As a community, I'm noticing that while we've had a lot of discussions about what makes a level good or bad, we don't actually seem to have this information gathered up into one convenient spot new designers can look to for advice.
I think I suggested that we should have a topic for this as well... can't remember where I suggested it, but it definitely seems like it'd be a good idea. That way, new content creators can simply be directed to the guidelines rather than people having to give feedback which could be taken the wrong way.
That said, it's important to have ongoing discussions about these things, and I wouldn't want such a topic to detract from feedback altogether. Players should still post feedback in topics, and discuss exactly which part of the guidelines the creator may need to refer to. A set of guidelines simply shows that these are things that have been discussed and considered previously, and so are less likely to be taken personally.
At the same time though, we need to be mindful not to also discourage people from either giving any feedback, or to make them feel like they can't be honest with their feedback.
You're absolutely right, and - again - I don't think anybody wants to see less feedback.
I just think it's worth considering that if a newcomer has released their first or second pack, and the first few comments they get are full of problem-highlighting and general naysaying, this is likely to have an effect which is ultimately negative for everyone: the creator will feel discouraged, and others who may be considering making packs and taking part in forum discussion may also not want to get involved. Thus there are less players, less creators, less content, less learning, and the same problems and frustrations keep recurring time and time again.
The solution is simply to temper any negative feedback or problem-highlighting with a piece of equally-weighted positive feedback, at least for newcomers and people who have shown that they respond better to praise. I have to say,
I think that generally, people on this forum do do this. But
occasionally it does feel like the emphasis is on the problems.
Having a you MUST do this or you MUST NOT do that is more problematic to me. If you have an open medium that allows creative freedom then it should be as open as possible... like regarding CPM if you said "please bear in mind if the way to play the level requires CPM use then some players may not enjoy it" thats fine if you said "you HAVE to be able to play a level without using CPM" I find that a little bit over the top
Agreed. Guidelines should be exactly that - guidelines, which creators can choose to ignore. The understanding would of course be that content which ignores the guidelines is not guaranteed an audience. Some creators will be OK with that, but others may not. Either way, being informed gives everyone the choice, and everyone knows what to expect.
it must be pointed out what works and doesn't work... Feedback must reflect the true feelings of the player, otherwise it is nearly worthless and can be even misleading
We agree on this, then: pointing at problems should be balanced out with praise for what's good, and vice versa. Those who naturally see the good in things should learn to be more honest about what they don't like, and those that tend to see the problems should learn to take a step back and look for the positives before heading straight for the comments.
People need to learn to free themselves from feelings while reading feedback and focus more on logic. Feelings can often get in the way of thinking clearly and wrong impulsive decisions are being made because of it. Take a deep breath, take a step back and analyse in peace what information can be exacted from your feedback.
I do agree with this, and it's an important point, for sure. Those of us who tend to get heated easily could certainly learn to chill a bit now and then. However - similarly, perhaps those with cool-as-steel logical minds could do with practicing warmth and sensitivity now and again, as well!
I don't like seeing others upset over things like that especially as things could of been worded a bit different.
We all have our roles to play in a community forum. Every forum needs its grams88 - someone who wants to see people happy and co-operating.
Incidentally, I'll be looking at
Nuked Lemmings for the LP series, I'm looking forward to it!