Circuit Level Rotation - 2.1 Public Beta

[Blade]

Welcome to the public beta for 2.1's circuit levels. The purpose of this public beta is to test the levels for 2.1's circuit mode in 2.0.6 to make sure that they're working well before the release of 2.1. This means you're likely to see stages in this that are a little glitchy, or otherwise not up to the quality standards normally seen in SRB2's IWAD. Please note that what you see in this file is not necessarily what will be in the release version of 2.1. Entire stages may even be added or removed in the process. Texture revamps are likely to continue to happen. If you don't like something we want to know, but don't act like these changes are all necessarily permanent.

MAPR0: Race Alley Zone
MAPR1: Sonic Circuit Zone
MAPR2: Burning Sands Zone
MAPR3: Emerald Coast Zone
MAPR4: Toxic Citadel Zone
MAPR5: Frozen Night Zone
MAPR6: Metallic Hall Zone
MAPR7: Heaven Pass Zone
MAPR8: Corrupt Shrine Zone
MAPR9: Endless Woods Zone
MAPRA: Egg Hall Zone
MAPRB: Crimson Caves Zone
MAPRC: Thunder Factory Zone
MAPRD: Rainbow Dash Zone
MAPRE: Not A Thokfest Zone

Finally, the download is attached below. Feel free to play and post feedback either here or in #srb2fun. A lot of different points of view is essential for improving multiplayer stages.

 

[Steelie]

Well, I wonder who should say something for the first post of mine. Downloading, some suggestions later. :3
--------------------------
All present levels except Frozen Night: Change at least the design, same with Match maps, they're so boring to look at already.

Sonic Circuit Zone: Sonic Circuit? SONIC CIRCUIT IN 2.1?! C'mon guys! That map is horrible, texturing and adding spikes made it even worse. The only pretty thing is the outside design, which is bad too.

Egg Hall Zone: There are too much maces, remove some of them.

Didn't find any bug now, maybe next time (I wonder why I even played this, I don't like Race).

 

[fickleheart]

Alright, boys and girls, it's time for RedEnchilada's patent-denied Angry Rants on Circuit Krap! (ARoCK? That's my destiny? What is wrong with you, horn?) yes the last word was incredibly forced for the sake of the acronym shut up

And since this pack is ever so conveniently organized into sections, I'll take this opportunity head on;

---~~~---

OLD RETURNING MAPS
Rather glad to see Warped Woods and Slumber Circuit gone, actually. As much as I enjoyed them, I know they had fundamental flaws that made them bad for Circuit. Expect ramblings on the unchanged stuff later, and hang me when I don't deliver.

MAPR0: Race Alley Zone


MAPR1: Sonic Circuit Zone
I have to seriously wonder whose idea it was to bring this back. It looks a lot better than it did in 1.09.4, yes, but it's still an uninteresting thokfest. The spikes in the level, along with the lack of rings, are nothing more than an annoyance.

MAPR2: Burning Sands Zone


MAPR3: Emerald Coast Zone


MAPR4: Toxic Citadel Zone


MAPR5: Frozen Night Zone
I love this map now. Risk/reward is perfectly balanced for Sonic players, and it looks beautiful. Nothing much else to say about this.

MAPR6: Metallic Hall Zone


MAPR7: Heaven Pass Zone


MAPR8: Corrupt Shrine Zone




BLADE'S BASTARD CHILDREN FROM THE OLDC
It's quite obvious whose job the Circuit division was.

MAPR9: Endless Woods Zone
That starpost at the end needs to go. It's worthless, and I missed the activator sector once, costing me the race. Not cool.

MAPRA: Egg Hall Zone
You still need to do something about that first turn; I saw Gemini get caught on it, and I almost did myself before my memories of playing this in the OLDC kicked in.

MAPRB: Crimson Caves Zone
I've disliked this map since first playing it. While that contest as a whole might have had something to do with it, my point stands that the one segment with the platforming is bullshit under any c-lag. The worst part is that Tails and Knuckles can skip all your obstacles!

MAPRC: Thunder Factory Zone
I've warmed up to this since I last played it. However, your fans desperately need a warning around them; a red border around the wind sectors would work great.



THE FINAL STRETCH
The pack ends with a whimper. I'm sorry, but it had to be said.

MAPRD: Rainbow Dash Zone
Since this is new, I'm going to give it more attention than the rest of the pack.

I wanted to like it. I really did. The inner FiM fanboy in me was squealing at the thought of a reference weaseling its way into vanilla SRB2.

Then I played it. It was a boring string of floating platforms. It was boring at best, and frustrating at worst. And it hates players under c-lag. Take the concept and the decorative style, and try it again. I want to see this idea in the game.

Please?

MAPRE: Not A Thokfest Zone
I'm not going to bother elaborating here. I hate this map, I hate the thought, everyone knows this, and the thought of a joke map getting into the rotation angers me.

---~~~---

MAPRD was the only reason I tested this, to be perfectly honest.

Tidal Cave should be in this pack. Blade, make it happen or I'll destroy the pony channel.

Oh god, I'm turning into D00D64. Someone shoot me now.
​

 

[Gemini Spark]

I mostly agree with Steel and RedEchidna. Give the existing levels at least a design revamp, and that should work wonders. A little more detail...

MAPR0: Race Alley Zone
MAPR1: Sonic Circuit Zone: Blade said Mystic likes this. Uhhhhh....
MAPR2: Burning Sands Zone
MAPR3: Emerald Coast Zone
MAPR4: Toxic Citadel Zone
MAPR5: Frozen Night Zone: Good job on upping the difficulty here.
MAPR6: Metallic Hall Zone
MAPR7: Heaven Pass Zone
MAPR8: Corrupt Shrine Zone
MAPR9: Endless Woods Zone: I like this Endless Woods a little better. Just make that last Starpost earlier in the race.
MAPRA: Egg Hall Zone: Fix the known lag problems, maybe make the maces less of a roadblock.
MAPRB: Crimson Caves Zone: Too much platforming as Sonic.
MAPRC: Thunder Factory Zone: Gives me an excuse to try out Knuckles in Race.
MAPRD: Rainbow Dash Zone: A little too long for my taste, though I figured out how Tails can have it a little easier.
MAPRE: Not A Thokfest Zone: NO. JUST NO.

 

[Steelie]

I wonder what's up with you guys, Not a Thokfest Zone is best map in the pack. :D

 

[Violo]

It's a very annoying map and although it doesn't kill you, it's still very hard and cheap. Heck, even though this isn't supposed to be a thokfest, Sonic still needs to be used to make it through due to his high thrust factor.

I'll be honest, I was expecting Rainbow Dash Zone to be full of pony easter eggs (or at least one), but I agree with RedEnchilada the platforming is quite boring and needs a tiny bit more variation in textures like in Prismatic Angel in a different colour and maybe a rainbow sky like in SA-SRB2's first boss.

I feel as though Toxic Citadel looks ignored and I feel bad for it. Would it be possible upgrade the CEZ old textures? The SA-SRB2 textures for it look much better, and Toxic Citadel looks very bland texture wise. I loved and hated this map in the old days, it could use a bit of love.

 

[kyllian1212]

Not a thokfest Zone is a wierd name for me -.-

 

[Fawfulfan]

Awww, I was kinda hoping to see my own Wacky Tesseract in there, seeing as it was the number 2 slot, and scored higher than three of the four included Blade levels. But then again, those were all developer-made, so...yeah.

Anyway, if Egg Hall is going in, it better have a LOT of changes, because it definitely wasn't official-rotation-worthy in its debut. It looked all flashy and pretty, but playing through it was a CHORE, particularly with all those stupid maces.

 

[Liliam]

First off: the level order needs work. It always felt weird to start with Burning Sands, but starting with a factory-themed level does not feel right at all.

Part Un: The Oldies:

Toxic Citadel Zone, Metallic Hall Zone, Heaven Pass Zone:

These levels are visually identical to their 1.09 counterparts, and it shows. While Emerald Coast, Burning Sands and now Frozen Night have been given significant overhauls in both aesthetics and gameplay, these three have not and as such feel significantly dated.



Part Deux: The Bladies:

Egg Hall Zone:

These springs here are very misleading, you expect the level to continue to the left, but instead there are diagonal red springs in the ceiling which bounce you to a ledge on the right. The problem is, if you're trying to move the other way, the springs don't push you far enough to land on the ledge and you fall back down and have to do it all over again. Get rid of this gimmick and simply have yellow springs to the right.



Crimson Caves Zone:

This section with the pillar climbing is a big fat troll because of the excess visual noise. There are several pillars which will lead you nowhere, and to top it off, there's a visually identical, but useless ledge to the left which at first sight looks like it might be the way out of the room. Streamline this room and get rid of the excess geometry.



Thunder Factory Zone:

Please add Non-Ramp Sector around these spikes, because as it is you just step down instantly onto them and fly back in your walking frames, which just feels weird.



Part Trois: The Shitties:

Sonic Circuit Zone and Rainbow Dash Zone:

I have no idea what these are doing here. These stages are mindblowingly boring. There is just nothing else I can say, they have nothing to them. With that said, here is a list of stages which are more than fitting to replace these atrocities:

Warped Woods Zone from SRB2 2.0
Wacky Tesseract Zone from Mar/Apr 2010 OLDC
Jungle Ruins Zone from Mar/Apr 2010 OLDC
Tidal Cave from May/Jun 2010 OLDC
Cyan Caves from Jul/Aug 2010 OLDC



And finally, Not A Thokfest Zone is fine provided it stays as the last map -- seeing as it's excruciatingly long -- but it needs a more serious moniker.

 

[u4704]

It is possible to thok through those bars in Egg Hall Zone:

(image link offline)
(image link offline)

Maybe a invisible thok barrier (or something like that) should be placed behind the bars.

---

- Sonic Circuit is boring. 3-2-1-GO-thok-thok-thok-jump-thok-thok-...-next lap-thok-thok... O.o

- I actually like Crimson Caves Zone because I am a Tails player. =P

- Rainbow Dash Zone with Tails: Fly to starpost 1, fly to starpost 2, fly to the finish, next round. No chance for sonic players. Is this intentional?

- Not A Thokfest Zone is the worst level I have ever seen. 0/10 points. There are much better ways to give Tails and Knuckles players a chance to be faster than Sonic. Even Rainbow Dash Zone is at least 1000 times better than this ****. -.-

---

And why is the air current over the fan, too? O.O

(image link offline)

If I fly over the fan, it will blow me away -> absurd!

 

[ThunderNova]

Alright, let's get started.

Any Map before the update/in 2.0.x:
Still fine, but maybe you should graphically update them.

Sonic Circuit Zone:

Two problems:
1. It's kind of short, and I can finish a whole 4 laps on it under a minute easily.

2.

Notice this. Now notice how there are no rings to be found ANYWHERE on the map. Also notice how it's above ground, which means doing so much as holding down W/Forward can instantly kill you. Maybe add some rings, replace this with a longer, more interesting gimmick, or just remove it entirely.

Endless Woods Zone:
Visually beautiful, but there are some problems.

This little obstacle is riiiigghht in front of the checkpoint, and covers almost the whole middle of the track. Maybe move it a little to the side?

Lol-what's-this-doing-here-right-in-front-of-the-Finish-line

If you guys are planning something right here, why not add this when you add that?

Egg Hall Zone:

The Cannon Balls here miss even when you're standing still.

Exactly what use does this have? Are we supposed to go backwards through the level at some point? It really doesn't help people, and can cause trouble for anyone unlucky enough to land on it.

Egg Hall Zone:
No complaints here. I loved this map when it was in the contest, and I still love it now.

Rainbow Dash Zone:
Silly other users, this is Rainbow Dash Zone, not A Reference to My Little Pony Zone.
I just came up with the idea of using rainbow platforms a few days ago, too.
It's platforming, which is boring, and you're missing Cyan/Indigo.
I'll have more as I go through the levels.

Not a Thokfest Zone:
It may not be a Thokfest, but it is a Springfest.

 

[Violo]

It's platforming, which is boring, and you're missing Cyan/Indigo.

Cyan isn't a colour of the rainbow. :\

 

[MascaraSnake]

MAPR0: Race Alley Zone
Race Alley is Race Alley is Race Alley. This map is godlike. I expected no changes and I got no changes, so I'm happy.

MAPR1: Sonic Circuit Zone
Mystic obviously pushed for this to be included. And you know what? I agree. The redesign looks good, removes the worst part (the darkness in the tunnel) and at least adds one actual hazard. This is to the Circuit rotation what Meadow Match is to the Match rotation. I don't think it's boring either, it's just more about turning than it is about jumping. Also, I don't see how the spikes are problematic. Sure, there are no rings, so you die if you fail, but they're really easy to avoid. Anyone who's stupid enough to actually get hit by them is rightfully punished with death.

MAPR2: Burning Sands Zone
Texturing still makes me puke, but the stage is good enough, so I'm fine.

MAPR3: Emerald Coast Zone
No complaints.

MAPR4: Toxic Citadel Zone
This looks BORING. Give it some Frozen Night treatment to make it look more like CEZ looks nowadays. Otherwise fine, has some nicely tricky jumps.

MAPR5: Frozen Night Zone
Great visual overhaul you got there. And even greater gameplay overhaul. This stage is now awesome.

MAPR6: Metallic Hall Zone
THZ CIRCUIT! Also looks pretty boring. Otherwise fine.

MAPR7: Heaven Pass Zone
AGZ CIRCUIT! Also fine, gives Tails and Knuckles a chance. I don't see how this needs much of a visual overhaul. AGZ is a simple theme.

MAPR8: Corrupt Shrine Zone
No complaints.

MAPR9: Endless Woods Zone
Where is Warped Woods? :( The stage itself is fine, just nothing special. EDIT: Actually, screw it. There's a lot more to this stage if you look around. Like platforms that are difficulty to catch but let you avoid the water. Best of risk vs.reward ever.

MAPRA: Egg Hall Zone
CEZ CIRCUIT! This community confuses me. So we finally get a Circuit stage with actual hazards that is not a thokfest and then everybody complains about the maces. I disagree entirely, they should stay where they are.

MAPRB: Crimson Caves Zone
RVZ CIRCUIT! Hooray for obnoxious lighting effects that distract from the race. Please remove them. Also, timed lava falls do not make a fair hazard in Race.

MAPRC: Thunder Factory Zone
Awesome stage, no complaints.

MAPRD: Rainbow Dash Zone
PAZ CIRCUIT! Also, hurr durr what a predictable joke. The stage is fine, if a bit unremarkable, but don't overdo it with the colored FOFs. I heard it lags quite a bit.

MAPRE: Not A Thokfest Zone
Even though I fail horrifically at this stage, I support its inclusion 100%.

I also support the inclusion of Wacky Tesseract (just like I support the inclusion of Sparkling City for Match) and maybe I would support the inclusion of the other stages Neo mentioned too if I could actually remember them.

 

[Liliam]

Sonic Circuit Zone
[...]
This is to the Circuit rotation what Meadow Match is to the Match rotation.

Except Meadow Match is actually fun.

Heaven Pass Zone
[...]
I don't see how this needs much of a visual overhaul. AGZ is a simple theme.

Pillars, overhanging arches and vines. Look at how NAGZ/Cloud Palace look now and how they looked back in 1.09.

Crimson Caves Zone
[...]
Hooray for obnoxious lighting effects that distract from the race.

You should check out the seizure-inducing original, then.

I support the inclusion of Sparkling City for Match

Way to shoot myself in the foot, but I personally don't think it meets SRB2's quality standards. Then again, somebody considered including Granite Gorge, so.

I would support the inclusion of the other stages Neo mentioned too if I could actually remember them.

I actually went back and played all the 2.0 contest maps because I knew there were some buried gems in there, but couldn't remember anything but Wacky Tesseract.

 

[ThunderNova]

Cyan isn't a colour of the rainbow. :\

Sometimes people replace Indigo with Cyan, which is why I said Cyan/Indigo.

 

[MascaraSnake]

Except Meadow Match is actually fun.

I think Sonic Circuit is fun too (at least by Race standards, don't enjoy the gametype much as a whole). Your point?

Pillars, overhanging arches and vines. Look at how NAGZ/Cloud Palace look now and how they looked back in 1.09.

I guess so.

You should check out the seizure-inducing original, then.

I did. The way it is now is considerably less terrible, but still annoying.

Way to shoot myself in the foot, but I personally don't think it meets SRB2's quality standards. Then again, somebody considered including Granite Gorge, so.

I do think it meets SRB2's quality standards. Except for the texturing, but a. that's more the fault of the lack of city textures b. it's not that important.

I actually went back and played all the 2.0 contest maps because I knew there were some buried gems in there, but couldn't remember anything but Wacky Tesseract.

Guess I'm gonna play those too.

EDIT: Did it, and I agree with your choices. But if Wacky Tesseract is gonna be in there, the 2D section needs to go.

 

[Fawfulfan]

I can do a hasty update to remove the 2D section if you want. I've come to agree that its removal would probably be a good thing.

 

[MascaraSnake]

Do yourself a favor then and flip the section with the sideways moving blocks by 180 degrees so that you don't need silly teleporters.

 

[VelocitOni]

What's wrong with Crimson Caves? That's literally my favorite level here since hyperduels. The visuals (Finally, a lava level in SRB2 that actually reminds me of a volcano, or a scorching hot room) hardly distract me from the race and a novice can easily just thok around the timed lava falls. Though, the platforming pillars bit at the start needs to be fixed, ASAP.

I'm just very happy the new levels aren't as thok infested anymore.

EDIT: Also, I haven't played the 2.1 preview wad, but if CCZ's anything like it's counterpart, I hope it's kept its S3DB music.

 

[Liliam]

Your point?

Meadow Match being fun is a bizarre occurrence. It breaks all the guidelines for 2.0's match system except for the asymmetry, but magically turns out to be a good stage for god knows what reason. Icicle Falls in 2.0.6 is also an example of this phenomenon, with the bases being completely indefensible and yet still managing to be surprisingly fun to play.

I just don't think Sonic Circuit falls into the same category. It is completely flat except for the brand new set of spikes, and all it does is go around and around. I don't understand why anyone would like it, but I suppose I could just skip it every time I play. But it just doesn't feel right to have built into the game what I consider to be such a massive stinker.