Ratings on Files

[Site Bot]

Article link: Ratings on Files

 

Ratings are therefore depending on a mod's functionality. These are not used to rate low to files because it is simply not 'lore-friendly', and the moderators should be able to tell you once.

 

'If this mod does not please you, pass it by without comment.'

 

The rating system is not for you to rate something you don't like very low, and the system is not to be abused with. It's rated on functionality and performance, not your moral opinion above all others. The Nexus is not provided a platform for you to discuss that opinion.

 

If you choose to rate files low and give bad comments directly, you could offend the author, and could risk a high chance of your comment being reported to a moderator. The only time must you rate a file low is due to it's functionality and performance.

 

- RATINGS 1 - 4 -

 

Low ratings should only be necessarily used when a file does not work properly. If it's spam, or some other virus or miscellaneous that aren't a mod for your game, you reserve every right to report the file, and rate it low I guess...

 

- RATINGS 7 - 10 -

 

Good ratings are often given if a mod works properly, and has a fair functionality. If you see a mod that works fine and you may think 'Ooooh! Nice mod!', you could probably rate it 7 - 10, which I'm pretty sure you'll do anyway.

 

Once again, ratings are used for functionality and performance. This site is third party. We can make whatever mods we want here. It's kinda like 'Burger King - Have it your way'. You're pretty much entitled to provide constructive criticism. If it's positive, the author could really use some help from your info. If it's negative, and critical, the author may be offended, and as I mentioned, a high chance of somebody who is bound to report you.

 

If you haven't read the rules yet, you should take a moment to read the Nexus guidelines now, so in the future, you don't put yourself in trouble with the moderators or Dark0ne himself.

 

I had to revise this note, because I've noticed quite a few comments disrupting my files since I was on here. I hope my article was helpful. Not trying to offend anyone here. Just saying it loud and clear, because I don't want other people getting in trouble for being critical.

[LHammonds]

We've been getting several reports on ratings such as 7, 8 or even 9 because they are "lower than the average" and are requested to be removed on those grounds.

 

Granted, there are some people that try to manipulate the top lists by voting several mods down even if it is using a 9 to do so but we can usually tell if somebody is doing that based on their voting pattern, IP address, vote justifications in comments, profile info, etc.

 

Assuming no malcontent, we will not remove a vote simply because it falls below the "average" vote and here is why:

 

If 3 people vote on a mod and give it all 10 votes and the 4th guy comes along and votes 9, does that vote deserve to be removed purely on the grounds that 3 other people voted a perfect score? No.

 

Votes are weighed differently by different people. Most people start the mod as a 10 and remove points as they find problems. Others start with 5 (average) and add or subtract based on what they find.

 

When it comes to moderating votes, here is your ticket for ensuring your vote / comment is not removed:

 

1. If you vote a 10, you do not need to write an essay why it deserves a 10 but it would be nice if you mentioned your favorite part of the mod to give helpful feedback other than a comment that says "awesome"

 

2. If you vote a 9, 8 or 7, you need to let the author know what the item(s) were that kept the score from being a 10 along with a suggestion for how you would want it fixed.

 

3. If you vote a 6, 5 or 4, you really need to explain what the issues were and there would likely need to be a long list of problems. Saying that you couldn't install because the readme file didn't have detailed enough instructions does not warrant a large reduction...(actually should not even vote if you did not play it). Likewise, if you do not like one sword out in a mod that adds 10 swords, that does not warrant a large reduction in points because of a small component in comparison to what the mod adds.

 

4. If you vote anything less than 4, you are basically saying that the mod is broken, or does not do most of what it claims to do, or breaks main quests in Oblivion, etc. It is rare that mods would deserve such a low rating mainly because if a mod is described as doing something, and it does what it says it does, it should never receive a vote less than 5 even if it doesn't have a readme file, screenshots, very little content, cheat mod, flat out ugly, etc.

 

Basically, the lower the vote, the more justifications / suggestions are expected.

 

If you vote less than a 10 and need to address issues with the mod, be prepared to present what you find wrong with the mod as well as suggestions for fixing it. This is called Constructive Criticism. Without the "constructive" part, it is just criticism and griping which are not allowed. If you cannot think of a way to make it better, avoid clicking the vote button.

 

Something else to consider...if you vote on a mod and give it a 6 because of some issues and you spelled out what they were and how they could be resolved (in your opinion) and the author later makes an update and incorporates all those changes, doesn't the author deserve your 10 vote? I rarely see people that low-vote a mod go back and update their vote once the mod has been updated. This is another inherent flaw with public voting systems...especially when the content is updated. The only way to correct this is to upload new versions as separate uploads...thus eliminating the prior votes that are no longer applicable BUT there are many more problems with doing this rather than updating the mods on the same page. I won't go into the long list why, just know it would not be a good idea...and thus, the problem remains.

 

As a player wanting to check out mods, just remember to take voting systems with a grain of salt and be sure to look at all the avenues of input: Popularity (vote), download count, date uploaded, author, version number, comments, recommendation lists, mod description, etc.

 

As a mod author wanting feedback, also take this with a grain of salt. It's nice to see you mod pop up on a top listing but that is all it is. It does not confirm or deny the merit, usefulness or ingenuity of your mod. If you are truly wanting feedback, you will be reading the comments rather than looking at fickle popularity contests. You might even want to create a "feedback form" to make it easy for your reviewers to use as a checklist of things to watch and comment on.

 

Okay, now that I've got past my sleepy stage (10-11pm) by typing all this up, I can get back to modeling in Blender. ;)

 

LHammonds

[Lord Slyther]

Thank you again, LHammonds, for pointing that out. I noticed in the past where I had bad ratings on my files because people strongly believe it doesn't deserve to stay on these grounds, and I see most people are familiar with the way of NG, which I'm thinking they're saying 'BLAM THIS PIECE OF CRAP', because it doesn't fit the game.

 

But mods change the game entirely. If BethSoft didn't want us to mod, we wouldn't have the wonderful features such as Construction Set, and many other awesome mods like Deadly Reflex, OBSE, Midas Magic, and many others.

 

Yeah, I know. Somebody had to say it, if this info wasn't up already.