xxBeanGirl420xx
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1. Caustic Crater Zone by Seaballer
2. Bricked Busted Zone by Mikhael Blur
3. Digital DeLuche Zone by RoyKirbs
4. Lucid Landscape Zone by Othius
5. Lofty Woods Zone by Vixuzen
6. Grass Planet Zone by Voidy2246
7. Botanic Space Zone Act 2 by DeltaSanic
8. Nimbus Lake Zone by Yyeellooww7
9. Rhyolite Ruin Zone by Radicalicious
10. Follow Your Rainbow by Rogerregorroger
11. Frozen Fissure Zone by Garrean
12. Command Facility Zone by Twins'R'Okay
13. Powder Park Zone by DakotaSpine
14. Invasion Zone by JABSphere94
15. Something Zone by Marcos
16. The Twins Palace Zone by Chaolino
17. Sunset Summit Zone by Entropy
18. Blue Glacier Zone by BronsoKip
19. Pineapple Prairie Zone by SupaCustardbro
20. Iron Dominion Zone by MK.exe
21. Junkyard Jeopardy Zone by PhilJFou/ChaRG
all levels were play-tested with vanilla Sonic.
some maps were additionally tested with Robo-Hood.
Lofty Woods Zone was also tested with Super Mario.
link to live review VOD here (warning, 7 hours, with some maps re-rated since the airing of this stream):
REVIEWS as-written (in order):
1. Caustic Crater Zone by Seaballer
Cons:
seems confused about whether or not it wants to be a speed map or a platforming map. does an OK job at mixing the two, but i think it would do a ton better at focusing on primarily one over the other. 50/50ing is just always a mistake from a gameplay perspective in srb2 maps, in my opinion, because you're balancing on a knifes edge—the player might find themselves geared, mentally, for speed, and feel impeded by platforming; or the player might tailor their play for tight platforming, only to be met with run-run sections.
Pros:
aesthetic is supremely clean. the contrast of the yellow pipes against the dark greys and light green toxic sludge is very, very nice. it looks great. aesthetically, this is a huge win for "Toxic Chemical WastePlant Zone" lovers, and should be praised for it's simple, yet meticulous design elements. the detailing in the map geometry alone elevates it. executes very well on its core gameplay loop, and overall feels very straight-forward. the player can hop in and play without feeling like the map is working against them throughout. there are multiple paths, but they don't cause much confusion due to tight directioning. map is about as long as it needs to be to have as much punch as it can possibly deliver. cute gimmicks with the electro-hazards; golden monitors are new to me, and i don't see them often. the golden magnet/electro shield section was a smart choice!
Overall:
8/10 -- i thought this map was an absolute winner in this competition. a good balance of gameplay-centric and aesthetics-centric design. could have focused a bit more on some aspects of its gameplay over others (my main complaints being the room with the simple button that opens the door—its a bit awkward in informing the player, and the button feels pointless; and the ending section, with jumps a bit too tight compared to the rest of the map, imo), but is genuinely fun to play and great to look at. a solid map and the strongest entry i've played in this OLDC so far [as of this writing].
2. Bricked Busted Zone by Mikhael Blur
Cons:
struggles as a consequence of its scale. it is not a simple map, and some of its hazards expect a player to move through the stage in a very particular way (this is especially true for springs and spring sections), which informs a lack of playtesting from other players, possibly as an unfortunate oversight (because the stage is so big!!!!!!!!!!!). many of the hazards and areas of the map can be skipped by what seems like complete accident, and the map seems very breakable with anyone with vertical movement abilities; this is a tails wasteland most likely
Pros:
extremely large, intricate, high effort map with a lot of careful, meticulous map design, environmental design, aesthetic choice and focus going into every element of the map, including pathing, directioning, with a general awareness of what the player might be interacting with at every point of the map in terms of its gameplay. looks very pretty, is very large, likely will not be completely explored by a player in a single or even a few playthroughs.
Overall:
7.3/10 -- extremely high effort map, but misses the mark with some of its gameplay. aesthetic choice is very sound, and the music slaps, but unfortunately, the music isnt what is being rated here. weigh this map as 7.2 in the event of a tie or a close one with a 7.25 map (but make sure to weigh them closely before making this decision)
3. Digital DeLuche Zone by RoyKirbs
Cons:
not really platforming-centric? kind of heavily leaned on its gimmicks to deliver gameplay to the player. aesthetic is a bit one-note, and the high contrast can become a bit grating over time.
Pros:
very FUN gimmicks that effectively deliver gameplay to the player. lots of moving slopes, enjoys the simplicity of that gimmick, and executes on it well. the skyboxes pair with the map geometry nicely creating a cohesive environmental game plan. a lot of creativity and cuteness packed into a relatively short and straightforward map. linear, but not in a bad way.
Overall:
7 -- fun map, though gimmick-heavy. ball-sections were unfortunately skippable due to gaps near the walls! i enjoyed it, and it was overall good. a strong contender in this competition overall.
4. Lucid Landscape Zone by Othius
Cons:
deceptively linear. from my perspective, it's not very straightforward that the exploration is available to the player. it is a very cool path from start to end, but the path is very clearly defined, so much so that it can make it challenging for the player to naturally discover the rest of the map on their own unless they're overwhelmed by the spectacle of the environment. some of the platforming is chunky and needed more playtesting to smooth out the experience. anti-grav (im biased) is a cheap gimmick. i hate it lmao.
Pros:
environmentally insane. pushes the limits of what the "new" slope technology can display in terms of map geometry. very clearly defined architectural design of the map that sometimes transcends the natural order of the game's engine. the game struggles to keep up with what the map's capabilities explain to the player, and this is part of the map's strength in terms of pure spectacle. very fun to look at, and would do extremely well in very modern-sonic-centric gameplay, which is rare (but becoming more popular) for srb2 maps.
Overall:
7.25/10 -- there are clear strengths of this map that serve as a triumph of the addition of slopes, and the absolute slaying of the big M himself. unfortunately, the gameplay can be a bit lackluster (at least as informed by my two playthroughs of the map as Sonic). very likely problematic for other characters, especially if they lack the ability to take advantage of the extreme slopes. the anti-grav feels like a good method to extend the map design by using the ceiling as another section. it's clever. but there are issues—and sometimes outright bugs—that impede gameplay enough for me to feel like the potential of an 8 or 9 is impossible in the map's current state.
-- note, was informed of a no-spin route, but i still feel similarly despite this knowledge. rate within 7-7.5 when matched against maps in its range.
5. Lofty Woods Zone by Vixuzen
Cons:
aesthetic was very bland. very one-note texturing, almost like a final-demo map. i personally like that style only for nostalgic purposes; for maps in the modern era, it's just not enough to compete, aesthetically. environment was pretty hot-swappable; the trees and mountanous sorta vibe wasn't at all necessary in terms of the map design itself, and could've been anything. anti-grav sections did not make sense with the environment choice.
Pros:
extremely fun slope-centric platforming. was "linear" in that there was a clear path for the player to take, but the areas were open enough that the platforming was open-ended, varied, and fun at all times. a lot of care was taken in making sure the platforming made sense, even when the verticality was maximized in the cavernous area of the map with the pillar in the middle. made for a good challenge as a non-vertical character like sonic, and felt varied enough with vertical characters (mario was used here) that the experience was similarly fun, but varied enough that replayability seems to be this map's strong suit, and would almost certainly win this competition (as played so far) if the aesthetics were as strong as its platforming.
Overall:
6.75/10 -- my personal favorite in terms of gameplay, though i may be over-rating this due to my personal bias in favor of gameplay over aesthetics. weigh this more toward 6.25-5 range when comparing with other maps. [personal note] please keep in mind aesthetic choices also concern a great deal of effort, and should be weighed similarly heavily to maps that have strong platforming or gameplay sections, but not any aesthetic prowess displayed.
6. Grass Planet Zone by Voidy2246
(NOTE: this map was re-rated several times during the writing of this review; it is being posted as it was originally written.
also, this map was completed with both Sonic and Robo-Hood.)
Cons:
relies exclusively on gravity-flipping, which is probably the least-accessible stupid gimmick in this stupid-ass game. i hate this gimmick so much. i wish they wouldn't force my dumbass camera to stay unflipped while im upside-down twiddling my thumbs in the upsidedown world like "ohhhhh shit did i just enter mirrorland? where am i? did i accidentally fade into the void? lmao!" i dont understand why people continue to use anti-gravity like it's not the worst possible gameplay mechanic that could've ever been introduced into this game since the multithok, but here we are in 2022 pretending it's a legitimate design paradigm. i hate it so much. i need the console command that makes it bearable, because my brain hurts right now
Pros:
interesting aesthetic choice, relies on a singular powerful gimmick throughout the stage and executes on it as best as it possibly can. map is cohesive, and probably fun for the right person. there is clearly a good amount of effort put into this map. linear, but makes the map feel open with its environments.
Overall:
6.5/10 -- good!!! ???
live quote:
7. Botanic Space Zone Act 2 by DeltaSanic
Cons:
underutilized gimmick. the monitor-breaking to "destroy" the factory is cool and could have been more elaborate throughout the map, informing the player more obviously that their action was accomplishing what they wanted it to be accomplishing (map effects are challenging though, so it's understandable this wasn't really done as much as it could've, though more monitor-breaking would've made more sense to me). stage starts out very slow, almost confusingly slow, and doesn't become clear about what it's trying to do until about half-way in. struggles with ambiguity in big open areas like many other maps in this sequence, but overall doesn't lean on them too much so this isn't a huge problem most likely (unless they miss the primary gimmick at the beginning; then this map becomes a nightmare lmao)
Pros:
aesthetic choice was the strongest with this zone overall in the competition so far (as of this writing), telling a story with the actual map design rather than putting an overemphasis on an overall "feel". informs the player of exactly what kind of message the mapper is conveying with the map in terms of what's going on with an implied map narrative. map is surprisingly large, and flows unusually well, with an interesting gimmick that plays into this narrative.
Overall:
6.25/10 -- good! it's a good solid map, very nice direction, the mapper clearly thought a lot about how to put this map into rotation while also conveying a message purely from its design. clever! you don't see that very often. unfortunately a bit basic in its design, sometimes cluttered, sometimes too open, and the gimmick is cool but a bit thrown-in, but overall very good; shows promise from the creator for sure. lean 6.3-5 ish if pitted against another
8. Nimbus Lake Zone by Yyeellooww7
Cons:
linear. not much choice for the player. it's a balancing act to give the player choice while also not confusing them, but this one does definitely kinda heavily lean on just pushing forward and calling it a day. tbh i kinda like that but it's not always a good thing. under-utilization of the gimmicks, kinda wanted to fit in a bunch of stuff (it seemed like) but wasnt able to focus on just one gimmick to execute on, so it felt a bit watered down. some areas of the map felt devoid of action, especially water pits and water areas, lack of objects overall really
Pros:
clear aesthetic, uses linearity to its advantage by creating the feeling of open space with its environmental design, rather than creating ambiguous pits of direction and choice for the player to figure out on their own. some nice gimmicks like buttons to increase water elevation for platforms, overall very lovely feeling atmosphere
Overall:
6.25/10 -- very good map, very clear strong improvement from this map creator; they're only getting better and better
9. Rhyolite Ruin Zone by Radicalicious
Cons:
aesthetically bland compared to a lot of maps nowadays. very one-note "lava level" which is alright but not anything particularly compelling, though this might be biased because lava levels are always kinda boring to me in particular.
tight spaces work against the player almost all the time, and not in a precision kinda way, but in a "oh god i really wish i had more space to use this engine lmao" kinda way. i breezed through it on the second try because im kinda a god at this game lmao? but the average player might not have as much success on their playthroughs. nights in srb2 (imo) excells when there's plenty of open space sections to be kinda crazy with it, and this required tightness almost 100% of the way through the map, with lots of sections broken up with hazards or walls to bump into. not fun! (unless you're a god, like me)
some of the MARE were so close to each other it felt confusing as to which axis i was on. my brain
Pros:
nights stage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
very well-thought-out nights stage, multiple MARE, had a clear beginning, middle, and end portion and felt like the mapper understood the paradigm they were working in. tons of potential
Overall:
6.25/10 -- love me some nights, but i miss botanic serenity. i am biased!
10. Follow Your Rainbow by Rogerregorroger
Cons:
Did not flow very well, gimmicks were funny but sometimes felt shoehorned in, exploration heavy but not much to be gained from exploring beyond funny art assets (which is a pro but also a con)
Pros:
A creative triumph, very silly, artistically sound, very clear direction in what the creator wanted to accomplish with the map (I think)
Overall:
6/10 -- good!
11. Frozen Fissure Zone by Garrean
Cons:
much of the level feels designed for sonic. consequentially, any vertical character will be able to breeze through it, and sonic will suffer almost exclusively. it feels like it's possible forcing the character into sonic might have been a good design choice for this one, though the directioning for a lot of the more open sections became enough of an issue that the player (me) would believe it's possible they're going in circles. some of the areas feel so similar, that even though there could be a big difference in the design of the platforming, the player may end up confused thinking they circled back to the beginning. being a challenge map with a hard-punisher in the form of pits in between every column, jump, and platforming section, there are not enough starposts to allow the player to make mistakes -> learn the area -> clear the area -> make mistakes. can be more punishing than it needs to be, even when the sections are more straightforward than others.
had some teleports that were required due to map size restriction, but they felt unnatural (and could cause a player to accidentally skip a starpost, because they do not halt momentum)
Pros:
feels like a challenge map that was *designed* for sonic gameplay. it's like the mystic-brand of "hey here are some cubes to stand on, figure it out or just lose lol" kind of challenge, but with significantly more variance in platforming, and more of a focus on getting the player moving where they need to be moving. aesthetic was tight but it's also very generic "ice level", ice physics added for some dynamic challenge, and the slopes were a nice touch in terms of adding to the platforming
Overall:
6/10 -- it's actually a really good map for a map designed to be challenging. i don't know if that was the intent, but its platforming is its primary strength, but lean 5.5-6/10 when pit against any map in the 5-7 range to account for over-compensation of bias. i had fun playing it, but it also wasnt the best map. it was above average overall, but flatlined in a lot of areas.
12. Command Facility Zone by Twins'R'Okay
Cons:
very basic runny-runny run run straight line map. not particularly complicated with the gameplay loop it executed on. simple.
Pros:
hilarious gimmick. made sure to execute on the "doom but runny runny run run straight line" paradigm, and it works well to create some laughs if you understand the reference. plays pretty well, though it is simple. aesthetically, it's doom.
Overall:
6/10 -- funny map, referential humor. basic gameplay, but i had fun. above average! i liked it.
13. Powder Park Zone by DakotaSpine
Cons:
The map approaches most of its design in a very straightforward way, which is its strength, but also its glaring weakness; comes across as pretty average, though well-decorated, pretty almost filler-ish of a map
Pros:
Again, extremely clear and focused aesthetic decision, works very well; level layout utilizes slopes in a decent way, flat areas are full of stuff to do in them (scenery or enemies), flows pretty ok after getting used to the map layout, probably more to explore on multiple playthroughs
Overall:
5.5/10 -- average leaning to good, probably lean 6/10 in the event of a tie (so give it the edge in a tie)
14. Invasion Zone by JABSphere94
Cons:
map design at first (and sometimes toward the middle) felt like someone's first map ever. i mean like legit long stretches of rectangles drawn in zonebuilder, weird broken thok barriers, that kinda thing. aesthetic choices were weak until the map unfirled, but before then, it felt like a "run forward and thok" sorta situation. some of the directioning is jank and sometimes feels a bit random. especially that terrible loop-around button section. yikes. a vertical character will just ascend through everything.
Pros:
it's GOOD verticality! the map definitely became more defined the further into the map the player goes. tells a story with the path it sets the player on, and ends with a satisfying conclusion. takes its hazards relatively seriously, with several sections dedicated toward either confronting enemies directly, or juking enemies through long cooridoor sections. on-the-surface a very basic map, but actually deceptively dynamic. plays better than it looks.
Overall:
5/10 -- i think it's a good map with gameplay-centered design choices, and very clearly wanted the player to experience these designs as-written. the map suffers from some of these basic choices in that the map's design is very basic almost all of the time. but this opens up a bit when the slope and half-pipe platforming come more and more into play. the boss fight at the end saves the entire map.
15. Something Zone by Marcos
Cons:
relies almost exclusively on its gimmick, doesn't really venture far beyond it. because it's axis2d, there's a higher likelihood of the map forcing the player to hold right for several minutes. unfortunately, this map falls into that category. you just hold right and jump a bit. some of the sections had you hold right while changing direction, which was very jarring and not very player-friendly, though i dont know if that's necessarily the mapper's fault or if that's just how axis2d works. most of the sub-zone areas of the map, while cool-looking, didn't really do much of anything with those little areas; they just sorta existed as a "wow look, its this zone! cool! okay next one? wow okay that was something". had some memes at the end but i cant factor that into the actual map itself in terms of this competition. memes cant be the saving grace of the entire map experience, unless the setup itself was to exit the map and go into the skybox. not much to interact with; map was a straight line.
REQUIRES (or heavily recommends) SOFTWARE. no good!
Pros:
was something!!!! creative use of axis2d, 2d maps getting love is always good. paths were interesting even though you mostly held right throughout the stage. took you through every zone of the game as part of its narrative. very creative, and a good showing for a unique gimmicky map.
Overall:
5/10 -- fun map because of the memes, cool setpieces with the zones, but pretty average in terms of gameplay; probably not replayable, and suffers due to axis2d restricting gameplay to a very basic loop. maintain 5/10 when comparing with other maps
16. The Twins Palace Zone by Chaolino
Cons:
hazards are very, VERY hard to see sometimes. can basically chunk up gameplay to a "lmao im gonna just keep collecting and losing rings and thokking i guess" bit of a slog. the branching paths all lead to the same places in a short amount of time, so they feel a bit pointless? it's possible i fucked up and accidentally backtracked but it felt a bit like a gimmick that wasnt fully executed on. the map can be a little bit hard on the eyes with the neon blues and purples. it's very high contrast, and makes for a bit of an unpleasant look in some areas.
Pros:
i don't really understand the virtual world that's being created with these maps. i don't know who these characters are. but i do know that whatever it is they're doing in this virtual world, it's clearly their world and one that im interacting with. (so basically, it's aesthetically very focused, but i dont honestly understand the aesthetic that well lol). the map has lots of open space and not in a bad way; gives the player room to breathe between sections that might be more puzzle-y or closed, so the player doesn't feel claustrophobic during gameplay. environments and hazards are varied and interesting, and custom assets look very nice in the engine.
Overall:
5/10 -- it feels about the same as the last oldc map from this creator in terms of pacing and direction. i feel very solidly in the 5/10 range for this map. in the event of a tie, weigh lower for this one.
17. Sunset Summit Zone by Entropy
Cons:
Ambiguous sections of the map are aggressively punishing for characters without vertical movement (which nowadays is pretty much only Sonic lmao), slopes felt a bit haphazardly applied throughout the map, felt like it needed more playtesting to improve the overall flow
Pros:
Very clear aesthetic choice that was pleasingly executed throughout the map, simple gimmick worked well for the verticality, ambiguous sections were appropriately broken up with nice linear runny run run sections
Overall:
4.5/10 -- pretty average but seems like a good first start, leaning 5/10 but 4.5/10 just in case there is a tie in later rankings
18. Blue Glacier Zone by BronsoKip
Cons:
partially executed. map is unfinished, and was submitted in an unfinished state. very, very short because it is unfinished, and it just sorta... ends, with no modification to the ending parts of its unfinished-ness. map could have been salvaged in its unfinished state with a little bit of effort, but it's possible the mapper ran into some issues toward the end and just wanted to submit it. i empathize, but the map suffers as a consequence
Pros:
extremely high effort aesthetic choice, lots of verticality that doesn't make the player suffer in terms of ambiguity (it's clear where you need to go, though this makes it semi-linear it's not a bad thing). clear platforming sections where the mapper wants you to take advantage of certain aspects of your environment. lots of very good ideas on paper that are partially-executed.
Overall:
3.5/10 -- lots of promise, but is unfinished. looks very cool, but is very clearly unfinished. hopefully will be finished so it can receive a better rating, but it's unfair (in my opinion) to place this map high for its potential vs its execution.
19. Pineapple Prairie Zone by SupaCustardbro
Cons:
relatively flat in terms of what to do. you just kinda runny jumpy run run jump through the stage with platforming that can likely be skipped by almost every character except for sonic (vertical characters will almost certainly skip most of this stage). hazards can be skipped, and some of the geometry is a bit confused, not because the mapper made bad decisions, but probably because of brand new impressions of some map functions like quicksand (which was used on clouds; kinda confusing), zoom tubes (which were used for no real reason), and some other line effects just kinda randomly put in. nice custom death animation, but the mapper expected the player to die to see it, and that's not always a good sign; probably not a good sign for this map in particular. no colormap on water, which i would consider to be relatively basic even if an aesthetic choice.
Pros:
original assets! cute textures, cute design, cohesive aesthetic (i feel like most maps are really good about this in the present day, which is cool). linear map, but that helps it stay relatively organized in terms of directing the player to where they need to be. linearity is not necessarily bad, and this map doesnt suffer too much as a consequence of it
side note: map was very fun as robo-hood. please dont ask me why.
Overall:
3.5/10 -- i think there's a lot of promise from the mapper in terms of what they might be able to do with some more experience and knowledge about how everything works, and how to put together their ideas in a more cohesive way. right now, it looks like they're off to a great start despite the low rating, and i think there's more they likely have to show, and can only go up from here most certainly.
20. Iron Dominion Zone by MK.exe
Cons:
extremely confusing pathing throughout the map. directs a player one way, but actually requires other pathing, which can cause false soft-locking (eg: no idea where to go, stuck in the same simple area for a while due to a silly gimmick that was not pointed out beforehand to the player). player is expected to be on the lookout for breakables when the breakables are not at all obvious or pointed out to the player. informs a lack of playtesting (or playtesting that missed the mark). aesthetic is very generic THZ; executed fine, but nothing particularly exciting. relies on button-finding.
Pros:
had some interesting mechanics with wall-bounces (though underutilized). despite aesthetic being basic, executed fine. button-finding was actually pretty OK when the pathing was discovered, because the buttons were localized to individual rooms and not the whole level.
Overall:
3.5/10 -- looks fine, has technical prowess, but has a distinct lack of focus on what the player might be seeing. playtesting is critical when the capability of the mapper is very high. it feels a bit unfair to have higher expectations for mappers who know what they're doing, but empathy is the key to good gameplay, and for me, it was missing in this map. directioning was a mess, gimmick was not a good choice. also, a bit basic, and felt bit short despite its design.
21. Junkyard Jeopardy Zone by PhilJFou/ChaRG
Cons:
hazards lack clarity. sometimes blend in with map too much. button gimmick toward the middle section of the map requires extensive backtracking, doesnt make it clear where to go, or what sectors are even buttons. can get very easily lost in areas of the map that are not very complicated in terms of design.
Pros:
music is good. aesthetic is fine, passable.
Overall:
3/10 -- very clunky execution of one of the worst gimmicks in srb2's history. if you have a button gimmick, all of the buttons need to have a consistent design and clear "this is a button" energy to them so that the player knows what to look for in order to progress. when simple sections of the map, and i mean literal cubes of sections of map, cause directioning issues, it signals to me a lack of precision in testing the gameplay loop for a player from the perspective of someone who is *not* the mapper. also, some rendering errors in OGL, which is the map's preferred renderer. not sure if this is an error with the mapper's tagging, or with the renderer. may need to revisit to clarify.
2. Bricked Busted Zone by Mikhael Blur
3. Digital DeLuche Zone by RoyKirbs
4. Lucid Landscape Zone by Othius
5. Lofty Woods Zone by Vixuzen
6. Grass Planet Zone by Voidy2246
7. Botanic Space Zone Act 2 by DeltaSanic
8. Nimbus Lake Zone by Yyeellooww7
9. Rhyolite Ruin Zone by Radicalicious
10. Follow Your Rainbow by Rogerregorroger
11. Frozen Fissure Zone by Garrean
12. Command Facility Zone by Twins'R'Okay
13. Powder Park Zone by DakotaSpine
14. Invasion Zone by JABSphere94
15. Something Zone by Marcos
16. The Twins Palace Zone by Chaolino
17. Sunset Summit Zone by Entropy
18. Blue Glacier Zone by BronsoKip
19. Pineapple Prairie Zone by SupaCustardbro
20. Iron Dominion Zone by MK.exe
21. Junkyard Jeopardy Zone by PhilJFou/ChaRG
all levels were play-tested with vanilla Sonic.
some maps were additionally tested with Robo-Hood.
Lofty Woods Zone was also tested with Super Mario.
link to live review VOD here (warning, 7 hours, with some maps re-rated since the airing of this stream):
REVIEWS as-written (in order):
1. Caustic Crater Zone by Seaballer
Cons:
seems confused about whether or not it wants to be a speed map or a platforming map. does an OK job at mixing the two, but i think it would do a ton better at focusing on primarily one over the other. 50/50ing is just always a mistake from a gameplay perspective in srb2 maps, in my opinion, because you're balancing on a knifes edge—the player might find themselves geared, mentally, for speed, and feel impeded by platforming; or the player might tailor their play for tight platforming, only to be met with run-run sections.
Pros:
aesthetic is supremely clean. the contrast of the yellow pipes against the dark greys and light green toxic sludge is very, very nice. it looks great. aesthetically, this is a huge win for "Toxic Chemical WastePlant Zone" lovers, and should be praised for it's simple, yet meticulous design elements. the detailing in the map geometry alone elevates it. executes very well on its core gameplay loop, and overall feels very straight-forward. the player can hop in and play without feeling like the map is working against them throughout. there are multiple paths, but they don't cause much confusion due to tight directioning. map is about as long as it needs to be to have as much punch as it can possibly deliver. cute gimmicks with the electro-hazards; golden monitors are new to me, and i don't see them often. the golden magnet/electro shield section was a smart choice!
Overall:
8/10 -- i thought this map was an absolute winner in this competition. a good balance of gameplay-centric and aesthetics-centric design. could have focused a bit more on some aspects of its gameplay over others (my main complaints being the room with the simple button that opens the door—its a bit awkward in informing the player, and the button feels pointless; and the ending section, with jumps a bit too tight compared to the rest of the map, imo), but is genuinely fun to play and great to look at. a solid map and the strongest entry i've played in this OLDC so far [as of this writing].
2. Bricked Busted Zone by Mikhael Blur
Cons:
struggles as a consequence of its scale. it is not a simple map, and some of its hazards expect a player to move through the stage in a very particular way (this is especially true for springs and spring sections), which informs a lack of playtesting from other players, possibly as an unfortunate oversight (because the stage is so big!!!!!!!!!!!). many of the hazards and areas of the map can be skipped by what seems like complete accident, and the map seems very breakable with anyone with vertical movement abilities; this is a tails wasteland most likely
Pros:
extremely large, intricate, high effort map with a lot of careful, meticulous map design, environmental design, aesthetic choice and focus going into every element of the map, including pathing, directioning, with a general awareness of what the player might be interacting with at every point of the map in terms of its gameplay. looks very pretty, is very large, likely will not be completely explored by a player in a single or even a few playthroughs.
Overall:
7.3/10 -- extremely high effort map, but misses the mark with some of its gameplay. aesthetic choice is very sound, and the music slaps, but unfortunately, the music isnt what is being rated here. weigh this map as 7.2 in the event of a tie or a close one with a 7.25 map (but make sure to weigh them closely before making this decision)
3. Digital DeLuche Zone by RoyKirbs
Cons:
not really platforming-centric? kind of heavily leaned on its gimmicks to deliver gameplay to the player. aesthetic is a bit one-note, and the high contrast can become a bit grating over time.
Pros:
very FUN gimmicks that effectively deliver gameplay to the player. lots of moving slopes, enjoys the simplicity of that gimmick, and executes on it well. the skyboxes pair with the map geometry nicely creating a cohesive environmental game plan. a lot of creativity and cuteness packed into a relatively short and straightforward map. linear, but not in a bad way.
Overall:
7 -- fun map, though gimmick-heavy. ball-sections were unfortunately skippable due to gaps near the walls! i enjoyed it, and it was overall good. a strong contender in this competition overall.
4. Lucid Landscape Zone by Othius
Cons:
deceptively linear. from my perspective, it's not very straightforward that the exploration is available to the player. it is a very cool path from start to end, but the path is very clearly defined, so much so that it can make it challenging for the player to naturally discover the rest of the map on their own unless they're overwhelmed by the spectacle of the environment. some of the platforming is chunky and needed more playtesting to smooth out the experience. anti-grav (im biased) is a cheap gimmick. i hate it lmao.
Pros:
environmentally insane. pushes the limits of what the "new" slope technology can display in terms of map geometry. very clearly defined architectural design of the map that sometimes transcends the natural order of the game's engine. the game struggles to keep up with what the map's capabilities explain to the player, and this is part of the map's strength in terms of pure spectacle. very fun to look at, and would do extremely well in very modern-sonic-centric gameplay, which is rare (but becoming more popular) for srb2 maps.
Overall:
7.25/10 -- there are clear strengths of this map that serve as a triumph of the addition of slopes, and the absolute slaying of the big M himself. unfortunately, the gameplay can be a bit lackluster (at least as informed by my two playthroughs of the map as Sonic). very likely problematic for other characters, especially if they lack the ability to take advantage of the extreme slopes. the anti-grav feels like a good method to extend the map design by using the ceiling as another section. it's clever. but there are issues—and sometimes outright bugs—that impede gameplay enough for me to feel like the potential of an 8 or 9 is impossible in the map's current state.
-- note, was informed of a no-spin route, but i still feel similarly despite this knowledge. rate within 7-7.5 when matched against maps in its range.
5. Lofty Woods Zone by Vixuzen
Cons:
aesthetic was very bland. very one-note texturing, almost like a final-demo map. i personally like that style only for nostalgic purposes; for maps in the modern era, it's just not enough to compete, aesthetically. environment was pretty hot-swappable; the trees and mountanous sorta vibe wasn't at all necessary in terms of the map design itself, and could've been anything. anti-grav sections did not make sense with the environment choice.
Pros:
extremely fun slope-centric platforming. was "linear" in that there was a clear path for the player to take, but the areas were open enough that the platforming was open-ended, varied, and fun at all times. a lot of care was taken in making sure the platforming made sense, even when the verticality was maximized in the cavernous area of the map with the pillar in the middle. made for a good challenge as a non-vertical character like sonic, and felt varied enough with vertical characters (mario was used here) that the experience was similarly fun, but varied enough that replayability seems to be this map's strong suit, and would almost certainly win this competition (as played so far) if the aesthetics were as strong as its platforming.
Overall:
6.75/10 -- my personal favorite in terms of gameplay, though i may be over-rating this due to my personal bias in favor of gameplay over aesthetics. weigh this more toward 6.25-5 range when comparing with other maps. [personal note] please keep in mind aesthetic choices also concern a great deal of effort, and should be weighed similarly heavily to maps that have strong platforming or gameplay sections, but not any aesthetic prowess displayed.
6. Grass Planet Zone by Voidy2246
(NOTE: this map was re-rated several times during the writing of this review; it is being posted as it was originally written.
also, this map was completed with both Sonic and Robo-Hood.)
Cons:
relies exclusively on gravity-flipping, which is probably the least-accessible stupid gimmick in this stupid-ass game. i hate this gimmick so much. i wish they wouldn't force my dumbass camera to stay unflipped while im upside-down twiddling my thumbs in the upsidedown world like "ohhhhh shit did i just enter mirrorland? where am i? did i accidentally fade into the void? lmao!" i dont understand why people continue to use anti-gravity like it's not the worst possible gameplay mechanic that could've ever been introduced into this game since the multithok, but here we are in 2022 pretending it's a legitimate design paradigm. i hate it so much. i need the console command that makes it bearable, because my brain hurts right now
Pros:
interesting aesthetic choice, relies on a singular powerful gimmick throughout the stage and executes on it as best as it possibly can. map is cohesive, and probably fun for the right person. there is clearly a good amount of effort put into this map. linear, but makes the map feel open with its environments.
Overall:
6.5/10 -- good!!! ???
live quote:
7. Botanic Space Zone Act 2 by DeltaSanic
Cons:
underutilized gimmick. the monitor-breaking to "destroy" the factory is cool and could have been more elaborate throughout the map, informing the player more obviously that their action was accomplishing what they wanted it to be accomplishing (map effects are challenging though, so it's understandable this wasn't really done as much as it could've, though more monitor-breaking would've made more sense to me). stage starts out very slow, almost confusingly slow, and doesn't become clear about what it's trying to do until about half-way in. struggles with ambiguity in big open areas like many other maps in this sequence, but overall doesn't lean on them too much so this isn't a huge problem most likely (unless they miss the primary gimmick at the beginning; then this map becomes a nightmare lmao)
Pros:
aesthetic choice was the strongest with this zone overall in the competition so far (as of this writing), telling a story with the actual map design rather than putting an overemphasis on an overall "feel". informs the player of exactly what kind of message the mapper is conveying with the map in terms of what's going on with an implied map narrative. map is surprisingly large, and flows unusually well, with an interesting gimmick that plays into this narrative.
Overall:
6.25/10 -- good! it's a good solid map, very nice direction, the mapper clearly thought a lot about how to put this map into rotation while also conveying a message purely from its design. clever! you don't see that very often. unfortunately a bit basic in its design, sometimes cluttered, sometimes too open, and the gimmick is cool but a bit thrown-in, but overall very good; shows promise from the creator for sure. lean 6.3-5 ish if pitted against another
8. Nimbus Lake Zone by Yyeellooww7
Cons:
linear. not much choice for the player. it's a balancing act to give the player choice while also not confusing them, but this one does definitely kinda heavily lean on just pushing forward and calling it a day. tbh i kinda like that but it's not always a good thing. under-utilization of the gimmicks, kinda wanted to fit in a bunch of stuff (it seemed like) but wasnt able to focus on just one gimmick to execute on, so it felt a bit watered down. some areas of the map felt devoid of action, especially water pits and water areas, lack of objects overall really
Pros:
clear aesthetic, uses linearity to its advantage by creating the feeling of open space with its environmental design, rather than creating ambiguous pits of direction and choice for the player to figure out on their own. some nice gimmicks like buttons to increase water elevation for platforms, overall very lovely feeling atmosphere
Overall:
6.25/10 -- very good map, very clear strong improvement from this map creator; they're only getting better and better
9. Rhyolite Ruin Zone by Radicalicious
Cons:
aesthetically bland compared to a lot of maps nowadays. very one-note "lava level" which is alright but not anything particularly compelling, though this might be biased because lava levels are always kinda boring to me in particular.
tight spaces work against the player almost all the time, and not in a precision kinda way, but in a "oh god i really wish i had more space to use this engine lmao" kinda way. i breezed through it on the second try because im kinda a god at this game lmao? but the average player might not have as much success on their playthroughs. nights in srb2 (imo) excells when there's plenty of open space sections to be kinda crazy with it, and this required tightness almost 100% of the way through the map, with lots of sections broken up with hazards or walls to bump into. not fun! (unless you're a god, like me)
some of the MARE were so close to each other it felt confusing as to which axis i was on. my brain
Pros:
nights stage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
very well-thought-out nights stage, multiple MARE, had a clear beginning, middle, and end portion and felt like the mapper understood the paradigm they were working in. tons of potential
Overall:
6.25/10 -- love me some nights, but i miss botanic serenity. i am biased!
10. Follow Your Rainbow by Rogerregorroger
Cons:
Did not flow very well, gimmicks were funny but sometimes felt shoehorned in, exploration heavy but not much to be gained from exploring beyond funny art assets (which is a pro but also a con)
Pros:
A creative triumph, very silly, artistically sound, very clear direction in what the creator wanted to accomplish with the map (I think)
Overall:
6/10 -- good!
11. Frozen Fissure Zone by Garrean
Cons:
much of the level feels designed for sonic. consequentially, any vertical character will be able to breeze through it, and sonic will suffer almost exclusively. it feels like it's possible forcing the character into sonic might have been a good design choice for this one, though the directioning for a lot of the more open sections became enough of an issue that the player (me) would believe it's possible they're going in circles. some of the areas feel so similar, that even though there could be a big difference in the design of the platforming, the player may end up confused thinking they circled back to the beginning. being a challenge map with a hard-punisher in the form of pits in between every column, jump, and platforming section, there are not enough starposts to allow the player to make mistakes -> learn the area -> clear the area -> make mistakes. can be more punishing than it needs to be, even when the sections are more straightforward than others.
had some teleports that were required due to map size restriction, but they felt unnatural (and could cause a player to accidentally skip a starpost, because they do not halt momentum)
Pros:
feels like a challenge map that was *designed* for sonic gameplay. it's like the mystic-brand of "hey here are some cubes to stand on, figure it out or just lose lol" kind of challenge, but with significantly more variance in platforming, and more of a focus on getting the player moving where they need to be moving. aesthetic was tight but it's also very generic "ice level", ice physics added for some dynamic challenge, and the slopes were a nice touch in terms of adding to the platforming
Overall:
6/10 -- it's actually a really good map for a map designed to be challenging. i don't know if that was the intent, but its platforming is its primary strength, but lean 5.5-6/10 when pit against any map in the 5-7 range to account for over-compensation of bias. i had fun playing it, but it also wasnt the best map. it was above average overall, but flatlined in a lot of areas.
12. Command Facility Zone by Twins'R'Okay
Cons:
very basic runny-runny run run straight line map. not particularly complicated with the gameplay loop it executed on. simple.
Pros:
hilarious gimmick. made sure to execute on the "doom but runny runny run run straight line" paradigm, and it works well to create some laughs if you understand the reference. plays pretty well, though it is simple. aesthetically, it's doom.
Overall:
6/10 -- funny map, referential humor. basic gameplay, but i had fun. above average! i liked it.
13. Powder Park Zone by DakotaSpine
Cons:
The map approaches most of its design in a very straightforward way, which is its strength, but also its glaring weakness; comes across as pretty average, though well-decorated, pretty almost filler-ish of a map
Pros:
Again, extremely clear and focused aesthetic decision, works very well; level layout utilizes slopes in a decent way, flat areas are full of stuff to do in them (scenery or enemies), flows pretty ok after getting used to the map layout, probably more to explore on multiple playthroughs
Overall:
5.5/10 -- average leaning to good, probably lean 6/10 in the event of a tie (so give it the edge in a tie)
14. Invasion Zone by JABSphere94
Cons:
map design at first (and sometimes toward the middle) felt like someone's first map ever. i mean like legit long stretches of rectangles drawn in zonebuilder, weird broken thok barriers, that kinda thing. aesthetic choices were weak until the map unfirled, but before then, it felt like a "run forward and thok" sorta situation. some of the directioning is jank and sometimes feels a bit random. especially that terrible loop-around button section. yikes. a vertical character will just ascend through everything.
Pros:
it's GOOD verticality! the map definitely became more defined the further into the map the player goes. tells a story with the path it sets the player on, and ends with a satisfying conclusion. takes its hazards relatively seriously, with several sections dedicated toward either confronting enemies directly, or juking enemies through long cooridoor sections. on-the-surface a very basic map, but actually deceptively dynamic. plays better than it looks.
Overall:
5/10 -- i think it's a good map with gameplay-centered design choices, and very clearly wanted the player to experience these designs as-written. the map suffers from some of these basic choices in that the map's design is very basic almost all of the time. but this opens up a bit when the slope and half-pipe platforming come more and more into play. the boss fight at the end saves the entire map.
15. Something Zone by Marcos
Cons:
relies almost exclusively on its gimmick, doesn't really venture far beyond it. because it's axis2d, there's a higher likelihood of the map forcing the player to hold right for several minutes. unfortunately, this map falls into that category. you just hold right and jump a bit. some of the sections had you hold right while changing direction, which was very jarring and not very player-friendly, though i dont know if that's necessarily the mapper's fault or if that's just how axis2d works. most of the sub-zone areas of the map, while cool-looking, didn't really do much of anything with those little areas; they just sorta existed as a "wow look, its this zone! cool! okay next one? wow okay that was something". had some memes at the end but i cant factor that into the actual map itself in terms of this competition. memes cant be the saving grace of the entire map experience, unless the setup itself was to exit the map and go into the skybox. not much to interact with; map was a straight line.
REQUIRES (or heavily recommends) SOFTWARE. no good!
Pros:
was something!!!! creative use of axis2d, 2d maps getting love is always good. paths were interesting even though you mostly held right throughout the stage. took you through every zone of the game as part of its narrative. very creative, and a good showing for a unique gimmicky map.
Overall:
5/10 -- fun map because of the memes, cool setpieces with the zones, but pretty average in terms of gameplay; probably not replayable, and suffers due to axis2d restricting gameplay to a very basic loop. maintain 5/10 when comparing with other maps
16. The Twins Palace Zone by Chaolino
Cons:
hazards are very, VERY hard to see sometimes. can basically chunk up gameplay to a "lmao im gonna just keep collecting and losing rings and thokking i guess" bit of a slog. the branching paths all lead to the same places in a short amount of time, so they feel a bit pointless? it's possible i fucked up and accidentally backtracked but it felt a bit like a gimmick that wasnt fully executed on. the map can be a little bit hard on the eyes with the neon blues and purples. it's very high contrast, and makes for a bit of an unpleasant look in some areas.
Pros:
i don't really understand the virtual world that's being created with these maps. i don't know who these characters are. but i do know that whatever it is they're doing in this virtual world, it's clearly their world and one that im interacting with. (so basically, it's aesthetically very focused, but i dont honestly understand the aesthetic that well lol). the map has lots of open space and not in a bad way; gives the player room to breathe between sections that might be more puzzle-y or closed, so the player doesn't feel claustrophobic during gameplay. environments and hazards are varied and interesting, and custom assets look very nice in the engine.
Overall:
5/10 -- it feels about the same as the last oldc map from this creator in terms of pacing and direction. i feel very solidly in the 5/10 range for this map. in the event of a tie, weigh lower for this one.
17. Sunset Summit Zone by Entropy
Cons:
Ambiguous sections of the map are aggressively punishing for characters without vertical movement (which nowadays is pretty much only Sonic lmao), slopes felt a bit haphazardly applied throughout the map, felt like it needed more playtesting to improve the overall flow
Pros:
Very clear aesthetic choice that was pleasingly executed throughout the map, simple gimmick worked well for the verticality, ambiguous sections were appropriately broken up with nice linear runny run run sections
Overall:
4.5/10 -- pretty average but seems like a good first start, leaning 5/10 but 4.5/10 just in case there is a tie in later rankings
18. Blue Glacier Zone by BronsoKip
Cons:
partially executed. map is unfinished, and was submitted in an unfinished state. very, very short because it is unfinished, and it just sorta... ends, with no modification to the ending parts of its unfinished-ness. map could have been salvaged in its unfinished state with a little bit of effort, but it's possible the mapper ran into some issues toward the end and just wanted to submit it. i empathize, but the map suffers as a consequence
Pros:
extremely high effort aesthetic choice, lots of verticality that doesn't make the player suffer in terms of ambiguity (it's clear where you need to go, though this makes it semi-linear it's not a bad thing). clear platforming sections where the mapper wants you to take advantage of certain aspects of your environment. lots of very good ideas on paper that are partially-executed.
Overall:
3.5/10 -- lots of promise, but is unfinished. looks very cool, but is very clearly unfinished. hopefully will be finished so it can receive a better rating, but it's unfair (in my opinion) to place this map high for its potential vs its execution.
19. Pineapple Prairie Zone by SupaCustardbro
Cons:
relatively flat in terms of what to do. you just kinda runny jumpy run run jump through the stage with platforming that can likely be skipped by almost every character except for sonic (vertical characters will almost certainly skip most of this stage). hazards can be skipped, and some of the geometry is a bit confused, not because the mapper made bad decisions, but probably because of brand new impressions of some map functions like quicksand (which was used on clouds; kinda confusing), zoom tubes (which were used for no real reason), and some other line effects just kinda randomly put in. nice custom death animation, but the mapper expected the player to die to see it, and that's not always a good sign; probably not a good sign for this map in particular. no colormap on water, which i would consider to be relatively basic even if an aesthetic choice.
Pros:
original assets! cute textures, cute design, cohesive aesthetic (i feel like most maps are really good about this in the present day, which is cool). linear map, but that helps it stay relatively organized in terms of directing the player to where they need to be. linearity is not necessarily bad, and this map doesnt suffer too much as a consequence of it
side note: map was very fun as robo-hood. please dont ask me why.
Overall:
3.5/10 -- i think there's a lot of promise from the mapper in terms of what they might be able to do with some more experience and knowledge about how everything works, and how to put together their ideas in a more cohesive way. right now, it looks like they're off to a great start despite the low rating, and i think there's more they likely have to show, and can only go up from here most certainly.
20. Iron Dominion Zone by MK.exe
Cons:
extremely confusing pathing throughout the map. directs a player one way, but actually requires other pathing, which can cause false soft-locking (eg: no idea where to go, stuck in the same simple area for a while due to a silly gimmick that was not pointed out beforehand to the player). player is expected to be on the lookout for breakables when the breakables are not at all obvious or pointed out to the player. informs a lack of playtesting (or playtesting that missed the mark). aesthetic is very generic THZ; executed fine, but nothing particularly exciting. relies on button-finding.
Pros:
had some interesting mechanics with wall-bounces (though underutilized). despite aesthetic being basic, executed fine. button-finding was actually pretty OK when the pathing was discovered, because the buttons were localized to individual rooms and not the whole level.
Overall:
3.5/10 -- looks fine, has technical prowess, but has a distinct lack of focus on what the player might be seeing. playtesting is critical when the capability of the mapper is very high. it feels a bit unfair to have higher expectations for mappers who know what they're doing, but empathy is the key to good gameplay, and for me, it was missing in this map. directioning was a mess, gimmick was not a good choice. also, a bit basic, and felt bit short despite its design.
21. Junkyard Jeopardy Zone by PhilJFou/ChaRG
Cons:
hazards lack clarity. sometimes blend in with map too much. button gimmick toward the middle section of the map requires extensive backtracking, doesnt make it clear where to go, or what sectors are even buttons. can get very easily lost in areas of the map that are not very complicated in terms of design.
Pros:
music is good. aesthetic is fine, passable.
Overall:
3/10 -- very clunky execution of one of the worst gimmicks in srb2's history. if you have a button gimmick, all of the buttons need to have a consistent design and clear "this is a button" energy to them so that the player knows what to look for in order to progress. when simple sections of the map, and i mean literal cubes of sections of map, cause directioning issues, it signals to me a lack of precision in testing the gameplay loop for a player from the perspective of someone who is *not* the mapper. also, some rendering errors in OGL, which is the map's preferred renderer. not sure if this is an error with the mapper's tagging, or with the renderer. may need to revisit to clarify.