There are 2 ways to handle runcounter, depending on what do you prefer.
Way 1: have correct total playing time as your total elapsed time from run counter and nearly correct average run time (not 100% correct), but totally incorrect number of runs done.
Way 2: have correct average run time and correct number of runs done, but total elapsed time on run counter will differ considerably from your total playing time.
You can't have both correct total playing time and at the same time correct average time with number of runs. You have to choose in between way 1 or way 2 which do you prefer. In my thinking way 2 is superior and more precise on all fronts, even total time played which is easily calculated from average runtime multiplied with total runs done. Though, I've seen players prefer way 1. So, allow me to explain why the issue arises. In fact, let me name all the issues of runcounter and how to deal with them to get as precise data as possible.
Issue 1: first run doesn't count toward average time nor runs done, but still counts toward total elapsed time
From this first issue it is immediately clear why we can't at the same time have correct total playing time (in elapsed time) and number of runs done with correct average time. When you start your run counter and try to do that first run, after you finish you will see you did 0 runs with 0 average time, but still total playing time is not 0, but is whatever it took you to complete that run.
When does it happen:
- if runcounter was inactive and then you start it
- if you pause runcounter and then resume it
What to do if you prefer Way 2 of running:
- simply s/e first run after you do any of those, it won't save towards average runtime nor toward runs done, however it WILL count toward total elapsed time normally. Imagine you forgot to pause your counter and it works for 3 hours, then you s/e, do 1 run. Runcounter will show total elapsed time of 3 hours 20 seconds and that you did 1 run with average time of 20 seconds at the same time.
When does it NOT happen, aka first run DOES count normally:
- whenever you perform s/e and continue running
- whenever you visit gomule and then close character there after mulling items off, first run after that counts normally
- if those two things happen, DON'T s/e first run, you will totally screw your average time and runs done count
Issue 2: literally first session of the runcounter after you start fresh from the run zero, no matter what you do, that first run will register in fastest run done.
If you wanna correct information about fastest run done, DON'T s/e first run when you start new session in runcounter (if count of runs is zero). Simply either run normally or wait some time then s/e. This DOES NOT happen if your runcounter session is not at zero runs, aka you continue from run 300 or whatever, then this issue is not active for whatever reason.
Issue 3: if you die, your fastest run in session could be screwed
Not important if you don't care about that info.
Problem with a total playing time
As explained in issue 1, whenever you start runcounter or unpause it, that time WILL count toward total playing time even if that run does not register toward runs done or average time as also explained under issue 1. This means when you try to calculate your total playing time via
average runtime * number of runs done = total playing time
result you get will NEVER be the same as total playing time displayed on runcounter due to issues explained. Let's see from example of my RFL round 2 set 2. Have in mind I prefer to do the WAY 2 with runcounter to have correct number of runs done and correct average time per run.
My runcounter shows I have spend total time playing of 20 hours, 6 minutes and 10 seconds. Did I overreach 20 hours mark allowed by the rules? Let's do some math. Lets calculate total playing time from my average time and total runs done instead.
17.307*4160 = 71997.12 seconds (20 hours is 72000 seconds)
Total time displayed by runcounter: 72370 seconds
Okay, so there are two total playing times. Which one is correct, did I play 71997 seconds or 72370 seconds? Both can't be correct at the same time, right? Which one is correct depends entirely on which way did you decide to play: way 1 or way 2. Since I prefer way 2 to have correct average time and total runs done, for me correct playing time is 71997 seconds while this displayed with runcounter is wrong.
Also, let's calculate my average runtime from total time elapsed knowing runs done.
72370 / 4160 = 17.397 s.
So, runcounter does not use total time elapsed to calculate average time. My guess is it keeps tracks of two independent times: 1 is total elapsed time, other is total playing time used to count average run time from. I'm not sure though. Reason why this second time needed to get average running time from is not needed to be displayed is because we can calculate it by simply multiplying runs done with average run time.
Why is wrong and where does that extra time come from? Since I also wanted correct value for fastest run done, after starting runcounter from zero, I simply waited ingame for 30 seconds repairing gear etc. and waited for runcounter to cross at least value of 14 seconds which I knew my fastest runtimes will be about. In fact my first run lasted 30 seconds while NOT running at all, I simply waited for runcounter to get some time (14+ seconds) to have correct fastest runtime laster. If I s/e immediately, my fastest runtime would be displayed like 3 or 4 seconds... Read issue 2 again.
Every time I had to pay attention to issue 1 - runs that are not registered by runcounter. This means every time I started it, I had to s/e first run (which otherwise would not be registered toward average time or runs done screwing precision of my count). Since s/e takes some second or 2, those 2 seconds DO COUNT toward total time elapsed, but NOT toward runs done or average run time. With time and continuous repeating, every time there were 2 more and 2 more and 2 more seconds that made a difference, so in the end I ended up 6 minutes off in my time elapsed on runcounter than what my real playing time was. Actually being off by only 6 minutes in 20 hours is pretty darn precise, I'll explain how I managed that. Otherwise my total elapsed time would be like 21 hours and I would have to explain to everyone that I for real played only 20 hours as per rules, and not 21 hours... Last time I used my runcounter time to also cube gems and then I s/e that run (not counting toward average nor runcount, but still screwing my total elapsed time to differ a lot from my actual playing time, so my runcounter showed 22 hours of elapsed time while I still didn't exceed 20 hours of playing time. This time I decided to minimalize that offset and ended only 6 minutes off thanks to that.
How to do WAY 1 of running
Way 1 means you care about total elapsed time on your counter to be correct. Downside is your average time won't be 100% correct and your runcount will be totally wrong and you won't have a perfect way to estimate did you do 3605 or 3608 runs since your average time is also precise enough, but not entirely to every millisecond.
To do this way of running, forget about doing s/e or anything like that. You want your total elapsed time as precise as possible, right? This means once you start runcounter, you simply go run like a maniac and simply embrace the fact you won't have correct number of runs done and will have to calculate it by yourself.
Problem: running this way, runcounter will actually steal the time from your total playing time. Why? Because you will have the same issue as I had when I ran - it will take you a second to start running after you unpause or start your counter (second wasted) and another second to pause it when you are done (another second wasted). In the end you might end up like 10-20 minutes in your 20 hours session doing nothing but pausing/unpausing your runcounter. If you are not perfectionist, you shouldn't be bothered. But to me, those 20 minutes easily mean extra 60-70 runs...
Secondly, average run time won't be 100% correct, but still nearly as precise. Why? Remember, runcounter never counts first runs of the session toward runs done or average time. Maybe that first run of yours was terribly long, but it didn't register at all nor did it harm your average in any way. Or maybe it was the fastest run done ever, still won't register or help your runtimes. So, you won't be sure is your average time 20.035 seconds or 19.978 seconds in the end. But, doesn't matter much if you don't wanna 100% precise numbers, but something approximative and close enough. Not everyone cares to have fully precise data on their running, especially if difference is so small.
Thirdly, displayed number of runs will be totally incorrect (read issue 1 again why). You will have to calculate it yourself easily by
Total elapsed time / average time = number of runs done
In the end, this method doesn't provide you with ANY number with 100% precision, even that total elapsed time unless you wanna get your 20 minutes stolen due to your pausing/unpausing counter.
How to do WAY 2 of running
This method is somewhat bothersome to do, but it will provide you with as precise data as possibly can be. Only issue is total time elapsed displayed on runcounter WILL DIFFER from your total playing time. What I'm saying is, you can expect your total elapsed time to easily exceed 20 hours of running by at least few minutes and up to an hour depending how much care do you pay to your runcounter.
Now, get back ti issue 1 to make sure you understand when will runcounter miss your first run and when it won't. It is simple really. My playing rountine was this:
1. When I started runcounter, I simply s/e first run to start running since that run would not count toward runs done or average time, only towards total time elapsed we are completely uninterested in with WAY 2 of running.
2. After character got full, I paused counter and went to gomule, dump items. Upon returning to running, as explained, once you close your character in gomule, it is saved and runcounter WILL count first run after unpausing it toward average time and runs done. You can know that whenever runcounter starts from 00:00 of current run time elapsed, ti will always count it toward all relevant things (except if you started it when it was inactive, it will start from 00:00, but WON'T count first run toward average time or runs done). If not, then it won't count it. So, after gomule I didn't bother with s/e of first run, I simply continued running normally after unpausing counter.
You could, after visiting gomule, simply unpause-pause-unpause counter, then you go s/e first run normally as you would as if you do thing explained under 3.)
3. When I needed pause in the middle of the running, upon returning I had to s/e first run after unpausing since in that case runcounter DOES NOT count first run done toward average time or runs done.
Overall, quite simple with some practice. As a result, you will have correct data about:
- total runs done
- real average time per run
- total playing time once you multiply total runs done with your average run time
So, WAY 2 offers more precise numbers on all fronts at the same time, only difference is in WAY 1 you pretend your total elapsed time is the same as your total playing time while having slightly off value in average time and completely wrong number of runs done, while in WAY 2 you embrace the fact your total playing time won't be the same as total elapsed time, but you will calculate it yourself instead.
Hopefully handling runcounter with precision will be easier for everyone now. I'm gonna stick with Way 2 of running style since it is more precise on all fronts, but as a result my total elapsed time will always exceed 20 hours and will never be the same as my total playing time as explained above. I want precise numbers, not nearly precise as what WAY 1 offers.
but will go for it on the weekend for a couple of hours at least. Obviously, the prospect of killing thousands of cows for 20 hours is not very exciting either haha... 
