Suggestion for The Level Portal Rating System
Posted: January 27th, 2015, 5:26 pmHello everyone. Now, I've been discussing this with lordpat and some other people and I'd like to show here something of extreme importance to our forums. It doesn't matter if they are made with SM63 or LL. The levels are the base of the forums, and most of the users here are focused into them. Level Designer Contests, WITBLOs, Medals, Tier Lists. Those are all part of our community, which is decreasing and losing some few activity.
But that's not what I came here to talk about. The place where you can find all the levels is the Level Portal. There, users can post their ultimate masterpieces and recieve feedback from another users. And this is where we can find the problem. Ultimately, new users, who doesn't have much experience of level designing, posts bad levels, continues to post them and ends up filling the portal with their creations, and we all really want them to keep getting better and better. And if we want this to happen, we must give feedback.
Now, let's get to the point: What do you really want to say?
My suggestion is: If someone wants to rate and to give feedback to the creator, they must justify. They must explain why and what should you do to make better levels. If you want to rate any level 1 star, you must explain why, and the same happens if you rate 2 or more stars, like this:
And not like this:
Not even like this:
But FrozenFire, why?
1- As I already said back here, we really want new people to get better and better at the level designing scene. And if we want this to happen, we must give feedback. We must show them what is wrong, and what is needed to improve.
2- This system could prevent downraters. All what the downraters do is just click on the 1-star icon rating and then fly away like nothing happened. Of course, mods could simply give them a warning or maybe even a ban for them, but this would decrease a little bit their job in this area.
3- Please, look back at your past. I'm pretty sure you didn't make a great level right at the start. Probably, someone gave you constructive criticism. And you accepted it, you grown, and now you're famous. Don't we want this to happen with all the new users too?
Aw, come on, FrozenFire, I don't want to write a thousand-paragraph review everytime!
You don't have to. Really. You don't need to waste a day on giving constructive criticism to everyone. You just need to write some lines, like this: "Good job, I liked this and this in your level, but this didn't work out in your level, and I don't think this was beautiful, so I'll give it x stars."
But your suggestion would decrease a lot of the feedback given!
Hey! You don't have to help our community grows, but if you do and give feedback, you'll be rewarded. Medals should be given for people who really contributes with giving feedback for new people and helping the community grow, replacing the old ones which are based on the star rating system. So, it won't be a total loss of time.
But there's still one problem: There's a lot of new users who don't even care about feedback!
Yes. Of course this is a problem.
You know, everyone have a chance of hearing and trying to to better using the constructive criticism. But what if the user doesn't cares and continues to post crappy levels on the portal?
That's where my rating system suggestion enters. If any user gets past the approval system (where their levels must be approved) and then posts 3 levels that are poor and with no effort at all according to the ratings given, they should go back to the approval system. Meaning that even if they have their levels approved and have past the approval system, they must continue to post good levels, and if the latest three of them are bad, they should go back to the approval system and their new levels must be approved by the level moderator. Of course, after three of them are approved and OK, they should be able to post levels normally.
But, FrozenFire, I'm scared!
No, you don't need to be scared. Everything will be OK. Trust me.
That's it. That's my suggestion for the rating system. I'd like to know if this is a really good idea, or if there are flaws with this system and there are things here that should be improved.
But that's not what I came here to talk about. The place where you can find all the levels is the Level Portal. There, users can post their ultimate masterpieces and recieve feedback from another users. And this is where we can find the problem. Ultimately, new users, who doesn't have much experience of level designing, posts bad levels, continues to post them and ends up filling the portal with their creations, and we all really want them to keep getting better and better. And if we want this to happen, we must give feedback.
Now, let's get to the point: What do you really want to say?
My suggestion is: If someone wants to rate and to give feedback to the creator, they must justify. They must explain why and what should you do to make better levels. If you want to rate any level 1 star, you must explain why, and the same happens if you rate 2 or more stars, like this:
Good level. I really liked this and this but you should improve this because it ruins the fun. Also, this isn't very beautiful because this and this. So, I rate 4 stars.
And not like this:
Ew. This level sucks. 1 star.
Not even like this:
OMG AWSOOOOOM 5 STARS NOWWWWWWWWWW
But FrozenFire, why?
1- As I already said back here, we really want new people to get better and better at the level designing scene. And if we want this to happen, we must give feedback. We must show them what is wrong, and what is needed to improve.
2- This system could prevent downraters. All what the downraters do is just click on the 1-star icon rating and then fly away like nothing happened. Of course, mods could simply give them a warning or maybe even a ban for them, but this would decrease a little bit their job in this area.
3- Please, look back at your past. I'm pretty sure you didn't make a great level right at the start. Probably, someone gave you constructive criticism. And you accepted it, you grown, and now you're famous. Don't we want this to happen with all the new users too?
Aw, come on, FrozenFire, I don't want to write a thousand-paragraph review everytime!
You don't have to. Really. You don't need to waste a day on giving constructive criticism to everyone. You just need to write some lines, like this: "Good job, I liked this and this in your level, but this didn't work out in your level, and I don't think this was beautiful, so I'll give it x stars."
But your suggestion would decrease a lot of the feedback given!
Hey! You don't have to help our community grows, but if you do and give feedback, you'll be rewarded. Medals should be given for people who really contributes with giving feedback for new people and helping the community grow, replacing the old ones which are based on the star rating system. So, it won't be a total loss of time.
But there's still one problem: There's a lot of new users who don't even care about feedback!
Yes. Of course this is a problem.
You know, everyone have a chance of hearing and trying to to better using the constructive criticism. But what if the user doesn't cares and continues to post crappy levels on the portal?
That's where my rating system suggestion enters. If any user gets past the approval system (where their levels must be approved) and then posts 3 levels that are poor and with no effort at all according to the ratings given, they should go back to the approval system. Meaning that even if they have their levels approved and have past the approval system, they must continue to post good levels, and if the latest three of them are bad, they should go back to the approval system and their new levels must be approved by the level moderator. Of course, after three of them are approved and OK, they should be able to post levels normally.
But, FrozenFire, I'm scared!
No, you don't need to be scared. Everything will be OK. Trust me.
That's it. That's my suggestion for the rating system. I'd like to know if this is a really good idea, or if there are flaws with this system and there are things here that should be improved.