Currently, the only ways a BN can initiate a veto are by resetting a nomination ("pop" below), disqualifying a qualified map, or posting a problem stamp on a pending map, which is done by a single person.
My concern is that the current veto system allows only one person to perform subjective DQ/pops, which may introduce strong personal bias, and sometimes may not lead to any substantial map quality improvements, which then wouldn't warrant a veto in the first place. Such lack of intersubjectivity can send, and has been sending strongly negative signs to the community and the BNs involved, generating fears and suspicions among them. To avoid personal bias, ensure the map quality improvement is necessary, and refrain from sending possible misleading signs to the community and the BNG, I propose that veto should be done using suggestions for nominated/qualified maps, instead of posted as pop/DQs. To the best of my knowledge, adding a veto button seems to be technically difficult, hence this proposal.
My newly proposed veto process would be:
Pros:
My concern is that the current veto system allows only one person to perform subjective DQ/pops, which may introduce strong personal bias, and sometimes may not lead to any substantial map quality improvements, which then wouldn't warrant a veto in the first place. Such lack of intersubjectivity can send, and has been sending strongly negative signs to the community and the BNs involved, generating fears and suspicions among them. To avoid personal bias, ensure the map quality improvement is necessary, and refrain from sending possible misleading signs to the community and the BNG, I propose that veto should be done using suggestions for nominated/qualified maps, instead of posted as pop/DQs. To the best of my knowledge, adding a veto button seems to be technically difficult, hence this proposal.
My newly proposed veto process would be:
1) If the map is pending, post a problem stamp as usual.
2) If the map is nominated/qualified, then BN should post a suggestion stamp on the map, stating at the first line of the post that it's a veto, and contact the mapper immediately for a response. These must be done 24 hours before the map enters the ranked section to ensure that the mapper has enough time to respond.
3a) If the mapper agrees to apply changes from the veto, the map should be popped/DQ'd immediately and renominated/requalified after a mutual agreement is reached.
3b) The BN can submit a mediation if the mapper doesn't respond in 24 hours and/or a mutual agreement can't be reached for the veto. The mediation process should be done as usual, with a limitation of 7 days -- instead of 2 weeks as what's written in the RC now -- and the map will be blocked from ranked during the mediation thanks to the new "blocking qualified maps with pending posts from ranked" system. The mediation will be automatically concluded after seven days or a 2/3 majority can already be seen in the submitted veto posts (e.g. expecting 16 people, 12 of them voted and 11 among which hold the same opinion), and the veto post must be resolved if the veto is dismissed, or the map must be DQ/popped if the veto is upheld.
4a) If the mapper agrees with the veto, the impact of the veto will be evaluated normally by the NAT.
4b) If the veto has passed through the mediation, and:
2) If the map is nominated/qualified, then BN should post a suggestion stamp on the map, stating at the first line of the post that it's a veto, and contact the mapper immediately for a response. These must be done 24 hours before the map enters the ranked section to ensure that the mapper has enough time to respond.
3a) If the mapper agrees to apply changes from the veto, the map should be popped/DQ'd immediately and renominated/requalified after a mutual agreement is reached.
3b) The BN can submit a mediation if the mapper doesn't respond in 24 hours and/or a mutual agreement can't be reached for the veto. The mediation process should be done as usual, with a limitation of 7 days -- instead of 2 weeks as what's written in the RC now -- and the map will be blocked from ranked during the mediation thanks to the new "blocking qualified maps with pending posts from ranked" system. The mediation will be automatically concluded after seven days or a 2/3 majority can already be seen in the submitted veto posts (e.g. expecting 16 people, 12 of them voted and 11 among which hold the same opinion), and the veto post must be resolved if the veto is dismissed, or the map must be DQ/popped if the veto is upheld.
4a) If the mapper agrees with the veto, the impact of the veto will be evaluated normally by the NAT.
4b) If the veto has passed through the mediation, and:
- The veto is dismissed, then this veto shouldn't have any impact on the BNs who nominated the map.
- The veto is upheld with 1/2 (inclusive) ~ 2/3 (exclusive) of the voters agreeing, then this veto should only have a minor impact on the BNs who nominated the map.
- The veto is upheld with more than 2/3 (inclusive) of the voters agreeing, then this veto should have a major impact on the BNs who nominated the map.
Pros:
- This can better reflect the intersubjectivity of the veto, ensure the quality improvement is in need for the vetoed map, and mitigate the frustrations, suspicions, and fears from the community & the BNs, which are generated from DQ/pops that might not be genuinely intersubjective among the BNG.
- This is similar to how vetoes are handled now, since the procedure of "posting veto -- asking for opinion -- mediation or not -- if mediated, then upheld or dismissed -- act after the result" stays the same. The vetoed maps will still be blocked from being ranked before the veto has been resolved, just as we have now.
- 4a) and 4b) ensure that the veto's impact can be appropriately evaluated according to its intersubjectivity.
- This may turn some people's understanding of problem stamp/suggestion upside down, as the general information of BNs states that problem stamps will be used on nominated/qualified maps "when there is a major or unrankable issue in the beatmap which should be addressed before considering it for ranking". Hence pairing with my proposal, I also propose a rewrite to this sentence to:... (DQ/pops) These options are usually used when there is an unrankable issue in the beatmap which should be addressed before considering it for ranking. If you believe a major issue in the beatmap should be addressed before considering it for ranking, you can choose to veto the beatmap by following the beatmap veto process.
- This may be considered unnecessary as vetoes are rare, and usually 1 veto won't play an important role in a BN's evaluation. A single DQ/pop should normally not be a huge deal, either. However, a veto with DQ/pop would sometimes be interpreted as something as "if you map like this, your map can't be ranked because some people just don't like you enough to pick on you", due to a lack of intersubjectivity as I stated at the beginning. Hence, putting the majority vote process before the DQ/pop action would mitigate those frustrations and suspicions and encourage BNs to push maps with a wider variety.