WTF? You call that feedback?

A few people don't represent the masses, especially these testing lobbies you mentioned which aren't forgehub sanctioned in any way. It's just guys being dudes.

The forge community has always had it's share of douchebags and it always will, find your group and just start pumping maps. No reason to take things personally.

 

Max's lobby is great for getting feedback on a lot of different styles of maps and games.
He's a growing legend around here for testing 35~ maps every Friday.

Randy 355, who hosts the Tuesday Creative Force lobby is great at giving feedback for 4v4 and 2v2 maps.

I've never had experience with other test lobbies, so I can't say much about anyone else.

 

Had the same experience watching one of Warholics testing lobbies. My map pops up and instantly this kid starts trash talking. Spent the whole match complaining about one aspect that I doubt anyone had anytime to focus on any other issues there might have been.

I knew the kid was trouble when I heard him mention being "one of the most popular forgers" so I didn't really take his criticism seriously. The issue came from him hogging up the party chat with his voice. Like u said earlier it colors others opinion.

In the end though, **** people like that. They trash

 

Well about that... I'm sure that's what ForgeHub was originally intended for lol.
Like Multi said though the group of players that say that do not represent the mass. I haven't watched any of the streams or been to testing lobbies in a while so I can't really speak from experience anymore but definitely try submitting to other lobbies. Don't leave ForgeHub.

 

Okay, I really kind of hate how you said this. After rereading it I realize the post itself wasn't that bad, but I almost didn't open this thread. Your title seems like you're begging for attention, because this is the Internet, and we're free to say whatever we want. That's the same issue with testing lobbies, that a few players will always call any map ****. It's a matter of filtering through it. And you can't expect anyone to completely control a group of 12-16 people when some people haven't talked to anyone else. If you're trying to run a testing lobby that strictly you might want to go make your own. I also realize because of my aggressive opening towards you you might not have even read this far, but frankly, I don't care because this is a rant, so I'm speaking the first words that come out of my head. It's the easiest way to stay honest, so I can tell you I'm not mad at you, it's just that I'm mad at those same people who are in your testing lobbies. The people who feel like it makes them more powerful to disrespect others and what they have created. I know that I just had a good experience getting my mini game map reviewed by a bunch of randoms who were there to play customs, not even to map test. Thanks to @brusky0086 for setting up that lobby. So, as everyone else has said, it's not fair to generalize bad feedback to the whole community. That's the end of my rant.

Now, if you manage to make a map worse than most of 343's maps, I'll call it ****, but most people, including myself, would still be trying to help you, because it probably has some potential. Another option for feedback is to upload your map here, and ask for feedback, because it's easier to filter bad results out of a forum than a party chat.

 

You won't @ them though

 

I honestly don't know who it was. I tried to filter out who but was watching a twitch video replay. I'm sure @WARHOLIC may remember and @ReinaStorm was there too I believe. I would def be interested in knowing who it was cus avoiding them would prob be best for future map criticism.

 

If I was there, I'd have to look through my game history to figure out who It was, cuz I have no idea either

 

Let's be clear, there is a massive difference between testing maps, and simply loading them up and playing them.
Playing 35 maps a session does not seem like an effective means of testing maps. There leaves little time between games to actually discuss map philosophy. It tends to lead to "this was bad" or "seems fine" and other generic responses. Not to mention people tagging in and out frequently.

If you want genuine testing, I would suggest taking your map to xDemption's weekend lobbies. They are much more intimate. He tends to care a lot about his lobbies and will present feedback after 3 play throughs in a single lobby. By only playing a handful of maps each lobby, you get a better feel for each.

Hope that helps and makes sense.

 

In response to that kid,



Also, I realize in my earlier rant I sounded a lot like Schnitzel, and that's not a good thing. My bad guys.

 

The real problem I see is that there is nowhere that someone can get 2v2 or btb maps tested repeatedly like xDemption does with 4's, which is partly why I am planning on starting a 2v2 lobby that does just that - once I get my setup all finished and my desktop fixed.


But as far as the thread is concerned, if the person has only played a single match on the map most of their concerns or feedback is probably null - pay attention to what they complain about alot, but don't make decisions based purely off of that alone. Some maps take 3 or more games to get a good feel for and then some of the things you didn't like in the first one might have an actual purpose.

Basically, if they are salty about the map - just take their opinion with a grain of salt. (pun intended)

 

I know that @Randy 355 does testing on Tuesday's, for the most part he focuses on 2v2's until he has more people join up and are willing to play 4v4's.

 

Are we throwing shade now? Your map sucks kid.


Why are you throwing shade my way?


-edit-

In case you couldn't tell, I'm not being serious. Jesus.

 

Hot po-shi-, er I mean hot po-shade-o?

Aren't there like two basic ways to participate in a test lobby?

• Play through and pay attention so you can give useful feedback based on your knowledge and experience
• Or just play without comment so others can watch how the map gets played and they do the commenting
• Or my way which is to demonstrate how a problem child Spartan constantly trips over the geometry and occasionally gets trapped in weird places that everyone else just knows not to go

I don't know anything, but it seems like 60 seconds of prep by the lobby leader could let participants know what's expected of them. Does anyone have this stuff worked out and documented to help new lobbies get up to speed fast?

 

I mean If you don't get good feedback just move on to a different lobby.

Also, while differing perspectives are usually great, I find it pretty easy to understand what I need to do after tests. Past that I just walk around with another forger or two and talk about it. I personally think that the creator is responsible for interpreting feedback, so it's important to understand that like half of all feedback is complete nonsense and you shouldn't listen to it. Here are a few examples that I've heard. Names included, because **** being nice.

Squall-E: "I had no Idea where I was the entire time."

This isn't your everyday stupid. This is advanced stupid.

MultiCockOn: "It's safe"

Just ****ing forge what you want.

Purely ***: "I love it"

Delete it.

Seriously, though. You control what happens to your map, so just learn how to say no, or move on.

 

First of all, gameplay feedback from someone playing a map for the very first time is completely irrelevant. It's going to be different depending on the makeup of the teams and their familiarity with the map, so anything beyond initial impressions at that point is noise. But if you want that kind of feedback right after a game, expect it to be visceral and dependent almost exclusively on whether it was fun and fair for the person or not.

Most people are not going to be able to analyze the map on the spot. However, you will find plenty of people in the Forge community who take the time to offer constructive feedback after having thought about the design. They are usually the people in dedicated testing lobbies where you find real design feedback and not complaints about z-fighting or orientation on unfinished maps. Whether it is helpful or in line with your vision for the map is one thing, but it's the author's responsibility to sort through what they get either way, whether it is constructive or not. Watching films and participating in lobbies to play on your own map will usually tell you all you need.