Staying on the Lists?

docsc00ter · July 2013

After 2500 plays (and sticking to that magic 15-minute average playtime for the perfect Daily! Whoohoo!), I noticed that "Danger in the Fog" dropped off the "New" list today (it was hovering in the 4th position for the past week or so), but doesn't appear on the "Best" list. So, actually, it's not on any list in the in-game Foundry. It's kind of like going back to when a quest is first published and requires Authors to generate interest through cutting-and-pasting the quest code.

I also noticed that a couple of the quests from the "New" list that were there longer than mine are still there, while others that popped on after mine hit the list disappeared before mine.

So I'm wondering how those lists are generated? What's the trick to getting on the list and staying on the list? How does a quest move over from "New" to "Best"? (I realize getting on "Featured" takes some help from Cryptic.) Naturally, I was hoping that the quest's disappearance was foreshadowing a "Featured" label... and maybe it is. Who knows?

Doc

crok2 · July 2013

Basically, look at your rating and look at the lowest rated quest (or quests, sometimes there are ties) on the Best list. Your quest has to be rated high enough or theirs low enough to knock those quests down. That is why some people are so upset about the ninja ratings. It is keeping their quests from ever reaching the best list... ever.

docsc00ter · July 2013

I was at a little over 4.2 stars this morning while on the list. As I said, it was appearing 4th on the "New" list, and that's certainly high enough to mix into the list over on the "Best" tab at some point, I'd think.

crok2 · July 2013

What is the rating of the lowest quest on the BEST list right now?

savaikun · July 2013

after about a month - it's no longer considered 'new' to them, thus they are placed into limbo where it exists in no lists. Sadly this has been an ongoing issue before beta which they haven't had any intentions of fixing. This has happened to a couple of my quests, you will NEVER see that quest back on the new list again sadly. It's an intentional design flaw but also gives other 'newer' quests a chance to make it to the top as well.

dzogen · July 2013

crok2 wrote: »

What is the rating of the lowest quest on the BEST list right now?

Last I checked it was 4.16.

In may it was like 4.

So basically over time avg rating requirements get steeper since # of quests on list remain same and more and more good quests come out.

Pretty soon my quests will all fall off the list, into the great beyond.

For me, I don't really mind. Although I will miss the residual AD.

BTW..best list really does help, get on that and your plays increase exponentially. Bill's alone has like 200,000 plays

nyghoma · July 2013

Staying on the best list means nothing. Half the quests up there are total garbage. If you have a good quest the foundry community will know it. That's all the satisfaction you need. I can name more then 5 quests that are just up there for dailies and pling.

runis12 · July 2013

nyghoma wrote: »

Staying on the best list means nothing. Half the quests up there are total garbage. If you have a good quest the foundry community will know it. That's all the satisfaction you need. I can name more then 5 quests that are just up there for dailies and pling.

This^

Hurray for a new search function coming soonish.

gornonthecob · July 2013

runis12 wrote: »

This^ Hurray for a new search function coming soonish.

Don't hold your breath, hun. I'm sure it'll still be a completely arbitrary search which favors completely random quests.

nyghoma · July 2013

gornonthecob wrote: »

Don't hold your breath, hun. I'm sure it'll still be a completely arbitrary search which favors completely random quests.

Yeah, I have completely given up hope on Cryptic/PWE for fixing things. We are giving them free content, why should they change anything?:p

delthanin · July 2013

nyghoma wrote: »

Staying on the best list means nothing.

Well, with the current state of Foundry quest searching, it means that people are aware that your quest even exists.

The new search functionality looks like it might be a good start on fixing this problem. Too early to tell, but I'm hoping.

crok2 · July 2013

I am totally excited about the new search function you doggy downers. :P

delthanin · July 2013

crok2 wrote: »

I am totally excited about the new search function you doggy downers. :P

I'm very excited about it. I'm just curious how exactly lists will be formed from what you choose. Will there still be quests that won't be visible (just one page worth of quests like it is currently), or will there be several pages to search through according to the categories chosen? Like I said, too early to tell. Can't come soon enough, though.

nyghoma · July 2013

delthanin wrote: »

Well, with the current state of Foundry quest searching, it means that people are aware that your quest even exists.

The new search functionality looks like it might be a good start on fixing this problem. Too early to tell, but I'm hoping.

Yeah, but do you think the general public enjoys brilliantly crafted quests? No. They want <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> jokes, 15 min grinders, and push over quests. Trust me, if half the "good" quests weren't featured to get them on that page, we would be over ran with slop. But even then, Cryptic is 50/50 on their choices.

savaikun · July 2013

nyghoma wrote: »

Yeah, but do you think the general public enjoys brilliantly crafted quests? No. They want <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> jokes, 15 min grinders, and push over quests. Trust me, if half the "good" quests weren't featured to get them on that page, we would be over ran with slop. But even then, Cryptic is 50/50 on their choices.

I agree with this.

zahinder · July 2013

I highly suggest not deleting your stuff, nyghoma, as frustrated as you (and I) may be.

I did that on STO a while back when I was UTTERLY infuriated with the devs, and I felt like I shot a puppy afterwards.
(I also deleted 4-5 max level characters, which was also disheartening, but not quite as bad).

So... I suggest not doing that. Unpublishing is enough to go 'eff you, Cryptic.'

antonkyle · July 2013

crok2 wrote: »

I am totally excited about the new search function you doggy downers. :P

I agree with this but I also agree with the other posts. If it works then great, if it fails then I think my time here will have come to an end.
I have three quests and in total 17 reviews, much of these were early on. I think 3 or 4 have been less than 4 stars. Many of the reviews have also had advise which I have nearly always acted on and have made my quests better.

But how do I get more plays now without constantly spamming the forums? I kind of feel like I'm begging and I don't like that.

A simple search system would be great but where I think this game fails the foundry is the reward system. Why not have exactly the same system as pvp? That way people could sit down all day and play foundry quests one after another and at the end of it have a new mount, gear.. whatever many would even enjoy it as much as pve raiding and pvp.

runebane · July 2013

antonkyle wrote: »

But how do I get more plays now without constantly spamming the forums? I kind of feel like I'm begging and I don't like that.

Unfortunately this is what you have to do. Until your quest reaches a certain threshold it just does not show up without searching the shortcode. At all. For example I looked up one of yours and subscribed. Even while subscribed your quest A Dwarven Rebellion did not show up on the subbed list.

Their is just no way for someone to just randomly search it out. I think its 5 reviews you need for that. But I'm not sure. Either way, I don't see that part changing. I expect that's a safeguard put in by Cryptic so something we published for a test-run doesn't get slammed by bad reviews.

antonkyle · July 2013

runebane wrote: »

For example I looked up one of yours and subscribed. Even while subscribed your quest A Dwarven Rebellion did not show up on the subbed list.

I noticed that. I had to log off to go get the code to test it.

oortexplorer · July 2013

antonkyle wrote: »

I have three quests and in total 17 reviews, much of these were early on. I think 3 or 4 have been less than 4 stars. Many of the reviews have also had advise which I have nearly always acted on and have made my quests better.

But how do I get more plays now without constantly spamming the forums? I kind of feel like I'm begging and I don't like that.

Right now, all you can do is extra review exchanges with new authors, while your quest on the "New" page. Get it up over 20 plays, and if it's good enough it will rise up the page due to a high average rating, and it will get at least some plays after that.

Once it's no longer "new", it disappears into the quest vortex. It still amazes me that nobody thought to add a "Next" button on the "Best" Page.

x0y1 · July 2013

Well for me, it was exactly after 21 days on the "New" list. Seems the timer starts at that moment when you got 5 reviews.

karitr · July 2013

runebane wrote: »

Unfortunately this is what you have to do. Until your quest reaches a certain threshold it just does not show up without searching the shortcode. At all. For example I looked up one of yours and subscribed. Even while subscribed your quest A Dwarven Rebellion did not show up on the subbed list.

Click in again from the subbed list (more by this author) and you will get a list of everything they have published, even quests that are still in 'beta' and haven't been played by anyone other than the author.

docsc00ter · July 2013

Well, bummer. As I suspected, dropping from a list and going back to a status where people have to search for the quest has resulted in a HUGE drop in plays overnight. Here's hoping the new Search function also includes new, extended lists of the quests that are available.

(Alternatively, if a bazillion people were to run my quest and throw a few 5-stars at it, it might bump up that 1% and appear on the list. Ya know, in case you've got a spare 15-minutes and need a Daily done... Ha ha ha!)

I've developed a whole new frustration for that day with a handful of (botted?) 1-star reviews in a period of an hour all with the same comment: "!" (Yup. Just an exclamation mark.) I'm all for honest reviews, and it's fine if people with different tastes like different things. But I sometimes wonder if reviewers have any clue how spammed or botted or just I'm-having-a-bad-day reviews affect the experience of an Author.

Oh, well. The sequel maps are all done, and the storyline is worked out. Having a rough time getting the encounters to be more interesting and surprising, but I suspect I'll get a test release out there soon. Maybe that'll renew interest in the first one.

runebane · July 2013

karitr wrote: »

Click in again from the subbed list (more by this author) and you will get a list of everything they have published, even quests that are still in 'beta' and haven't been played by anyone other than the author.

Neat. Thanks for that tip.

karitr · July 2013

If I ran 'dailies' sc00t, Danger in the Fog would definitely be on my list.

Calling something a 'good daily' seems almost an insult at times, but the quality of your quest shines - the effects are great and the writing and detail in the dialogue makes it very engaging. I know I rated this highly first time around, but I played and reviewed again because it is fun and had been a while since my last play. Sadly, like the rating, only one play per character (account?) is counted when calculating #of plays.

Until the lists are expanded from their current size, I do think some authors need to be more realistic (and perhaps a little more unselfish) when it comes to the shelf-life of quests, particularly those on the 'Best' list. It is in no one's interest to see the same quests on the lists every day they log in. Authors already feel they have an insurmountable mountain to climb just to get on a list and players will become bored with the same old selection so stop looking for 'what's new', thereby exacerbating the issue.

agentjaspor · July 2013

Be happy you were on the New list at least. None of my quests have ever shown up on there, despite getting more than the milestone 5 and 20 reviews within a week or so of being published.

thalazar1 · July 2013

my quest the lost keep fell off the list sometime over this week and i noticed since then i got maybe 5 plays. the one stars it seems keep my rating at 4. once it held there, even though i was getting 4 stars most of the time and 5 stars following up close, (my rating never got above 4.06) the one and 2 stars stopped once my rating stayed around 4.
or this could be a sign i need to wear a tin foil hat :rolleyes:

only one of the 1 stars had a comment which didn't make much sense to me, as it sound like the player was blaming me for their bad computer.

edit* correction i found a second 1 star with comment. "boring just run up and down" fair enough i guess though i think he meant back and forth as i dont have any ups and downs

apocrs1980 · July 2013

Unpublishing your quests really in the long run does absolutely nothing...unless, the entire authoring community as a whole unpublished all of their quests for a said amount of time (enough time that the regular player base got bored and started quitting) that would get a lot of attention.
However, I am not so sure this would work as there are literally 100's of new authors added every day from around the world, and not everything that is created is slop.

zahinder · July 2013

It's part of disengagement from the whole stupid mess.

I'm back to just leaving it unpublished, teetering on deleting it entirely so I don't get tempted to get drawn into the painful stupid again.
But I've regretted that before, so.

Staying on the Lists?

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