So i was thinking , why is the rating system for games so simple ?! i mean i remember that about 2 or 3 years ago we were able to give a rating between 10-1 and i think it was a good rating system (Not perfect , but good) i think AG , As a dedicated flash game site and a great one, should upgrade the system i mean come on guys ... Every thing in the site is almost perfect, the games the forums and ... We just lack the rating system . I mean if the site had a great rating system not only it would have been great for the gamers to see what game to play and what not to (or post pone or something ...) the creators and the people who try so hard to fulfil our urge of gaming can see where did they go wrong in their games and what part of their game was good so they can focus on it in the future games and ... i just think the like and dislike is ... well childish or a little inappropriate for a great flash game site ...
I have a few ideas to make the sites atmosphere a little bit more professional ...
First : I guess as we have knights and moderators in the site you guys should add a rank or a status or ... as a Critic : someone who is main role is to criticize the games and value it or ... in the forums and ... and maybe if it was good enough put it in the game page so as we are choosing to play the game we can read it ... (These guys can be volunteers or paid staff or ... its up to to you guys to choose)
Second : We need a enhanced rating system my ideas are : we can add a couple of forms to the rating section like graphics like sound and ... and we give a point out of 10-20 or ... then we write why and ... (Its optional and not necessary but if we truly care about the dev team then i guess its the best thing to do) and the end when all the sections (or forms or blank space or ...) are filled the there will be a overall score like this :
sound :10
[Why ...]
graphic : 9
[Why ...]
gameplay :10
[why ...]
(there can be more sections this is just an example)
overall score: (10+9+10)/3 = 9.6
And in the end i just wanted to thank all the staff in AG and all the gamers who have created this amazing place ! GAME ON !!!
First : I guess as we have knights and moderators in the site you guys should add a rank or a status or ... as a Critic : someone who is main role is to criticize the games and value it or ... in the forums and ... and maybe if it was good enough put it in the game page so as we are choosing to play the game we can read it ... (These guys can be volunteers or paid staff or ... its up to to you guys to choose)
The thing is, anybody can be a critic. The Knights are basically critics as well. You can tell because merits are given as rewards for good game comments. Though ALL users are encouraged to give great comments on a game. You don't need a title for that. The title for "Moderator" is more informational. The title of Knight is for someone who is a very great contributor to the Site, not just for being a good critic, but for also being diverse in all parts of Armor Games.
and maybe if it was good enough put it in the game page so as we are choosing to play the game we can read it
For this part specifically, users may read the comments about the game, that is why it is important that users make good comments on games, so that the next set of users have a gist on what the game is.
We need a enhanced rating system my ideas are : we can add a couple of forms to the rating section like graphics like sound and ... and we give a point out of 10-20 or ... then we write why and ... (Its optional and not necessary but if we truly care about the dev team then i guess its the best thing to do) and the end when all the sections (or forms or blank space or ...) are filled the there will be a overall score like this :
Hmm, that does sound like a good idea. Though the rating of a game is probably based on how good a game is generally. It is like rating the game as a whole. The parts of a whole are not the same as the whole itself. Meaning, though some parts in a game (ex: Sound) is not as good as the other parts, that particular part enhances the other parts. It is like addition: 1+3=4. They make the whole thing better. Being more specific though, can be done in the comments. That is why we have them. The like and dislike is for a general idea, and the comments are for the specific ideas.
@SirLegendary
And now i have a better idea ! we can wrap up the two ! you know what i mean right ? beside the enhanced rating system the like and dislike should remain and i agree with you about the whole thing . and about being more specific that why we can add the info part where they must say why they did give the point they gave and ... for each part ... and about the critic i guess your right didnt think of it that way but there should be a link to the reviews for each game when we open them . (got ninjad but i still say that we need a good reviews link because people sometimes dont comment greatly ...)
Hmm, yes I agree with you. For reviews, there is a Wiki section next to the Overview section. Though new games don't have it. But I guess new games wouldn't have reviews that fast either would they?
@SirLegendary now here is where my Critics idea comes in ! if we have them they can do it as soon as the game comes ! and they can do it as soon as the game gets updated ! i mean it would be great !
However, stats at AGHQ showed that people either a) voted 1 or b) voted anywhere from 7-10. This caused some games to have much lower ratings that they actually deserved.
The old rating system was indeed a 1-10 system. The move to the current rating system was based on a realisation - almost all of the ratings that were given (something like 99% of them) were either a 1 or a 10. So the 1-10 thing just wasn't being utilised. And it turns out that the current system (thumbs up/down) matches pretty much exactly with the old system. So nothing was really lost and ratings games is now much simpler.
As for your suggestion, it's a neat one. But like the old system, your suggestion just wouldn't be utilised by the vast majority of our players. The best thing to do is to give valuable feedback in the comments section of the game. And that way, you might even earn yourself a merit!
@mogreche i agree yes but the rating isnt just only for the players to choose what to play what not to play it can really help the mod authors and i have a counter suggestion to :P why not put a link to page with all the ratings and all the things that users have said about the game ... so other players can read them to ! so this way if someone rates and says why he/she has given this score and ... it will be stored in the site and available for others to read
You can find these reviews in the comments section of the game. Those who leave valuable reviews can help out their fellow gamers. And we can also feature particular reviews or comments so that they are the first thing that appears in the comment section.
I'm not trying to poo on your idea at all - I really like it. But unfortunately, most of our users just aren't as interested as you are at leaving thorough reviews. A change to the whole system - while it may be good for people like you and me - would just be cumbersome for most players. And at the end of the day, the rating of a game tells a lot about the quality and whether it's enjoyable.
I actually like the new rating system better, because I can base it on whether I like the game or not and I don't automatically over think about what the rating the game 'deserves' to have is. If I have anything more to say, the comments are right there, and I can explain why the game is 'barely a pass' or if there is any middle ground between 1 and 10.
A moderately helpful feedback comment is much more useful to a developer than an extremely accurate rating.
I don't mean to derail the thread, but I couldn't find a topic to fit my question so I thought I'd post it here.
The thing is, could AG develop some kind of content advisory system for these games? Most are completely harmless, but King of Towers has a "Prison" where players torture and rape weaker players. Normally it wouldn't matter, but my twelve year old nephew loves tower defense games and I'd rather not have to explain to him what prison rape is.
Otherwise, I like the thumbs up - thumbs down system much better than the 1-10 rating.
