Allow similar build threads?

We can't hold everyone's hand every step of the way YOU, the general MechSpecs user, can go through any build at any time and change the voting results easily. If you rate a meta build 5 stars today but a year down the road that build is crap? Change your vote to a 1 star and instantly watch it change and not show up as high in the filter results.

When I say "you" I mean everyone that voted.

[quote author=Leonhart link=topic=2220.msg12995#msg12995 date=1373823518]
Thats why i dont agree with how we vote on em as it is now, but thats for a different thread....
[/quote]

That is unfortunate as it is unlikely to change greatly.

 

No i hear ya man. And i didnt know we could change em. i thought it was once u voted, that was your vote on that mech and no goin back.

With that new found knowledge i find my opinion on the matter changing...

 

The old website had that restriction sadly. That's one of the big reasons I had a custom mod tailored to our needs. SoLo did an awesome job and has more features coming down the pipe that we can use.

Also, yes you can change your vote at any time. I will make a note of that in the HOW TO post

 

Is it possible to make a topic for each weaponloadout, but having subtopics = individual builds (different config on extras like JJs, AMS, BAP, Armor stats, playstyle). Members can decide in which Weaponloadout.topic they can post their individual build.

E.g. CTF-4X -> Weaponloadout (4x AC/5) -> Individual Build: Mike's Firestarter (4x AC/5, AMS, XL255) (subcategory/role)

Im not a friend of merging everything only because it looks similar but in fact they are not and its a pain to scroll down a long list of endless individual builds on several pages.

Another thing, is it possible to have automatically sorted Lists due to rating. But with options for the reader to resort (fresh builds, playstyle,...)

Blagg Zear

 

... and pls add "C2V"!!! So that voters comment/explain their rating. Just to avoid trollvoters. At least the build.poster can react to voters.

Blagg Zear

 

I agree. Some small changes can completely change the feel and effectiveness of a mech. Even with 95% of the same materials.

 

I have an idea.

Merge the threads, BUT let us rate each individual post that contains a Smurfy mech model. Then average all ratings within each post, and post the highest rating as the rating that is shown for the whole thread.

Example; there is a thread with 4 mech models posted in it. One has an average rating of 2, one is rated 3, one is rated 4, and one is rated 5. Each post will have its own rating, but only the highest rating-the 5-will be shown for the thread itself.

This allows you to judge each individual mech on its own merits, BUT it will also clearly state how worthwhile the entire thread is. This will also clean up the forums by reducing thread count.

 

Possible? Sounds perfect.

 

Let me get this straight? You want to AVERAGE the ratings of every post that is ratable in a thread? Or you just want the HIGHEST rated post in a thread to be the rating that is used on the index?

This CAN be done; sort of.

It would require us opening up the ENABLE and DISABLE rating ability to people (for their OWN posts) which isn't a problem; this is already coded into the mod. I will check with the Engine Author to see if it can be geared towards this in future versions of the modification.

Right now what happens using this system is as follows;

Post 1 - 1 star rating
Post 4 - 3 star rating
Post 5 - 3 star rating

Topic Rating - 1 star because it shows the first rating

Is this something you guys would want? Do I need to put up another poll?

 

You know that it will still be possible to have dozens (or maybe even more) of individual posts and merging them into one can lead to one very long thread, so the reader needs to flip several (or even more) pages. Readability goes down to 0%

It is better to have a main topic and having all the individual builds on the first page(s). You have less pages and a better overview on the different Approaches. In a long list the fewest people would take the time to flip through all the pages to go through the list to (re)find a good build.

[quote author=Cthulu Jr. link=topic=2220.msg13105#msg13105 date=1373902572]
I have an idea.
Example; there is a thread with 4 mech models posted in it. One has an average rating of 2, one is rated 3, one is rated 4, and one is rated 5. Each post will have its own rating, but only the highest rating-the 5-will be shown for the thread itself.
[/quote]

This is bad. So in the end each thread has a 5star rating, because in every thread there will probably be at least one best rated individual build, leading to the 5stars for the thread. What a nonsense. Just leave it by the rating for each individual build. As Reader i just want to know which of all the suggested builds for a Mech.Variant are the better ones and which i should avoid. Nothing more.

[quote author=Cthulu Jr. link=topic=2220.msg13105#msg13105 date=1373902572]
This allows you to judge each individual mech on its own merits, BUT it will also clearly state how worthwhile the entire thread is. This will also clean up the forums by reducing thread count.
[/quote]

To clean up the look of a thread i suggest to add some filters giving the reader the option to chose which builds should be shown. E.g. Show me all builds with ratings of 50+%. Without deleting or merging them. The builds from each Member are individual creations and in my opinion it is unfair to simply merge them just for the cause of Similarity, but without asking the creators.

Lets make an example:
Someone did a crap build for an actual good/very good Loadout. (maybe the Armor stats are too low, or the Coolefficiency is bad, or Ammo too little). So now YOU make a far better build with the same (or almost same) Loadout with a very good Balance between all the important stats. Do you find its ok or fair to have your build merged with some crap build and having your build standing at the bottom of the list, where maybe the fewest people would read? In my opinion, definitely NO.

Maybe we can take an example at MOBAFIRE. The highest rated builds are shown at the top, the worst at bottom. The Reader can resort the list with several options. The newest builds can be added on Top (with *NEW* tag), thats OK, because if they are bad, they will drop very fast.

Blagg

 

CLICK RATING and watch Space Magic at work

 

Yeah ive seen that. The sorting options now are simple. They are ok, but can be better for giving the reader even better Overview. What i mean is something additionally like this:

- ROLE (Brawler/Direct Fire Support/Indirect Fire Support/Skirmisher/Scout)
- Guidetype (C-Bill Farming/Competitive/Fun.build/Full.Guide (incl.Playstyle)/Build.only)
- Patch.Version (Current/...)
- Author (Expert/Special Guest/..)
(- Rating (50%+, 75%+, 90%+))

Dont get me wrong, the mechspecs site is great and i love it for being there to help new/old players to find their orientation. Its just some suggestions to make the readability even better than how it is for everybody.

Blagg

 

We (some of the users as well as the mod team) have talked about this before. This could be done using a tagging/cloud system and there are modifications out there that already do that however there are several drawbacks to this...

- The modification itself can be sort of buggy and would need to be bug hunted extensively

- Previous builds would have to be edited by us to include all the information you are talking about as "tag words"

- New build sheets that are posted would require us to go through and make sure the author is using the proper words from the tag cloud so that you aren't looking at things like "Missile Boat" and then "LURM BOAT BABY".

While 99% of MechSpecs users are mature enough to understand the importance of uniformity with a feature like this there will always be that 1% that isn't and would add more work to a volunteer based team. This is assuming that they bother to put the tagged words in at all.

 

is there any way that we can make it so that when i open the site, it just automatically finds what i want for me? (joke)

 

Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE a few times!

 

AHHAHAHAHA!!! That cracked me UP! "Space Magic." Ohhhhh...

 

ROFL. that was good! Mindreading.. thats innovative! Maybe we will have that in some years.

 

Have you seen the way how Guides are created at MobaFire? The Creator has to put the correct tags by themselves in the Editor when creating a new guide. Its in his own interest to have his Guide be shown correctly, when readers sort the list. So its not the job of the admins. The admin can check new guides and can give warnings, if there are mistakes or rules not followed. I think, if there are options to select something like (Missile Boat/Sniper/Scout) then the Build.Creators dont need to write this information in the title, because they are shown automatically next to the title.

Blagg

 

You mean MobaFire for League of Legends? The place with financial resources behind it above and beyond visitor donations? The place that is actually hiring full time programmers for various things? Yes I've seen their site.

[quote author=Blagg Zear link=topic=2220.msg13146#msg13146 date=1373917310]
The Creator has to put the correct tags by themselves in the Editor when creating a new guide. Its in his own interest to have his Guide be shown correctly, when readers sort the list.
[/quote]

They are using a ground up framework for their platform (whatever CMS style system they are using).

[quote author=Blagg Zear link=topic=2220.msg13146#msg13146 date=1373917310]
So its not the job of the admins. The admin can check new guides and can give warnings, if there are mistakes or rules not followed.
[/quote]

You are adorable!!!! If only life were that simple and that functional.

[quote author=Blagg Zear link=topic=2220.msg13146#msg13146 date=1373917310]
I think, if there are options to select something like (Missile Boat/Sniper/Scout) then the Build.Creators dont need to write this information in the title, because they are shown automatically next to the title.
[/quote]

That would require extensive programming and retooling of our existing platform (SMF), as well as adding a combination of at least one or two different existing mods.

What you say makes a lot of sense and if I had a corporate budget or a major financial backer it would be something that we could explore however we don't. That much reworking our existing platform is not something we can explore right now.

 

You asked me for clarification, so let me give you an example;

First, I will create a new thread, and post a mech for it, like so (play along);

http://mwo.smurfy-net.de/mechlab#i=78&l=b785417a1a004d5df8cca3aabdbbc29313c22038

Because this post has a smurfy mech model in it, it will have a separate rating scale for THIS POST ONLY. For the sake of this demonstration, we'll rate it 3.