arena_sequence

Experiments

arena_sequence controls the order in which participants of a multiplayer session get to take (see and answer) a given trial. With the default (absent) value everyone starts the trial simultaneously; the three recognized values turn the trial into a turn-based one where each participant’s trial only starts after all participants ordered before them have already answered it.

The column is only consulted on rows where arena is filled in (otherwise the trial is not a multiplayer trial and the column has no effect).

Syntax

Write one keyword in the cell (join_time, random_global, or random) to make the trial turn-based:

arena_sequence
join_time

Leave the cell empty for a simultaneous start. Keywords must be written exactly as shown, in lowercase.

Options

Value	Meaning
join_time	Participants take the trial in the order they joined the session; same order every trial
random_global	Random order, drawn once per participant when they joined; fixed for the whole session
random	Order re-randomized on every trial
anything else (incl. empty/absent)	Simultaneous start: the trial starts for everyone once every participant has reached it

Turn mechanics: a participant may start a trial only when

1. every other participant has reached that trial, and
2. every participant ordered before them (or tied with them) has already answered it.

So earlier-ordered participants answer first; the last-ordered participant starts the trial only after everyone else has answered it.

Defaults & missing values

• When the column is absent or the cell is left empty, everyone starts the trial simultaneously.
• Keywords are matched exactly, with no trimming or case folding, so Random or join time silently fall back to a simultaneous start.

Works with

• arena is required: without it the trial is not multiplayer and this column has no effect.
• arena_advance governs what happens after the trial; arena_sequence governs who may start it. They are independent.
• chat_before (in arena): the chat-before phase is always simultaneous; arena_sequence does not apply to it.
• The value that counts is the one on the trial being waited for.

Examples

Fixed turn order by join time on every trial of a game block:

type	stim1	stimFormat	responseOptions	arena	arena_sequence
test	Make your bid	word	10;20;50	participants;data	join_time
test	Make your bid	word	10;20;50	participants;data	join_time

Order shuffled anew on each trial:

type	stim1	stimFormat	responseOptions	arena	arena_sequence
test	Pick a card	word	left;right	participants;log	random

Tips & gotchas

Caution

Ties deadlock: two participants with equal turn-order values each wait for the other to answer. With random or random_global ties are astronomically unlikely; with join_time, two participants joining in the same millisecond tie. There is no tie-breaker.

• There is no researcher-defined turn order: only the three keywords exist.