Actually having news like interlopers on TWHL4 will make this community stronger as members will not only check back for their problems, but to also read news that are not related only to the site.

I think it was never mentioned because no one cared.

It would be nice, but it's not necessary. It's all up to the admin team, though.

Then let's make a more useful suggestion. This is related to the Map Vault: Make my visits to my own maps not add to the views count. It only requires an if() statement.

Something also practical would be to add an extra database field for maps, to store the last time its author/uploader visited it. Why? Simple: To display in the user's control panel that new comments were made in maps after the last time we went to look. That would have the bonus side effect of allowing for just one generic private message to be sent when someone comments on a map, until you visit. That helps to avoid inbox clogging. Private message inboxes in TWHL are small in capacity compared to other forums

It would also be useful to receive an email when someone sent you a private message, but I think I have already mentioned this somewhere else.

Edit: I know, I know. Wait for TWHL4. I hope we see these features implemented there

Guys, work on TWHL4 hasn't started yet, but when it does, I'll create a thread for suggestions.

Are you at least writing these down in case we forget them?

I know I said this a dozen times already, but here goes a reminder: If you need a hand, I'm a good code monkey^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hr and you are free to let me know if you need it.

This is something I have thought about. The current design only allows for 2 posts to be shown at a time, and for whatever reason we've always just left it strictly (well, almost strictly) site-related.

During the redesign we'll look into ways to expand on the news system, so we can have smaller news posts without truncating any important site news.

I thought about this layout of the front page:Not to scale. And I mean "not to scale" because there are other elements that I haven't included(like the title bar). Only included the main aspect.

Where do the Highest Rated maps go?

Striker, that is literally exactly the same layout as the current front page.

hahaha you actually just stole the front page and made it a little bit worse. The only reason I say that is because the forum posts should horizontally span the entire content sector since they contain text which we don't want wrapped tightly like you're suggesting.

Anyway you all heard Penguinboy, save your suggestions for the real thread, if you can't remember them, then write them down yourselves, they're probably not worth mentioning if you can't remember them anyway.

I just thought of this, perhaps using an average of map ratings received by any given user could be used as a reputation meter of sorts. Or at least as another item in their profile stats, as "average mapping quality".

I just thought of this. Ratings given by users who tend to give the same or similar ratings to maps should have a little less effect on the calculated rating than ratings given by other users. This would reduce the frequency of maps getting undeserved high ratings because some user is too polite to give honest ratings and of maps getting undeserved low ratings because some idiot registers only to give the Half-Life map one star after it crashed his non-Steam Counter-Strike 1.6.

Yes, but that would also mean the people who end up rating mostly maps that are deserving of 4 stars would have their ratings worth less, even though the map is worth it.

True, but I don't see that as much of a problem as I think most regulars play and rate both bad and good maps and if a person of the kind you describe give a fair rating, others will most likely give the same or similar ratings. If no one else rates it, his rating will be the only one that counts and therefore have a 100% effect on the calculated rating.

A system like the one I have described wouldn't do wonders and some might say it's unfair, but I believe it would slightly increase the accuracy of map ratings and implementation is therefore worth it.

I think just having map moderators keep track of ratings would be better. e.g., when someone rates a map 1-star and gives no plausible reason for such, it should just be deleted and the user should be warned. If the user gets warned 3 times in a month period or whatever just ban them from rating/commenting on maps.

you could do the same thing for people who spam rate crappy maps, though i don't think that really happens anymore.

Also, sticky a message in the map vault home screen giving some helpful criteria on what makes a rating for a map, since everyone seems to have there own definition of what a map is worth. This way, maybe ratings will be more accurate/consistent if everyone is working from a similar benchmark for a good map.

I know what my criteria for a good map are, and how it usually quite different from another user, but map rating benchmarks are a discussion for another thread =)

I suppose, but I tend to not play the CS and HLDM maps, because I
A) Don't have CS
B) Don't have internet to play HLDM on.

So, I usually stick to singleplayer maps, which are usually made by regulars, who all have decent to superb skills worthy of 4 or 5 stars.

Ninja'd.
Probably should have done this tab first.

i just thought of something else for map vault.

You ever notice how a site like CNET.com has Editor rating andUuser rating? maybe we could weigh moderator's and of course MV moderator's ratings higher than a normal user, giving a more balanced rating overall.

This would mean tho Mods would actually have to rate maps for it to work.

P

That can also leave little room for doubt when it comes to people abusing the system, if you could have 'professional reviews' and 'user reviews'. Good idea, although it means if a staff member hadn't reviewed something it's completely open to abuse.

To keep it simple, it should be like youtube's comment system. If a comment gets too many thumbs down, it will be deleted.

no matter what, the mv comments need to be actively moderated, not as much as they used to, but they still need some love..

I like the thumbs up/down or like/dislike thing, striker. would improve a lot of things on the site..

Not deleted. Hidden. Like youtube, ability to moderate within your own posts.
Also left-justified "login square" with BRIGHT SHINY notifications. I honestly never know when I have PMs and stuff.

Yeah that's true, in most cases I miss them for a while and then I see the little orange envelope while some page is half-loaded.

What it truly needs is <blink>. Also <font color="red" size="300%">. And UPPERCASE.

<blink><font color="red" size="300%">YOU HAVE TEH PM'S!!1!1</font></blink>

They could just bring back the PM band at the top of the pages.

Why does my profile say 10 maps when I only have 6? Have I earned some sort of count bonus?

You have uploaded 10 maps and have had 4 of them removed.

Nope. None removed.

Perhaps it has counted the times you have uploaded a new version of the same map when editing your map entry?

That could be. Doesn't mean it's a correct account of maps, it's only tracking how many times I uploaded anything. In which case it should probably be labeled differently.

Or I could just be too lazy to fix it. The stats haven't been tracking shout counts for 3 years now.

Oh, that's right, I forgot to ask about that too.

How are teh new codez coming along?