So first thing to say is that I do like user reviewers as I think they
can provide a different perspective to what an average gamer takes from
a game and not what a journalist likes to see in games. I don't
sometimes feel like the later can end up giving good reviews to games
because they are 'clever' and not because they;re enjoyable.

So before I buy a game I will check out reviews both from published
reviews but also user reviews on Steam. So what's the problem then you
might ask. The vast majority of user reviews I feel are fairly balanced
in explaining what someone liked and disliked about a game. Where I have
a problem is with those where a game just isn't the type of game that
they like yet they buy it and then complain with a bad review that it's
not the type of game they like. I have written the odd review but for me
bad reviews should be reserved why the game fails to achieve what it set
out to do and not just because you don't like what it achieves.

Then we have that special breed of reviewer that will cry woke if there
are any women who don't have their breasts half on display. That also
seems to go hand-in-hand with I don't want politics in my games although
in reality that means I don't want politics I disagree with in my games.

My favourite review though was on Amazon for a Tamiya Panther tank model
kit. They gave it one star on the grounds that you had to assemble and
paint it. It takes quite a special kinda person to write that.

On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:17:20 +0000, JAB <noway@co.uk> wrote:

>My favourite review though was on Amazon for a Tamiya Panther tank model
>kit. They gave it one star on the grounds that you had to assemble and
>paint it. It takes quite a special kinda person to write that.

I agree with everything you said here. Especially the part about
reviewing games in genres you do not like.

However, I usually do not read individual reviews on Steam. I just
check how many total reviews there are and then see if they are
'Overwhelmingly Positive' or 'Very Positive'.. etc and that is it.
That is usually enough for me.

With that said, I might sometimes read the negative reviews to see if
I can see the same things being complained about in several reviews as
that would give those criticisms legitimacy for me.

On 13/02/2022 13:09, Mike S. wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:17:20 +0000, JAB <noway@co.uk> wrote:
>
>> My favourite review though was on Amazon for a Tamiya Panther tank model
>> kit. They gave it one star on the grounds that you had to assemble and
>> paint it. It takes quite a special kinda person to write that.
>
> I agree with everything you said here. Especially the part about
> reviewing games in genres you do not like.
>
> However, I usually do not read individual reviews on Steam. I just
> check how many total reviews there are and then see if they are
> 'Overwhelmingly Positive' or 'Very Positive'.. etc and that is it.
> That is usually enough for me.
>
> With that said, I might sometimes read the negative reviews to see if
> I can see the same things being complained about in several reviews as
> that would give those criticisms legitimacy for me.

My first gate is do I like the sound of the game although I will say
that if the overall review score is at either end of the spectrum it
will taint my view. My next step is just to do some skim reading of both
positive and negative reviews to spot the ones that I think are
worthwhile reading.

On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 08:09:26 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
wrote:
>On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:17:20 +0000, JAB <noway@co.uk> wrote:

>>My favourite review though was on Amazon for a Tamiya Panther tank model
>>kit. They gave it one star on the grounds that you had to assemble and
>>paint it. It takes quite a special kinda person to write that.

>I agree with everything you said here. Especially the part about
>reviewing games in genres you do not like.

Well, as somebody who reviews games that often are in genres I don't
like, I don't have quite as much a problem with that ;-)

Of course, I'll always reveal that fact from the outset and admit that
my judgment on the game may therefore be questionable. I do try to be
fair about the game, though; I try to judge it less on how much I
enjoyed it (or not) but instead on more objective things, like the
graphics. For instance, you'll occassionally see me review MMOs or
online shooters in my monthly round-ups where I cheerfully admit I'm
not the intended audience for these sorts of games.

After all, if I picked up a game in a genre that I know generally does
not appeal to me, it's likely that there was something that attracted
me enough to give it a shot. Saying "hey, I thought this game might be
cool despite the fact it's not my usual type, but it's not" is a fair
comment that might be useful to others with similar tastes who might
be on the fence. Equally valid is saying, "hey, I don't usually play
games like this but, wow, this one was great" is also helpful.

But, again, since I make reviews like that myself, I may be a bit
biased ;-)

Frankly, I'm glad for any sort of user review which shares an honest
and informative opinion. The only ones I really dislike are the
non-informational ones: "this game sucks!" or "Best game ever!". If
you don't tell me why you feel that way, it's just a useless
thumbs-up/down that adds nothing.

Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> writes:

> However, I usually do not read individual reviews on Steam. I just
> check how many total reviews there are and then see if they are
> 'Overwhelmingly Positive' or 'Very Positive'.. etc and that is it.
> That is usually enough for me.

I've actually been burned by that once or twice, can't remember the
games though. Can't really trust I'll like a game even if it has all
those positive reviews.

> With that said, I might sometimes read the negative reviews to see if
> I can see the same things being complained about in several reviews as
> that would give those criticisms legitimacy for me.

For me gameplay video is usually a big deciding factor. Reviews kind of
maybe. For example the recent Guardians of Galaxy. I'm not a huge fan of
the movies but they're OK by me. But dozens of hours of that inane
banter and grindy combat? Nope. Reviews are quite positive on Steam.

Another example, someone in my Twitter feed just mentioned Beyond
Mankind. It sounded interesting but boy, the gameplay video and negative
reviews on Steam made it abundantly clear to avoid. Steam reviews were
actually "mixed" which is a little hard to decide on.

On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 20:08:58 +0200, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:

>Another example, someone in my Twitter feed just mentioned Beyond
>Mankind. It sounded interesting but boy, the gameplay video and negative
>reviews on Steam made it abundantly clear to avoid. Steam reviews were
>actually "mixed" which is a little hard to decide on.

When reviews are 'mixed', that is when you probably do need to start
reading reviews.

But how about if reviews on Steam are 'mostly negative'. Would you
guys even bother with the game at that point? I personally wouldn't
but I am curious how others feel about 'mostly negative' games on
Steam.

On 13/02/2022 19:16, Mike S. wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 20:08:58 +0200, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:
>
>> Another example, someone in my Twitter feed just mentioned Beyond
>> Mankind. It sounded interesting but boy, the gameplay video and negative
>> reviews on Steam made it abundantly clear to avoid. Steam reviews were
>> actually "mixed" which is a little hard to decide on.
>
> When reviews are 'mixed', that is when you probably do need to start
> reading reviews.
>
> But how about if reviews on Steam are 'mostly negative'. Would you
> guys even bother with the game at that point? I personally wouldn't
> but I am curious how others feel about 'mostly negative' games on
> Steam.

As I say, for me it's very much does the game look interesting to me
that counts as the first gate. That doesn't mean that my view may not be
swayed by overall negative or positive. So I suppose the simple example
is if something catches my eye but not in the category I like/dislike
the look of that then the overall review status may change my mind as to
whether to click on the game to take a closer look.

On 13/02/2022 17:28, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 08:09:26 -0500, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com>
> wrote:
>> On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:17:20 +0000, JAB <noway@co.uk> wrote:
>
>>> My favourite review though was on Amazon for a Tamiya Panther tank model
>>> kit. They gave it one star on the grounds that you had to assemble and
>>> paint it. It takes quite a special kinda person to write that.
>
>> I agree with everything you said here. Especially the part about
>> reviewing games in genres you do not like.
>
>
>
> Well, as somebody who reviews games that often are in genres I don't
> like, I don't have quite as much a problem with that ;-)
>
> Of course, I'll always reveal that fact from the outset and admit that
> my judgment on the game may therefore be questionable. I do try to be
> fair about the game, though; I try to judge it less on how much I
> enjoyed it (or not) but instead on more objective things, like the
> graphics. For instance, you'll occassionally see me review MMOs or
> online shooters in my monthly round-ups where I cheerfully admit I'm
> not the intended audience for these sorts of games.
>
> After all, if I picked up a game in a genre that I know generally does
> not appeal to me, it's likely that there was something that attracted
> me enough to give it a shot. Saying "hey, I thought this game might be
> cool despite the fact it's not my usual type, but it's not" is a fair
> comment that might be useful to others with similar tastes who might
> be on the fence. Equally valid is saying, "hey, I don't usually play
> games like this but, wow, this one was great" is also helpful.
>
> But, again, since I make reviews like that myself, I may be a bit
> biased ;-)
>

I do put the reviews I see here in a some what different category as
firstly it doesn't make up part of an average score that people are then
using to guide whether they buy a game or not. More importantly I've
seen enough reviews/comments from different members of this group to
have a rough idea of the type of games they like or dislike so I can
view it through that lense. That to me make it's quite different as
you've moved into the 'trusted' reviewer category.

> Frankly, I'm glad for any sort of user review which shares an honest
> and informative opinion. The only ones I really dislike are the
> non-informational ones: "this game sucks!" or "Best game ever!". If
> you don't tell me why you feel that way, it's just a useless
> thumbs-up/down that adds nothing.
>

On Monday, February 14, 2022 at 12:38:35 AM UTC-8, JAB wrote:
> On 13/02/2022 17:28, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> > On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 08:09:26 -0500, Mike S. <Mik...@nowhere.com>
> > wrote:
> >> On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 11:17:20 +0000, JAB <no...@co.uk> wrote:

> I do put the reviews I see here in a some what different category as
> firstly it doesn't make up part of an average score that people are then
> using to guide whether they buy a game or not. More importantly I've
> seen enough reviews/comments from different members of this group to
> have a rough idea of the type of games they like or dislike so I can
> view it through that lense. That to me make it's quite different as
> you've moved into the 'trusted' reviewer category.

Same here. I'm much more likely to pick something up when someone
here gives a review that piques my interest.

- Justisaur

On Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 10:09:01 AM UTC-8, Anssi Saari wrote:
> Mike S. <Mik...@nowhere.com> writes:
>
> > However, I usually do not read individual reviews on Steam. I just
> > check how many total reviews there are and then see if they are
> > 'Overwhelmingly Positive' or 'Very Positive'.. etc and that is it.
> > That is usually enough for me.

> I've actually been burned by that once or twice, can't remember the
> games though. Can't really trust I'll like a game even if it has all
> those positive reviews.

Yeah, I sometimes look through the highest rated games on Steam, and
the majority are narrative anime games 8/ I've been burned on souls-like
and rogue-like as well. Both seem to get pretty good reviews even
if they're total garbage.

I think the worst one I ever got was a bullet hell game Ubermosh:Black
which has 'very positive' reviews right now. I actually have a Steam
folder where I put all the games I never want to play again and thought
were garbage, there's 57 games in there. Looking through them, about
half, I'm thinking "Those weren't that bad, I kind of remember them with
some fondness." But I also remember I put them in there for some
reason and not to second guess myself as when I have I've been
quickly reminded why and chastising myself for being so foolish.

Looking through them the only one I see Overwhelmingly Positive
was The Walking Dead. I had to look back through my "What
Did You Play" this month threads to see why. Got stuck 2 hours
in, actually probably more like an hour in, I just spent another
hour trying to figure out how to get un-stuck. Puzzle games
with have to use x stupid thing on y stupid place that really makes
no sense. I hated those ever since Colossal Cave Adventure in the
70's.

There's one that ought to be through the floor as there's a game ending
bug within the first 10 minutes of the game, there's no fix for it. It ought
to not be allowed to be for sale. Unfortunately I spent more than my allotted
2 hours trying to fix the damn thing, so I couldn't return it. That one's 'Very
Positive' as well. Dead Space.

> > With that said, I might sometimes read the negative reviews to see if
> > I can see the same things being complained about in several reviews as
> > that would give those criticisms legitimacy for me.
> For me gameplay video is usually a big deciding factor. Reviews kind of
> maybe. For example the recent Guardians of Galaxy. I'm not a huge fan of
> the movies but they're OK by me. But dozens of hours of that inane
> banter and grindy combat? Nope. Reviews are quite positive on Steam.
>
> Another example, someone in my Twitter feed just mentioned Beyond
> Mankind. It sounded interesting but boy, the gameplay video and negative
> reviews on Steam made it abundantly clear to avoid. Steam reviews were
> actually "mixed" which is a little hard to decide on.

If I see 'mixed' that's a pretty bad sign though. Looking through my
finished games I find EDF: Iron Rain with 'mixed' reviews. I did kind
of like it, not a strong feeling, and indeed mixed. But I'm glad I got to
play it. I don't even really see 'mixed' in my garbage folder, most are
'very positive', I found one just 'positive'

- Justisaur

On Sun, 13 Feb 2022 20:08:58 +0200, Anssi Saari <as@sci.fi> wrote:

>Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> writes:
>
>> However, I usually do not read individual reviews on Steam. I just
>> check how many total reviews there are and then see if they are
>> 'Overwhelmingly Positive' or 'Very Positive'.. etc and that is it.
>> That is usually enough for me.
>
>I've actually been burned by that once or twice, can't remember the
>games though. Can't really trust I'll like a game even if it has all
>those positive reviews.
>
>> With that said, I might sometimes read the negative reviews to see if
>> I can see the same things being complained about in several reviews as
>> that would give those criticisms legitimacy for me.

>For me gameplay video is usually a big deciding factor. Reviews kind of
>maybe. For example the recent Guardians of Galaxy. I'm not a huge fan of
>the movies but they're OK by me. But dozens of hours of that inane
>banter and grindy combat? Nope. Reviews are quite positive on Steam.

There was an interesting video some years back (wait a second, let me
see if I can't find the URL... ah, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJiv14uPOac) about how somebody
analyzed how people actually shop for games on Steam. I think I wrote
about it here. Most people spend only a few minutes on a game's store
page before making a decision about whether or not the game was
interesting to them, and the research was interested to see what,
exactly, they were looking at that helped them reach that decision.
This information was largely intended to help developers better sell
their games, but I found it had some interesting revelations about
gamers too.

The short of it is that genre categorization is one of the most
important deciders. Those little tags that say "adventure" or "online"
or "Light novel" are key motivators as to whether to keep looking at
the page or just skip it entirely.

Gameplay videos were another major factor, but - the research found -
most videos on Steam were considered unhelpful by shoppers. Videos
filled with long-drawn out titles, or cutscenes were seen as useless;
the ones that received the most (and longest) views were those that
actually showed raw gameplay. If there was a mix of content, gamers
tended to skip ahead in the video until they found gameplay video,
ignoring all the extra filler.

Especially of interest to gamers is seeing the game's user interface
(hence the dislike for cutscene videos). Still images get much less
attention, and usually are looked at very briefly at the start of
consideration, and then a bit more intently after watching the video.

Negative reviews are the third consideration for most gamers; the
first two features show (hopefully) what the potential buyer likes;
negative reviews show what they don't like. Postitive reviews are much
less important, partly because they are already telling gamers what
they have already decided by looking at the video and genre, and
partly because they are widely distrusted as being some sort of
astroturfing campaign. A subset of gamers rely on curators or trusted
reviewers, but the majority come to the game directly rather than
following a link.

Very few gamers buy outright; many dump the game into a wishlist, and
the vast majority wait for a game to come out on sale before making
the purchase.

On 14/02/2022 17:38, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

> The short of it is that genre categorization is one of the most
> important deciders. Those little tags that say "adventure" or "online"
> or "Light novel" are key motivators as to whether to keep looking at
> the page or just skip it entirely.
>

Tags are definitely one that goes into the mix for me but only as in
such much as will I spend a bit more time looking at the game. So there
are certain tags which are pretty much a no goodbye for me (and yes
Steam if I keep adding certain games to ignore can you please stop
putting them in my discovery queue) but there are others that may make
me think I'm not sure but maybe I'll tale a look anyway.

> Gameplay videos were another major factor, but - the research found -
> most videos on Steam were considered unhelpful by shoppers. Videos
> filled with long-drawn out titles, or cutscenes were seen as useless;
> the ones that received the most (and longest) views were those that
> actually showed raw gameplay. If there was a mix of content, gamers
> tended to skip ahead in the video until they found gameplay video,
> ignoring all the extra filler.
>
> Especially of interest to gamers is seeing the game's user interface
> (hence the dislike for cutscene videos). Still images get much less
> attention, and usually are looked at very briefly at the start of
> consideration, and then a bit more intently after watching the video.
>

That's one of my bugbears, two, three or maybe four videos all of which
don't have the first hint of gameplay.

On 14/02/2022 15:59, Justisaur wrote:
> Looking through them the only one I see Overwhelmingly Positive
> was The Walking Dead. I had to look back through my "What
> Did You Play" this month threads to see why. Got stuck 2 hours
> in, actually probably more like an hour in, I just spent another
> hour trying to figure out how to get un-stuck. Puzzle games
> with have to use x stupid thing on y stupid place that really makes
> no sense. I hated those ever since Colossal Cave Adventure in the
> 70's.
>

I really enjoyed the first Walking Dead but not so much the second as I
found it hard to connect with the character of Clemintine. The Wolf
Among Us, well I enjoyed that even more and I really hope number 2 will
be made.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> There was an interesting video some years back (wait a second, let me
> see if I can't find the URL... ah, here it is:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJiv14uPOac) about how somebody
> analyzed how people actually shop for games on Steam.

I remember that. I remember I liked the video, the presenter is very
intense and to the point. So there's very little bullshit or self
promotion, just the stuff. Um, I guess I was impatient even before the
pandemic <insert rolleyes emoji here>.

Still, I remember I was put off by the results. The focus on people's
heavy need for clear categorization to me felt quite weird. I mean, for
sure he's right and lazy categories is how our brains get stuff
done. But it gets a little harder if (like me) you know vaguely what you
like but that isn't really a category. And I guess I just saw it as a
bad thing, are devs now going to make games like the old kids' toy where
you have round, square and triangular pegs that go into the similarly
shaped holes?

Also it was very Steam user centric but of course that also makes
sense. But I was weirded out by that too since I don't use Steam to find
stuff and so to me it's again a weird idea. And really, are people so
limited that they only buy on Steam? Instead of checking Cheapshark or
Isthereanydeal? But I guess that's how things work out.

I once played with the recommender thing on Steam but found maybe one
thing of interest.

> Very few gamers buy outright; many dump the game into a wishlist, and
> the vast majority wait for a game to come out on sale before making
> the purchase.

I wonder if it was the same video where there was some discussion on how
to manage the price of a game? As in, shouldn't go too low too soon or
people will wait until it's as low again or lower. I kinda do that with
a sort of mental wishlist to games that I wish I'd like but probably
won't.

As in, XCOM 2 goes for 3 euros on Steam at the moment, its collection
bundle with the game and some/all(?) DLC goes for 6.90. Apparently XCOM
2 was a freebie in December but I didn't notice it then.

On 14/02/2022 20:51, Anssi Saari wrote:
> Also it was very Steam user centric but of course that also makes
> sense. But I was weirded out by that too since I don't use Steam to find
> stuff and so to me it's again a weird idea. And really, are people so
> limited that they only buy on Steam? Instead of checking Cheapshark or
> Isthereanydeal? But I guess that's how things work out.
>

I'm not sure I'd say limited but instead can't be arsed. My buying
habits are if I really like the look of a game I'll end up buying it
around the time it's released. Then you can pretty much forget about
discounts. If I like the look of it but it doesn't get into I want this
now it then goes on the wishlist and I might get it when it's in the
very cheap category.

The only real exception is if I come across an older game that I hadn't
heard of but I do like the look and it isn't in the bargain bucket. Then
I may pop over to other sites just to see the prices.

On Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:30:09 +0000, JAB <noway@co.uk> wrote:

>On 14/02/2022 20:51, Anssi Saari wrote:
>> Also it was very Steam user centric but of course that also makes
>> sense. But I was weirded out by that too since I don't use Steam to find
>> stuff and so to me it's again a weird idea. And really, are people so
>> limited that they only buy on Steam? Instead of checking Cheapshark or
>> Isthereanydeal? But I guess that's how things work out.

>I'm not sure I'd say limited but instead can't be arsed. My buying
>habits are if I really like the look of a game I'll end up buying it
>around the time it's released. Then you can pretty much forget about
>discounts. If I like the look of it but it doesn't get into I want this
>now it then goes on the wishlist and I might get it when it's in the
>very cheap category.

Ditto. I'm well aware of sites like IsThereAnyDeal and CheapShark and
SteamDeals the rest, but I'm really not that interested in chasing
down the /best/ price; I just want one that's within my general range.
Steam's store pages are also, typically, much more informative than
corresponding pages on deal-sites. As importantly, in the rare
instances I do rely on those sort of sites, it's usually looking for a
game I'm already aware of, and not something I'm browsing looking for
something new. Dealsites are complementary to the storepages, not
primary sources, at least not for me.

Still, it should be noted that the researcher found that the vast
majority of gamers don't buy immediately upon visiting a Steam page;
rather, they make a fairly quick decision (within a few minutes) as to
whether the game falls into the "no thanks" or "yes/maybe" category.
With the former, the customer leaves and doesn't come back; in most
other cases, the game is dropped into a wishlist as the customer waits
for a sale or otherwise considers the wisdom of the purchase.

During this period, he may also be visiting deal-sites like CheapShark
or other marketplaces trying to find a better deal. IIRC, the data
indicated that about 20% of people buy keys from third-party resellers
(HumbleBundle, Greenman Gaming, Fanatical, etc). Of course, there's
also an unknown number who see the game on Steam and then buy it on
UPlay or GOG or somewhere outside of Valve's metrics too.

The video is, as mentioned, very Steam-centric, but that's because
that's what the researcher was looking at, and Valve is - reportedly -
one of the best when it comes to sharing metrics with its partners.
That it also absolutely dominates PC gaming sales probably helps.

So the video doesn't offer a complete picture of the market, but I
don't think it's intended to: it's largely aimed at developers trying
to help them understand what customers are looking at on their Steam
store pages, and what features translate into more sales (and, as
importantly, what features don't). Ergo, make sure you have accurate
genre tags, don't waste your time and money on lavish videos that show
nothing but cutscenes and orchestrally-scored title sequences. Read
the negative reviews and fix the problems mentioned. Put the game on
sale every now and again. These techniques are what get people to buy
your game instead of just closing the page.

On 2/15/2022 8:56 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Feb 2022 11:30:09 +0000, JAB <noway@co.uk> wrote:
>
>> On 14/02/2022 20:51, Anssi Saari wrote:
>>> Also it was very Steam user centric but of course that also makes
>>> sense. But I was weirded out by that too since I don't use Steam to find
>>> stuff and so to me it's again a weird idea. And really, are people so
>>> limited that they only buy on Steam? Instead of checking Cheapshark or
>>> Isthereanydeal? But I guess that's how things work out.
>
>> I'm not sure I'd say limited but instead can't be arsed. My buying
>> habits are if I really like the look of a game I'll end up buying it
>> around the time it's released. Then you can pretty much forget about
>> discounts. If I like the look of it but it doesn't get into I want this
>> now it then goes on the wishlist and I might get it when it's in the
>> very cheap category.
>
> Ditto. I'm well aware of sites like IsThereAnyDeal and CheapShark and
> SteamDeals the rest, but I'm really not that interested in chasing
> down the /best/ price; I just want one that's within my general range.
> Steam's store pages are also, typically, much more informative than
> corresponding pages on deal-sites. As importantly, in the rare
> instances I do rely on those sort of sites, it's usually looking for a
> game I'm already aware of, and not something I'm browsing looking for
> something new. Dealsites are complementary to the storepages, not
> primary sources, at least not for me.
>
> Still, it should be noted that the researcher found that the vast
> majority of gamers don't buy immediately upon visiting a Steam page;
> rather, they make a fairly quick decision (within a few minutes) as to
> whether the game falls into the "no thanks" or "yes/maybe" category.
> With the former, the customer leaves and doesn't come back; in most
> other cases, the game is dropped into a wishlist as the customer waits
> for a sale or otherwise considers the wisdom of the purchase.
>
> During this period, he may also be visiting deal-sites like CheapShark
> or other marketplaces trying to find a better deal. IIRC, the data
> indicated that about 20% of people buy keys from third-party resellers
> (HumbleBundle, Greenman Gaming, Fanatical, etc). Of course, there's
> also an unknown number who see the game on Steam and then buy it on
> UPlay or GOG or somewhere outside of Valve's metrics too.
>
*raises his hand*

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 15/02/2022 16:56, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
[snip]

> So the video doesn't offer a complete picture of the market, but I
> don't think it's intended to: it's largely aimed at developers trying
> to help them understand what customers are looking at on their Steam
> store pages, and what features translate into more sales (and, as
> importantly, what features don't). Ergo, make sure you have accurate
> genre tags, don't waste your time and money on lavish videos that show
> nothing but cutscenes and orchestrally-scored title sequences. Read
> the negative reviews and fix the problems mentioned. Put the game on
> sale every now and again. These techniques are what get people to buy
> your game instead of just closing the page.

For me tags are part of the first look equation but more in sense of not
has it got the right ones but has it got the wrong ones. There are
certain genres I just don't like and if a game is tagged with one in the
latter category I'm highly likely to skip past straight away. The second
point I very much agree with, I don't care about watching a video, or
quite often four, that doesn't show any actual gameplay.

For negative reviews, again agreed. If someone posts a real problem that
can be considered to make a practical difference then try and get them
fixed. I'm still rather annoyed about the known bug in Pillars of
Eternity II and drinking potions in real-time with pause mode. Well you
basically can't unless you switch off party AI, drink the potion and
then switch party AI back on. I tried to play it in turn based mode
(then everything is fine) but I think I got to the stage where my
annoyance with that bug not being fixed just meant I couldn't enjoy the
game. That will influence my future buying choices.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>Frankly, I'm glad for any sort of user review which shares an honest
>and informative opinion. The only ones I really dislike are the
>non-informational ones: "this game sucks!" or "Best game ever!". If
>you don't tell me why you feel that way, it's just a useless
>thumbs-up/down that adds nothing.

Oh, that's not the worst kind of review. The worst kind is the joke
review that literally says nothing about about the game. You know the
ones that get tons of upvotes despite being the same dumb joke that gets
repeated over and over.

--
l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
-()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
db //

On Thu, 17 Feb 2022 04:01:09 -0000 (UTC), rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
(Ross Ridge) wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>Frankly, I'm glad for any sort of user review which shares an honest
>>and informative opinion. The only ones I really dislike are the
>>non-informational ones: "this game sucks!" or "Best game ever!". If
>>you don't tell me why you feel that way, it's just a useless
>>thumbs-up/down that adds nothing.

>Oh, that's not the worst kind of review. The worst kind is the joke
>review that literally says nothing about about the game. You know the
>ones that get tons of upvotes despite being the same dumb joke that gets
>repeated over and over.

I used to write reviews like that but then I took an arrow to the
knee.

On Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 7:16:24 AM UTC-8, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Feb 2022 04:01:09 -0000 (UTC), rri...@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
> (Ross Ridge) wrote:
>
> >Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>Frankly, I'm glad for any sort of user review which shares an honest
> >>and informative opinion. The only ones I really dislike are the
> >>non-informational ones: "this game sucks!" or "Best game ever!". If
> >>you don't tell me why you feel that way, it's just a useless
> >>thumbs-up/down that adds nothing.

It does affect the overall score of the game, I don't believe there's any way
to just put in a thumbs up or down without some text, so that's really more
Steam's fault. I've done the same thing when reviewing as I don't
really have anything else so say that hasn't already been said by others.

> >Oh, that's not the worst kind of review. The worst kind is the joke
> >review that literally says nothing about about the game. You know the
> >ones that get tons of upvotes despite being the same dumb joke that gets
> >repeated over and over.

Yeah that can be confusing. There's also a bunch of 'guides' on the DS
forums that are similarly upvoted that are 'git gud' or some other stupid
one liners.

> I used to write reviews like that but then I took an arrow to the
> knee.

Message for you sir!

- Justisaur