Before talking about anything on the participants' work, I would like to say that we have a really, high quality 1 Player contest. Every map contains a lot of work and a lot of time to have such a success, without exceptions. I saw an important use of SOCS in some levels, and, these modifications were well applied and pretty interesting, the badniks SOCS were pretty originals, some other were... quite funny...
On the other hand, I saw some levels with awesome ideas ; about the building, or simply about gadgets and other cool stuff. This 1 Player section had exploited SRB2 at different points. The question I always asked to myself, is just : How you guys can do...that. I don't get it... it sounds almost impossible to me...
Let's start with Frozen Hillside Zone Act 2 by Blade : 7 / 10
Gameplay 3 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2
The next act of Frozen Hillside Zone keeps a "second act" shape, highly noticeable since the first second of the level. It also has some variations, I don't remember of any temple and rising snow (into the temple) in act 1. Still, the level isn't a hard challenge, we've got mechanical ones for that, your work sounds to a relaxing stage.
The platforms are slightly elaborated, I saw some snow currents, some ice block to break, like Ice Cap Zone's, some large ice platforms to break, and fields of snow slowing down the player... I don't think I need more complex stuff for a snowy level, it sounds "frozen".
About badniks, now that I noticed that, the Ice Cap penguin seems to work, but the snowman which throws hailstones... it has some aiming problems, hasn't it ? I stood still at 1 meter and 3 meter of it, and hitting me seems hard for it.
The platform patterns sounds great, anyway as long as I don't fall in snow. But, I think I didn't see enough ice-on-water, that idea where a plate of ice was used on the lake, like parts of an iceberg. Maybe was it because you wanted to have less water and more solid temples ?
I looked at the level with Tails' general view, by flying. I confirm that it is pure and relaxing. Also, it looks like to a mountain, from an aerial view...
I actually haven't a lot of important things to talk about, the overall stage is rather simple (I mean, the platforms of the outside.), but sweet. So, good job Blade.
Then, I continue with Chemical Facility Zone Act 2 by CoatRack : 8 / 10
Gameplay 4 / 5
Visual 2 / 3
Fun, pleasure 2 / 2
A demo ? I finished this level, while my first try, in around seven minutes... but, it's okay if it isn't finished, if the rest is supposed to be as successful as what I have played now, there are no problems at all~
So, the first thing I take care of, like in every levels, the music, in that case, Mechanical Resonance (you forgot to loop it, unfortunately), but does it fits with the Sonic Generations version of Chemical Plant ?
To talk about the Facility, or rather about the Chemical side first, I thought first that the orange liquid was lava. Actually, after testing, I guess they're chemical solutions, but they don't hurt... and also, there was that part, with blue chemical bullets rising. The orange solution covering the entire room was just standing like a big square near to that place with chemical bullets, if you see where is this... the last little detail is that waterfall, situated rather at the end, outside, near to two purple and one blue waterfalls. Its root is orange, but the waterfall is black (or hasn't Colormap) ~ that's just some little inconsistencies.
About the factory... well, you still have in mind some good challenges ! (You seem to like using timed actions, don't you ? Like pushing that green button and rising quickly the two doors at the top.) But yes, since you used the pretty good gauntlet of the toxic water rising, it's maybe better to don't use it two times in a row. Actually, it sounds more to an act 2 challenge. I don't remember of gravity in the first act, and there is more gravity in ERZ2 than ERZ1, so it should work.
Oh and yes, I noticed how you placed (especially at the beggining), badniks, lasers and other hurting things like traps.
I know what you wanted to do with the combination of the glue and the slime turret, but on my side, that combo didn't worked at all. I don't know about other, maybe was I lucky. But it's still a good spirit of initiative to dig in the gameplay like that.
About the decoration, or rather about the overall style, I find it... a little less complete than the first act, it's like if you were more bored of this mechanical theme, just a little. I think there aren't all the details you added everywhere on the first part of the zone.
In conclusion, this act of Chemical Facility seems to derive to some other side of the mechanical side, or should I say, to a ERZ-themed style. But of course, it still honor its name.
Following Industrial Valley Zone Act 1 by Zipper : 4 / 10
Gameplay 2 / 5
Visual 1 / 3
Fun, pleasure 1 / 2
This one is actually quite simple, and, to me, looks to a fusion of Techno Hill Zone and the toxic and rainy level of Mystic Realm, I don't remember its name. It is unfortunately in lack of homogeneity, this means some areas are in lack of industry (the wide plains at the beggining have not enough metallic stuff - nitric solutions sound more to "toxic" than "industry"), and vice-versa, some areas are in lack of valley, especially around the middle/end, when the stage only takes place in the factory. The ideas 'Industry' and 'Valley' should work more together.
For example, the beggining is some rising platforms (without forgetting the classical crawlas), quite simple for the moment. There are maybe some long metallic passes, one in the cave and one in the sky (with a secret : an extra life. That was well done), as well as some toxic puddles, but they're in a quite low amount. Of course, the area with the rising nitric solution was great to introduce to the mechanical side, but the red spring (the 2nd group of springs, I think) throw the player too much far away, so I had to intensely slow down when they propulsed me. Just a small detail~
Later, on the factory, jumping on the rising circular platforms was a pretty rushed idea, whereas you were able to think to something better, remember also that the player is underwater underslime, allowing smoother moves, this may leads you to a better idea than just jumping over a black pit.
There was that part with a broken pipe that you tried to use as a mecha/Valley area. But, and I'll derive to the style, why is the ceiling of the solution inside the pipe (and in some other areas too) blue, and the body pink ?
In overall, the only things which were able to add some decoration were the mechanical pipes, and maybe some particular valley platform structures.
I already heard that music somewhere... what was its name ? It kinds of help your level to mix the valley and industrial theme, actually~
Next is Sonic's Schoolhouse by Boinciel : 8 / 10
Have some special scale about this special one.
Amount of work : 4 / 5
Kind and taste of the joke 2 / 3
Care 2 / 2
Why yes, 80% of the maximal note. Since it's a joke level, I used some parallel criterions, but they actually look to gameplay, visual and fun. It's a joke level (it doesn't follow the level design rules, and want to represent something instead of displaying a level), but this doesn't mean it's a rushed piece of junk, far away from, the player isn't supposed to play a stage but to "watch and enjoy what the author did there". Let's skip to your work then, Boinciel ;
I knew Sonic's Schoolhouse, I haven't played it, but I heard of it, and reproducing it with Sonic's replies and all the childish stuff was pretty funny to see. You haven't worked in minutes to extract all the sprites from the original software (included all the posters I noticed at the walls) and making the level by programming the triggers, so we can say it's a worked joke. I wished I could have a longer "Sonic adventure" like he says, but let's count the steps...*jump on the blocks, the 4 answers, getting 10 and 20 rings with Robotnik in the garden, and then 3 rooms of mathematics...* well, that's still 4 funny games I should try again later. Sonic's Schoolhouse is so childish ^__^"
Lightless Labyrinth Zone by ShadowHog : 6 / 10
Gameplay 3 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 0 / 2
Here the three A representing my reactions, in order : Affraid, Amused, Angry.
At the beggining, I immediatly felt in love with the dark ambiance like I do with deep levels. Then, lights turned off, and it looked scary until the piano music started (do you mind telling me what is this music's name ? I really like it.) Everything worked perfectly for some minutes. But, the first time I played your level just traumatized me, explaining why didn't I take any pleasure. I was on running everywhere since thirty minutes to find the issue, the exit, and since I swallowed every rings used as arrows, it was kind of hard to find a way. I thought that the arrows were traps, so I followed the other way they were aiming at. It's not my fault, when I see a mystical level like this one, I always doubt on some things. I usually like weird and confusing enigmas like this one, but most of the time, I solve them...
So, the best souvenir of your level was without any doubts, these white lights. Is it really a lightless labyrinth, by the way ? Since I saw a lot of lights~ Also, by searching my way, I learnt by heart every light position.
Let's analyse, then. The main idea is to dive the level into a controlled darkness and by spreading lights like guide. I won't say things are copied and pasted randomly, because they are organized to provide a particular challenge. The main idea got suddenly broken with the apparition of the terrifying monster coming out from the ... glass. That boss was without any doubts, the most classy SOC of your level, between the flying black and red spirits, I loved how it looked more to a dangerous flying "possessed burning fire" spirit than a simple monster. That because, once more, of the darkness. But I also noticed the use of polyobjects, I remember that room with a lot of invisible flying platforms in every sense. It was kind of magical, but also scary.
In conclusion, I'll remember of that weird level and of its continuous annoying piano music... it was really challenging !~
Finally, Azure Temple Zone by Mystic & Prime 2.0 : 9 / 10
Gameplay 4 / 5
Visual 3 / 3
Fun, pleasure 2 / 2
(Between fans, we know that phantasm is impossible (or almost). On the Touhou scale, this level should be between Hard and Lunatic, what do you think of it ? But, of course, it couldn't make a good subtitle, kero kero-)
I'll start quickly on the bad things of that stage so I can go to what I loved.
It's too bad that the frameskip is low... there are so many things in this subterranean ? The message about typing some commands barely worked on my side... but since I was with Tails, I didn't have so much troubles. It's a little narrow, but I'm sure that was used for the difficulty.
My main reason for loving this level is its difficulty, and what is nice of you is that you took care to set the lives to 15. I'm sure that with 3 lives, it would be too much difficult, and marks should low dramatically about an impossible aquatic stage. And to continue on that, this is a true 100% underwater level. The temple, lost into deep waters, is muffled by the ocean, and so it sounds visually and emotionally to these old ruins, lost ... under the sea. Gargoyles impose strategical and smooth moves, forcing to dodge, like... in some danmakus. The bubbled mines-badniks are helpful, but you eventually used them as traps... when the bubble is breathed, Sonic falls at the vertical. And at the bottom, there's a pit... nice strategy~ There are also a lot of evil strategies like this one done by gargoyles.
There was also this part with air currents, a clearly area which needed some agility that I haven't. All this organization displays a high quality challenge for players, but only about mastering a character's moves underwater. But it's still a great training.
I don't think there are problems about your style of decoration, the game itself seems to be puzzled with the marine beauty of the temple, and this deep, abyssal, intense feeling of profundity dive the player into a totally submarine attraction. Playing through this tricky maze is a true quest. :3
