They could always implement a limit on vacation mode - make it so you can’t maintain a streak for months, or you can’t just switch it on and off constantly. Think that might require more coding than it’s worth considering I can’t see many people wanting to cheat themselves like that.
2 Likes
And yet they have experience points, levels, etc. They even have achievements for long streaks.
How would keeping a streak after a vacation maximize your efficiency? Also, I’d expect a streak to be broken when I’ve…broken my streak.
This like saying :
“Yeah I’ve run everyday for a year straight!”
“Wow really? Even during your honeymoon?”
“Well no, I was on vacation…”
I get having a kind of Streak Restoration button for the once-in-a-blue-moon broken streaks but this request seems pretty silly.
Also if you didn’t want anyone to comment on your request you should have sent them an email. Not post on the community forums.
13 Likes
But then it’s that person’s loss. No one can see their streak but them, so it’s not like there’s major bragging rights. If that person feels fulfilled with nothing but a big number and no grammar, good for them; it doesn’t affect the rest of us.
I know I’m personally a person who’s also motivated by the thought that there will be times I can shut my brain off and not have to worry. If I’m constantly under the threat of losing my streak, especially the higher you go, it just adds more stress, however slight it may be, about keeping it. I’ve lost my streak a few times accidentally, usually due to being busy, and while the vacation mode I’m envisioning wouldn’t have saved it, the result is about the same: loss of motivation to start up my reviews/lessons. The streak represents my work, and if it’s all gone, then why bother jumping back in immediately? Might as well take a break for a while since I’ve already been “punished”, even if that punishment is only in my mind.
Again, I’m not saying vacation mode would have saved those streaks, but it’s a handy example if you were to substitute me actually being on vacation - a lost streak is very de-motivating in my case.
Isn’t there research showing that taking breaks increases recall and the info “settling” into your brain? Like the thought process behind SRS?
If someone’s judging you for, for all intents and purposes, not working during your vacation, why do you care what they have to say? Unless you told them beforehand you were going to jog on your honeymoon, there’s no reason to expect someone to maintain their daily schedule on special days. Some will maintain it, some won’t.
Anyhow, these are just my thoughts. I can definitely see where tedledbetter and lopicake are coming from, and I understand if that’s the rationale behind the Bunpro team’s implementation of vacation mode. I just happen to agree with Kuromaku about what I would think vacation mode would do; if nothing else the name should be changed, as it’s not fully representative of what clicking the button will do, otherwise this discussion wouldn’t be taking place.
4 Likes
Yes and no. They do give badges which are displayed for everyone to see. If you can keep a streak without actually earning it then it kind of diminishes the value of those who did legitimately have to log in every day to earn it.
It’s super frustrating to lose your streak, I empathize with that, but If it’s truly about the studying though (and not a MMORPG) then forget the streak and keep learning! 
3 Likes
This part I do agree with! An asterisk next to vacation mode button that warns people that they will lose their streak or a more detailed explanation of how it will function 
5 Likes
Thanks everyone for the insightful arguments both for and against vacation mode wrecking your streak.
We spent some time discussing it on our end and we decided vacation mode should NOT end your streak.
Some valid points about potential abuse were made, but at the end of the day we tend to lean toward positive reinforcement rather than negative reinforcement.
In this case, we would rather someone use vacation mode should they need it and be excited to get back to study to increase their streak (positive) rather than force them to log in and do the minimum to preserve their streak out of fear of losing it (negative), when they maybe have more important things to tend to in life.
@Kuromaku You should be good to go. Thanks for being somewhat of a guinea pig and sparking the great discussion.
19 Likes
Awesome, can you also add some sort of “days visited” statistic or the like, just like this forum’s profiles?
2 Likes
Why was my 3 day streak broken when I didn’t use the site for a week?? Give me back my streak! >>:OOO
8 Likes
Personally, I think it would be better to just remove streaks entirely. They just serve to make things more unpleasant and frustrating by pressuring the users. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had a streak broken on one service or another and then quit completely because I felt like I was finally free.
6 Likes
I see your point, but I think the incentive to build a habit is still worth having. At the same time though, what you’re saying is exactly why I think it’s a good thing that the streak badges stop at 100 200 days.
Edit: They go up to 200 days, which is maybe more than I’d like 
but I’m glad that they don’t go up to a year or more.
2 Likes
I had to ask them to give me the 365 manually a while back because it didn’t give it to me automatically when they added it.
Going strong at 428 now!
3 Likes
OOPS!!! 
2 Likes
Not that this is particulary important, but for me, “Streak 10” is still inbetween “Exorcist III” and “Exorcist IV”. 
Probably ghostly antics. 
2 Likes
Au contraire, THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.
Try to remain calm. In the unlikely event that help isn’t rendered in the very near future, I recommend drafting and presenting a solution in MS Paint
4 Likes
PANIC
Alright, alright, a suggestion is required, got it, got it… How about this?
This perfectly symbolizes the mischievous nature of ghosts, and the order keeps the user on its toes, guaranteeing that they stay fully attentive, improving retention and review accuracy.
EDIT: Just so no ones confused: this is not a Screenshot, its just a fun edit 
6 Likes
Seems you’ve earned your streak badges out of order. Very impressive!
2 Likes
All solutions should be in Gimp… gheez! 
3 Likes