March/April 2011 Voting

[Mystic]

Welcome to the March/April 2011 SRB2 Official Level Design Contest voting topic! In this contest we have two single player, five match, three capture the flag, and two circuit entries.

To vote, play a few games of each stage in a division in the intended gametype for judging, and give each map in the division a vote from 0 to 10, no decimals and with 5 as average. You can not vote on your own map, but if you vote on the rest of the stages in a division the lowest score on your map for that division will be dropped. For votes to count, the voter must vote on every map in a division (excluding their own entry if they have one). Votes where the voter obviously did not play the level in its intended gametype, or where the voter did not play the multiplayer maps with other real players will be discarded. Please be as unbiased as possible for the author or the look of the map. It's all about how good the map plays, nothing else. For reference, the scale is as follows:

10 - Epic
9 - Awesome
8 - Great
7 - Good
6 - Decent
5 - Average
4 - Mediocre
3 - Bad
2 - Awful
1 - Horrendous
0 - Unplayable

Although it's not required for votes to count, it's very helpful to make comments about what you liked and didn't like about the map, so the author can improve his skill for future attempts. If your votes are dramatically different from the rest and you don't describe why, you may be asked to justify your reasoning.

Judging will end May 14, 2011 at 7 PM local time in the eastern time zone of the United States. Like the entry deadline, this counts the United States's daylight savings time between March and November. Votes submitted after this time by the forum timestamp will NOT be counted in the average, so if you want to be counted, don't vote at the last minute. After the deadline, the scores will be then averaged, and the person with the highest score in each division is the winner.

The entries are as follows:

Single Player:
Lakeside Hill Zone by Dails
Outerspace Threat Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower

Match:
Forst Rush Zon Zone by Scizor300
Sandstorm Zone by Dails
Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 by D00D64
AccursedDonut wad by Charybdizs
Egg Hanger Zone by KO.T.E. and Spherallic

Capture the Flag:
Frozen Destruction Zone by Scizor300
Angle Forest Zone by Katmint
Mossy Mushroom Zone by RedEchidna

Race:
Lost Feelings Island by Internet Explorer
Burned Mystic Desert Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower

As a final reminder, please make sure to play the levels in the intended gametype, and above all, have fun judging!

 

[D00D64]

Oh come on, my map doesn't have its FULL NAME!

MY MAP IS RUINED

RUIIIIIIIIINED

 

[Charybdizs]

I just wanna point out that Accurseddonut was made by me and Colson.

Heheh, can't wait to check these babies out! I see my race map isn't included, huh? Meh, 5 minutes late. :(

EDIT: Oh, did I really accidentally make you die at the second star post? X|
Rush job fail.

 

[Fawfulfan]

---------------------
SINGLE PLAYER:
---------------------

Lakeside Hill Zone, by Dails - 2/10
Okay, rush job much? The scenery is filled with ugly squares, the level texturing is bland, the stage is waaaaaay too small, and the enemies seem randomly placed. Did you just make this for the sake of adding an extra Single Player level? Because I'm afraid I must disagree with Charybdizs's comment on IRC: there's no point in making a level that you know is crap for the sole purpose of adding another entry to the contest. You're really not adding anything if it's not fun to play.

Outerspace Threat Zone, by Miles Knuckle Power - 1/10
Since when does one cheaply SOC'd boss in one ugly-as-hell room equal a contest entry? I'd rather play Glaber's special stages, to be honest. In fact, even Grassy Cliffs demonstrated more effort than this (although I will admit that you did at least take the time to do a proper nodesbuild).

----------
MATCH:
----------

Forst Rush Zon Zone, by Scizor300 - 2/10
I don't care whether it's a joke map or not - symmetry sucks. Gameplay was kind of interesting, but nowhere near enough to save the level.

Sandstorm Zone, by Dails - 4/10
First of all, that name is a total misnomer. Where's the sandstorm? I see the sand, but it looks quite calm and undisturbed. Anyway, if it's a rush job you probably already know this, but the theme is ugly as hell and a lot of design choices don't make sense. But gameplay is actually not terrible; parts of the layout do manage to give the level some kind of flow. But I really don't appreciate having to spring or climb to the top of those gray brick towers do collect whatever might be on top of them.

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12, by D00D64 - 1/10
When I first saw this level I thought, "Wow, for a joke level it looks surprisingly good." I probably got this first impression because the landscape contours in a way that looks convincingly natural, rather than a bunch of hideous squares (have I mentioned how much I hate squares of grass and rock?). But then I actually got around to trying this level in a netgame, and it plays by far the worst of all the Match stages. The level is cramped and overly vertical to the point of being totally disruptive. I really don't care for falling into a death pit a dozen times over the course of a game; I was often way too busy with precision jumping to pay any attention to my opponents. Match is by far the worst-suited gametype for excessive death pits - remember that any player who is killed by an in-level hazard during Match loses 50 points, and this gets seriously annoying when it happens all the time, because it punishes less skilled players far more harshly than good players (if you've ever seen me in Match, you know how much I suck).

AccursedDonut.wad, by Charybdizs - 5/10
And what do you know? The only joke level that is actually funny. Granted, the level suffers from some serious flaws--it is way too big, way too open, riddled with HOMs, and it is tremendously tedious to get back up onto the massive sugary treats if you end up in the lake. But I still had some major-league fun with this level. The theme is executed perfectly, and I particularly love how the giant mints function as trampolines (the Bouncy Sector effect really needs to get used more often in SRB2; it has a lot of unrealized potential). I know I'm not the first person to point this out, but if this idea was refined and used for a CTF stage it could be epic.

Egg Hanger Zone, by KO.T.E. and Spherallic - 9/10
Whoa, the only legitimate Match map in the contest took me completely by surprise. The level is top-notch, both in layout and visuals. Plus, I LOL'd at the fully functional Egg Capsule. My only complaint is that the intermittent laser never actually turns off; it just becomes wafer thin, so you can still see it. It would be MUCH cooler if it actually vanished with the help of some Set Floor Height and Set Ceiling Height linedefs. Also, not to be a smartass, but the word is "hangar" if you're talking about the thing that houses aircraft, and "hanger" if you're talking about the thing that shirts dangle from.

--------------------------
CAPTURE THE FLAG:
--------------------------

Frozen Destruction Zone, by Scizor300 - 3/10
Distinctly meh. The layout is reasonably solid, but there's nothing really interesting about it, especially considering that the center of the field is perfectly flat. You could have at least varied the heights of those paths. I would have given you 4/10, but it's completely impossible to capture the flag with Knuckles (when he's holding a flag, he can't make the jumps required to reach the flag platform), so I docked you a point.

Angle Forest Zone, by Katmint - 1/10
Oh wow, this map is terrific, because clearly the recipe for an epic CTF map is to create only one path, make it as long and twisty as possible, and throw in some cheap death pits, amirite? Seriously though, how the hell is anyone supposed to capture the flag? I can barely travel from base to base, let alone do it with a flag in tow, dodging opponents all the while.

Mossy Mushroom Zone, by RedEchidna - 7/10
Now this is more like it. The level is pleasant enough just to look at, and there are tons of interconnected, multileveled paths between the bases - precisely the formula for epic chaos. However, I wish you hadn't hidden the flags behind the platforms; that's pretty awkward design. Now if you had placed the flags on TOP of the platforms, in plain view, that would have tied in perfectly with the setup of the level, and probably bought you an extra point or two from me.

------------
CIRCUIT:
------------

Lost Feelings Island, by Internet Explorer - 8/10
This was deeply out of left field, coming from you. When between now and Wood Asleep Zone did you suddenly make such a dramatic leap in skill? All your previous creations were loaded with gimmicks so gratuitously distracting and all-consuming that they detracted from your level, but not here. It's still full of the quirky, inventive elements we've come to expect from you, but there are two major differences between the gimmicks here and the gimmicks in all your previous levels. First of all, they didn't break flow, which is a particular relief because flow matters far more in Circuit than in any other gametype. And second of all, it didn't feel so much as though you were creating rooms for the sole purpose of containing the gimmicks; most of the rooms were interesting in and of themselves. The only thing I can complain about is that the level is far longer than most Circuit stages, but I don't care that much because most of the content added something to the level. After playing this, I have no doubt that you have what it takes to make a superb Single Player level in a subsequent contest - in many ways, it should be easier than what you did here.

Burned Mystic Desert Zone, by Miles Knuckle Power - 3/10
It seems pretty clear to me that you learned absolutely nothing from your previous creation. Don't be misled by the fact that you won the previous contest; that was just because you had so little competition. That level was lousy, and this level is not an improvement. In fact, it suffers from almost exactly the same flaws as the last one: the same wide, open spaces with dull scenery, the same lack of truly interesting obstacles, and the same tiny hole in the wall that forces you to stop and readjust your position, culminating in the same hideous zoom tube that rapes the camera angle. Please, just don't do anything that you did in this map ever again.

 

[Shiron]

Singleplayer Division

Outerspace Threat Zone By Miles Knuckle Power
3/10
Reason: First of all, enemies shouldn't really be in boss arenas. Second, using multiplayer rings for missles make the boss extremely hard, especially bounce rings. I would have given this another point if the laser sheild was gone.

Lakeside Hill Zone By Dails
2/10
Reason: This map is way too short! The level has very little gimmicks, along with random packs of crawlas.

 

[sims]

Single Player Division

Lakeside Hill - 3

It's too short, features clashing textures and enemies that seem to be placed nonsensically. In the future, I suggest working on adding more content and using a uniform texture throughout your map.

Outerspace Threat - 1

The arena isn't much too look at, the flashing laser hurts me eyes, and the boss is far too difficult to beat.

 

[Kim the Fox!!!]

Hello everyone. It's my turn. Watch out people, I'm coming thru!

Single Player Rotation

Outerspace Threat by Miles Knuckle Power: 4/10 - Mediocre

Well, I didn't enjoy playing your map. I entered the map annd suddenly an arena, with 4 rings and an untouchable Egg Mobile, that can only be beat by missiles that are thrown in a frequency that makes the player give up on defeating him. He also shoots player rings, so that's pretty annoying. The song fit... well... not well. Also, I waited more than just a boss map. That's why you get a 4.

Lakeside Hill by Dails: 2/10 - Awful

Long time no see, huh, Dails? But, hey, this is a joke or what? It's a CONTEST, and what you put here dishonored it. It's just a cute adventure field with a tree with springs to nowhere, wrong texturing, a totally unuseful lake, a bunch of crawlas glued to each other and guess what. The hill- oh wait there is no hill. Fail. You should get up from the laziness and start working hard. Make a LARGER map. Thank you.

Multiplayer Rotation

Match

Forst Rush Zon Zone by Scizor300: 1/10 - Horrendous

*coughcoughrushjobcough*
First, the name of the stage is a damn typo. Scizor, I thought you could do better, sincerely. And why did you do such a cramped ma? It's not funny. It has no grace. It has no movement. It has no more than 5 FOFs. Better luck next time (if there is a next time).

Sandstorm Zone by Dails: 5/10 - Average

Hai Dails, you again! Oh, but look, you map has improved! It's nice anyway. But it need more variation. Less Super Ring Boxes and more Weapons. And I think there should be more vertical variation. The song is too much beatiful, but it doesn't fit. You get a 5 ;)

Zero Effort Flower Zone act 12 by D00D64: 8/10 - Great

Awesome rush job in space map. I was expecting something epic from you, but this is enough. The music wasn't chosen (IT WASN'T, YOU KNOW) and there is few space to players to move. Despite that, it's great.

AccursedDonut.wad by Charybdizs: 6/10 - Decent

Hey Charyb! Guess what: You've got advantage with me, because I love donuts. The problem is: I don't like laggy donuts! There was nothing underwater (or under that liquid I don't know the name of), and that was awful. Fruit-tella also counts. But your map deserves a chance. 6 is fine.

Egg Hanger by KOTE: 9/10 - Awesome

Well, this stage was awesome because of all its machinery and stuff. Just loved it. My cousin Kari also got impressed (and died because of the many threats around). What I didn't like here are the annoying sounds that happen from times to times. And why the spikeballs in there? I was waiting for interactive gimmicks. Anyway, good luck.

Capture the Flag

Frozen Destruction by Scizor300: 7/10 - Good

Well, Scizor, looks like this is your job. This map is organized, and the flag is protected. There are enough weapons and Risk x Reward is well applied. The problems are the spawners and the great amount of rings. You should have lowered the number of boxes. Nice map.

Angle Forest by Katmint: 0/10 - Unplayable

Katmint. Katmint. Katmint, you freaked me out. It's not a "hey I'm gonna get to your base first lalalala" kiddie race, it's a real contest to real Capture the Flag matches, and we need real challenges. Spring trails aren't a challenge for CTF such as labyrinths. And what hell of name is Angle Forest? Seriosuly, your maps are worse than Glaber's.

Mossy Mushrooms by RedEchidna: 4/10 - Mediocre

Mediocre map. Why? I know. It has well placed weapons and rings, but the bases are so close to each other that there's no fun. I could shot my cousin even without rail. So try to SEPARATE the bases, but not like Katmint, please.

Circuit

Burned Mystic Desert Zone by Miles Knuckle Power: 2/10 - Awful

Well, try to make a level with more interactivity, less danger, more fun, more flow, less boredom. Your level is just a buncha long and wide hallways with red boiling quicksand and springs. And as the people of #srb2fun say, the Zoom Tube of Death. What kinda Zoom Tube needs spindash to enter? Please, try again later.

Lost Feelings Island by Internet Explorer: 8/10 - Great

Hai IE! Good to see you here again! You map is truly great. Waterslides, wind currents and all sorts of things. Everything is balanced. What I didn't like is that the map has no music and it's too laggy. Work harder and you're gonna make it harder to your opponents. You rocked.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to thank my cousin Kari the Fox, to test the Multiplayer maps with me. Good luck to everyone.

 

[Bbop800]

Dang, just two single player levels?

Well, downloading and voting soon...

Lakeside Hill Zone by Dails: 1/10

I'm sorry, but what just happened here? The map is extremely tiny and looks like it was made in literally 10 minutes. Most of it isn't even reachable as Sonic. (Those platforms, whatever they were.) This has no excuse for offering so little.

Outerspace Threat Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower: 2/10

Nothing here works at all. I'm serious. Nothing. Robotnik is just super overpowered and spams the living hell out of weapon rings. Since you most likely SOCed this yourself, I guess you deserve some credit for at least SOME effort. Hitting him with the missile is impossible, since Robotnik moves all the damn time, making this level nearly unbeatable. And why is it just a boss level in the first place? Probably would've given this a 3 if it came with a real level.

That was the most brief contest I've ever played (excluding the multiplayer maps, which were kinda meh), and I did it all in basically 10 minutes. Good game guys. *claps*

 

[D00D64]

Man, tons of rush maps this time around. Well, lets see how this goes...

M-M-M-MAAAAATCH

Forst Rush Zon COMPLETELY LAZY DESIGN Zone by Scizor300 - 2/10

Its a symmetrical field with random weapon placement and way too many powerups. Not much else to say.

Sandstorm SAND COVERED IN WHITE OUT Zone by Dails- 2/10

A mostly empty zone that is not actually in a sandstorm and has unusually high amounts of white. I also have no idea if there are any power-ups in it.

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 IIIIIIIIIIIN SPAAAAAAAAAAAACE by D00D64 - Mine/THE BEST

THE BEST ZONE Okay, this was made because I thought KOTE wouldn't finish in time, forcing me to come up with a map to stop Brawl's efforts at winning. However, KOTE entered and Brawl did not. Oops. Also, this was a rushjob map, but done 3 days before competition.

AccursedDonut LEVEL ATE THE GOOD DESIGN Zone by Charybdizs - 3/10

A good idea with poor execution. The bottom of the pool is empty, and the top is too difficult to fight in. Though, with a little tinkering, this could have made a sweet (no pun intended) CTF map.

Egg Hanger NO IM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHATS GOING ON Zone by KO.T.E. and Spherallic - 4/10

A maze-like, insanely huge area with this annoying sound effect going off every 15 seconds and so many things going on that its hard to focus on the fighting, nor can you because all of the blues and the grays combined with the low lighting make it difficult to ever see or hit anyone. I couldn't tell you whats going on here, honestly. EDIT: Also, I've noticed that all of the gimmicks are cast along the side, rendering them as mere scenery objects, as if you were just creating them to look nice, put some weapons around it and forget about it. I mean, the hell was the point of the egg capsule, or the electric constantly descending pole with an arrow directing you to it, or the pistons or pretty much ANY of the other objects? Very few of them add to the experience, and not by much. Remove the scenery and you basically have a grid.

SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-TEEEEEEEEE-EFFFF

Frozen Destruction FIGURE 8 BOREDOM 500 Zone by Scizor300 - 2/10

A dull map with platforms Knux can't jump up when he has the flag. Least it isn't a spamfest like a certain OTHER map of yours...

Angle Forest 1 PLAYER BETA STAGE COPYPASTA'D Zone by Katmint - 1/10

A maze that is far too long for any good CTF match. Just.. Why? Why did you think that a long maze was a good idea for CTF? I honestly want to now, because I can't phathom how this is ever a good idea.

Mossy Mushroom I STILL SAY SWIFT SHROOMS SOUNDED COOLER Zone by RedEchidna - 4/10

I honestly couldn't remember much to say about this map; all I remember is that it wasn't good, nor super bad. But it really says something if I honestly can't remember the map despite playing a game there. Regardless, I did it again, and found I didn't miss much. Just a few hops to the flag, and its yours. Kinda flat and too easy to rail in. The mushrooms don't feel like they add much to the level either. Not terrible, just... not very good.

RACE TO WIN, RACE TO WIN, RACE TO WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN

Lost Feelings IN TRANSLATION Island by Internet Explorer - 8/10

When I saw Wood Asleep last week, I was suprised at what you were capable of. Sure, the map was flat, but it had this great atmosphere, the beginning was actually pretty good on its own, and the darkening of the stage at the end was genuinely creepy. But now I'm getting offtopic, so let me just say that your map is as nice to look at as your others (like in Temporal Line), and the design itself isn't bad either. But really, whats with all the invisible walls? Also an arrow near that waterfall could have helped from not making me (as Knuckles) immediately dive into the invisible wall and wonder what the heck is happening. Otherwise, great job. I will definitely keep my eye on you.

Burned Mystic Desert BIG RED THOKFEST Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 1/10

Geez, this map is as flat as a 6 year old girl. And as red as a 6 year old girl bleeding to death. Also, why is this sand painful? Who the hell would think SAND is PAINFUL in a SANDY place, especially when its red like most of the walls? Geez. Also, why does this zoom tube go BOTH ways?

PLAYING WITH MYSELF UMPHUMPHUMPH

Lakeside Hill ACCIDENTAL ALPHA Zone by Dails - 1/10

If you can beat the stage in less than 10 seconds, there's a problem.

Outerspace Threat UNLIKE A BOSS Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 1/10

Okay, trying to aim that missile with precision so that its not only the right height you want but also going to go where Eggman is going to be is nigh impossible, and just unfun. It was easier just to hit Eggman with the Bouce Rings than it was the missile!

and now im done kthxbai

 

[BlueZero4]

Lakeside Hill Zone by Dails - 4/10
Hi! I haven't seen any of your maps around, so I'm thinking this is either your first map or some other early work. You're so early in your journey as a mapper (should you choose to accept it) that I really don't know what I have to say. Go and play some other maps and notice what you like or don't about the level. Spend this time taking in what's already been said and done by those have gone before you.

I see you're thinking as you map instead of making just a rush job. I see the secrets you've put in and the details here and there with the decoration. You've ordered your rings into lines. But on the other hand, you're not fluent with your sense of scale. You're also not comfortable with FOFs, so you've used the same tag over and over again for your platforms.

I can see you're putting in effort and time and genuine thought into your maps. You just need to know how to focus all that attention. As you gain time and experience, you'll learn to craft a masterpiece.

Outerspace Threat Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 3/10
This level doesn't work. Why? Egghead is encased in a laser block, which means I can't steer the missile straight into his face. I have to launch it exactly at him from a distance. That's really hard to do, especially while dodging fire.

 

[Scizor300]

Single Player

Lakeside Hill Zone by Dails - 2/10
Too short and not enough content.

Outerspace Threat Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 1/10
An ugly and empty room with a completely overpowered boss, GREAT!


Match

Forst Rush Zon Zone by Scizor300 - hai/gaiz
This thing was sitting in the OLDC submissions since the last contest, how fun.

Sandstorm Zone by Dails - 4/10
The visuals were incredibly dull, and the music could have been selected much easier.

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 IIIIIIIN SPAAAAAACE by D00D64 - 5/10
This was rather fun, actually. The level was rather varied, and it was also pretty chaotic.

AccursedDonut wad by Charybdizs - 2/10
...what

Egg Hanger Zone by KO.T.E. and Spherallic - 5/10
I liked this level, but the layout was confusing, along with it being large as hell. Otherwise fine.


Capture the Flag

Frozen Destruction Zone by Scizor300 - hai/again
meh...

Angle Forest Zone by Katmint - 3/10
Essentially maze-like, and you had to worry about the level design itself killing you more than other players themselves.

Mossy Mushroom Zone by RedEchidna - 6/10
Probably the only serious CTF map, and it really shows. The mushroom gimmick could have been used better, though.


Race

Lost Feelings Island by Internet Explorer - 8/10
The visuals were great, although a tad brown, but that's the only complaint. The level design was awesome, and it was actually fun. This is definetly better than your last attempts at mapping.

Burned Mystic Desert Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 3/10
Too much red and brown, along with the level being a few simple jumps with a long zoom tube at the end.

 

[fickleheart]

hi is this an oldc i don't know how to contest

Single Player:
Lakeside Hill Zone by Dails
Outerspace Threat Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower

Match:

Forst Rush Zon Zone by Scizor300 - 4/10
It's symmetrical, but the map is small enough to where finding stuff isn't really an issue. It's too small, in fact. Consider making it bigger.

Sandstorm Zone by Dails - 3/10
The map as a whole is just flat and empty. One part that annoyed me was the sandfall, which I spent twenty seconds climbing up, only to hit the jump button early and thok away from the very place I was climbing to. The map should be broken up into rooms.

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 by D00D64 - 4/10
The combination of small platforms and high jumps makes it hard to stay out of the pit. The tall pillar in the middle is unnecessarily high, making you an easy target during your ascent. Give us some more space to move.

AccursedDonut wad by Charybdizs - 2/10
All jokes aside, this map isn't fun to play at all. The cherry soda, especially, is hard to get out of. Give us something to do when we hop off of the centerpiece of the map.

Egg Hanger Zone by KO.T.E. and Spherallic - 5/10
The map seemed a bit confined, as in everything wasn't balanced out to keep me moving around. The bounce ring was easy to spam and gave me a 300 point lead at the end of the round. Don't make it too hard to navigate the map.

Capture the Flag:

Frozen Destruction Zone by Scizor300 - 3/10
This map was boring, but playable. The flag was difficult to get to. Keep the control lag in mind next time.

Angel Forest Zone by Katmint - 1/10
Way too long. I couldn't get anywhere near the flag room before falling into a bottomless pit. Make something people want to play, please.

Mossy Mushroom Zone by RedEchidna - 20%/Cooler
Another entry into the "retrofit old unfinished crap into a CTF map" series which began with Heinous Hidehole. The mushrooms probably could've been done better, in hindsight. I should spend more than an hour on my maps.

Race:

Lost Feelings Island by Internet Explorer - 6/10
I really enjoyed the scenery in this level. The map is a bit on the flat side, though. A few more obstacles could benefit this map.

Burned Mystic Desert Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 1/10
The map was flat and boring. That zoom tube at the end disrupts the flow way too much. Try again.

 

[Callum]

Umm, guys, the comments you are giving to the designers should actually have something useful in them, how are the people making these subpar maps supposed to improve if you don't give them any constructive criticism and useful suggestions? >_>

I'll post my ratings soon enough...

 

[Charybdizs]

Because I'm afraid I must disagree with Charybdizs's comment on IRC: there's no point in making a level that you know is crap for the sole purpose of adding another entry to the contest. Because you're really not adding anything if it's not fun to play.

That's not what I meant. I wasn't referring to piece of crap levels that serve no point. I meant the levels like Rush Flower Zone, things like that, although they may not be great, they are still entertaining, and sometimes funny. Heck, I believe that my rush circuit level that I messed up on would have been sure to get a few laughs out of people even.

Oh, and results will be coming probably tomorrow.

 

[Mystic]

Forst Rush Zon Zone by Scizor300 - 1/10
I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but this is really quite bad. Symmetrical level with basically nothing in it, not even ammo spawns.

Sandstorm Zone by Dails - 3/10
There's nothing objectively WRONG with this stage, but it's just kinda dull. The whole thing is really open and it ends up being about circle-strafing around each other spamming weapons. It's a little like Desolate Twilight, just without the benefit of a cramped center tower to give it variety. Some areas that aren't completely open or some kind of gimmick would really help this stage.

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 by D00D64 - 6/10
You really need to make some stages that aren't pure rush jobs, as this is actually quite fun and would likely be really good with some refinement and testing. Parts of this really are kinda cramped, while others are a bit too open. I really like the usage of springs, but it might be a bit too harsh to have a pit on the outside edge for people to get railed into off of them.

AccursedDonut wad by Charybdizs - 1/10
This level has some cute gimmicks but does absolutely nothing else right. Try checking out level design 101 for some general ideas for layout. It's especially bad to have the entire level as one huge room.

Egg Hanger Zone by KO.T.E. and Spherallic - 8/10
This level is a ton of fun, but it has a few nasty quirks. It takes a bit to learn the layout of the level with all of the similar looking rooms, so it really would be a good idea to add some kind of distinct scenery into each room to help the player learn where everything is, kinda like how Thunder Citadel has the different rooms of the castle all looking different to help with navigation. Also, you really need to tone down the Bounce ammo in this level, as it's entirely possible to end up with massive amounts of it and the level is almost entirely enclosed, making it very strong to just spam it.

Capture the Flag:
Frozen Destruction Zone by Scizor300 - 3/10
Well first off, Knuckles needs to be able to capture the flag without throwing it onto higher platforms. Other than that, the base design is well thought out and interesting, while the space between the bases is really boring.

Angle Forest Zone by Katmint - 2/10
The main issue with this map is that it's simply WAY too far between the two bases, and there is no alternate path at all. A flag capture takes almost two minutes, and this is without having to fight to get it. Never mind how rage-inducing it is to get hit when you've almost made it. A lot of the territory in this map just needs to go. Also, the whole level just looks the same and very boring, and it's basically impossible to figure out where to go until you've memorized it.

Mossy Mushroom Zone by RedEchidna - 6/10
This was a surprisingly fun little level. The area where the flag is could use some serious work, perhaps making it a small cave in the side of the level, but the mushroom gimmick is well-done and the item placement isn't awful. Like all the other rush jobs, this could just use a lot of testing and refinement.

Race:
Lost Feelings Island by Internet Explorer - 7/10
This is quite a nice race map, with good gameplay and some very nice visuals, but I really dislike dying to falling in water, and the direction to go isn't quite clear in a few areas.

Burned Mystic Desert Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 3/10
Why does red sand hurt and red rocks not? Other than the break in logic, the level is just boring. Also, what is with the zoom tubes in race maps nowadays?

 

[glaber]

Lakeside Hill Zone by Dails 1/10
Uhh, this was a level? It went by so fast, I forgot I played it.

Seriously though, this level felt like the beginner's first level. Randomly placed crawlas, fans that don't function properly, spikes that are not solid (check the def box if using Doom builder), and a grass pit that sonic Can't get out of.

first off, try to figure out how to get the elements you used to work properly. Crawlas should face a certain direction, fans should blow you up to whatever is the proper height, Spikes should be solid, and inescapable pits should be death pits. Nail that down and you're ready to start on the issue of size.

When I got to the end, I was expecting more, not an abrupt end. Even the earliest version of Green Flower Zone (Christmas version 0.93) was a little bit longer than this. Heck even Demo 1's versiion was longer and that was still incomplete.

Outerspace Threat Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower 2/10
meehhh, the hit box was too small and the boss didn't provide enough missels.

 

[Yoshi]

SP
Outerspace Threat Zone 0/10 What´s worse then stupid boss with annoying voice in horrid map?
Lakeside Hill Zone 1/10 Its really short and everything is completly random and ugly.

Match
Forst Rush Zon Zone 1/10 What about putting some effort into this? I can´t imagine playing this with more then 2 other people. Also name sucks.
Sandstorm Zone 6/10 This one was actually fun. Only design needs to be better.
Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 7/10 Wow this is pretty awesome for rush job. You really have to create some normal map. Design of this map told me that creator was drunk.
AccursedDonut wad (Charyb on crack zone): 1/10 What the hell???
Egg Hanger Zone 9/10 What to say. Its awesome level only bad thing is that annoying sound.

CTF
Frozen Destruction Zone 6/10 I HATE death pits in CTF maps. But thats almost only flaw it was real fun.
Angle Forest Zone 0/10 Yay! Lets make map where capture takes 2 minutes when you play against one AFK guy. Maps design is horrible, its boring and that spring part is horribe too.
Mossy Mushroom Zone 8/10 Nice map. That death pit didnt have to be there.

RACE
Lost Feelings Island 8/10 Congrats IE, you got really much betterin mapping since ive seen your map last time. Keep up good work.
Burned Mystic Desert Zone 1/10 How could creator come up with so bad idea?. Why does red sand damage you? And why do everyone notice that only if the fall in? And why is that zoom tube? And why is that level so short?

 

[MascaraSnake]

So we have this one really good Match map among the tons of crap (well, with one decent exception), and what do you guys do?

"its pretty good but i wasnt able to memorize the layout instantly and it was too large for me to find anyone in my 3 player game 5/10"

I'm not saying that everyone did this, I didn't say this was your only reasoning, and I didn't say your other reasoning wasn't valid. I also didn't say that all of you played 3-player netgames, but I know from experience that OLDC netgames are often very small, and I know that in the last contest, a group of four people who played the Match division together rated down all maps (or at least most) because they were too large for their small netgame. But I see a trend emerging here:

• Are you able to fully memorize the layout of Frost Columns in one 5-minute game? No. Is that a flaw? Yes (the texturing really should be a bit more distinctive for each room, and I'm pretty sure Mystic knows that). Does the map deserve a 5/10 because of that? Now that's up to your opinion, but I'm pretty sure that most of you had enough fun on the map to give it a higher grade. Not necessarily on the first run, but with each game, it got better and better. At least that's how I felt.
• Would you want to play Thunder Citadel with only three players? I don't think so. Does it deserve a 5/10? Certainly not, because with a few more players, this map is reaaally fun. Again, your mileage may vary, but I think most people like the map.

What I'm saying here is that I get the feeling that quite a few voters have an ideal size and ideal complexity for a Match map ingrained in their head. And everything that is larger or smaller, simpler or more elaborate than that automatically gets a lower score just because. I don't think that's a good idea. Match is a diverse gametype and there can and should be maps of varying size and complexity, because all of those have their own charm.

If a map felt too large, check if your netgame wasn't too small. If a map felt too small, check if your netgame wasn't too large. If you struggled with the layout, run around in it on your own and then play it again. You might find that you enjoyed the map a lot more than before. Okay, there goes my plea for greater ethnic diversity in Match maps. Stand up against Match racism!

...In all seriousness though, I don't want to start some kind of war. I don't want to say that you don't have your reasons or that these reasons are wrong. I just want you to think your position over once and ask yourself if you really tried to get into the maps you're judging here. If I'm totally wrong with my assumptions, that's okay. Feel free to correct me. My own voting post will follow soon.

EDIT: Oh, and before anyone accuses me of trying to boost the rating for a specific map, that's not the case. I couldn't care less about the score you eventually give to a certain map, because that's up to you. If somebody says "oh you were right, the size wasn't really a problem, but I found a ton of other flaws so the rating will stay the same" or something like that, I'm just as happy (and again, if you really do find the size to be a problem, I'm not gonna convince you otherwise).

 

[CoatRack]

Match:
Forst Rush Zon Zone by Scizor300 - 1/10
Symmetrical, somewhat cramped, only weapon pannels, and small. over all this is one of your worst maps. :<

Sandstorm Zone by Dails - 3/10
Not that bad, the map's size was good, but the layout needs some work. The textures also need to be changed, right now it's sorta odd with the white sand in a sandstorm IMO. Also, you seem to have placed all the strong weapons in the same area, I got Rail, Bomb, and Grenade all in one place. Also, where was the SRM and WRMs?

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12 by D00D64 - 3/10
Ugh, this level was a mess. I was always falling to my death because I didn't see a pit coming, and because of lag spikes. Not to mention I could hardly find any weapon rings, I only found Rail, Scatter, and Bomb. The level is also a bit cramped.

AccursedDonut wad by Charybdizs - 1/10
What is this I don't even.... First off, the level is WAY to wide open. Second, the level was symmetrical. Not to mention All the weapon rings was in hard to reach areas, and the level lagged like mad. Also, why was there gravity flip monitors? They really didn't seem to be that useful.

Egg Hanger Zone by KO.T.E. and Spherallic - I Fail/At Spelling
Name fail aside(should be Egg Hang-->A<--r), this was a level me and Sphere was planning for awhile, we finally started mapping a few weeks before the deadline and I was afraid we wasn't gonna make it in when I noticed Sphere didn't seem to have much free time. But here it is, the room with grenade was a bit rushed since Sphere was gonna make it, but he never had the time before the contest submissions was over so I went ahead and made it in 1-2 hours. Also, Have you guys found any of the easter eggs I've hidden in the level? Here's a hint, they are from past versions of Death Egg from the Genesis games.

P.S: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kTxXCqGZjM <--- The level is about 20% cooler if you listen to this while playing. ;D

Capture the Flag:
Frozen Destruction Zone by Scizor300 - 4/10
Wide open dash to the other teams base with a few jumps, no real clue on WHERE weapons are because of the design of the level, and Knuckles can't capture the flag without tossing it up the steps to the main base. Overall, not a very fun map.

Angle Forest Zone by Katmint - 3/10
This level is VERY cramped, has way to much ammo (I mean, 2 grenade ammo next to the panel, that's just plain OP), not to mention it takes ages to get to one base from the other. that, and I am not sure if I found any monitors in the bases.

Mossy Mushroom Zone by RedEchidna - 7/10
Nice level, a bit of a odd layout, but at least it played well. One thing I didn't like was how the bases could be stormed from above. not to mention I couldn't seem to find much weapon rings, that was mostly because I was busy chasing the flag holder across the map though.

Race:
Lost Feelings Island by Internet Explorer - 5/10
The level looks GREAT , but it is a thok-feast. Not to mention you have some pretty nasty HoMs in some parts, they sometimes messed me up because it caused a bit of lag since you made the room so large. If you fix'd the HoMs, and added in some paths to help Tails and Knuckles, this would be a great level! Another small note, the level is a bit to long IMO.

Burned Mystic Desert Zone by Miles Knuckle Prower - 3/10
THOK THOK THOK THOK! Another thok-feast, but unlike the other one, this one wasn't pleasing to the eyes. Not to mention some of the pits of burning sand was hard to pass by with Knuckles without gliding. Also, the zoom tube at the end felt out of place and boring.

 

[Steelie]

So, I've managed to try out voting on this OLDC even with knowing that more than half are joke maps...

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~Single Player~
Outerspace Threat Zone, by Miles Knuckles Power
Rating: 1/10
Okay, firstly it should be Outer Space. After I added and tried the map... I was... sick...
What is the point for adding freaking UGLY SOC'd BOSS AT ALL??? Even in ugly and huge like THZ2 arena?? and Mystic, from what time are allowed boss maps in contests?

Lakeside Hill Zone, by Dails
Rating: 1/10
Wow, just wow... It was rush job for 100% man. like ending the stage in 22 seconds with BEING COWARDLY CAREFUL??? None of these two maps deserve the golden title! NONE!

~Match~
Forst Rush Zon Zone, by Scizor300
Rating: 3/10
Hmm, I had really crazy match here (even knowing it was with bots, since I didn't find any good server) but it's because it's too damn small! And, there are too much panels too. Also, symmetry sucks.

Sandstorm Zone, by Dails
Rating: 2/10
"Rush maps AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" Okay so, umm... *capital question* Where is the sandstorm? And even, what's up with the snow-like sand texture on the floor...? Why didn't you just use the regular one ... This why some people hates rush maps. At least KO.T.E's last one was good.

Zero Effort Flower Zone Act 12, by D00D64
Rating: 5/10
For the joke map, that was pretty awesome. And... Um.. (Aww, I'm losing words!) Well, spaceships weren't really "zeroefforted". And I'm losing interest in joke and rush maps now!

AccursedDonut.wad, by Charybdizs
Rating: 3/10
This is a joke map that is at least FUNNY! When entered I laughed pretty much, but that still doesn't deserve much points for being completely suckish.

Egg Hanger Zone, by KO.T.E/Spherallic
Rating: 6/10
It's pretty awesome in design and completely idiotic in layout. Probably all rooms looked just same, and I've just got lost, very lost. You could do something for knowing where are the rooms. At least they should not look completely same and the stage being a-mazing. By the way, what the hell is up with the annoying laser noise?

~Capture The Flag~
Frozen Destruction Zone, by Scizor300
Rating: 4/10
Well firstly, death pits was a stupid idea. I don't know why, but the BG was fitting like a black queen going for a walk with white king on chessboard. And even that I had to throw the flag with Knux to even capture it?

Angle Forest Zone, by Katmint
Rating: 1/10
"Whoa! We're going to try out Angle Forest!" I wonder how it will look." *10 minutes later* "AAAAA, where's the damn flag??"
Explains a lot. It's just TOO DAMN BIG

Mossy Mushroom Zone, by RedEchidna
Rating: 6/10
Still the best map in CTF contest. It looked nice and I especially liked the MHZ Mushroom-Bouce gimmick.

~Race~
Lost Feelings Island Zone, by Internet Explorer
Rating: 9/10
"Whoa! It's looking Nice!!! ;_; But... Goddamn the music choice."
Yea, it's pretty awesome level! But the point down is the music and too long laps, but still pretty.

Burned Mystic Desert Zone, by Miles Knuckle Power
Rating: 3/10
This map is... Uh.... May I? Okay, it's horrid. It just didn't look like desert and... If the water or quicksand is damaging, why isn't the ground too? And I even did walk into the tube at the end. Also, Race maps this contest are unique! Both of them has three names!

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Weeeee, Finish! Finally, I can rest! I've finished my duty. Now it's up to you to choose who will get a golden title.