If we all did 1 newstuff review a day, the backlog would disappear quickly

[Tuxlar]

Just felt like saying that.

If you're lazy, I imagine just doing reviews like I (now) do ought to suffice:

1. Make the review for players to decide if they'll want to play or not. Most players only care about some kind of numeric rating, but to be reasonably definitive, you'll want to assume some players will be looking for more specifics (not just 'genre'). For example, mentioning instances of 'slaughter' encounters, complex puzzles, extensive non-linearity, long play duration, balance issues, general annoyances (frequent claustrophobia, dark sector use, dickish hitscanners, etc.), among other relevant gameplay mechanics. Otherwise, authors can and should get more specific feedback by other means.
   
2. Don't fuss over individual maps of multi-map sets. As an author, if you want the individual attention for a map, make it outstanding, or release it individually. Map sets get played more in general, so that much at least will balance out. As a reviewer, you're not here to document each nook and cranny.
   
3. Don't write a highschool essay. Get the point across, move on.
   
4. Try to at least complete the wad once, unless it becomes unplayable. Don't let one small part of a map decide your opinion of the whole. You can get away with a review-worthy impression without going UV max, but you should at least tried to fully traverse the map along its intended path.
   
5. Take lots of screenshots as you go. Filter later.
   
6. Try to prioritize getting screenshots that convey as much information as you can about notable instances of architecture and/or encounters. Alternatively, use screenshots to emphasize highly notable, specific elements (grand set pieces, spectacular HOMs, etc.).
   
7. Don't flatter poor wads with many screenshots of their good side, don't bog down great wads with many mundane screenshots. Try to keep the quantity in proportion with the wad's overall quality, as well.
   
8. Don't assume there's a definitive concept of 'standard' visuals, 'standard' gameplay, etc. This was a mistake I made earlier. You're judging these things subjectively no matter what. Just say what was or wasn't remarkable to you, and hope your opinion is in line with most others'. If you must, compare elements against the original iwads as your 'standard', when applicable (i.e. duration, difficulty, degree of "detailing", etc.).
   
9. Wherever you can, without being too broad, use general words to encapsulate elements of the experience; not long, descriptive sentences. Be a bit more specific than simply defining an overarching 'genre', but not specific enough to tell stories. If the wad is hard to pin down with generalizations, but doesn't seem worth elaborating in detail (for the primary purpose of the review, as stated), you can simply indicate as such, instead.
   
10. You're not here to 'sell' or 'condemn' the wad in question. Unless it's exceptionally good/bad, simply conveying the basic, raw information should be enough. Whether or not it's a venerable-but-dated 90s wad, a recent release by a notable mapper, or else a complete joke wad, treat it as if you're a clueless newcomer just trying to decide on something to play.

[Tristan]

I had actually finished mine, but had no way of getting the screenshots to bloodshedder without the renaming issue. Couldn't find a site that didn't do this (that includes the one in the screenshot guide).
I was going to e-mail them but I'm somehow locked out of the accounts.

Yeah that's an intentional plural.

Spoiler

Fuck you Outlook

[Tuxlar]

There's 2 that I know of that worked for me (the latter decided to hang for some uploads, though):
http://www.imageupload.co.uk/
http://postimage.org/

[vtm]

I will try to write two, maybe more, before saturday.

[Memfis]

OK, I'm going to do one today. I enjoy writing them, I'm just a little afraid of annoying people with my weak English but seems like Bloodshedder fixes the most outrageous mistakes anyway (thanks!).

[joe-ilya]

Memfis said:

seems like Bloodshedder fixes the most outrageous mistakes anyway (thanks!).

It's in his title(veins)

[Doom_Dude]

I just submitted a review. Now I can get back to mapping...

[Ed]

It should be assigned, like jury duty.

[40oz]

I tend to forget about the dreaded backlog of unreviewed wads, mainly because new /newstuff chronicles tend to pop up every couple weeks, implying a pretty steady rate of reviews usually.

[dew]

The rate was anything but steady. At one moment several people, mainly Tuxlar and Doomguy93, went review crazy and created a lengthy backlog of unpublished reviews (heh). BS is releasing them steadily, but that's going to dry up soon.

[cs99cjb]

Tuxlar said:

• Don't write a highschool essay. Get the point across, move on.
  

I suspect I'm in a minority in that I actually enjoy reading and writing for its own sake. Right now I enjoy it more than mapping because I burned out.

It's really a question of what one believes to be the purpose of the /newstuff chronicles. By the time most files are unlocked in the review centre, they are old stuff that has already been reviewed in the database. If people want pithy straight-to-the-point reviews then they can look there. I like to think that the /newstuff chronicles are an opportunity to get people interested by means of more colourful descriptions.

Tuxlar said:

• ... Sensibilities are for the weak.
  

If you really believe that then I don't see how you can review any creative work.

[Tuxlar]

cs99cjb said:

It's really a question of what one believes to be the purpose of the /newstuff chronicles. By the time most files are unlocked in the review centre, they are old stuff that has already been reviewed in the database. If people want pithy straight-to-the-point reviews then they can look there. I like to think that the /newstuff chronicles are an opportunity to get people interested by means of more colourful descriptions.

Fair enough. I did say my method was 'for the lazy'. However, my method at least tries to cover all the important information. Idgames reviews are popularity scores with scattered bits of commentary, often far from comprehensive, with no implicit expectation that they ought to be.

I'm not a fan of reading verbose text, and I fight to avoid writing it, personally.

If you really believe that then I don't see how you can review any creative work.

Valuing fairness prevents one from being able to review creative works?

[cs99cjb]

Tuxlar said:

Fair enough. I did say my method was 'for the lazy'. However, my method at least tries to cover all the important information. Idgames reviews are popularity scores with scattered bits of commentary, often far from comprehensive, with no implicit expectation that they ought to be.

I'm not a fan of reading verbose text, and I fight to avoid writing it, personally.

Believe it or not, so do I. :)

Tuxlar said:

Valuing fairness prevents one from being able to review creative works?

Sensibility: "the quality of being able to appreciate and respond to complex emotional or aesthetic influences; sensitivity."

[Jaxxoon R]

Ed said:

It should be assigned, like jury duty.

Thought this same thing as soon as I saw the thread title.

[Ed]

"You're one step away from finalizing your Doomworld account! Please see the Newstuff Review Center for further details!"

[Tuxlar]

cs99cjb said:

Sensibility: "the quality of being able to appreciate and respond to complex emotional or aesthetic influences; sensitivity."

Which influences, though? Do you happen to think slaughter maps are the ultimate form of Doom gameplay? Or maybe you have a nostalgia lens such that you're willing to overlook shitty maps if they're made in the early 90s?

If the goal is to produce accurate and efficient reviews (and hence, contend with the backlog), one might want to be picky about what's important.

Jaxxoon R said:

Thought this same thing as soon as I saw the thread title.

I didn't mean it to imply everyone should have to do a review...

[Face23785]

Ed said:

"You're one step away from finalizing your Doomworld account! Please see the Newstuff Review Center for further details!"

We're all getting grandfathered in right?

[40oz]

I don't check the review center very often because there usually seems to only be really hard-to-review wads remaining. Weapon mods, gameplay mods, community megawads, utilities, etc. There might not be any now, I haven't looked in a long time, but usually when I have a few minutes to kill and nothing to do, all the short single level boom or limit removing wads or wads id already played at their time of release are already taken.

[Phml]

Which influences, though? Do you happen to think slaughter maps are the ultimate form of Doom gameplay? Or maybe you have a nostalgia lens such that you're willing to overlook shitty maps if they're made in the early 90s?

In the context of cs99cjb's sentence, "appreciate" means the ability to understand.

[Tuxlar]

Phml said:

In the context of cs99cjb's sentence, "appreciate" means the ability to understand.

Sensibilities can be both means and obstacle to understanding. If you can't tell these apart, maybe sticking with a safe minimum is best, if getting a job done is most important.

I guess it's unfair to call them 'for the weak', though.

[Phml]

Sensibilities can be both means and obstacle to understanding.

Well, yes. In the sense that if you lack sensibility, you can't understand what it is you're talking about. ;)

Sensibility is by definition the ability to understand. Not a mean, nor an obstacle. The notion of sensibility isn't to be confused with people being emotional or oversensitive.

[Tuxlar]

Phml said:

Sensibility is by definition the ability to understand. Not a means, nor an obstacle. The notion of sensibility isn't to be confused with people being emotional or oversensitive.

Careful, sensibility is not the same as sensibilities, or even *a* sensibility. Sorry if that sounds weird.

That is, an ability to have senses (sensibility, or just plain 'sense' I guess) is different from already having specific senses (sensibilities, or maybe also 'sensitivities'), which can indeed lead you to misunderstandings.

[Doomkid]

Man, some wads are actually kinda hard to review. Some have a really FAT file size for mp3's (what a waste of space when MIDI takes just kilobytes) and some don't run on 99.9% versions of Doom, just the Alpha .99 version of my sister's homebrew edition of GZdoom or whatever, it's like damn, just make it run in the latest version of whatever port you're making the wad for dammit!

I've only done 3 reviews in the last few weeks but I've tried at about 7 so far :P