FAQ
Search
⌃K

Scorecard

Information on Liquid and Grit's product Scorecard tool

Overview

The Scorecard tool helps subscribers self-check the health of an app or set of apps tracked by Liquid and Grit.
The Scoring Guide shows you how to determine an app’s health, from the player’s perspective, by examining select characteristics of different release types using data pulled from our Impact Portal. Characteristic data results are then converted into a score (review how the scoring scale was set here). Scorecard results can be used to compare against other apps within the same market or to track changes to an app's health over time.
This product is currently only available for apps within the casino market (bingo, casual casino, poker/cards, and slots).
To request a scorecard for non-casino markets/genres or for any questions regarding the scoring process, reach out to us at [email protected]

Characteristics

See Characteristics in Depth to review why we selected this set of characteristics to determine the health of an app.
Features
Events
Content
Total available
Mechanic variety
Total available
Mechanic variety
New event release rate
New content release rate
New feature release rate
Simultaneous active events
-
-
Active event days
-

Scoring Guide

1. Getting Started

  1. 1.
    Make a copy of the Scorecard to track characteristic data and keep score.
  2. 2.
    On your Scorecard, set the correct scoring scale (see image) on the "Total Score" tab.
    1. 1.
      Currently, only casino apps are able to be scored.
    2. 2.
      To score multiple apps from different sub-genres set the scoring scale to "Casino- Total Market".
  3. 3.
    Add all apps that you want to score to the "Game Set" column (see image).
    1. 1.
      Any casino app tracked by Liquid and Grit may be added to compare scores.
    2. 2.
      A list of apps tracked by Liquid and Grit can be found here.
    Set the scoring scale at the top left and replace "App #" with all apps you want to score.
  4. 4.
    Next, you will use the Creating the Dataset guide to extract the necessary data from Liquid and Grit's Impact Portal tools.
  5. 5.
    After pulling the data, the comprehensive scoring instructions (3, 4) will help you to determine characteristic data results and set a grade for each.

2. Creating the Dataset

This section will help you locate, pull, and sort the characteristic data needed to determine a final score from our Impact Portal tools, including the Database and Tracker (subscription required).

Building your Database Pivot

  1. 1.
    Visit the Liquid and Grit Database (subscription required).
    1. 1.
      Click here for more information on our Database.
  2. 2.
    Set baseline parameters on the sidebar.
    1. 1.
      Checkmark the boxes for "Features", "Events", and "Content".
    2. 2.
      Set the date range to "All Time".
      1. 1.
        Setting a limited date range in this step will cause some characteristic data to not match up with the scoring scale.
  3. 3.
    Select a market.
    1. 1.
      Currently, only casino apps tracked by Liquid and Grit are available to score.
  4. 4.
    Select a genre and subgenre.
    1. 1.
      Apps can be scored against a broader market or within a sub-genre.
  5. 5.
    Select apps to compare.
    1. 1.
      A list of apps tracked by Liquid and Grit is found here.
  6. 6.
    Download the CSV file and import it onto the "Upload Database CSV" tab on your Scorecard.
    1. 1.
      The CSV button is at the bottom of the left sidebar (see image).
  7. 7.
    Select all data on the sheet then press "Insert" > "Pivot table", and rename the new tab “Database Pivot”.
Download CSV

Building your Event Pivot

  1. 1.
    Visit the Liquid and Grit Tracker.
    1. 1.
      Click here for more information on our Tracker.
  2. 2.
    Set baseline parameters on the sidebar.
    1. 1.
      Set a date range.
      1. 1.
        We recommend quarterly or yearly ranges.
    2. 2.
      Checkmark "Events".
  3. 3.
    Select a market.
    1. 1.
      Currently, only casino apps tracked by Liquid and Grit are available to score.
  4. 4.
    Choose a genre and subgenre.
    1. 1.
      Choose the same market and subgenre selections as you did in the previous section when building your Database Pivot.
  5. 5.
    Select apps to compare.
    1. 1.
      Pick the same apps as you did when building your Database Pivot.
  6. 6.
    Download the CSV file and import it onto the "Upload Event Tracker CSV" tab.
  7. 7.
    Select all data on the sheet then press "Insert" > "Pivot table", and rename the new tab “Event Pivot”.

3. Database Pivot Scoring

Open your Database Pivot to determine characteristic data for
  • Total available features.
  • Feature mechanic variety.
  • New feature release rate.
  • Event mechanic variety.
  • New event release rate.
  • Total available content.
  • New content release rate.

Total Available Features and Content

  1. 1.
    Set Database Pivot parameters.
    1. 1.
      Under Rows add “tgp_game”.
    2. 2.
      Under Values add “title” summarized by “COUNTA”.
    3. 3.
      Under Filters add “type”.
  2. 2.
    Determine the total available features and content by swapping the “type” filter between the two.
    1. 1.
      Be sure only one "type" is active at a time, either features or content.
  3. 3.
    Add the number of total features to the proper "Results" column of the "Features" and "Content" tabs on your scorecard.
    1. 1.
      Add results for the total available features to table 1a (on the "Features" tab).
    2. 2.
      Add results for the total available content to table 3a (on the "Content" tab).
  4. 4.
    Set a score by determining where the results land on each tab’s scoring scale (see image).
In this instance, a result of 75 total available features falls within the range for a score of 8, a result of 36 gets a score of 4, and a result of 111 gets the maximum score of 12.

Monthly New Release Rates

  1. 1.
    To score all-time release rates, continue to step #3.
  2. 2.
    To score release rates for a specific date range:
    1. 1.
      Add “publish_date” to Filters.
    2. 2.
      Set filter status to “Filter by condition> Is between" then add date ranges formatted as YYYY-MM-DD.
    3. 3.
      For consistent results set the same date range used to build the event pivot.
    4. 4.
      Recommended minimum date range is a quarter year.
  3. 3.
    Determine the total releases within the selected time frame by swapping the "type" filter between features, events, and content.
    1. 1.
      Be sure only one "type" is active at a time.
  4. 4.
    Add the total releases within the time frame to the proper "Results" column of each tab.
    1. 1.
      Add feature release rate results to table 1b (on the "Features" tab).
    2. 2.
      Add event release rate results to table 2a (on the "Events" tab).
    3. 3.
      Add content release rate results to table 3b (on the "Content" tab).
  5. 5.
    Determine the number of months in the selected date range for each app and add the results to the column labeled “Months” on the same table.
    1. 1.
      Dates for when Liquid and Grit began tracking each game can be reviewed here.
  6. 6.
    Set a score by determining where the results for the release rates land on each tab’s scoring scale.

Mechanic Variety

  1. 1.
    Remove the "publish_date" filter if one was set in the previous section.
  2. 2.
    Remove “title” from Values and replace it with “mechanic” summarized by “COUNTUNIQUE”.
  3. 3.
    Determine mechanic variety for features and events by swapping the “type” filter between the two.
    1. 1.
      Be sure only one "type" is active at a time, either features or events.
  4. 4.
    Add mechanic variety to the proper "Results" column on the "Features" and "Events" tabs.
    1. 1.
      Add feature mechanic variety results to table 1c (on the "Features" tab).
    2. 2.
      Add event mechanic variety results to table 2b (on the "Events" tab).
  5. 5.
    Set a score by determining where the results for mechanic variety land on each tab’s scoring scale.

4. Event Pivot Scoring

Open your Event Pivot to determine characteristic data for
  • Simultaneous active events.
  • Active event days.

Simultaneous Active Events

  1. 1.
    Set event pivot parameters.
    1. 1.
      Under Rows add “game”.
    2. 2.
      Under Values add “activity#” (starting with “activity1”) until there is one with no data listed for any app (see images #1 and #2).
    3. 3.
      Summarize each “activity#” by “COUNTA”.
    4. 4.
      Calculate the sum of each app’s row (see image #3).
      1. 1.
        Use the formula “SUM (value1:value2)” to quickly add the total for each game.
    5. 5.
      Add the sum to the results column of table 2c on the "Events" tab.
    6. 6.
      Determine the total number of days in the selected date range and add results to the "Days" column in table 2c (of the "Events" tab).
      1. 1.
        Use the formula “DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, “unit”) to determine the difference in days between two dates.
      2. 2.
        Dates for when Liquid and Grit began tracking each game can be reviewed here.
    7. 7.
      Repeat for each app to compare simultaneous active events.
    8. 8.
      Set a score by determining where the results land on the scoring scale on the "Events" tab.
#1. Bingo Blitz has up to two activity numbers compared to Bingo Party’s three activity numbers.
#2. Continue to add “activity#” to Values until a column lists a “0” for all apps.
#3. Big Fish Casino’s total event count is 142.

Active Event Days

  1. 1.
    On your Event Pivot table find the value in column “activity1” for each app (see image).
  2. 2.
    Add the value of “activity1” to the “Results” column of table 2d on the “Events” tab.
  3. 3.
    The value calculated under the percent column represents the percentage of days that had at least one active event within the time frame.
  4. 4.
    Set a score by determining where the results land on the scoring scale found on the "Events" tab.
​
​

5. Review Results

Results from each tab are auto-populated onto the “Total Score” tab. When comparing a set of apps, ranked results for each section can be reviewed.
Example of final results.

Additional Information

Scoring Scale

How the scoring scale was set:
  1. 1.
    Characteristic data was pulled from all Liquid and Grit tracked apps (casino only).
  2. 2.
    Outliers were removed.
  3. 3.
    Each characteristic’s data mean was determined.
  4. 4.
    Scores were evenly distributed along the results range.

Characteristics in Depth

Features

Features are permanent or recurring releases related to the meta experience and generally have no time limit for availability. Through a variety of mechanisms, features supplement core gameplay and enhance the user experience.
Feature characteristics used to score an app’s health include total available features and new feature release rate. Increasing the number of available features with a steady stream of new releases can help increase a game’s attractiveness to new users and provide an enriching experience for engaged players.
Features are classified into families by a primary mechanic. Many features offer multiple mechanics and could fit into several families. When implemented effectively, a variety of features with different mechanics can help engage new users by creating a dynamic and satisfying gameplay experience. Mechanic taxonomy can be reviewed here.

Events

Events are limited-time releases that vary in complexity and active length. They can be released as one-offs or recur regularly, often at expected intervals. Events can tie in with core content while offering something new or unexpected, such as bonus value or a different way to engage.
One characteristic used to measure an app’s health is the release rate of new events. A steady stream of events can create an attractive and fun experience that encourages new users to convert and helps retain engaged players. Additionally, the percentage of days featuring an active event is scored to measure event re-releases and reskins.
The average number of events active on any given day is another scored characteristic of events. Simultaneous events may function separately but, when implemented creatively, can work together to subvert core gameplay expectations and foster surprise and delight in loyal users.
Events are classified into families by a primary mechanic though, like feature mechanics, many events offer multiple mechanics and can fit into several families. A variety of events using different mechanics can attract new users by demonstrating different and fun ways to engage. Mechanic diversity also helps keep gameplay fresh for engaged and loyal users. Mechanic taxonomy can be reviewed here.

Content

Content includes all elements integral to an app’s core gameplay loop. These are often identified as “items” continually released such as heroes, slot machines, gameplay levels, or vehicles. Similar to features and events, content is scored according to release rate and the total amount of content available to players.
​
Impact Portal - Previous
Tracker
Next - Upcoming Stuff!
Lift Tool
Last modified 1mo ago