Reply to Re: Just a note for reviewers
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I'd add a comment here. Sometimes, even when you haven't finished a DMOD, you can tell that it is excellent. I'm thinking particularly of Pilgrim's Quest and FIAT. I didn't review them but wanted to - just didn't have the time. I'm also not qualified to judge programmers, except by user's results.
I'd suggest that reviews which are substantially negative should not be allowed until the reviewer has completed the game. In such case, the reviewer should own up that he hasn't finished it yet.
If a player runs into some bugs, couldn't he give a "conditional" review? I.e., he'd say, "I haven't finished this DMOD, but here are some of the glitches I've encountered." And, of course, he should include any praise that he can honestly give, too. This kind of input can still be helpful to the author, even if the reviewer hasn't finished yet. He can always add an addendum to his review when he has done so. It would be particularly helpful, I'd think, for these people to mention how far they'd gotten into the game, too.
Maybe having two kinds of reviews would help? A full review, from those who have taken the game to killing the final boss, and conditional reviews from those who have only gone partway through the game. A partial review could still have some value, especially for the author, I should think, as long as it is constructively intended.
Now that I've finished both Pilgrim and FIAT, my opinion of both remains the same - they're both superb. But I already knew that for sure halfway through each of these games. There's no missing fine craftsmanship, and you don't have to play either one long to know that the stories are well thought out, rich, and with interesting complexities. Next time through, I might make notes about any of the small flaws and glitches I've encountered in them.
I'd suggest that reviews which are substantially negative should not be allowed until the reviewer has completed the game. In such case, the reviewer should own up that he hasn't finished it yet.
If a player runs into some bugs, couldn't he give a "conditional" review? I.e., he'd say, "I haven't finished this DMOD, but here are some of the glitches I've encountered." And, of course, he should include any praise that he can honestly give, too. This kind of input can still be helpful to the author, even if the reviewer hasn't finished yet. He can always add an addendum to his review when he has done so. It would be particularly helpful, I'd think, for these people to mention how far they'd gotten into the game, too.
Maybe having two kinds of reviews would help? A full review, from those who have taken the game to killing the final boss, and conditional reviews from those who have only gone partway through the game. A partial review could still have some value, especially for the author, I should think, as long as it is constructively intended.
Now that I've finished both Pilgrim and FIAT, my opinion of both remains the same - they're both superb. But I already knew that for sure halfway through each of these games. There's no missing fine craftsmanship, and you don't have to play either one long to know that the stories are well thought out, rich, and with interesting complexities. Next time through, I might make notes about any of the small flaws and glitches I've encountered in them.
