Official Level Design Contest: Summer 2020 1.1

Concordian Coast Zone by Ktoby & Pronicthewedgehog
This seems to be your first level, and it really shows. However, that's by no means a bad thing! Concordian Coast is a very charming experience and I can see you two put a lot of love in making it memorable through all the details it had. Beginners are usually discouraged from joining the OLDC due to the competition, but the feedback you can gather from it is just as important: stick around and you'll be making amazing maps in no time.

Tip: checking the Extra flag (labeled as Float in Zone Builder) will automatically make rings float above the floor.

Toffee Tor Zone, Act 1 by RoyKirbs
From all the progress you shared about this level I was really excited to interact with the rollout rocks in a fun and original way, but in my first playthrough for some reason I managed to accidentally avoid every single one of those sections and mostly safely tread along the rooftops to the point I was even wondering if I was actually playing the level you teased, and only actually knew there were rollout rocks from other people that played. I'm not sure to what to attribute that to but I might have to do a double take with other characters to see if the experience is the same for all of them. Meanwhile, I feel that it's important to point out: not every section of your level has to be a path split or multiple paths: it's okay to have mandatory bottlenecks everyone has to go through, which is something I think Enby Echoes excelled at having.

Metallic Madness Good Future by Kwiin & Kanna
Everyone's been praising this level and for good measure: it's dressed to impress, and the momentum mod is sure a powerful addition... if it worked for every character. The lack of meaningful hazards and springs made me feel like I was enjoying a peaceful walk in the park, but not much more than that. And well, that's what Good Future Metallic Madness is after all, and there were some interesting platforming sections at the start too, but what the level was probably aiming for was the feeling of breezing through the open spaces and that's something I don't think I was let achieve.

Wasteland Wilds Zone by SunCyclone
This one seems to be the first, or one of the first of your levels, and I really gotta praise you for the good job! The pacing is steady, the theming is consistent, and there's all sorts of goodies to find if you go out of your way. The major shortcoming about this level however is just how open and empty it looks: it lacks decor, and sometimes it isn't immediately clear where you should go. I figure this is something you'll get the hang of if you spend more time on each area figuring out how to make use of your empty spaces, but for now you should definitely give yourself a pat on the back.

Wild West Zone, Act 2 by Dead
I don't think there's anything I dislike about this one: you've tried to tell a story, one that required a very satisfying spin on the canyon theme, from the environment to the music. The visuals are absolutely stunning: the level is reasonably sized but no part of it feels empty, cluttered or unattended to, and that attention to detail definitely sold it to me. It felt a tad short due to the path I might have taken, but the most memorable part of it to me was that the button-pushing parts weren't brainless as much of button-pushing parts usually are and actually made you move and confront enemies before the buttons actually did something, and at the very least I think that's a very interesting addition to the environmental storytelling of the stage. This is a strong competitor, so keep up the amazing job!

Rustic Templar Zone by MK.exe
From the level of attention given to character paths, visuals, flow, and all the baggage you have with levels that are indeed fun to play, it's not like you don't have competition, but I think it's finally the time you snatch the Contest Winner title you deserve. No complaints.

Shadow of Atlantis Zone by akirahedgehog
This level captured my attention from the moment I saw it submitted: the visuals stemming from your own interpretation of what Shadow of Atlantis for the 32X should be are definitely captivating. However, how well this stage translates into something enjoyable for SRB2 is a bit questionable because it doesn't know what it's trying to be: it is very wide and there's a lot to see and discover, but it's all mashed together into something confusing. I pushed some buttons that had no immediate effect on the surroundings, and if they did I could not tell their use for progress, some doors remained locked despite everything and it was never clear where I should go, and to top it off, most of the stage is underwater and bubbles are very sparse, which cuts half if not all of the will someone would have of exploring it to the fullest. When I finally came to the ending, I felt like there was a whole undiscovered world I left behind, and that left me wanting more even though I couldn't bring myself to try again. This is why I think there's potential to this map: with some polish and a little bit more of focus, it can become something stellar. I hope you're willing to work on it further!

Oasis Palace Zone by So2ro
Where this map really fails to impress is that most of the rooms look largely the same and it never felt like I was progressing at all: enter room, find dust devil, then launch myself to the next room. Were there more landmarks in each room that made it clear that "ah, this is a new place I haven't been to, nice" and the challenges with the dust devils actually escalated, this level could play much more interestingly, but it falls a little bit short.

Heroes Hall by Zaxel
Your levels definitely have improved a whole lot since your first releases, so it's really satisfying to watch your progress. I can't say much about this level other than a problem that's been consistent through most of them: there is just too much level. They are too long, either because there's too many intermission rooms that could be easily axed out, or because there's too much mandatory content: cue the Heroes Hall. While it's very interesting in concept, finding buttons to progress gets stale when there's 6 or 7 of them and some are hidden in nooks in walls or after a maze (please don't put actual mazes in your levels, let alone under Robo-Hood attack and low brightness). The level could have benefitted from splitting some of the Heroes' rooms into different paths so you didn't need to go through all of them in a single run, and then have a nifty unlockable for completing every Hero's for persistent players, as well as custom scripted challenges for each Hero that aren't mere button pushing: the possibilities are limitless. You have a lot of potential, so keep going!

(Also make sure the scripts you bundle in your level don't change a player's control bindings for good. You were definitely saved this time)

Cyan Heights Zone by PencilVoid
Despite a rain of criticism over how cramped your map looked along its development, you didn't give a shit and hit the gas anyway. And that's okay! If you're not having fun with what you're doing you might as well leave, right? I do want to point out though that steady footholds are a must for Sonic levels because if there you're not sure you're going to land safely you're not going to tread comfortably and the whole level will not feel good as a result. All in all it felt very short and I happened to find the end of it accidentally, so it didn't leave anything for me to comment on - if you're aiming to impress and bring something fun to the table, Cold Zone is something to go for instead.

Anteggtica Zone by Radicalicious
There were no rings in this map. Rings are essential for Sonic's survival, so they are usually placed in large quantities across levels in every Sonic game. They defend Sonic against hazards, but that's in the case there are hazards to be wary of, that the map also didn't have, save for 4 BASHes that were mostly unthreatening. The level layout was definitely there, which is why I trust you can make something that's fun to play, but I believe this one could have stayed in the backburner for a bit longer.

Aqua Paradise Zone by Twins'R'Awesome
Aside from the technical difficulties, this level is a sight to behold for sure, even through the textures were not always appropriate to where they were applied to. It had a lot of springs, which were fun to bounce around and breeze through the level with, but that was mostly it. The upper (non-underwater?) path started to become repetitive and feel blocky, and when I finally got to experience the first outdoor sections with the rocky structures and thought "wow, now this is where it really starts" it didn't start and I was in an indoor section again with the same spring gauntlets and lacking decor. It's definitely something to expand on, however, so keep at it.

Hypertower Zone by WasifBoomz
It's cool to break away from the standard GFZ-like greenery for a first level (assuming this is your first) and go crazy with different concepts but this one looks like it wants to be a challenge level so bad even though it lacks some of the understanding of what makes a level challenging, and unfortunately it isn't fun to wade through as a consequence. I'm not sure myself of what could be done to salvage it, but I know you can make something even more interesting if you start from scratch.

Valley Falls Zone by Hamsandwich
This may be your first level and while I was willing to give it a chance it just threw a wrench in my hopes and dreams with the underwater maze. Mazes are not fun, specially when they don't have an indication of where to go and you will die if you don't stop looking for the exit to be able to breathe, and if the algae were supposed to be hints, they didn't work. I didn't finish the level because of that, and up to then it was somewhat enjoyable, but it left a permanent sour aftertaste regardless. I'm not ranking it explicitly low because it was a heartfelt attempt to make something enjoyable, but please keep the advice for next time.

Hectic Harbor Zone by ACStriker
Replaying this level as Sonic actually made me remember Sol Sestancia's level design, in a pleasant way: I certainly think there's potential if you had more time to plan your maps out. I have no major complaints about it since it's fairly level-headed, but it would be nice to see you trying something more fleshed-out and polished for next contest.

Myriad Memories Zone by ManimiFire
While this stage is interesting in concept, the challenges felt short and unfocused: out of the blue there's a memory trial? I appreciate that you made the platforming one non-lethal, but the Modern pulleys are uncomfortable to use and to platform with, and ended up looking out of place within the dungeon-like areas. I feel like this could be explored more with challenges that are more consistent with themselves, escalate properly, don't involve pushing gargoyles and above everything, don't use sector darkness as an artificial challenge. It doesn't matter if you intended to do that or not: it unfortunately detracts from the experience altogether.

Overgrown Heights Zone by InferNOr
Aside from the inconsistent framerate I was getting for whatever reason, this level trades dangerously on the line between difficult and unfair. It sure is beautiful and very creatively themed and decorated, and I'm definitely ranking it decently because of that, but some parts of it felt like I was being played pranks on. Some jumps are too tight; platforms up a waterfall were sloped, preventing accurate jumping; an out of view Canarivore snipes you from over a branch hanging above a death pit; some star posts were so poorly placed it almost felt like they were hidden, among other minor quirks. It's probably a matter of polish, though, so my recommendation for this one is to have your level playtested by someone for difficulty: your level will always seem easier to you. Be merciful towards players, and don't assume much: always have some sort of leeway.

Crystal Cave Zone by CST1229
This seems to be your first level, so what I can offer as advice is to be more mindful of your geometry towards the textures you choose. You picked colored tiles as a main texture, but them applied them to irregularly angled walls and without watching if they actually tiled, so in large quantities they clashed with every other objects and looked uncomfortable as a result. When playing with square tiles, it's a good idea to make everything straight angled, raising some sectors here and there to make for an interesting cave-like setting. Other than that, the was also quite cramped and short, and even though this is a common first mistake, I'm sure you'll get comfortable with more open areas if you keep trying. This level also lacks FOFs altogether where it could pretty much have them so it seems to me that you haven't tried including them: it is difficult to make an interesting level without making use of floating platforms so I should suggest going over the tutorials. They're very simple to make, can enhance your level greatly and you'll get the hang of them in no time.

Cluttered Cave Zone, Act 2 by Riolucariolu
I'm unsure of theme you were trying to go for here, since the level started with a wet cave, and then became kind of crystalline, then a temple... and then lava... and for some reason you've offered to the player a pair of shields that can trivialize the second half of the map completely, which sort of tells me you weren't that confident in what you were making in any part of the design process. You sure have the potential to make something really great, but the first part of making a map is to conceptualize it and a lot of people underestimate that. Put what you want to make on a paper and revise it until you get something you'd like to see, and then get prepared to revise it again a lot. Additionally, your starposts weren't properly set up, so all of them counted as the same, but my actual complaint about your level is that the exit was literally hidden - the red spring that takes you there is simply not in view and there's little indication that it's even there. Never make the player stop dead in their tracks wondering about what to do or where to go: always provide them a way to at least view or preview their next step.

Magma Falls Zone by RadicalChaos_6922
Unfortunately, this feels like an unfinished product. You can tell because technical prowess definitely isn't lacking: there's a lot of care put into decor and topology (so much that there are so many linedefs the game can lag from it) but everything else is just inexplicably wrong. 90% of the level is comprised of the same texture, all misaligned; some fans did not match the radii they were visually supposed to have, and were not accompanied by particle generators to indicate their maximum height; there are way too many hills that invite you to laboriously climb them jump after jump as if they hid something but are merely a waste of time with nothing on them, which can discourage a player from exploring your level altogether; the level itself is branched convolutedly in a way that wraps around and can get you lost easily, since there are little landmarks, along with an out-of-place teleport and the fact that it completely lacks starposts; a set of springs are placed next to a ledge that's too high for them to reach even with a power springing Amy; speed bumps along the first lava pool to prevent you from going fast on the rollout rock for no apparent reason, and so on. All of these mistakes and poor choices could be easily spotted by someone remotely competent playtesting the level, which leads me to believe it was not, and so I'm abstaining from commenting on its quality, but I hope the OLDC experience can at least give you the advice you need.

Honestly a very solid level! I feel like a little more detail could be added to some of the hallways, but I like the new objects/enemies, and the feeling of openness in the stage. There's lots of room to just thok around, it feels good. One thing I'll say is that unless it's meant to be hidden (such with the cleric's button), some of the buttons should be more clear that you need to go to them then the portal. It's very confusing, especially the first time. Maybe you could add some previous section that introduces you to this concept. Oh, and maybe some of the larger greeneries, move to the side of the road, so they're not in your face as you run through the level. Lots of collectibles to find, I like that too.

A pretty cute level and the visual indicators with flowers for when there's a platform ahead but lower than you were nice, but there were a lot of things that didn't have a use or I expected to have some secret in.

A very enjoyable experience, very well detailed and textured, maybe I'll add that I didn't really understand why some areas weren't gated off, like the pit with wind towards the end, but all an all a very good stage.

Snowflake Ridge
Tatsuru & TrickyTex

You know, a fun Spyro is a good Spyro in my book; and this is no exception. While I had to play in 320x200 to have a stable framerate, I really commend the effort here with the amount of detail in both what's decorative areas AND playable areas.

While trying to hit the Snowman enemies near fence-less edges and Banpyuras was nerve-wracking (specially when trying to break some jars for gems), I liked the open layout for exploration and looking for gems, with the only tiny *tiny* nitpick is having to stop to either jump on each jar and go through them, or spin through the jars (which can be risky at times).

I liked the extra whistles like the HUD, the fact that you have to get gems and Sparx is both like an weaker gem magnet and a lifebar (just like in Spyro), the Fire gate (though I still have to find where you use its power lol) and the way the exit looked. Very nice "RETURN HOME" indeed.

All in all its a quite solid map and one where you can sink a good amount of time searching for all the secrets (so far I got the Red Diamond emblem). Great job!

Metallic Madness GF
Kwiin and failur.old

So this one already had me hyped since some few previews I had seen, and I can say it completely delivered: Not only the stage is so nicely done visually, but also has a lot of slopes to both mess around and to fly off with a good spin. If you play it with sloperollangle (with cameraroll on), you can easily see why Kwiin intended to include it with the map (but was removed from the package due to issues), as the experience is so much fun when these are in effect with this slope-filled gargantuan map.

The lack of enemies (except spikes lol), while seems odd, is a nod to how the Good Future levels in Sonic CD did NOT have any enemies, and that quite interesting as well as the amount of rings and the nice starting section where with some well timed jumps you can get a Whirlwind Shield (rewarding good skill with a bonus shield; but is optional instead of being mandatory to do). Playing as Amy was a blast as well because of the integrated momentum (and it was nice to see the love that was put in that alternate path as well).

Overall it is probably one of my highest favorites because of the way it plays and feels (and this is enhanced if you play as Junio Sonic of course), and using the sloperoll mod gives it that finishing touch of great. Just astounding *claps*

Wild West Act 2
Dead

The music was quite fitting for the stage and that was something that really helped; not only the stage layout is quite fun, but there's also several minecart sections (and who doesn't have a soft spot for minecarts) that also have explorable areas if you get there without one.

The areas are either tight but fair (and fun) platforming, or open ACZ-esque roads. I think one thing that I did quite like was the second half of the stage where you trigger a ruins/temple door to go BOOM and continue through the level. Overall the feeling and the stage itself is quite consistent and fun, so great job!

Myriad Memories
Manimi

So I can see what is the setting going for, and the puzzle/platforming challenge approaches are interesting...but the lightning needs some serious touchup. At best, it feels weird to see lit up areas but almost dark rings and sections, which can get you confused about where to go. At worst, there was one puzzle section with a hallway that I guess that was intentional to be hard to see...but couldn't even tell it was there until someone ese pointed me that out. That feels like being cheated out like in an point-and-click game where you have to find a very specific tiny pixelated object but the game really counts on that you do.

Hypertower
WazifBooms

On the plus side, there's actually a MIDI version of the music that's included, and actually sounds alright (instead of the...very loud and grating music that plays in Digital that you would think that's MIDI), and there are interesting ideas as well as the fact that you did invest a lot of time to do several sections with FOFs. It wouldn't be wrong to say that there could be some potential from the concept and some bits from the layout...but that said, there are several problems here and there, both in design and technical.

Design-wise, the amount of FOF platforms that collapse...that's somewhat offputting and sorta annoying at best (at the beginning for example), and a annoyingly tight gimmick at worst: The section after a checkpoint where you have to jump through brown platforms that collapse...that you have to do a tight blind jump that you wouldn't see at first. Even if you do that or go through the other path, there's still a BIG collapsing platform that does not even make sense to be it because its gray brick textures and basically you cannot expect at all that it was a collapsing platform unless you die once or twice there.

It also feels a bit too tight in some platforming sections, and the visual design is quite bland (though as a first map, I guess it can be given a slight pass; it still used too much of the same texture in both walls and floors). There are some unpolished areas as well (like the spring after the 2D section making you hit a wall instead of going forward) and some untextured/HOM walls. Overall there's a lot to be wished, visually, layout wise and in a lot of lacking polish; but for a first map (and as I mentioned, the amount of floating platforms present), there was some effort involved so that's something. Also, please either change the music with something else, do a new composition, or just make the digital music be the same as the MIDI file/version.

Pipeline Panic Zone by RoyKirbs
A nice basic map layout with solid texturework. The central gimmick doesn't play a huge role in the gameplay, but it does make for some clever item spawns.

Mountainous Saloon Zone by InferNO
Again some nice texturework here, but the layout is also interesting here because of how it splits up the action, with narrow platforming on the second floor and a dead-end behind the bar. This creates for a variety of combat scenarios; and in spite of the map's compact nature, the distribution of platforms makes it serviceable to fairly large netgames.

Gravity Station Zone by Krabs
The skybox here is pretty awesome. The terrain itself gives off a Tony Hawk In Space vibe to it, and the low gravity changes combat and platforming just enough without slowing the action down too much. This is probably the only PvP low gravity map that I don't hate.

Hidden Chamber Zone by Krabs
God I love these polyobjects. A lot of people seemed to just be focused on the center, but in a large netgame, you can be king if you manage to control the outer platforms. The use of spikes in the center is also interesting. I think this is probably the most effective arena map visually, due to its texturework and color distribution.

Symmetri-Canyon Zone by PapsTheEchidna121
Pretty basic visually and gameplay-wise, but it's serviceable. Item distribution is pretty good. Seems like this works best for small to medium sized games. The cactus is an interesting addition, but in larger games it comes off as more of a nuisance than a deterrent. No major qualms otherwise.

Arena Station by Latius
It looks nice, but the design intent is unclear here, since this map is set to allow all battle gametypes. Number of items is too excessive. Control point reaches to the high ceiling, which means Tails can easily camp all other characters out. I think I also would have made it so that the ends of the stage were a death pit, so that there is less incentive to hang near the edge.

Grassy Clearing by Apollyon
I'm sad that you didn't use The War in the Mirror as the level's bgm! Excellent use of background textures for a parallax effect here. As with most 2D arena maps, the gameplay tends to devolve in large netgames, but this should be serviceable in smaller ones.

Glimmer Gulch Zone by happyalm
Terrain layout is pretty good and the tornados make for an interesting platforming method. The tornados aren't as bad as springs in favoring the diamond runner, though it still makes them difficult to catch. Item and CP layout all checks out.

SSN's Picnic by Zolton
In spite of its flatness, it plays surprisingly well in Diamond mode. While I haven't had a chance to play on CP, their object placements seem fine. However, I think supporting survival on this map was a mistake due to its sheer size. The red and white checker floor is also very distracting; I think there is a pink variant which may be easier on the eyes.

Peach Castle Zone by ACStriker
Still impressed by this map port, and as expected it plays pretty well for Battle. I find it a little curious that you used a linedef executor to shrink the players down, and it seems to have produced a few side effects. Would it have been viable to set the OldBrak typeoflevel instead?

Moonlight Zone by Krabs
There isn't too much to say here other than I like the architectural work as well as the platforming. Item bubbles are integrated really well here. The map is surprisingly slope-heavy, but in terms of platforming and game flow it seems to be a net benefit overall.

Jagged Creek Zone by RoyKirbs
This feels like a modernized Sapphire Falls CTF Zone. I quite like the overall design, but the only problem with the map is that the diagonal springs make it easier for Amy flagrunners to stall. For what you were trying to accomplish there, you might be able to do something similar using a spindash booster and a ramp.

Serene Shore Zone by Krabs
I love the atmosphere of this map, and the glowing torches are a fantastic touch. This level has the most effective visual design IMO, and the platforming here is also spot on. I will say that I didn't realize until much later that there was a "coastal" region on the outer middle sections of the map. That area seems very easy to ignore, so it might be worth adding an item there so that there's more incentive to travel through it. There are also sectors with missing death pits located next to the flag bases, but luckily it's easy enough to attack players there that it doesn't affect gameplay too much as-is.

Big Arch by Kwiin
This is brutal! For the most part I prefered to avoid travelling as much as possible, either playing defense or camping the enemy base so I had an excuse not to engage in too much platforming. While the concept overall is pretty well executed, part of me feels the map could do with just a little more leniency. Definitely a neat concept, and the base designs are pretty good.

1. Rustic Templar - MK.exe delivers as ever! Great use of slopes, lots of character-exclusive content, fast flowing pace, fun visual design, it's really great. I like that Amy and Fang don't have to take enormous detours to bypass areas that require you to spin, but they still do have interesting paths of their own. There's even content designed around Metal Sonic, which is quite a rarity! The only issue I have with this zone is that I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to get from the last checkpoint to the end, probably because of the door right before the end that automatically opens when you get near.

2. Wild West - Awesome level! Flows nicely, has lots of alternate paths, and manages to feel like its own thing despite the heavy use of Arid Canyon gimmicks. I really can't explain why, but the level has a very admirably defined identity. Rustic Templar very narrowly beats this one for me because it just feels slightly more memorable.

3. Toffee Tor - Fun level with creative uses of existing gimmicks! The reason it's not higher up on this list is because it's quite short and doesn't feel fully fleshed out. I like what's done with the rollout rock and usage of SDURFs as actual hazards, as well as the varied use of enemies. Having rollout rocks in the river as obstacles is also very creative.

4. Snowflake Ridge - I've never played a Spyro game before so I can't comment on how faithful the zone is to playing Spyro, but it's a very fun and creative zone that I did not expect to see in this contest.

5. Aqua Paradise - I had originally ranked this at 8th place, but then I've decided to bump it up much higher because of the depth and high amount of alternate paths. This level has fun visual design with extreme Hydrocity vibes and has a generally good sense of engaging platforming and level mechanics. Some parts feel a bit empty and the level is all over the place with the visual scale of each part, but it's still an enjoyable level to play through.

6. Oasis Palace - Great visuals, good use of existing gimmicks and enemies to make a level with a unique identity. Sometimes it's fairly confusing where to go, but otherwise this is a solid level.

7. Metallic Madness - Somewhat lacking in terms of identity and gimmicks, but still quite a faithful replication of a Sonic CD good future zone. Just a peaceful world you're free to explore without worrying about hazards.

8. Concordian Coast - Very short, but surprisingly enjoyable with good visual design. It isn't too complicated and doesn't need to be.

9. Overgrown Heights - Incredibly gorgeous visuals, but the level's design and platforming leave something to be desired. A lot of it feels too tight and precise, or easy to mess up, and precise platforming tends to serve itself better as risky alternate routes than mandatory parts of a level. Visually the zone feels somewhat like a modern Sonic game with its expansive scale, which I quite like.

10. Heroes Hall - Very ambitious level focused on button hunting. I quite like the varied visual design, but I'm not sure how I feel about the structure being so heavily oriented upon button hunting. I think that if you press a button, its effect should either be in plain sight or an entirely optional secret, not a mandatory part of progressing through the level. There are some rather confusing maze segments and unusual hazards I'm not sold on, like the colored columns of damaging liquids. I like that there are custom enemies, but I wish they had better audio cues with them, like sounds for their attacks and for killing them.

11. Cluttered Cavern - The first half of this zone seems to be aiming to do an Aquatic Ruin Zone style of path design but in 3D, where if you're good at platforming you don't have to get to get into water, and if you're bad at platforming you have to trudge through longer underwater sections. It pulls that structure off pretty well, but I'm not too sold on the underwater paths themselves. They feel rather like a slog without cool things to see and do. The second half is an abrupt change to a lava zone, whose execution I'm not too sold on because it's basically tricky platforming right above a pool of lava.

12. Wasteland Wilds - Not much stands out here, basic platforming mostly. The inclusion of Amy and Fang paths is nice though.

13. Myriad Memories - This is quite an unusual one. I like the concept of a puzzle-based zone that forces you to think creatively, but a lot of the challenges aren't telegraphed clear, and I don't think the things that lift you up when you grab them from the Adventure games are implemented all that well. The hint block in one of the sections is a good touch, and I kind of wish every section of the zone had little hints along the way.

14. Shadow of Atlantis - The visual design is incredibly well done, but the zone doesn't serve all that well as a playable level. It's confusing to navigate and far too tempting to stop and smell the roses and then get lost, especially underwater. The underwater portions feel like they would be right at home in a more exploration-based game where water isn't as brutal to you as it is in Sonic games.

15. Hectic Harbor - I like the surrealist city aesthetic, but the zone feels confusing to navigate and I'm not sure how much I like the enemy placement, especially the unkillable turrets.

16. Crystal Cave - Very colorful, almost gratingly so. It's unfortunately way too short for me to be able to appreciate much about it.

17. Cyan Heights - Not sure how I feel about this one. Most of it is weirdly tiny and gives you no space to move around, but there are a few large areas that I wouldn't mind seeing fleshed out.

18. Anteggtica - Has some neat usage of slopes and a blend of winter and Egg rock themes, but not much interesting otherwise. Could afford to be longer.

19. Valley Falls - Honestly, not much stands out in this level to me and it greatly overstays its welcome. It's mostly simple platforming in a Greenflower-inspired area and feels pretty basic. The underwater portions are neat but feel completely disconnected from the rest of the zone. Also, if you had to include an underwater maze section, there really should have been a starpost before it, so that if you drown in the maze, you can go ahead and try again instead of having to redo so much before that. The first 2D section again should have had a starpost before it, and the death pits in both 2D sections feel rather cheap. It also isn't very good form to have items in the 2D sections like rings, springs, and bubbles that are impossible to interact with. In a 2D section, you can (for example) have just one spring where you'd ordinarily place a row of springs in 3D.

20. Magma Falls - This level leaves a lot to be desired in terms of both visual design and gameplay. The usage of textures is rather repetitive with little variety and every room has the same general design, which makes it difficult to tell which rooms you have and haven't been in yet, and makes the level lack a sense of progression. In addition, be careful with what textures you use for which types of platforms; for instance, you used the RVZ1 crumbling platform texture for stable platforms, which given the zone's heavy use of Red Volcano elements is rather confusing. Consider varying visuals more next time you make a level!

21. Hypertower - This level is weird and it really seems like it was someone's first attempt at making an SRB2 level. I don't know a whole lot about level making so I can't give much criticism or suggestions, but I highly recommend you read the SRB2 wiki's Level Design 101 pages. Those are very helpful! I like when levels have original music, but this level's music feels very amateurish and lacks structure and direction. If you keep making music, though, I'm sure you'll be able to make great stuff!

Hectic Harbor was fun to do; but it also was done in some big crunch time; specifically 5-6 days before the OLDC deadline and barely got to submit it in time. This is what I attribute to both the fact that there isn't a nice outside view through a skybox (or that the higher areas feel more like a skip rather than extra areas), as well as why it ends so soon, as I couldn't get to make it longer at the time I had to submit. Oh, and by the way I actually had a different map on the works intended for OLDC...but I ended up focusing too much on visuals instead of having a functional layout and ended up getting stagnated, which is why I ended up making the new map a week before the deadline.

That said, I felt really relieved when not only it made it into OLDC with all the fixes I pushed minutes before (or after?) the deadline, but also people were enjoying it despite the shortcomings. Now a thing that I have noticed three times so far is people overshooting the ledges in the right path of a certain section (the one where the left path is filled with spincushions and a Deton lol) assuming that the slope has physics...but it doesn't.

Visually, I was able to add some container textures in time...but couldn't add any other custom textures (including flats for the containers, and used flat colors in their place), I wasn't proud of calling it a day with the wall barriers (that used to be GFZROCK) but again, was the most I could do in the very last day, and of course I intended to have much more areas to explore in the higher places (which is why there were some few ways added to get there) along with a longer layout, but...well yeah.

Overall though, I was really glad to have made it in time and that people were enjoying it, but I do get some of the complaints regarding visuals, short layout, and the enemy placements. Still I believe that the feedback I'll get here will be really helpful for when I can give proper closure to this very map :)

And by the way, the music is NOT from Hideki Naganuma (though clearly inspired by him), but from a game called Freejack. You can take a listen at the music track I used right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdBovOWcraw&ab_channel=LeeLevLiveath

did you get all those chaos emeralds? no seriously, try finding the 7 of them on the stage ;)