Input for level review site

[Guest Fanatic]

I'm looking for some input for my level review site I'm designing for engine versions.

Currently, I have a list of engines that are most commonly used, so when people upload a level, they can select a specefic engine version that their level requires.

The engines I have available are:

ZDOOM 1.22
BOOM 2.02
EDGE 1.24
EDGE 1.25 WIP
Legacy 1.20

Are there any others that anyone thinks would be needed? (a link to the zip would be good too).

And any other thoughts on the general website subject are welcomed.

[Guest fanatic]

Another note, the level review page will have ratings for the following:

Overall quality
Overall design
Fun factor
Texture selection
Texture mix
Texture alignment
Monster placement
Ammo and health placement
Weapon placement

Then we can enter the actual review and two screenshots.

Does this seem like enough, or too much?

[Guest Fanatic]

From the no-input I've received for this project (not just here, but anywhere), I'm wondering if anyone will even use it... :\

[Swedish Fish]

Ok, excuse me if this is brief. I type a good reply and then entered the wrong pw and clicking back button and it ate my message! I'm pissed!

Anyways, I would use your site. I use review sites to supplement my search for the best doom material. Your starting number of ports and criteria is good. I would suggest not reviewing wads we've all played before (like requiem).

Some people don't like/use review sites. I guess you would ultimately have to do it for yourself although I don't know what use it is to yourself.

How's Qdoom going? Timeline slipping bigtime?

[Guest c-d-w]

Fanatic said:

From the no-input I've received for this project (not just here, but anywhere), I'm wondering if anyone will even use it... :\

If you're planning on having any person at all uploading reviews at will, I could see it getting abused... unless you're going to have some type of screening process..
Not everybody can do unbiased, nicely presented reviews, plus you may get people pimping their own stuff.

Oh, add ZDoom 1.23 to the list if you want. A few levels have been released recently that use it.

[Guest Fanatic]

The level review process is very tight. No room for abuse.

You select your zip file that contains just your WAD file, and fill out a well laid out form, and the site builds the readme and details about the level.

Someone has to review the level (e.g. download it from my server in a private directory, play it with the source port that the author recommends, rate it and take two screenshots of the level), and mark it as active/live.

I did the same basic thing at work for tech support documentation. Only people with a particular security level can access the level reviews page, and those that get that privelege will onyl be people I can trust.

If someone does a bad level review (one that is rude or out of place), it will be updated by my to a proper and appropriate review and that user will most likely be demoted or banned.

So trust, me it will be a good set of level reviews.

[Guest Fanatic]

Swedish Fish said:

Ok, excuse me if this is brief. I type a good reply and then entered the wrong pw and clicking back button and it ate my message! I'm pissed!

Anyways, I would use your site. I use review sites to supplement my search for the best doom material. Your starting number of ports and criteria is good. I would suggest not reviewing wads we've all played before (like requiem).

Some people don't like/use review sites. I guess you would ultimately have to do it for yourself although I don't know what use it is to yourself.

How's Qdoom going? Timeline slipping bigtime?

That happens to me from time to time too. :)

I was hoping to just start reviewing new stuff, since most of the older stuff has been reviewed by any number of half-unknown review sites. No sense in rehashing.

QDOOM is slightly on hold while some engine problems are worked through. It's looking really good tho. I fixed up three levels to make more sense and added some more detail to them, and the DDF/RTS is up to date with 1.25 WIP standards.

I'm about 30% done with the showdown level, and only need to finish E3M3 (0% done at the moment). So it's close. :)

[boris]

What about play modes (single/coop/DM)?

[Guest Fanatic]

The author must fill out the information on their level when uploading, which contains all the info you would see in the normal CDROM.COM readme text file.

For example:

Single player
Deathmatch
Coop
Difficulty settings
New sounds
etc.

Here's what I'm using to rate the level (which is also the same data to search/fileter on) (which rates as 'poor', 'good', and 'excellent', except for texture style, which is something liek Gothic, stone, wood, etc.):

Overall quality
Overall design
Overall difficulty
Texture style
Texture mix
Texture alignment
Monster placement
Item placement (health/ammo/barrels, etc)
Weapon placement
Fun factor

Then we get to write up the actual review/comments, and upload two screenshots.

This is for the review itself.

Too much? Not enough? Other ideas?

[Swedish Fish]

Fanatic said:

That happens to me from time to time too. :)

I was hoping to just start reviewing new stuff, since most of the older stuff has been reviewed by any number of half-unknown review sites. No sense in rehashing.

QDOOM is slightly on hold while some engine problems are worked through. It's looking really good tho. I fixed up three levels to make more sense and added some more detail to them, and the DDF/RTS is up to date with 1.25 WIP standards.

I'm about 30% done with the showdown level, and only need to finish E3M3 (0% done at the moment). So it's close. :)

Well it's good to see that you will be reviewing new levels.

I kind of figured that Qdoom was in part being held back by Edge v1.25 which seems to have endured some delays itself. Good to hear your close to finishing though. (Swedish Fish ques bandwidth from his 28.8) =)

Actually, how your review site works is similiar to the new review center at newdoom. I'm not the biggest fan of newdoom but I like their review system where anyone can vote and post reviews. If doom users regularly participate it would be a great resource with varied opinions. It's even easier then sending an email to someone which is a shame because people can't even do that most of the time when they enjoy a wad. I'm guilty too.

http://reviews.newdoom.com/

I think that's right?

[Guest Fanatic]

That's the plan. You'll be able to comment on the review or level, the author can have these comments emailed to them automatically too, and you will be able to vote on the level in some way. Maybe not stars, but something similar.

[Guest Templar]

Sounds good I've been making an edge mod with new levels, monsters, weapons, sounds, textures and all the shit, but I wont release it untill EDGE 1.25 full comes out.

Will your site take partial conversions?

[Guest Fanatic]

Yep. Any kind of level, DM, single player, coop, mega wad, PC, TC, anything.

[Guest kristus]

Just a little note.
The latest version of Legacy is 1.30 and then there's a 1.31 RC version aswell also reffered to as the xmas version.

1.2 of legacy was released.... Hm I don't remember. Couple of years ago anyway-

[Guest Fanatic]

I'm not looking to house every version of every engine tho, just ones that would are required because of certain features that no longer exist.

For example, Covert Ops and QDOOM Public Test will *only* run in EDGE 1.24, so EDGE 1.24 is a version I'll need to have.

[Lüt]

Hi,

I haven't read into this entire thread (sorry I'm lazy) and don't have any worthwhile suggestions (you've covered everything I could possibly suggest) but I just want to say I appreciate the effort and would check this thing out everytime it gets updated. Good luck.