I expect the fact it is a storygame to be used somehow. Even very linear stories can deliver on this, but a completely linear one is probably not going to get ranked highly.
But this ties into my major consideration, which is trying to figure out if the story accomplished what it set out to do (by my totally objective opinion). That's where I give 8s. The story doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to deliver (among a few other things, those being):
- Being readable.
- Not being unfinished / a demo.
Contest stories having a deadline would then, for example, be something to consider when rating it.
I've def mellowed out on stuff like dialogue punctuation, as I can generally ignore it if done wrong, and still understand the story. If the mistakes confuse me and make it impossible to follow along, that's when I take issue now.
I did consider getting a more defined rubric, but that's effort that probably won't matter too much. Might steal what others do if anything sounds good tho.
I will say that I don't expect good prose, but it can certainly be a great addition. If a story has subpar prose (where it starts making reading less enjoyable) I might still not care if other elements are enough to make up for it (such as strong branching).
Really, I should probably put effort into comments more than ratings, since they can be more impactful to receive. Rating a story where you don't read everything can also feel iffy, especially for big stuff, but leaving a comment on the path you read can't go wrong. That said, ratings are still nice (and I do like getting my 'free' point).
I've veered off track a bit, so will end it there. Seems I had more to say on this than I was anticipating, aha.