Taking Back the Rating System

Not so long ago, Atmosphir had a server-side update. This basically means that the players did not have to update their clients, and the only change was to the server software itself. In this update, the way levels appear in-game were displayed differently. The order in which they appeared was altered in hopes to do a better job of sorting the good from the bad.

And for awhile, this worked. Recently however, poorer levels seem to be surfacing on the top of the lists. EdacOnag made a statement about this on the forums. Here is a quote:

“It seemed that, until we got the new play browser/rankings, the levels that would rise to the top would always be ones with a bunch of run power-ups in a straight line to the finish, or levels that look like: Start Flag -- Platform -- Finish Flag. After the new update, better levels were being featured. The new rating system helped with that. Unfortunately, it seems that the new ranking system has focused more on plays again. The shorter, easier levels generally get more plays, and therefore rise to the top of the Play Browser, even if they have a low rating.”

This statement sparked some conversation in the forums. Some players stopped by to give their agreement, and we came to the conclusion that something needs to be done. After a short while, Dave (OkaySamurai) himself stepped in and left a reply. It was as follows:

“What seems to be happening - as usual - is people create multiple accounts to push their levels up (or vote other people's levels down - someone apparently has a vendetta against bigdrip because his levels sometime have way lower stars than they should - maybe some of you have felt this too). Whether by IP or time limits or whatever, we need to work against this. And we will in the future, as I've mentioned this will always be a work in progress.

For now I would say this:
Give 1 star to terrible levels that anyone could make in 5 minutes.
Give 2 stars to levels people at least put some effort into, but still aren't very well designed.
Give 3 stars to average levels where the good and the bad are about even.
Give 4 stars to really good levels that might have a small flaw or two.
Give 5 to near-perfect levels.

So until we fix things, when you see bad levels at the top, the best thing to do is 1-star them.”

All we can do at this point is follow his advice. This especially refers to the levels that can be completed in ten seconds with virtually no work. This means spamming the run power-up so you can run at super speeds to the finish flag 10 blocks away.

If you are guilty of rating these levels high, or making them in the first place, keep in mind that you are being targeted by the community. We WILL make the rating system fair, one way or another.

Want to leave your opinion on this topic? Comment here: http://www.atmosphir.com/forum/index.php?topic=7158.0

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Dave Has A Casual Conversation With Atmosphir Players

This afternoon, Dave (OkaySamurai) graced us with his presence over UStream. He spent some time playing levels and talking to those of us who were watching. I was only around to watch him play a few levels, which I believe were called “Sacred Realm” by Gary1, “How I Fell In Love” by DJrunn3r, “Pond S.C.U.M.” by EdacOnag, and “Time Trial Tower Dash [Mini09]” by Colinnn (Me). I don’t believe he beat any of them, but he did reveal that he loves popsicles.

Aside from playing, Dave also held a Q&A session, due to popular demand. For those of you who couldn’t make it, here were the main points, as remembered by Nuinether and me:

-Restart Button. There’s one in development. This is for the levels that you simply have to start all over.

-Game Controller Support. It’s the sort of thing he would like to happen, so odds are it will.

-Chicken Launcher. I’m pretty sure this was a joke, but it was mentioned all the same. Atmosphir will be very interesting if we have to shoot enemies with exploding chickens.

-Angling Blocks/Platforms. Not really any news there.

-Water. It has been confirmed for the new engine, but this was pretty well known already.

-Props. Soon we will be able to attach props to one another.

Among these things, there were a few minor notes. The first, which I’m not sure is worth mentioning, is that Dave likes pie. Second, any level that involves popsicles is an instant five-star, though I’m fairly certain this was a joke. Third, the office is apparently a mess. The fourth is that Dave has a lot of random objects around him. We saw a stuffed AiAi (Monkey Ball), Petey Piranha (Mario), a wooden action figure, some sort of plastic seal, and everyone’s favorite, a car carrying three men that plays obnoxious music (In this case, it was Low Rider by War. Old music is old). He also refused to show footage from the new engine, whose name is still unknown.

Feedback from the meeting was generally good. The community had been pressing for more contact with MiSt (Minor Studios), so this was a popular event. Unfortunately, due to the short notice, many missed it. Also unfortunate was the fact that Dave did not record the session. Of course, this is understandable, because he was the only one talking. The rest of us were typing.

Personally, I would love to see this happen again, perhaps with a little more notice from Dave. The chance to talk with him in a casual environment was a great experience.

As a side note, I'm still working out all the details for the blog. My main focus right now is the banner, which is harder to make than you might think. Any suggestions would be helpful.