Tips to Reviewing

[silent_]

Oh hello. I created this for the noobs, the controversial level judges (not that there's any as of now) who want to improve, or people who want to get into reviewing. Or you could say I made this for the people who want to read this for the shits and giggles.

Basically, reviewing isn't exactly an easy job. By being a reviewer you need to add your opinions in your reviews, but you also need to add objective things. Like all of your sentences in reviews shouldn't start with "I think" or "In my opinion". Believe it or not, this is poor reviewing skills. You shouldn't base reviewing only off of subjectivity. Now, that may be implying that subjectivity in reviews is a bad thing, but it's not. I mean it's great to add your opinions in reviews every once in a while; you just can't do this all the time.

Another tip to reviewing is that you shouldn't have categories like "music". So let's say we have this really shitty level which got a 0 on design, 0 on gameplay, and 0 on placement, but got a 10 on music. This is just an advantage to people who are good at finding music. A good workaround for this is to factor music into the "Design" or "Atmosphere" category.

In addition, reviews should have at least five long and detailed sentences. If you have five or less, it makes your review looked really rushed and bad. This is also where being constructive with your reviews comes into play.

That's pretty much it for now, though. If you have any other reviewing suggestions, post them in the replies, and I'll add them here. And if I think of anything else I'll add them here as well.

Staff, if you deem this thread unnecessary, feel free to lock it.

And here's a list for those too lazy to read above:

1. Don't base your reviews only off of opinions and subjectivity - add some objective things in your reviews as well.
2. Don't have categories in your reviewing like "Music" - instead, factor music into your "Design" or "Atmosphere" category.
3. Be detailed with your reviews - don't have less than five sentences.
4. Be constructive when reviewing, obviously. Shouldn't need to explain further here.
5. Be kind to the level creator, and don't just review based on the cons, look at the pros as well.
6. In a review, you may NEVER write in first person. No "I", no "my", no "me", and nothing else that counts as first person. It's unprofessional. It's not a review. It's a comment. It also helps you to take the most possibly objective standpoint.
7. You may use third person (he, she, they), though you probably wouldn't need that because you're directly talking to the author in our case. That's where you type in second person (you, your, yours).
8. While second person is okay in level reviews, you should still avoid it by using passive tense (It was done well; this level is excellently designed; it could have been done better) in order to make your reviews look more professional.
9. Don't include nitpicks. Only include flaws that one can follow. No "in my opinion" in a review.

[JupiHornet]

This is a very good guide, but where's the rest of the list?

[Zeldamaster12]

Great list overall. Should help users who want to review.

[silent_]

This is a very good guide, but where's the rest of the list?

Those are open slots sorta-speak.

Also, thanks.

Great list overall. Should help users who want to review.

Thanks.

[zioy]

I somewhat agree with this, but you got alot of it messed up.

1. Don't base your reviews only off of opinions and subjectivity - add some objective things in your reviews as well.

Everything is essentially subjective. Unless the level is impossible, everything is in the viewpoint of the player. There is nothing else "objective" about level design. Just common opinion. Learn this please.

2. Don't have categories in your reviewing like "Music" - instead, factor music into your "Design" or "Gameplay" category.

It's possible to count the other categories twice as much to balance a music category out.

3. Be detailed with your reviews - don't have less than five sentences.

What about five essentially-but-not-really-runon sentences

4. Be constructive when reviewing, obviously. Shouldn't need to explain further here.

Yes.

[JupiHornet]

I somewhat agree with this, but you got alot of it messed up.

3. Be detailed with your reviews - don't have less than five sentences.

What about five essentially-but-not-really-runon sentences

What if the level is really terrbile and it's like in CC9 where the judges just said "no?"

[zioy]

I somewhat agree with this, but you got alot of it messed up.

3. Be detailed with your reviews - don't have less than five sentences.

What about five essentially-but-not-really-runon sentences

What if the level is really terrbile and it's like in CC9 where the judges just said "no?"

If it's something REALLY bad, then a simple "no" is fine. I meant in actual level judging, not contest judging.

[Zeldamaster12]

Okay, I'm not used to rating in categories. I don't when rating SMF levels, but I've seen a lot do it here, so I thought I would try it out, but I just don't feel comfortable rating like that. Do you have to rate in categories?

[HeroLinik]

Okay, I'm not used to rating in categories. I don't when rating SMF levels, but I've seen a lot do it here, so I thought I would try it out, but I just don't feel comfortable rating like that. Do you have to rate in categories?

You don't have to, but it's easier and much clearer if you do (I rate in categories and find the average of the category scores to get the final score). To be honest, it's a lot harder to review when you're not rating categories of the level, such as level design, music, graphics and NPC placement, and SMBX levels are usually a lot more complex than SMF levels, as in SMF you don't have CGFX or nonlinearity, just a small group of tiles to play with.

And here's for another tip: be kind to the level creator, and don't just review based on the cons, look at the pros as well - we don't want any AVGN-like reviewing here. If you feel like raging at or being rude to the creator or anyone else, just don't review it in the first place. We're not all expected to be Chad, reghrhre or Kyo-wannabes, we all have our own level design strengths.

[underFlo]

Don't have categories in your reviewing like "Music" - instead, factor music into your "Design" or "Gameplay" category.

What does music have to with Gameplay though? It's more a part of GFX or Atmosphere.

[AirSeus]

Okay, I'm not used to rating in categories. I don't when rating SMF levels, but I've seen a lot do it here, so I thought I would try it out, but I just don't feel comfortable rating like that. Do you have to rate in categories?

You don't have to, but it's easier and much clearer if you do (I rate in categories and find the average of the category scores to get the final score). To be honest, it's a lot harder to review when you're not rating categories of the level, such as level design, music, graphics and NPC placement, and SMBX levels are usually a lot more complex than SMF levels, as in SMF you don't have CGFX or nonlinearity, just a small group of tiles to play with.

And here's for another tip: be kind to the level creator, and don't just review based on the cons, look at the pros as well - we don't want any AVGN-like reviewing here. If you feel like raging at or being rude to the creator or anyone else, just don't review it in the first place. We're not all expected to be Chad, reghrhre or Kyo-wannabes, we all have our own level design strengths.

That final paragraph mostly happens to me, every single time I post a level/episode, most people only focus on the cons and never the good. (Yes, you mudkip on my very first boss).
And then I get de-repped for telling them not to be negative (christian07, superiostar) and then they will compere it to me and say that I am negative allot even know there twice as negative to me!

[HeroLinik]

And here's for another tip: be kind to the level creator, and don't just review based on the cons, look at the pros as well - we don't want any AVGN-like reviewing here. If you feel like raging at or being rude to the creator or anyone else, just don't review it in the first place. We're not all expected to be Chad, reghrhre or Kyo-wannabes, we all have our own level design strengths.

That final paragraph mostly happens to me, every single time I post a level/episode, most people only focus on the cons and never the good. (Yes, you mudkip on my very first boss).
And then I get de-repped for telling them not to be negative (christian07, superiostar) and then they will compere it to me and say that I am negative allot even know there twice as negative to me!

I was a level judge for a long time before, so I'm used to seeing levels and criticising them. When I review levels, I try my best not to focus mainly on the cons, despite some part of me telling me to. For each category, the first half of it focuses on the pros, and the second part focuses on the cons, and I give possible solutions rather than rebuke the level designer and say their level is bad. Then I just round off each category, and for that matter the entire review, with a positive report with fixes for the bad points. I only go onto the negative side when I know I'm playing a joke level and I have to review it, but if it's a person's first level and it's unintentionally bad because of this, then I review it just as I would with any other level, but I actually offer a lot of advice to the level designers as they're new, by teaching them aspects of SMBX as part of the review that they probably don't know as a way to fix problems.

[RudeGuy]

That final paragraph mostly happens to me, every single time I post a level/episode, most people only focus on the cons and never the good. (Yes, you mudkip on my very first boss).
And then I get de-repped for telling them not to be negative (christian07, superiostar) and then they will compere it to me and say that I am negative allot even know there twice as negative to me!

There are things which might don't have any positive things at all. Also, I suggest to see the things you wrote in the posts which you got downrepped.

[silent_]

And then I get de-repped for telling them not to be negative (christian07, superiostar) and then they will compere it to me and say that I am negative allot even know there twice as negative to me!

Well then don't tell them to not be negative and accept the criticism.

[AirSeus]

That final paragraph mostly happens to me, every single time I post a level/episode, most people only focus on the cons and never the good. (Yes, you mudkip on my very first boss).
And then I get de-repped for telling them not to be negative (christian07, superiostar) and then they will compere it to me and say that I am negative allot even know there twice as negative to me!

There are things which might don't have any positive things at all. Also, I suggest to see the things you wrote in the posts which you got downrepped.

Ahem

1st Down rep reson: Highlighting in caps
2nd Down rep reson: Asking someone to focus on the pros
3rd Down rep reson: Apparently ragging when I was not (Again, highlighting key points in caps)

And no christian07, you and superiostar are the only ones that be over the top with negativity and you telling someone to die on the irc.

[Mable]

Caps are generally considered as raging or spam. Altough i don't see how this is revelant to the mainpoint of this thread right now.

The thread itself is useful imo and can help starters who are new to stuff like this to get better at it. Good work Kep.

[RudeGuy]

And no christian07, you and superiostar are the only ones that be over the top with negativity and you telling someone to die on the irc.

Uhm
...
What

I haven't done nothing for a while. If you're still gonna arguing, please take this in PM.

[silent_]

Added castlewars's suggestion about being kind to the creator to the original thread.

I'm open to more suggestions.

[HeroLinik]

-- Don't judge a level solely based on the graphics --

A lot of the time, new users are really distracted by cool fancy custom graphics that their level design begins to suffer. Good reviewers don't get distracted by the fancy custom graphics and focus mainly on the design aspect. It's not about the custom graphics, it's about how you use them.

However, there are certain kinds of graphical issues that a reviewer should point out so that they can be fixed. Cutoff is one. This is when objects are left "hanging open" in a way that was not intended. As in, the outline isn't covering a side that's open to the air. This is usually an eyesore, and can usually be easily fixed by turning off auto-align and placing the object carefully so it isn't left open to the air. While one instance of cutoff doesn't make a level terrible, in large amounts it can just become too much of an eyesore.

Another graphical issue is clash. Now I must say that too many people misuse this term without knowing what this means. Clash is when two objects in a vicinity of each other aren't compatible with each other, such as lava in a Toad House. It has absolutely nothing to do with the games they come from. A good reviewer should take this aspect on board and try to review properly, using the proper definition of "clash" as given here - even some reviewers misuse the term! The exception is in extreme cases, when clash could really affect a level.

[lighthouse64]

-- Don't judge a level solely based on the graphics --

A lot of the time, new users are really distracted by cool fancy custom graphics that their level design begins to suffer. Good reviewers don't get distracted by the fancy custom graphics and focus mainly on the design aspect. It's not about the custom graphics, it's about how you use them.

However, there are certain kinds of graphical issues that a reviewer should point out so that they can be fixed. Cutoff is one. This is when objects are left "hanging open" in a way that was not intended. As in, the outline isn't covering a side that's open to the air. This is usually an eyesore, and can usually be easily fixed by turning off auto-align and placing the object carefully so it isn't left open to the air. While one instance of cutoff doesn't make a level terrible, in large amounts it can just become too much of an eyesore.

Another graphical issue is clash. Now I must say that too many people misuse this term without knowing what this means. Clash is when two objects in a vicinity of each other aren't compatible with each other, such as lava in a Toad House. It has absolutely nothing to do with the games they come from. A good reviewer should take this aspect on board and try to review properly, using the proper definition of "clash" as given here - even some reviewers misuse the term! The exception is in extreme cases, when clash could really affect a level.

Agreed, I barely use any kind of cgfx and clash isn't always bad anyway. And if there is only 1 cutoff it shouldn't lead to like -3or 5 points.