If you would like to request a review for your file, simply list the file name below and the Thread Reviewers here will take a look at it. However, please be patient as a skilled review can take some time to write. You can request reviews for your own file or of another download you think should receive more attention or because you believe the file is rated unfairly or is even over-rated.
You need just four approved reviews to become a Thread Reviewer. Please post your request in this thread or send a mail to
Keep in mind that if you do intend to become a Thread Reviewer your review should not only endorse to help the author of the file but the downloader too. As such, a certain degree of detail is expected.
(In order of no. of posted reviews –
144 Possidon:
84 Lord Basse*:
75 Mashek*:
46 Popeychops*:
25 Julius999*:
15 Dtrungle:
10 Leif Ericson:
10 Fanica:
09 Stroke:
08 joshua4missions:
(In order of time of inactivity)
05 Jecon:
72 Sword_of_Storm (Jatayu)*:
27 Cilibinarii:
23 FuzzyFurry25:
16 Guthan:
08 hailstorm65:
231 Tanneur99
96 Lord_Fadawah
92 BrandNewCar
61 clayperboy
54 rwilde
31 Stephen Richards*
30 zyxomma100
25 Magnum Zero
24 RF_Gandalf
The list below consists of a number of requests and/or downloads recently rated by thread reviewers. Requests are marked R and updates U. Thread Reviewers are free to review whichever file they want, but should be aware that the designers at the top of each list are waiting the longest for a review. Files that have received a review in the time of request in this thread (whether by a thread reviewer or not) will be removed from the list unless a second opinion is requested.
Bodies Stay (No Rotting), by Possidon; Reviewer: Stroke
Hero Expansion, by Possidon; Reviewer: Stroke
Buildings over of Trees Template, by Possidon; Reviewer, Fanica
R New North European Wall, by Possidon; No Reviewer
Aztec Shrines, by dementor561; Reviewer: Possidon
Mountain Giant, by Courtjester1; Reviewer: Joshua4missions
Aztec Stable, by Mahazona; Reviewer: Stroke
Isolation Years, by Thunder77; Reviewer: Lord Basse
Norse on Yucatan, by Pietja; Reviewer: Lord Basse
Bitter Cold, by newIdea; Reviewer: Popeychops
The Spirit of Alessia, by Sebastien; Reviewers: Mashek
R Chrombasia - The Two Relics, by aMa; Reviewer: Mashek
R The Defence of Pavia, by Vizorslash; No Reviewer
R Fall of the Empire, by Ulysses_LW; No Reviewer
R Jengar's Quest, by Jecon; Reviewer: Mashek
R Compilation of Single Player Games, by jburnell; No Reviewer
R A Mans Home is His Castle, by joshua4missions; Reviewer: Jecon
R Darkness Upon Bree, by Possidon; No Reviewer
R The King of Madisgrad, by S_Bishop; No Reviewer
Seige of Nantu Castle, by joshua4missions; Reviewer: Popeychops
Rebellion, by MrtnXII; Reviewer: Stroke
THE CONQUEROR, by jmsam; Reviewer: Stroke
Mongol Invasion, by Fanica: Reviewer: Popeychops
Twists and Turns 1-The beginner's Campaign, by Stroke; Reviewer: Dtrungle
Hill Fort, by vonstranglej; Reviewer: Possidon
The Bounty Hunter, by Julius999; Reviewer: Fanica
Gwyndlegard, by Lord Basse; Reviewer: Julius999
Sahara, by Possidon; Reviewer: Leif Ericson
Japan, by dementor561; Reviewer: Possidon
R World Map_Kings and Empires v 0.1, by Highlander_FFS; No Reviewer
R xTreMe BlooD, by LC_HaVoC; No Reviewer
R BattleFest!, by AdoptableMaple; No Reviewer
R PTO Gold Maze, by JuBuOrangie; No Reviewer
R Compilation of Multiplayer Games, by jburnell; No Reviewer
R Persia - Non Random Map, by Lakayaa; No Reviewer
R UDP - Deathly Cliffs - V3.2, by Heroes; No Reviewer
R Battleships, by TheReal_Hunter; No Reviewer
R The Seas of Egressa RP, by Guthan; No Reviewer
Without trying to enforce the Review Guidelines as something as law, they are still a very important part of the review system here at Age of Kings Heaven, and are used to create consistency between reviewers at the Blacksmith in order to establish fairness and equality for reviews. With the Review Guidelines’ recent update all reviewers need to take into account the new addition of rules when reviewing. However, Angel SpineMan’s primary objective for reviewing in the old guidelines still applies today:
In some cases, a small percentage of reviewers tend to review files according to their own rules, leading to inconsistency between reviews at the Blacksmith, which is neither helpful nor fair to no one. To have reviews at the Blacksmith that are fair and helpful, reviewers have to follow some rules to score consistently.
If you have any questions about reviewing, please do not hesitate to post in this thread!
There are many invaluable lessons to learn when becoming a good reviewer, and a few other things besides that will result in a good and fair review. Some things are self-evident when reviewing a file; in general, do not review game styles you do not enjoy and review files according to the date of its release. There are many files back in 2000-2002 that received a score of a high 4, which would not fit the standards of today. You have to take into account the standards of the day, and rate accordingly. In addition, if the scenario is designed for original Age of Kings, review it playing AoK.
Below you will find a general breakdown of each category from a review for your convenience.
An exception to the balance category is when the author of a particular file did not intend any fighting, or very little of, to feature in the scenario. From the review guidelines:
Cut-scenes rate like any other scenario, the only difference is that most cut-scenes do not allow any interaction for the player, requiring only that the player sits down and watch as the story unfolds. Cut-scenes are a mixed bag of lollies; some designers appreciate them, others however do not. The purpose of a cut-scene is to tell a story, to continue or conclude a project, like in
The very definition of Playability denotes many errors, some already obvious. In Tanneur99’s words, “playability is a bastard word”. It does not exist in the English language and separating the
For rating Balance in cut-scenes, the review guideline gives us this description:
This means that reviewers can now rate down in this category for all those dodgy timing sequences, overlapping music, and anything else that would not necessarily affect one’s enjoyment but the technical aspect of a cut-scene. This also gives balance in cinematic scenarios more depth and meaning, and contributes more to the overall rating of a review than previously attained. Every technical aspect is to be taken into account, and what happens on screen should generally correspond smoothly with dialogue and the overall transition of the story. Generally speaking, the less the cinematic leaves up to the viewer’s imagination, the higher the quality of the presentation. In saying all that, a cinematic should never feel rushed or sluggish, but proceed from scene to scene as the atmosphere and story suggests.
Unfinished files, demos and teasers are common at the Blacksmith and make up a great percentage of submissions. Many designers, like writers, look for feedback on their work: to help get past a certain point in their project where they might be hindered from progressing, or to catch up on any bugs that might be bothering the author from earlier in the file. Some authors return to the file and provide the Blacksmith with a complete update of the file as a result of the feedback.
When reviewing unfinished files, it’s important not to discriminate because it is an incomplete work. There’s no reason to knock down points just because somebody put ‘Demo’ or ‘Teaser’ in the title to get some feedback to know what he/she could improve on in an update. Rate a demo as if it is a finished product. This will achieve the best possible feedback for the author of an unfinished file.
The
The first question to ask when rating an AI-File is
If the AI-file is developed for Age of Kings test it playing Age of Kings only. Rating an AI according to your own experience might be biased unless the AI cheats. Cheating AI-files, as forbidden for tournaments, are meant to play against human players. A good way to test a non cheating AI is against the standard AI. If its performance compares to the standard one, it is average and the minimum rating should be a 3. In general, rate the AI-file according to its time. Many AI-files were developed to beat another specific one. It would be unfair to knock off points of an AI developed in 2000 because it loses against a recent one.
A Modification Pack Script (MPS) is mainly an item for the player, which has a limited use for designers; the content will not always suit a designer’s endeavours in scenario design and is very limited to its audience. Keep this in mind when you rate mod pack scripts for
The value of a recorded game is highly subjective depending mainly on the purpose for which the submitter uploaded it. A recorded game must have a specific and defined purpose so the viewer can gain knowledge and/or entertainment value from the game. The submitter must specify exactly what to look for, what the point of the upload is.
It is up to the reviewer to check if there was any purpose and how well the recorded game met the intended goals. If it is supposed to be an example of a rushing tactic but no attacks happen until 30 minutes into the game, it is a bad example of the tactic. The rating is not about how well everybody played, if the teams were equally strong, you can mention that but it should not affect the rating.
The questions to answer:
There is no official guideline for reviewing utilities, but for some ideas you can go
Please edit your review after a file update. A designer can ask for the removal of all reviews after an update if he feels that they do not represent the actual version of his submission. Reviews that address issues that are fixed, altered, ameliorated do not serve the visitors of our site. A review has to be a valuable tool for the designer and the downloader.
(In order of date of the update)
None
Luke Gevaerts started the Review Request Thread 03/30/2002. Tanneur took over 11/30/2002 until 7/11/2009. I (Mashek) have since taken over and updated the thread as best I can to feature more relevant information according to today’s guidelines.
[This message has been edited by Mashek (edited 07-15-2010 @ 09:01 PM).]