Well seeing the monstrous influx of maps daily, we obviously don't have time to play-test them all, and actually give formal reviews for each of them. So I've recently (Well not recently, but during the past few months) have been stumped on what to do. As many members also have personal discrepancies of doing , is reviewing maps of off screen shots and descriptions, without any actual game play taking place. It's obviously bias, incorrect, and misguided. Pictures may give visual attributes, but no real integrity can be determined from viewing images. It then leads me to choosing maps I feel should deserve a review, and discarding others, which turns bias. Choosing maps goes through a process in which popular map makers will receive my download. But lets not get into that aspect of Forgehub bias, which I don't feel is entirely bias at all. But I've wanted to ask the community on what they do to give feedback/criticism/reviews on maps with hundreds of them coming in weekly. Do you download them, play the recommended game-types, and post your thoughts. Or do you just wing it, giving your personal scrutiny. And who knows, maybe this could even out junior reviewers, and new members learning to post maps/review others.
I actually post without playing on most maps because I always have something against them. If they give descriptions on the gameplay, I can pretty much imagine it. But if I comment, then download and play, I might comment once again if it is good enough. However, I think some people are bad at judging gameplay, so I think they shouldn't be posting without playing.
In the past I have posted on maps and commented o them basing my comments on their pictures and description and often taking notes of other comments which comment on the gameplay of a certain map. However, in the past i have stopped this, i feel because of becoming a more experienced forgehub member. I always dl and the comment on even the not so popular maps because every map diserves a chance in my opinion, obviously i cannot comment on every map and s tend to comment on those which have less comments as the more popular maps dot nessesarily need the comments. So thats map opinion anway. P.S I have a map which i made myself called PIPELINE which if you read the coments there it has the most amazing comments saying how well it looks and some saying the tested it and like it, and then there is a comment saying how the map looks beautiful but he doesnt think that anyone has actually played the map as he said there are some problems and gave me proper constructive critisism. Anyway check it out thanks.
Honestly, I abstain from posting on a map unless I have personally played through the map myself. I find that giving empty feedback yields an empty sense of gratification, seeing as you didn't really help the map poster. Download, play, comment, feel good, repeat. If you comment based on pictures alone, you could be missing out on a really good map or you could be missing an opportunity to improve the map in a way that nobody else may have thought of. Now, I usually will only download a map if the pictures and/or gameplay videos compel me to do so, so keep in mind that a good post is also a part of a good map.
I agree that it's not good to judge a map based on screenshots (don't judge a book by it's cover) but there is some truth that you can just look at a map and tell the difference between someone who spent <20 hours on a map, and someone who spent 50 hours making a map. While some less time intensive maps might still play as good or better than a map with true dedication it still is more comforting to play on a map where you know the creator has taken a great deal of time testing, modifying, adjust, and trying to make their map as perfect as they can. When I review a map I try and always play test it first, unless it's broken then I don't even bother, but I try and point out to the creator the problems the map is having. I have been tending to only download the maps that have 5 star ratings right now anyways, so some maps go unnoticed. I think it would be cool if we had 2 seperate map forums, 1 for map submissions where maps sit until they've been "formally" reviewed by a (or several) members of a "reviewer" member class. Once the map is formally review, the map goes to the reviewed forums, which will house the more quality maps and have ratings in the post information. Thus it will encourage members to really make an effort to submit the best map they could in order to get enough notice to be reviewed.
I understand where you're coming from, but you can understand the bias here. How can you be so sure that you're hypothesis is any better then someone else hypothesis, being it's all opinionated. You can't be sure of something unless you've actually originated the criteria for something. But I also follow your trend, where I usually give as much constructive criticism as possible, then report back later with actual game play feedback. Thanks for your reply. I fully agree, and it almost feels like we're identical in a sense. I feel judging a map from pictures not only hurts your reputation as a map consumer, but hurts the creator. Actually playing the map, and giving honest feedback is the best thing possible in my opinion. To often do I see stereotypical line or verses coming from newer members trying to follow the Status Quo.
I actually don't post in the map forums very much anymore because I feel like I can't give a good review based on pictures (basically what the OP said). I have started to play more and more Custom Games with my friends from ForgeHub and other forging sites. The more Custom Games I play, the more maps I actually get to play. So say I was in some random party and we played maps A, B and C. If I notice those maps in the forums later, I will post on them and be able to give an honest review based on gameplay. I don't trouble myself to go and find every map I played though.
Yeah, feedback is essential to ForgeHub, but to understand giving feedback, you must understand that you cannot give feedback to every map. I probably look at 5 maps per day. I have probably played 10% of them. Out of those 10%, I will give feedback to about 90% of those. 90% of the maps I look at, I have not played. What a shame, but I cannot play every map. This allows me to leave little feedback. If everyone did as said as above, maps would get feedback lees than what they get today. Why? Because the threads would die quicker. Maps simply must get feedback even if they have not been played on. This does not mean you should spam their thread, but actually try to help them.
I never have enough time to play maps. only if I think they are amazing, I will download and check it out, and may post feedback. I will sometimes base something off of pictures if I see it has a problem a previous map I have made had or maybe another map I played have. Overall, I leave little feedback. I usually help out in forge discussion most anyway.
When I give my criticism and feedback in the map forums, I try to bring attention to what other users fail to capture in their reviews. Often times, it's something simple like a few bumps on a walkway or a misbalance in the weapon layout that goes unnoticed. Basically, I want people to see as many problems with their map as possible, so if they decide to fix or edit it, they don't have to go and do so multiple times.
I enjoy your method. While it's not exactly in someones best intention to illuminate on things wrong in a map, I feel that's the best thing to actually do for the map creator. But with today's current aggression people over react, and oppress your opinions. And that's why I also feel map breaking is a great thing to do, as long as it's not over killed. Reviewing a map including breaking spots is the best thing in my opinion. While people don't enjoy others utilizing breaking spots, if you do publicize the spot the map creator will then be able to patch it, and maybe update the map.