Solve Critique Website

[Justincubes]

I have begun to work on a website where people can upload their solves, and more experienced solvers can critique them. (By begun to work on, I mean I have been thinking about it. I also "borrowed" the idea from @Caden Fisher. I'll be posting updates here irregularly (pretty much only when I do something significant). This is how the website will work:

It will show different videos waiting to be critiqued in a billboard-like design, with 3 or so solves per row. All of these videos will have a title and tags. The title will be something like "13.57 ao5" and the tags could be CFOP, sub-15, and OLL. You could use a part of the method in the tag if you know you need to improve in that, so now people will know to review/critique your OLL. You sign in with WCA account, and anyone is able to post a solve. I think it would be best for them to be ao5s, but people could post PB's as well. Then, we could have "critiquers" (copyright pending) who critique the solves. I'm thinking that it could look at your pb average in comp since its linked to WCA id, and make it so you can only critique people who are slower than you. We don't want someone who averages 5 minutes with the beginners method critiquing someone who averages 10 with CFOP, do we? The WCA login could also help prevent spam, since it would prevent most random people from spamming on the site.

The critiques will probably show up in a comments section, but I'm not sure whether that would be detailed enough. Maybe like a billboard/post-board, where everyone posts a "sticky note" of what people can improve on onto there, and then a more detailed critique in the comments?

I'll also probably be needing beta testers in the future, to test some basic features and make sure that the database is working properly. The next few posts on here will probably just involve basic UI, and it will get proper functionality later. So, what do y'all think? Would you use this site, whether to improve or to help others improve? Also, could you give me some feedback based on everything I've said and the questions I've asked?

Thanks! (also would anyone be interested in joining the discord server that I'll make and beta testing)

 

[Jennah]

This is an incredible idea, as almost every cuber seeks advice/critiques from solvers who are more advanced than them (including myself). I think this will be an essential addition to the cubing community.

 

[espeed]

This is great! Maybe critiquers could get some critque reputation points and some shop might be sponsoring your site with something like 5% discount for 1k points

 

[Justincubes]

This is great! Maybe critiquers could get some critque reputation points and some shop might be sponsoring your site with something like 5% discount for 1k points

If I could get sponsored by speedcubeshop (or another cube store, but I would prefer to get sponsored by the cube shop I actually use), that is definitely getting added. I'm doubting it though, unless many people use the site. I'll probably add a statistics page with how many people signed up, how many solves were posted, and how many comments there were.

There is a problem though: video hosting. I will barely be able to afford hosting and a domain, let alone host hundereds of 1-2 minute long videos (even longer for beginners). I might need to make everyone upload the link to an unlisted youtube video, which is not ideal (at all) since it requires leaving the website and going to another. I could try and streamline the process into the website, with the capability to upload the video to youtube directly from the site so that the user doesn't even realize the video is hosted on youtube; it seems like its hosted on my site. The problem with that is that it would probably require the user to link their google account with the site, unless we want hundereds of unlisted youtube videos listed under my account.

I'll focus on the frontend on now, make it look half-decent, and then focus on the database aspects of it. How does youtube sound though, or at while the website is still relatively new? You would have to upload the video to youtube first and then share the link, but its not like people using the site will be incapable of that - I'll probably add a guide either way though

 

[Caden Fisher]

Can’t wait! I’d love to help test or do anything else you need. I think this definitely has potential to be really big for the community!
Edit: adding a tag/option for OH solves as well would be pretty cool. Maybe even other events later on down the line

 

[fes_77]

Woahahah this would be really helpfull and reallyyy usefull : D

 

[Justincubes]

Thought of another idea: reputation system(kind of like what @espeed said) and with a certain amount of points you get something under your name so people know they can trust you, like "trusted critiquer" or something like that. You get reputation points from people upvoting your comments or posts on the billboard thing.

Also, there is a problem I thought of with the WCA authentication system. If someone lives in a country where there aren't many comps (or they just don't go to comps that often) there PR average could be way worse than an ao100 or something. Maybe if there last comp was in more than six months they could send an unedited ao12 with no cuts, so they can then critique more people. Just an idea ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[NebraskanSpeedsolver]

Will this only be for 3x3 or do you plan on adding other events?

Excited to see the development regardless!

 

[Justincubes]

Will this only be for 3x3 or do you plan on adding other events?

Excited to see the development regardless!

3x3 is definitely the priority, and I might do OH next. I still need to find a good solution for video hosting, but youtube does seem fine so we will be able to post longer videos for big cubes. Adding more events won't be too hard, it'll mainly consist of adding different tags such as 3x3, megaminx, squan, etc (along with adding their corresponding methods) and letting people filter between them. I would also add an ignore list, where any solve with this tag does not show up for you. Not many CFOP cubers would want to/be able to critique a zz solve!

 

[Justincubes]

I've started working on the WCA login system, and its pretty hard. The WCA have really bad documentation on their website for everything regarding authentication, so I have to do a lot of guessing. I've managed to get part of it working so far, but when I try to request the authentication token from the server it gives me a weird error, I'll have to research further. This guide has been pretty helpful, but says nothing about error handling or the different types of errors. Has anyone here used OAuth 2 with WCA sign in before?

 

[espeed]

Thought of another idea: reputation system(kind of like what @espeed said) and with a certain amount of points you get something under your name so people know they can trust you, like "trusted critiquer" or something like that. You get reputation points from people upvoting your comments or posts on the billboard thing.

Also, there is a problem I thought of with the WCA authentication system. If someone lives in a country where there aren't many comps (or they just don't go to comps that often) there PR average could be way worse than an ao100 or something. Maybe if there last comp was in more than six months they could send an unedited ao12 with no cuts, so they can then critique more people. Just an idea ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That's some good addition. About the WCA authentication I think that's something we should accept.

@Justincubes maybe just mail other sites with WCA login for help. Also it seems like [email protected] is your way to go (see https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/teams-committees-councils#wst)

 

[Justincubes]

That's some good addition. About the WCA authentication I think that's something we should accept.

@Justincubes maybe just mail other sites with WCA login for help. Also it seems like [email protected] is your way to go (see https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/teams-committees-councils#wst)

I've luckily figured it out (I think). The API wouldn't let you make the request from the front-end, so I completely remade the library without the framework I was using so that I can make the request to the API in the backend. I'll be posting a demo soon to see whether it will work for y'all. It will just have a WCA login button, and if the login is successful it will show you your name along with your fastest average in comp

 

[espeed]

Are you a software dev btw?

 

[fes_77]

and if the login is successful it will show you your name along with your fastest average in comp

Pls make a username thingy i dont want people calling me by the name on my wca profile (my deadname :c)

 

[Justincubes]

Are you a software dev btw?

Yeah. Completely self-taught. It's not my job or anything, more of a hobby

Pls make a username thingy i dont want people calling me by the name on my wca profile (my deadname :c)

Once I get the basic thing working yes. This will just be a test to see whether it works for other peoples WCA profiles, and all the data will be on your machine. Nothing will be stored on the server.

I made a color scheme for the site (dark mode is a priority, no more cubers will have to suffer through light mode). Do you like it? I might modify "citron" to a purple or something. I used an online site called coolors.co which pretty much generates colors until you like them. If you like light mode, make a palette for it and I'll add it!

 

[Justincubes]

OK, I've implemented signing in with your WCA account. It isn't a full sign in or anything, but once you click the login button it should redirect you to the WCA website, and then show a popup that shows your wca id on my website. I've also added the color scheme to it. The design will be completely different from how it is right now, I think that the button needs to be shown as the main (and only) attraction of the site. Try it out at evil-crab-58.telebit.io! (please do, I need to see if this works for others too)

For people who aren't going to test the site this is what it looks like:

I know, very fancy, so many different things about it. Also, I'm not sure about the name. Does anyone have any suggestions? Cube Critique is just a temporary name. Also I "borrowed" the glow effect from another website

 

[Cubinginatree]

OK, I've implemented signing in with your WCA account. It isn't a full sign in or anything, but once you click the login button it should redirect you to the WCA website, and then show a popup that shows your wca id on my website. I've also added the color scheme to it. The design will be completely different from how it is right now, I think that the button needs to be shown as the main (and only) attraction of the site. Try it out at evil-crab-58.telebit.io! (please do, I need to see if this works for others too)

For people who aren't going to test the site this is what it looks like:View attachment 30082
I know, very fancy, so many different things about it. Also, I'm not sure about the name. Does anyone have any suggestions? Cube Critique is just a temporary name. Also I "borrowed" the glow effect from another website

The WCA login works! Also I think Cube Critique is the perfect name.

 

[Justincubes]

Working on adding a proper login system that actually keeps you logged in now. I'll also try to implement a database where posts, comments, and nicknames/account information will be stored. I'll update with my progress tomorrow

 

[Caden Fisher]

OK, I've implemented signing in with your WCA account. It isn't a full sign in or anything, but once you click the login button it should redirect you to the WCA website, and then show a popup that shows your wca id on my website. I've also added the color scheme to it. The design will be completely different from how it is right now, I think that the button needs to be shown as the main (and only) attraction of the site. Try it out at evil-crab-58.telebit.io! (please do, I need to see if this works for others too)

For people who aren't going to test the site this is what it looks like:View attachment 30082
I know, very fancy, so many different things about it. Also, I'm not sure about the name. Does anyone have any suggestions? Cube Critique is just a temporary name. Also I "borrowed" the glow effect from another website

When I try to use it it’s saying this

 

[Jennah]

When I try to use it it’s saying this

It says that to me too.