MAP01 - Sun Shrine Zone - Mystic
Unplayable. The framerate was so bad I could hardly move, even in 320x200. I suggested lowering the pillars to the bottom of the level, based on an earlier version of this map, so there would be fewer FOFs and the framerate would be somewhat better. Apparently, though, Mystic would rather make a pretty map than a playable one.
I'm so appalled he would submit such an impractical level, I almost want to write a long speech about it, but I'm a busy man, so I'll let these statistics, which I swear I am not making up, speak for themselves:
Average framerate, Vacant Rocketship Zone, 800x600: 30.8246
Average framerate, Sun Shrine Zone, 800x600: 29.0968
(from FRAPS 1.9D)
MAP02 - Carved Barracks - foxUnit01
Based on the beta test of this map, I wanted to give it a 10. The layout is awesome, and while it does get a little dull with only three players, it's probably the best map for big games that I've seen yet. It had an interesting layout that made it look really big, while it still wasn't much of a problem to find people to shoot at, and it gave everyone space to run around in, while allowing Tails and Knuckles to use their aerial abilities.
Unfortunately, the version entered in the contest contains two annoyances I don't remember from the test session earlier. One, the pits at two of the corners of the map containing Explosion rings on narrow platforms. It was pointless — an Explosion ring is not worth risking one's life for. It was also very possible to hit the spring without getting the ring, something that happened to me twice. It's true that after falling in the pits the first time, I was able to ignore them, and not make the mistake of going in again. Still, just having them there was very unprofessional. I also feel it betrayed the level's "green" theme, since it hinted at some sort of piping or chemical deposit underneath the hills, which didn't fit and made me feel less comfortable enjoying the lush scenery.
Second, the fans. In the test version I played, the fans did not push up at all. This was a mistake later fixed. However, the fix involved having the fans push up so high they interfered with my jumps over them. When there aren't any fans in sight, I shouldn't have to be thinking about fans.
Despite those two flaws, foxUnit01 did a fabulous job on the map, especially considering his relative inexperience (though I bet level designing experience with other games helps). Without the annoyances I mentioned, this would definitely be a 10 out of 10.
MAP03 - Abandoned Factory Zone - Tets
February's is the second contest in a row where a map has used chain walls to conceal the fact that its layout is closed-in and hard to navigate. I hope that won't become a tradition.
This level wasn't totally unenjoyable. Still, it's hard to think of many good things to say about it. The elevators are a pointless way of slowing people down, and the slime trap with the Infinity, like the pits with Explosion rings in MAP02, makes it hard to get to a bonus that isn't worth the trouble. To top it all off, the map gives the impression of being blatantly unfinished, especially in the barren lower area in the center.
I did have some fun here, but come on, Tets, you can do a lot better than this.
Scores
MAP01: 0/10
MAP02: 9/10
MAP03: 5/10