Even though my rating is newbie on this side Ive been clicking since the days when KNP was new.
Had a long pause from the whole deal. Now back.
Even as a new user, Im aware that there are many complaints about too many "games" that are more or less a result of the experiement of a new newbie clicker. And that there are so many demoes, open source projects "build a game out of this if you would like to" and engines and the like.
So when entering the Downloads section youre met with a stackering 38 pages of all kinds of stuff. No wonder its so hard to find what you need.
With few and powerful additions, this problem could easily be solved.
First of all, split the section of Downloads up into smaller fragments. One section of Downloads could be Games. This should ONLY contain finished games. Members should still be able to submit the games as they are used to. If a non finished game or some other was submitted one should be able to complain to the admins and they should then remove or move the "game" to a more apropriate section. The games section should also show an average of the reviews given so one could sort the games after rating as well as the existing sorting methods.
The next section could be demo. Here demos of games can be submitted. Rating included.
Next section Engines. This section could have engines and open source projects where you can see engines and or use them in your own projects. Rating could be included.
And finally progress. Here newcommers and others could show games that are more experimental (how to do certain things) and parts of games. These games are really not thought of as games that should be played but more like, see what i have learned, look at the progress I make, look how good Im becoming, give me help on this, would could be wroing, how could this be better etc.
This way it would be much easier for everyone to find what they wanted to find and much easier for the submitters to get spotted.
Other members please give your thoughts on this. Is this a good or bad idea? How could it be improved? Do you want something like this?
Admins what do you say? Can this be archived if the members want it?
If you knew, I would have to kill you...
Assault Andy Administrator
I make other people create vaporware
Registered 29/07/2002
Points 5686
22nd June, 2003 at 06:29:35 -
It sounds like a pretty good idea. But wouldn't n00bs still post crap in the finished games and stuff?
Shme, even with a game genre I STILL have to go through 30 pages if I want to look for a specific engine, as the download section is like a 100in1 box. Everything is mixed together.
Assault Andy. Hopefully the members would act properly enough to post their downloads in the correct section. If a mistake occurs, one should be able to complain. Many complaints = admins removes or moves the "game" to the correct section. IF and ONLY if the problem gets really big one solution would be that every download was checked by a person or group of persons (download section staff) that would look at the submitted "game" and place it at an appropriate section.
To clear things up. The main advantage of my suggestion would be, that if I were looking for a demo for instance, I would only have to look through a LIMITED number of pages, as the demos would be in their separate section. Now I have to look through ALL the pages AND look to see whats a demo and whats not.
So as a seeker its easier. BUT it also has an advantage for the submitter. As the number of submits are smaller the material to look through is equally smaller meaning the change of discovering ones game/demo/you name it is bigger.
With three words:"Not good enough" (that WAS three right? )
The search is simply not good enough by 3 reasons.
1. If I search on the word "engine" I not only get downloads of engines. I also get all other downloads containing the word engine. Try and search for yourself. You get downloads that have absolutely nothing to do with an engine, but that by some reason contain the word engine in the text.
2. Also if I get a lot of results I have to scroll from now and to christmas as its not split up into pages.
3. An even greater problem. What if I want to see all games??? Not a specific. But all games. Would I search on the word "game"? I dont think so! My conservative guess is, it is not to say whether a games contains the word "game" or not, and demos could easily contain the word "game" as well not to say engines and, well almost everything could.
ok, cybermaze i agree
also there should be some list of the games that have been updated.....'cuz sometimes alot is done on the finished game after it has been sent down the latest submission list...
An improved downloads section is greatly needed. I think what DC needs the most for downloads is a rating shown next to a game. You have virtually no idea how good the game is without reading the entire description and looking at screens. I don't see how this could hurt anyone's game, but I guess it'd be incredibly hard to code.
At least we need a section with the games ranked by their rating. Ranking them by how many downloads the games have recieved just does not do them justice. This is an especially good argument for people who complain that games are only downloaded for their screenshots and graphics. With no gameplay, I'd say games will get low ratings, but they could still get a serious amount of downloads.
the reason that there are no rankings by reviewer ratings is because then people would only download the good games with high ratings. This is not why the DC began this system, it was so all games would be played. I totally agree with Cybermaze, that is a great idea.
They say money is the root of all evil. Bill Gates has more then everyone else, coincidence? Maybe.... nah
"the reason that there are no rankings by reviewer ratings is because then people would only download the good games with high ratings."
Tell me something. Do you only download the games that are GOTW or have much more downloads than the others? If you say yes, then what would be the difference with a rating system? If you say no, then it proves people would still download games that are not up to par.
Why would anyone want to do download bad games? Let's see. They might want to write a review, help someone who is just starting out, or just to get a laugh from a terrible game. It happens. Bad games are downloaded and will continue to be downloaded with a new ranking system.
All the current system does now is try to hide the quality of a game, but that doesn't even work because a description will tell you a game sucks. It just takes longer. The only thing that would change with a ranking by ratings is that you would be able to quickly find the quality of game that you wanted when you wanted it, good or bad.
Im happy to see that we can agree on this matter (more or less).
The downloads section I think is the most less useful section on TDC.
Klikmaster the addition of engine, game, demo etc. besides the download still isnt good enough. I STILL have to go through 30+ pages to see it all. It will be easier to distinguish the type of download yes, but still all too much unnecessary stuff bothering me.
Jeremiah, great points. Can only agree with you.
May I add. A rating system along with the existing info will mean that the high rated games are downloaded most yes. Indeed. But, it will not mean that less rated games will not be downloaded. Also think of what happens WITHOUT the rating. As it is now, its hard to find the games in the download section. Next problem is. What games should I try to download? I can look at the info, but some games are not even rated. Even if they are, it takes more time to look at the ratings. If I have limited time to find a new download I might just pick some random ones, even ones without ratings. If the game proves to be not my taste, I sit back with the feelig that I have wasted my time.
Want the klik community to be more respected? Make it easy to interested people to easily download some descent games! The download section must be able the scare even the most interested people away!
Three words on the downloads section: Chaos, chaos, chaos.
Good idea, Cybermaze. Besides, it's not just the GOTW that get downloaded the most, it's the games in the front page.
And I have to disagree with you, I find the previews to be the most useless page on the DC, but that may be because I rarely (if ever) check them out.
As for ratings next to the download, I remember the first DC had this, with the number of stars filled in inside the last column of the table.
Shadowcaster has, at the moment, little time for the DC, due to his exams and intense revision program. I'll add this suggestion to him when he finishes them.
Andyuk, the excisting sections do of course make the number of downloads I have to look at smaller than just looking at the whole bunch.
But I still dont know whats games, demoes, engines etc.
And the sections are not all to clever. Whats action all about? Its not an RTS, platform, Roleplay, shoot em up or adventure. They allready have their own sections. So whats left? Oh, I see, "Canabuss Music Maker" is action.
Really, I believe its time for a clean up...
If you knew, I would have to kill you...
Assault Andy Administrator
I make other people create vaporware
Registered 29/07/2002
Points 5686
3rd July, 2003 at 07:03:32 -
There's sometimes a bug in the Misc category. If you select misc, it sometimes puts it in action. That happened for one of my music dancers.
sound a good idea but what i find annoying obout downloads is that:
1. in DC past, members and non members could download them and the game could
get high number of people who downloaded (e.g game which should have about 350 people downloaded is now 100 people downloaded which new Dc rules)
So i am complaing about why do members have to download? because of this it is EVEN RARE to get a game in the top 10 now because of members download.
who he agress with me?
I agree. One should be able to download something without being a member. It is insane that you have to be a member to download. Members are mostly game makers, but many non game makers may also be interested in playing the game, and why should they be members?
Since the games are hosted somewhere else (not on TDC) the amount of traffic a download makes is small. It would be fair to allow non members to download. The more people downloading the game, the more buzz about click games. Is that not what we want?
I also think that a Beta section should be added, and a NEW section. For games that are hot off the programers computer. (If there already is, excuse me, I have a hard time browsing the game section)
We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams...
Well, as I think about it, there should be a special list under downloads that would show the last like 10 downloads submitted nomatter if it was a game, demo or what ever, so it was possible to see the lastest stuff submitted.
It would also be nice with a personal favorite list where you could add up to maybe 5 download items. So if Ive made a comment about some game and want to see the response, I got the game on my favorite list and can therefore quickly access it.
Hi there folks, i have forwarded this topic to clubsoft hopefully he does something with it, shame i can't code asp.. maybe i should learn one of these days
Be sure to follow us on the twitters for the latest and greatest: @dailyclick
ugh, don't bother. Learn PHP instead, it's much faster
"Say you're hanging from a huge cliff at the top of mt. everest and a guy comes along and says he'll save you, and proceeds to throw religious pamphlets at you while simultaniously giving a sermon." - Dustin G
Further on your idea Cyber, the favorite list could mabye be viewed by other people? So people could see what a pro klikers fav games are, like what he recomends.
We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams...
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