News / Considerations to make before sending in your park

In recent times we've been increasingly slower when it comes to approving submissions. We know that if you haven't submitted something for voting that your submission can sometimes sit in the release queue for quite a long time. We know that this isn't right and so have been taking some action to combat this situation.

Recently we came to the conclusion to adjust the way we approve submissions by removing the object linking process. This speeds up our approval time, as spending so long approving submissions has started to make us resent the process. However after a months trial of this, we aren't entirely happy, as this new process will leave gaps in future features of our site and also isn't achieving the high quality we strive for.

Part of the reason why we take such a long time to approve submissions is that we deal with a lot of releases that aren't of a high quality, releases that have been submitted to the database or to the panel to vote on, that are nowhere near the level of quality a lot of our members build at.
When this new process was originally made, it was made so that everyone could upload everything to the database and it would sit on their profile. We didn't care about a level of quality, we just wanted to compile a large database of RCT work. However when we have such a high quantity of these worthless submissions taking up our time we feel we need to readjust our policies towards the submission process.

We've been too leniant recently on what we allow into the database and what we don't. This is going to change. From now on, if we feel that a submission has no place on this site, it will not be approved to go into the database.

Everyone should know what is deemed of value to the site and what is worthless. Some of the crap people send in just has to stop, a lot of it has clearly had no effort put into it and doesn't deserve a space dedicated to it on NE. The same goes for incredibly unfinished work. A blank coaster layout on a map isn't unfinished work, it's barely started. Please keep it to your hard drives.

We aren't against unfinished work being submitted in general. Cocoa & djbrace recently submitted some wonderful unfinished work that we are proud to host. We are just asking people to be more aware of what is worth going through the time consuming release preperation and what isn't. We also ask people to remember to export their submissions. If we can't open it, then we can't approve it and it will be deleted.

To cut a long story short, we are asking you to be more aware of the release process, and be aware that if we feel your submission isn't what we are looking for, we have a right to refuse to release it. If you send something in to us, it's expected that you've strived to create a release to the best of your ability, like most of you already do. We aren't disciminating against our members who aren't as 'advanced' as others, we are just asking you to make sure that you've put effort into the work you submit. If you've put the effort in, we'll put the effort in to ensure your release recieves the service, care and honour of being associated with NE and made available on the webspace Geewhzz pays for.

Well spoken.

Agreed. I'm looking forward to more quality releases in quicker succession in the near future.

Me too unless no one has any.

^^^ 2 words..... Gold Rush.

I have a couple questions about this process. First, if we use parkdat to remove all unused dats from the park, does that help get the park released more quickly? Second, is there anything else submitters can do to help the approval process go more quickly and smoothly?

Just don't send in shit and include all non exporting dats in the file folder... simples

Very good idea, especially concerning unfinished work and general crap. Question though: are we still allowed to submit stuff for non-spotlight uploading? (I have a few projects that aren't vote-worthy, but I'd still like to have them up) But honestly I look forward to seeing good stuff come down the pipe as a result of this.

While the idea of this is good in theory, perhaps it also means that you should look at bringing on some new panelists and retiring some of the more jaded ones who don't find it worth their time to sort through the parks they don't deem to be "worthy of the site".

What one person considers "material worthy of this site" may not necessarily be what someone else considers to be work of the same caliber. I haven't played the game in quite some time, but I remember that the last few parks I worked on were my absolute pride and joy, I would have loved to submit them and get quality feedback from the members here, even if they were unfinished. Thinking on them now, I think they would have been laughed out of the submission process.

Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that the panel ought to be a bit more receptive to newcomers and work that isn't as high quality as some of the higher rated stuff on here? Everyone's gotta start somewhere, and discouraging critique on sub-par work by just not bothering to give it the time of day is a poor way to promote and expand the community of a hobby that everyone here thoroughly enjoys.

At any rate. My 2 cents. That started out as a sentence and turned into a novel rather quickly.

you do know we have no clue what the park looks like or who its by until we accept the job and download it? we cannot tell if the park is of good quality or not until we accept the job.

Scott, he isn't talking about the works that are not of caliber or even bad to NE's standards. Posix is talking about the submissons that are so shit that the creator made them in ten minutes.

Shotguns, no offense, but I think your French Quarter shouldn't have been submitted. I just don't see anything you could have got from that that wouldn't have been got from showing a few screens.


And Scott: Quality != effort. posix wants to remove effortless submissions, not low quality ones. If it's obvious that you spent a lot of time on a submission, it should still be accepted.

you do know we have no clue what the park looks like or who its by until we accept the job and download it? we cannot tell if the park is of good quality or not until we accept the job.

This actually brings up a good point. Rather than discouraging submissions, might it be prudent to require users to submit an overview/minimap with submissions? Could make it easier on the panelists to sort through what is worth declaring as competitive and what isn't worth opening to vote on.

I assume this decision may have been instigated in part by that Sky Racer park that got submitted a few days back? I obviously recognize that it's nowhere near the level of the most experienced park makers here (not by the longest of shots), but it was rapidly torn apart by the users. It just seemed to be kind of a poor reaction to what appeared to be a first attempt at anything in RCT, a show of poor sportsmanship in the game, and I'm worried that these new considerations will only encourage more of the same.

I'd like to add, You don't need to submit something to get feedback... Its called the Advertisement district USE it .

Shotguns, no offense, but I think your French Quarter shouldn't have been submitted. I just don't see anything you could have got from that that wouldn't have been got from showing a few screens.


And Scott: Quality != effort. posix wants to remove effortless submissions, not low quality ones. If it's obvious that you spent a lot of time on a submission, it should still be accepted.

Whoa! People from reddit

I was thinking the same thing too while reading this actually, inthemanual because of it's low level of finish.

Glad I didn't insult you, at least.

While I think this is a good idea, and will help get things through the system faster, it might scare newer or less experienced users away from submitting things. I think it would help to have clearer ideas of what's an acceptable submission and what's not.

The post is to be seen a mutual statement from all us admins by the way. It isn't just me, although I may have motivated it.

if we use parkdat to remove all unused dats from the park, does that help get the park released more quickly? Second, is there anything else submitters can do to help the approval process go more quickly and smoothly?

Unfortunately no, and no.

are we still allowed to submit stuff for non-spotlight uploading? (I have a few projects that aren't vote-worthy, but I'd still like to have them up)

Just try to assess if they'll be worth adding.

I was thinking the same thing too while reading this actually, inthemanual because of it's low level of finish.

I saw it and wasn't sure if it should go through, but then I thought since you detailed it up so much, you probably spent some time on it.

EDIT:

it might scare newer or less experienced users away from submitting things. I think it would help to have clearer ideas of what's an acceptable submission and what's not.

Can't people tell just by seeing those 7 banners fading through? And again, this isn't to say we'll be super strict from now on. It isn't so hard to tell if someone put in effort or not. That's all we're looking for. We're not looking for out-of-the-box super skilled players.

Glad I didn't insult you, at least.

While I think this is a good idea, and will help get things through the system faster, it might scare newer or less experienced users away from submitting things. I think it would help to have clearer ideas of what's an acceptable submission and what's not.

Look at all the submissions that have gottan below a 20% on here, more than likely all those users knew they were submitting crap.

The phrasing a bit abrasive, but then again Posix is a multiple asshole of the year winner.

I guess the question is - are we looking to have more things submitted using the "non-competitive" setting, or are we just looking for fewer submissions?