So there's been something going on around here that lead to a lot of discussion, which is definitely one of the reasons why I'm writing this post. But I also think new hackers or critique givers can learn from this guide. Now, before the guide begins, 2 things.

1. This thread is NOT made to create drama, for personal insults or to give people the wrong ideas. It's more to make sure something like this won't happen again. Please, don't get offended by anything that gets said in this post, because it really isn't meant to. If you do, I sincerely apologize for this.

2. The guide was written by AAO user: Ryu Ushiromiya. And while this hasn't anything to do with Ace Attorney, it still applies here. I'll make little adjustments or spoilers to explain things a bit better for us, NSMBHD users. I have send him a message about me using but he hasn't posted/visited the site in almost 2 years. So Ryu, if you ever read this...


Because this guide has been written by Ryu (And not by me.) HE TAKES FULL CREDIT FOR ALL OF THIS POST.
The original guide can be found here

So with that out of the way, here is the guide!

Giving good critique and accepting it appropriately

By: Ryu Ushiromiya

Table of Contents

I. What is critique?
II. Why critique is mandatory
III. Being a good critic
IV. Receiving critique gracefully
V. Tips
VI. Critique in AAO
VII. Conclusion and References



I. What is critique?

Critiquing is the simple act of judging not only the merits but also the faults of a product, item, document, art piece, or other things. In other words, it is the act of finding errors and mistakes within something. It is usually taken as extreme prejudice, however.

II. Why critique is mandatory

Critique is absolutely mandatory in all of your endeavors for one reason: by detecting your flaws, you are able to correct and improve upon yourself, therefore making you a better person. Is it easy? Let's find out below.

III. Being a good critic

Let us begin by explaining (at least from my point of view) what good criticizing is.

Destructive Criticism/Nitpicking/Complaining/Faulting something because you disliked it

Destructive criticism is exactly what it is, and also the most common form of criticism: you concentrate on finding the faults, but you don't mention the virtues, or compliment the person. This is incorrect. Not all people can take this kind of criticism. Some people might be sensitive because they might have some sort of mental disorder that impairs them a little from understanding criticism (like me, I confess.) Or they simply are too sensitive. Also, this sort of criticism can also be seen as complaining from the critic. It's almost like saying, "You must change this because I didn't like it and doesn't fit with Ace Attorney NSMBHD customs." You're not supposed to say that, jerk. You are supposed to say the correct thing: "While I liked how you used this, you might have to change it because this map doesn't follow the correct Ace Attorney method. Please ask someone for help on the matter." Hold your tongue. Don't just attack: STOP. THINK. THINK AGAIN. THINK A THIRD TIME. LET GO OF YOUR TASTES. THEN you may speak. Also, there is an important thing you must remember: never keep your standards too high. This can hurt the person receiving the critique in many ways. You have to understand that not everyone operates or understands like you do. Also, don't scold the person, or attack the product or thing in question just because it has flaws. Also, if you have any kind of snide remarks about how it doesn't "meet the standard", shut up and keep it to yourself. Once you do this, you're on your way to becoming an excellent critic.


Constructive Criticism

This is the correct method for giving a critique. Great critics don't always slam or detect the errors in something and let it go as if they're expecting you to take it like a man (hence my issue with movie critics.) Great critics use the knowledge and skills they possess to explain what you may have done wrong or may need correcting, and at the same time uplift, inspire and above all, motivate you. This is defined as having a compassionate attitude to spur you on to improve or move on with no regrets. In a sense, this is where some of the best teachers and friends succeed. An excellent critic will avoid using harsh, strong or judgmental language, and will drop his preconceptions or standards, instead helping the person to improve or do his best. You're not supposed to make the person feel bad: Compliment their good work. Expand on what needs improvement and give a concrete reason as to why. Don't just expect the person to take it easily: be sensitive to the person if he or she has a history of being sensitive with the issue.


What about self-criticism?

Personally, if you're like me (This applies to me,  RiksKing aswell.) and you have issues with the subject, don't. You'll do more harm to your mind and body than most. If you can think you can take it, go for it. But if you get obsessed with it to the point where being extremely self-critical harms you and affects your daily life, stop and get help immediately.


IV. Receiving critique gracefully

This is the hardest part of the guide so far. Accepting or understanding critique is extremely hard for 90% of us. We'll cry. We'll get mad. We'll defend ourselves. We'll attack someone or something. This is bad. Really bad. Even if there is no real merit to the "critique" of the person (i.e. a story wasn't featured on a newspaper because the editor hated it), it's not worth it to lash back. That is incorrect behavior. Violence never solves anything... even though it feels so good to just let it all out and basically go "Let the bodies hit the floor" on the person (nice Drowning Pool song by the way. ) But trust me, even if it's therapeutic to lash out and scream, it's just not worth it.

Not everyone takes critique wisely that easily. It's extremely rare to see someone taking critique in stride and using it correctly. That is why it's important to take a deep breath before looking at the critique and calm down. Read the critique. If it makes you mad or frustrated or sad or anything bad, STOP. Close the window immediately. Go away and do something different to take your mind off of it. Do some breathing exercises. Read a good book. Do a prayer. Drink some water. Vent with a friend over MSN or the phone, then stop and calm down. Don't go back yet. Try getting a nap. But calm down. After a couple of hours, then you may go back and reply to the comments- even if they were very mis-demeaning. I recently learned an excellent approach to harsh critiques: don't say anything to it. Instead, say thanks. Maybe they were having a bad day. Maybe they got a bad grade on a test. If you get a rude post, or a really harsh judgment, don't just attack or leave a reply. If for example you get a post here in AAO NSMBHD (I had to do it eventually) that says basically something like, "This trial is not good enough to be featured. The plot is a mess, the contradictions are illogical, and the maps are absurd," "This game is not good at all. The level design is too bad, backgrounds don't make sense, the music doesn't work and this Star Coin is too hard to get to" don't say anything. Leave it alone for a while like I mentioned before. Then when you are calmed down and you've thought, leave something like this as a reply: "Thank you very much for your time and for reviewing this trial game. Could you please explain what aspects of the trial can be improved upon?" You might be surprised at the results.

V. Tips

-Meditate on this and apply it for whenever you critique: "Never write a letter when you are angry." --Chinese proverb.


-Choose your words and tone very carefully: it can make the difference when you evaluate something.


-Be nice: no one likes a smart ass jerk.


-Be humble, no matter what your role is. Humility is a sign of personal excellency.


-Respect the person's background and beliefs and choices when critiquing or replying to a critique.


-A critique is not a personal attack on you: it is an evaluation of your creation, NOT your personality.


VI. Critiquing in AAO NSMBHD

RiksKing: I'll put spoiler marks below this paragraph because it simply won't make sense to you if I strike all of this through. I'm not completely rewriting it in honor of the original guide. If you want to get the most out of this paragraph, please read the spoilers.

-If the trial maker in question is a newbie, respect that. Don't compare them to the more established trial makers. Don't even dare say that a trial isn't as good as what is already featured. EVER. Regardless of its state. It doesn't help the person at all- or the critic. It makes them feel even worse about their project instead. This also applies to more established trial makers: don't compare them to others. You're not evaluating Bad Player's Silence of the Turnabout. You're not complimenting any of Hodou Okappa's work. You are evaluating the new trial you saw. Don't compare it to other works- not even mine, LOL.




-Don't just state the flaws of the trial game: note the virtues as well as what you genuinely liked. If there was nothing you liked, at least say what was done well.


-Don't be quick to dismiss characters as being slightly OOC: remember that these are fan cases. Authors can take some degree of creative liberties when it comes to characters. Look at the Mia Fey: Ace Spirit Attorney series, or The Omniscient Game. I strike that one through because it doesn't apply to NSMB Hacking at all.


-Don't just look at how hard a trial was: this includes contradictions, investigations, trials, etc. Remember that plot and story are just as important. Read above


-If a trial game wasn't fun to play, don't say it sucked, or just that it needs work. WHY does it need work? WHY did certain features not work? Explain yourself, and always be nice.




VII. Conclusion and references

Thank you very much for using this guide. Please let me know how it has helped you! Below are a couple of references on the subject.

http://zenhabits.net/how-to-accept-criticism-with-grace-and-appreciation/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism

I, RiksKing, find this guide to be really good and feel like we need it on our forum as well. Hopefully, people who review games, or new game posters will read this .

And, for the last time. This guide is not mean to insult, attack or humiliate anyone!

Thanks for reading!
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

I was scrolling through my old posts again, just for fun, and got some nostalgia from it. Back in the day when I used to visit this site everyday and actually hacked things. And what hit me when reading these posts was how awesome you guys are! Because of that, I created this thread to give some shoutouts for other users, and to say what you like about them.

If I didn't include you, it's not because I don't like you. These users have just left a mark on me or I've been kind of close to them.

So let's start:

 Dirbaio - This guy is amazing at what he does. Back in the day when he was very active around here, (a shame he isn't anymore^^) he was basically the perfect site owner. He always talks to his users as he's one of them, and when I had a problem with a troll here, he solved the problem in almost two hours. I know this is what should be expected from him, but I haven't really come across a board where someone does his job as good as  Dirbaio does.

 Arisotura - I remember before I made my first post, how anxious I was to actually post something. Mainly cause of this guy here. But when I finally did, and I know I was an idiot at the time, he was really nice to me. It sort of encouraged me to keep on posting and coming here, and to let that idiot part behind me. If I actually succeeded in that, IDK.

 ray - One of the only two members I've done things with outside of the site. Was a pretty good friend of me here. But the main reason why I respect him is because of his hacks. His hacks are so good, they were my inspiration to start NSMB hacking, and later on SM64DS and MKDS hacking. All because of his video's and the games he produced. It was amazing.

 MarioFanatic64 - This guy is originality galore. He keeps on doing these things in hacks like no one has ever seen before, and his Endless Earth hack almost got me started at hacking NSMB again. Is also one of the more positive and nice people around here too.

 Freeze - Same as  ray and  MarioFanatic64, his hacks are what inspired me to keep going. But furthermore, he was also one of the users who always helped me when I couldn't patch something correctly or something like that. Also a shame he doesn't visit anymore.

 KingYoshi - I can't forget you now can I . He's been my best friend on this site for all these years. He still visits too! The countless hours of chat in the profile page were also really fun!

 MarioSunshine - Being the 'nice guy' in these sort of things, normally means you just can't think of anything about them, but if there's one word to describe  MarioSunshine, it would be 'positive'. I haven't seen anyone else like this guy around here, which is sort of a shame. The cheerfulness and happiness that comes with his posts is truly a thing of beauty, and I don't think it's something to be overlooked.

 snake block - I really admire his honesty. I know it gets him in a lot of trouble, but the way he just says things I wouldn't even dare to say really left an impression on me.

Thierry - Reminds me a little bit of me in some ways. His dedication to keep on improving really is admirable, and probably one of the users who has improved the most here. He's also one of the most helpful guys here, and in this community where that's rarely seen, it makes him stand out.

 MiguelMML - The one fellow Ace Attorney fan out here, and the only one where I could converse with over stuff like AA hacking and things like that. I actually had tons of fun with it. His willingness to learn is something to be praised. Always when I found something he wanted to know it pretty much immediately. It was really fun to have someone else who joined me in that.

 MeroMero - Probably one of the smartest users here, and someone who types his posts very carefully, with a lot of idea and weight behind them. I remember having the conversation about the plot for NSMBCR, in which I stood in the same situation as my first post on this forum, because I kind of feared him. And, same with  Arisotura, he turned out to be really nice. It was also fun, since I had sort of retired from hacking, to talk with someone about writing, which is basically my new hobby.

So that's it! What do you like about your fellow NSMBHD users?
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

So  MarioFanatic64 has basically posted the thing that has been on my mind for quite some time right now, but I guess I was just too afraid to come out and say anything about it. Now that the post is out I might as well join in the discussion.(Thanks MF64 for the post^^) Feel free to agree and disagree because these points will most likely be very controversial. AAAAND I will probably make connections to AAO again which I probably shouldn't be doing, and I know we aren't the same board and shouldn't trying to be, but there will be some things here that I like about the forum and would IMO be good if we implied them here as well.

So first, the bashfulness, (if that's even a word) and since my return here on NSMBHD end 2014, I've always found the community to get more... let's say negative. It basically got to such a point I decided to repost the Tutorial on how to give critiques from the AAO forum. And while I think it indeed helped people giving more positive minded critiques, on the rest of the board it didn't help so much.
People might have been put off by some of the critiques on this forum, hence why we rarely see new posts about new hacks. I personally think that people have too high standards about newcomers, and by this I don't mean that we should complement them on everything they do, but it isn't fair to compare them to the higher standard hacks from for example  MarioFanatic64  ray  Freeze  Arceus &  BrokenAce255.

Things said below might be slightly offtopic, but could be a motivation for people to post new hacks again.
A thing on the AAO forum which is an idea I think I've posted here before, but nobody saw it. The idea is like a Hall of Fame, where the best hacks get "featured". Since I don't really know about how good a hack must be to qualify as good, I won't post it's requirements here, but I think you get the idea.

Another thing that is offputting is how loooong it takes to make a full hack. And I'm going to compare this to AAO again which is slightly different in this regard but oh well. To make a full custom Phoenix Wright game takes some serious dedication and time and I'm pretty sure there isn't even one fully completed yet. But there are still the things there which are stand-alone trials. This has been seen in the MKDS Hacking scene too, where people release tracks on their own and not in a full hack. What I'm getting at here is that the single levels thread is kind of underused. It takes a lot less time to create 1 level or even only one world than a full hack, so why not post and release them?

(While I'm on topic of getting some more activity, I might as well say this even though it's not really on topic)
Another thing that I think could increase more levels is to bring the competitions back, and I certainly wouldn't mind hosting them. Some people may find that making a level with restrictions limits the creativity they can have, but I certainly see so otherwise. This comes down to the Paradox of Choice (Having less choice is preferable to having more choice) and it allows people to work with the restrictions and make something that another person won't come up with. It requires a bit more thought which I like. Also, this goes back to my previous point but even when it's only one level, the level can still be very enjoyable as a whole. I still see myself sometimes playing Piranhaplant's level in the Hammer Bros. Desert contest just because it's so good. Again, I wouldn't mind hosting, probably won't enter though.

About the spammy threads, I don't really know. I've always wanted to revive this thread, but since it's also a "postcount++" game, because it's a game where the players need to type out all the dialogue which can go into 50 pages really quickly, I doubt it will get a lot of attention.

None of these ideas will directly solve NSMBHD's problems in one clean sweep. Heck, it might not even solve any of it. Most of the points above are a idea to get more Hacks, more levels, more content, more activity. I'd like to see what you think about these ideas and why you agree or disagree.
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

Maybe I can help with that one:

Necessities:

A working PC
Note: A working PC does not mean it has a job to do on a set schedule.

A finger. Preferably an index finger from the hand you are the most comfortable using. The index finger is the 2nd finger from the right on the left hand, and the 2nd finger from the left on the right hand.

Note: If you don't know the difference between left and right, you should live by this rule: Your right hand is the hand where the index finger is the second finger from the left. Left is the side where the index finger is the second finger from the right. Got that? Great.
If your ambidextrous, you can ignore the part about the hand you should preferably use.

Instructions:

1. Press the ON button to start up your computer. If you can't find it, it's probably in the shape of a 45 degrees rotated C-.
2. You should be taken to the desktop. The desktop is a screen that looks like this:
Don't freak out if your screen is not the exact same. Discrepancies exists.
3. Bring one hand to your mouse and sort of grab it like your grabbing a ball with your hand almost completely covering the mouse. If you slide this mouse item over the surface you will see a thing that looks like a white arrow moving in your screen. Now, I know this may be a bit frightening, but don't click away just yet.

4. Bring this white arrow thingy, which is called a cursor FYI, to the blue 'E', probably somewhere in the bottom left corner. Click on it, it will start a program which is called a browser. Since this post is for basic understandings, we'll stay at the basic browser, but feel free to try the advanced guide too in which we will cover Chrome, Firefox and for the real thrillseekers, Opera.

Note: If you can't find the blue 'E', it might be because you don't know which color is blue. To clarify, blue is the color that all the other colors aren't. If this still is to vague, I advise you to look to the sky (look up when you're outside) and you'll probably see the color blue. If you see a really dark color, it's nighttime and you should wait to do this experiment. If it's a really light color, it's cloudy so don't get fooled by that

5. Now this is the tricky part. Since you're a very smart person because you're reading this guide, you should have a home page set on your browser. That's exactly what we want. The part we've all been waiting for. Ready?
Move your index finger to the most top horizontal line of buttons. An example of a horizontal line is this: ___________
Then, search for the button which has the text 'F6' or 'f6' on it and bring your finger on top of that text.
Now, put some weight behind that index finger! Try to press downwards like you're squishing an ant. Do it with as much force as you can possibly spare for this and yell: "I AM GONNA PUSH THIS BUTTON! I CAN PUSH THIS BUTTON! i WILL PUSH THIS BUTTON!"

Because we from Totally Half-baked Unnecessary Guides™, THUG for short, don't want you to forget this after a few hours, we have created a nice workout schedule for you.

First two weeks after reading this guide:
Press F6 button 50 times a day.

The month after that:
Press F6 button 49 times a day.

We hope this helped.



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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

I've found some cool riddles on the internet, can you answer them all?
If you know some more riddles, or the answers, feel free post them here

What am I

I have rivers, but no water.
I have roads, but no cars.
I have forests, but no trees.


The mirror room

You're in a room. There is nothing in it. There are also neither windows nor doors.
Everything is coated with mirrors. How many times can you see yourself?


The apple bowl

A teacher want to give apples to his pupils.
He has 12 pupils and 12 apples.
Only, the teacher want that in the end, there's still one apple in the bowl.

How does he do that?


What am I

What is greater than God?
More evil than the devil,
The poor have it,
The rich need it.
If you eat it, you'll die.


What am I

Who makes it, has no need of it.
Who buys it, has no use for it.
Who uses it can neither see nor feel it.


Who am I

Which creature walks on four legs in the morning,
two legs in the afternoon,
and three legs in the evening?


Just in time

What occurs once in every minute,
twice in every moment,
yet never in a thousend years?
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

This

Excatly why I never play with someone I'm not premade with. It's just no fun. Also the reason why i avoid Ranked as much as possible. It's just worse there.


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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

If you want, I can be a Beta tester for you.
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

Yeah, I have the 10.000 post I'm so happy now!
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

Dirbaio felt dizzy and looked around

Ninja'd first
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

So  Dirbaio goes back to continue his adventure with the thundercloud.

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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

We celebrate 'Sinterklaas' (today, yay) and Christmas at home.
Still prefer Christmas over 'Sinterklaas' though, while Christmas seems more like a real holiday (free from school, with your family) Sinterklaas seems like, an excuse for presents, atleast at my home. We also don't celebrate it with the whole family, like we do with Christmas.

That being said, I'm really looking forward to Christmas. I probably was since summer holidays have ended just because it's in my eyes the most exciting holiday.
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

This seems very interesting. I'll try to improve the Dutch translation when I've time
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

Well, thanks for reading.



That's actually pretty accurate. The Dutch are indeed more direct than most people from other countries.
I wouldn't like to say that I was/am able to handle criticism that perfectly though. I'm kind of a sensitive person.
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

That chart is obviously forged and created by the goverment. The theory of dinosaurs being dragons still stands. It's all a conspiracy!
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.

I'm still gonna guess which theme it is because that's the kind of person I am . I'd love to see if this is something like the Shadow Temple. It's that horror type scary feeling Nintendo has actually been pretty afraid to use in later games. It might also end up like Jabu Jabu's Belly or something. One of those two seems the most reasonable.

Also, that tree tileset looks hella gorgeous.
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I apologize to everyone for my horrible English.