January/February 2010 Voting

Singleplayer:
Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach - 3/10
Eh. I finished the level on my first try in 51 seconds, which doesn't exactly help your score...you get points for decent music choice and visuals, but that's all I really have to say. This level is begging for a gimmick, or just something interesting. It may as well be GFZ1 v2.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG - 0/10
Inoperable. Please see the other comments regarding this entry.
As an aside, Isn't FuriousFox supposed to test for this before releasing the pack?

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal - 1/10
The beginning was decent - if incredibly easy - but the rest of the map needs a lot of work. Rendering errors left and right, undeafed rings, and inescapable pools of water aplenty!

Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 2/10
I got lost far too many times here...there were a number of invisible barriers, which broke up the flow even more. It's obvious that you put a lot of effort into the presentation, sure - an effort that I feel may be misplaced - but that can only get your score so far.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 1/10
Why are you forcing players to be Sonic? Either way, the layout just sucks, man. I don't want to be harsh, but it really does. Run. Jump. Pit. Rinse. Repeat. It doesn't look appealing, it doesn't play well, it's not a good map. Might I suggest reading up on some Wiki guides?

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E - 8/10
Hey, a decent map!
Great attention to detail...the bloody tombstones, the skull platforms, every part of the presentation was really well done. Overall, there were a few moments where it wasn't exactly very clear on where to go...you should probably better indicate to the player that the red springs are to send up into a hole above, since my first instinct was to look for a direction to thok off of them to. But hey, that's just me. Other than that, it could use quite a few more starposts..it was definetly lacking in that area. Great use of gimmicks (such as the room that "never ended") and the like, although they were a tad too obvious, but that's forgivable. Oh, and the music choice was spot-on, too. Welcome to the team.

Circuit:
MAPR1 - Crispy Canyon by RedEchidna - 3/10
Eh. What was with the weird starpost locations? You're not supposed to obscure them to the players...while on that subject, You went way overboard on scenery things (to the point where the springs weren't clearly visible), for one thing. The first area with the spiral ramp was great, but the rest of the level really wasn't that special. Clean up 80% of the things and add a bit more to the stage and this could easily shine.

MAPR2 - Frosty Aroura Zone by darkbob1713 - 5/10
Well, it was alright, I suppose. Nothing really wrong with it, although it is a bit on the boring side (partially because I really don't have that much taste for NiGHTS race). On the visual side, this map was pretty good, I suppose. Try making the layout a bit more interesting and creative, and there's some good potential here.

MAPR3 - Thunder Factory Zone by Blade - 8/10
Creative gimmick usage earns a massive *thumbsup* and a whole +1 to your score from me. Not only that, but you effectively introduced the gimmick to players before using it to its fullest power - something that we at STJr. didn't do at all. Although, I will say, that while this map is one of the better maps in the contest, it still feels like it's missing something..there are a few surprise jumps thanks to the texture use and the "crumbling" look you gave to parts of the map. While it's a nice touch, perhaps you could have better indicated DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! to the players.

MAPR4 - Midnight Lagoon Zone by blahblahbal - 1/10
Sonic Circuit re-skinned. You did a decent job re-skinning it, but it's still Sonic Circuit, which isn't a good map at all.

MAPR5 - Molten Mountain Zone by stoneywagner - 6/10
You got a number of things right (maybe even too right) with this map, despite the low score. The difficulty, for one, is a nice change from what most circuit maps are like, although in some cases it can be a bit unfair. This map apparently has come down with Infernal Canyon Syndrome, as the lack of flame trail sources can really throw players off. A lot of the interior sections felt a bit tight, as well. Overall, though, not a bad effort- certainly has some potential, I'll say. What's with the starpost 2 seconds before the finish line?

Spazzo said:

What's with the starpost 2 seconds before the finish line?

Click to expand...

To stop people from cutting too sharply or heading through the finish in reverse on the last lap to save time.

Now, come on, has all that time you spent playing TrackMania ages ago taught you anything? =P

Scizor300 said:

That, my friend, is Pastebin's fatal flaw...

Reconsider using Pastebin...

Click to expand...

It doesn't really matter if Pastebin is sabotaged. Furiousfox is counting it all up himself, so even if people try to mess around with the Pastebin, it won't mess with the final results, just the unofficial running tally of votes.

*MULTIPLAYER *

MAPM1 - Restricted Cavern Zone by blahblahbal = 2/10
Ugh, this level was a pain. There was not enough rings in this level, I found my self running around looking for rings alot. That and the level was WAY to wide open in most of the rooms, and the big rooms was lacking in detail. In short this level needs quite some work.


MAPM2 - Frost Forest by RedEchidna/darkbob1713 = 8/10
Nice level here, great detail, plenty of rings, and it even looks nice! Some of the main flaws here is that I couldn't really find my way around that easy, and that I seemed to run out of ammo alot. Also, I agree. We NEED more Ice songs. :<


MAPM3 - Neo Green Lake Zone by Scizor300 = N/A
I still need to play this level...


MAPM4 - Amber Ravine by Spherallic = N/A
I still need to play this level...


MAPM5 - Acid Plant Zone by KO.T.E = My/Map
Okay, one of my main plans for this level was to try to get a match level to use reverse gravity and not be unfair/cheap, but it seems I sorta fail'd that. Anyways, this level was at first gonna use a THZ texture set. But due to the texture set being so limited (and me just plain out failing at using it) I decided to change it to ERZ. And on a side note:
I wish we could use custom songs in the OLDC ;-;


MAPM6 - Astray Canopy Zone by stoneywagner = 7/10
This level was okay, it would have been better if it was smaller. Maybe just you the part with the black/grey rocks? Anyways, for quite some time I couldn't seem to find my way out of the place with the grey rocks, but that's okay because that was my favorite part of the level, other then that. this level is just like any other macth level really.


MAPM7 - Land of Light and Rain by Errol = 5/10
Interesting theme for the level, but It could be a bit better. When I was playing this level I saw that one lone could out in the sky and I thought that there was some stuff up there for tails, but it wound up I was wrong. If I was you, I would have put some goodies up there. Also, the water's color map did not fit the water's texture, the second I went in the water my eyes started to bleed. At the end of the day, this is a good map, but nothing special.

_________________________________________
Race, CTF and Single Player votes coming soon...

SSNTails says he wants Eggmansion to be merged with CEZ2, and KO.T.E's a dev... That was quick.

Shows what happens if you guys put solid effort into contest maps.



I'm just saying.

SpiritCrusher said:

SSNTails says he wants Eggmansion to be merged with CEZ2, and KO.T.E's a dev... That was quick.

Click to expand...

Actually, KO.T.E became a dev before SSNTails said that...

But it was still pretty recent, wasn't it? I just looked at him yesterday, and suddenly realized he was a dev. I don't know when it happened, though.

What was the time frame?

Edit: I mean between promotion and SSN's post.

Spazzo said:

Shows what happens if you guys put solid effort into contest maps. I'm just saying.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I assumed. On a sort of related note, that's what I'm attempting to do with my next entry.

Anyway, KO.T.E's promotion did happen quite recently, I think only about 4 or 5 days ago.

blahblahbal said:

On a sort of related note, that's what I'm attempting to do with my next entry.

Click to expand...

You plan on becoming a dev by making a good map?

Let's be clear now - I wasn't implying that making good contest entries would directly result in becoming a developer. It certainly won't hurt, though. Think of it as a way of separating yourself from the crowd.

Anyways, let's move off of this topic and go back to actually reviewing the contest entries.

glaber said:

What was the time frame?

Edit: I mean between promotion and SSN's post.

Click to expand...

KOTE and Blade were both promoted very late on February 28th, for what it's worth.

I'm sure you can figure out the time frame from that.

Well here are my votes. No concerns really for the maps really. Other than Buzzard Bay's error (Which everyone knows about already) and how much I love Knockout's Eggmansion Zone. I remember the time it'd sigsev'd a lot :D

=Single Player=
Rainsoaked Ridge Zone Act 1 by Mach - 2/10
Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG - 0/10 - Reason: Unplayable.
Jadeflower Zone Act 2 by blahblahbal - 5/10
Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 8/10
Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 4/10
Eggmansion Zone Act 1 by KO.T.E - 10/10 - Oh how I love that hallway..

=Multiplayer=

-Match-
Restricted Cavern Zone by blahblahbal - 2/10
Frost Forest by RedEchidna/darkbob1713 - 6/10
Neo Green Lake Zone by Scizor300 - 2/10
Amber Ravine by Spherallic - 5/10
Acid Plant Zone by KO.T.E - 7/10
Astray Canopy Zone by stoneywagner - 8/10
Land of Light and Rain by Errol - 4/10

-Capture the Flag-
Upload Download Zone by fawfulfan - 8/10
Night Shrine Zone by Hyperknux - 4/10
Coldlava Cliffs Zone by blahblahbal/darkbob1713 - 4/10
Sunkist Falls by Spherallic/Blade - 5/10
Arial Skyfort Zone by Mach - 2/10

-Circuit-
Crispy Canyon by RedEchidna - 7/10
Frosty Aroura Zone by darkbob1713 - 5/10
Thunder Factory Zone by Blade - 9/10
Midnight Lagoon Zone by blahblahbal - 2/10
Molten Mountain Zone by stoneywagner - 3/10

Well, then, I'm happy to be judging levels again, just as always. I have some interesting thoughts that will be said here, but you'll just have to read all of it to find out! This time, I'm just going to do some copypasta and show my scores in one big blob of a post. So here goes!

*copies, then pastes*

It worked! Perfect!

Single Player:

Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach: 3/10
It’s just a little too easy to my liking. The secrets are on the main path, there is only a few enemies, and the path is just a little too wide. Also, the music is a little too tense for an early level, but that could be what you were going for, so I don’t know.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG: 0/10
A disappointment, to be sure, but it crashes before I can play the level. Sorry.

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal: 1/10
Since there’s no way to get to the endsign as Sonic, I label it guilty of character imbalance. Also, huge water pits with no way out as Sonic is really frustrating. Put some springs in those

Giana Dream Blast by glaber: 5/10
Pretty decent for just a few tweaks to Mario Koopa Blast. It guarantees that you avoid the cramped space of many a Glaber Syndrome level, plus you get to put in some really weird sprites as a bonus. Huge pits are a little problem, though

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman: 2/10
I hate that you put a forceskin of Sonic on the level, plus the level is really challenging on Sonic. Also, there were certain places where I got lost, and… yeah, I forgot to bring my compass to the level, so that was annoying. Check, please! Less pits are in order.

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E: 7/10
This, of course, has its interesting challenges. There are a few things that make you pay attention. They’re pretty subtle, but I think that’s what makes this level very interesting. When you think it’s unplayable, you find the right path to take, and you’re back on track. Gotta be the winner of SP division!

Single Player Overall: 3/10
It’s pretty safe to say that Eggmansion didn’t have much competition, except maybe Giana Dream Blast, but that can be rectified in the future if everyone will just read the Wiki’s DB tips

Match:

MAPM1 - Restricted Cavern Zone by blahblahbal: 5/10
Here’s an OK level. I like the layout of it, and the hazards are reasonable enough. I would prefer it to be scaled down somewhat, and you need more rings in the map, but other than that, it was good. Also, not going to affect your score, but it seems the emeralds appear too infrequently (by myself I can only get 5 emeralds in 5 min). I don’t know if that was from your level settings or if it was the default setting, but don’t worry about it too much.

MAPM2 - Frost Forest by RedEchidna/darkbob1713: 7/10
Moar ize songz pl0x!! I love how everything is distributed nicely, and the weapon cards are in such ideal spots, there couldn’t have been a better way. Also, you combined two themes with such fluidity, and there are nice, even transitions to the next room. It’s also awesome how you can see through the cracks in the ice, but can’t shoot through them. Excellent work on avoiding cheapness!

MAPM3 - Neo Green Lake Zone by Scizor300: 2/10
It’s like someone took what could have been a decent level and made it ten times bigger just because they thought that would make it ten times better. I’ll just leave it at that and move on…

MAPM4 - Amber Ravine by Spherallic: 6/10
Here’s another one I liked. It’s similar to Frost Forest in that it has a good water area, but the difference is that this level overall is just a little more elaborate. Of course, that does come with a drawback; it makes finding other players a bit more difficult.

MAPM5 - Acid Plant Zone by KO.T.E: 9/10
A prime example of a reverse gravity match level done right. I love how there are certain tunnels that are short enough so that you can reach all of the items in them no matter what gravity you are currently using. Also, it’s been a while since I’ve seen insta-death acid in a level other than Nitric Citadel, so that was welcome. XD

MAPM6 - Astray Canopy Zone by stoneywagner: 3/10
I like what you were going for, plus I like the geyser gimmick returning, but the overall problem is that you put too much in one level, making it needlessly enormous. Certain parts, like the pit forest area, can easily be done away with. Once all of that’s out, you can just rearrange the rings, and you’ll have an improved level. I do want you to keep some places in, like the part that has a stone room in ruins: that was nicely done, and I liked that.

MAPM7 - Land of Light and Rain by Errol: 2/10
OK, your level is plagued with a combination of what I have seen before in this division: hugeness and unnecessary area. First, you can just take out the whole pool of water surrounding the real level; you just don’t need it. Second, take what’s left, and scale it down to about ¾ of its current size, then let us have a look at it. You’ll be surprised how that alone can bring about more positive comments and better feedback other than “EW NOES THISS LEVL IS T00 HOOGE.”

Match Overall: 4.86/10
Wow, there were plenty of high quality Match maps this time. The super huge levels lower the overall score, but I still feel this is one of the best Match divisions in 2.0 OLDC history.

CTF:

MAPF1 - Upload Download Zone by fawfulfan: 3/10
The concept is great, it’s just that you made the middle area of the level too big, and that often translates into some very long, very frustrating netgames, especially with snipers around. The bases for each level (as in outside of the computers) are excellent, although making those side paths adjacent to the flag room dark kind of annoyed me because I could hardly see where I was going.

MAPF2 - Night Shrine Zone by Hyperknux: 6/10
It suffers a little bit from Nimbus Ruins Syndrome, but not as much as… well, Nimbus Ruins; the platforms are big enough so that you aren’t falling into the bottomless pit every few seconds. I would have preferred the platforming to be less blocky, but this is fine. I think what highlights it are the tunnels underneath the platforms that take you to the center of the level; they allow for more maneuverability and provides enough cover against the snipers above you.

MAPF3 - Coldlava Cliffs Zone by blahblahbal/darkbob1713: 8/10
I believe I actually played this level previously in a beta test, and, at that time, it was horrible. Yeah, this is loads better. The middle area is just the right size, the hazards are fair enough so that you can traverse them easily, and there are plenty of ways for you to guard your base. Very nice!

MAPF4 - Sunkist Falls by Spherallic/Blade: 3/10
The overall level is good, but you did make one fatal error: the side paths to the base are connected at the area with the SRM! People can just use those and skip the rest of the level. Just fix that, and everything else should be fine.

MAPF5 - Arial Skyfort Zone by Mach: 4/10
I suppose this was an attempt to improve Metal Star Zone? Well, it has more to it, but it’s not necessarily better. In fact, because of its larger size and more openness, it’s actually worse. Also, I feel the platforming on one side, while unique, is a bit awkward. Plus, there’s no way to reach the highest platform—along with all of the goodies there—as Sonic. Believe me, I tried.

CTF Overall: 4.8/10
I actually thought fawfulfan would have improved his level between his showing of the screenshots and the deadline, but he didn’t. Also, there was an interesting twist to this division; a level which I thought was really bad in beta testing actually got improved a whole bunch and became my favorite level of the division. Good job!

Circuit:

MAPR1 - Crispy Canyon by RedEchidna: 4/10
I basically dinged you for making the first part have really bad flow. Also, there’s character imbalance at that part because Tails and Knuckles can just skip over the avalanches.

MAPR2 - Frosty Aroura Zone by darkbob1713: 3/10
The latter half of the level is just a drillfest, and the rest of it didn’t really have that much to offer except for a powerup you get by paralooping. Yeah, not much else to that, is there?

MAPR3 - Thunder Factory Zone by Blade: 7/10
The fans were a pretty interesting gimmick to deal with, and in one area they made it really hard to avoid falling into the slime. My only gripe is that at the beginning of the race, people are more inclined to choose the right path since they know they are going to be heading right afterwards to reach the first star post. There wasn’t much to discourage that except for spike pits, so maybe you should try adding other hazards there, as well.

MAPR4 - Midnight Lagoon Zone by blahblahbal: 1/10
Gee, thanks for making JanFeb10’s thokfest level. And thanks for making the pool inescapable as Sonic. Now put some springs in the pool! And make the checkpoints trigger in a bigger area than what you did. It was extremely frustrating to have to go back and hit the Star Post or cross the actual finish line.

MAPR5 - Molten Mountain Zone by stoneywagner: 5/10
This one was pretty interesting. In the tunnel area, a whole bunch of hazards made it feel pretty cramped and close to impossible to get through without getting hit by something. Other than that, this level was quite detailed and had a good enough flow so that you weren’t completely stuck in one place.

Circuit Overall: 4/10
Business as usual for this division, but I think Molten Mountain is probably the most interesting out of the bunch, even though I scored Thunder Factory higher. Well, from what it seems, it’s at least the most controversial in the Race division.

JanFeb10 Overall: 4.16/10
Not the best overall score for a contest, but regardless, there were a lot of good levels for this contest. The three level provided by collaborations, in particular, stand out to me because they had high quality all around. (if only Sunkist Falls didn’t have that little quirk to it!) Just pointing that out.

My vote:

Single Player

Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach: 3/10

Things you should think about:

1) what's the point of your map? 2) what's your proposal? 3) what kind of experience a player will have within the level? 4) what kind of skills would you require from the player? 5) what identity will your map have?

You should offer the player something besides a little trip. Seems your map is meant to be the first map of a level pack, okay, it's an easy map. Once you're not going to require so much skills from the player, make your map interesting. Invite the player to discover things and explore the map.

Glad you mastered some decent level making skills so you made your map look a tad decent.


Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG: 3/10

Nice you made the first deathpit invisible. >_> so... never cheat the player. Player needs to trust in you (level designer), so he won't need to stop every step to check out to see if he's safe.

Personally, I don't like placing an army of enemies so close player's start.

Although I felt your map "empty" at the end, your map has a better progression (which pushed me forward), like a story that has a "start", "middle" and an "end".

And... what the hell is a fireball doing near the end?


Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal: 4/10

Starting the map: I couldn't stretch my legs :< ... enlarge corridors.

Middle part: some emptiness; I found a misplaced upper-pegged texture. I felt you set the parts/obstacles at random; graphic glitches, please respect software limitations; enemies facing wrong direction ("WTH! wrong path?!").

The end: I played this map 4 or 5 times running in circles, until I finally found the secret teleporter. >.<

"Cuteness" is not enough. Make your map interesting. Seems it's just a meaningless trip. The same 5 questions of Mach's map review go here too.


Giana Dream Blast by glaber: 5/10

Fairly interesting platforming. Interesting atmosphere. The music helped a lot, motiving me to go forth. Room by room, you made me feel the exploration was being interesting with new things to mess with and new gimmicks. Required an enjoyable platforming skill. Enemies look like little kittens... heh. :3

In fact, you made me smiley...

... until I realized "this place again?! where's the end level?". I had run in circles ummm... 5 or 6 times. I had to use SRB2DB to discover the end. Please, make the entrance more visible.


Mountain Fortress by verifiaman: 4/10

The part I liked most was the one with a Deton chasing after me :>

There are some too narrow corridors: enlarge them.

The sequence of obstacle was confusing. I didn't get what you meant with this map. Mixing themes didn't go well.

The end level ending was so... abrupt.

(EDIT: I *must* consider your map has a good variety of obstacles and gimmicks ^^)


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

(Arghhh... Vibrant Vendeta Zone 2!!!)

Enemies near the start were pretty annoying (5 kinds of enemies including 1 Deton D:). The same goes to Fire Turret.

Anyone could say: "This map is ugly, disgusting". But hey, who told a good map should be beautiful?

It's playable and enjoyable map. As always.

I apologize if I seem aloof. I don't want to sleep, to have to face what my dreams will be saying to me.

Rainsoaked Ridge Zone 1 by Mach - 6/10

You have my utmost congratulations for creating a basic level which functions. Now breathe life into it.

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG - 0/10

I can't say I really do have any reason to be afraid of my dreams. So far they've all been illustrating truths I've needed to know. And I already know the ending to the story I'm inside. I just don't know when that ending will be coming.

Jadeflower Zone 2 by blahblahbal - 3/10

I love your texture choice, but that's about it.

Giana Dream Blast by glaber - 6/10

I think I understand what you're trying to do hear, I just don't understand why. This is a Sonic game.

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman - 7/10

I applaud your creativity. Make more and more maps as you learn how to focus it.

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

I really, _really_ want to slam you for not "giving your map a soul." And by that, I mean not pouring your own soul into it.

I know that's not exactly a helpful comment as you look forwards to what needs to improve in your style as you move on to your next map. But I'm dinging you for it because I'm a mapper myself. I know what it means to pour out my life into a map. Maybe that just isn't what SRB2 means to you, but it's going to be reflected in the maps you make and the scores they get.

Although it's not something you can fix overnight, so don't sweat over it. Or do sweat over it if SRB2 means *that* much to you. But I don't think it does. Not to the point where it does for Peno and me, where creative block breaks our hearts.
dot dot dot
Okay, upon reading a handful of other contest votes I'll elaborate:

Your detail is sporadic. The tombstones, the light fixtures, the trees might be detailed, but they stand in bare rooms. It's as if you're hoping (spraying and praying, you know) that they act as focal points and draw attention from the bland walls and floors. But they don't. They contrast with the rest of the map in a bad way. You care enough to make an awesome tree, but not to make the rest of the room awesome to go with? That doesn't feel right.

I was really hoping that coming back to picture room as Knux meant I would be going into a different picture and I would find a character specific challenge, which highlighted Knuckle's skills and would actually be fun.

On second thought I'm just an old hag who really should shut up and go back to lurking.

* SINGLE PLAYER*


Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 by Mach = 5/10

Buzzards Bay Zone by WEREHOG = 0/10

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 by blahblahbal = 1/10

Giana Dream Blast by glaber = 5/10

Mountain Fortress by verifiaman = 3/10

Eggmansion Zone, Act 1 by KO.T.E = my/map
This level was started awhile back and I was gonna enter it into a later contest due to me having another map in mind for this one. But thanks to me being lazy I never got around to doing the other level, so I decided to finish this one up. This version of the level is really only a "demo" of what all items and goodies you was gonna be in seeing that I didn't have enough time to soc my badniks and custom senery, that and I still needed some more sector detail. Also about the song, when I fist got the song I noticed it wasn't in the right format for SRB2, so when I converted it the tempo and stuff got changed, I would have tried to fix it but I was running out of time so I just looped it and sent it in. and also, I am gonna change a few thing around in this level so you will have to look for where to go again.
Also seeing that somepeople think that "Egg Mansion" is ment to be two words but I just messed up when typing it, I didn't. When I first made the very first version of this level it was two words, but then I noticed that there was a pun in the name, so I merdged them together seeing that it would make it easier to find the pun, and it looks plain awesome like that. :P
_____________________________________

SP vote is done, I'll put my comments in later seeing that I need to go to bed soon.

Gemini Spark said:

MAPF4 - Sunkist Falls by Spherallic/Blade: 3/10
The overall level is good, but you did make one fatal error: the side paths to the base are connected at the area with the SRM! People can just use those and skip the rest of the level. Just fix that, and everything else should be fine.

Click to expand...

I just raged. If the overall level is good, why such a low score? And besides, your 'fatal error' isn't even true: It's a WRM, and the SRM is much further away!
Also, it features almost no items whatsoever, so you'll have to use the other paths for more items.
Lastly, the other paths are also not that much longer. I could cross the cave paths in 10 seconds with Sonic (w/o flag) and the most outer path within 14 seconds (with flag). So that doesn't matter much, doesn't it?

Also, http://pastebin.com/7r10t691
Pastebin updated.

Jadeflower Zone, Act 2 - 0/10
It was just terrible. I got frustrated with the confusing path splits and rejoins, and I wound up running around in circles for over five minutes before quitting the level. The fact that almost all of the enemies face backwards makes it even worse.
The scenery is severely lacking with only small amounts of hills and trees, and the scenery usually gets in the gameplay.
The gameplay is mostly running in extremely cramped tunnels at the start, and towards the end, it becomes mindless running in a massive field filled with absolutely nothing.
I have this a zero because I just couldn't finish it. It's frustrating.

Eggmansion Zone, Act 2 - 5/10
I don't really know about this one. It really didn't stand out to me in any way; most of the puzzles you used here felt too short-lived, and like I've seen them before. More use of the picture gimmick (as in, changing the theme and textures?) would have been interesting.
The level feels a lot like your other levels. The basic gameplay felt very similar (at least, to me, with the crushers and very similar room design in several cases), but it wasn't bad, but just not interesting.
I liked how you did the looping room gimmick; more use of that would've made the level more interesting. I didn't care for the picture one (it's essentially trial-and-error), I didn't like that one in the room that appears to be a dead-end (as you have to look for a small hole with a translucent floor) and the crusher rooms just felt like it's been done again and again, and your use wasn't particularly interesting or fun.
The scenery suited the theme well but I just felt it could use something more. There really wasn't much you've done other than hills, trees, and graves in the outside, and torches and lights in the castle.
It was a pretty linear level. I didn't find much in the way of bonuses and I only managed to find two different paths.
The custom enemies really didn't make the gameplay different, and I'd prefer it if you used another track for the music.

Overall, it's not a bad level, but it just doesn't feel special. About average.

Rainsoaked Ridge Zone, Act 1 - 4/10
It was mostly running. The level has a good amount of Springs, where the player hardly has to jump.
It's pretty flat, and the rooms get unnecessarily wide, and because they're devoid of detail, the level just had an empty feeling.
The enemy placement really didn't add any challenge.
Wasn't much in the way of bonuses, here; I only found one Invincibility Monitor and one cave with an Emerald Token, and it was obvious. The alternate paths were short-lived and none of them interesting.

Overall, just severely lacking and dull.

Mountain Fortress Zone - 3/10
Another really boring one. It's cramped at most points, ugly, and has bad gameplay.
The platforming was very dull and it's mostly running in linear hallways for a period of time, and then jumping into another one.
The scenery was actually nice in some areas, but the level as a whole was ugly.
I didn't find any bonuses at all in this level, or alternate paths. And it lacks music.

Overall, just a level which is extremely-lacking, and has dull and linear platforming.

Buzzard's Bay Zone - 0/10
Unplayable.

Giana Dream Blast Zone - 5/10
It was too similar to Mario Koopa Blast's first Act.
The platforming was...okay, but it was lacking and didn't have much to it. There wasn't much that as interesting and unique.
The paths were pretty unbalanced; the path behind you at the start is significantly faster than the other, and it's easier as well. There's also a lack of paths in general.
The scenery was pretty basic and the level could've used more of it. The texture choices fitted the theme, though, and so did the music.

Overall, a somewhat average level. It's surely better than all of your previous levels, but it still isn't much good.

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Overall, this contest was pretty disappointing for the Single-Player Division. The levels were average at best, and none of them were really interesting.