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#26 2013-01-03 04:59:20

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

I've left a great tip at the top!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#27 2013-01-03 05:25:30

JH1010
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-05-31
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Borrego6165 wrote:

Review of JH OS 2 Pre-Alpha

Thanks for your feedback. You have highlighted that I need to do a lot before the final version.

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#28 2013-01-03 07:55:00

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

List OS

"The most advanced OS of its kind, List OS has busted out of the box, becoming a radical new possibility."

Some categories have been adjusted for this OS review.

OS Design 8/10
The design is not as organised as it could have been. For example, one idea I had was that by default the homepage would appear. The homepage would include the title, the credits and the list of commands. Then, when you entered a command, the homepage would disappear (the list was clear) and you would have the name of the app on the top line, and the information you enter will be on the lower lines. Then, when you type "homepage", the screen will clear again, and you'll be back at the homepage. Also, I felt that there were not enough variations of apps available. Nevertheless, I like the list function, and it's smartly scripted (although, it does have organisational flaws) so for that, you deserve eight points.

Originality 5/10
This is original, as I have not seen any other list-OS done like this, although the title could have been more original. Also, I felt that the available apps reflect what you can get on nearly any OS made with Scratch. Everyone seems to enjoy making the same apps for each OS they bring out. For only making the list system unique (which is the main feature), you get five points.

Ease Of Use 4/5
Because of how large the list expands to after using only one or two apps, it gets too difficult to use. There is a reset option, however, I'd prefer an automatic one like the one I mentioned in OS Design. Nevertheless, it's easy to access the list of commands, and each command is easy to remember. This deserves high marks, although it does not deserve full marks.

Purpose 1/5
Every OS has some way to personalise the users' experience. However, with List OS you can't personalise anything. Although it's a cool OS, it's also a pointless OS. So, if it's not for personalising, and it's not for coding, and the apps are available on practically every OS, this has little purpose other than to give more imaginative people a template to use on their own list operating systems, which is where it gains one point.

Graphics 3/5
Fair enough there should be no penalties here, however, if a sprite with every letter of the alphabet and symbol was used (26 for letters, 10 for numbers between zero to nine, and finally four for +,-,/,*), which were stamped onto a black background, then this may have looked like a real command prompt. Then, we could have used code to change the colour of the text. Obviously there would be a limit to each colour, but either their could be one colour per symbol-sprite or a colour-changing block could have been used.

Sound 0/5
There were no sound effects or any music.

Firing Round 6/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
OS Length 1/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
OS Pace 0/2
0 (Very slow or not engaging) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and engaging)
Replay Value 1/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 2/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 28/50
This was a slightly above average experience, which could have been better with more organisation, more interesting graphics, and an actual purpose that would encourage the audience to engage with the project.

TOTAL: 55/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#29 2013-01-03 08:56:47

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Negatives

"Escape your prison of monotony and get to the colour portal."

Game Design 4/10
This is a simple platform game, where you are a ball, who must make it to the exit. It's a bit confusing why the exit is red, but other than this the game is very easy for anyone to pick up. The design of the levels are fairly simple, although I did get trapped on the bottomless pit level, surely you should be automatically sent to the beginning? Overall, the design is basic and not very intuitive, and the ball uses very simple physics with no bouncing required to speed the ball up or to gain extra height. At least it tried being a cool platform game, however, this was a below average design that comes with a small, uninteresting plot that a villain has taken all of the colours from the world. Can't it remove red? Maybe it changed the green exits to red to confuse us? Why did it do that, and us players need a reasonable excuse.

Originality 4/10
This is another platform game, where you must jump over platforms in simple levels and reach the exit without any real exciting moments to stop you. It's no good giving use spikes to bounce over, as although they were tough, and indeed the most memorable part of the game, we'd rather have something a lot more exciting. There's nothing much original going on, even the black and white scheme is used in a lot of platform games (although it's usually for the wrong reasons, because the creator is too lazy to add colour) but because this scheme is used for effect, you get a mark. You also get a mark for coming up with a fairly unique plot, and a couple more for some slightly different level designs from other platform games.

Ease Of Use 3/5
Although you can guess what to do (scoring you some marks) you still need a tutorial for those who don't know how to play a game like this. Plus, it's impossible for the player to escape the bottomless pit, so that doesn't help.

Difficulty Balance 4/5
The game started easy and got harder. The only reason you lose a point is because there was a lack of memorable challenges that you would think about for a long time, such as the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time.

Graphics 2/5
The graphics were too simple. Boxes and circles don't earn you high marks regardless of the style you're going for. If you're struggling to get high graphical marks on games like these then try making a colourful, smoothly-animated game.

Sound 1/5
There weren't any sound effects, and the music was okay but not that memorable. I actually had to go back before writing this section to double-check whether there was any music! One mark for at least including a song, regardless of it not fitting the theme or being 0% memorable.

Firing Round 3/10
Reliability 1/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 1/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 1/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 20/50
An unoriginal, bland game that follows the same pattern of most other platform games. There could have been more vibrant colours, as the storyline isn't good enough to make me think 'screw the colours', and the music was bland. At least that suited the game, however, this was unintentional I imagine.

TOTAL: 41/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#30 2013-01-03 09:15:04

Sholvanic1058
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-04-21
Posts: 100+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

How about this? http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/Sholvanic1058/2910808


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#31 2013-01-03 09:32:41

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Splatter

"Splatter is a fun game where you can play against CPUs or a friend using WASD."

Game Design 9/10
The game is simple, you must shoot down the opponent in the selected level using a paint-ball gun. You either play against a friend, the computer, or watch a match. Although this is fun, it misses out on what could have made it a lot more fun, such as a harder opponent (who stands in the same spot if you are too far away from it), larger maps (filled with power-ups, so that you and your friends have to race across the screen for them), and finally, more interesting level designs that allow you to have an advantage or a disadvantage depending on where you stand. So, in one spot you maybe well covered, and so both players will have to fight for spots like these. However, this is still a fun and memorable game, and so high points will be rewarded.

Originality 5/10
There have been other attempts to make multi-player shooting games using Scratch. This game contains no power ups or bonuses, very simple and generic level designs, and this also contains no unique or exciting enemies to beat. What if each one had different traits? Some may hide and sneak up on you, others may bounce around a lot and be very quick. This is a classic genre that has been tweaked enough to make it different from the rest, but not enough to stand out entirely. For that, it gains average originality marks.

Ease Of Use 4/5
The controls are easy and simple to use, my only problem was when trying to bounce on the blue dots, I felt like I was appearing 20 pixels above them rather than actually bouncing up, which made me lose my bearings a few times. Also, the jumping physics could be made more realistically.

Difficulty Balance 3/5
I'll give this three because the friend mode will be challenging enough. However, I did feel that the computer enemies were too easy, and as mentioned before, they get lost easily too.

Graphics 5/5
The pixel graphics are brilliant, although some nice shooting animations and perhaps some paint splodges would have been nice. Still, these are extras and are not necessary, so no points lost!

Sound 1/5
I do not recall any sound effects, and the music was okay, but a music selection page would have been nicer, because I had to turn down the volume of my speakers after the music became annoying over time.

Firing Round 9/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 2/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 1/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 2/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)

Message to the project creator: Do not be disheartened if you get 0 here, as even the simplest of games can score high in many other categories, especially ease of use and game design.

Overall Experience 40/50
This was a very good experience, although it was not great or outstanding. The level designs and the opponents' AI need upgrading, and the music needs some tweaking. Still, the multi-player game-play and the fun shooting elements still make this worth to play.

TOTAL: 76/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#32 2013-01-03 13:15:37

Firedrake969
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-11-24
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Borrego6165 wrote:

Negatives

"Escape your prison of monotony and get to the colour portal."

Game Design 4/10
This is a simple platform game, where you are a ball, who must make it to the exit. It's a bit confusing why the exit is red, but other than this the game is very easy for anyone to pick up. The design of the levels are fairly simple, although I did get trapped on the bottomless pit level, surely you should be automatically sent to the beginning? Overall, the design is basic and not very intuitive, and the ball uses very simple physics with no bouncing required to speed the ball up or to gain extra height. At least it tried being a cool platform game, however, this was a below average design that comes with a small, uninteresting plot that a villain has taken all of the colours from the world. Can't it remove red? Maybe it changed the green exits to red to confuse us? Why did it do that, and us players need a reasonable excuse.

Originality 4/10
This is another platform game, where you must jump over platforms in simple levels and reach the exit without any real exciting moments to stop you. It's no good giving use spikes to bounce over, as although they were tough, and indeed the most memorable part of the game, we'd rather have something a lot more exciting. There's nothing much original going on, even the black and white scheme is used in a lot of platform games (although it's usually for the wrong reasons, because the creator is too lazy to add colour) but because this scheme is used for effect, you get a mark. You also get a mark for coming up with a fairly unique plot, and a couple more for some slightly different level designs from other platform games.

Ease Of Use 3/5
Although you can guess what to do (scoring you some marks) you still need a tutorial for those who don't know how to play a game like this. Plus, it's impossible for the player to escape the bottomless pit, so that doesn't help.

Difficulty Balance 4/5
The game started easy and got harder. The only reason you lose a point is because there was a lack of memorable challenges that you would think about for a long time, such as the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time.

Graphics 2/5
The graphics were too simple. Boxes and circles don't earn you high marks regardless of the style you're going for. If you're struggling to get high graphical marks on games like these then try making a colourful, smoothly-animated game.

Sound 1/5
There weren't any sound effects, and the music was okay but not that memorable. I actually had to go back before writing this section to double-check whether there was any music! One mark for at least including a song, regardless of it not fitting the theme or being 0% memorable.

Firing Round 3/10
Reliability 1/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 1/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 1/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 20/50
An unoriginal, bland game that follows the same pattern of most other platform games. There could have been more vibrant colours, as the storyline isn't good enough to make me think 'screw the colours', and the music was bland. At least that suited the game, however, this was unintentional I imagine.

TOTAL: 41/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!

There weren't supposed to be any vibrant colors.  Just black and white.  xD


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https://s3.amazonaws.com/eterna/eterna2/logo2.png

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#33 2013-01-03 13:17:29

Firedrake969
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-11-24
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Borrego6165 wrote:

List OS

"The most advanced OS of its kind, List OS has busted out of the box, becoming a radical new possibility."

Some categories have been adjusted for this OS review.

OS Design 8/10
The design is not as organised as it could have been. For example, one idea I had was that by default the homepage would appear. The homepage would include the title, the credits and the list of commands. Then, when you entered a command, the homepage would disappear (the list was clear) and you would have the name of the app on the top line, and the information you enter will be on the lower lines. Then, when you type "homepage", the screen will clear again, and you'll be back at the homepage. Also, I felt that there were not enough variations of apps available. Nevertheless, I like the list function, and it's smartly scripted (although, it does have organisational flaws) so for that, you deserve eight points.

Originality 5/10
This is original, as I have not seen any other list-OS done like this, although the title could have been more original. Also, I felt that the available apps reflect what you can get on nearly any OS made with Scratch. Everyone seems to enjoy making the same apps for each OS they bring out. For only making the list system unique (which is the main feature), you get five points.

Ease Of Use 4/5
Because of how large the list expands to after using only one or two apps, it gets too difficult to use. There is a reset option, however, I'd prefer an automatic one like the one I mentioned in OS Design. Nevertheless, it's easy to access the list of commands, and each command is easy to remember. This deserves high marks, although it does not deserve full marks.

Purpose 1/5
Every OS has some way to personalise the users' experience. However, with List OS you can't personalise anything. Although it's a cool OS, it's also a pointless OS. So, if it's not for personalising, and it's not for coding, and the apps are available on practically every OS, this has little purpose other than to give more imaginative people a template to use on their own list operating systems, which is where it gains one point.

Graphics 3/5
Fair enough there should be no penalties here, however, if a sprite with every letter of the alphabet and symbol was used (26 for letters, 10 for numbers between zero to nine, and finally four for +,-,/,*), which were stamped onto a black background, then this may have looked like a real command prompt. Then, we could have used code to change the colour of the text. Obviously there would be a limit to each colour, but either their could be one colour per symbol-sprite or a colour-changing block could have been used.

Sound 0/5
There were no sound effects or any music.

Firing Round 6/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
OS Length 1/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
OS Pace 0/2
0 (Very slow or not engaging) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and engaging)
Replay Value 1/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 2/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 28/50
This was a slightly above average experience, which could have been better with more organisation, more interesting graphics, and an actual purpose that would encourage the audience to engage with the project.

TOTAL: 55/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!

It was just the prototype for Scratch 2.0.  And no, graphics are rather useless, as it's a list.   tongue   And no, just because one person requests something doesn't mean I'll do it.  But I have an idea.


Click the sign.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/eterna/eterna2/logo2.png

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#34 2013-01-03 13:44:03

notaloser
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-12-06
Posts: 100+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.


http://gifs.gifbin.com/1238409599_nom_nom.gifhttp://cdn3.lolzsquad.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Come-here-I-want-to-tell-you-something.-.gif

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#35 2013-01-03 17:09:54

northmeister
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-07-12
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

I see you're giving out very detailed reviews. I'm starting development of NorthOS 3 soon and need some expert feedback to see what I can improve!  tongue

So yeah, North OS 2 please!  smile

Last edited by northmeister (2013-01-03 17:10:40)


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#36 2013-01-04 06:46:36

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Sonic Time Twisted

"Get across the track and beat the record!"

Game Design 1/10
This game is not a platform game, nor a racing game, nor an arcade game, or anything! There's no jumping involved to make it a platform game; there's no racing element because of its design, and all you have to do is keep the right arrow pressed down from the start, meaning that every person who follows that technique will get the same time; and it's also no arcade game, because there are no obstacles or real objectives to achieve; this 'game' is just a long track with a timer! There might have been a gaming element if you had to keep pressing the right arrow down repeatedly, but no! There's not an action at all required, so it's not a game. The pacing was slow, regardless of the music and the bright backgrounds because you move so slowly. The physics are not great either, on the longest slope you go through the metal and on the declining slope you start floating in the air! It deserves a one for putting a timer in, at least it has a tiny game-play element.

However, this could easily be improved. For example, one method would be to make the player repeatedly press SPACE. However, this would only work on a short track like this one. If you want to make longer tracks, you'd have to start adding obstacles and pits for the player to jump over. Also, improve the physics, as the player will struggle to jump over things if they're unrealistic. You can then either make this an arcade-racing game, or go for an adventure game. For the arcade game, you would have a selection screen with a choice of a few tracks to play. You could also have the ability to race other players. For the adventure game, you could have a story line involved, then the player must get to the other end of the levels to unlock more of the story. There could also be power-ups collected in later levels, that allow you to back-track and unlock bonus content in the first few levels.

Originality 0/10
There are no original characters, the setting, I'm presuming is from a professional game, so that doesn't count as original either. The whole project looks like it was ripped off sonic. I'm afraid to say that there is nothing original here, but you could try designing your own characters, creating your own graphics, and making really unique levels full of imaginative traps. You could also try programming rollers, swinging ropes, and flying powers! However, I'd recommend starting with simple key-and-lock designs, where you must find the hidden key to open a door; you could also try having levers to open doors.

Ease Of Use 4/5
It's very easy to use, and there's no distortion for my hands; they remain in a comfortable position throughout. However, there is no tutorial.

Difficulty Balance 1/5
The game is too easy. There are no challenges, obstacles, or even any goals. Well, one is to see how fast you can reach the end but that merely involves keeping the right arrow pressed down. However, it's a great starting game for young gamers, however, the audience does not reach much older.

Graphics 1/5
None of the graphics are yours, so they don't count. However, seen as you animated the sonic character, unlike others who would have made him still, you get a point. Try making your own graphics, even if they were bad or simple, they'd get you at least an extra mark. Or, ask another scratcher to draw them for you! As long as you give credit to them, and you don't just look on google images, they'll count.

Sound 2/5
I don't recall any sound effects, but the music was okay. I'm not picky on where music comes form in this section.

Firing Round 1/10
Reliability 1/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 0/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 0/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 5/50
This was a poor experience. No imagination was involved, there was no real game-play aspect, and everything on screen was ripped off of other games. However, as mentioned earlier, this can be fixed! Try going for either an arcade-racing style or an adventure style. Make sure that you add challenges, but you also make them possible to complete. Try to accommodate to all ages,

TOTAL: 15/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!

Last edited by Borrego6165 (2013-01-04 06:48:41)


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#37 2013-01-04 07:40:48

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Maze Leveler Series

"Keep playing- it gets interesting in Zone 3!"

Game Design 7/10
One thing that me and the creator agree on is that you'll be bored until you reach zone three! The description above is the tag line created by Notaloser to encourage players to keep going, it is like we're having to be begged at to continue. Nevertheless, although the pacing of the game is slow from the start, (giving this some penalty points) it does get very fun and addictive from zone three and onwards. Perhaps if the first zone was removed, and we started with zone two then the pace would have been bearable. The designs of the levels are bland for the first two zones, however, this series of games does reap points for zones three and after. This is addictive, challenging, and even memorable in some respects. For the most part, this is a great birds' eye view game, although, it will sadly not do too well in the other categories. High points for the level designs, but not too many!

Originality 4/10
This is another top-down view maze game. You avoid obstacles, and move a dot/pixel around a screen of straight (or sometimes bendy) paths. Although these were fun to complete (hence the previous, above-average score) there was nothing remotely original about them. Perhaps a unique, but quick and simple story to give you an excuse to go around would have been good. There could have even been more interesting traps other than sliding objects. However, it is more difficult to be unique when you have the constraints of keeping the camera held at a birds' eye view, but I will not give you bonus points for that. Even the title is not unique, however, I will give you a couple of points for one or two obstacles which I though were different. Also, I haven't seen many top-down games with different zones, each having their own special traits.

Ease Of Use 4/5
The controls are simple to handle, and my hands remained in a comfortable position, however, there were no in-game instructions.

Difficulty Balance 3/5
At first, the game is too easy- to the point of being boring! Then, the difficulty ramps up in the third zone, but there is no smooth decline. You reach the second project, and because your lives have been reset to a mere two, this becomes too difficult. If this was one big project, then we could have saved the lives, because I racked up eight in the first project, then I had to start from two, which was terrible! So, there is a mixture of difficulties to suit all players (scoring you an average amount) but this was not handled appropriately.

Graphics 2/5
The graphics were poor, but at least you made them yourself. Also, the different colour schemes for each zone was appealing, but the simple shapes and the simple colours and the lack of any detail makes this deserve a below-average score.

Sound 1/5
You get 0/2 for sound effects, and only 1/3 for music because they were from the resources folder. Too many projects rely on them, and the songs have started to make me cringe when I hear them, although that's probably because I've been on Scratch for nearly two years, so what do you expect!

Firing Round 7/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 1/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 2/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 35/50
This deserves an above-average mark for the great and memorable experience I had, despite the fact that there was nothing truly original about it. The challenging levels were great fun; if only I could have kept my eight lives from the first project. I'd of rather of controlled a real character instead of a square though, as it would have made me more eager to finish the levels, especially if I could then see the character react after finishing a tough level. This is still a good game, but it's missing a certain charm to make it a great classic.

TOTAL: 63/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#38 2013-01-04 12:05:48

CopperHawk
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-09-23
Posts: 100+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Borrego6165 wrote:

Splatter

"Splatter is a fun game where you can play against CPUs or a friend using WASD."

Game Design 9/10
The game is simple, you must shoot down the opponent in the selected level using a paint-ball gun. You either play against a friend, the computer, or watch a match. Although this is fun, it misses out on what could have made it a lot more fun, such as a harder opponent (who stands in the same spot if you are too far away from it), larger maps (filled with power-ups, so that you and your friends have to race across the screen for them), and finally, more interesting level designs that allow you to have an advantage or a disadvantage depending on where you stand. So, in one spot you maybe well covered, and so both players will have to fight for spots like these. However, this is still a fun and memorable game, and so high points will be rewarded.

Originality 5/10
There have been other attempts to make multi-player shooting games using Scratch. This game contains no power ups or bonuses, very simple and generic level designs, and this also contains no unique or exciting enemies to beat. What if each one had different traits? Some may hide and sneak up on you, others may bounce around a lot and be very quick. This is a classic genre that has been tweaked enough to make it different from the rest, but not enough to stand out entirely. For that, it gains average originality marks.

Ease Of Use 4/5
The controls are easy and simple to use, my only problem was when trying to bounce on the blue dots, I felt like I was appearing 20 pixels above them rather than actually bouncing up, which made me lose my bearings a few times. Also, the jumping physics could be made more realistically.

Difficulty Balance 3/5
I'll give this three because the friend mode will be challenging enough. However, I did feel that the computer enemies were too easy, and as mentioned before, they get lost easily too.

Graphics 5/5
The pixel graphics are brilliant, although some nice shooting animations and perhaps some paint splodges would have been nice. Still, these are extras and are not necessary, so no points lost!

Sound 1/5
I do not recall any sound effects, and the music was okay, but a music selection page would have been nicer, because I had to turn down the volume of my speakers after the music became annoying over time.

Firing Round 9/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 2/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 1/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 2/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)

Message to the project creator: Do not be disheartened if you get 0 here, as even the simplest of games can score high in many other categories, especially ease of use and game design.

Overall Experience 40/50
This was a very good experience, although it was not great or outstanding. The level designs and the opponents' AI need upgrading, and the music needs some tweaking. Still, the multi-player game-play and the fun shooting elements still make this worth to play.

TOTAL: 76/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!

Thanks a lot! smile

Last edited by CopperHawk (2013-01-04 18:47:21)


Copper Games is...  "ridiculously amazing!" -Nomolos    "Way too fun!"-Liamadams "awesome!" -Wes64       "Amazing!  big_smile " -JJROCKER

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#39 2013-01-04 12:57:35

notaloser
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-12-06
Posts: 100+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Borrego6165 wrote:

Maze Leveler Series

"Keep playing- it gets interesting in Zone 3!"

Game Design 7/10
One thing that me and the creator agree on is that you'll be bored until you reach zone three! The description above is the tag line created by Notaloser to encourage players to keep going, it is like we're having to be begged at to continue. Nevertheless, although the pacing of the game is slow from the start, (giving this some penalty points) it does get very fun and addictive from zone three and onwards. Perhaps if the first zone was removed, and we started with zone two then the pace would have been bearable. The designs of the levels are bland for the first two zones, however, this series of games does reap points for zones three and after. This is addictive, challenging, and even memorable in some respects. For the most part, this is a great birds' eye view game, although, it will sadly not do too well in the other categories. High points for the level designs, but not too many!

Originality 4/10
This is another top-down view maze game. You avoid obstacles, and move a dot/pixel around a screen of straight (or sometimes bendy) paths. Although these were fun to complete (hence the previous, above-average score) there was nothing remotely original about them. Perhaps a unique, but quick and simple story to give you an excuse to go around would have been good. There could have even been more interesting traps other than sliding objects. However, it is more difficult to be unique when you have the constraints of keeping the camera held at a birds' eye view, but I will not give you bonus points for that. Even the title is not unique, however, I will give you a couple of points for one or two obstacles which I though were different. Also, I haven't seen many top-down games with different zones, each having their own special traits.

Ease Of Use 4/5
The controls are simple to handle, and my hands remained in a comfortable position, however, there were no in-game instructions.

Difficulty Balance 3/5
At first, the game is too easy- to the point of being boring! Then, the difficulty ramps up in the third zone, but there is no smooth decline. You reach the second project, and because your lives have been reset to a mere two, this becomes too difficult. If this was one big project, then we could have saved the lives, because I racked up eight in the first project, then I had to start from two, which was terrible! So, there is a mixture of difficulties to suit all players (scoring you an average amount) but this was not handled appropriately.

Graphics 2/5
The graphics were poor, but at least you made them yourself. Also, the different colour schemes for each zone was appealing, but the simple shapes and the simple colours and the lack of any detail makes this deserve a below-average score.

Sound 1/5
You get 0/2 for sound effects, and only 1/3 for music because they were from the resources folder. Too many projects rely on them, and the songs have started to make me cringe when I hear them, although that's probably because I've been on Scratch for nearly two years, so what do you expect!

Firing Round 7/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 1/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 2/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 35/50
This deserves an above-average mark for the great and memorable experience I had, despite the fact that there was nothing truly original about it. The challenging levels were great fun; if only I could have kept my eight lives from the first project. I'd of rather of controlled a real character instead of a square though, as it would have made me more eager to finish the levels, especially if I could then see the character react after finishing a tough level. This is still a good game, but it's missing a certain charm to make it a great classic.

TOTAL: 63/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!

Thanks for that!
And I seriously agree with all the let downs, waiting for the Windows 7 OS review.


http://gifs.gifbin.com/1238409599_nom_nom.gifhttp://cdn3.lolzsquad.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Come-here-I-want-to-tell-you-something.-.gif

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#40 2013-01-04 13:04:11

iaoumeur
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-11-24
Posts: 500+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Could you review this please?  Bounce

Thank you!


The Dot 3 is out!!! Play it here!

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#41 2013-01-04 14:43:04

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Windows 7

"This is my scratch version of Windows 7!"

OS Design 7/10
The overall design of this is very similar to Windows 7, which is actually a good thing. It means that everything is neatly organised; however, this will result in a low originality mark. Nevertheless, it would have been better if there were three short-cuts for each app, one in the folder, one in the start menu and one on the desktop. Or, you should have removed the start menu and the windows explorer, because they had no functionality. Maybe the start menu and the desktop held the apps, and the windows explorer contained folders for personal settings and saved games. I don't understand why the apps are not arranged onto a grid through in the desktop, they seem cramped. For the larger titles, you should have put "Maze Lev..." instead of making all of the buttons look disorganised. This deserves an above average score, as it still needs a little more work.

Finally, the start-up screen was ridiculously long. I've noticed that with a lot of operating systems, their creators have the urge to make stupendously long (and fake) loading screens that are not even loading anything.

Originality 3/10
This was, as mentioned earlier, unoriginal. It has been copied from the Windows 7 operating system, including some of the graphics and sounds. The only original thing was that it's not often I see a maze game or a game like 'Chomp' in an OS, although, paint programs and pong games are very frequent. The big issue with this is that the design is taken from Windows 7, most of the apps are taken from the Scratch resources, I'm actually wondering what was done by you?

Ease Of Use 4/5
It was very easy to use, however, I did not like the fact that you would click on what appeared to be buttons and nothing happened. When you clicked on certain applications (like Chrome) you could have made a windows error message appear, then I would presume it wasn't working, when actually, you just didn't bother implement a real internet viewer.

Purpose 1/5
There's very little purpose to this, other than to access pre-made games in one place. I'm sure that most of the apps are pre-made, with the exception of the Maze Leveller which I know is yours. It does not help you with anything, its merely a pixellated version of the operating system I'm running it on! If I wanted a windows emulator, I'd of closed the project and used my computer!

Graphics 2/5
Graphics are not too bad, and the paint editor is cool (whether it's pre-made or not I won't ask) but you lose marks because of the copied graphics, and the fact that your own graphics are not that brilliant.

Sound 2/5
I only remember about two sound effects, so you get one point. You also get a point for the music, but no more than one because it's from the Scratch resources.

Firing Round 5/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
OS Length 1/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
OS Pace 1/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 1/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 15/50
The experience was fairly poor. The only good points were with the paint program, everything else was not very interesting. Even the maze leveller suffered because you used the most boring level from it, instead of using one from perhaps zone three. It was mostly pieces ripped off of other projects or windows 7. Try to make a unique OS, maybe just make a games/media console, that looks cool and shows your latest range of projects.

TOTAL: 39/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#42 2013-01-04 17:15:31

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

North OS 2

"NorthOS 2, a clean, professional, easy to use operating system. Surf the internet, buy apps, play games, listen to music, watch slideshows and more!"

OS Design 9/10
This is probably the only OS that I have enjoyed using on Scratch! Every button is functional- nothing leads to nothing; even the backgrounds and the music seem to be original and not third-party. This is an OS that you can personalise, use for some real purposes, all in a neat, organised and cool-looking interface. Fair enough it's copied from Apple, but we'll get onto Originality in a moment. What matters is that this OS works, and the opening loading screen is not painfully long. It is there for an actual reason, to show off the animator's talent whilst not being ridiculously long! The only thing that slows down the pace is the log-in system, which I find inappropriate and pointless when there is only one user with one password! Was there any need for me to have to stop what I'm doing to look through the project notes and find it?

Originality 8/10
The design is clearly based off of Apple, however, there's enough original features to make this worthwhile. For example, how many operating systems on Scratch have the weather, Space Racers and email? I know that Pong, background changes and semi-media players come in many operating systems, but at least they're not the only things. This would get ten points if it were not for the Apple design and the fact that overall this is just a computer simulation, with no imagination put in to make it that extra special. Why does everyone make realistic, but dull operating systems that copy what real computers do a hundred times more efficiently? Hmm, I will never know...

Ease Of Use 4/5
The interfaces were simple to use, even though the compass didn't have any connection to the internet. I also didn't understand why you needed the arrow keys to select a background though. For the most part, my hand was resting comfortably on the mouse, and then I was expected to pull my keyboard from the tray under the desk and scroll between them! It wasn't like I needed to type anything!

Purpose 4/5
The great thing about this is that there is purpose to this! Not only is this a great example to other OS makers (who can also create their own apps), but this is also useful for storing your own games, and having a nice little collection. It loses a point though because it still needs more meaning. Maybe more helpful apps, and less random games and fake weather reports?

Graphics 5/5
The animations were smooth, and the graphics were looking great too! They all seemed to be done by you, but if I find out that any was third-party or not by a credited scratcher, I won't be happy!

Sound 4/5
I only found about three sound effects, which is seriously not enough to get the full two marks. So, you get one out of two for effects, and out of three for music you get three, because they were good to listen to and one of them was by you!

Firing Round 8/10
Reliability 2/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
OS Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
OS Pace 1/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 2/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 1/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 40/50
Overall, this was the best experience I have ever had with a Scratch-made OS. It is also the most meaningful, with plenty of features for the user to feast upon. Saying that, it would have been more outstanding and scored higher if it wasn't another dull computer operating system. By the way, this next part is for everyone. Why do people make them!? Try making a gaming console for your latest projects, make a full media centre for your music and animations! Why spend ages making a calculator and a start menu? I could go on, but this next tip is for anyone wanting to recreate their computers: Make something that actually has a purpose. You'll now be thinking, what the flan! However, you could make a system that runs text-based games and converts them into graphical games, or perhaps a large database which can be used to stored the links to everyone's favourite projects, which can then be remixed so more are added. If I have to review any more computer based operating systems then I'm going to scream. Go out there, be creative, and don't copy the system you're using! Thank-you.

TOTAL: 82/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#43 2013-01-04 17:33:19

northmeister
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-07-12
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Thanks for the review, and picking up on some things that I wouldn't have thought needed changing. I did take a little inspiration from Apple, but everything is a remix! (referring to this: http://www.everythingisaremix.info/ ) :3 I personally love making OS's since, well, I don't exactly know, they're just fun to make in my opinion.

And also, I have to congratulate you in the thoroughness of your reviews. You picked up on the fact that I made one of the songs, you installed every app and tested them all, great job!

Last edited by northmeister (2013-01-05 03:12:04)


http://i48.tinypic.com/5a25g5.png

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#44 2013-01-04 19:12:10

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Bounce

"Hope you enjoy a variation of the classic game."

Game Design 2/10
The levels are bland, the theme is block-colours, and the physics are weird making the controls somewhat difficult, never mind the fact that you have to use SPACE instead of UP. The game wasn't fun, it wasn't memorable, and it wasn't challenging. What I mean by challenging is that the game shouldn't be made hard because of strange controls and physics. What makes the difference between a frustrating hard game and a challenging fun game is if the levels have been clearly designed to test the skills, and the wit of the player. In this game, the physics are the only challenge. For example, try jumping from below onto a high platform and you'll be bounced back down, which is fair enough. But, try jumping to the side of the same platform and you'll get stuck, then you'll have to press SPACE three or four times to escape. The physics will affect your score, but luckily the SPACE choice will not. I'll save that for the Ease of Use section.

So, this game was created with no plot, a steady pace with no real excitement given to the player, or in fact any emotion other than frustration. To fix these, create a short and simple plot. Look at Mario, that has one of the most unoriginal plots in the history of entertainment, but who would complain? To solve the pacing issue, make the controls and the physics easier to handle. I'd also recommend creating a real character and not just a dot, as this would have added excitement and make me want to find out what happens to the character I've come to love. If this game came to life, would you rather take a weird, boring person through the levels or a hero you've come to love?

Originality 1/10
This is another platform game, where you move a dot across a plain screen of lines and rectangles. Oh my, avoid the red blocks! Oh my, jump (with [removed by moderator - please use respectful language] SPACE) onto a moving platform! Oh my, I've never seen this before! Still, you get a one for trying to make the ball bounce, which is rare considering that most just fall flat onto the ground. As mentioned before, come up with an original plot, an original character, and maybe even some original and memorable obstacles like intelligent enemies.

Ease Of Use 3/5
There was an in-game tutorial, although, it would have been nice if I could customarily decide when it goes off. For me I could read it in time, but for any slow readers (this is a site for eight year old children, hence why I'm toning down my use of extensive English vocabulary for these reviews) then they would struggle! It's most likely this audience who actually need the instructions too. Also, why the SPACE bar? It isn't too bad once you get used to it, but by the time you do you've already died a few times or you've reached the end of the game. For the most part, it wasn't too bad though.

Difficulty Balance 2/5
The game was only difficult because of the physics. Around the obstacles that didn't need jumping, I noticed how amazingly easy they were. I wouldn't recommend installing an easy/medium/hard option choice, but I would recommend on making the dot easier to control and the puzzles harder, however, do remember to make it easy from the start and then build up.

Graphics 1/5
The graphics were too simple, and the writing at the bottom of the screen could have been put into a text box to make it look neat. Even just some gradient fills here and there, and if you had your own character then you could have drawn them (or asked another scratcher to draw them) and then you would have gained extra graphical marks.

Sound 0/5
This was a silent project.

Firing Round 2/10
Reliability 1/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 1/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 0/2
0 (Very slow or boring) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 20/50
This was a below average experience. I felt no emotions other than frustration, and I've played so many platform games with lines and dots I'm not sure if I can take any more. However, if there was at least a short plot, and perhaps a gradient for the sky and the odd tree then maybe this would have had a little personality. What world was this set in, bland land? Also, try adding more interesting obstacles like ropes to swing with, doors to unlock with keys, and maybe even use more than one teleport to try and make the player remember where each takes them, so that they can try to work out a strategy to get to the exit. Don't just use them because they sound cool. There is work to be done, but I have no doubt that they'll be fixed in a new game.

TOTAL: 31/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!

Last edited by Paddle2See (2013-01-05 18:23:03)


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#45 2013-01-05 08:27:57

Willpower
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-01-26
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

Well here it is
The Ultimate Gauntlet- i hope you like it!

Cool Features:
1) Three soundtracks- not from Scratch Resources
2) Almost double the number of levels that The Gauntlet had
3) The Guardian Robots are back!!
4) You can choose how many events you play
5) Random Level Selection
6) If you choose to play all 13 levels you finish with the Showdown which is unique to the 13 Level game

Last edited by Willpower (2013-01-05 08:36:04)


http://i49.tinypic.com/e84kdj.png

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#46 2013-01-05 09:15:05

numberonegamers
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-07-12
Posts: 100+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/numberonegamers/3017837

Here's an OS I made!

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#47 2013-01-05 17:41:56

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

I'll do the reviews tomorrow, I'm busy right now.


Generation:4001 Build a beautiful city, with over 50 objects and over 10000 tiles per city! This simulates traffic, pollution, tourism, crime and more!

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#48 2013-01-06 08:59:35

numberonegamers
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-07-12
Posts: 100+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/numberonegamers/3003284

A racing game

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#49 2013-01-06 10:30:17

Borrego6165
Scratcher
Registered: 2011-03-10
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

The Ultimate Gauntlet

"Your challenge is to complete The Ultimate Gauntlet. "

Game Design 2/10
This game is too glitchy and random to enjoy. For example, 'Garden Defence' is a game where you try to get across to the exit without being hit by red lines and dots. This sounds fun, but when there are about five randomly moving lines and hundreds of dots everywhere, you realise that it's not fun, it's just painful. Because most of the obstacles in each puzzle move randomly, and even the controlled ones are sometimes unpredictable, the games become less about skill and more about how lucky you are that time around.

Instead, this project could have been full of quick, fun mini-games, that tested both the skill and speed of the user. I know that levels like Pathway of Doom and Wreck Time were based on skill, but these were too slow and boring! This contrasted Bridge Ball, which was ridiculously fast. Now I know that on the TV show, it's usually funny to see the ridiculous tasks that look impossible, however, in a game it can be frustrating and really annoying. If only this was a real game! For example, the garden defence could have been a hedge maze, filled with funny looking enemies that can be destroyed by whacking them with a hammer or pushing them off of a platform before they hit you. What if there was a Sumo Ring in the middle of a pond, and you had to keep pressing SPACE long enough before the CPU quit, (and at a certain speed too) or you'd be pushed off! If you were lucky, you'd pick the purple ball from a bucket, which corresponds to a man in a stupid costume who has no balance. Or, you might accidentally pick the red ball, that gets you a huge sumo wrestler, who is very tough to beat.

Bridge Ball could have been made easier, and straight like a real bridge! Perhaps you still get hit a lot, but you have the opportunity to defend yourself! Also, if you're about to fall off (say on the left side) then you'll see a message saying 'balance yourself!' Then, you'll have to keep pressing the right arrow to try and balance yourself before falling off! You could have done a swinging one (I may have missed it) but you see a person swing on a rope and you have to do two things:
1) Jump at the correct time, based on a meter!
2) Once the person is swinging, land on the right spot!

I just don't believe how you sat in front of the Scratch editor for a few hours and came up with your ideas, yet I sat in front of the game for less than ten minutes and thought about all of these! Make sure that each puzzle has a defined goal, and that they are also humorous to watch to. Maybe at the start of each challenge, you see a clip of another contestant trying to do it, but failing! Sadly, this "game" had a lot of potential that was wasted. This wasn't funny, it wasn't challenging, it wasn't even fair! For that, you get a low mark. You get a couple for the basis that it's a series of mini-games that must be completed.

Originality 6/10
I have seen a few things like this on Scratch (The Level Game), however, this is a lot more physical than other games. Instead of asking you to answer questions or to solve a riddle, you're completing challenges. Plus, you don't lose marks for basing it off the TV show Takeshi's Castle, because it is not game related. However, you do lose marks for coming up with basic and mediocre ways to convert them to scratch; this included the rotating platform, which is a slow and uninteresting version of the surfboard game.

Ease Of Use 2/5
There was no in-game tutorial, and it was difficult to know what to do sometimes. For example, I'd reach what I think is the end of a level, and then I'd be dragged into a red area and I'll be thrown onto the edge of the screen. Then, I'll press the arrows to try and move, which takes me in the opposite direction. Once I find the nearest platform, I try and head back to the exit but my points reach below -600 and it is game over. However, it was obvious that you needed to use the arrow keys to move, and most of the goals were clear, so you get two points.

Difficulty Balance 0/5
This game was definitely too hard. Memorable challenges are what turn games into classics, such as the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time. However, the mini-games in here are filled with too many randomly moving obstacles and too many difficult courses to make it any fun. This game is impossible because of the glitches and the poor game design.

Graphics 1/5
The animations were very basic, and the graphics were too simple. Why were there only block colours, rushed maps and random moving shapes?

Sound 1/5
I couldn't remember any songs playing, although that might be because they're on levels I couldn't get to. Maybe they should play for every level? Also, the bridge ball sound effect was very strange, so that doesn't count. The 'Ooooh' sound effect for the title at the beginning also sounded creepy and merely slowed the pace of the game down as I was waiting to start, so that doesn't count. However, you do get one point for at least implementing some.

Firing Round 2/10
Reliability 0/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Game Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Game Pace 0/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)


Overall Experience 10/50
This was a very poor experience from a game that cannot be completed regardless of your skills. With poor puzzles, poor graphics, tonnes of glitches and a lot of work needing doing to it. Please take into consideration the level designs I offered, once you have re-designed them all, fixed the glitches and improved the graphics, then we can look at making it a success.

TOTAL: 24/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


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#50 2013-01-06 11:46:19

Willpower
Scratcher
Registered: 2012-01-26
Posts: 1000+

Re: The Gaming Standards: Offering the most detailed reviews.

This is going to be loooooooooooooooooooooong. PLEASE READ ALL THE NOTES- you will get why this is in capitals after you read my comments

Borrego6165 wrote:

[b]The Ultimate Gauntlet

"Your challenge is to complete The Ultimate Gauntlet. "

Game Design 2/10
This game is too glitchy and random to enjoy. I agree with the Glitchy, i have discovered it works much better offline, sadly that is the opposite of what i was trying to accomplish For example, 'Garden Defence' is a game where you try to get across to the exit without being hit by red lines and dots. This sounds fun, but when there are about five randomly moving lines and hundreds of dots everywhere, you realise that it's not fun, it's just painful True enough, Garden Defence was the worst event and i plan to update with a change to it soon . Because most of the obstacles in each puzzle move randomly, and even the controlled ones are sometimes unpredictable, the games become less about skill and more about how lucky you are that time around. There is quite a lot of skill involved in this game, the ones that immediately drop into my head is Platform Escape, Spinner, Pathway Of Doom, Wreck Time and Moving Staircase among overs

Instead, this project could have been full of quick, fun mini-games, that tested both the skill and speed of the user. Some skill events are above, for speed how about The Motivator and i suppose Tony Challenge as well I know that levels like Pathway of Doom and Wreck Time were based on skill, but these were too slow and boring! Spinner, Moving Staircase? This contrasted Bridge Ball, which was ridiculously fast. Now I know that on the TV show, it's usually funny to see the ridiculous tasks that look impossible, however, in a game it can be frustrating and really annoying. If only this was a real game! Yay, you watch the show, in that case you should know that the chances of avoiding a ball is very slim in Bridgeball which i have tried to replicate and you can get from one side to the other without losing that many points. The reason it is curved is because i found straight to be too shortFor example, the garden defence could have been a hedge maze, filled with funny looking enemies that can be destroyed by whacking them with a hammer or pushing them off of a platform before they hit you. What if there was a Sumo Ring in the middle of a pond, and you had to keep pressing SPACE long enough before the CPU quit, (and at a certain speed too) or you'd be pushed off! If you were lucky, you'd pick the purple ball from a bucket, which corresponds to a man in a stupid costume who has no balance. Or, you might accidentally pick the red ball, that gets you a huge sumo wrestler, who is very tough to beat. I did not add this as i plan to make a game based on Sumo on it's own

Bridge Ball could have been made easier, and straight like a real bridge! Perhaps you still get hit a lot, but you have the opportunity to defend yourself! See above Also, if you're about to fall off (say on the left side) then you'll see a message saying 'balance yourself!' Then, you'll have to keep pressing the right arrow to try and balance yourself before falling off! An interesting idea... You could have done a swinging one (I may have missed it) but you see a person swing on a rope and you have to do two things:
1) Jump at the correct time, based on a meter!
2) Once the person is swinging, land on the right spot! Your ideas seem to be focusing on skill and not speed and this was primarily a speed Gauntlet trying to take as little damage as possible

I just don't believe how you sat in front of the Scratch editor for a few hours and came up with your ideas, yet I sat in front of the game for less than ten minutes and thought about all of these! If you were sitting in front of the game then i am suree that you thought of all these but looking on wikipedia for all the events in Takeshi Castle, taking out the ones that were not possible and creating all the events has took me basically from my comment on the Gauntlet to the upload to create so it was not a few hours Make sure that each puzzle has a defined goal, and that they are also humorous to watch to. Well i thought Tony appearing and The Aquarium of Oblivion were quite "humourous" Maybe at the start of each challenge, you see a clip of another contestant trying to do it, but failing! Again, if i was going to create a whole Takeshi Catle game then yes but this was a speed and skill test, and a sequel of The Gauntlet so it was following the same theme Sadly, this "game" had a lot of potential that was wasted. This wasn't funny, it wasn't challenging, it wasn't even fair! Funny- see one of my comments above, challenging-did you not lose a single point? I am certain you did not, i designed the game from tests of me playing each level 5 times, taking  the average of all the points lost and then allowing that long for each level. The average came out as about 100 points so i averaged that and allowed 1300 points for all 13 obstacles so when you finish you should just manage to complete it For that, you get a low mark. You get a couple for the basis that it's a series of mini-games that must be completed.

Originality 6/10
I have seen a few things like this on Scratch (The Level Game) That would not be the first thing that came into my head, Benjamin2's game is more based on clicking things on puzzles whereas mine is chalenges at least semi related to each other , however, this is a lot more physical than other games. Instead of asking you to answer questions or to solve a riddle, you're completing challenges. Oh that makes above comment void Plus, you don't lose marks for basing it off the TV show Takeshi's Castle, because it is not game related. I hope not  tongue  However, you do lose marks for coming up with basic and mediocre ways to convert them to scratch; this included the rotating platform, which is a slow and uninteresting version of the surfboard game. When i said based on, it is not supposed to be exactly like it, if i wanted to make a game called Takeshi Castle i would have some of the ideas which you suggested earlier. eg. A contestant going before you, but this is loosely based and gave me the idea. In the game i say "you may recognise some of the events" This basically means Bridgeball as it just gave me the idea

Ease Of Use 2/5
There was no in-game tutorial Correct, scroll down and you will see why... , and it was difficult to know what to do sometimes. For example, I'd reach what I think is the end of a level, and then I'd be dragged into a red area and I'll be thrown onto the edge of the screen. Then, I'll press the arrows to try and move, which takes me in the opposite direction. Once I find the nearest platform, I try and head back to the exit but my points reach below -600 and it is game over. However, it was obvious that you needed to use the arrow keys to move, and most of the goals were clear, so you get two points. This is the point which has led me to write these comments in the first place and i hate having to say this as i got annoyed when someone said this to me when i reviewed their project...but... YOU CLEARLY DID NOT READ ALL THE PROJECT NOTES

I have had to quote this bit as colour does not seem to want to work... wrote:

It says arrow keys to move (here is the extract from the project notes)
"Arrow Keys to move and Mouse to shoot in the Showdown Level"
and near the bottom it says
" TIP TIP TIP TIP: You can escape from the Redness of Oblivion- push the arrow key on the opposite side to the arrow key that you would expect to push and you will slowly make your way out!"

Also there is a whole paragraph about each obstacle (here is three of them below)
"Moving Staircase: "Hang on a minute..." Don't panic- it is not The Motivator (actually it is but with a recolouring and a minor script change  tongue  ) You must walk from one staricase to the other to cross the screen
Average: -182
Max: -398
Min: -6"

"Platform Escape: "Erm- there is a gap between the red and the blue, how do you do this level?" Not so confident now! The Platform spins so take a ride on it until it deposits you onto the Blue (Actually the chances of that happening are very slim, keep moving while the Platform is moving otherwise you will end up in the Redness of Oblivion!)
Average: -286
Max: -582
Min: -60"

"Showdown: "I did not play this one  sad " Only the people who play all the events will play this one as it is the last event. Fight the 3 Guardians and once they have all been destroyed- you win!
Average: -53
Max: -87
Min: -32"


and basically what you have to do. Because of this i have come to the sad conclusion that you did not in fact read all the project notes '

Difficulty Balance 0/5
This game was definitely too hard. Memorable challenges are what turn games into classics, such as the Water Temple from Ocarina of Time. However, the mini-games in here are filled with too many randomly moving obstacles and too many difficult courses to make it any fun. This game is impossible because of the glitches and the poor game design. [color=#808000] Granted it is more difficult online but it is strutured (as i have said above) with challenging in mind and the player should just be able to complete it, oh and read "Game Length" below

Graphics 1/5
The animations were very basic, and the graphics were too simple. Why were there only block colours, rushed maps and random moving shapes? Not exactly rushed maps. It is called lack of graphics expertise. Also fitting into the Gauntlet theme which had those kinds of graphics

Sound 1/5
I couldn't remember any songs playing, although that might be because they're on levels I couldn't get to. Maybe they should play for every level? Also, the bridge ball sound effect was very strange, so that doesn't count. The 'Ooooh' sound effect for the title at the beginning also sounded creepy and merely slowed the pace of the game down as I was waiting to start, so that doesn't count. However, you do get one point for at least implementing some. oh dear, back to the Project Notes!! issue again. There is music, three songs infact. Here is the extract from the project notes: "
To Add Music:
I have got three intense soundtracks that i think fit in with the game. I got them from here http://freeplaymusic.com/search/category_search.php?t=f&i=62so tons of credit to whoever made them

Push the number relating to the track you want at any time to play it
1) Running Away (1:08)
2) The Escape Route (1:24)
3) Trepidation (3:30)"


Firing Round 2/10
Reliability 0/2
0 (Very Glitchy) 1 (A few glitches) 2 (Hardly any glitches)
Online yes it is glitchy but i think you will find it to be a much smoother experience offline.
Game Length 2/2
0 (Too Short) 1 (Descent Length) 2 (Long lasting or endless)
Well it depends on what version you played i guess. *cough*
"When the instruction screen comes up, push the letter relating to the number of events you want to play
a- all 13 (1000points, 100seconds)
b- 10 (800points, 90seconds)
c-7 (600points, 70seconds)
d-5 (400points, 50seconds)
e-3 (250points, 30seconds)
f-1 (100points, 10seconds)"
*cough*
You can play the game which is the right length for you. If the player found it to short they can play a longer one and if the player found it too long they can play a shorter one


Game Pace 0/2
0 (Very slow or too long for it's own sake) 1 (Quite engrossing) 2 (Very well paced and fun)
Same as above
Replay Value 0/2
0 (Would never replay/ did not want to finish it the first time) 1 (Might replay) 2 (Too good to stop!)
Same as above
Programming 0/2
0 (Simple to make) 1 (Fairly advanced) 2 (It was very complex)

Well it was more complex than the Gauntlet and you gave that a 1

Overall Experience 10/50
This was a very poor experience from a game that cannot be completed regardless of your skills. As i have said above, it is possible to complete and has been made that way, possible to complete but challenging With poor puzzles, poor graphics, tonnes of glitches and a lot of work needing doing to it. Problems which the flash player caused: tonnes of glitches, there was quite a lot of variety to the puzzles and the graphics are the same as the Gauntlet Please take into consideration the level designs I offered As i have said in earlier comments, if i was making a full Takeshi Castle copy then i would do what you have suggested but this is meerly a "based on" project. I will change Garden Defence though , once you have re-designed them all No thank you! Slightly adjust not totally redesign , fixed the glitches . I will see what i can do but i cannot fix it if it was the flash players fault, although as it says in the project notes
"Had to upload this- it was crashing my computer and getting the disappearing text bug"
that may be easier said than done, if i try and change anything the above happens.
and improved the graphics see above , then we can look at making it a success.

TOTAL: 24/100

Key
0-19 I could have made that in my sleep!
20-39 Needs a lot of work.
40-59 An average project I suppose.
60-79 Quite a cool project.
80-94 Wow! It only needs a bit of tweaking.
95-100 You're the top cat!


I think the saddest thing about this review for me is the fact you ignored this:

"READ ALL THE PROJECT NOTES:
a) They will give you tips
b) You will not be able to play if you do not read them all"

and this review has seemed to prove "b"


oh hang on you put this
"Your challenge is to complete The Ultimate Gauntlet. " at the start of the review, so why did you ignore the rest of it?  yikes 

Last edited by Willpower (2013-01-06 11:50:28)


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