Thanks guys. I am aware of course that programmers tend to be much kinder to other programmers. Even if you see a bad game, you're far more likely to appreciate what the guy is attempting to do and give encouragement. Whereas gamers are just being brutally honest. In this case, the problem was that they said the game was bugged. It seems that if you have a bug, you get a 1/5 rating and that wrecks your chances. I'm going to see if I can work out what bugs they're seeing and try again.
This is more or less a QA thing. Raising standards and vowing to put additional work on hold until the current version is stable prevents masses of bugs from piling up later on.
Before release, stress test extensively. This seems to be something you did not do, and it's evident to gamers who want a smooth experience. Remember, you are not making games to make the players go 'Oh wow, you have talent', you are making a game to give the gamers a fun experience. This is impossible without stress testing. I understand making games is a lot of work, but you cannot simply say you have put a lot of work into it and don't feel like testing, just release immediately. That may bode well with other programmers, but your target audience is not going to appreciate that. If you are wanting to make money with the game, you aren't making the game for yourself. You're making it for gamers, so that means you have to release it in a state that they will enjoy, not one that you personally feel satisfied with.