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[!--quoteo--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]Points are determined from the voting score. Because points can be negative, items have the ability to be "voted down". Points are stored in a single field in the database, meaning the points for an item is [u]not[/u] based on a query that gets the sum of all votes (or rather, the vote->point conversion), but instead a single number that changes whenever someone votes.
- Vote = 10, Points = 5
- Vote = 9, Points = 4
- Vote = 8, Points = 3
- Vote = 7, Points = 2
- Vote = 6, Points = 1
- Vote = 5, Points = 0
- Vote = 4, Points = -1
- Vote = 3, Points = -2
- Vote = 2, Points = -3
- Vote = 1, Points = -4
- Vote = 0, Points = -5
Rating is determined from the average of all votes on that item. Unlike points, the rating IS pulled from adding all stored vote values for the item, then dividing by the total number of votes. The rating is calculated with every page load.
Votes is the total number of times the item has been voted on. This number is generated by a real time query of the database that counts the number of votes logged, like the rating.
Top Ranked is based 100% on POINTS. If you order the item list as "Points/DESC", then you'll get a larger "Top Ranked" list.[/quote]
[!--quoteo--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]#1 Reason why rating doesn't seem to match the ranking:
Older items went through a rather nasty period of time when every vote we had logged in the database was erased. This reset everyone's rating to 0.0, and the number of votes to 0. It didn't, however, change the number of downloads OR the number of points (since those are stored in a different table).
#2 Reason why rating doesn't seem to match the ranking:
A ton of people voted 6 or higher on the item. If you had 300 "6" votes, you'd have 300 points... but you'd only have a 6.0 rating. We are open to discussing changing the values of the vote->point conversion, making the loss of points for a "0" more severe than the gain of points from a "10" (or the other way around).[/quote]
[!--quoteo--][div class=\'quotetop\']QUOTE[/div][div class=\'quotemain\'][!--quotec--]Truth Behind the Rumors
Rumor: Some items have been given "point/vote/etc boosts"
Truth: FALSE. We have never artificially boosted any item's stats. Donators, contributors, and even GMs all get the same treatment as regular members.
Rumor: Someone hacked the item and gave it a large amount of points
Truth: FALSE. It isn't possible to submit a vote higher than 10 or lower than 0. They would have had to get into our database, and I can't imagine changing the number of votes on an item would be on someone's "to-do" list if they got that far.
Rumor: Someone voted for themselves a bunch
Truth: Maybe. There are always ways around online polls, as it isn't possible to completely lock some out (e.g.: The cheater could have made a bunch of dummy accounts, used a proxy, and deleted the cookies upon getting them). The reality of it, however, is that someone would have to be so depraved of a social life that they would bother to go through the trouble JUST to boost or lower an item's score.[/quote]
Hopefully this ridiculously long post has cleared the air of a few issues. Keep in mind that we will be changing how the Top Ranked box works in the future, so this information may get a little dated. We're still keeping it based on points, but item eligibility will become a factor (e.g.: they would have had to be made within the previous rolling X amount of months).
We're also toying with the idea of getting rid of the voting system and moving to a "Thumbs up" "Neutral" "Thumbs down" approach, as ratings are misleading.
