Official Level Design Contest Voting: July/August 2008

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All I noticed was "Joke map, 0/10; Auto-rail, so the map's below decent; This one just sucks, 1/10". He's pointing out all the bad things for some maps, and for those that he isn't, he's rating them badly for all the wrong reasons, or he isn't giving any reason whatsoever. Kaysakado's votes absolutely should not be counted, because it's clear he didn't even try to review most of the maps.
 
Well, we're going to have to have an admin/mod give the official word. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Kaysakado, there is NO maze-like area anywhere in Poison Palace. There is, however, a spot which one can get lost on, but it's not maze-like.
 
SRB2WikiSonicMaster said:
Well, we're going to have to have an admin/mod give the official word.

Sure, obviously. I'm just stating that it shouldn't, because the logic behind the ratings seems very askew to me.
 
I don't run the contest, but as I said, it's apparent he neither gave any thought at all to his reviews, and that he didn't play the multiplayer levels in netgames. I'd ignore them.
 
Updated the page four post without Kaysakado's scores... I still have his scores spelled out in words in Excel with a K to mark his vote, so I know that it's there, but it won't average it.
 
BW REVIEW DISCLAIMER
All SP maps have been played through in OpenGL srb2win.exe. All multiplayer maps have been played through in Software, srb2win.exe netgames. Unfortunately, due to the lack of attention on BlueServ, I was only able to attract a maximum of four people, so all those maps were tested with between 2-4 people. I've tried my best to rate as fairly and unbiasedly as possible.



Single Player

Waterfall Town Zone, Act 1 by Superusuario - 2/10
Um... okay. Technically, this level has no issues. Graphically, it's pretty meh. Gameplay-wise, it's completely uninspirational. I mean, this is just a bunch of flat plains, for the most part. You may as well have the goal sign right in front of the player with a billboard saying "Move forward to win!"

Poison Palace Zone by SonicMaster - 7/10
I gave you feedback on this before, so there isn't much for me to say. As I've seen, though, the changes you've made since I tested it last are for the better. A nice variety of gimmicks, though the waterslide thing is getting pretty worn-out now. For the most part, the Tails path was nicely executed and made use of Tails' flying ability, but I was getting bored of it near the end (some nonlinearity wouldn't have hurt), so I was glad that it finally streamed into Sonic and Knuckles' path.

Scrap Brain Zone, Act 3 by Glaber - 2/10
Um... this was really easy. Very short, very easy, and very boring. The music is also too echoey, so it's rather annoying. If you're going to port levels, could you at least port the ones that would work well in SRB2's engine?



Match

MAPA1 - Combination Zone by Superusuario - 2/10
Yikes, man.... The idea of four small match arenas in one is nice, but it's terribly executed in this map. The way you linked them together isn't bad, but your level design and thing placement for each section is just abysmal. My suggestion is to get the gist of Level Design 101 and redo this map from scratch.

MAPA2 - 39 Divided By 0 by SonicMaster - n/a
Haha, tough luck on the disqualification of this map. I only played this for a little while, but I can't say I have any qualms with it; actually, it's really solid. Personally, I like the addition of the monitor on top of the tree; I didn't even notice that until after my second runthrough. Strange music choice, but it fits. If I had to rate this, I would probably give it a 7/10. Nice work!

MAPA3 - Sky Island Zone by Roy Kirby - 7/10
Well, I guess the first thing I should mention is that auto-rail is a risky combinition, but the execution of this map makes it pretty non-abusive. Props to you on that. This map is pretty much equal in height and width, and though it's a tad small, it isn't crowded... Sonic can also get around almost just as easy as Tails and Knux, so in terms of character balance, this doesn't lack it. Overall, the only thing I would really suggest is to increase the size of the map by a smidge or two.

MAPA4 - Moon Milkshake Zone by SonicMaster - 4/10
The milkshake tasted pretty good, but it sprung me pretty high... what did you put in that stuff?
Okay okay okay. Bad jokes aside, the execution of the milkshake paired with the low gravity is nice, and the level design suits itself in accordance to the gravity. It doesn't change the fact that the gravity itself is the problem with the map, the entire reasoning being that it just slows down the gameplay. I like what you did with the map... but pick another gimmick.

MAPA5 - Factory Zone by Chaos - 8/10
In spite of the sheer size of this map, I think this is great. As a matter of fact, I think I like it just because of that. Note that when I say "large", I don't mean spacious or hard to navigate... this map has neither of those flaws, and it benefits the map entirely because each part of the map is interesting. It's just filled with different places to explore for rings and shields, and each area has slightly different and unabusive gimmicks that not only make each part of the map enjoyable, but also encouraging to shift slowly onto the next area when dueling with other players. You would think that a large map such as this would be terrible when less players are around, but really, I think this is the perfect place to battle with only one other person. It really has the balance of exploration, accessibility, and uniqueness that makes this replayable with any number of players.
I guess my only suggestions would be to slow down the elevator a little bit and/or add a little spice to the map; for instance, setting a special ring below the elevator or adding a laser and conveyor area for those who want to try and get an auto ring. Otherwise, this map is very solid; excellent work.

MAPA6 - Nightopeon Casino by Kuja 5/10
Good work on the level design of this map, but the framerate lag the average user will experience is unbearable. To be fair, I've given you an average score, but you've got to cut off some of the linedefs in the casino.

MAPA7 - Awesome by Torgo - 4/10
th_icon_emotawesomeus3.gif

But seriously. Even though this is flat and small, it's actually pretty fun to play on with four players. Extra point for making me lol.

MAPA8 - Hidden Palace Zone by Knockout the Echidna - 6/10
This zone reminds me of Factory Zone, but there's a couple drawbacks to this one. First off, the only gimmicks to be seen for miles are torches and water. Not that they're put to bad use, but when the map is quadrosymmetrical (let's just assume that's a real word for now), the outside of the palace can get a bit boring after a while. As for the inside, it's more interesting, but the center can sort of kill off a user's framerate if his computer isn't fast. So, the level design's pretty good, but the size isn't quite put to its full potential as a hidden palace.

MAPA9 - Haiff Zone by DarkWarrior - 6/10
Haidw!
Haha, this map reminds me of really bad match servers that I used to go to. Just like Awesome Zone, though, this is actually pretty fun to play on. The total abuse that all players are capable of on this map is what sets it apart from others -- just like having soccerballs on high in SSBB, this can and will result in hilarity.
One unfortunate problem to this map is that it's too much of a labyrinth. I guess that's to be expected from making sectors out of so many letters, but the size of the maze makes it hard to find other players, so that's a bit of a drawback to the fun.



CTF

MAPAA - Cylindrical Mine Zone by SonicMaster - 6/10
I remember testing this earlier... heh, I can't really even remember what suggestions I gave on this map, but I don't really see anything that I don't like. On the other hand, I don't really see anything that stands out, either. You did great work on the level design, and this map is worth the playthrough, but it lacks the gimmicks that make me think, "Hey, this is pretty cool!" I'd rate this 6.5, but the contest doesn't allow decimals, so, I rounded to the nearest number I thought appropriate. Nyeah. :P

MAPAB - Tubelectric Zone by Glaber - 4/10
I would have had more fun on this if I didn't keep constantly getting lost. Almost all of the areas in the map are too small, and one player got stuck in the tubes. Nice use of themes, and the thing placement isn't bad, but the level design needs work. Scale it to 150% or something.



Circuit

MAPAC - Los Pants Gehts Zone by SonicMaster - 6/10
Better than the default circuit rotation, I think. I like the "not-so-death-pit" part of the ice area, as it encourages everyone to be able to finish, and not be defeated by game overs (the former is far more interesting). For some reason, even though I had plenty of room to race, this map seemed a bit too small. Try scaling the stage 125% or a similar size. Sonic's claustrophobic or something, I dunno.

MAPAD - Medivo Circuit N Zone by Glaber - 5/10
The good news is that this level design allows for a constant flow of speed. The bad news is that it also allows the player to just sit on the right arrow key (or D key, if you're like me and use the WASD setup) and boost most of the time, which makes this stage really easy after a few playthroughs after learning how to exploit the level design to your advantage. At least this isn't annoying like Slumber Circuit.
 
X_X I was afraid people were going to say OMG 39/0 IS REALLY UGLY, so I submitted another Match map to replace it. I regret that somewhat, but I did learn that 7200-fracunit-high stages just don't work.
 
Voting over! Results are in! I did not count Kaysakado's scores for the following reasons. If FuriousFox or an admin objects, I will adjust the totals. Note that they DO affect the outcome of the Match Division.

1) He explained that his only motive to vote was that everyone else's votes failed.
2) I only had agreements on not counting his votes, no disagreements.
3) A moderator encouraged me to ignore them.

Waterfall Town Zone Act 1 by Superusuario - 1.59
Poison Palace Zone by SonicMaster - 7.21
Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 by Glaber - 2.93

Combination Zone by Superusuario - 1.13
Sky Island Zone by Roy Kirby - 6.50
Moon Milkshake Zone by SonicMaster - 2.86
Factory Zone by Chaos - 6.33
Nightopean Casino by Kuja - 3.14
Awesome Zone by Torgo - 5.40
Hidden Palace Zone by Knockout the Echidna - 5.67
Haiff Zone by Dark Warrior - 4.43

Cylindrical Mine Zone by SonicMaster - 5.17
Tubelectric Zone by Glaber - 3.00

Los Pants Gehts Zone by SonicMaster - 5.60
Medivo Circuit NiGHTS by Glaber - 3.20

Our average score for the contest was 4.28. >_>
 
Blue Warrior said:
Waterfall Town Zone, Act 1 by Superusuario - 2/10
Um... okay. Technically, this level has no issues. Graphically, it's pretty meh. Gameplay-wise, it's completely uninspirational. I mean, this is just a bunch of flat plains, for the most part. You may as well have the goal sign right in front of the player with a billboard saying "Move forward to win!"

>>

<<

*makes*
 
SRB2WikiSonicMaster said:
Blue Warrior has informed us that this contest's average is the worst so far. >_> The next one should do better.

I better hope so. How would we like to make the worst contest twice in a row? :|



Personally, I thought a few of these had potential, but the Nightopean Casino suffered an unbearable lag from too many linedefs, and Combination Zone could have been good if the level design was in any way decent in the slightest. Conversely, Moon Milkshake was creative, but lacked any potential in the first place; the wrong map was omitted from this contest. :(
 
*Nightopian, Blue Warrior. Honestly, I find it funny that nobody could put together that it was a typo in the first post. What the heck is a Night-o' pean?

As for the contest itself, I have to say I'm disappointed with the result of the single player division, as well as the other divisions. It was an undisputed win, and that's not good considering the alternate maps I had to choose from reeked terribly. Match turned out okay, I guess.
 
Kuja said:
*Nightopian, Blue Warrior. Honestly, I find it funny that nobody could put together that it was a typo in the first post. What the heck is a Night-o' pean?
I knew the whole time but couldn't bother pointing it out
 
Probably. But that is neither here nor there. Who knows, maybe I might actually get off my lazy behind and release a fixed version on the forums. :)

*Kicks SonicMaster*
 
Kuja said:
*Nightopian, Blue Warrior. Honestly, I find it funny that nobody could put together that it was a typo in the first post. What the heck is a Night-o' pean?

As for the contest itself, I have to say I'm disappointed with the result of the single player division, as well as the other divisions. It was an undisputed win, and that's not good considering the alternate maps I had to choose from reeked terribly. Match turned out okay, I guess.

Hey, at least I got a 7.21. That means I gave some people enjoyment, right?
 
I didn't say that yours weren't enjoyable. I was just pointing out that the OLDC was/is the only time that anything worthwhile came/comes out on the forum(as sad as that is).Since it comes around only six times a year, I was expecting something...a little more collectively impressive. :(

I'm hoping the forum wipe helped.
 
Maby what we need is a community project. like for example a CIF (Community is Falling) mod sort of like what the Doom community has done.
 
A group level pack! Some people work on levels, others work on textures, a few work on socs and enemies... etc. :)

The director would have to know how to actually organize the project for it to function, of course.
 
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