The Rating is Back

After nearly a month of downtime, RatingBBW has resurfaced. While it isn't set to officially open until the 31st, I figured I'd give the current beta offering a look and give you my thoughts.
Before I get started on my critiquing, I have to mention that my initial thought is that it was an odd decision on the RatingBBW webmaster's part to take the entire site down while he built the new version (presumably) from scratch. That's a lot of lost ad revenue, and it's possible that he may not get back a large number of his former ten-thousand plus users. Unless he simply didn't have an old junk machine laying around he could throw PHP and MySQL on and use as a test server, there's not really any excuse for a month of downtime while he built the new version. It should have been a week of migration, tops.
Now that I've had my rant, lets get started. What you'll notice immediately is that the interface has gotten a complete overhaul. It has shed the nineties look, and moved into a far more modern style including a new, less blocky logo. It is far more visually pleasing, and not at the expense of bandwidth, which is a definite relief.
One thing previous users should quickly notice is that there is no longer a SSBBW or BHM classification. There are simply BBWs and Admirers now. It will be interesting to see how the consolidation of classes affects the average ratings, especially since the sidebar only contains a top 4 of each category as opposed to the top 20 in each category on the old version.
After looking over the front page, it was time to sign up. All old accounts are gone, so I have to start fresh. The sign-up page has a few new fields that pertain to favorite movie and the like, making it seem more like a personals site than before. The "link" field is gone, and you cannot create hyperlinks in your intro, so you're stuck hoping people will copy and paste. Good luck with that. Up to this point, everything still looks pretty clean and polished for the most part. Lets hope this pattern continues.
I have to say, this site has the best User Agreement I've ever seen. It goes as follows:

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account.

YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS.

Essentially, don't give out your password, and the service may vanish at any time and/or blow up your computer. 10-4 Tim! In I go... after I check my email for the activation email... which it turns out has no activation link, and is simply my username and password in plain text. Wonderful. Now, in I go...
The rating is now represented by 10 squares that fill further to the right as your rating gets higher. I like the effect. There is a new "Stats" option which contains your raw score, your rank, and the list of people who have rated you. However, to see how many times you've been rated or to see a numerical average instead of the blocks, you still have to view your own profile, which is a bit of a pain.
The profiles are very nicely done. It contains the default photo to the left, with basic stats and information to the right and below. Above their photo and information are links to their secondary photos, videos, comments, and buddies, as well as a link to contact them via private message or email (if they allow it). Hopefully the internal private messaging system is more reliable than the previous incarnation.
As for the photos, you are no longer limited to three. I'm not sure what the limit is, but in addition to the default photo, there are ten upload fields in the "My Photo Album" section. The best advance, at least in my opinion, is that the smaller photos are actually thumbnailed now instead of just being the full size photos with the width and height tags changed. Now, users without broadband can actually look at profiles and top lists without screaming at their screen. Upon clicking a photo, it launches in a pop up window that allows you to rate the user.
When you click "Rate BBW," you're taken to a semi-anonymous rate system where you see the photo and a rate bar. You can rate the photo or can optionally look at their profile. Not loading entire profiles allows you to make a lot of rates very quickly and lessens bias due to other information on the profile.
Overall, it appears the new RatingBBW is modeled after MySpace-style social sites, but with a heavier concentration on rating photos. The only real gripe I have as of yet is that the rate box for 10 on a profile sometimes has the tendency to wrap down below the rest of the rate boxes. If one was to quickly go to rate a 10 and was not paying attention, they may accidentally rate a 9. That being the only real gripe is a lot to say for the improvements, considering the old site was bandwidth heavy, would timeout your session far too quickly, had a perpetually broken messaging system, and was just plain buggy. It's really an excellent new design, and hopefully the small issues will be worked out by the official launch.
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Big Cray: Accept No Substitute

Edit [1/31/2007]: Forget everything I said about how he did well on the slick interface. It turns out he either stole from or uses the same template as PhotoVote.com and RateMyHumps.com. In addition, the wrapping issue with the 10 rate box was resolved due to him simply changing the layout of a profile to have everything under the picture. Still, the speed increase over the old site is very welcome, even if it is presented on a canned/stolen interface.

Just One Big Glitch: Further Elaboration

In my previous entry, I wrote, among other things, about what you can use the female wrestlers for in the THQ Smackdown games. I thought it might be helpful if I provided a list of every match type available in exhibition mode that specified which matches the women could compete in. It will give you a better idea of what I was saying, as well as serve as a handy reference on what matches are in each game.

Female Participation in THQ Smackdown Games Here Comes the Pain - Smackdown vs Raw 2007
Key: Color Meaning Women can participate in any role Women can participate as manager only Women can NOT participate in any role Depends on matches chosen
Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain Match Type Allow Single No Manager No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tag Normal Tornado Tag vs Tag w/Manager Tag w/Manager vs Tag w/Manager 6-Man Tag Normal Tornado Handicap One on Two One on Tag One on Three Hardcore Single Tornado Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Time Limit Royal Rumble Survival Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way 4-Man Battle Royal 5-Man Battle Royal 6-Man Battle Royal 3 Stages of Hell Bra and Panties No CAWs Cage Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Single Pin and Give Up Triple Threat Pin and Give Up Fatal 4-Way Pin and Give Up Elimination Chamber Elimination Tag Normal Tornado Tag Captain Fall Tornado 6-Man Tag Normal 6-Man Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Table Tornado Tag Table Tornado 6-Man Tag First Blood Hell in a Cell Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Armageddon Ironman Ladder Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Last Man Standing Lumberjack Slobberknocker Time No Time Anywhere Special Referee One Referee Single One Referee Normal Tag One Referee Ironman Two Referee Single Two Referee Normal Tag Two Referee Ironman Submission Single Ultimate Table Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Tornado 6-Man Tag TLC Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Title Title Tornado Tag Title Triple Threat Title Fatal 4-Way	Smackdown vs Raw Match Type Allow Single No Manager No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tag Normal Tornado Tag vs Tag w/Manager Tag w/Manager vs Tag w/Manager 6-Man Tag Normal Tornado Handicap One on Two One on Tag One on Three Hardcore Single Tornado Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Royal Rumble Survival Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way 4-Man Battle Royal 5-Man Battle Royal 6-Man Battle Royal 3 Stages of Hell Bra and Panties No CAWs Elimination Chamber Normal Tornado Tag Elimination Tag Normal Tornado Tag Captain Fall Tornado 6-Man Tag Normal 6-Man Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Table Tornado Tag Table Tornado 6-Man Tag First Blood Hell in a Cell Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Armageddon Ironman Ladder Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Last Man Standing Parking Lot Brawl Slobberknocker Time Time Ranking No Limit No Limit Ranking Special Referee One Referee Single One Referee Normal Tag One Referee Ironman Steel Cage Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Single Pin and Give Up Triple Threat Pin and Give Up Fatal 4-Way Pin and Give Up Submission Single Ultimate Table Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Tornado 6-Man Tag TLC Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way

Smackdown vs Raw 2006 Match Type Allow Single No Manager No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tag Normal Tornado Tag vs Tag w/Manager Tag w/Manager vs Tag w/Manager 6-Man Tag Normal Tornado Elimination Tag Normal Tornado Tag Captain Fall Tornado 6-Man Tag Normal 6-Man Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Table Tornado Tag Table Tornado 6-Man Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Handicap One on Two One on Tag One on Three One on Trio Tag on Trio Royal Rumble 3 Stages of Hell Backstage Brawl Bar Brawl Parking Lot Brawl Battle Royal 4-Man 4-Man Over the Top 5-Man 5-Man Over the Top Rope 6-Man 6-Man Over the Top Rope Buried Alive Elimination Chamber Normal Tornado Tag First Blood Fulfill Your Fantasy No CAWs Hardcore Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tornado Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Hell in a Cell Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Armageddon Ironman Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Ladder Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tornado Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Last Man Standing Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Slobberknocker No Limit Ranking Special Referee Single Normal Tag Ironman Hell in a Cell Last Man Standing Steel Cage Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Single Pin and Give Up Triple Threat Pin and Give Up Fatal 4-Way Pin and Give Up Submission Single Ultimate Table Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Tornado 6-Man Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag TLC Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way

Smackdown vs Raw 2007 Match Type Allow Single No Manager No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tag Normal Tornado Tag vs Tag w/Manager Tag w/Manager vs Tag w/Manager 6-Man Tag Normal Tornado Elimination Tag Normal Tornado Tag Captain Fall Tornado 6-Man Tag Normal 6-Man Tag Tornado 6-Man Tag Table Tornado Tag Table Tornado 6-Man Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Handicap One on Two One on Tag One on Three One on Trio Tag on Trio Royal Rumble Backstage Brawl Bar Brawl Parking Lot Brawl Battle Royal 4-Man 5-Man 6-Man Buried Alive Elimination Chamber Normal Tornado Tag First Blood Hardcore Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tornado Tag Triple Threat Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Hell in a Cell Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Armageddon Ironman Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Ladder Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Last Man Standing Single No Manager vs w/Manager w/Manager vs w/Manager Special Referee Single Normal Tag Ironman Hell in a Cell Last Man Standing Steel Cage Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Submission Single Ultimate Table Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way TLC Single Tornado Tag Triple Threat Fatal 4-Way Money in the Bank

I think the table makes my point very clear. Here Comes the Pain only forbid women from competing in First Blood matches. Everything else was fair game. Smackdown vs Raw added Hardcore matches and Parking Lot Brawls to the list of matches women were not allowed in. 2006 and 2007... that's a clusterf***, actually. There's no way to sum it up quickly.
So, take this data for whatever it's worth, and don't neglect to notice that the 2007 match list is considerably shorter than the 2006 list. That's no optical illusion. 3 Stages of Hell, Slobberknocker, Hardcore Tornado 6-Man Tag, Ladder Triple Threat Tornado Tag, Steel Cage Pin and Give Up, Table Tornado 6-Man Tag, Table Triple Threat Tornado Tag, and Over the Top Rope Battle Royals are all gone from exhibition mode. The ultimate insult to wrestling fan and gamer intelligence, Fulfill Your Fantasy, is also gone, eliminating one of the very few matches women could actually compete in (although female CAWs couldn't). The only addition was the Money in the Bank match, which is simply a 6-man ladder match for a briefcase.
So, to summarize: annoying controls, tons of bugs, less matches, and there's no point of making a CAW of your girlfriend. I stand by my assessment that this game sucks.
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Big Cray: Accept No Substitute

Just One Big Glitch

I've been loyal to the THQ Smackdown series since it began on the old Playstation. Every year, I hoped that the new version will fix all the things that aggravate me from the previous edition. This year, I am once again disappointed.
Thinking back, the last version I truly enjoyed without much reservation was Here Comes the Pain. Its successor, Smackdown vs. Raw, was a huge letdown. It was a completely watered down game that sacrificed everything for the addition of sub-par voiceovers. It also began my distaste for their female CAWs (create-a-wrestlers). SVR allowed you to make women in any size, from mildly anorexic to near-death anorexic. This made creating accurate CAWs of the women I know pretty much impossible. Of course, it didn't really matter anyway, considering women couldn't compete in season mode or a few types of "rougher" matches.
Smackdown vs Raw 2006 came along and actually allowed me to put a significant amount of meat on my women's bones. However, at the same time, it took away the ability to use women in damn near any match except for the most basic. It really doesn't make any sense to me why they further restrict where a user can use a female. I understand not letting them compete in hardcore matches (seeing as they don't have the ability to bleed), but they can't be in a "Tag vs Tag w/manager" as anything but a manager! If you're fuzzy on what I'm talking about, grab a copy and do some experimenting. It will piss you off. The game also seemed a bit glitchy in places, making it seem as if it didn't finish quality control before shipping. The one example that really sticks out in my mind is the list of songs you can assign as your CAW's theme. When you look at the number of original (i.e. non-wrestler themes) songs, you think you're going to have a great selection. Then, on clicking through them, you realize that every other song is a duplicate of the previous! There are, in actuality only half the songs you think there are going to be. Otherwise, 2006 added a few nice features, such as the "Create an Entrance" mode that, while more limited than I was hoping for, was a big step in the right direction.
Now, I've come to my original intention for this rant: Smackdown vs. Raw 2007. Unlike the previous two I described, I don't own this game. I do, however, have a friend that got it and proudly brought it over to be played as the next big step in the series. Words can not describe how much this game sucks. First off, they took the wonderful control system and completely trashed it. The new system is awkward at best. Luckily, "Type D" in the options is almost like the old system, so it's not a total loss. Still, 2007 just doesn't give you the feeling that you're part of the game like previous versions. It's hard to explain, but you tend to feel a disconnect with the action on the screen in many cases. As for the things I didn't like about past games, they are back in full effect. In a step backwards from 2006, Female CAWs are once again not able to carry enough body fat, but they are able to achieve at least average size. As before, it's not as if it actually matters, seeing as they cannot participate in anything of substance.
The biggest change in 2007 is the abundance of glaring bugs. It actually gets ridiculous at times. At one point, the on screen keyboard for naming a stable had the appearance of a screen from an NES cartridge with dirty connectors. Backing out of the keyboard and entering it again produced the same effect until the game was reset.
However, some errors aren't repaired with a reset. For example, after a six-man tag match, often, only two of the three competitors on the winning team are announced. My favorite bug involves the commentary during the matches. The match will be proceeding normally with the announcers delivering their repetitive canned lines, when all of the sudden, Jerry Lawler or Jim Ross will lose their mind. Shawn Michaels will deliver Sweet Chin Music and the King will scream out "RKO!" Triple H will drop the opponent's face to the canvas with a Pedigree, and it will be called a Stone Cold Stunner. An even more insane occurrence happened when we were playing last night. During a match involving Kurt Angle, Chris Masters, Shawn Michaels, and Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross breaks into a speech about how young superstars should be taking notes on how Dusty Rhodes is handling himself in the ring at that time. It was a beautiful speech if you ignore the fact that Dusty Rhodes was in no way involved with the match.
All of this seems to be the product of some seriously sloppy coding and somewhat lackluster pre-release testing. Sorry THQ. This is the year I'm not buying the new version. You've disappointed me before, but this game is nothing more than just one big glitch.
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Big Cray: Accept No Substitute