Wow, so much for summer break resulting in a better turnout!
I wasn't planning on it, but real quick multi votes:
MATCH
Diamond Blizzard Zone - 6/10
Very pretty, very much potential, very problematic. It desperately could stand to be shrunk or have some redundant areas cut, and maybe a little better texture variation. Way too much auto ammo (my immedeate thought: Mystic will eat this place up).
Coastal Cavern Zone - 7/10
Underrated. It's kinda plain, but decently balanced and I had a hell of a lot of fun with it. Panel placement needs to be shuffled a bit as most people tend to hang out around the SRM on the hill. BTW:
ffffffffff
(and that score was achieved with a dialup connection, c-lag, and not using mouselook)
Citrus Foyer Zone - 2/10
1 point for playability, 1 pity point for being somewhat amusing. Stop submitting these.
Lost Paradise Zone - 5/10
Not really sure what to judge this since it's more or less a betatest, but it wasn't terrible for a big map. A group of 4-5 players was able to get relatively decent scores in 5 minutes, though I wouldn't try it in team match. But then, I had more fun with Astray Canopy a couple contests ago. If a Sonic player goes for the SRM in that giant pit, they can't escape.
CTF
Freezing Flame Zone - 4/10
Annoying bases and fairly blah layout. I've played decent fire+ice maps and this isn't one of them. Knux users don't seem to stand much of a chance here except to spam bounce in the chokepoints. Nice of the flag to always return in the "nasty goop", at least.
Wellspring Keep Zone - 5/10
The bases are, well, different, but just not laid out effectively and they are built to camp in. Every game on this place takes forever as a result, and it kind of undermines the lava/glass wall gimmick to make the flag easily reached with or without it activated. Two rail panels overlooking a big open space in the middle is a baaaaaad idea as anybody who wanders across the bridge with the flag is, half the time, dead meat. There's potential here, but you have some learnin' to do about layout.
Radiant Cavern Zone - 6/10
Not one of your better maps, but pretty decent. Maybe brighten the caves a little bit but, it's not such a collassal problem now that you can put the crosshair on people to identify their team. My only major concerns are that there's a little too much bounce ammo and the stage is hella cramped - if not for the latter this would be a 7. Middle area needs some serious expansion.
Climate Chaos Zone - 3/10
Weak. For all that excess (unnecessary) space, it's a thokfest - the path between the flags is an almost unobstructed straight line. Theme and lack of lag/insanity aside, I don't see how this is much better than Storm Temple. Scrap the "ruins" base (whichever color that was) and do something interesting with the treetop environment of the other one on both sides - better yet, throw out most of the layout altogether. Tons of missing sidedefs BTW.
CIRCUIT
Grassy Cliffs Zone - 1/10
Arbitrary invisible barriers thrown down to screw people up != level design. I second the two-post minimum.
Tidal Cave Zone - 7/10
Now this is a real race map. It's a little bit evil with the death drops, and there's some runoff areas that need to be dealt with (namely that stupid bit on the right at the start that you can fall into and ruin your chances of winning), but this is good stuff and pretty too. Best map this contest.
Iron Aquarium Zone - 3/10
I realize this is a first-timer map but it flat sucks. The steam vent bit isn't intuitive at all, the first underwater room is a deluge of lag, and most of the map is an excessively large thokfest. All the scenery effort in the world (for which i'm throwing an extra point) goes to waste if the thing is no fun.