Remove creator points and the creator leaderboard
Feb 21, 2018 12:35:06 GMT -5
VegetarianBacon, Yendis, and 7 more like this
Post by Serponge on Feb 21, 2018 12:35:06 GMT -5
So, first thing first. Let me explain the basic situation in details.
The creator leaderboard was introduced during the 1.3 update in GD to reward players for creating levels. You were able to get one creator point from a rated level, and two creator points if your level was featured. So good levels were getting featured and not so good levels rated only.
Nowadays, levels dont get rated for being bad anymore. I mean, they can. But the main reason a level will get rated instead of featured will be because of the lag factor. So we already have one problem there: someone can put a crazy ton of effort and time into a level, but it still wont get featured just because it lags which means the creator will receive the least possible amount of point while putting more effort than your usual creator. And I can get that a level which may crash some devices shouldnt be featured on the first page for everyone to try it and then realise this level wont work for them. I get that.
However, this means that you can easily exploit this system to get creator points by making simple levels that dont lag:
Thats what we call generic levels.
Sounds simple, right? Everyone could just spam those levels and get into the creator leaderboard? Well no, you still need to get a good understanding of the editor to make those. Many people say generic levels do not take effort whatsoever, but I disagree with that.
To make one generic level, you will need a few hours of work at least. And thats actually quite a lot for just time you put into a game to get a few points. And that is, if you already know how to make a good level. Because you dont just do good levels right away. You need to learn the editor first, and that can take months. So yeah, when people say adiale levels dont take effort, they're wrong. They dont take the same amount of effort as a level like god eater require, but they do still take effort to make.
And also, even if they didnt take any effort to make, I actually dont think its a big deal. Because its a game. You should be able to create whatever you want. Some creators dont find it fun to make big art levels. You know, some people just like to chill out and make a cool fun simple level. It doesnt even have to be that they want points. Maybe they just like to make simpler stuff.
But anyway, Im getting a little off topic there.
So yeah, this is how the creator leaderboard works. You make levels, you get points. The more points you have, the higher your placement will be.
And some people think this is a bad thing. That it makes building a quality level useless. That it encourages spamming effortless levels. What I think is, yes, it does encourage making more levels. But you can still have quality levels, and we have quality levels. Just look at ilrell or sputnix, or echonox, I mean I have tons of examples. So yeah, quality levels are still there and will always be there. Because some people love reaching the limits of the editor. Some people dont care about points. Its not a global issue. Yes some people will exploit the leaderboard, but tons of others wont. Everyone is different.
Now Im not saying the creator leaderboard is perfect. Its not. It could be better. But the point of this leaderboard isnt to get quality levels. Its actually about getting more levels. Robtop didnt fail at that. He didnt make the leaderboard just to reward people, but yes, to make them do more levels.
And its a good decision. We need more levels so the game doesnt die. Just imagine if everyone took months on their levels. The game would practically be dead at this point. There would be like one actual level per week. It seems like a lot, but trust me, its not. Even if those are all quality levels. I may be making assumptions there, but you get my point.
However, I personally think theres still ways to improve this system. Like for example, reward both quantity and quality. Having more than just rated/featured/epic. You could rate a level from 1CP to 10CP, this way people can still spam levels and get tons of CP, but you can also have one big level and get as much CP. Sadly, this system would require tons of work to manage. And you cant accurately rate a level for how good it is, its all opinions. So yeah, even this wouldnt work that well.
Thats why I think the creator leaderboard, while being far from perfect, is actually a pretty good thing. It could be better, but it could also be way worse. And keep in mind, its just one guy thats behind the whole thing. Not a big team, just one guy. And he found a pretty good solution to all of this, so props to him.
The creator leaderboard was introduced during the 1.3 update in GD to reward players for creating levels. You were able to get one creator point from a rated level, and two creator points if your level was featured. So good levels were getting featured and not so good levels rated only.
Nowadays, levels dont get rated for being bad anymore. I mean, they can. But the main reason a level will get rated instead of featured will be because of the lag factor. So we already have one problem there: someone can put a crazy ton of effort and time into a level, but it still wont get featured just because it lags which means the creator will receive the least possible amount of point while putting more effort than your usual creator. And I can get that a level which may crash some devices shouldnt be featured on the first page for everyone to try it and then realise this level wont work for them. I get that.
However, this means that you can easily exploit this system to get creator points by making simple levels that dont lag:
Thats what we call generic levels.
Sounds simple, right? Everyone could just spam those levels and get into the creator leaderboard? Well no, you still need to get a good understanding of the editor to make those. Many people say generic levels do not take effort whatsoever, but I disagree with that.
To make one generic level, you will need a few hours of work at least. And thats actually quite a lot for just time you put into a game to get a few points. And that is, if you already know how to make a good level. Because you dont just do good levels right away. You need to learn the editor first, and that can take months. So yeah, when people say adiale levels dont take effort, they're wrong. They dont take the same amount of effort as a level like god eater require, but they do still take effort to make.
And also, even if they didnt take any effort to make, I actually dont think its a big deal. Because its a game. You should be able to create whatever you want. Some creators dont find it fun to make big art levels. You know, some people just like to chill out and make a cool fun simple level. It doesnt even have to be that they want points. Maybe they just like to make simpler stuff.
But anyway, Im getting a little off topic there.
So yeah, this is how the creator leaderboard works. You make levels, you get points. The more points you have, the higher your placement will be.
And some people think this is a bad thing. That it makes building a quality level useless. That it encourages spamming effortless levels. What I think is, yes, it does encourage making more levels. But you can still have quality levels, and we have quality levels. Just look at ilrell or sputnix, or echonox, I mean I have tons of examples. So yeah, quality levels are still there and will always be there. Because some people love reaching the limits of the editor. Some people dont care about points. Its not a global issue. Yes some people will exploit the leaderboard, but tons of others wont. Everyone is different.
Now Im not saying the creator leaderboard is perfect. Its not. It could be better. But the point of this leaderboard isnt to get quality levels. Its actually about getting more levels. Robtop didnt fail at that. He didnt make the leaderboard just to reward people, but yes, to make them do more levels.
And its a good decision. We need more levels so the game doesnt die. Just imagine if everyone took months on their levels. The game would practically be dead at this point. There would be like one actual level per week. It seems like a lot, but trust me, its not. Even if those are all quality levels. I may be making assumptions there, but you get my point.
However, I personally think theres still ways to improve this system. Like for example, reward both quantity and quality. Having more than just rated/featured/epic. You could rate a level from 1CP to 10CP, this way people can still spam levels and get tons of CP, but you can also have one big level and get as much CP. Sadly, this system would require tons of work to manage. And you cant accurately rate a level for how good it is, its all opinions. So yeah, even this wouldnt work that well.
Thats why I think the creator leaderboard, while being far from perfect, is actually a pretty good thing. It could be better, but it could also be way worse. And keep in mind, its just one guy thats behind the whole thing. Not a big team, just one guy. And he found a pretty good solution to all of this, so props to him.
