We've all been there. The Download Section is the whole point of SWGBH: being able to share your work, whether it be a modpack or a scenario, with the rest of the community. We can also use it in other ways, like commenting or reviewing someone else's work to help them improve. Not many websites enjoy a Download Section, and people wishing to share their work have to upload to external mirrors. This also eliminates any way of reviewing somebody's file. Here at HeavenGames we are very lucky to have a Download Section, and, as such, it is my duty to make sure we learn to respect and enjoy the multiple features that it offers.
So, first, you want to download a file, right? It might be a good idea to play some other peoples' work before jumping straight into the deep end and submitting as many files as you can in a short space of time. Finding files on the Download Section is easy, and in the space of a couple of minutes (or less) you'll be able to download and setup any of the files on the Section.
If you want to find some of the best files on SWGBH, simply go on to the section you're interested in (I.E. Campaigns, Modpacks etc.) and click on 'Top Rated', at the bottom of the list under the Search box. Some of the best files will be listed here, from Knights of the Old Republic to Black Mesa North to Dharker's Redemption. Just click on the file you want to download, then click on the red 'Download File' button. There are usually instructions included in the .zip files, but if not, you can find them on the Forums, or ask in the
If you'd rather have a look for something not listed in the top rated, you can use the search function. If the file has a name over three letters long (I think they all do) you can search for it here. If you'd rather be a little more specific, you can go on advanced search, and look for things like Creator, Name, Rating, and whether the Expansion Pack is required.
These are the two easiest ways of finding files, but if you'd rather look for new material, the New Releases are always listed on the right hand side of the page.
Right. Now you've played/used the thing you downloaded, you'd like to know the developer what you thought, right? This is fairly easy, but there are certain rules to follow.
Firstly, always, and I mean
Posting a comment/review is simple. Go onto the file details page (make sure you get the right file), scroll to the bottom, and click on Post Review/Post Comment.
A perfect example of a review is ThePunkGuy's review of the Knights of the Old Republic II Demo.
Playability: 5As you can see, the review is fairly lengthy, and conveys everything TPG thought about the scenario. Remember, this file only contained one scenario, but the review is as long as some of the reviews posted for five to six scenario long files. Of course, in some reviews, it unnecessary (and incredibly hard) to have a 9 or 10 line paragraph for something that you can't really comment on. For example, in TPG's review, he doesn't write as much about Balance as Story/Instructions, simply because he runs out of things to say. Not having long descriptions on each category is fine, but one or two words will not be tolerated.
Playability was excellent. Action elements like the worker droids, where the player had to run and shoot worked well. And the explosive droids, which were great, because they make the player panic, however you can use the traps on them aswell as shooting them. I also really liked how you have to find a blaster to begin with. Another aspect of the playability was exploration. Like any great RPG, the level was vast, and the player had lots of places to explore. Overall, it played like an excellent proffesionally made RPG, which is commendable to say it was made by one person. Allthough only a short taster, it left me wanting to play the rest of the level, and find out the fate of the characters.
One negative thing i did note however was the strange dark traps, it took me a while to work out what they represented, i.e. if they were lights flickering on and off, or some kind of laser wall (which would be strange if they were). Eventually you worked out how to work through them, and also how to trap the droids though, so this confusion was made up for.
Balance: 5
The balance was great for the demo, allthough the worker droids were easy if you ran and shot, i dont think it should be made harder (as it is only the demo) the explosive droids made it hard, but only if you stayed in the same place, therefore shoot and run tactics had to be used. Not really much to say about this other than it was great.
Creativity: 5
Highly creative, i think you are the only person ive seen use items like attack boosters, med packs and also force attacks so well all combined. Also, the taunt conversations, you hardly ever see (except of course the original KoTOR). The explosive droids also had a certain creativity about them, because i hardly ever see them in campaigns, and yet they work so well.
Map Design: 5
The map was both beautifull and cleverly arranged. Map copy was used very well throughout, and the corridors were never boring. The terminals and transmissions worked perfectly and looked great. The layout of the map had to be my favourite bit thought, it really conveyed the scale of this giant maze like facility that you had to escape from. Locked gates added to its non linearity and the long corridors were excellent for the 'run and shoot' tactic that had to be employed.
Story/Instructions: 5
The best part of the story, was the way the taunt based convos worked, and the fact that you had to investigate or 'tap' into it yourself, by asking questions relevant to what you want to know. This is especially good for someone who has never played any of the KoTor games as i want to find out as much of the back story as possible. The way that the story slowly unravelled as you explored more, and found more transmissions was also great. I absolutely loved the 'Charactor Bio', 'Journal' and 'Items' sections in the objective box, they worked very well, and gave the campaign a very proffesional feel. I dont think ive seen such excellent use of the objective box since Astro's 'Shadows of Lightning II'. The beggining scrawl/cutscene was very informative, whilst not being too wordy and boring. The timing was just right, it didnt leave me waiting for ages for some new text to appear like some of the old SCN Punk campaigns. My only criticism with the start is that the center allignment on the yellow sentences was slightly to the left, and I think that ruined it a bit, but not enough to knock a mark off.
Additional Comments:
An excellent RPG scenario, which left me wanting to play the full campaign like any good demo should.
When posting either a comment or a review, always observe the HeavenGames Code of Conduct. Although it was written for the Forums, the same rules apply to the Download Section, and, as such, any violations will be dealt with accordingly.
I thought I'd add this, as there has been some confusion as of late about which criteria to use when reviewing a mod.
The best thing to do is use the Graphics and Usefullness format. Give a rating number for each one, and then divide it by two, and that will give you the final answer. For example, if you give a 4 in graphics and a 3 in usefullness, adding them together gives you 7, then dividing them by 2 gives you 3.5, which is what you'd rate the mod as. I won't remove reviews if they don't follow this criteria, but in my opinion it's the best way to review a mod and only takes a little more time. Also, a mod review shouldn't just say "Graphics were good, really useful." You need to inform the creator on what they did right and what they did wrong, so they can improve for their next mod.
So you've used/played your file, and now you believe you are ready to submit your own. Now, I'm not going to write an entire guide on how to create a scenario that will recieve straight 5s, as that isn't my responsibility. I'm going to show you how to submit and look after your file once it's on the Download Section.
To submit a file, go into the Download Section, and click on Submit file, which will either be on the far left or far right of the screen. The first step is selecting your category: Campaign, Singleplayer Scenario, Multiplayer Scenario... you get the idea. At step two, things vary depending on the category you chose. However, you always have to include a Title, Description, and of course the file. There are also other things you can enter, and these are fairly self explanatory.
When writing a description, you have a lot of freedom. You can use BBCode, meaning you can include screenshots, and generally make the page aesthetically pleasing. Some designers also include links to external downloads, such as mods, extra sounds or music. The description doesn't have to be incredibly lengthy, a few sentences is often enough. However, typing a description like:
!!!Or:
hope u like itIsn't very helpful, and does little to inform other users what the file includes.
Once you've submitted your file, and once it is approved, other users will begin downloading it. People will probably comment and review it too, and this can be very helpful if you're not sure what else to do with the scenario and would like some feedback. Of course, there will always be people who don't observe the guidelines, and will post reviews or comments that don't help at all. If this happens, contact me immediately, or wait for me to find it (I try to check new reviews and comments daily). My email address is
The Download Section is being redesigned soon, and if you can think of a feature you'd like to see, post it here and I'll forward it to
As I said earlier, there will always be those who choose to ignore or don't check the rules before reviewing/posting comments. If there is a review or comment on a file that you're not sure should stay there, post a link to the file here and I'll look into it. In future, I will also start linking to this thread when I remove a comment/review, so the amount of bad reviews/comments will decrease.
Be smart. If you think the review/comment you're about to post could be a candidate for removal, wait until you have more to say about the file. I am firm but fair, and I will do whatever necessary to maintain a good atmosphere in the Download Section. If you're not sure about something, ask! I will happily help out, and if I don't have an answer straight away I'll contact one of my superiors to find the answer for you. Oh, and...
Mistadobalina
Don't be sad it happened, be happy it's over.
[This message has been edited by The Real Bryl (edited 09-28-2007 @ 05:08 PM).]