I’m having trouble starting a fun project for myself. My first thought was something quick and dirty like import into Access and then I could data reduce, but I only have a student version of MS Office. I also use a debiam linux (mint) so I should write a shell program or anything in linux (python). but I feel like thinking about that is going down a rabbit hole. Maybe a shell script is simplest?

So I have some text log files from a game and I’m trying to extract data from it. It it going to sounds sooo nerdy! So it’s a revamp of old EverQuest from 1999 and I’m playing project1999. I’m looking for a new guild and there aren’t any tools to compare how many players from a guild are online at any time and the game will cut short and response that exceeds a certain number of players (75/100?). So I figure for a proxy I could use the number of players in the zone where most players chill and sell things – East Commonlands. I can get a list of players here at random times and each player, if guilded and doesn’t have an anonymous flag set, will show the guild name after theirs in ”. The line starts with a timestamp in brackets. The list of names is preceded with dashes and ends with a count of players every time ‘There is’ or ‘There are’ ## players in (zone name).

See below for snippet of log:

    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:54 2024] Muleofteanbisc auctions, 'WTS Black Marble | Crystal Chitin Chestguard | Crystal Chitin Leggings | A Red Crown | A Blue Crown | Flawed Flame Emerald'
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:54 2024] Toefoo auctions, 'WTS Ceremonial Iksar Chestplate 9.5k Sarnak Summoner`s Dagger 2.5k Brazier of Elemental Summoning 600p Thin Boned Wand 70p each 11 left'
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:55 2024] You think you are heading NorthEast.
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:55 2024] Your Location is -1066.85, 853.33, -1.55
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:57 2024] Players on EverQuest:
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:57 2024] ---------------------------
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:57 2024] [48 Shadow Knight] Sweetlove (Human) <Kingdom>
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:57 2024] There is 1 player in East Commonlands.
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:58 2024] Sweetlove regards you indifferently -- he appears to be quite formidable.
    [Sun Jun 09 18:45:59 2024] Sweetlove regards you indifferently -- he appears to be quite formidable.
    [Sun Jun 09 18:46:00 2024] You begin casting Clarity.
    [Sun Jun 09 18:46:00 2024] You can't use that command right now...
    [Sun Jun 09 18:46:00 2024] You can't use that command right now...
    [Sun Jun 09 18:46:00 2024] You can't use that command right now...
Sun Jun 16 09:42:40 2024] Your Location is 1340.24, 792.60, -18.40
    [Sun Jun 16 09:42:48 2024] Baragon auctions, 'WTB Spell: Succor \  Bonds of Tunare \ Frost \  Braided ivory cords or  Prayer shawl \ Reinforced Dragonborn bracer '
    [Sun Jun 16 09:42:49 2024] LOADING, PLEASE WAIT...
    [Sun Jun 16 09:42:59 2024] You have entered The Nektulos Forest.
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:02 2024] You think you are heading West.
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:02 2024] Your Location is -2690.28, -598.36, -18.40
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:03 2024] Your Location is -2685.90, -552.19, -18.40
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] Players on EverQuest:
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] ---------------------------
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [32 Enchanter] Lerxxt (Dark Elf)
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [53 Elementalist] Oznu (Erudite) <Friendly Druids>
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [6 Enchanter] Mergx (Dark Elf)
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [15 Cleric] Emayn (Dark Elf)
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [2 Necromancer] Nikoro (Dark Elf)
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [8 Wizard] Surdo (Dark Elf)
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [ANONYMOUS] Enve  <Safe Space>
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [1 Wizard] Connorbarnesxi (Dark Elf)
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [51 Illusionist] Nummen (Dark Elf) <The Drift>
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] There are 9 players in Nektulos Forest.
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] You have no idea what direction you are facing.
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] Your Location is -2671.33, -511.65, -18.40
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:06 2024] Your Location is -2661.60, -498.05, -18.40
    [Sun Jun 16 09:44:06 2024] Your Location is -2645.11, -485.21, -18.40

What I would like to do is reduce the text file to the snippets between the dashed line (always the same) and the ‘there is/there are’ and tag on the zone name (maybe – extra).

[Sun Jun 09 18:45:57 2024] [48 Shadow Knight] Sweetlove (Human) <Kingdom>
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [32 Enchanter] Lerxxt (Dark Elf)
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [53 Elementalist] Oznu (Erudite) <Friendly Druids>
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [6 Enchanter] Mergx (Dark Elf)
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [15 Cleric] Emayn (Dark Elf)
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [2 Necromancer] Nikoro (Dark Elf)
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [8 Wizard] Surdo (Dark Elf)
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [ANONYMOUS] Enve  <Safe Space>
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [1 Wizard] Connorbarnesxi (Dark Elf)
[Sun Jun 16 09:44:05 2024] [51 Illusionist] Nummen (Dark Elf) <The Drift>

and then just a pass (can prob be done all at once) to pull out the timestamp into field1 and the guild name ‘The Drift’ into field2 and the zone name (as extra) — if they are in a guild ‘<…>’. I know once I have this in a database I can graph the data pretty easily to see who is on when that is in a guild. Hmm maybe I should write this for web view… And then I can just upload the load file and the server process it and a graph is produced on a separate page. Sorry, thinking out loud / wheels turning.