So, instead of rant about some criminal: Today I thought I'd do something more constructive. While being sleep deprived :D

Having been a critic for over a decade, I've picked up on a lot of things... mostly that the majority people can't tag for shit, and ratings have gone down the drain. Both online on sites like this, and actual review sites.

For example: A game being considered "bad" if it gets 8/10.

So, that said: I thought I'd go over how rating is "supposed" to work.

While I am a veteran critic, I am by no means an expert. Angles for example are still my nemesis xP

That aside, yes it will be a bit biased. But mostly objective.

So, to get started:

0 stars. This is for shitposts, illegal shit or something where someone fucked up SO HARD on something, that it just ruins the entire project to such a degree it should be pulled down and fixed before being re-uploaded. (Recent game culture anyone?

0,5 stars. A bit similar to above. But instead of "you should be thrown out of the establishment" its more "go sit in that corner, shut up. and think about what you have done." A lot of intentional cringe can end up here. You can try to cover everything that was wrong, or just focus on what jarred you the most.

1 stars. It's when something is pretty bad. But it's not all over the floor yet. Try to focus on the main issue if you leave feedback. It's generally better to try and narrow it down. As fixing everything at once can mess it up more.

1,5 stars. Is more on the "eh..." area. Like, it's either not quite there. Or, it could be good, if X was fixed. As before: Depending on the issues, either point out the biggest one, or briefly all of them. This can generally be done as this rating shouldn't have too many.

2 stars. This (and above to a degree) is kinda where the "B-movies" would be. Not quite good. But can suffice if popcorn is present. Can usually be improve with minor tweaks or "trying a little harder."

2,5 stars. This is when something is just "good". It's completely average. You wouldn't mind consuming it. But nothing you go out of your way for. Generally thoughts or suggestions can be put here.

3 stars. This is when something IS good. It perks more interest than something standard. It stands out in some way.

3,5 stars. Similar to above, but its doing it even more. Starting to reach recognizable status. This is where the "Nice..." kicks in.

4 stars. Now shit starts to get real. Things are really picking up here. Any error at this level has to be extremely minor. Or due to personal preference.

4,5 stars. This is almost close to perfect. It's chef kiss good. It's incredibly hard to improve from here. Or needs to be personal preference to kick it over the edge.

5 stars. This is when it CANNOT be improved in ANY way. It has NO visible mistakes, errors or the like. (at most if you fine comb it) It cannot be "This game is PERFECT!" *two weeks later* "Oh god, yes! They fixed that one bug. It was sooo annoying.", to get here, that bug CAN'T be here to begin with. It would have launched without it. If you doubt a thing for a second, go for 4,5. (bit exaggerated perhaps xP But: This is meant to be the peak of achievement. Like: You can't like something more than this. So: No change should be able to make you love it more... unless its something you didn't know you liked xP)

To add a few variables:

Some people ask me to rate them "lowest score". This is very simple. Say you have ex: Sound 5, Graphics 5, Story 5 and Game-play 1. Instead of the standard rating of "5+5+5+1÷4", the score simply caps at 1. Harsh? Yes. But if someone keeps fucking up at X, it might be necessary.

ALWAYS judge an artist by their own standards and skill. For example: A 4 for one artist could be a 2 for another. Or even 5 to 1. For example: If a professional artist for 20 years draws two left hands and ex: place a vag right below the navel... they should know better. (assuming its done on a character not supposed to have that for whatever reason. And that this was a "serious" attempt.) Or: If they copy paste or rush a 4 hour job, to a 30 second scribble. Like, that shit ain't acceptable on that level. Whereas someone that picked up drawing a few months ago, if they misplace the perineum, that's not a world ending thing. Laziness/incompetence isn't a valid excuse in most cases. Especially if they have a decade or more of experience.

Docking points: You can dock points for X. But, generally tell if you do so. Like "I remove 0,5 because X" (like, incorrect tagging. Or messing a thing up. I generally don't recommend this, as it can be very blackmaily. (Same for the below "Unsure" suggestion, which is why: hide the score on those.) This is mostly suggested to be used on repeat offenders. Like: Dozens of failures to tag. Or constantly posting incorrect info.

Unsure: If you are unsure on a thing. Like: Say you are playing "early access", as is most games on here. Rate it according to your doubts, BUT: Hide your score. AND: Ask about your doubt. To make an example: Say you find a 18+ RPG about a lesbian antrho canine or whatever. But the current alpha only has straight scenes. And say, you want to rate if 4 stars if it will add them. But 1 star if it doesn't since "then why make a huge deal about X being gay?". Go with 2,5 and hide it. Then wait for a reply. Then simply un-hide and adjust your score based on the reply.

And in case anyone is curious: Yes. I DO rate my own stuff after this.

Most is around 2-3.

The current culture of "0 or 5" is just really blargh. It would be nice if we could have more representative scores and accurate tags for that matter.