Custom Map #1926: Slingshot 21. By: Pastor.Healer

[AutoPost]

This topic is for discussion of map #1926: Slingshot 21


Author: Pastor.Healer
Size: 161x21

Desc:
A little something to go with your coffee and donut...

[Tyler21]

Excellent map! 9/10.

The only reason why I am not giving a 10 is that you need some luck (and use save/load quite a lot) in the first part:

Spoiler

even if you target the digi, you can accidentally hit a runner or a runner will go on dead digi and will release its devastating payload.
And if you couldn't set up an adequate defense by that time, you have to fall back to the last save. This was a bit annoying, because sometimes you'll a hit a runner every 30 seconds, and sometimes you'll manage to avoid hitting them for 5 minutes - that's why I was refering to luck.

By the way, this crazy payload level for runners has some really funny conseqences, for instance here is
a nice example of variable overflow (note the AC) :)

[close]

[pastor.healer]

Tyler, I am glad you enjoyed this map.  It is so interesting to me that I get such low scores for my
hard maps. 

I think we should have a standardized system for grading maps. Maybe something like this:

1   I don't know how to get my monitor to turn on
2   What is that space ship for?
3   I see a lot of liquid flowing.  I don't like it!
4   I was surfing for PacMan, but I like the colors of this game too!
5   My six year old brother can play better than me
6   I got my CN to fly upwards
7   I didn't know you could kill off Creeper!
8   Wow, it must have taken you a long time to work out all the timings
9   I didn't know you had it in you...
10 That might be the best map I have ever played!

When I see low scores because people don't know how to get going, it reminds me of when I used to do the
same thing....  :)

[Tyler21]

Tyler, I am glad you enjoyed this map.  It is so interesting to me that I get such low scores for my
hard maps. 

I think we should have a standardized system for grading maps. Maybe something like this:

1   I don't know how to get my monitor to turn on
2   What is that space ship for?
3   I see a lot of liquid flowing.  I don't like it!
4   I was surfing for PacMan, but I like the colors of this game too!
5   My six year old brother can play better than me
6   I got my CN to fly upwards
7   I didn't know you could kill off Creeper!
8   Wow, it must have taken you a long time to work out all the timings
9   I didn't know you had it in you...
10 That might be the best map I have ever played!

When I see low scores because people don't know how to get going, it reminds me of when I used to do the
same thing....  :)

I like these descriptions ;-)

Along these lines: one issue here is that means are 'blind' to the underlying distributions. This is the reason why you see the median time instead of the mean time at map completion times because some really really slow players would have a significant effect on mean times. (Median has its own issues too, for example it throws away all information about the range).
A map that receives ratings of 10,10,10,1,1,1 (probably a difficult map with a brilliant design) should be remarkably different from a 6,6,6,5,5,5 (most likely a below-average vanilla map).
The problem is that they will have exactly the same mean rating. But that's true for most rating systems where you can't access the distribution of ratings.
In theory one could implement a very complex weighting formula like the bayesian one at imdb, but I think one would give up then clarity for accuracy.

So the average scoring pattern is an interesting field to study. We are definitely the exception because we give challenging maps better ratings even if they are a bit frustrating to play.
The map of which I am most proud (Doomsday Device) because of its concept, difficulty, design and story, is also one of my worst-rated: is in the bottom 20% of all maps and has a completion ratio of 9/298... whereas Hoover Dam which is based on a single idea and I originally considered it as a thought experiment is surprisingly popular. Because - as warren I think has already expressed - there is very little challenge in it. You will win that map, it's only a question of time.

I think that is the key for a popular map: guaranteeing the players that they can win the map in their own pace (which in my definition rules out difficult maps where you have a finite time-window to do certain actions).