You worked all week long, trying to get the best out of your level/tileset. Why are you creating these things? For your own usage? No. For other people. You create stuff for other people to enjoy – that what it’s about. Then, you upload your level/tileset onto Jazz2Online, so everyone can enjoy it. After 2 days, you find out that only like 5 people have downloaded it, and there is only 1 review. And not a great review, no, just someone saying: “This sux. I hate you” or “HAHA! Revenge!!!1”
After that, you decide to take a look at…let’s say: Disguise*’s latest level. It was posted after you posted your thing, but when you look at the number of downloads, it has like 30 more than yours had. Also, there are 10 more reviews. The same person that bugged your upload is now saying things like “Disguise, you are the master! I love you! You get a 9!” Probably, Disguise has such a status, everyone wants to download his stuff…
AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM! People only download levels made by “populair” or “cool” people! Also, their levels –let’s assume it is the exact same level as you made- are rated at least 1,5 points higher than yours! You are not “populair”, and you will never be, because nobody ever rates your stuff higher than a 7.5. That way, people who are not called “Disguise” or “martin” or whatever will never get such a high status as level-builder as the “old” creators have. That is why I am asking you ALL, please, PLEASE rate fair!
1. Never rate something higher than you would normally give. Even if it is your friend’s level.
2. Never rate something better because it has a name of a well-known person sticked on.
3. When reviewing levels, be critic! Look at originality, weapon placement, eyecandy, playability and so on.
A good way to create a score is to divide the review into different parts. Example:
The maximum you can get for your level is a 10. Divide the 10 points into 5× 2 points.
2 points for originality, 2 points for eyecandy, 2 points for playability, 2 points for weapon placement. You can use the remaining 2 points for small things like the music and tileset. Now, test the level, and decide what the level is worth. If the eyecandy isn’t optimal, you could choose to give it 1.5 points, instead of 2. If the music was bad, but the tileset is great, you could give it 1 point instead of 2. Finally, sum up all given points to get your score. Here follows an example:
Battle-Level “Example” using the castle tileset.
-Originality: The level doesn’t really have much original stuff in it. There are some structures though, of which I believe I haven’t seen anywhere before. Points: 1.3 out of 2.
-Eyecandy: The level’s eyecandy was great. It has pots, knight suits and candles all over the place. There is
lightning and stuff , as well as walls you can walk behind. Points: 1.6 out of 2.
-Playability: Was pretty bad, alot of dead ends, and small paths you can get stuck in. At every corner, you have to make a stop to make a double jump, because there are no springs. Very Jazz-unfriendly. Points: 0.7 our of 2.
-Weapon placement: Was fine. You can easily grab onto some basic weapons, and you can get upgrades by saving coins and enter a warp. There should be no problem here. Points: 2 out of 2.
-Other: Music was good, however, Castle is very very overused. Points: 1.2 out of 2.
Total: 1.3 + 1.6 + 0.7 + 2 + 1.2 = 6.8. A decent level. Battle freaks may want to download this.
It isnt hard to create a good review. But it is hard to create a good level. People work hard on good levels, and all they get is a crappy review and a bad rating, while sometimes their levels are even better than another level which gets 2 points higher. Jazzers, think before you review, you might cause good levelbuilders to stop creating, since creating would be useless. After all, noone downloads it!
SPLASH
*I used Disguise as an example. There could have been any name here.
Violet CLM on January 19, 2002 05:00
I do, I do! Maybe I wear blinders, though I try not to, but most of the levels/tilesets I download just aren’t as good as ones made by experienced people.
And, for that matter, my first two uploads got nice, high ratings. Why? I wasn’t famous for Battle or Cooperative levels, which they were. All I had ever hosted (I think) was Tests, Hotels and a crappy battle. But people rated them high BECAUSE OF THE LEVELS. People I had never met before. Some I had met, but certainly not all. I got a high rating from someone who dislikes me.
And I see other people who have never uploaded before, or have only made a few badly rated uploads before get highish ratings because of the quality of their upload.
And as I look at pretty much every upload, and download a lot (the fact that I’m a J2O Addict proves that alone), I see this happening. It’s not as big of a problem as you think.
One last note. Why would how much a tileset being overused influence your rating?
SPLASHcc on January 20, 2002 05:00
Never happened to you, right? Thought so. You might be a J2O addict, you are not around long enough..I guess. cough*another story*cough..had a 9. It was original, but as a single player, it sucked. They could have used a txtfile to create it as well…more stuff like that. It just isn’t fair. Oh well..you will start thinking the same once it happens to you.
FQuist on January 22, 2002 05:00
I think you are kind of exegerating. For example, Disguise’s levels ARE good. And I don’t think they get rated higher then they should be rated.
Furthermore, Another story was classic BECAUSE the originality. It gave lots of new jj2 ideas. It was rated high for that.
SPLASHcc on January 22, 2002 05:00
I never said Disguise’s stuff was BAD>> I used him as an example.
Oh, and about Another Story. How come, because of the originality, it get’s rated above a 9, while The Lost World gets yawned at by many people? Also, alot of original stuff made by people these days don’t get high ratings, just because it is original.
SPLASHcc on January 22, 2002 05:00
then, how come “Another Story” is pretty well-known, while The Lost World had like 4 days fame, and was after that thrown into oblivion?
Violet CLM on January 22, 2002 05:00
I have no idea, as Another Story got several bad reviews, one of them mine, and The Lost World got no ratings below 8.7.
Ninja Dodo on January 26, 2002 05:00
Actually the Lost World isn’t doing bad at all, as Violet pointed out. Its number of downloads is rising steadily (at 135 last time I checked), the average rating is a 9.4. The only Singleplayer submission with a higher rating is Rabbit Honor Guard (9.7. Although it is listed in the Multiple category it’s obviously a singleplayer-pack)…
So I think “thrown into oblivion” doesn’t really apply.
FQuist on February 01, 2002 05:00
Furthermore, if only famous people get famous, look at Agama. :P
Krezack on February 01, 2002 05:00
They can do what they want but what i don’t like to see is someone lowering the rating by 2(or whatever) points because they dislike the levels name.
SPLASHcc on February 08, 2002 05:00
Krezack, I didnt say you can lower points cos of the name. You totally miss target here.
Fquist, you just cannot deny such tilesets ;)
ElectroPiZZa on February 11, 2002 05:00
Levelmakers get famous because of their levels.
SPLASHcc on February 12, 2002 05:00
and thats the point. People shouldn’t get famous or populair, because in a rating system based on democracy, and a community based on friends, this will lead to some people getting all “hip”, while other (equal abilitied) creators are put down.
Also, people sometimes rate famous people higher.
Don’t deny it- I both have point AND made fool out of myself.
FQuist on February 13, 2002 05:00
Sadly most humans behave like that.
AcId on February 18, 2002 05:00
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel…
I’m not sure what to say, but I think that the people who rate my levels/tilesets rate fairly.
Of course, there’s always Bjarni Cool saying This is good you get a ten and then there’s the one that says this totally sux I hate it you get a 1*.
Most of the other people rate it around 6 or 7, and I think that’s good considering I’m not that good at making levels or tilesets.
I don’t think I’ve seen any place where someone posts a really good level that gets like a 4 next to a crappy level by a popular guy which gets a 9.
*or 2 or 3, depending on how much he hated it or what kind of mood he was in.
Cazz NP on August 09, 2002 04:00
Amen Splash. ;)
Blackraptor on January 02, 2003 05:00
Its not that, but the amount of people raviewing which sometimes bugs me.
For instance, say I post a great level, and then right after me someone like agama comes back to the site and posts a tileset. Suddenly, next day, agama gets 80 reviews while I get 1 saying “This is good level!I give you 8 because this good level111111”
Now how am i suppose to know if my level was really good or not because the author of the review didnt mention what was so good about it etc. Well nowadays, we have fewer people who rate 1’s and 10’ at the wrong time, amen for that.