Custom map rating system

[Karsten75]

Now that I'm starting this, I feel deja vu. Anyway.

I don't think there is a problem with the map rating system per se, but I think that allowing map authors to determine the difficulty rating of maps might be misleading. What is easy for the map maker might be near impossible for the general audience and vice versa. (Notice the Latin phrases? Guess what we studied today)

To this end, I was wondering if it would be possible to implement a "difficulty voting" system where players can vote the difficulty of a map.

Yes, yes, I know, poor Virgil, there are only so many hours in a day.  Just thought I'd put it out there.

[Aurzel]

i like that, you could have a creator rating and player voted rating

[Indiana_nic]

Also, it would be interesting to be able to sort the maps by ratings, downloads, difficulties etc...

[Aurzel]

you can?

[Indiana_nic]

You're right, sorry I didn't pay attention enough, the option is in small characters, but clearly written.. my mistake!

[Sniper]

My proposal how should rating work (not to lose the expresive power of author but to give players power to change rating):

In a map description there would be:

Skill: Medium (Hard)

That means that author presented the map as hard and it was voted that the map is Medium.

How is the vote counted? It is the average of votes where authors rating is taken as three votes (this prevents quick shift by first voter) - it means that newly created map behaves like three people voted as author did.

[SPIFFEN]

I have sayd this many times now , the mapmaker shouldnt be abel to choose the diffurculty of the map !
Now the maps ( custom maps ) show the best time and the avarage time it has been done in .

So that might should deteminate the hardness of the map ,
+ the vote of them who managed to finnish the map .

After you manage to finnish an map you should vote for the hardness of the map before you post your score ,
but still it might not give the right lvl of how hard it is =P

[Sniper]

SPIFFEN: don't agree. Example:

Map will have best time 1:05. It can mean:

1) It is extremly easy and you can do it quesckly.

2) It is extremly hard and only siccles so far finished it because his skill and quickness (:-))

How can you recognize?


And vote has nothing to do with difficulty, it is about quality (both easy and hard map can be interesting as well as bad). Or at least I vote this way.

[Oldsluglicker]

Just a thought about ratings.  Would this help resolve the issue?

Difficulty Grading

1)   Think about the length of time you'd expect the game to be played in.

2)   During this time, would you expect to move Odin City?  Deal with spores?  Unexpected or concealed emitters?

3)   Moving Odin City.  2 points per move.

4)   Spores.  Ratio of spores / time interval = spore activity ratio
Example: 5 spores every three minutes = 0.166
                6 spores every six = 1.0
                2 spores every 2 = 1.0
                2 spores every 30 secs = 4.0

Spore activity points – 1 point per spore activity ratio (rounded up to whole number)

5)   Concealed/unexpected (gushers/geysers etc) emitters – 1 point per emitter

6)   Flood time – i.e. length of time taken to die if you sat there like a lemon and didn't do anything.  -1 point per min.

Difficulty rating approx:

Less than 1 – trivial
1-2 – easy
2-4 – medium
4-6 – hard
6+ expert

[UpperKEES]

I often move Odin City to make it easier for myself....

The idea is nice though, but who should determine those points? Only the creator of a map knows all of this, so maybe people should use something like this as a checklist. I can think of many more factors however, like roughness of the terrain, if emitters are cappable, amount of space to build initially, are tricks like bridging required, and so on, and so on....

[Oldsluglicker]

Now that I've seen how this has formatted it's come out a bit confusing.  The points should be added except for the last one 'flood time' which should be taken away.

I thought about terrain limitations etc and came up with the 'flood time' measure - If you've got plenty of time or space to do things, the 'flood time' will be longer than a tighter or more complex map and therefore 'easier'..... 

With regard to OC moving - what I was trying to portray is, is it necessary as part of the game? ie flying OC to build something?

[F0R]

Difficlities vary between different players

[Sqaz]

Just a thought about ratings.  Would this help resolve the issue?

Difficulty Grading

1)   Think about the length of time you'd expect the game to be played in.

2)   During this time, would you expect to move Odin City?  Deal with spores?  Unexpected or concealed emitters?

3)   Moving Odin City.  2 points per move.

4)   Spores.  Ratio of spores / time interval = spore activity ratio
Example: 5 spores every three minutes = 0.166
                6 spores every six = 1.0
                2 spores every 2 = 1.0
                2 spores every 30 secs = 4.0

Spore activity points – 1 point per spore activity ratio (rounded up to whole number)

5)   Concealed/unexpected (gushers/geysers etc) emitters – 1 point per emitter

6)   Flood time – i.e. length of time taken to die if you sat there like a lemon and didn't do anything.  -1 point per min.

Difficulty rating approx:

Less than 1 – trivial
1-2 – easy
2-4 – medium
4-6 – hard
6+ expert

So a map with just flat terrain with a 1000 intensity 0.1 interval would be trivial?
And a map where you've got non-stop spores and lots of concealed emitters but you just have to move the city would be expert only?

I don't think this would be very accurate.

[Capn Trey]

I think I suggested something like this once here was my idea.

2 Rankings:
1) Rating 1-5 Stars based on how "Good" the level is.
2) Difficulty 1-5 Skulls based on how "hard" the level is.

[UpperKEES]

The question is not how to display the difficulty, but how to determine it. I think it's fine as it is and should only be used as a rough indicator. People should always realize it is relative and depending on your experience, playing style and experience and playing style of the map maker.