01.05.2021, 21:48
(Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 01.05.2021, 21:51 von Joe Average.)
Indeed, best representation is all the votes... at the times they were made. People's tastes change and puzzle solving skills evolve over time. A puzzle that I would have considered hard two years ago, may be a medium now, because I have more practise.
Additionally, it's not only the solvers who change, but sometimes also the puzzles. Maybe someone released their puzzle with very poor graphics, making it hard to spot some detail or distinguish between colors, especially when you print it out as a b&w sheet. That's something that can affect the beauty rating... and if the author re-uploads a better image, the people who solve it afterwards have a different experience than the first solvers.
For example, I recall a specific incident involving a slightly a bigger puzzle with me being the first solver a day or two after it was released. It was a long road to get there, as I had to do the puzzle about ten times, always hitting some dead-ends. I checked and double-checked and eventually messaged the author, asking if there could possibly be a mistake. Turned out there was not just one, but a whole lot of four mistakes in the puzzle, but those were discovered and fixed only one at a time. After every fix, the author assured me that the puzzle was now correct...
As it was I had a rather bad, frustrating experience, and it definitely showed in the rating I gave, despite it being a good puzzle after all the bugs had been fixed. I'd say my difficulty rating is accurate and comparable to those of other solvers, but the beauty one - who knows. For me presentation is part of the deal. It affects my "beauty" rating, as do originality, eureka moments along the solving path or an intresting frame story around the puzzle. And respect is another factor. I do respect the work the author puts in, but at the same time I want them to respect the time and energy I spend while working on their creation. All it would have taken them was to have someone test-solve it before release, or at the very least take it down for maintainance after the first signs of there being something wrong.
Well, much time has passed since, but for someone to not count my bad rating because it happens to be the lowest in the bunch for that puzzle just don't seem right. I had a valid reason to rate that puzzle the way I did.
Additionally, it's not only the solvers who change, but sometimes also the puzzles. Maybe someone released their puzzle with very poor graphics, making it hard to spot some detail or distinguish between colors, especially when you print it out as a b&w sheet. That's something that can affect the beauty rating... and if the author re-uploads a better image, the people who solve it afterwards have a different experience than the first solvers.
For example, I recall a specific incident involving a slightly a bigger puzzle with me being the first solver a day or two after it was released. It was a long road to get there, as I had to do the puzzle about ten times, always hitting some dead-ends. I checked and double-checked and eventually messaged the author, asking if there could possibly be a mistake. Turned out there was not just one, but a whole lot of four mistakes in the puzzle, but those were discovered and fixed only one at a time. After every fix, the author assured me that the puzzle was now correct...
As it was I had a rather bad, frustrating experience, and it definitely showed in the rating I gave, despite it being a good puzzle after all the bugs had been fixed. I'd say my difficulty rating is accurate and comparable to those of other solvers, but the beauty one - who knows. For me presentation is part of the deal. It affects my "beauty" rating, as do originality, eureka moments along the solving path or an intresting frame story around the puzzle. And respect is another factor. I do respect the work the author puts in, but at the same time I want them to respect the time and energy I spend while working on their creation. All it would have taken them was to have someone test-solve it before release, or at the very least take it down for maintainance after the first signs of there being something wrong.
Well, much time has passed since, but for someone to not count my bad rating because it happens to be the lowest in the bunch for that puzzle just don't seem right. I had a valid reason to rate that puzzle the way I did.