Resolving Content Issues: An SK Mapmaker
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 00:14
Apologies, forgot to change the forum. It has been correctly registered in the Suggestions.
Here's a really, really far-fetched idea. I understand I know nothing about the actual implementation and creation of this idea, and I have no doubt that it's a HUGE amount of work, but there are some very, very sharp benefits to be reaped.
What I'm suggesting is creating a SK Mapmaking pack. Again, "I understand I know nothing about the actual implementation and creation of this idea, and I have no doubt that it's a HUGE amount of work...". But one thing that SK has, that few other MMOs have: 1) Variations of levels with the SAME monsters and the SAME designs, but mismatched, and 2) several series of levels that can act as templates for new levels. The clockworks are "constantly rotating" so every depth is never the same from gate to gate, but in good time, they do mesh together into a blur of levels where familiar segments and spawns are encountered, and only the order is switched.
This is where the players come in. SK has a huuuuge fanbase, and within that fanbase comes immense creative power. Just take a look at the Treasure Vault: Spiralspy, Happyapathy, dime-a-dozen fanfic writers (no offense, but I don't read them), and artists, among others. A (relatively) simple mapmaker, which can allow players to lay down raw level designs, monster spawns, and create entire levels, elevator to elevator, would not just create a huuge amount of new, user-designed content, but also expand the playability of Spiral Knights, beyond just the bosses and Shadow Lairs. Long, fanfic-based clockwork treks. Challenge rooms, with eight trojans. Levels with three danger rooms and an intricate maze of traps, designed by players, and for players.
But how to effectively implement these in the game? Again, "I understand I know nothing about the actual implementation and creation of this idea, and I have no doubt that it's a HUGE amount of work...". But I propose a King-Krogmo-esq hub. User-submitted maps will be listed in the hub with length and difficulty ratings, and every map will be accessible by selection -- that is, the maps will be placed in a segment that is entirely separate from the gates themselves. Users may create teams in a team-PVP-esq fashion, and invite their friends to join (to a max of four) before adventuring. However, these maps will have a modest entry fee (perhaps, 200 crowns), and drop no heat, crowns, or other forms of loot (to prevent insane treasure-box-spamming), and energy revives will work as per usual. In this exchange, this can provide a small crown/energy sink into the economy while giving endgame players a vast expanse of new, user-created content to play. As an endgame player, I know it'd be a nice break from buying accessories or making hipster armor sets (though I am fond of my originality).
In this sense, users get content that is not as drastically P2P as Shadow Lairs, creative minds get to channel their SK creationism to the map editor and benefit the game, and more importantly, content, content, CONTENT. For the most part, everybody wins.
This model is not entirely new to gaming -- I cite TF2's user-created maps gone mainstream, and hats that have been actually implemented into the game. SK has what it takes: a respectable fanbase, a simple game in terms of general clockworks (map design would only be broken down into a few steps of map + monsters), and passionate, creative players that are willing to give back to the game. That's a resource that very few games have, and you as GMs would be wise to take advantage of it and direct it toward a manner that will benefit the game for everyone.
I know people will comment on it, so lastly, "I understand I know nothing about the actual implementation and creation of this idea, and I have no doubt that it's a HUGE amount of work...". But I think it's something the GMs should at least consider, if they haven't already. There's much to gain from this.
I open the floor to discussion and suggestion of the forums.
--
Tsubasa-No-Me suggested adding popular maps to a whole new gate.
Blue-Phase suggested monthly contests as incentives.
Guyinshinyarmour noted that crap maps/troll maps are a definitely something that should be addressed.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 01:56
#2
Has been suggested before in
Has been suggested before in many variations.
Still a good idea though. Yes please.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 06:01
#3
I +1 this as well.
While
I +1 this as well.
While reading this, I thought that monthly contests could be useful too, as an incentive to creating maps.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 08:04
#4
--
I would await for the thing to be flooded with penis shaped floorplans and ones where they just troll you (a dozen trojans and shock fiends in a tiny room with all spare floorspace as fire traps). I wouldn't sift through a mountain of garbage for a few diamonds.
The thing that people keep forgetting about user-generated content is that 99% of it is crap, and so often the diamonds are buried or lost.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 08:13
#5
@Ufana I figured as much,
@Ufana I figured as much, though I didn't find one while browsing, and thought I'd make it.
@Guyinshinyarmor Valid counterpoint, perhaps some rating system would be instituted (among everything else, I know it's asking a lot, but it would remedy that situation). I doubt the number 99%, but your concept is something that definitely should be taken into consideration. And still, some content is better than no content.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 08:10
#6
+0.5
I'd +1 this, but it doesn't look like anyone took into account loot. Yes it would be awesome to have an epic 3DR trawl through a maze of trojans and everlasting devilites, but there'll always be one kid that adds over9k red loot boxes to it all, or something stupid to grant infinite loot/ce/tokens/bladeworks just by doing this over and over. So there'd need to be an honour rule system or something to stop that going through, because if this did get made, and a map called "lvl_1milboxes" or something of the sort was made, it'd crash the economy probably.
Back to the topic, if this was to be made, it could be done like SpiralSpy's way of adding tiles to the scene, but with a simple drag and drop tile placement, add a few sliders for height, rotation and style, and you have the beginnings of a map maker. I've got limited knowledge myself, but having used Unity in college, that was rather simple to use.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 08:13
#7
@Psycho-Dani Thanks for the
@Psycho-Dani Thanks for the support! I mentioned above "However, these maps will have a modest entry fee (perhaps, 200 crowns), and drop no heat, crowns, or other forms of loot (to prevent insane treasure-box-spamming), and energy revives will work as per usual." -- I definitely think maps like that will happen, and to ensure fair play, it's definitely got to be no-heat no-crown gains on these maps. An honor rule system is definitely another valid possibility
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 09:16
#8
That's my bad then
Short attention span - read 75% of it and got eager to post lol, so I sit corrected.
An entry fee would be feesable, but paying say 200cr for a no-win no-gain map is kind of a turn-off for this, and with no rewards people will just stick to clockworks and ignore it. This is where the problem is, people want money, but giving them power to put money into maps is like giving a child a box of crayons and sitting him in a white room. Ever played Dungeon Defenders? I have, and I'll admit to have downloaded a couple of superloot infmoney maps. it's just ruining the game. What I think would work is to have, say... a reward cap or something, like you can only put so many boxes into a map, or as the strata tend to have boxes in clusters, maybe have 2/3 clusters of boxes per map layout, so that balances out the inf. box issue. However, that brings up the issue of mob drops. Every mob drops crowns and heat and the odd mat, so if you were to spam over9k easy mobs (wall of fire puppies anyone?) you could mow them down, rinse and repeat.
One solution to this would be that they would drop tier1 loot, that way the entry fee if any could be paid for, and there will still be some profit, be it small. It'd take some brain storms and people getting ideas together, but this could well be a valid addition to SK, and I'd definately sink my money into it, because I'm growing bored of seeing the same-ish layouts all the time.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 09:21
#9
~
Make a report function or something. If the map is a money-making machine I call a GM to ban you / delete the map.
Else I was thinking that each map would have to be checked by GMs before release, but they dont have enough personel for all the players.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 09:22
#10
Do i see right? TF mentioned?
Do i see right? TF mentioned? Another person trying to make new game same as some other game he played?
-1
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 14:27
#11
@Spiral-Hipster
I don't think
@Spiral-Hipster
I don't think a rating system to prevent troll maps would be the best option.
To prevent troll maps like "a dozen trojans and shock fiends in a tiny room with all spare floorspace as fire traps", the maker should run the level himself and get to the elevator without dying more than X times (I'd say 3 is enough), as a way to "validate" the map before releasing to the public.
When he reaches the elevator, he gets back to the level editing screen.
If any alterations are done to the map after validation, he will have to revalidate it.
Sounds fair enough to me.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 15:51
#12
+1!
I have also had thoughts
+1!
I have also had thoughts regarding installing a level editor into SK, believing it would definitely help alleviate content issues. Personally, I believe a rating system would be one of the best systems to help bring the community gems to the forefront of the map hub, while causing troll maps to fall through the cracks.
I also think it should be noted that many levels in SK have multiple variations that help keep different playthroughs slightly unique, and a system that allows for this variation would be one of the best. Most levels are also designed more multiple tiers, the exceptions being Boss Stratus and I think Stygian Steeds and the one with the giant poison lichen who's name eludes me at the moment are locked in T3. All other level-sets are able to be located on all tiers I believe.
Perhaps the highest rated maps with a certain number of ratings and plays could be reviewed by Three Rings and implemented into gate construction? This would allow for the best content the hub has to offer to be playable in the standard clockworks allowing for heat and crowns to be found on these great levels.
To solve the issue of levels with high amounts of drops, a system could be added in that takes into account the average loot per treasure box and mob, displaying the average level profit somewhere in the map-editing GUI. Perhaps only levels which fall within a certain range of numbers could be considered for implementation.
I also believe that no heat/crowns would be vital in keeping community maps that are still in testing from being abused. If the system allows for any profit it could potentially be abused, and if it can be abused it may be removed. Sorry, but you can't make a party button that spawns in 2401 jelly cubes next to a small nuclear explosion and expect for any amount of drops to be fair.
If such an editor were implemented, I doubt community usage would be too much of a problem so long as there are no elevator fees. I mean, you could run FSC for the 343rd time, but if you're out of mist and don't feel like playing Lockdown, why not try out a few community levels with some friends? If the entry fee is 200 cr per level, it would serve as another time-killer akin to Lockdown. In fact, a token could be awarded for completing 'x' amount of community levels to garner more interest. If this is all added to Spiral-Hipster's original plan for 200 cr entry, and energy is still used for revives I see no reason why it would be abused, as it would offer slightly less rewards than Lockdown (No chance of earning entry fee back), while offering infinite replayability.
The only grounds I could see this plan being rejected on logically are the grounds you cited at the beginning of your post; the time and effort required to produce a level editor and level hub within Spiral Knights. Otherwise, I think this is a great plan and you have my support! 49 Internets to you, sir!
(Don't ask me why I used powers of seven three times in this post, I dunno. I also apologize for the giant wall of text, I am truly fond of this idea.)
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 16:54
#13
To prevent from "Money.map"...
Make it so you can have, say a min-max of 9-19 treasure boxes, 3-12 "Mobs (Large clumps of monsters...Say 7+) And Up to 20 "roaming" enemies(Not attached to a mob)
And a limit on hazards! Somewhere from 30-50 tiles max.
And to compensate, at least 1/2 of the floor has to be normal.
Maybe?
Also 1000 cr/10 ce entrance fee. not just 200 cr.
Then we can allow pickups
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 17:05
#14
how about...
Making a certain # of boxes... BUT have them have the same chance to be red boxes when entering the floor... kinda like the CW...
Also... have there be T1, T2, T3 levels... you choose, different loots, different difficulty, different entry cost...
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 17:07
#15
I have an idea as far as how
I have an idea as far as how to balance payout: just scale it.
Say that OOO decides that all custom maps will give a payout of say, roughly 500 cr (just pulling numbers out of my behind here)
If a map has 50 enemies, all enemies will drop roughly 10 cr. 500 enemies, 1 cr each. In other words, adding a crapton of enemies just means the level will take forever to complete.
Also, the amount of cr an enemy can drop is capped at say, 25cr. So if a map contains any less than 20 enemies, running it will be a loss. Such that you can't have an excessively high cr per second payout (kill one scuttle bot, collect 500 cr, rinse and repeat)
Heat, materials, minerals, and drops from treasure boxes, bushes book stacks buckets etc., would all be scaled in the same way. Notably rare equipment drops and token drops.
This would allow OOO to enforce a payout range and encourage a level length range.
Although, just having a small entry fee and a payout of a token or so could work with a rating system. Good levels would float to the top, where OOO could review the very top and add a few into regular rotation. This could add more unique levels like Stygian Steeds, ass opposed to generated ones like clockwork tunnels.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 17:14
#16
Tokens...
I love the idea of giving a random token at the end. Or maybe a boss or Kromo token each time?
This gives me more ideas...
A King Krogomo hosted thing...
With a chance to get a bombhead of varying rarity depending on which tier it's ranked(More rare for higher tier) based on the performance (Almost to hits on you, but killed all enemies = High chance)
And a varying amount of coins other wise, no profit from enemies, bushes, etc.
I'D play it.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 17:16
#17
I really would love this. I
I really would love this. I really want to come back to SK but there's a lack of content.
As for the reward system, I would rather see something along the lines of custom created maps not costing anything to play or rewarding anything at first, but if they pick up enough support, they work their way into the gates. Easy maps can appear in all three tiers, moderate maps in T2 and T3, and challenging maps only in T3. Very hard maps to only appear in Strata 6 and be competitive in terms of rewards with boss strata levels. That would be exceptional.
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 18:02
#18
I'm my own category!!
love how you listed me as some sort of separate entity in the Treasure Vault from everyone else who posts there :P
We have fan artists, fan writers, and Happyapathy apparently :D
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 18:44
#19
@Spiral-Hipster
I understand
@Spiral-Hipster
I understand I know nothing about the actual implementation and creation of this idea, and I have no doubt that it's a HUGE amount of work
Well, I know a thing or two about the actual implementation. Feel free to ask questions. I guarantee, the answers will frustrate you :p (I was pretty frustrated when playing around with the mapmaker tool).
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 20:08
#20
On the scale of legos to
On the scale of legos to programming, where does the mapmaker tool fall in terms of difficulty to use?
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 20:15
#21
@Khamsin:
Maybe something easy like RPG Maker? Obviously it would have to be on a different scale (3-D) but I think that the difficulty there should be similar.
I.E Post-legos and eventing.
~Sev
Wed, 01/25/2012 - 22:32
#22
@Splockets, Wolfkit, Qbul,
@Splockets, Wolfkit, Qbul, Khamsin: Those are brilliant ideas. Brilliant.
@Happyapathy: Come on. You're pretty much a legend ;D.
@Spiral-Spy: Pretty much Khamsin's question -- and, is there any way to simplify it?
Understandably for the release to the public, it'd be closer to the legos side xD, but I understand there's a lot going on, and even just keeping consistency with the levels and how they're made now can be a real obstacle. Two kinds of map files/compiling methods could be (/is) a logistical nightmare.
Thu, 01/26/2012 - 06:22
#23
@Khamsin
On the scale of
@Khamsin
On the scale of legos to programming, where does the mapmaker tool fall in terms of difficulty to use?
Uhm ... ever heard of Lego Mindstorm? Question answered :-P?
Anyways, I put up a blogpost on the matter which contains some screenshots of the mapmaper. The topic is kinda complex and I may post a bit more on the subject, so you might want to subscribe.
Thu, 01/26/2012 - 12:15
#24
Thanks spiral-spy.
Probably
Thanks spiral-spy.
Probably better to keep everything at this point on a conceptual level - tinkering around with that probably wouldn't really lead to anything concrete if there isn't the ability to playtest content in any way.
Thu, 01/26/2012 - 14:20
#25
.
Placing restrictions on user-submitted maps to ensure they aren't too easy or too hard is hopeless. If you dictate the number of monsters, someone will find a way to have a bunch of monsters trapped in a location where you can kill them with guns with no fear of retaliation, or just some place where you don't have to kill them at all. If you require that the player manage to complete the level himself, someone will make a level with some subtle trick that makes it winnable but that is completely hopeless otherwise. You're not going to win this. You're just not.
Letting users rate maps, and then having developers personally examine highly-rated maps to pick out the gems and make them official, might work. It would no doubt still require a lot of work on the developers' part, and it depends upon there being enough skilled designers submitting maps that we get gems, and enough skilled players slogging through 90% crap maps that they identify the good ones by their ratings. There's a lot of ways it could fail. But it could work.
Assuming the devs want to do all the up-front work of creating a map editor and a way to submit maps and a way for players to play submitted maps and making sure it doesn't screw up their existing revenue streams in one way or another.
It'd be cool if it worked, but I'm not holding my breath.
Thu, 01/26/2012 - 15:12
#26
Only fools and horses work
@Asukalanforum
It's called benchmarking. As long as the pieces companies take fit, the fanbase shouldn't revolt. Besides, the game already borrows from other games, 4 Swords especially.
Although, the problem is that TF2 is PvP whereas SK is PvE, and of course the economy balance for any levels that go into full production needs to be considered.
To add a few more ideas into the pot
We all know that clockwork tunnels and a few other levels are the same pieces rearranged in separate ways, so maybe people could also design segments of levels, or danger rooms. Maybe even lockdown maps.
I was also thinking that, before they go into full production, there could be "score attack" versions of the levels, with score dependent on loot gained (which obviously doesn't go into your actual inventory) time taken, damage taken, revives, etc. Of course drops would need to be unrandomised ^_^
Then have leaderboards for score, depending on party size. This would provide incentive to play, even the fiends and firetraps levels.
Users generating content is popular currently. This would give players nearly infinite content, which keeps players playing, and honestly, as far as I can see it, everyone wins.
Thu, 01/26/2012 - 15:18
#27
"making sure it doesn't screw
"making sure it doesn't screw up their existing revenue streams in one way or another."
This is definitely a concern. If you make a map that is too fun, for players who already have top of the line gear, you might just run the test version of the map instead of actually caring to go into the clockworks and do the levels for real. When the test server was up for the Shadow Lairs, I ran the Shadow Lairs as often as I could because their level of fun was just so far above other dungeons. The only real remedy I can see is that you can't use or test the map maker function unless you have an elevator pass, so you're not losing revenues directly aside from perhaps shadow lair run revenues.
Fri, 01/27/2012 - 00:51
#28
That's a really valid point.
That's a really valid point. I feel like people would run real clockworks for the loot every so often though, but yeah, sinking time into this "minigame" that can be a lot more fun would definitely detract from the "real" game and SK's revenues.
Though I'm not sure how much clockworks adds, with accessories and featured auctions now.
So I'm taking it from Spiral-Spy that this is a pretty unfeasible idea in terms of practicality and work it'd take the SK team to piece together a mapmaker. But in the long term, new content is a necessity. People can only grind FSC/JK so much, and LD so much, before they really lose interest alltogether (I know far too many awesome players that have quit due to lack of content, as opposed to lack of interest, and I'm sure many others do too). In the long term, I still vouch for this idea to be implemented, but I suppose that's to be seen. For now, I'm "not holding my breath" either.
Fri, 01/27/2012 - 09:47
#29
I used to play a flash game
I used to play a flash game called "Platform Racing 2". I believe many of you might know it. It was gorgeus, amazing, completely fun and addictive, but the game's "main campaign" only had 9 levels. It maintained a great amount of players even years after its launch. Wait, how can a flash game with nine campaign levels be so popular?
User-made content, of course. You were completely free to create basically anything your mind could think of. There were so many things you could build and draw, so many possibilities and talented users that an insane amount of creative levels was always there. If you were bored, you could simply go to the daily hot page and find something completely new and amazingly fun. It is still one of the highest rated games of its hoster site (kongregate.com), even after nearly four years of existence. And it was all ran in a simple 2D engine.
PR2 is the reason why I still have faith in user made content.
Fri, 01/27/2012 - 13:56
#30
Would be nice, although I
Would be nice, although I don't see it happening.
Fri, 01/27/2012 - 19:23
#31
My take on how to do a SK Mapmaker
Have Mapmaker privileges cost CE, on a monthly basis.
Reason for this is actually two things.
1) To address the fair point of someone 'playtesting' maps forever for free instead of supporting OOO.
2) To make it so not EVERYONE is making maps, only those serious about it.
-------------------
Use a modular design, as others have already said. I think of the Timesplitters series.
Obviously there would need to be a lot of restrictions, such as:
Maximum loot / crowns per map
Maximum spawns per room
Maximum spawns per MAP
Maximum rooms per map
Including areas for Event Rooms or Danger Rooms would be permitted, but not guaranteed to appear when played.
Maps would have to follow a monster theme, with only small deviations allowed (Basically choose a stratum-type as a palette).
-------------------
User peer-reviews as a filter
Not exactly sure how to do it, but it definitely needs to exist so OOO doesn't have to review hundreds or thousands of maps.
Maps can only be reviewed upon completion and only rated once per account, or IP address.
I figure give every user X amount of map reviews per day, or per week, so they can't playtest forever. Maybe some small reward like Krogmo coins for reviewing enough maps.
-------------------
Mapmaker reward
Assuming OOO took my idea of having mapmaking cost CE, there could be crown payback for highly-played maps.
I'd base the reward both on players completing the map AND on how much damage they receive (so it's not too easy)....
25 crowns per surviving player
+ damage received / 100 (I assume the number would be high, given T3 damage numbers so I divide by 100)
HOWEVER, any player who quits prior to completion = mapmaker gets nothing.
That's just a crude example with no way to test it.
Some sort of reward would seem merited, is my only real point.
(This is only for maps OOO would put into 'real' play, NOT ones under review)
Fri, 01/27/2012 - 22:56
#32
Mapmakers don't really need a
Mapmakers don't really need a reward. Creating a good map that becomes treasured in the community is generally reward enough.
Sat, 01/28/2012 - 10:21
#33
As promised: some more
As promised: some more insight on the mapmaking process. Enjoy!
Sat, 01/28/2012 - 12:32
#34
I know many games that have
I know many games that have significantly increased their shelf life by allowing users the ability to create custom content. Warcraft III comes to mind, especially the custom map DoTA on it. I mean hell that custom map is so popular it spawned it's own game genre. So yeah, I think if OOO implements a map editor we can get some real gems here.
The player does not need to progress his/her character in order to have fun, just look at DoTA, every game the players start from the very bottom and yet people still have fun even though they don't earn anything from having played it.
Someone mentioned being able to make maps for LD, and that I think it probably the best idea here. In LD we don't need to worry about earning crowns and abusing the system to make money, and at least I personally am bored of the maps we currently have. All we need is a checker to make sure the control points actually connect to each other and the spawn points and we're golden. In fact I think it would be even more awesome if we could have character progression within each LD game like in DoTA it won't affect the player outside of that particular game but I think it can make LD a lot more interesting. I really like this idea so I'll probably make a separate topic for it later.
Sat, 01/28/2012 - 13:44
#35
Yeah Warcraft III is a good
Yeah Warcraft III is a good example to some degree, but the game's revenue stream wasn't interrupted by creating maps. If you could play WC3 customs without having purchased the game, that would be a problem.
Anyways... I checked your blog spy, I guess it is alright, but it didn't say anything that was really surprising. Still, even without being able to custom create new bosses or enemies you could create new encounters. The danger rooms and some of the shadow lair encounters are a good example of that.
Sun, 03/04/2012 - 06:12
#36
+1
As long as the possibility of making maps yourself is there, I wouldn't care about crowns and heat. I'd even pay for some kind of building license or something, if not too expensive!
I also support the custom gate with player-created maps idea.
Mon, 04/02/2012 - 19:13
#37
Like making an island, only not
I agree with the idea of OOO running a contest asking for maps, giving specifications to the levels (X-many treasure boxes, Y-many 'defeat all enemy rooms'). A Mapmaker could be something similar to Y!PP's Island editor, in that it gives an idea and look of the map, without functionality.
Mon, 04/02/2012 - 22:18
#38
oh how fun!
I truly love this idea, and can't see it being toooo hard to use (implementing may be another story) but I definately think this will boost the enjoyability of SK by a tonne!!
I have a kink in my thinking, I was gonna say something else but now I forget...
OH WELL
+1
Tue, 04/03/2012 - 00:51
#39
I've actually been emailing
I've actually been emailing someone about that for the suggestion I was working on for someone if you read a lot of threads back so I can design a level thing. +1
Tue, 05/22/2012 - 23:30
#40
Well, it's been a couple
Well, it's been a couple months. Any idea what's going on here?
Thu, 05/24/2012 - 21:52
#41
I'd like to put an extensive
I'd like to put an extensive post here. But since I'm at work It'll have to wait till later.
Fri, 05/25/2012 - 07:53
#42
test server
Put the maps on the test server with the condition that good maps could be altered and used in game.
Fri, 05/25/2012 - 12:03
#43
Combine this with:
An idea that works like steam workshop.
People make a map, play it for free, and rate it. There would be loot boxes, but they would contain nothing. (Just to show their existence.) Everything would drop nothing. Therefore making it a free, no profit run. This would give knights a way to play after they run out of mist just for fun, while also being productive. Here would also be a way to report maps for being malicious (having boxes lined up to spell or shape out... Things or simply an obvious money stomping grounds.)
If enough people rate it, and it has a good rating, spiral admins will look at it. If they like it, put it in, if not, veto.
If people's things get accepted perhaps it'll say at he end "this stage was brought to you by x"
Perhaps they can eventually take some of the levels that they like and put them into the game... kinda like making a particular kind of level (Gremlins obviously snuck in and copied the knights layouts) like a doppelganger stratum... pick 20 to 30 good player maps and put them in the gate creation for about a month... ;D
Endgame and everyone else benefits!