database query output as text file: tab or comma delimited

[crashtest]

discussion:

Up front, apologies if this feature already exists, and I just don't know how to access it properly... also apologies for the long discussion.. and now on to the verbal diarrhea

this feature is not difficult, and has the potential to solve a lot of suggestions either unaddressed or unaddressable, such as:
- different ranking for different game types (doubles vs individual, different map types, etc)
- compiling stats on any and all features of previously played games

how does this simple feature accomplish these daunting tasks? I'll illustrate by example:

I want to know what the rank list is, but excluding all team games, because I (and apparently many others) feel team games really skew the stats and make their meaning quesitonable. I simply use the already exisiting game search feature, select only individual games, and choose output compatible with excel. I then write my own excel macro or other code to process the raw data, to compile the stats.

I could then optionally post the results (or even the entire excel sheet, complete with macros) if others want to see them (or use the sheet to make changes and compile their own stats).

But, what about joe, who is a purist and only wants stats on the classic game, with six individual players? easy-- he makes his own stats as well (or uses my macros, and modifies the input). Or Sally, who only wants to know about her own stats? Same thing.

If the moderators were responsible for appeasing every little whim users have about how to compile stats the task would be impossible. But by allowing users direct access to the data in a convenient format, we can do whatever we want. Everyone wins: the moderators don't have to do the work, and don't have to listen to us whining about the scoreboard in the feedback anymore, while all the users can compile any stats they want.

...once this got going, one could even imagine a link on the main page where popular compilations can conveniently be accessed by all users-- but that would be another suggestion thread... Again, the moderators should love this too, since they'd be getting users to do all the messy programming work, while they provide only the clean backbone. They are also absolved of responsibility for bugs in the compiled stats-- users could complain directly to the one who generated them

A bit more discussion: perusing the discussion forum, some users seem to have manually (cut and paste? painful!) entered stats into their own tables, so it seems there is already support for something like this..