May/June 2012 Voting

Before talking about anything on the participants' work, I would like to say that we have a really, high quality 1 Player contest. Every map contains a lot of work and a lot of time to have such a success, without exceptions. I saw an important use of SOCS in some levels, and, these modifications were well applied and pretty interesting, the badniks SOCS were pretty originals, some other were... quite funny...
On the other hand, I saw some levels with awesome ideas ; about the building, or simply about gadgets and other cool stuff. This 1 Player section had exploited SRB2 at different points. The question I always asked to myself, is just : How you guys can do...that. I don't get it... it sounds almost impossible to me...

Let's start with Frozen Hillside Zone Act 2 by Blade : 7 / 10
Gameplay 3 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2
The next act of Frozen Hillside Zone keeps a "second act" shape, highly noticeable since the first second of the level. It also has some variations, I don't remember of any temple and rising snow (into the temple) in act 1. Still, the level isn't a hard challenge, we've got mechanical ones for that, your work sounds to a relaxing stage.
The platforms are slightly elaborated, I saw some snow currents, some ice block to break, like Ice Cap Zone's, some large ice platforms to break, and fields of snow slowing down the player... I don't think I need more complex stuff for a snowy level, it sounds "frozen".
About badniks, now that I noticed that, the Ice Cap penguin seems to work, but the snowman which throws hailstones... it has some aiming problems, hasn't it ? I stood still at 1 meter and 3 meter of it, and hitting me seems hard for it.
The platform patterns sounds great, anyway as long as I don't fall in snow. But, I think I didn't see enough ice-on-water, that idea where a plate of ice was used on the lake, like parts of an iceberg. Maybe was it because you wanted to have less water and more solid temples ?

I looked at the level with Tails' general view, by flying. I confirm that it is pure and relaxing. Also, it looks like to a mountain, from an aerial view...

I actually haven't a lot of important things to talk about, the overall stage is rather simple (I mean, the platforms of the outside.), but sweet. So, good job Blade.

Then, I continue with Chemical Facility Zone Act 2 by CoatRack : 8 / 10
Gameplay 4 / 5
Visual 2 / 3
Fun, pleasure 2 / 2
A demo ? I finished this level, while my first try, in around seven minutes... but, it's okay if it isn't finished, if the rest is supposed to be as successful as what I have played now, there are no problems at all~
So, the first thing I take care of, like in every levels, the music, in that case, Mechanical Resonance (you forgot to loop it, unfortunately), but does it fits with the Sonic Generations version of Chemical Plant ?
To talk about the Facility, or rather about the Chemical side first, I thought first that the orange liquid was lava. Actually, after testing, I guess they're chemical solutions, but they don't hurt... and also, there was that part, with blue chemical bullets rising. The orange solution covering the entire room was just standing like a big square near to that place with chemical bullets, if you see where is this... the last little detail is that waterfall, situated rather at the end, outside, near to two purple and one blue waterfalls. Its root is orange, but the waterfall is black (or hasn't Colormap) ~ that's just some little inconsistencies.
About the factory... well, you still have in mind some good challenges ! (You seem to like using timed actions, don't you ? Like pushing that green button and rising quickly the two doors at the top.) But yes, since you used the pretty good gauntlet of the toxic water rising, it's maybe better to don't use it two times in a row. Actually, it sounds more to an act 2 challenge. I don't remember of gravity in the first act, and there is more gravity in ERZ2 than ERZ1, so it should work.
Oh and yes, I noticed how you placed (especially at the beggining), badniks, lasers and other hurting things like traps.
I know what you wanted to do with the combination of the glue and the slime turret, but on my side, that combo didn't worked at all. I don't know about other, maybe was I lucky. But it's still a good spirit of initiative to dig in the gameplay like that.
About the decoration, or rather about the overall style, I find it... a little less complete than the first act, it's like if you were more bored of this mechanical theme, just a little. I think there aren't all the details you added everywhere on the first part of the zone.
In conclusion, this act of Chemical Facility seems to derive to some other side of the mechanical side, or should I say, to a ERZ-themed style. But of course, it still honor its name.


Following Industrial Valley Zone Act 1 by Zipper : 4 / 10
Gameplay 2 / 5
Visual 1 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2
This one is actually quite simple, and, to me, looks to a fusion of Techno Hill Zone and the toxic and rainy level of Mystic Realm, I don't remember its name. It is unfortunately in lack of homogeneity, this means some areas are in lack of industry (the wide plains at the beggining have not enough metallic stuff - nitric solutions sound more to "toxic" than "industry"), and vice-versa, some areas are in lack of valley, especially around the middle/end, when the stage only takes place in the factory. The ideas 'Industry' and 'Valley' should work more together.
For example, the beggining is some rising platforms (without forgetting the classical crawlas), quite simple for the moment. There are maybe some long metallic passes, one in the cave and one in the sky (with a secret : an extra life. That was well done), as well as some toxic puddles, but they're in a quite low amount. Of course, the area with the rising nitric solution was great to introduce to the mechanical side, but the red spring (the 2nd group of springs, I think) throw the player too much far away, so I had to intensely slow down when they propulsed me. Just a small detail~
Later, on the factory, jumping on the rising circular platforms was a pretty rushed idea, whereas you were able to think to something better, remember also that the player is underwater underslime, allowing smoother moves, this may leads you to a better idea than just jumping over a black pit.
There was that part with a broken pipe that you tried to use as a mecha/Valley area. But, and I'll derive to the style, why is the ceiling of the solution inside the pipe (and in some other areas too) blue, and the body pink ?
In overall, the only things which were able to add some decoration were the mechanical pipes, and maybe some particular valley platform structures.
I already heard that music somewhere... what was its name ? It kinds of help your level to mix the valley and industrial theme, actually~

Next is Sonic's Schoolhouse by Boinciel : 8 / 10
Have some special scale about this special one.
Amount of work : 4 / 5
Kind and taste of the joke 2 / 3
Care 2 / 2
Why yes, 80% of the maximal note. Since it's a joke level, I used some parallel criterions, but they actually look to gameplay, visual and fun. It's a joke level (it doesn't follow the level design rules, and want to represent something instead of displaying a level), but this doesn't mean it's a rushed piece of junk, far away from, the player isn't supposed to play a stage but to "watch and enjoy what the author did there". Let's skip to your work then, Boinciel ;
I knew Sonic's Schoolhouse, I haven't played it, but I heard of it, and reproducing it with Sonic's replies and all the childish stuff was pretty funny to see. You haven't worked in minutes to extract all the sprites from the original software (included all the posters I noticed at the walls) and making the level by programming the triggers, so we can say it's a worked joke. I wished I could have a longer "Sonic adventure" like he says, but let's count the steps...*jump on the blocks, the 4 answers, getting 10 and 20 rings with Robotnik in the garden, and then 3 rooms of mathematics...* well, that's still 4 funny games I should try again later. Sonic's Schoolhouse is so childish ‎^__^"

Lightless Labyrinth Zone by ShadowHog : 6 / 10
Gameplay 3 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 0 / 2
Here the three A representing my reactions, in order : Affraid, Amused, Angry.
At the beggining, I immediatly felt in love with the dark ambiance like I do with deep levels. Then, lights turned off, and it looked scary until the piano music started (do you mind telling me what is this music's name ? I really like it.) Everything worked perfectly for some minutes. But, the first time I played your level just traumatized me, explaining why didn't I take any pleasure. I was on running everywhere since thirty minutes to find the issue, the exit, and since I swallowed every rings used as arrows, it was kind of hard to find a way. I thought that the arrows were traps, so I followed the other way they were aiming at. It's not my fault, when I see a mystical level like this one, I always doubt on some things. I usually like weird and confusing enigmas like this one, but most of the time, I solve them...
So, the best souvenir of your level was without any doubts, these white lights. Is it really a lightless labyrinth, by the way ? Since I saw a lot of lights~ Also, by searching my way, I learnt by heart every light position.
Let's analyse, then. The main idea is to dive the level into a controlled darkness and by spreading lights like guide. I won't say things are copied and pasted randomly, because they are organized to provide a particular challenge. The main idea got suddenly broken with the apparition of the terrifying monster coming out from the ... glass. That boss was without any doubts, the most classy SOC of your level, between the flying black and red spirits, I loved how it looked more to a dangerous flying "possessed burning fire" spirit than a simple monster. That because, once more, of the darkness. But I also noticed the use of polyobjects, I remember that room with a lot of invisible flying platforms in every sense. It was kind of magical, but also scary.
In conclusion, I'll remember of that weird level and of its continuous annoying piano music... it was really challenging !~

Finally, Azure Temple Zone by Mystic & Prime 2.0 : 9 / 10
Gameplay 4 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 2 / 2
(Between fans, we know that phantasm is impossible (or almost). On the Touhou scale, this level should be between Hard and Lunatic, what do you think of it ? But, of course, it couldn't make a good subtitle, kero kero-)
I'll start quickly on the bad things of that stage so I can go to what I loved.
It's too bad that the frameskip is low... there are so many things in this subterranean ? The message about typing some commands barely worked on my side... but since I was with Tails, I didn't have so much troubles. It's a little narrow, but I'm sure that was used for the difficulty.
My main reason for loving this level is its difficulty, and what is nice of you is that you took care to set the lives to 15. I'm sure that with 3 lives, it would be too much difficult, and marks should low dramatically about an impossible aquatic stage. And to continue on that, this is a true 100% underwater level. The temple, lost into deep waters, is muffled by the ocean, and so it sounds visually and emotionally to these old ruins, lost ... under the sea. Gargoyles impose strategical and smooth moves, forcing to dodge, like... in some danmakus. The bubbled mines-badniks are helpful, but you eventually used them as traps... when the bubble is breathed, Sonic falls at the vertical. And at the bottom, there's a pit... nice strategy~ There are also a lot of evil strategies like this one done by gargoyles.
There was also this part with air currents, a clearly area which needed some agility that I haven't. All this organization displays a high quality challenge for players, but only about mastering a character's moves underwater. But it's still a great training.
I don't think there are problems about your style of decoration, the game itself seems to be puzzled with the marine beauty of the temple, and this deep, abyssal, intense feeling of profundity dive the player into a totally submarine attraction. Playing through this tricky maze is a true quest. :3

Green Match Zone 1 by Root : 2 / 10
Gameplay 0 / 5
Visual 1 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2
I'm sorry Root, but the things have to be said, this is really a simple and disorganized mini-level.
I just can't give any points about the gameplay... the stage doesn't follow the basic building rules (don't make too much narrow places -not too wide too-, have an organization and a succession of ideas through the different rooms, have some good sense when placing the rings...). Most of the time, rings are used in lines of 3/5, and why not 10, and, if you want, are supposed to 'rush' the player to the direction the line is aiming. But if there is something really unprofessional about their placement, it's to throwing them anywhere, for room filling or other unvalid reasons. Rings are nice people. Place them like some straights of lines, use the purple things type ('rings paterns') to give the player some when he uses a spring, and eventually, use circles of rings, but this is more for Match or CTF. I promise that rings will reward you if you place them properly, by improving how your level looks. In CTF and Match, a rule says that the 6 special weapons must be present. In your level, there are only the scatter and the automatic, breaking that rule. You must have all the weapon pannels. Also, make sure to add them the same 'Floating effect' as the rings have.
About sectors... well, this can takes time... for example, try to keep a consistency with your stage's universe (the death pit water was the best example of inconsistency)... I can't say everything here, so... the things you can do to improve your organization and building skills is to FIRST, play some well-built levels (the original SRB2 levels, why not Tortured Planet... there are a lot of good designers, just look to what they wanted to do in their work, watch for the room composition, I think it's one of your biggest L. Design problem), and THEN, study the rules of the SRB2 Level Design construction, Mystic gave the link above my post.
Building skills take more time for some people to get, but if you keep believing that you can do better, because you DO have the skills to make better maps, you'll improve and make better maps. It's just that your talent didn't blossomed yet. But please, you should really learn some things about other's maps and about the rules...~

Marble Zone by CoatRack : 8 / 10
Gameplay 4 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2
I don't think that saying it's a reference from some older game is useful... I was expecting to some lava and grass fields, destroyed ruins, and some spiky chains, but I never thought about... these moving glasses !~
Also, I heard of tunes 129, which seemed to be better... I don't agree. CoatRack's aim was, in my opinion, turning Marble Zone to a next generation, he took some freedoms about the building organization, but there are still all the great winks to Sonic 1. A wide song like the one he chose fits correctly with ruins.
So, the stage is a kind of temple, it looks to a Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch stage... since we have also an outside part. Your level shows all the faces of the old Marble Zone. Now, to talk about the SRB2 shape :
The level is supposed to be dangerous, and it is, I got a great view of "danger" by jumping from the bounce ring platform. The ruins are characterized by stairs, columns, and why not, holes (blasts ?) in some walls, like in the shield's, so I think the sector level is great, it seems to be pretty well respected.
I didn't paid attention to rings, that means they're organized. About weapon pannels, however, maybe the bounce ring is at a wrong place...
I don't know Sonics' opinion about that, but I love these aerial structures. Finally someone who take cares of other characters. Tails can finally have his own speedway from the top. It's really a positive thing that I rarely find.

I talked a lot about the amazingness of the overall view of the level in my firsts sentences, so you know the music : detailed, traditionnal, pretty-good looking... lights effects also add a much better atmosphere into the ruined temple. It was really sweet visiting and playing through the field.

Glades of Serenity by Scizor300 : I'll go with 7 / 10
Gameplay 3 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2

Let's start with the thing I disliked, and I also found that on another post, the main path is obviously too long and ambushed. Jumps become also harder in the rail ring room, with water gaps, turning the flag possessor's running going slower. Next time, I'll be sure to use the pass in the trees, at the top, like Mystic. This pass is sooo much easier and, adding to that, has some shields. Glad to see that climbing the small mountain, after taking the flag, in direction of this tree pass, isn't so easy. (Just a small detail I noticed, there are 3 emerald spawn points pretty close to each other in that top pass)

As well as the rings and weapon pannels, situated at their good position to use them, I won't go deeper on the visuals looking great. Majestic Grove Zone, as well as another pretty looking treeway level you made for an older contest, were actually with the same touch of style as this one, and I always liked these tropicals details. I can see that you like adding some humans' construction in your forests, don't you ? :3

The online game I had with you wasn't bad, but I felt that feeling of "just running between the bases, on a kind of 'track'".

Oh, and I love the level's name, by the way.


Fungus Forest by RedEnchilada : 6 / 10
Gameplay 3 / 5
Visual 2 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2

This level is actually a good area to fight, but maybe more made for Sonic. (The water passes are quite embarassing for Tails and Knuckles....) I think it needs more 10-rings boxes in some zones, I almost never see them in "casual" areas (let's say, inside the beige texture rooms), whereas there are 50 rings (3 boxes + 21 rings) in that beige room that we can see from the scatter pannel ;
By talking about weapons, let's see... Scatter, okey. Bomb and grenade, perfect position for counterattack or defending the base. Bounce ring, well, it's true that there are some walls in this wide room, so let's say OK. Rail, I think its position doesn't bother masters of rail, but begginers should have some troubles around here. Automatic however, well, is through a secret pass... original, original. I'm neutral about its position.
Sectors aren't complex, but at least, I don't have to complain about. There are just water passes slowing down which are a trouble.

The forest looks... pretty fungus. I mean, I just love how you gave that feeling of "forest closed to the sky", improving the mushrooms' loneliness and making them sound a little toxic. But, what about making some mushroom platforms ? Did you have that idea ? Only using a texture is quite lazy... and also, some wide areas, like the one around the rail ring pannel, need more platform decoration. Look for Scizor300's map's floors and walls. You can find some good ideas for a tropical/forest here.

I just hated when I was into the water passes, that's all. The rest is fine.

Industrial Valley Zone Act 1 by me : ducks/tinyducks

Oh hey I contributed in saving the OLDC yay me.
The music is "Machine Area" from Kirby's Return to Dreamland, if people wonder.

Azure Temple Zone by Mystic & Prime 2.0 : 8/10

Okay I'm going to be honest : No matter how rage inducingly difficult this was, it somehow also managed to be fun. All the hard platforming and the puzzles, were introduced and executed very well all the way through, and they were still fair, no matter how hard they were. The only problems I had were how small and clustered the map was, and how rewards were insane to get to. Even torture should have standards. :/

Sonic's Schoolhouse by Boinciel : 6/10

Never played Sonic's Schoolhouse, but I'm just going to assume this level is an accurate representation of what it is. Amusing. All the blocks, all the numbers, Sonic's guidance through the level all felt very entertaining....in a weird, silly kind of way. I don't know how to explain it. the gimmicks all had great replay value though.

Frozen Hillside Zone Act 2 by Blade : 7/10

Not much to say about this one. I pretty much have the same feelings as I did for Act 1, maybe slightly worse. This one felt blander and more straightforward, but nevertheless still good. The ice palace definitely shone with its interesting gimmick.

Chemical Facility Zone Act 2 by CoatRack : 8/10

I don't get all the hate for this. It was fine. Exploitation of water physics was definitely something I was looking for, as I always felt that uderwater physics didn't get as much interest, unlike what the classics did. Gel usage was nice, though you could have done so much more. Aside from that, the plus sides are the same as Act 1.The downsides are that turrets are everywhere. Every platform, every challenge, every everything. They pretty much ruined 15% of the map.
also the conveyors and the annoying music but eeeeh

Lightless Labyrinth Zone by ShadowHog : 6/10

Hello, what's this? no seriously what is this I can't see anything

In all seriousness though, this one felt very enjoyable for the first half. Follow the conveniently placed lights, destroy ghosts, destroy fire ghosts, all in the dark. The second half KILLED me with its enemy abuses and cheap crushers however. Really annoying, really tiresome. In the dark, it's best if some things are left easy.
The boss is nice, it's "original" and worth playing.