January/February 2010 Voting

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Giana Dream Blast Zone, by glaber - 2/10
Short level, but interesting. Never even heard of these Giana sisters or whatever.

Understandable, they did have only the C64/Amiga/Atari game that had to get pulled due to a lawsuit from Nintendo. Today they have a DS game released in Germany only. Shame really since a US release was planned.

Here are some videos of their game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMTdr026bZU (c64), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vWUzQiQUY0 (amiga) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr58eAozSM4 (atari)
 
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Night Shrine Zone, by hyperknux - 1/10
Annoying flames and weird level design.

I think that is an unfair rating and also the feedback is pretty poor. If you are going to rate it, at least give proper feedback as to why it is scored that low.
 
Yes I'm aware it's linear but honestly, the flags arn't that hard to get... really? and I'm trying to add a FOF so that the jump to the middle bit stops because I personally think that is also annoying myself. As for the item placement, it is about as symmetrical as I can get it personally.

I meant the flags indicating red/blue bases.

The usual CTF map is 100% symmetric.
 
Voting.

Singleplayer levels

Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach
7/10
This level was downright short. (A Tails player cleared it in 35 seconds.)

Everything else was very good.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG
0/10
Unplayable, crashes on start. (I shouldn't have to use DB to play it either.)


Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal
2/10
Yay Nice textures but the level was bland and long. (And worst no springs at the bottom of the pools.)

Giana Dream Blast by glaber
4/10
Looks like MKB1
Sounds like MKB1
Plays like MKB1
I saw a few edits here and there though.
Pretty much, you got 3/10 for the level and 1/10 for the graphics.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman
3/10
Well, I told you about the death pits. And you didn't edit much after the 2nd beta I got. So I saw the same stuff

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E
10/10

KO.T.E has done it again!

I did find the "push button ceiling part" cheap but that it about it.
( I would suggest to texture the button a different color or make the ceiling fall slower.)

Multiplayer Pack!

Match:
MAPM1 - Restricted Cavern Zone by blahblahbal
5/10

Wow, I didn't expect this! Not to be mean but your alot better at match than Sp.
Anyway, nothing really stuck out at me. It was pretty average with low rings and hidden boxes

MAPM2 - Frost Forest by RedEchidna/darkbob1713
8/10

Pretty good. And by that I mean "Pretty" visuals
Wepon placement was ok too!

MAPM3 - Neo Green Lake Zone by Scizor300
4/10
This is a large basic map with too many weapon tiles. Knock some tiles out.

MAPM4 - Amber Ravine by Spherallic
8/10

Rush Job? Yea right! This level is has good weapon placement and level design. But the pop-out of the ground makes it easy for cheap hits.

MAPM5 - Acid Plant Zone by KO.T.E
9/10
Instance kill acid is a bit much, but other than that very good map.

MAPM6 - Astray Canopy Zone by stoneywagner
4/10
This map is insanely huge I could barely find anyone.

MAPM7 - Land of Light and Rain by Errol
5/10

This map was better than ok like a 7 or something but the was so much fps lag in it.

I will have to finish this another time.
CTF:
MAPF1 - Upload Download Zone by fawfulfan
7/10
Nice concept,but The is fps lag as soon as to exit the tube. And the "dark" alleys were too dark.

MAPF2 - Night Shrine Zone by Hyperknux
5/10
It is completey average.
The torches were annoy since it usually got in the way of my getaway.
Plus there was some stage lag.

MAPF3 - Coldlava Cliffs Zone by blahblahbal/darkbob1713
4/10
The bases has no defenses at all it was VERY annoying when I missed the spring to the base (and cost me a point too.)

MAPF4 - Sunkist Falls by Spherallic/Blade
8/10
Like Frost Forest this level was beautiful looked fun to play!

Nevermind It was fun!

MAPF5 - Arial Skyfort Zone by Mach
2/10
Metal Star says "Hi"
But it is just larger with more springs and stuff.

Circuit:
MAPR1 - Crispy Canyon by RedEchidna
7/10
The only race a Tails player could win in this contest.

MAPR2 - Frosty Aroura Zone by darkbob1713
8/10
I don't know about you but I love NiGHTS
Keep up the good work!
Had some fps lag though

MAPR3 - Thunder Factory Zone by Blade
7/10
Fans Fans Fans
This made the level VERY cheap sometimes... That is about it Nice level

MAPR4 - Midnight Lagoon Zone by blahblahbal
2/10
Sonic circuit says HI
Anyway it is WAY too easy to miss a checkpoint
And you need more spring in the pool.

MAPR5 - Molten Mountain Zone by stoneywagner
6/10
The loss ring sound is still ringing in my ear.
But hey! It is not a thok race (somewhat :/)

Well I think that is it.
 
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Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 ~ 6/10 - A perfectly fine small-scale flow-based stage that seems to be lacking polish. I'm specifically talking about the series of springs near the end that don't line up correctly / don't lead anywhere at all. The bottomless pit at the very end seems a mite unfair, if this is supposed to be an introductory level. Cleaver placement of the 1up near the beginning.

Buzzards Bay Zone ~ NA/10 - Cannot play level. I keep getting an error message saying "Too many flats in level".

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 ~ 2/10 - Let me say up front that I regret having to temper my lukewarm congratulations with a strong measure of disappointment. The first half of this level is infinitely better aesthetically and technically than the original Jadeflower Zone, and while the level design is a bit labyrinthine and cramped for my tastes, I was having fun with it. The second half has inescapable water pits aplenty, dull level design, gaudily multicolored wall textures and no formal conclusion to the level. Seriously, test your levels before you release them! Also, there were no checkpoints.

Giana Dream Blast ~ 7/10 - Neato use of the Great Giana Sisters graphics / music here. Your level design was alright, but not absolutely spectacular. Please note that it's almost impossible for Knux to climb up and down those gold pipe things without curling into a ball and eventually falling out without the ability to glide to safety. Loved the spring puzzle near the end.

Mountain Fortress ~ 7/10 - Although I'm not the SRB2 player who strives to break time attack records, this stage seems like it'd be perfect for speed-runs for those who like a challenge. All of your platforming is tough, but it's not unfair. And as odd as it sounds, that's a bit of a detriment to the player's overall experience. While playing through this stage is dangerous and thrilling the first couple of times, everything soon become predictable and dull. That's why I'd suggest something a little more novel for this stage, like incorporating some gimmicks into the level design, if only to shake up the monotony. Also, I think that it's a bit unfair that you expect the player to jump into that deep pool of water near the end of the stage, after they've been thoroughly conditioned to fear bottomless pits. The forest/castle/factory theme was somewhat innovative.

Eggmansion Zone ~ 9/10 - Great level all around. I loved the multiple paths at the beginning, the effecient use of teleporters and the Mystic Mansion-esque use of switches, not to mention all the cleaver ways to get out of certain areas. The best part, though, was that every gimmick you had encouraged or at least did not hinder flow. Excellent. Aesthetically, the zone was absolutely fine, with the exception of some abrupt changes in the hues of your wall textures, but there probably isn't much that can be done about that. As I said before, great job.
 
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Hyperknux said:
Jade Flower Act 2: 1/10 I honestly don't know what to say really because every time I play a level of yours, it doesn't really improve much no matter how I critisise you levels and I'm going to do it again. First of all, the texture variation mainly on the walls are horrible, it absolutely kills my eyes when I look at the bright blue walls, you're better off with something like the new Lime Forest Zone texture set. Secondly the big water areas are impossible to get out as Sonic due to lack of escape routes and you'll have to drown to get out. Third, it is insanely cramped and very bland, the trees may be scenery, but it doesn't make up for the entire area of scenery. Fourth, the level has so many visual glitches, I get confused on where to go. That's it really apart from liking the tree sprites. Also I just noticed this level was also part of your mod so 0 if disqualified, otherwise, my score is staying as it is.

Uhm, this level is a completely new level from what was released in the MH thread here. And thanks for the suggestion on the texture set; I might just use it. And again must I say that there are NO inescapable pools in this level; you must look closer.
 
The weapons in my level aren't as unbalanced as some people seem to think. On the Blue Team side, you can get Rail Rings, Bounce Rings, and Grenade Rings. On the Red Team side, you can get Explosion Rings, Automatic Rings, and Scatter Rings. And each weapon has its extra ammo on the other side. But some of the weapons are a little hard to find, that's all.
 
The weapons in my level aren't as unbalanced as some people seem to think. On the Blue Team side, you can get Rail Rings, Bounce Rings, and Grenade Rings. On the Red Team side, you can get Explosion Rings, Automatic Rings, and Scatter Rings. And each weapon has its extra ammo on the other side. But some of the weapons are a little hard to find, that's all.

Well, I saw that, but I rated it low because one can't get all the weapon rings by just staying on one side of the level, which I believe you are supposed to be able to do in CTF levels.
 
Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach - 4/10

Out of the subpar levels in this contest, this is the best. The reason is that it actually possessed some kind of flow. It didn't bother me to play through this, and there were few things I actively disliked. These things were the hideous and repetitive texture choice, the uncreative use of enemies, the alternate path that forced you to use the Whirlwind Shield, the death pit at the very end with rings over it (I managed to fall for this two times, but that's my stupidity) and the wrongly angled springs in the last room. That may seem like much but it's actually not, compared to the other maps. So, apart from a few flaws, this worked and didn't annoy me? Why four points then? Well, first of all, it was way too short, and second, it didn't have anything to keep me interested. It's generic platforming like I've seen a million times. Two more things I would like to point out: The beginning is weird because all I see is the sky. If you want to use the ceiling spawn, lower the ceiling height. I also liked that hidden passage with the Special Stage Token, because it nicely broke up the monotony in terms of visuals.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG - 1/10
Use common sense, Part I

First of all, congratulations for not finding out that your map crashes on load. I'm not gonna take the easy way out (or nitpick that this map is technically "unplayable") by giving it a 0, but that wouldn't have changed much anyway. This map simply sucks, and I'm afraid to say it sucks the most of the maps presented here. There are actually only two things about this that do not completely suck: The name and the idea with the boats. The name is nothing I really care about, and the boat idea is implemented horribly, so that doesn't save you either. But since I want to be helpful, I'm gonna list all the flaws: The visuals are v1.09.4 at its worst. I personally hate the wall texture anyway, but you use it over and over without changing it once. Also, you didn't have grass borders. The rings don't float, the enemies are presented in large groups that make no sense, you used too many different ones anyway. The non-water parts consists of flat empty space, one of the pools of water in the first room have no means of escape (good luck finding out which one), you have an invincibility monitor on the main path, directly before a section where you can't even get hurt, you also have an extra life on the main path, the spring section at the end is annoying, you have visual glitches in said section, the puma that jumps to the moon and back is worthless. Phew. And lastly the boat sections. Opaque water of death pits is one of the worst ideas ever, and jumping from boat to boat isn't fun either after the second time. You know what was the most enjoyable part of this level? Listing all those flaws.


Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal - 1/10
Use common sense, Part II

I clearly remember asking you if you had removed all visual glitches from this level. You respond with "all but one". I don't know about you, but I see more than one. The level itself doesn't deserve many words, since you can just read my review for Act 1 again. You did have a better texture choice than last time, but that's about it. Also, undeafed rings are something I wouldn't have expected. You already know by now that green spring are a waste of effort, inescapable pools of water are a bad idea, the loop is blocky, ugly and useless, and the exit is hard to find. The boss can be skipped, just like in the ancient, months-old version. I don't know how you can submit something like this. It's broken everywhere I go. Submitting a bad level is perfectly fine with me, but submitting a glitchy, broken, and at times unplayable mess is another thing. Playtest extensively, and then come back.

Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 5/10

This map doesn't suck. This shocked me for two reasons: A. You made it. B. It's the first map in this contest not to do so. Then again, it also annoys me to death. I don't want to play through a pseudo-Mario stage that seems to be made to prove a point. Just a little example of what I mean: You kept the beginning of MKB1 just because Great Giana Sisters kept the beginning of the first Mario level. Why? Is the only point of making this level to emulate a crappy, unoriginal game? Do you even care if what you make is enjoyable or do you just make your levels/mods/whatever for the sake of concept? Same goes SRB2 Christmas/SRB2 Halloween/SRB2TP because they all play badly and you know it. This one, however, surprisingly does not. It flows well, the visuals are original enough to excuse for the lack of gimmicks, it doesn't overstay its welcome (which is good in this case) and the springs in the Mario boxes are a cool idea. Two points of criticism though: The left path at the beginning is only a few seconds short while the other takes 30 seconds, and the red spring at the end is too high to properly access.
After all, this is an OK map, nothing that interests me, but nothing that breaks it. You seem to know how to make a map that doesn't suck by now (goodbye Glaber Syndrome), but you should really apply that skill to some concept that's not god-awful.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 2/10
Use common sense, Part II

And now, it's time to return to the realms of inexplicable fail. This level looks OK visually, and the beginning is even somewhat solid at a few points, but some parts in this level make me wonder what's going on inside your head. Jet Jaws are not supposed to float in air. Skims are not supposed to sit in death pits without moving, and they are certainly not supposed to be used as stepping stones (Don't you know that God made Jetty-syns for pointless gimmicks like that? Just ask D00D64, he knows how to do it.) Death pits should be possible to see and avoid. Staircases do not have big jumps in them that send you flying into the next death pit. SRB2 does not have many enemies for the purpose of using all of them in a single level. Emblems, if used at all, should be hidden. Proper floors should never be at the same height as a death pit. Exits should not be teleported into. Gamedata should not be used for contest levels. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. The Ministry of Truth has spoken.

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E - 7/10
Wow, a good level. Thanks for relieving me. As always, your map flows very well, and the visuals are great. The Egg Knights are actually a threat, and I liked the actual "mansion" part, with the gimmicks that tried to trick me. Also, the music seemed to fit, and I wasn't thrown off by the modifications you applied to it either. There were a few flaws, however: The turret room is missing a hiding spot on the second platform, so I basically had to get myself hurt to progress. The crusher button was cheap, since there's no way to know that it kills you the first time around. The in-your-face deton after that is only avoidable by being lucky. Some sections had too many enemies to move properly. And then, there are two things that prevents your map from being really great: It doesn't have enough unique gimmicks and it doesn't have any secrets either. There are probably quite a few nice hiding places, but you didn't use them. Also, many parts of the level felt quite uninspired in comparison to others, and there wasn't anything that I considered particularly mindblowing. You also used too many teleports for my liking. But overall, a very solid map that's just missing the little extra something.No multiplayer as always because I'm busy deciding if my skill or my connection is worse. Thunder Factory is epic though, and I will kill Blade personally if he doesn't use the fans gimmick in a single player level.
 
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Just because it cannot open in SRB2 (Thought testing in SRB2 DB would work fine) does not mean you can still not open it in DB and test it like that. We all have doom builder don't we? I am getting good information from the few people who reviewed it. Then for them who do not even try to open it in SRB2 DB because it can not load in SRB2. I think that would make more sense. You are right that my level is not a 10 but you should at least try something no matter what. Even if that means opening SRB2. I want a little more help.
 
SINGLE PLAYER
Rainsoaked Ridge by Mach - 4/10 - Average, with an ugly theme.
Generic level, no gimmicks, ugly level with cliff and jungle textures. In fact, I don't remember it anymore, it was that forgettable.

Buzzards Bay by WEREHOG - 0/10 - Unplayable.
(SpiritCrusher says we shouldn't take the easy path to say that it doesn't load. I disagree, it should be normally loadable. I'm not gonna open up DB for reviewing a map that should be normally accessible)
The map crashes on level load, that's all there is to say.

Jadeflower Act 2 by blahblahbal - 3/10 - Decent graphics, horrible otherwise.
You just did something very difficult: making a map too open and too cramped at the same time. That's not a good thing, by the way.
As I said, the visuals were decent, but the gameplay consisted of blandness. Running, more running, some unoriginal platforming, and springs. Also, the boss fight was impossible to discover. I only found it by accident, only to find out it didn't end the level at all. Also, the loop was useless and ugly.

Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 6/10 - Suprisingly, decent.
To be honest, I expected this map to be horrible, like the previous two maps. Much to my surprise, it wasn't.
The graphics were kinda original, albeit not smoothed out after resizing. The music was kinda good too, and there were some good ideas in the level. However, the gameplay was bland otherwise.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 2/10 - Ugly visuals, bad gameplay.
Ugly. Both gameplay- and graphicwise. The gimmicks all failed, there were too many cheap deaths, and I just made it after wasting 11 lives. Also, gamedata. However, the visuals had some kind of redeeming value, and it was (just barely) playable.

Eggmansion Act 1 by KO.T.E - 6/10 - Nice graphics, bland gameplay.
Spread your paths better. The right path was far more boring than the left one.
The visuals were very good though, it's the only good-looking map in this SP division. However, I greatly disliked the text at the beginning, and the crusher that activates if you step on a certain platform. In fact, that one killed me twice, due to the fact that I have to run from a Deton from a room before. Also, the level was very bland, save for the occasional gimmick. And it needs items at some parts.

MULTIPLAYER
MATCH
Restricted Cavern
by blahblahbal - 2/10
Like Errol said, the action mostly takes place in the pool room (I hosted the netgame he played in), and there are too many weapon panels near that room. The level's also very bland, and it looks very ugly.

Frost Forest by RedEchidna & darkbob1713 - 6/10
This is a decent map. It has good visuals, it played well, and it isn't bland. However, some weapon panels are a bit close too each other. It was really fun to play, just not very memorable.

Neo Green Lake by Scizor300 - 1/10
Ew. The only good thing from this map comes from the visuals. Otherwise, it's a mess. Random weapon panel placement, random death pits, opaque water, bland area with huge ass bridge... Do I need to go on?

Amber Ravine
by Spherallic
- Rush/Job
Random facts:
-This map was made in 15 hours at most.
-This is an old design of months ago.
-Credit to Senku for the name. :D
-If I'd give it a rating, I'd give it a seven out of ten.

Acid Plant by KO.T.E - 7/10
Nice visuals. The acid looks nice with the fog, and the factory theme is well done. Wish I could open those doors though ;-;
The gameplay is also really nice, it was pretty fun playing here, even with 4 people. And I never died in the acid, plus it's fun to shoot people in there. The reverse gravity is also a nice touch, it adds alot of fun.

Astray Canopy
by stoneywagner - 3/10
Honestly, the score is just for the effort. This map is WAY too huge, and it was hard to find each other. The visuals were also decent, but this map has no replay value otherwise. Also, epic slime trails.

Land of Light and Rain by Errol - 5/10
I just <3 the theme, as much as I <3 Homestuck. Needs original music though ;-;
This map is very open and very large. The item placement isn't half bad though and it looks quite nice to be honest (the detail on Rose's house is quite accurate). However, it wound up a bit too large, and it has not much vertical variation.


CAPTURE THE FLAG

Upload Download by fawfulfan - 5/10
Good idea, slightly bad execution. I liked the visuals, and the gameplay wasn't half bad. However, it lagged alot in my netgame, and it has asymettrical item placement. From what you said, fawfulfan, it seems the blue team has an advantage.

Night Shrine by Hyperknux - 4/10
Average design, and decent visuals. However, the item placement sucked. Asymettrical, ammo is just as rare as panels, and there was a blue team monitor in one of the high corners. Also, it was really easy to get to the flag and to get the flag.

Coldlava Cliffs by blahblahbal & darkbob1713 - 1/10
Average visuals, and that's it. This map was a chore to play, because the flag kept getting stuck in the lava. It was also a small map, and it had too many panels right in the way. Also, Knux can't jump some ledges, and the bases are hard to defend.

Sunkist Falls by Spherallic & Blade - Thanks/Blade!
Random facts:
-I made the basic layout and item placement.
-Blade made the final layout, and was in charge of making things look more pretty.
-I didn't know what Sunkist was (until 2 days ago), but I was inspired by Crimson Caves' alternative name, Sunkist Boiler. Seeing as Blade made that map, I just gave it that name.
-If I'd give it a rating, I'd give it a seven out of ten.

Arial Skyfort by Mach
- 1/10
Metal Star - good + horrible item placement + ugly visuals (owait, Metal Star had that too) + camper-friendlyness + Crap = Arial Skyfort in a nutshell.


CIRCUIT

Crispy Canyon by RedEchidna - 6/10
Nice visuals, although it had way too many cacti and tumbleweeds. The gameplay was quite solid too, but not very special. The falling rocks were quite annoying though, and there were too many item boxes.

Frosty Aurora by darkbob1713 - 5/10
NiGHTS mode. I don't like NiGHTS, so this wasn't really fun to me. However, the item placement seems okay and the visuals were nice. Plus, props to making the third (?) NiGHTS map in 2.0.X.

Thunder Factory by Blade - 9/10
This map is awesome. It looks nice, and the item placement is alright. But the gameplay. Boy, you just made a race level more fun than many other race and SP levels! I loved the fan gimmick, the slick metal gimmick... Hell, I liked everything. However, the music doesn't fit, and the spike sectors need fixing. Those are just tiny problems on a great map.

Midnight Lagoon by blahblahbal - 1/10
Thokfest. In fact, this is more thokfest than Sonic Circuit or Quicksand Nights (both from 1.09.4). The only reason you have a point, is because of the visuals. I was gonna give you a 2/10, but some water errors bring that down, including the huge-ass GFZ water block in the middle.

Molten Mountain by stoneywagner - 4/10
The graphics look very 1.09.4, just with some 2.0 textures that look alike. And just like JFZ2, this map suffers from being too open and too cramped at the same time. In fact, I couldn't get hit less than 5-6 times inside the mountain. Also, needs texture variation.

Well, that ended my reviews. This OLDC was kinda disappointing, hope we get a better one next time.
 
Just because it cannot open in SRB2 (Thought testing in SRB2 DB would work fine) does not mean you can still not open it in DB and test it like that. We all have doom builder don't we? I am getting good information from the few people who reviewed it. Then for them who do not even try to open it in SRB2 DB because it can not load in SRB2. I think that would make more sense. You are right that my level is not a 10 but you should at least try something no matter what. Even if that means opening SRB2. I want a little more help.
Werehog, a majority of the users here don't have SRB2DB lying around, and a traditional response to "the map doesn't boot" is a 0/10 around here. That's pretty unplayable, after all.
 
Redid a few scores:
Eggmansion and Mountain Fortress have lost a point.
Criticism added to Buzzard Bay; score is still a zero though.
 
Too lazy to add my usual formatting to this post. Here you go.
EDIT: Screw it, I'll do it anyway. No bold or italics to divide the blurbs bugs me anyway.

Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach - 4/10
Um, I'm not sure where to start here. I load up the map and I'm greeted with KRZKRTDTDT which is apparently the music that's going to get you pumped to run through a short level that really doesn't offer anything to feel a sense of urgency about. In other words, the music doesn't fit at all. For a moody atmosphere such as this, sure, but for something that's only fifteen seconds long and offers... well, pretty much just crawlas, not really. And since there's fifteen seconds of totally generic crawla gameplay, this map is... not interesting.

This doesn't seem like the kind of map you would enter into a contest and say "Okay guys, tell me how well I did at making an entertaining and worthwhile level", but whatever.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG - 0/10
Error on map loadup - "Too many flats in the level". Unplayable.

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal - 1/10
Garbage. Failed to ensure Sonic can escape from ponds of water or lay death pits in inescapable ponds, provide clean aesthetics, ensure players a sense of direction, or provide content in most or all of the rooms presented.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 4/10
This is a mixed bag both in terms of themery and gameplay. It's apparent that some ideas are implemented into this level both as far as gimmicks and atmosphere go; in the gameplay half, there are a couple creative deathpit dodging sections, and some parts are submerged underwater, whereas in the themery department, nature such as water and trees meshing with the fortress and factory settings (as well as a couple terrarium/aquariums along the sides) fortunately give this more of a "setting" rather than make it look like a bland obstacle course. Fact of the matter is though, it is basically a bland obstacle course, as it follows a fairly linear path, and most sections generally take place around a death pit, which is usually where the only danger lies, so naturally, basic platforming is the only thing to expect at parts. As for death pit land, some of its implementations (coupled with the lack of effort used in shading their sectors) makes the parts where it's used seem really tacky, especially in the part where a regular floor sector is the same height as the death pit sector. The teleporters seem out of place, and for whatever reason, Sonic is forceskinned, limiting the replay value further.

One thing I want to really emphasize is the usage of sector scenery. I see a lot of parts in this level that are just flat ground, which can be fine for gameplay where flat ground is needed, but from a graphics perspective, it just looks awkward. Take the goal room for instance; you're not going to have the player go through it, but they're going to look at it and go "Hey, I'm in... some... generic room now..." Add some sectors to the sides and whatnot, so that it can actually look like something, and give it some extra details so that it looks more realistic. In some rooms, I can see you've already did this somewhat; I see windows showing another room, glass walls that show off conceiled areas. I just want you to put a little more effort into it, building onto rooms with little things all around. Remember: it's the fine details that make a book worth reading, not just the plot itself.

This is actually more playable than a lot of the previous stuff I've seen from you, and regardless of its flaws, I did kind of enjoy this. Improve your technique with the above critiques in mind.

Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 6/10
Fresh scenery with a nice atmosphere about the map, but it isn't particularly engaging, nor does anything about this really stand out in particular as far as gameplay goes. Nothing about it feels wrong, it's just not that interesting as far as the "fun" factor goes.

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E - 7/10

Good, but a little on the generic side. Immediately, my attention is brought to my Mystic Cave Zone cover, but... slowed down? The hell? Interesting transformation, although at the expense of some of the quality. I'd recommend using the unmodified version of my ogg, I'm sure it will still fit the context of the map, and listening to a deformed version of it was giving me a bit of a migrane.

Anyway, haunted house thing again, woohoo, even though it's just more of the run & jump basic experience for the most part. I like the reverse charge thing you added to the castle bot, makes him seem a bit less arbitrary. The aesthetics are satisfactory and the platforming decent (although a bit cluttered with enemies near the beginning in my opinion), but what caught my attention was the use of those "puzzles" where you had to find the small discrepancy somewhere in the room and go through it. I hope you center Act 2 a little more around puzzles like this and expand on it, because... well, it's a mansion, and toying with the player is the kind of thing I'd expect from this theme. I'd go as far as to get rid of that hint in the beginning as well.



I need to enter a level in this division some time so that the entertainment value isn't as dead as this. Two of the maps were fair, and that's not saying much.
 
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Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach - 5/10
This level is decent visually, but there just isn't much here to talk about. A few obvious secrets and some short alternate paths, and then it's done. Completely average.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG - 0/10
Crash on load. Modifying the level so it boots presents a mediocre stage with annoying platforming over death pit water.

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal - 0/10
This is far worse than your last entry. You started out mediocre and cramped, but at least it looked good, and then it opens up to more large, boring, empty areas with water pits that aren't escapable as Sonic, massive renderer errors, and a mazelike area at the end I only figured out with NOCLIP to lead to a boss that you don't have to fight because of a stupid design decision. There is nothing positive to say about this map's design.

Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 4/10
This level is boring. It's far better than your previous work, as it ends up playable and there isn't anything completely wrong with it, but there's nothing interesting to do here and it has no gimmicks other than the visuals. Not an interesting stage at all.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 3/10
Boring platforming over bottomless pits with no real content to speak of. There are no alternate paths, random teleporters for no reason, and an insanely cheap hit where you jump out of the water to an edge that hurts you.

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E - 7/10
This level is solid but needs a lot of balancing. First off, that message at the beginning is annoying and needs to go. The new AI on the Egg Knights is cool, but the stage just has too many enemies in general. The areas in the stage where I'm solving puzzles or doing platforming are fun, but there is no real motivation to explore the stage at all. It needs secrets in general. Still decently above average, though.

Match:
MAPM1 - Restricted Cavern Zone by blahblahbal - 2/10
There is nothing interesting in this map. It's devoid of rings and has too much open space.

MAPM2 - Frost Forest by RedEchidna/darkbob1713 - 7/10
I quite liked this. The room with the Explosion Ring was a great central location, and the usage of water was significant without being annoying like many stages that use water. I do think the level could use a little more access to some of the more out of the way rooms. During our game, all the action ended up on one side of the map. The powerups should probably be spread out more.

MAPM3 - Neo Green Lake Zone by Scizor300 - 3/10
This stage was quite uninteresting. I had fun railing people into pits, but the whole thing was bland, symmetrical, and in serious need of some variety.

MAPM4 - Amber Ravine by Spherallic - 7/10
Solid layout, but the cramped nature of it was quite brutal, especially considering I never saw a shield in the entirety of the game I was playing. With all those monitors, it would be nice if a few actually were WRMs and SRMs. I never found one, and boy was I looking.

MAPM5 - Acid Plant Zone by KO.T.E - 5/10
I think it's time to accept that reverse gravity match, while cool, just doesn't play out well in a game where you can't look straight up. The layout of the stage itself is passable, and the gimmick is implemented decently, but it just doesn't really play well. Also, the weapon panels were really spread out and annoying to reach. I almost never had a weapon with the ammo to use it while playing.

MAPM6 - Astray Canopy Zone by stoneywagner - 4/10
This stage is way too big, and has even less weapons than the previous map. The weapon panels are all in corners of the map in the middle of nowhere, turning the stage into a red ring fight in the central, easily accessible area. That's just not interesting at all.

MAPM7 - Land of Light and Rain by Errol - 4/10
This stage is too large as well, and has some framerate issues. Otherwise, the design is actually pretty decent, if a bit too flat. I like the visual concept, but it wasn't implemented particularly well.

CTF:
MAPF1 - Upload Download Zone by fawfulfan - 3/10
Framerate drop in multiplayer stages is a real problem, especially when the map is designed for camping. The team rings should probably extend farther away from the flag than just the flag room. The completely unbalanced weapons are a massive problem in the stage as well, giving a single team a huge advantage. I really like the base design, but midfield could use a lot of work. Kinda too bad, because the concept is really cool.

MAPF2 - Night Shrine Zone by Hyperknux - 5/10
This is an incredibly average map, but there are no real dramatic flaws here. There's not much to say either way here. The torches got players several times, and the springs lead to some fun shots, but there isn't anything exceptional here.

MAPF3 - Coldlava Cliffs Zone by blahblahbal/darkbob1713 - 4/10
This is an okay map let down by some really baffling design decisions, especially the really finicky, annoying spring on ice right in front of the base. I missed bouncing up that spring so many times, and it was infuriating to miss and land back on the ground when someone was shooting at me. The bases themselves aren't defensible, which was also quite annoying.

MAPF4 - Sunkist Falls by Spherallic/Blade - 6/10
This level was really hard for me to navigate, and has some framerate issues. I liked the base design a lot, and the visuals were stellar. Also, it's possible to get stuck under the lava in your base with an Elemental Shield.

MAPF5 - Arial Skyfort Zone by Mach - 4/10
Am I the only one that doesn't have fond memories of Metal Star? This is better than Metal Star, but it has a major issue with a lack of ammo for all the weapons involved, as well as still having a weird base design. Put some more ammo and rings into the stage and it'll probably play a lot better.

Circuit:
MAPR1 - Crispy Canyon by RedEchidna - 6/10
This stage starts out awesome and degenerates into the same old stuff quickly. It feels like you had this brilliant idea to start out the map and then thought "well, that's all the ideas I have, I guess I'll just pad for length". Some content other than just bouncing on springs up and down would help a lot.

MAPR2 - Frosty Aroura Zone by darkbob1713 - 5/10
Nights race doesn't work all that great, but this does a passable job. Several of the areas it's incredibly unclear which direction I'm supposed to be going, which is very frustrating. Once the layout is figured out, it's pretty easy and not bad.

MAPR3 - Thunder Factory Zone by Blade - 9/10
Wow. Best gimmick in quite a while, and on a circuit stage no less. The fans are completely awesome, and the rest of the stage doesn't slack off, either. This would be a 10 if it weren't for the first fan section killing the player outright when they jump in a cheap manner. Perhaps have a chain-link fence prevent the player from falling into a pit on the first one?

MAPR4 - Midnight Lagoon Zone by blahblahbal - 1/10
Sonic Circuit is not a good stage. It was included for the lulz because of how old it is, similar to Meadow Match. This is far worse than Sonic Circuit, as it's easy to fall off the stage and miss the Star Posts.

MAPR5 - Molten Mountain Zone by stoneywagner - 5/10
Man, this is brutal. I don't think I've died to actually being hit with zero rings in SRB2 in quite a long time. The main problem here is the areas where the player "steps down" onto the lava, which is cheap and really annoying. Also, the Star Posts are sometimes placed outside, which forces me to slow down to make sure I touch them. I also really don't like the last jump because I'm never sure how far to the left I can cut the jump. Bouncing some of the outside areas with walls would help a lot with the ambiguity.
 
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