Where are "STAR" Ratings in Reviews?

[Guest PDX Bailey]

In reviewing the last several reviews, I haven't seen the STAR ratings (from one to five). Is this a new policy on the reviews or do I have some type of Software problem on my end which is preventing me from seeing them? Thank You in Advance for any answers.

[Tabs 2,790]

>In reviewing the last several reviews, I haven't seen the>STAR ratings (from one to five). Is this a new policy on the>reviews or do I have some type of Software problem on my end>which is preventing me from seeing them? Thank You in Advance>for any answers.I was assuming this was a new policy since some rather questionable scores kept appearing... (ie a very basic airliner panel gets a higher score than one that has 10X the complexity/FMC etc) I applaud this decision if in fact that's what they're doing - let the reviewers' comments speak instead of an arbitrary number of "stars."

[AlaskanFlyboy 7]

What was the review of? Freeware doesn't get rated with stars. It usually states as such in the top part of the review: "Freeware Review Rating Policy: Freeware reviews are unrated, but may earn an Avsim special award."----------------------------------------------------------------John MorganReal World: KGEG, UND Aerospace Spokane Satillite, Private ASEL 141.2 hrs, 314 landings, 46 inst. apprs.Virtual: MSFS 2004"There is a feeling about an airport that no other piece of ground can have. No matter what the name of the country on whose land it lies, an airport is a place you can see and touch that leads to a reality that can only be thought and felt." - The Bridge Across Forever: A Love Story by Richard Bach

[Guest PDX Bailey]

The two most recent reviews (Cessna U206G and Mid Atlantic Scenery) didn't have stars. Would like to hear from someone from AVSIM if they have a new policy. I can live without the stars (it really isn't that big of a deal) but was just curious why they have turned up missing.

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

We have removed the star system and there will be a news item about it shortly.

[crvm 0]

>We have removed the star system and there will be a news item>about it shortly. And whoever said Avsim does not listen to forum opinions kindly eat your hat ;P[h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4]AMD 64 4000+|ASUS K8V DELUXE|SAPPHIRE ATI X800XT PE|MUNCHKIN 3200|80 gig SATA|DELL 1905FP 19" LCD|TRACKir PRO|PFC JEPPESEN MOONEY YOKE|CH PRO PEDALS|

[Tom Allensworth 1,532]

Yes we do.

[Mike S KPDX 597]

too bad...I remember when you implemented it (based on user feedback also - go figure)its ashame that us readers could not discern what a review actually is(and that is, it is one persons opinion)

[aerdt 0]

Nice... a few people complain and, whoop, the entire rating system that has been working well for years is getting scrapped. Is this supposed to give me the impression that the staff not confident enough in their own reviews? What is next? Take away the "Avsim Excellence Award"? People will ALWAYS complain about any review, but not everyone has the means, time or money to create their own picture, so you have to rely on some editorial and professional review.However, I do have to agree that the 5-star rating was really a 2-star rating with a "good" and "excellent" rating, because I have yet to seen anything below 3 stars. A little more detail, like different stars (percentages, bars, whatever..) for graphics, sounds, presentation, flight dynamics and quality would be nice though.Cheers

[W2DR 1,859]

So, you complain that the 5-star rating has been dropped because of the other complaints. But then you agree that the system wasn't working. Maybe it was removed because it wasn't working? Can't have it both ways.Doug

[Ray Proudfoot 8,929]

Doug and all,My attention was drawn to FS Flight Keeper about a year ago after the 5-star review on AvSim. I downloaded it, trialled it for a few flights and then got my credit card out. I've been using it ever since and it's a brilliant piece of software fully justifying its rating.My point is that had I not seen the 5-star review I may have never come across FSFK which had been out for some time.Whilst there will always be some criticism of AvSim reviews simply because it's one person's opinion I have a lot of faith in the 'official' reviewers opinions and trust their judgement. Perhaps the decision to drop the star system could be reconsidered.It's disappointing to see so few user reviews in the section reserved for them. Those who didn't agree with the 'official' review should write their own and publish them. Then those considering buying a piece of software could read what more than one person thought about it which always helps when making a decision.Cheers,

[aerdt 0]

Read again, I didn't say that the system was not working, but that it could use some improvement to include some more detailed ratings.

[Guest]

I really don't see where we've lost anything other than someone's idea of how many stars should be in a rating. I didn't see much consistency in the "star" rating, and although I never commented on it, I'm glad to see it go. To me, the meat of a review is in the text. Reading the text tells me how much time went into the review and whether there are any biases coming into play. I will read to see if the software has particular items I am looking for which might not have anything to do with stars.Until there is a better way to standardize or expand the system (as another poster suggested) I say write a concise review on the product and let the buyer decide based on the text and pictures.Cheers!Paul Dahlen