Help us with the Cartographers Choice! - Rate Maps!

[morikahn]

You guys need to define what the rating system means and what the different ranks mean. Without this it is completely subjective and I think most people will rank a map 4 or 5 as general compliment. I wouldn't be surprised if most ratings hover around there. No one really wants to hurt another person's feelings.

Ideally, most maps should rank as 3 stars. With a slight renaming of the ranks to reflect a more technical viewpoint and a description of what each rank means, I think this would be a more useful tool for community feedback.


Here is my example:

*****	Premier	This map excels in all aspects of map making: symbolism, functionality, typography, and composition. It is the sort of map you'd want as a high quality printed hanging on a wall at home, and something you return to often just to look at for fun. This sort of map we all strive to make, and usually fail at. This is the sort of map that renowned artists are commissioned to make for fantasy media. It is a unique work of art and make us all a little envious. Needless to say, this should be a very rare rating.
****	Remarkable	The map not only fits the style of map the artist strove for, but also has notable features impressive enough that viewers want to make a critical remark about them. These are the sort of maps that push the boundaries and add new ideas to the community. Other artists will want to incorporate these notable element into their own maps. People that get these ranks should write tutorials.
***	Competent	The map matches the style the cartographer intended. It is a competent piece of work and complies with the standards promoted on this website. This is the most common rank given to maps. Getting this rank on your map means you've proven you know what you are doing.
**	Needs Work	The map feels incomplete or has features that have been poorly done and should be reworked. It doesn't mean the map is unsalvageable, just that it was premature of the poster to call the map 'finished.' If a map gets this rank, the artist should feel inclined to read the critical responses and continue work on the map and resubmit it at a later date.
*	Unacceptable	The submission fails to meet the minimum criteria of what defines a map. This rank should be assigned rarely and is mostly reserved for material that shouldn't be posted on this forum.