- This post by nin10mode was thumbed up by:
- Supershroom (August 8th, 2014, 1:56 am)
Judging Style
Moderator: Level Moderator
Judging Style
Thumbs up x1 
by nin10mode » July 10th, 2012, 9:16 am
Post your main worries when it comes to judging. Include your format if you have one (point system, prose, bulleted points, etc.) In LDC judging format, please. What fractions are bad, acceptable, good, and great to you? What do you look for most?
nin10mode:Generally when I judge, I write in prose. Normally a paragraph long per section, I try to include all the points I like and dislike. My one exception is the OTHER section, where I usually bullet my thoughts along with their point value.
FUN: What I look for most is innovation and challenge. I usually judge this last because I like to scroll around the level for bugs, errors, and graphically displeasing stuff first. If I see something new, or interesting, you will get points for it. If it's a challenging level that might take me a few tries or a bit of thinking, it is a good level in my book. I dock points off for loading time though, because I can't stand having to sit through the screen for a minute for making a slight mistake. This may seem hypocritical if anyone has played my 9th or 7th LDC level, but my style has changed greatly over the past two years. If a level takes too long to load, I normally stop playing through the level entirely and base it on what I see.
0-5 is a bad level. It lacks length, difficulty, and creativity.
6-7 is playable. It is very lackluster, but it still has some enjoyability to it.
8-10 is great. They keep me hooked, and I don't mind retrying if I somehow die ingame.
GRAPHICS: Being a young artist, this is where I pay most attention. Tilesets and items need to fit the theme of the level(no pinetrees in a desert or clouds under ground) and if it doesn't it needs a good reason to be there. Slopes should be prominent and there should rarely be a flat plain. Castles should look medieval and not like a fancy house with normal furniture inside. Items should be used where an area is otherwise empty if it fits. I don't care much for finding a plant in every single corner of a level, and I will not annoy you if you're level is mainly indoor and therefore you cannot add decor.
Mainly, the level needs to be pretty. That's it. It doesn't need something in every corner, but it needs to make the level feel like what it's supposed to be.
0-1 is terrible. Cutoff, item spam, flatness, and things that you think would look pretty, but are not. The level of a portal noob. I rarely come across these.
2 is bad. No cutoff or spam, but the level looks boring. Flat slopes, few decor, normally one tileset, uniform buildings that have nothing unique.
3 is acceptable. It's not ugly, but not astonishingly amazing. Decor where it needs to be, more than one tileset, or one tileset with a good amount of slopes.
4-5 is good or great. A 4 pleases me, but a 5 reminds me of myself. Items make the level look like what it is supposed to be, several tilesets used effectively, lots of color that blends well with each other. Any furniture looks like furniture and not an ugly ♥♥♥♥. Hills, trees and fences on outdoor levels, platforms and fitting tiles in indoor levels. Rocks and mountain items in caves. A 5 would be innovative use, such as rotating blocks to blend to layers together, devices that have a practical use along with being pretty or fitting the theme.
OTHER: Bugs and such go here, as well as miscellaneous stuff, like music choice, background choice, story, and things that may be theme-specific.
I have no preference with OTHER, as in I have no scale for what is good or bad. After all, this is for all the extra details. This is where I look at my above scores and try to pinpoint where I want to place you.
Overall, anything less than a 10 is bad. A score between 10 and 14 is good, but not groundbreaking. 15 through 16 is great. Anything higher deserves a hug.
nin10mode:Generally when I judge, I write in prose. Normally a paragraph long per section, I try to include all the points I like and dislike. My one exception is the OTHER section, where I usually bullet my thoughts along with their point value.
FUN: What I look for most is innovation and challenge. I usually judge this last because I like to scroll around the level for bugs, errors, and graphically displeasing stuff first. If I see something new, or interesting, you will get points for it. If it's a challenging level that might take me a few tries or a bit of thinking, it is a good level in my book. I dock points off for loading time though, because I can't stand having to sit through the screen for a minute for making a slight mistake. This may seem hypocritical if anyone has played my 9th or 7th LDC level, but my style has changed greatly over the past two years. If a level takes too long to load, I normally stop playing through the level entirely and base it on what I see.
0-5 is a bad level. It lacks length, difficulty, and creativity.
6-7 is playable. It is very lackluster, but it still has some enjoyability to it.
8-10 is great. They keep me hooked, and I don't mind retrying if I somehow die ingame.
GRAPHICS: Being a young artist, this is where I pay most attention. Tilesets and items need to fit the theme of the level(no pinetrees in a desert or clouds under ground) and if it doesn't it needs a good reason to be there. Slopes should be prominent and there should rarely be a flat plain. Castles should look medieval and not like a fancy house with normal furniture inside. Items should be used where an area is otherwise empty if it fits. I don't care much for finding a plant in every single corner of a level, and I will not annoy you if you're level is mainly indoor and therefore you cannot add decor.
Mainly, the level needs to be pretty. That's it. It doesn't need something in every corner, but it needs to make the level feel like what it's supposed to be.
0-1 is terrible. Cutoff, item spam, flatness, and things that you think would look pretty, but are not. The level of a portal noob. I rarely come across these.
2 is bad. No cutoff or spam, but the level looks boring. Flat slopes, few decor, normally one tileset, uniform buildings that have nothing unique.
3 is acceptable. It's not ugly, but not astonishingly amazing. Decor where it needs to be, more than one tileset, or one tileset with a good amount of slopes.
4-5 is good or great. A 4 pleases me, but a 5 reminds me of myself. Items make the level look like what it is supposed to be, several tilesets used effectively, lots of color that blends well with each other. Any furniture looks like furniture and not an ugly ♥♥♥♥. Hills, trees and fences on outdoor levels, platforms and fitting tiles in indoor levels. Rocks and mountain items in caves. A 5 would be innovative use, such as rotating blocks to blend to layers together, devices that have a practical use along with being pretty or fitting the theme.
OTHER: Bugs and such go here, as well as miscellaneous stuff, like music choice, background choice, story, and things that may be theme-specific.
I have no preference with OTHER, as in I have no scale for what is good or bad. After all, this is for all the extra details. This is where I look at my above scores and try to pinpoint where I want to place you.
Overall, anything less than a 10 is bad. A score between 10 and 14 is good, but not groundbreaking. 15 through 16 is great. Anything higher deserves a hug.
-
nin10mode - Immune to Death
Error contacting Twitter 
Error contacting last.fm - Posts: 3087
- Joined: October 3rd, 2009, 6:11 am
- Location: Not here
Credit To Team - Thumbs Up given: 102 times
- Thumbs Up received: 222 times
Re: Judging Style
by lordpat » July 10th, 2012, 9:22 am
Good guide. That's the common sistem.
Also, graphics is also what I pay the most atention too.
Also, graphics is also what I pay the most atention too.
-
lordpat - The Legacy
- Posts: 650
- Joined: March 15th, 2010, 9:41 am
Runouw Votes Winner - Thumbs Up given: 43 times
- Thumbs Up received: 94 times
Re: Judging Style
Thumbs up x1
by SuperMIC » July 10th, 2012, 10:44 am
but a 5 reminds me of myself
HNNNG SELF-FLATTERYYYYYYYY- *shot*
Lol but seriously, this is a good idea!
---
SMIC's Judging Standards!
Judging format: I like to write several paragraphs just dedicated to focusing on my wholesome and honest opinion. I will tell you things like they are, nothing will be sugar-coated and the like. I tend to judge harsher than more judges, because I do honestly expect delivery in the form of an awesome level. So if you have utterly crappy parts in your level, I'll tell you they're utter crap. I won't comment on any other parts of the level which doesn't mean I didn't care for them nor did I like them, they were just solid. If I really liked soemthing in the level, I'll include it in the review, obviously. I have played and judged tons of fantastic levels in the past, most notably the WIBLOAT series, so I do have pretty high standards. XD
FUN: In the fun category of juding, I actually really do look for fun. Simple, straightforward. If I can actually sit through your level and be engaged, you'll score high in this category. For a great level, I'll give a score in the range of 8s or 9s. However, creativity is the second factor that will get you the 10. I'm looking for how you use the LDer in your own ways to make things interesting and (here's that word again!) fun.
Now I also really look for technical prowess in this area too. If you failed to pull a, say a platforming stunt and it's noticeable to me, I'll dock points on that. How many depends on the severity of the issue. Generally, technicality points don't really take out the bulk of fun, so if I can see the intention and it fits appropriately in the level, you wouldn't really have to squirm in this part. However, again it's the polish that gets you a 10/0
Another thing that I consider in the Fun section is (if you used one) how effective your story is. I am a storywriter myself, so I want to see how you use the LDer as a canvas to make your story take off. How did it enhance the level? Obviously, no story means I don't judge it. However, taking a risk is what makes the difference between a 9 or a 10. I once gave someone 4 points just because of their story, and their level had nothing else in it but story.
0-5.5 is a bad Fun score in my books. I thought it was really boring, no offense.
6-7.5 is a meh score for me. It was an okay level... Nothing too bad, nothing too good, but definitely could've been better.
8-9.5 is a great level! Fresh, fun, and not boring. The story was very good, and added to the ambience of the level. There might've been a nuance or two of plothole that could've been sorted out, but all in all, a good level.Exactly what I'm looking for.
10 is a successful level. I didn't know what colour to choose for a fourth tier, though... But yeah, if I give you a 10, I think you outdid yourself in terms of gameplay. If there was a story, it was absolutely phenominal. If there wasn't, it still was brilliantly fun. Select few levels have ever received a 10 from me, and they are often featured in WITBLOAT, but don't get your hopes down!
Visit the following users for great examples of a 10/10 from me: MessengerOfDreams, Krazy321, Fourinone, 24murph, Venexis.
GRAPHICS: Graphics are essential to a level. It's about the orgasmic eye details that we all want! If you gave me a blank level that was just straight brick platforming, it might've been fun, but obviously it looked like a pile of ♥♥♥♥. I'm looking for interesting deployments of tile use and decor, because even if you throw decor around, there's decor, but does it look good? Nooooooo. Tiles also are an underrated part in the graphics system in my opinion that I try to bring to the table. I'm really looking for those extra details: checkerboarded filler tiles, slope, no cut-off, tile variation, etc. etc. A level may have appropriate decor and no cut-off, but still might not be wholly appealling.
Another thing I look at that some people disagree with is colour choice. If you're doing a dark, mellow castle... I don't wanna see any bright colours like green or yellow! Similarly, outside levels, I just wanna see bursts of vibrant colours! It all changes how the level looks and feels. It contributes to the atmosphere of a level. If you succeed in graphics, you can make a sad level feel like a sad level, or a happy one like a happy one. Everything is interlinked, but you might not notice it.
0-2 is a score I rarely give out, but it happens. If you've received it, I hope I don't discourage you. But ratings in this area mean no or inappropriate use of decor, horrible tiling, cut-off, etc.
2.5-3.5 is the meh tier of graphics. Reviews I give that contain this score I usually say "solid graphics", and I mean it. There may have been no cut-off and ample use of decor but I wanna see creativity!
4-4.5 is great graphics. I really saw great uses of your decorating skills, and you really thought about how things would fit together. You used colours appropriately, and I could feel the kind of modd you tried to convey (if there was a mood).
5 is orgasm. Literally. My eyes were tearing up because it was so beautiful. Alright not maybe that exaggerated, but you get what I mean. :3 You really thought about your colour scheme and your tile usage, and you used decor extremely interestingly.
Visit the following users that I'd probably give a 5/5 graphically to: nin10mode, MessengerOfDreams, ~MP3 Amplifier~.
OTHER: Again, other might e underlooked at by some. "Oh, just a bug check and lag, whateverrr." To me, I use the Other category to measure Lasting Appeal. (my own term, huehue.)
But first off, Other is still other. It's a technicality thing. Any bugs or things I noticed belong here. What I also do is give a +1 if there was no lag or loading time. If there was lag but a good loading time or vice versa, (however the lag/loading time was bearable) you get a +0.5 for whatever. If the above situation happens but the lag or loading time was noticable, +0.5 AND -0.5 (so 0 lol). If there was lag and loading itme issues, -1.
Now, lasting appeal. What is it? This element I judge really goes with your legacy. Style. Prowess. When I play your level, what am I going to remember about it? Nothing? I'm looking for those really interesting things no one has ever done before that you did, so when I open up the LDer I think to myself: "Oh, I remember this guy that did this! I should use it in my levels!" Basically: creativity. What is the LDing crowd going to take from your levels that they put into theirs? Think about that.
I'm not going to give any tiers for Other, it's pretty self explanatory.
However, visit Volcove's levels for superb execution and legacy.
So yeah. As with Nin, 10 and below is bad. 10.5-14.5 is okay. 15-18 is great! 18.5 to 19.5 I'll remember. 20 is a score I still have never given out... my favourite level of all time has a 19.5/20. I gave a 20/20 to a part in a series once, but that doesn't really couunt. :3
---
So there you go... :333
NINEDIT: MY GOD, SO MANY ERRORS IN THIS POST
<Arocado:> I'm Asian.
PROOF.
^ Panik, you rock. ^
RUNOUW: DANGER AND DECEPTION: Read it! You could be in it!
PROOF.
^ Panik, you rock. ^
RUNOUW: DANGER AND DECEPTION: Read it! You could be in it!
"Surveys": show
-
SuperMIC - The Legacy
- Posts: 692
- Joined: February 2nd, 2011, 12:08 pm
- Location: Br... it's chilly here, eh?
- Thumbs Up given: 85 times
- Thumbs Up received: 60 times
Re: Judging Style
Thumbs up x1
by ~MP3 Amplifier~ » July 10th, 2012, 12:50 pm
Following the same format as all the others... :3
MP3's Judging Standards!
Judging format: For each judging I do, and each section (Fun, Graphics and Other) I always look for the details. Most of the time, a level looks okay on the outside, but there are often little things going on that we can't always see without a good eye for bugs and issues. My aim is to pick them out for each section (that's if I can find one) and then write them in a detailed paragraph on where it went wrong and how to improve it. I'm totally honest with my judgings, whether it upsets the person I'm aiming it at or not, they must know the truth or they won't learn much from this. At the end of my judgings, I've only recently began to add little summaries to what each level has achieved for me personally.
FUN: Most of the time the most fun levels I play have to show that not only do they understand their gameplay and why it's there, but also that it looks new, unique and innovative. Green platforms and moving blocks used repeatedly becomes boring and you need to show me that you have other confident ideas. It also depends on the level's structure. If a level looks plain boring, one side to the other and not varying the order from time to time, you lose points. Of course, I'm not the hugest fan of maze levels so I don't like a lot of structure variety, but it's still much more fun to play a level with differently shaped rooms and layouts. And then, we have challenges. For me, I prefer easy levels than hard levels. Don't get me wrong, hard levels are great if done well, but they can be so frustrating for me. However if you make an easy level, it's got to be a reasonable length. With challenging, difficult levels shorter lengths suit them best. I'm immediately thinking of Nin's level "Extraterrestria". I love a challenge, but good lord, that was far too much for me. I didn't even get round to completing the whole damn thing, so be wise with your difficulty. Of course, super easy is not fun either. The best difficulty for me is a level that varies between challenging but not overly challenging, easy but not overly easy and a few neat platforming techniques that just boosts the fun in general.
0-5.99 = a bad score. I give this to levels when their platforming is far too easy, or far too difficult and at the same time is incredibly boring and predictable. or even worse, no platforming at all.
6-7.99 = this is a quite common score for Fun from me, especially in the score 7 zone. There are ways to improve, like with difficulty or structure issues, but in general the platforming varied throughout although sometimes felt repetitive.
8-9.99 = also quite common in the 8 zone, although I rarely give score 9s. 8 usually means that your level included gameplay that was varied well throughout and didn't feel out of place, however there might be a small lack of platforming or slight difficulty issues that's pushing your score down. 9, when I rarely give it, means you were inventive and used very detailed and clever (and slightly crazy) platforming techniques, perhaps innovation was used from time to time and you kept a decent balance between easy and difficult.
10 = I've never given one of these to a level before, never ever. It's not because I'm a strict person who hates granting points but because there are always going to be the slightest flaws platforming/gameplay-wise. However, if you are possibly the first ever to receive this from me, it means you fixed all bugs affecting gameplay and made the experience utterly flawless. It means that you found the perfect balance between everything, between making the structure quite unpredictable yet not too uncomfortably unpredictable, difficulty had the perfect challenging platforming that balanced out with easy in other areas and still managed to keep the level flowing, and mainly that the level used a balanced amount of moving around and getting Mario to run and jump and others, as well as using slightly automatic feeling platforming, so even your hands don't get too tired playing it.
Highest level/s ever scored for my Fun category: Shyguy's Island by Buffooner. (9.25/10)
Level/s with potential of getting the highest possible score in my Fun category (10/10): Space Colony - Krazy321, The Final Rush - 24murph, Power Plant - Level4.
GRAPHICS: Graphics, as you all know, is the section I aim for the highest marks in my levels. I aim my whole designing career around getting the most eye-wateringly beautiful (and yet able to have a balance) levels. So I know exactly when there is even the slightest problem with appearance. For me, cut-off will and always be a big NONO. Even if it's used to be mixed with other tiles and actually looks decent, it's still not to my interest at all. For me, mixing tiles like snow and cave is in general pretty ugly, and I love to see how you can think of a more creative way to show them mixed. For example, mixing turf and natural ground is a huge no, but mixing bricks and man-made ground is a huge yes. As opposed to jungle and grass tiling, bricks and metal tiles are far too boring and plain by themselves. It also bypasses cut-off, so if you are to mix bricks, you have to be confident that it will go accordingly to plan. So if you want to mix snow and cave together for example, don't just wack them together because that looks messy, but carefully think about a choice of brick that could go in between them so it separates them, but it also makes them look like one section of turf instead of having cut-off, untidy tiling and uneven shape. Next, décor. DÉCOR DÉCOR DÉCOR. I cannot emphasise this enough. The way you decorate your level expresses what atmosphere you want it to have. For me, I keep to a certain routine with décor- the plain looking bushy trees are only used if there are no other types of décor there and you want some variety, otherwise I hardly ever if never use those small bushy trees. For the bright green and slightly palm tree-like plants, I use them only for desert. For the pink and two green trees, I use them for pretty much everything else, except snow. (for snow I use the snowy trees, of course) And for the cave plants, I use them on snow, man-made bricks/tiles, grass and jungle tiles and cave tiles and volcano tiles, but never on desert. (except for the small green slightly colourful plant, I find that works quite well on everything) For rocks, I use pretty much all types on all kinds of tiling, but sometimes hide them underneath the turf to make interesting shapes.
0-1.99 = Noticeable cut-off throughout, clearly doesn't show any effort put into the use of tiling and decoration (if anything no decoration at all). Or if there is incredibly untidy and messy decoration.
2-3.99 = Mediocre tiling, a fair amount or no decoration in some cases but doesn't look ugly. All very geometric, and no shape or tile variation. Pretty simple or basic standard. Towards the higher part of the 3 scale, it might be that you are better than these factors stated, but you refuse to exploit them and instead you stay far too plain and boring, instead of using new and fresh ideas.
4-4.99 = Really good tiling, good variation of both shape and types, and décor has a good balance. Sometimes under or overused a little, but the style shows a good understanding on graphics and how to make a level look good.
5 = Absolutely brilliant! Amazing, technical and detailed graphics, and makes your eyes water to look at. Uses space excellently, and shows no cut-off at all or untidy tile mixing, unless bricks. Shows perfect and flawless techniques and understands fully well how to give your eyes a feast.
Highest level/s ever scored for my Graphics category: Plastic Beach by Star king, Extraterrestria by nin10mode. (5/5)
Level/s with potential of getting the highest possible score in Graphics (5/5): Temple of Heart by SuperMIC, Alignment of Fates by MessengerOfDreams and Venexis.
OTHER: My points for Other rely on lag/loading time, noticeable or problematic bugs (or anything bug-wise), and story and music also goes in here. They are the main ones, but there are other little details, like a well-designed block boss could boost well, but a badly designed one could lose you some points. And anything inventive or new, I'll also add. But pointless signs that are in the middle of an awkward area are not good. (I'll admit some of my signs are pointless, but I try to put them in easy to reach areas just so it contributes to story and other things on my mind) And then just anything else that doesn't fit any of the categories.
I'm not going to give any tiers for Other, it's pretty self explanatory.
Level with full potential of getting the highest possible score in Other (5/5): Into the Depths by Volcove.
Final Brief Ranks:
- Below 10- Bad.
- 10-13.99- Mediocre.
- 14-15.99- Good.
- 16-17.49- Brilliant.
- 17.5 above- Flawless, Breathtaking, whether there's a word for it or not I don't know. :3
MP3's Judging Standards!
Judging format: For each judging I do, and each section (Fun, Graphics and Other) I always look for the details. Most of the time, a level looks okay on the outside, but there are often little things going on that we can't always see without a good eye for bugs and issues. My aim is to pick them out for each section (that's if I can find one) and then write them in a detailed paragraph on where it went wrong and how to improve it. I'm totally honest with my judgings, whether it upsets the person I'm aiming it at or not, they must know the truth or they won't learn much from this. At the end of my judgings, I've only recently began to add little summaries to what each level has achieved for me personally.
FUN: Most of the time the most fun levels I play have to show that not only do they understand their gameplay and why it's there, but also that it looks new, unique and innovative. Green platforms and moving blocks used repeatedly becomes boring and you need to show me that you have other confident ideas. It also depends on the level's structure. If a level looks plain boring, one side to the other and not varying the order from time to time, you lose points. Of course, I'm not the hugest fan of maze levels so I don't like a lot of structure variety, but it's still much more fun to play a level with differently shaped rooms and layouts. And then, we have challenges. For me, I prefer easy levels than hard levels. Don't get me wrong, hard levels are great if done well, but they can be so frustrating for me. However if you make an easy level, it's got to be a reasonable length. With challenging, difficult levels shorter lengths suit them best. I'm immediately thinking of Nin's level "Extraterrestria". I love a challenge, but good lord, that was far too much for me. I didn't even get round to completing the whole damn thing, so be wise with your difficulty. Of course, super easy is not fun either. The best difficulty for me is a level that varies between challenging but not overly challenging, easy but not overly easy and a few neat platforming techniques that just boosts the fun in general.
0-5.99 = a bad score. I give this to levels when their platforming is far too easy, or far too difficult and at the same time is incredibly boring and predictable. or even worse, no platforming at all.
6-7.99 = this is a quite common score for Fun from me, especially in the score 7 zone. There are ways to improve, like with difficulty or structure issues, but in general the platforming varied throughout although sometimes felt repetitive.
8-9.99 = also quite common in the 8 zone, although I rarely give score 9s. 8 usually means that your level included gameplay that was varied well throughout and didn't feel out of place, however there might be a small lack of platforming or slight difficulty issues that's pushing your score down. 9, when I rarely give it, means you were inventive and used very detailed and clever (and slightly crazy) platforming techniques, perhaps innovation was used from time to time and you kept a decent balance between easy and difficult.
10 = I've never given one of these to a level before, never ever. It's not because I'm a strict person who hates granting points but because there are always going to be the slightest flaws platforming/gameplay-wise. However, if you are possibly the first ever to receive this from me, it means you fixed all bugs affecting gameplay and made the experience utterly flawless. It means that you found the perfect balance between everything, between making the structure quite unpredictable yet not too uncomfortably unpredictable, difficulty had the perfect challenging platforming that balanced out with easy in other areas and still managed to keep the level flowing, and mainly that the level used a balanced amount of moving around and getting Mario to run and jump and others, as well as using slightly automatic feeling platforming, so even your hands don't get too tired playing it.
Highest level/s ever scored for my Fun category: Shyguy's Island by Buffooner. (9.25/10)
Level/s with potential of getting the highest possible score in my Fun category (10/10): Space Colony - Krazy321, The Final Rush - 24murph, Power Plant - Level4.
GRAPHICS: Graphics, as you all know, is the section I aim for the highest marks in my levels. I aim my whole designing career around getting the most eye-wateringly beautiful (and yet able to have a balance) levels. So I know exactly when there is even the slightest problem with appearance. For me, cut-off will and always be a big NONO. Even if it's used to be mixed with other tiles and actually looks decent, it's still not to my interest at all. For me, mixing tiles like snow and cave is in general pretty ugly, and I love to see how you can think of a more creative way to show them mixed. For example, mixing turf and natural ground is a huge no, but mixing bricks and man-made ground is a huge yes. As opposed to jungle and grass tiling, bricks and metal tiles are far too boring and plain by themselves. It also bypasses cut-off, so if you are to mix bricks, you have to be confident that it will go accordingly to plan. So if you want to mix snow and cave together for example, don't just wack them together because that looks messy, but carefully think about a choice of brick that could go in between them so it separates them, but it also makes them look like one section of turf instead of having cut-off, untidy tiling and uneven shape. Next, décor. DÉCOR DÉCOR DÉCOR. I cannot emphasise this enough. The way you decorate your level expresses what atmosphere you want it to have. For me, I keep to a certain routine with décor- the plain looking bushy trees are only used if there are no other types of décor there and you want some variety, otherwise I hardly ever if never use those small bushy trees. For the bright green and slightly palm tree-like plants, I use them only for desert. For the pink and two green trees, I use them for pretty much everything else, except snow. (for snow I use the snowy trees, of course) And for the cave plants, I use them on snow, man-made bricks/tiles, grass and jungle tiles and cave tiles and volcano tiles, but never on desert. (except for the small green slightly colourful plant, I find that works quite well on everything) For rocks, I use pretty much all types on all kinds of tiling, but sometimes hide them underneath the turf to make interesting shapes.
0-1.99 = Noticeable cut-off throughout, clearly doesn't show any effort put into the use of tiling and decoration (if anything no decoration at all). Or if there is incredibly untidy and messy decoration.
2-3.99 = Mediocre tiling, a fair amount or no decoration in some cases but doesn't look ugly. All very geometric, and no shape or tile variation. Pretty simple or basic standard. Towards the higher part of the 3 scale, it might be that you are better than these factors stated, but you refuse to exploit them and instead you stay far too plain and boring, instead of using new and fresh ideas.
4-4.99 = Really good tiling, good variation of both shape and types, and décor has a good balance. Sometimes under or overused a little, but the style shows a good understanding on graphics and how to make a level look good.
5 = Absolutely brilliant! Amazing, technical and detailed graphics, and makes your eyes water to look at. Uses space excellently, and shows no cut-off at all or untidy tile mixing, unless bricks. Shows perfect and flawless techniques and understands fully well how to give your eyes a feast.
Highest level/s ever scored for my Graphics category: Plastic Beach by Star king, Extraterrestria by nin10mode. (5/5)
Level/s with potential of getting the highest possible score in Graphics (5/5): Temple of Heart by SuperMIC, Alignment of Fates by MessengerOfDreams and Venexis.
OTHER: My points for Other rely on lag/loading time, noticeable or problematic bugs (or anything bug-wise), and story and music also goes in here. They are the main ones, but there are other little details, like a well-designed block boss could boost well, but a badly designed one could lose you some points. And anything inventive or new, I'll also add. But pointless signs that are in the middle of an awkward area are not good. (I'll admit some of my signs are pointless, but I try to put them in easy to reach areas just so it contributes to story and other things on my mind) And then just anything else that doesn't fit any of the categories.
I'm not going to give any tiers for Other, it's pretty self explanatory.
Level with full potential of getting the highest possible score in Other (5/5): Into the Depths by Volcove.
Final Brief Ranks:
- Below 10- Bad.
- 10-13.99- Mediocre.
- 14-15.99- Good.
- 16-17.49- Brilliant.
- 17.5 above- Flawless, Breathtaking, whether there's a word for it or not I don't know. :3
The below image is a montage of my individual highest placing LDC creations, as a reminder to myself that level designing is a part of my life that I can't just leave behind
-
~MP3 Amplifier~ - THE DARK LAMP
Error contacting Twitter - Posts: 4383
- Joined: May 6th, 2011, 12:35 pm
- Location: Maaars d(^_^)b
SM63 Level Designer Contest Winner - Thumbs Up given: 226 times
- Thumbs Up received: 611 times
Re: Judging Style
by Nwolf » July 10th, 2012, 1:33 pm
Okay, my turn now. Short and sweet :>
So first, I play the level and then I start judging it while looking at the level in editor mode.
FUN: I always check if the level is too hard or too easy first. If it has any major bugs, if it lags. Does it have any interesting level elements, new ideas, old stuff which got used in a different way or if it is just old, if the same elements are used in older levels from the person too, if it's boring to play. Is it fair? Is it unfair?
0-3 poins: It sucks. End of discussion.
3.05-5.5: It's acceptable. It is okay, but there is still lots of space for improvement. It may be because there is a lack of challenge, too much challenge or bugs which doesn't give you more points.
5.55-7.45: It's already pretty good. It needs something more special to make the level more interesting, more bug-fixes or more/less challenge.
7.5-9.2: The level was fantastic! It only needs a little bit to be a very great level. It has great challenges, good ideas but probably still misses the final touch.
9.25-10: The level is just ♥♥♥♥ great! Awesome challenges, interesting ideas, no bugs, just perfect! Only these people ever got a score in this area: MP3, Volcove, SuYo1141 (and actually nin should be here too, but yeah, my style was a bit different in 18th LDC :/)
GRAPHICS: How well are the tiles used? Did you use decoration well? Is there lack of or even too much decoration? Did you create something new with items? Is there cut-off or spam? I'm actually giving high scores here pretty often.
0-2 points: The graphics are boring or bad.
2.1-3.5 points: The graphics are pretty good already, but you should use the tiles better or use more decoration. Maybe it should fit the theme more.
3.6-4.7 points: The graphics are very good! You only need to use the tiles and items in a more unique way and you have very good graphics!
4.75-5 points: The graphics are just godly. People which I gave this score: MP3, MoD, SK, blackyoshi (and actually nin once again, but it was 18th LDC :/)
OTHER: Does the level lag? Does the level take long to load? Sometimes the music choice. Is there any bug which makes you rage? A good story? Any mentionable graphic-construction or gameplay? You know, this stuff.
If Overall < 10, it's bad. You should really go through the judging again and improve in the negative points. Or make the positive ones stronger.
10-14 is acceptable. It was a nice level, but it was still missing lots of stuff.
14-16 is great. It was a good level, probably has replay-value, but could still use some edits.
16-17.5 is very good. Same as above actutally, just better.
17.5+ is a ♥♥♥♥ great level. It's very fun to play, look at and it has lots of replay-value, unless it lags like hell or takes 2 years to load :3
'kay.
So first, I play the level and then I start judging it while looking at the level in editor mode.
FUN: I always check if the level is too hard or too easy first. If it has any major bugs, if it lags. Does it have any interesting level elements, new ideas, old stuff which got used in a different way or if it is just old, if the same elements are used in older levels from the person too, if it's boring to play. Is it fair? Is it unfair?
0-3 poins: It sucks. End of discussion.
3.05-5.5: It's acceptable. It is okay, but there is still lots of space for improvement. It may be because there is a lack of challenge, too much challenge or bugs which doesn't give you more points.
5.55-7.45: It's already pretty good. It needs something more special to make the level more interesting, more bug-fixes or more/less challenge.
7.5-9.2: The level was fantastic! It only needs a little bit to be a very great level. It has great challenges, good ideas but probably still misses the final touch.
9.25-10: The level is just ♥♥♥♥ great! Awesome challenges, interesting ideas, no bugs, just perfect! Only these people ever got a score in this area: MP3, Volcove, SuYo1141 (and actually nin should be here too, but yeah, my style was a bit different in 18th LDC :/)
GRAPHICS: How well are the tiles used? Did you use decoration well? Is there lack of or even too much decoration? Did you create something new with items? Is there cut-off or spam? I'm actually giving high scores here pretty often.
0-2 points: The graphics are boring or bad.
2.1-3.5 points: The graphics are pretty good already, but you should use the tiles better or use more decoration. Maybe it should fit the theme more.
3.6-4.7 points: The graphics are very good! You only need to use the tiles and items in a more unique way and you have very good graphics!
4.75-5 points: The graphics are just godly. People which I gave this score: MP3, MoD, SK, blackyoshi (and actually nin once again, but it was 18th LDC :/)
OTHER: Does the level lag? Does the level take long to load? Sometimes the music choice. Is there any bug which makes you rage? A good story? Any mentionable graphic-construction or gameplay? You know, this stuff.
If Overall < 10, it's bad. You should really go through the judging again and improve in the negative points. Or make the positive ones stronger.
10-14 is acceptable. It was a nice level, but it was still missing lots of stuff.
14-16 is great. It was a good level, probably has replay-value, but could still use some edits.
16-17.5 is very good. Same as above actutally, just better.
17.5+ is a ♥♥♥♥ great level. It's very fun to play, look at and it has lots of replay-value, unless it lags like hell or takes 2 years to load :3
'kay.
(c) MoD
-
Nwolf - Beware, fluffy
- Posts: 1072
- Joined: May 27th, 2011, 10:27 am
- Location: Hunting you
My Precious Memory - Thumbs Up given: 48 times
- Thumbs Up received: 87 times
Re: Judging Style
Thumbs up x1
by GMDragon11 » July 14th, 2012, 3:29 pm
Now you've posted your judging style, Now I'll show you my judging style.
EDITED A BIT.
FUN:I'm a person who likes challenges. New challenges get me pumped up and ready to go. If you make an too easy level, i just leave. And if you give me a too hard level, I just ragequit. Normally, platforming is my type. Reading boring signs is just lame and makes me sleepy, a few signs is good, but more than 10 signs in the whole level is just not good. So if you want a high score from me, you gotta give me a challenge that's worth it, or else. If you make a maze level, it's ok, I guess. But if the maze is impossible (like putting pipes under tiles and not giving us a hint). It's just a low score from me. I mean, who likes impossible levels? Not me!
So I guess that's it.
0-3: No offence, but this level really sucked. No platforming is really challenging or the level is way too hard.
4-5: I know you can do better, a whole lot of improvement is needed.
6-7: This is an average score, a bit of improvement is needed. Just a bit of stuff to fix and you'll end up with a good score.
8- 9.4: Great job, this level is really fun. I want to play more.
9.5-10: This is god damn amazing, A perfect job. This is a kind of level where I want to play it again, and again, and again. This may have a chance to be in WITBLOAT.
People who get's a great score in this catergory: Nworlds, Star King, and Volcove
GRAPHICS:I focus in this catergory the most, because levels deserve to have some beauty. Cutoff and spam is just GOD DAMN AWFUL in this catergory. I like levels that have graphics good enough to look that a few times while playing the level. A good way to get a good score in this section is blend the tiles, experiment with the tiles to make new designs with them. I like those stuff. And try to use some items as decor, and I don't mean like Fludd, or platforms, those are for the fun section. I mean like trees and rocks to give the level some beauty. But never overload it with the items, because it could cause some serious lag.
0-1.5: Too much cutoff. This is horrible.
1.6-2.5: No cutoff is made but the landscape is plain and boring. Also not good.
2.6-3.9: The graphics are in an average score. Good job but if you want a perfect score, there's still some stuff to fix.
4-4.9: Great job! This is really close to an perfect score. The graphics were greatly made.
5: I rarely give this score to anybody. This is an perfect and amazing score. I love it.
People who get's a great score in this catergory: MessengerOfDreams, DarkBlaze, Blackyoshi, and Nin10mode
OTHER:This is the topic where I see if the level needs any edits. Levels that suffer from edits (like my 18THLDC entry) are never good. Are there any bugs. Does this level lag? Does the music fit the level?
0-1: Did you even double-check the level?!?
This is suffering from edits here.
2-3: It needs some edits to be done but good job I guess.
4: Doesn't need to edited. But if you want to get perfect, only a bit needs to be edited.
5: Why edit? It's perfect! No bugs, no wait time, and perfect speed.
OVERALL:Now here is
5 or under: I'm throwing up right now. These levels are normally in the old portal.
6-10: It's needs a heck load of improvement before amuasing me.
10-13: It's a average level but it's needs some bugs to work out.
14-16: This level is very good, I'm impressed.
17- 18: This is amazing, it may have 1 or 2 mistakes but I'll let it flow. I would want to see more of your levels.
19-20: Big BANG! I never seen anybody score this score ever. This is flawless. I want to play it again and again and again. This is going to the WITBLOAT for sure my man.
GM out.
EDITED A BIT.
FUN:I'm a person who likes challenges. New challenges get me pumped up and ready to go. If you make an too easy level, i just leave. And if you give me a too hard level, I just ragequit. Normally, platforming is my type. Reading boring signs is just lame and makes me sleepy, a few signs is good, but more than 10 signs in the whole level is just not good. So if you want a high score from me, you gotta give me a challenge that's worth it, or else. If you make a maze level, it's ok, I guess. But if the maze is impossible (like putting pipes under tiles and not giving us a hint). It's just a low score from me. I mean, who likes impossible levels? Not me!
So I guess that's it.
0-3: No offence, but this level really sucked. No platforming is really challenging or the level is way too hard.
4-5: I know you can do better, a whole lot of improvement is needed.
6-7: This is an average score, a bit of improvement is needed. Just a bit of stuff to fix and you'll end up with a good score.
8- 9.4: Great job, this level is really fun. I want to play more.
9.5-10: This is god damn amazing, A perfect job. This is a kind of level where I want to play it again, and again, and again. This may have a chance to be in WITBLOAT.
People who get's a great score in this catergory: Nworlds, Star King, and Volcove
GRAPHICS:I focus in this catergory the most, because levels deserve to have some beauty. Cutoff and spam is just GOD DAMN AWFUL in this catergory. I like levels that have graphics good enough to look that a few times while playing the level. A good way to get a good score in this section is blend the tiles, experiment with the tiles to make new designs with them. I like those stuff. And try to use some items as decor, and I don't mean like Fludd, or platforms, those are for the fun section. I mean like trees and rocks to give the level some beauty. But never overload it with the items, because it could cause some serious lag.
0-1.5: Too much cutoff. This is horrible.
1.6-2.5: No cutoff is made but the landscape is plain and boring. Also not good.
2.6-3.9: The graphics are in an average score. Good job but if you want a perfect score, there's still some stuff to fix.
4-4.9: Great job! This is really close to an perfect score. The graphics were greatly made.
5: I rarely give this score to anybody. This is an perfect and amazing score. I love it.
People who get's a great score in this catergory: MessengerOfDreams, DarkBlaze, Blackyoshi, and Nin10mode
OTHER:This is the topic where I see if the level needs any edits. Levels that suffer from edits (like my 18THLDC entry) are never good. Are there any bugs. Does this level lag? Does the music fit the level?
0-1: Did you even double-check the level?!?
This is suffering from edits here.2-3: It needs some edits to be done but good job I guess.
4: Doesn't need to edited. But if you want to get perfect, only a bit needs to be edited.
5: Why edit? It's perfect! No bugs, no wait time, and perfect speed.
OVERALL:Now here is
5 or under: I'm throwing up right now. These levels are normally in the old portal.
6-10: It's needs a heck load of improvement before amuasing me.
10-13: It's a average level but it's needs some bugs to work out.
14-16: This level is very good, I'm impressed.
17- 18: This is amazing, it may have 1 or 2 mistakes but I'll let it flow. I would want to see more of your levels.
19-20: Big BANG! I never seen anybody score this score ever. This is flawless. I want to play it again and again and again. This is going to the WITBLOAT for sure my man.
GM out.
Last edited by GMDragon11 on July 29th, 2012, 2:51 pm, edited 3 times in total.
You know you wanna watch it.....
-
GMDragon11 - The Legacy
- Posts: 665
- Joined: April 24th, 2011, 6:13 am
- Location: Sleeping at Area 99. (security is tough there, don't try it)
Cookie - Thumbs Up given: 12 times
- Thumbs Up received: 26 times
Re: Judging Style
by Buff_ » July 15th, 2012, 3:43 am
Fun: As it says, I look for fun. I don't look for new ways, but ways that are done very well. Is the level design good? Are there enemies in the wrong place? Have you made the level easily available? Is it forgiving? Is there a clear path? Am I just going right and doing some jumping? Or do I get to go up as well? Is the SM63 engine used well? What I dislike about some levels is that they do not use the SM63 engine as it supposed to be used. It is a 2D game, so collecting red coins or silver stars around a level are out of the question. As well as all this, lag holds a huge factor. If I have to spend a long time waiting for a level to load, and then I die from a simple mistake, and have to load it again I will simply just dock quite a few points. The level needs to seamless. Signs need to be informative, telling stories holds no interest as I just want to play the game. Save the stories for writing or an RPG. A description outside the level is fine.
Graphics: The obvious questions: Is there decoration? Is it flat land, or are there slopes? Is there cutoff? There are a few other things though. I don't especially like it if you change tilesets halfway through a level. Of course the obvious tileset changes if you go into a cave or a completely separate part of the level are fine, but not when they change through a transition. Now onto the decoration. Decoration is nice, but it shouldn't get in the way. This is why you don't find that much decoration in the 2D Mario games is because it distracts from the experience and makes it harder to judge jumps. It needs to be clean. It needs to look natural. I don't want to see decoration that doesn't fit in with the tileset, loads bundled into one space, or different plants piled onto one another. It doesn't look natural or any good.
Other: We are back to the lag again. Lag seriously makes the experience frustrating. Are there any bugs that hinder gameplay, or they cool bugs that are fun? Any references or things outside of the norm which add to the experience.
As for actual scores, mine are usually integers, but you will find the occasional .5 score if I think that a certain level is between two others. I do not factor in alternatative music choices as they are not in game and actually prefer my own music.
Graphics: The obvious questions: Is there decoration? Is it flat land, or are there slopes? Is there cutoff? There are a few other things though. I don't especially like it if you change tilesets halfway through a level. Of course the obvious tileset changes if you go into a cave or a completely separate part of the level are fine, but not when they change through a transition. Now onto the decoration. Decoration is nice, but it shouldn't get in the way. This is why you don't find that much decoration in the 2D Mario games is because it distracts from the experience and makes it harder to judge jumps. It needs to be clean. It needs to look natural. I don't want to see decoration that doesn't fit in with the tileset, loads bundled into one space, or different plants piled onto one another. It doesn't look natural or any good.
Other: We are back to the lag again. Lag seriously makes the experience frustrating. Are there any bugs that hinder gameplay, or they cool bugs that are fun? Any references or things outside of the norm which add to the experience.
As for actual scores, mine are usually integers, but you will find the occasional .5 score if I think that a certain level is between two others. I do not factor in alternatative music choices as they are not in game and actually prefer my own music.
-
Buff_ - A rather stellar gentleman
Error contacting Twitter - Posts: 2827
- Joined: August 7th, 2009, 6:48 am
- Location: Under the sink
The Start of Something Big - Thumbs Up given: 10 times
- Thumbs Up received: 104 times
Re: Judging Style
Thumbs up x1
by Yoshi Boo 118 » July 24th, 2012, 12:37 pm
I guess since I judge fairly often I'll add to this.
FUN: Even though I'm not great at platforming in this game, I do like challenges people put into them. I like to see a variation of objects used correctly in a level. I understand if you don't put Flame Towers into an Ice level, but it's boring if all you use are spinning platforms and nothing else. I also dislike lag quite a bit like most people, and I usually take off only half or a full point for it, unless it gets to the point of being unplayable. One of the things I like to see are story driven levels. Not a long novel, but a little plot that explains WHY this level exists. It's not necessary, of course, but it makes it more enjoyable for me. And of course, any creativity in general with blocks or buildings or anything will make it more fun for me.
0-4 means it was barely entertaining. Either not enough challenge, obvious lack of effort, or little creativity was involved.
5-6 is fairly good. I liked it, but it still had some challenge or creativity missing.
7-8 is well done. The level kept me entertained, even though something else might have kept it from getting a higher score.
9-10 is fantastic. A nice story or a lot of creativity and challenge really let me enjoy the level the way it was meant to be.
GRAPHICS: I like it when there's lots of scenery in a level. However, I tend to judge graphics based on location. Things like jungles and forests should have lots of plants. Deserts will not likely have much background scenery in it. It's very rare to see people go overboard with it, so more tends to be better for me. But as long as there's some bushes here and there (and different kinds of bushes at that), the level should be fine. I also like well placed coins as the level will look less barren when they're there. In addition, I expect to see little to no cutoff, and I will take a point off if I feel that two tiles sets don't match well together.
0-2 is not good at all. There's cutoff and bad item placement, as well as little scenery which makes the level look hideous.
3 is the benchmark for me. Little or no cutoff, but some areas of the level look empty without any background objects. Item placement is done fairly well.
4-5 is very nice. Pretty much no cutoff, items are placed perfectly, and most of the level looks beautiful with the scenery.
OTHER: Sometimes I take off points in Fun for something, other times it's in here, but it'll still be the same amount taken off regardless. Once again, creativity plays a part in this. Usually any nice block bosses well get a person a bonus point. Lag may get a point or half a point off. If someone puts something that makes this level memorable, I will probably comment on it and add points here.
1-2 means you had a flaw or two that made this level less memorable. It usually has to do with lag, unless I saw some horrible atrocity.
3 usually means the level didn't have anything special about it, or something good and something bad balanced the score out.
4-5 means the level was special in some way, whether it be a block boss or some fancy area that really caught my eye.
Overall:
0-5 is ridiculous. It must have taken less than an hour to make a level so bad.
6-11 is meh. You have many things to fix before the level becomes legendary material.
12-16 is my average. The level was pretty interesting, but other things could have been added to improve it.
17-18 is amazing. The level looked nice, was enjoyable, and was certainly memorable.
19-20 is legendary. The level was basically perfect and certainly deserves praise. I don't believe I've ever given out a score this high. I'm not strict, yet the level has to be memorable enough to receive such a high mark.
FUN: Even though I'm not great at platforming in this game, I do like challenges people put into them. I like to see a variation of objects used correctly in a level. I understand if you don't put Flame Towers into an Ice level, but it's boring if all you use are spinning platforms and nothing else. I also dislike lag quite a bit like most people, and I usually take off only half or a full point for it, unless it gets to the point of being unplayable. One of the things I like to see are story driven levels. Not a long novel, but a little plot that explains WHY this level exists. It's not necessary, of course, but it makes it more enjoyable for me. And of course, any creativity in general with blocks or buildings or anything will make it more fun for me.
0-4 means it was barely entertaining. Either not enough challenge, obvious lack of effort, or little creativity was involved.
5-6 is fairly good. I liked it, but it still had some challenge or creativity missing.
7-8 is well done. The level kept me entertained, even though something else might have kept it from getting a higher score.
9-10 is fantastic. A nice story or a lot of creativity and challenge really let me enjoy the level the way it was meant to be.
GRAPHICS: I like it when there's lots of scenery in a level. However, I tend to judge graphics based on location. Things like jungles and forests should have lots of plants. Deserts will not likely have much background scenery in it. It's very rare to see people go overboard with it, so more tends to be better for me. But as long as there's some bushes here and there (and different kinds of bushes at that), the level should be fine. I also like well placed coins as the level will look less barren when they're there. In addition, I expect to see little to no cutoff, and I will take a point off if I feel that two tiles sets don't match well together.
0-2 is not good at all. There's cutoff and bad item placement, as well as little scenery which makes the level look hideous.
3 is the benchmark for me. Little or no cutoff, but some areas of the level look empty without any background objects. Item placement is done fairly well.
4-5 is very nice. Pretty much no cutoff, items are placed perfectly, and most of the level looks beautiful with the scenery.
OTHER: Sometimes I take off points in Fun for something, other times it's in here, but it'll still be the same amount taken off regardless. Once again, creativity plays a part in this. Usually any nice block bosses well get a person a bonus point. Lag may get a point or half a point off. If someone puts something that makes this level memorable, I will probably comment on it and add points here.
1-2 means you had a flaw or two that made this level less memorable. It usually has to do with lag, unless I saw some horrible atrocity.
3 usually means the level didn't have anything special about it, or something good and something bad balanced the score out.
4-5 means the level was special in some way, whether it be a block boss or some fancy area that really caught my eye.
Overall:
0-5 is ridiculous. It must have taken less than an hour to make a level so bad.
6-11 is meh. You have many things to fix before the level becomes legendary material.
12-16 is my average. The level was pretty interesting, but other things could have been added to improve it.
17-18 is amazing. The level looked nice, was enjoyable, and was certainly memorable.
19-20 is legendary. The level was basically perfect and certainly deserves praise. I don't believe I've ever given out a score this high. I'm not strict, yet the level has to be memorable enough to receive such a high mark.
-
Yoshi Boo 118 - Ex umbra in solem
- Posts: 1700
- Joined: October 17th, 2009, 4:05 pm
- Location: Ever heard of Yoshi's Mansion?
SM63 Level Designer Contest Winner - Thumbs Up given: 139 times
- Thumbs Up received: 102 times
Re: Judging Style
Thumbs up x1
by lordpat » July 24th, 2012, 2:10 pm
Ok, my judging style.
FUN
There's a reason why FUN is the part of the level that is marked over 10, and it's because it's the most important. What's the point of playing a level if it's not entetaining? Let me tell you: in order for a level to be fun, there must be SOMETHING that makes it fun. In most cases it's challange, in others is simply easy straightfoward plattaforming, it can also be exploration, sometimes is innovation or in other times it's simply graphics. Now I want to clear this out: graphics DO make the level more enjoyable in some cases. A showcase, for example, sometimes in a jungle level, where it creates atmosphere, that helps making the level more enjoyable. Lag also takes part in this, if a level is WAY too laggy, I wouldn't like to play it. As for loading time, I'm more permissive, since it's much more common and harded to avoid (to reduce lag you can simply put level T, there's no way to reduce loading time but taking items or tiles away).
0-2.9: The level is a joke. There is nothing that makes it enjoyable. It sometimes frustraiting or even unplayble. I usually recomend restarting this levels.
3-5.9: Even though is far from perfect, some plattaforming is appriciated. However, there level is full of problems. I usually recomend editing this levels a lot.
6-7.9: This is the score I'm looking for when I'm playing a level from somebody I don't know. Even though reaching this score is not very easy, the level is no masterpiece in fun, being usually plattaforming problems or too frustraiting at times. This is the score I usually give.
8-9.4=The level was plainly enjoyble. However, the level has some flaws that although they aren't terrible, they do damage the level a bit.
9.5-10: In order to get to this score, the level must be exceptionally enjoyable. An almost flawless level, letting pass really minor problems. If you get this score: Bravo!
LDers that usually do high here: Nwolf, Sk, Volcove and King.
Graphics
Intrestingly, this is the category I tend to be the most generous, since I rarely give below 3. Anyways, 2 important things I take in consideration: items and tiles. Both are very important for making a good level. As for tiles, I don't care the amount of tilesets used or the ammounts of slopes, but the level must look good. Simple is that. If the entire level is Jungle Ground type 1, then it will look incredibly boring and repetitive. Alas, if tiles are placed badly (aka: cut-off) that will indeed take points. As for title mixing, I like that a lot, but it must be well executed. Think about what you are putting, don't just throw random ♥♥♥♥ at me. Now, items. As long as you put decor and it's not crowded, that will in most cases give you a good mark here. But to get higher you must impress me, add items in intresting ways, innovate or anything like that.
0-1.9: Cut-off everywhere, no decor at all, horrible tile choices, and many more.
2-2.9: A meh score. The level looks ok in some places, but not in other. Or there are real flaws in the tiles placing or decor (lack of background items, way too overdecorated, boring tile choices, etc.)
3-3.9: The level looks Ok. Good decor and tiles placing. But there are some flaws into it, that even though it doesn't make the level look horrible, it does damage it.
4-4.5: The level looks great. Nice ammount of decor, no cut-off at all, great tile placing, some tile mixing. However, a couple of problems appear, usually especific, that don't help the level.
4.6-5: The level was incredible. Maybe one or two minor flaws, but they can be ignored looking how insanely awesome the level looks.
LDers that do good here: Nin (duh), MP3 and MoD.
Other:
+ The level has no loading time or lag. +- the level has a bit of lag and/or some loading time. - The level is laggy or has a trully big loading time.
+ Good storyline! Intresting, serious or funny, the level has a good storyline and shows a well use of signs. +- No storyline-Swearing, innapropiate writting, sign abuse, FULL OF TYPOS (stop looking at me*lordpat cries*), or anything really shamefull.
+Glitches cleverly used, making simply better.+-No glitches or bugs whatsoever.Bugs that hurts the level or glitches abuse *coughWorst_Mastercough*.
+OMG! The level is innovative.+-Good, some minor innovation, or not at all, but at least it has something that makes it look original.The level feels SO unoriginal. It's so boring, I have the feeling I've seen it 1000 times in the portal.
Sometimes I add more things, but that depends on the level, like title, background+music,etc.
LDers that do well here: Blackyoshi, SMIC and MoD.
Overall:
In this section I usually remark what should have been improoved in the level, or just say a very general opnion of it.
0-4.9: The level was simply a complete mess. It was indeed poor, and lacks of effort and expierence.
5-9.9: The level was pretty bad. Some effort has been apriciated, but mostly screwed up thanks to other problems.
10-11.9: The level was pretty average. It's not bad, but just not good. Needs improovement, but it can be fixed.
12-14.9: The level was good. Flaws appear, but the level is fully playble and somehow enjoyable.
15-16.9: The level was quite good (or great). The level shows great LDing skills, and dedication was clearly put into it.
17-18.9: The level was amazing. I usually add an extra "Bravo" at the end of the review.
19-20: The level left me speechless. It's just....wow.
As my final comment I will like to say a couple things: I am strict, but if I believe a level deserves a score, I'll give it. I won't start looking excesivly at details. I've never given a 19-20 score, but I would have no problem on giving it if somebody makes a level of that epicness. Alas, I have no problem on giving bad scores, if a level deserves it. However, I'll ALWAYS try to be constructive. I'll give my best to make the review as least offensive as possible, I rarely make fun of anything (unless I'm just making a joke review) when I review something seriously, I do it seriously. I will never give a score wihouth explaining it, and if the score is low, I'll always give advices, regardless the quality of the level. Not matter is it's evern a SPAM level, I'll also try to point all the good and bad things in the level. If somebody did something well in the level, to my eyes, he or she deserves to know it, the same way if something bad is in the level.
But more importantly, I see a review as a chance of improovment. Not because I mark minor details means I took a lot of points for that. I take points for important things, maybe some details will take -0,25 points away, -0,5 very rarely . But the reason I'm telling it it's because I want the level to be improoved, not to give the LDer a score. I don't care which score I give at the end but how many things I mark for improovements. That is what makes the difference between the good and bad review.
If people thanks me for my reviews, I want it to be for my comments, not for my score. That's my goal. And it's not as easy as it sounds.
Forgive any typos or grammar mistakes. I still suck at that.
FUN
There's a reason why FUN is the part of the level that is marked over 10, and it's because it's the most important. What's the point of playing a level if it's not entetaining? Let me tell you: in order for a level to be fun, there must be SOMETHING that makes it fun. In most cases it's challange, in others is simply easy straightfoward plattaforming, it can also be exploration, sometimes is innovation or in other times it's simply graphics. Now I want to clear this out: graphics DO make the level more enjoyable in some cases. A showcase, for example, sometimes in a jungle level, where it creates atmosphere, that helps making the level more enjoyable. Lag also takes part in this, if a level is WAY too laggy, I wouldn't like to play it. As for loading time, I'm more permissive, since it's much more common and harded to avoid (to reduce lag you can simply put level T, there's no way to reduce loading time but taking items or tiles away).
0-2.9: The level is a joke. There is nothing that makes it enjoyable. It sometimes frustraiting or even unplayble. I usually recomend restarting this levels.
3-5.9: Even though is far from perfect, some plattaforming is appriciated. However, there level is full of problems. I usually recomend editing this levels a lot.
6-7.9: This is the score I'm looking for when I'm playing a level from somebody I don't know. Even though reaching this score is not very easy, the level is no masterpiece in fun, being usually plattaforming problems or too frustraiting at times. This is the score I usually give.
8-9.4=The level was plainly enjoyble. However, the level has some flaws that although they aren't terrible, they do damage the level a bit.
9.5-10: In order to get to this score, the level must be exceptionally enjoyable. An almost flawless level, letting pass really minor problems. If you get this score: Bravo!
LDers that usually do high here: Nwolf, Sk, Volcove and King.
Graphics
Intrestingly, this is the category I tend to be the most generous, since I rarely give below 3. Anyways, 2 important things I take in consideration: items and tiles. Both are very important for making a good level. As for tiles, I don't care the amount of tilesets used or the ammounts of slopes, but the level must look good. Simple is that. If the entire level is Jungle Ground type 1, then it will look incredibly boring and repetitive. Alas, if tiles are placed badly (aka: cut-off) that will indeed take points. As for title mixing, I like that a lot, but it must be well executed. Think about what you are putting, don't just throw random ♥♥♥♥ at me. Now, items. As long as you put decor and it's not crowded, that will in most cases give you a good mark here. But to get higher you must impress me, add items in intresting ways, innovate or anything like that.
0-1.9: Cut-off everywhere, no decor at all, horrible tile choices, and many more.
2-2.9: A meh score. The level looks ok in some places, but not in other. Or there are real flaws in the tiles placing or decor (lack of background items, way too overdecorated, boring tile choices, etc.)
3-3.9: The level looks Ok. Good decor and tiles placing. But there are some flaws into it, that even though it doesn't make the level look horrible, it does damage it.
4-4.5: The level looks great. Nice ammount of decor, no cut-off at all, great tile placing, some tile mixing. However, a couple of problems appear, usually especific, that don't help the level.
4.6-5: The level was incredible. Maybe one or two minor flaws, but they can be ignored looking how insanely awesome the level looks.
LDers that do good here: Nin (duh), MP3 and MoD.
Other:
+ The level has no loading time or lag. +- the level has a bit of lag and/or some loading time. - The level is laggy or has a trully big loading time.
+ Good storyline! Intresting, serious or funny, the level has a good storyline and shows a well use of signs. +- No storyline-Swearing, innapropiate writting, sign abuse, FULL OF TYPOS (stop looking at me*lordpat cries*), or anything really shamefull.
+Glitches cleverly used, making simply better.+-No glitches or bugs whatsoever.Bugs that hurts the level or glitches abuse *coughWorst_Mastercough*.
+OMG! The level is innovative.+-Good, some minor innovation, or not at all, but at least it has something that makes it look original.The level feels SO unoriginal. It's so boring, I have the feeling I've seen it 1000 times in the portal.
Sometimes I add more things, but that depends on the level, like title, background+music,etc.
LDers that do well here: Blackyoshi, SMIC and MoD.
Overall:
In this section I usually remark what should have been improoved in the level, or just say a very general opnion of it.
0-4.9: The level was simply a complete mess. It was indeed poor, and lacks of effort and expierence.
5-9.9: The level was pretty bad. Some effort has been apriciated, but mostly screwed up thanks to other problems.
10-11.9: The level was pretty average. It's not bad, but just not good. Needs improovement, but it can be fixed.
12-14.9: The level was good. Flaws appear, but the level is fully playble and somehow enjoyable.
15-16.9: The level was quite good (or great). The level shows great LDing skills, and dedication was clearly put into it.
17-18.9: The level was amazing. I usually add an extra "Bravo" at the end of the review.
19-20: The level left me speechless. It's just....wow.
As my final comment I will like to say a couple things: I am strict, but if I believe a level deserves a score, I'll give it. I won't start looking excesivly at details. I've never given a 19-20 score, but I would have no problem on giving it if somebody makes a level of that epicness. Alas, I have no problem on giving bad scores, if a level deserves it. However, I'll ALWAYS try to be constructive. I'll give my best to make the review as least offensive as possible, I rarely make fun of anything (unless I'm just making a joke review) when I review something seriously, I do it seriously. I will never give a score wihouth explaining it, and if the score is low, I'll always give advices, regardless the quality of the level. Not matter is it's evern a SPAM level, I'll also try to point all the good and bad things in the level. If somebody did something well in the level, to my eyes, he or she deserves to know it, the same way if something bad is in the level.
But more importantly, I see a review as a chance of improovment. Not because I mark minor details means I took a lot of points for that. I take points for important things, maybe some details will take -0,25 points away, -0,5 very rarely . But the reason I'm telling it it's because I want the level to be improoved, not to give the LDer a score. I don't care which score I give at the end but how many things I mark for improovements. That is what makes the difference between the good and bad review.
If people thanks me for my reviews, I want it to be for my comments, not for my score. That's my goal. And it's not as easy as it sounds.
Forgive any typos or grammar mistakes. I still suck at that.
-
lordpat - The Legacy
- Posts: 650
- Joined: March 15th, 2010, 9:41 am
Runouw Votes Winner - Thumbs Up given: 43 times
- Thumbs Up received: 94 times
Re: Judging Style
by MessengerOfDreams » July 24th, 2012, 3:57 pm
So, I'm going to be pretty brief with this but I'll be succinct at the same time.
The most evident thing about my judging style is that I'm a pretty easy judge. It's easy for me to enjoy a level, and if I don't I try and make it known fairly. While most people never reach 19s and 20s, I rarely reach anything lower than an 8.
FUN:
Like I said, I can enjoy a level at its most basic point quite well, but my views are a bit skewed in comparison to others. I'd rather a level have a grand idea that it fails at than to be bland but decently constructed. I like it when people try new things and I love it when they succeed. I can easily overlook hiccups that don't bug me too much for the sake of the gameplay.
What I look for in a grand level usually boils down to first and foremost, originality. Is the idea original? If it's a bit more general in theme is the platforming pulled off in unique ways unlike the typical level? Can you create something that no one else can quite replicate? Are your personal touches evident, and if not are you trying new things successfully? If a level is very original or unique, I can easily forgive a few flaws.
Another thing I enjoy about fun levels are when they are simply easy to play, even if they are hard. I just enjoy getting from point a to point b through your level because it is cleanly made, no bugs, no abrupt stops to the flow of things or any unfair moments or anything of its ilk. I want to get a rush from playing your level and I want to not quit when things get hard. (If you can prevent me from cheating by moving the start point, all the better.)
0-4 Is rarely given it out, but it usually means that this was certainly not your day. It means that your level simply did not pan out- it wasn't fun, the platforming was either dull or massively flawed, and it didn't have any original concept to make it worth admiring the attempt. I advise you to try again and learn how to do better. Odds are this level will just be a forgettable stain on a good career.
5-7 is an odd one indeed. It usually means one of two things; one is that your platforming and construction was right, but it still didn't feel very energetic to play and lacked some originality value. A good start but you certainly can improve on it. Technically constructed, yes, but forgettable. It can also mean you had a great concept with a lot of potential but it didn't pan out. I give an extra point or two for the fact that you tried something big because those designers usually have potential to go a lot further than they have before- think of SMIC and Nwolf.
8-9 is common from me, haha. It means that it was just an extra spark away from perfect or there were a couple things holding it back. It was fun to play, you had some pretty original ideas and you constructed everything properly. You used your traits and your level's traits to your advantage and took pride in your work.
10- I try and be sparing with my tens, but they happen. It means not only was everything fine tuned and constructed to a nearly godly level, but it stood out from the rest. You either revolutionized something in designing history or you just absolutely killed a simple concept. I didn't have any nitpicks to really give and if there were any I forgot about them. This level took me into its own world and I was really eager to see what was next I loved your level and will make sure everyone knows it.
My usual 10s in Fun: BrawlerEX, Volcove, Star king, blackyoshi, SuperMIC
Ultimate Levels in Fun: King Goombiard's Ancient Temple, Timpani and Blumiere- the Untold Story, Mario in SubSpace.
So I guess we can say '♥♥♥♥ being succinct'
Graphics
As we all know, I love art. Absolutely love it. I believe it is fully possible to create art in a level. Graphics are usually a huge step towards that happening. For me, though, it isn't as simple as structuring everything right. It's about making it fit the level and creating an atmosphere. I want to feel as though I'm in the level and that everything is real and convincing. I can get in the zone pretty easily, and if you do it right, I'll definitely be there. Oftentimes, I'll accept something someone would think to be bad or mediocre graphics, examine the situation, and maybe even find it better for its unusual approach.
For pretty much an example of the best, here's what I find to be the best. Structurally, everything is sound. Tiling is generally flawless and there is variation in shape. The usage of items is balanced well and fits the theme. You go for variety even if the theme is sort of one-note without contriving it. If you throw in a few innovations or advanced techniques (layering with rotating blocks) all the better! In addition, make sure the theme is well represented and make sure you balance things enough to make me feel as if I'm there. Keep in mind that this is an incredibly hard thing to do because there's no way to state it, so if I give you a five I'm really feeling it.
0-1 means it is graphically unsound. Cutoff, broken platforms, no decoration and chaos without any sort of reason. If you can do cutoff right for a reason (Kevin's joke 19th LDC entry) I'll spot you a couple of points. Otherwise, no dice.
2-3 means that everything is constructed right but is otherwise bland. The tiling is one-note and plain and the item usage is either nonexistent or uncreatively done. It doesn't feel like a true level or fit the theme as well as it should, and it doesn't make me want to play.
3.5-4.5 means that everything is constructed well and there is a level of uniqueness and creativity taken. Item usage is prevalent and done anywhere between pretty and very good. Tiling is varied and it looks natural. It lacks that extra touch to make it stand out but as it is everything is portrayed nicely.
5 is that moment where not only does everything look good, it looks perfect and it can't get any better than this. You took risks, there is no cutoff (although in some instances I'll overlook minor quibbles if it's just that good) and it looks much above par. And as well, it conveys the theme to a T and in a way I cannot see being paralleled. It conveys an atmosphere that I won't forget.
Usual 5s in Graphics: DarkBlaze, nin10mode, MP3 Amplifier
Best Graphical Examples Frost Glade, Extraterrestra.
An Example of Imperfect Graphics that Still Get A 5: NanTheDark's This Is War.
Other
To get more points in Other, here's what you can do
To get in trouble in Other, here's what you can do if for some reason you want to.
Any combination of these things and anything else you can surprise me with usually tallies up your score.
Other Masters: Volcove, MP3 Amplifier, Buffooner.
Overall
0-8 means anywhere between very bad and completely forgettable.
9-13 means pretty good but ultimately forgettable.
14-15.5 means it's good and you put effort into it and although it's not the best you deserve props.
16-18 means it's very good. Even if there are a few things wrong with it I enjoyed it and it has original qualities.
19-20 means that you did everything right and I loved it. It's easy to tell how much effort and love you put into it and frankly I find it to be a masterpiece.
So yeah, that's pretty much my lowdown.
The most evident thing about my judging style is that I'm a pretty easy judge. It's easy for me to enjoy a level, and if I don't I try and make it known fairly. While most people never reach 19s and 20s, I rarely reach anything lower than an 8.
FUN:
Like I said, I can enjoy a level at its most basic point quite well, but my views are a bit skewed in comparison to others. I'd rather a level have a grand idea that it fails at than to be bland but decently constructed. I like it when people try new things and I love it when they succeed. I can easily overlook hiccups that don't bug me too much for the sake of the gameplay.
What I look for in a grand level usually boils down to first and foremost, originality. Is the idea original? If it's a bit more general in theme is the platforming pulled off in unique ways unlike the typical level? Can you create something that no one else can quite replicate? Are your personal touches evident, and if not are you trying new things successfully? If a level is very original or unique, I can easily forgive a few flaws.
Another thing I enjoy about fun levels are when they are simply easy to play, even if they are hard. I just enjoy getting from point a to point b through your level because it is cleanly made, no bugs, no abrupt stops to the flow of things or any unfair moments or anything of its ilk. I want to get a rush from playing your level and I want to not quit when things get hard. (If you can prevent me from cheating by moving the start point, all the better.)
0-4 Is rarely given it out, but it usually means that this was certainly not your day. It means that your level simply did not pan out- it wasn't fun, the platforming was either dull or massively flawed, and it didn't have any original concept to make it worth admiring the attempt. I advise you to try again and learn how to do better. Odds are this level will just be a forgettable stain on a good career.
5-7 is an odd one indeed. It usually means one of two things; one is that your platforming and construction was right, but it still didn't feel very energetic to play and lacked some originality value. A good start but you certainly can improve on it. Technically constructed, yes, but forgettable. It can also mean you had a great concept with a lot of potential but it didn't pan out. I give an extra point or two for the fact that you tried something big because those designers usually have potential to go a lot further than they have before- think of SMIC and Nwolf.
8-9 is common from me, haha. It means that it was just an extra spark away from perfect or there were a couple things holding it back. It was fun to play, you had some pretty original ideas and you constructed everything properly. You used your traits and your level's traits to your advantage and took pride in your work.
10- I try and be sparing with my tens, but they happen. It means not only was everything fine tuned and constructed to a nearly godly level, but it stood out from the rest. You either revolutionized something in designing history or you just absolutely killed a simple concept. I didn't have any nitpicks to really give and if there were any I forgot about them. This level took me into its own world and I was really eager to see what was next I loved your level and will make sure everyone knows it.
My usual 10s in Fun: BrawlerEX, Volcove, Star king, blackyoshi, SuperMIC
Ultimate Levels in Fun: King Goombiard's Ancient Temple, Timpani and Blumiere- the Untold Story, Mario in SubSpace.
So I guess we can say '♥♥♥♥ being succinct'
Graphics
As we all know, I love art. Absolutely love it. I believe it is fully possible to create art in a level. Graphics are usually a huge step towards that happening. For me, though, it isn't as simple as structuring everything right. It's about making it fit the level and creating an atmosphere. I want to feel as though I'm in the level and that everything is real and convincing. I can get in the zone pretty easily, and if you do it right, I'll definitely be there. Oftentimes, I'll accept something someone would think to be bad or mediocre graphics, examine the situation, and maybe even find it better for its unusual approach.
For pretty much an example of the best, here's what I find to be the best. Structurally, everything is sound. Tiling is generally flawless and there is variation in shape. The usage of items is balanced well and fits the theme. You go for variety even if the theme is sort of one-note without contriving it. If you throw in a few innovations or advanced techniques (layering with rotating blocks) all the better! In addition, make sure the theme is well represented and make sure you balance things enough to make me feel as if I'm there. Keep in mind that this is an incredibly hard thing to do because there's no way to state it, so if I give you a five I'm really feeling it.
0-1 means it is graphically unsound. Cutoff, broken platforms, no decoration and chaos without any sort of reason. If you can do cutoff right for a reason (Kevin's joke 19th LDC entry) I'll spot you a couple of points. Otherwise, no dice.
2-3 means that everything is constructed right but is otherwise bland. The tiling is one-note and plain and the item usage is either nonexistent or uncreatively done. It doesn't feel like a true level or fit the theme as well as it should, and it doesn't make me want to play.
3.5-4.5 means that everything is constructed well and there is a level of uniqueness and creativity taken. Item usage is prevalent and done anywhere between pretty and very good. Tiling is varied and it looks natural. It lacks that extra touch to make it stand out but as it is everything is portrayed nicely.
5 is that moment where not only does everything look good, it looks perfect and it can't get any better than this. You took risks, there is no cutoff (although in some instances I'll overlook minor quibbles if it's just that good) and it looks much above par. And as well, it conveys the theme to a T and in a way I cannot see being paralleled. It conveys an atmosphere that I won't forget.
Usual 5s in Graphics: DarkBlaze, nin10mode, MP3 Amplifier
Best Graphical Examples Frost Glade, Extraterrestra.
An Example of Imperfect Graphics that Still Get A 5: NanTheDark's This Is War.
Other
To get more points in Other, here's what you can do
- Add neat little touches that I will remember and point out.
I personally love alternate music, especially if it adds to the atmosphere. If there's none, I add my own.
Something very well executed.
Signs of increasing skill and growth from past levels.
If you go the extra mile.
To get in trouble in Other, here's what you can do if for some reason you want to.
- I'm not very harsh on lag and loading times cause there's only so much we can do sometimes, but if it really hinders my enjoyment of the levels then you'll lose points.
Bugs. I HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE HAVE INCREDIBLE ♥♥♥♥ LEVELS AND THEY'RE HAMPERED DOWN BY A SMORGASBOARD OF BUGS. The more gamebreaking, the worst.
No checkpoints in a level that needs it.
If you never completed your level. Depends on how incomplete it feels.
Any combination of these things and anything else you can surprise me with usually tallies up your score.
Other Masters: Volcove, MP3 Amplifier, Buffooner.
Overall
0-8 means anywhere between very bad and completely forgettable.
9-13 means pretty good but ultimately forgettable.
14-15.5 means it's good and you put effort into it and although it's not the best you deserve props.
16-18 means it's very good. Even if there are a few things wrong with it I enjoyed it and it has original qualities.
19-20 means that you did everything right and I loved it. It's easy to tell how much effort and love you put into it and frankly I find it to be a masterpiece.
So yeah, that's pretty much my lowdown.
-
MessengerOfDreams - Moderator
Error contacting Twitter - Posts: 6615
- Joined: August 16th, 2009, 11:31 am
- Location: When I figure it out, I'll let you know.
Winter - Thumbs Up given: 519 times
- Thumbs Up received: 707 times
15 posts
• Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2