ABOUT
The ranking bot is a comprehensive tool to help users track and analyze competition within their Discord community. Utilizing the Discord API and written in Python, the bot can record game history provided by server members and generate historical leaderboards and rankings. This functionality makes it an invaluable resource for those looking to keep track of their progress and performance in various competitions.
BACKGROUND
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, my friends and I were forced to adapt to a new normal of lockdowns and social distancing. To stay connected and pass the time, we turned to playing Magic the Gathering online and eventually set up a Discord server as a hub for our group. As we played more and more games, I wanted to add a competitive edge to our hangouts by creating a program to automate the tracking of our matches. Not only was this project a great way to indulge my interests and curiosities, but it also helped bring some excitement and fun to our gatherings during a difficult and uncertain period. The program ended up being a huge success and added an extra layer of enjoyment to our time together.
FEATURES
The script is designed to enhance the competitive experience for users of a Discord server. It offers a range of features to help users track and analyze their game history, including command line functionality for ease of use, the ability to record games in a dedicated channel, and support for monitoring multiple players in different positions.
One of the critical features of the project is the timestamped recording of games. This allows users to reference specific matches and see their performance over time quickly. In addition, the work offers long-term statistics dedicated to different types of games, allowing users to see how they stack up against their peers in terms of overall performance.
To further enhance the competitive experience, the work includes rankings for overall performance and different periods, such as yearly or monthly. This allows users to see how they are doing in the short term and in the long time. Additionally, the project includes help functions to ensure users have the information they need to get the most out of the tool.
WHAT I LEARNED
While working on the ranking bot project, I had the opportunity to learn more about how the Discord API works. This included learning how to access and utilize the API’s various functions and features to build the bot’s functionality.
In addition to gaining a better understanding of the Discord API, I also gained more experience working with Python. This included improving my coding and problem-solving skills and becoming more familiar with the language and its capabilities.
One of the critical things I learned while working on this project was more about data analysis. As the bot tracked and recorded game history, I had to learn how to correctly interpret and analyze this data to generate accurate leaderboards and rankings. This required me to develop my data visualization and analysis skills and learn more about how to present this information to users effectively. Overall, working on the ranking bot project allowed me to expand my knowledge and skills in several areas, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have been able to work on it.
