showing you the most updated data, we'll show you the latest scores, even if they're newer than the rankings. The next round of ranking calculations will straighten it out.

Why are there (for example) two #3's in the rankings, and no #4?

Ties. If multiple characters have the same score, we give them the same ranking. Then we skip as many places as we need to for the next character to get its appropriate rank.

What are guild scores based on?

On the average score of all known characters in the guild.

Why don't you have info for some characters?

There are a lot of them, and it is hard to find them all. Especially after Blizzard prohibited character scraping (summer, 2011).

Why don't you have ratings for some characters?

It could simply be because nobody has rated them yet. Feel free to be the first!

The info for a character on your page doesn't match the info in-game. Why not?

It takes a little time for data to get from WoW to the Armory, then a little more in us getting the updated info from the Armory. Usually this is all pretty quick (we try not to be more than a day or so behind). But sometimes, especially with high traffic, it is slower.

Why don't the scores/ratings/characters I uploaded appear yet?

We process uploaded files in the order received, at a pace that allows the database to keep humming along happily. Your upload is likely just waiting in line. It may take a few hours, or even up to a day, for it to appear.

What is the Profile page for?

That's where you create and maintain Watchlists.

What is a Watchlist?

It is a way for you to keep up with characters (yours, other people's or whatever).

Can other people see my Profile Page?

Yep. Feel free to share the link! Of course, only you can edit your Watchlists.

Where can I get the software?

Just click here to go to the download page.

What exactly am I installing?

Two things: the PlayerScore AddOn and the PlayerScore Updater. See the "Intro" section for details on what each of these does.

Why does it ask twice where to install it?

Because you're installing two things (see the previous question)

Where should I install it?

You'll first be asked where to install the Updater. You normally want to use the default location. You normally don't want to install the Updater under your WoW directory. Next, you'll be asked where WoW was installed. This is for the AddOn.

Why does the software want to know where I have World of Warcraft installed?

AddOns for World of Warcraft must live in your "World of Warcraft\Inteface\AddOns" folder and can only write information to your "World of Warcraft\WTF\Accounts\<AccountName%gt;\SavedVariables folder. That's how Blizzard designed it. We need to know where to install the AddOn and retrieve the data to be uploaded.

What will the installer do to my computer?

Very little. If necessary, it'll install the Adobe AIR runtime. If the "Interface" or "AddOns" folders don't exist, we'll create them. We'll create a folder and install the Updater and all its supporting files into it. We'll also create an icon and some shortcuts so you can open or uninstall the software.

What about adware or spyware?

We don't install spyware or adware. We have ads on our Web site (that's how we make money) but we don't have them within anything we install to your computer.

I play World of Warcraft on a Mac, is there a Mac version available?

The Updater should happily run on your Mac. (Hooray, finally!)

I hate Flash/AIR/Adobe/puppies/whatever. Why did you morons choose that?

We had to use something, and there are only so many choices. Adobe is an established company with a solid product. We understand that some people hate them. But there's no technology we could choose that somebody wouldn't hate. If you feel strongly about it, you're welcome to run just the AddOn (see below).

I don't like running applications, but I'm okay with AddOns. Is PlayerScore still any good to me?

Sure. You can still use just the AddOn in-game. There's a link for that on the Download page. But if you never run the Updater, your data won't be shared and no one else will know how you rated other players. Also, you'll never see ratings assigned by others, because those are downloaded by the Updater.

I don't see the Updater. Where is it?

The Updater lives in the Dock/System Tray so you won't see much. It should just quietly do its thing.

How do I upload data?

Just keep the Updater running while you play. It'll detect when you log out and upload automatically.

What does "Update Local Scores & Ratings" do?

"Update Local Scores & Ratings" immediately downloads info about characters you're likely to encounter in-game, so that you already have their information.

Why do I have to click "Update Scores & Ratings"? Shouldn't it do that on its own?

You don't, and it will. "Update Scores & Ratings" just lets you bypass your options and do an immediate download. You never need to do this if you don't want to.

What does "WTF Backup do?

Your "WTF" folder lives , under your WoW directory and stores your AddOn configuration information. Sometimes when WoW crashes, etc. it becomes corrupt. "WTF Backup" creates a backup on your local computer so you can easily restore your settings, just in case. Please note that is a *local* backup. You can't (at this time) use this to transfer your WTF settings between computers, or restore them if your computer completely crashes.

It is asking me about a "Collector". Huh?

The Ten Ton Hammer Collector is an optional AddOn that gathers data for the PlayerScore Database. If you enable it, you'll help make the database more complete for everyone who uses it. But you don't lose out on any functionality by not running it.

Wait - you're collecting data from me? Didn't you say you don't collect personal information? This sounds sneaky.

The Ten Ton Hammer Collector doesn't collect anything about you or even about your characters. It collects information about the game in general (like NPC locations or loot drops) that we can't get from examining the game data files.

I installed everything, but nothing seems to be happening when I run World of Warcraft.

Did you install in the correct location? If you have World of Warcraft installed to a non-standard location, you'll need to tell the installer where to find it.

I installed to the correct location, but still nothing is happening when I run World of Warcraft

Click the "AddOns" button on the character selection screen and make sure "PlayerScore" is checked. If WoW has patched recently, you may need to check the box to allow out-of-date AddOns. (If that's the case, we'll try to have a new version posted very soon.)

Nothing is out-of-date and the PlayerScore is checked, but still nothing is happening when I run World of Warcraft.

Try targeting somebody and typing "/gs" in-game.

I get a "Lua Error" about "Blizzard Achievement_UI" every time I click someone. What's that?

That is a bug in Blizzard's code, not ours. You'll need to log in and out or change zones for it to stop. We've reported it (along with several other AddOn authors).

I get a "Lua Error" that isn't about about "Blizzard Achievement_UI".

That's probably our bug. Please send the error message to Contact us.. Feel free to send a screenshot rather than try to retype all that gibberish.

I did all that, but my issue is not solved. What now?

Contact us.

What's that annoying hammer thingy cluttering my screen?

That gives you easy access to the main PlayerScore features. If you don't like it, you can turn it off under the PlayerScore Options tab.

How do I get the little hammer back if I turn it off and find that my life is incomplete without it?

Target somebody, type "/gs", and turn it back on via the Options tab.

How do I make the AddOn do stuff?

See the little Hammer icon on your screen? Right-click it.

I'm a keyboard sort of person. Is there a command line interface?

Sure. Just target somebody and type "/gs". Or if you have inspect integration turned on, "/inspect" works too.

I found a bug! Where do I report it?

You can report PlayerScore bugs here or you can mention them in the Forums.

I love it! It makes me want to send you money! How can I do that?

Buy a Premium Membership. Besides a warm feeling in your heart (or was that the leftover pizza you ate for breakfast?) you'll get lots of other fun stuff. Click here to find out more.

I'm tired of reading this FAQ. What should I do?

Go play World of Warcraft!!!