No idea who this is directed to. So I guess I'll just get to it.
I would like to ask what is the standard of merits. So far all I have gotten from the stickies is...not much.
I hate to say it but I kind of felt like it just explained (What I would think of) as a regular comment. The sticky thread mentions what a merit is but doesn't go to in depth.
Example of a "Technically" merit comment
Example:
This game is fairly enjoyable. It has many aspects that I find fun and is definitely a game I would recommend.
One of the aspects that could be improved is the shop screen, I find the art not very interesting and if you could add possibly more entertaining art. Ideas such as a shop keeper, pictures for items and such could all be included.
One of the aspects I enjoyed in the game was the controls. I found they were very easy to get used to and it didn't have a steep learning curve, if there is a sequel to this game I would reccomend not messing with the controls. The shooting works perfectly and I am able to jump around platforms at ease.
The last aspect I loved about the game is the story line within. I a found a deep (But strange) connection with my cut little character and almost felt sad by the ending.
Overall this is a great game and I enjoyed it a lot.
_____
That is an example of a comment I could which ticks all the boxes of a merit. However that's just a regular comment. Assuming I was not trying to get the merit I might have written.
Example:
Didn't like the shop screen. Add some pictures of the items and maybe a picture of a shopkeeper. This would add a lot to the game.
Also loved the controls, worked well with the platform genre. Keep them the same for the sequel.
Another thing, I LOVED THE STORY. Really interesting. ZOMBIES GO PEW PEW WHILE SHOOTING MY RAZOR LAZOR IS KOOL.
9/10
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Which also kind of ticks the same boxes. (Apart from the "ew pew" part)
Anyways, (I should probably stop complaining) what I really want is an example of a merit comment.
Also, after reading over I kind of sound harsh. I just want to say that I am still glad that
1. They explained a merit
and
2. They have a merit as a reward (I think it's awesome)
Regular/common comments look like this: "lol", "gg", "nice game" and so on, and so forth.
As for merits, they usually have to be a bit bigger than what you have written, have important points of improvement, positives, negatives and be interesting. Enjoyable to read. Think of it as part review, part feedback report and part entertainment.
As for your "this is a merit-try" comment, it is not particularly interesting to read. Actually, it is annoying. The use of the word aspect is repetitive and breaks up the flow of the comment, you are not very clear about what can be improved about the shop screen, nor what is annoying you, and you are, as far as the wording go, implying there are other parts of the game you would like to see improved, but you are only mentioning one.
As for the guide, well... How are you expecting someone to make a guide on how to write merit worthy stuff, when it really does come down to a check list, and whether the mod bothered reading your comment or not. Technically, it could be defined as such: "How to get a merit: Write a good comment, then forget about getting a merit. If you are writing to get one, you are doing it wrong!!" and then an angry face and a picture of a butt.
We'll, if it was a game I actually played the comment might have been better. I usually write better comments.
Also I was demonstrating that it's obviously not a merit yet meets most of the check list.
I'm not complaining that I didn't get a merit I just want to see what a merit comment looks like. I realize you can't explain it and if not could you demonstrate it.
Show me a comment that got a merit. You've had one. Can I see what a standard is?
Merit standards are getting quite high these days, which is a good thing.
My Legend of the Void Merit:
Right off the bat, the husky sorrowful voice of the narrator reminded me of Diablo immediately and got me into the mood to start right off. It sounded almost like Cain for those familiar with Sanctuary Lore, off to an auspicious start right at the beginning I must say. It combined an early AQ like graphics and battle system with the professional touch of Blizzard, which simplified gameplay into a more manageable level for a Flash game, yet retained enough elegance of design to make one crave for more. No fancy footwork or swordplay required, just hack and slash away, trod around and collect stuff. It was heavily influenced by Diablo, a classic that did much to enhance my perception of the game. Indeed, it was a good breezy experience, for example one regenerated health and mana after every single battle, making it more relaxing for newer gamers. Gameplay was thus straightforward, easy and hence thoroughly enjoyable. The music was very typical of a medieval set game, gritty enough, set with enough melodic plucking that conveyed a sense of solemness (There's no such word right?) and battle. The music was generally appropriate in darkening or lightening up the mood, with deep chorale music during battles that got my heart racing. I hope that in sequels the characters would be fleshed out more, perhaps with flashbacks, dialogues and more cut scenes. That seems to be the missing link in the game, a good game system and graphics but devoid of a fully developed story to anchor the game. Although the skeleton of the plot was there, it was rather scanty and left me with a feeling of missing something. The quests for example could have lengthier introductions, rather than having a rapid procession of short quests coming at one go. Understandably this is just the beginning, so maybe more can be expected. Furthermore, I felt that it was a little too short, I couldn't even fully develop one skill tree. I might be doing something wrong, but filling up with more battles and making the game longer won't hurt a little. I hope we can bring forward our characters, though I don't see how this would be possible. A valiant attempt at giving a Diablo type game a lease of life in Flash, incredibly well done. Will definitely be looking forward to more sequels!
That was exactly what I needed. One thing I struggle with is linking topics easily so seeing examples always helps me figure out what to say. It's great that if one part of the game isn't really there much you're allowed to limit yourself in areas with low information. Some games just don't have complete areas all round.
Also, to the "Don't try for merits" thing. I must disagree. You can't honestly tell me that you got a merit just for a casual comment. The merit above surely would have taken 5-10 minutes if you checked and re wrote parts of it. I get that you say that to stop users complaining on the forums, "RAWR RAWR I WROTE COMMENT N DIDNT GET MERIT" but honestly I don't think you can get one without trying. If you spend 5 minutes on your regular comment though then maybe you'd have a shot but I usually spend 30 seconds,
Also, still looking for more examples. One thing that I have always considered bad to do in comments is to write a score out of 10. Would like to see different styles of merits (eg. Humorous, helpful , etc)
I think my first merit was on a blue elephant game with multiplayer capabilities, second on Splitter Pals, and last two from Cormyn for forum-related things. I found the Splitter Pals merit, but I don't want to post that text wall here. It's on the third page of the game.
You don't "try" for a merit in that you write your comment as an honest review of the game; I write suh comments only if I really enjoy the game, which is rarely for most to prompt me to write a chunk. The merit is a reward if people see it, the main motive for writing should just be for the sake of the review of writing. Apart from writing because I really enjoy the games I review, I write because I'm bored or because I just want to practice writing.
Anyway yes, Bloom Defender Merit, with a slightly different tone:
This game can be summed up in a variety of botanical descriptions. It can slowly strangle you like a parasitic vine on a poor tree as you dread the almost monotonous plodding of the game, but paradoxically it is like a breath of fresh mint. I liked how the user gave the traditional TD game a new coat of (green) paint, instead of the usual fare of dragons, knights, tanks and aliens. It has a nice subtle eco-friendly message behind it (Saving the Mother Tree?), plus the various cute trees and plants melted my heart with their large eyes. (No I do not have Dendrophilia thankfully). Lengthier descriptions of each plant/spirit/spell could be added to give this game more content and depth for one, and to make each of the plants more of a character rather than a static object? At its roots though it is still like one of the many TD games out there, plant towers, cast spells, stop enemies. Nothing much makes this game stand out except for its superficial makeover. Gameplay can be improved with improvements that are specific to the game. Instead of having skill sets, or cashing in on tower upgrades between battles like other TD games though, why not tailor improvements on the nature theme? Two different plants combining to make a new seed and hence plant? Plants dropping fruits that grow into new plants or spells? Cross breeding of plants in a greenhouse between battles? The possibilities are numerous. On a more technical level, what this game needs though is a plethora of features that a typical TD game requires. An enemy counter to help track the next wave's monsters, letting one preempt and decide whether to uproot certain plants instead of keeping them. A speed up function and a function to call up the next wave could have upped this game's tempo and challenge; As it is, the difficulty curve isn't particularly steep and it gets tedious twiddling my thumbs as each wave finishes off slowly. It seems one cannot do with these almost universal strategy game features. One other thorn in this bed of roses for me is that the levels seem like carbon copies with just a change of monsters that really aren't much different. The difficulty level stays pretty much the same throughout, almost like a plateau. Each level drags out like a tattered kite held by a tired running child, it gets more and more dreary when each level has the same amount of waves and almost same amount of monsters to boot. One last saving grace is the ambient music that would be fit for National Geographic, it has a nature like tune and ring to it that pleases the ears. Overall, a decent TD game with a new face, that has the huge potential of an oak sapling to one day become a giant.
Is what you did with the size allowed? It seemed a limitless big on my screen.
Thanks anyways.
After reading your comment I played the game and I would have struggled to write much about it but you actually did a great job.
Sorry for the title by the way. It should read "Can someone please show me their merit". I have to stop making threads at midnight. I can't even think straight.
I usually go to the developers page/website and give my opinions there if I really like the game. I used to do it on kongregate a lot but now I 'm more into forums.
Also thanks for another look at your merit. You definitely gave this one a more natural feel with the same content. I think merits are usually written to suit the feel of the game. Possibly because they just played the game or maybe it is a purpose goal.
Also does using scores out of 10 generally hinder your chances of merits slightly?
You can't honestly tell me that you got a merit just for a casual comment.
Actually I can. The first(and only so far) merit that I have so far I was writing just because I wanted to say what I liked and didn't like about the game. I wasn't thinking about a merit at all.
Also does using scores out of 10 generally hinder your chances of merits slightly?
I don't think so, as long as you have enough to back up why you gave it that score.
I liked all the other Pet Protector games. This one was an improvement on graphics which was nice but the gameplay seemed a little worse for me. Lets start with the things I liked about the game. I really liked how the village looked like a village. It made you want to repair it more. Then the store is pretty much the same but it was nice how you could now use prestige and piety points to buy special things. The work and training and resting were about the same and I cannot thing of a way to improve those. I liked the new skills page. I think it is easier to look at what you need to improve then the old one. It is also nice how the attacking is automatic because it is faster but in doing so takes a bit away from the game. Now for what I did not like. Like all the Pet Protector games it is pretty complicated. Even by playing the other two it was hard for me to figure out how to do some things. Figuring out how to sell things took me a bit but I finally got that. The thing that bugged me the most was when I went to the map. Unlike in the other games where you just unlock different dungeons when you beat one, this game has the explore button. By not knowing this I thought that only a few dungeons were available. I wasted many 'days' training for one of the dungeons that you start with. Also you cannot equip items you find when you are in the dungeon. Overall it is still a great game but you have to spend time getting used to the game. It is not easy to pick up but once you get the hang of it I think it is enjoyable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Honestly I think you just have to be neat and organized about how you layout what you want to talk about. You have to show that you played the game and give good and bad points. Also not all long comments will get you a merit. Don't keep writing if you have nothing to say. The quality is better then the quantity.
