1. Category tags exist for a reason
Tags like 'ums' and 'melee' are absolutely critical to ums and melee files. When members search the database, the search engine will already parse these automatic tags. Tagging a map as both 'ums' and 'melee' is purposely misleading; to make it very simple, maps that are meant to be played with the MELEE (or similar) game mode should be tagged 'melee', and maps meant to be played using the USE MAP SETTINGS game mode should be tagged 'ums'. Is your map a melee campaign map with triggers? This is the ONE exception to this rule: the search engine is configured to use the tags 'melee' and 'melee style' to find these maps. I personally think it is bad form to ever tag a map both 'melee' and 'ums'.
The same goes for all the basic categories of files. If you look at the search parameters, you must have the correct tags to be found.
2. Separate your tags with linebreaks, NOT COMMAS OR SPACES
Very, very self-explanatory but I find at least one in every ten files fails to do this. Since you can put spaces and punctuation in your tags, you MUST use linebreaks to separate two different tags.
3. Your map isn't fun, or awesome, or funny
We have a file rating and review system, in addition to a whole forum for discussing how awesome your maps are. It is utterly useless and a waste of database space (not to mention an incredible display of vanity), to use tags like 'awesome', 'cool', or 'funny' to describe your map. If you want to hint your movie is trying to be comedic, try something less biased, like "comedy".
4. Standardized Tags save space
In the FAQ that everyone ought to read, there is a nice list of standard tags. Please use them, instead of tagging your map with every variant of "cat and mouse" you can think of.
5. The file name and author's name should not be in the tags
6. Use the Lock feature sparingly
I know it feels good to "lock" your maps up, but it is really unhelpful to the community. Unless you have a serious reason to, please avoid locking your files. This way, people can correct your mistakes rather than waiting for someone like me to come along and perhaps, in exasperation, tag your map as 'todo:tags'. To the rest of the community, feel free to use the 'todo:tags' and 'todo:delete' templates to mark files. This is an easy query-level way to find files with a pending todo list.
Hopefully the people who don't read the FAQs read the news..
Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Nov 30 2008, 11:10 pm by DT_Battlekruser.
None.
