I will not officially rate the maps due to personal constraints, but I will wager a guess on what I might give if I actually played through these maps properly. Because these are just guesses, I've made use of fractions; a "6.5", for example, means I'd either rate them a 6 or a 7 (and I've dealt with this in every contest). THESE ARE NOT TO BE COUNTED, and should only be used to get a general idea. For all I know, they might be completely off!
All I'll do with these maps is skim them over anyway, but I'll be happy to give my thoughts about all of the entries. If the consensus conflicts with my own sentiments, then, by all means, take my advice with a grain of salt! :)
Single Player Levels
Moon Temple - JJames
A professional-quality level! The structure arrangement seemed very polished, much like the regular game or Mystic Realm. One major flaw, however: going through the left fork at the very beginning (with the toxic waterfalls), at the part with vertical ring rows and the square platforms below them: that seemed very much like a Tails route. I was playing as Sonic, and there was no indication at the beginning of that fork telling me that I needed Tails to go through that path (did I, actually?) I didn't bother to restart the level to go to the other fork, again, due to personal constraints. I liked the gray lighting though. Really nice touch :).
Guess: 8/10
Rocky Cavern 1 - KingofFlames
Barring its flaws, this level isn't actually too bad. The lava setting looked pretty convincing and without ugly mishaps. I guess this level's biggest flaw is the lack of direction. I found myself going in circles from time to time, wondering, "hey, have I been here?" Another thing to note is that the level design allows for Sonic to just run and turn, and even avoid badniks entirely. That's a characteristic of running on flat levels, or otherwise lousy level design. What I think makes a level interesting is its use of higher and lower ground. Jumping from obstacle to obstacle, high and low, just makes a level more involved to me. I applaud the aesthetics of this level, though.
Guess: 6.5/10
Dandjr Palace - Penopat
On the other hand, this level is very puzzle-oriented! Not neccessarily a bad thing, mind you, but I would've appreciated more running segments, where the direction and flow just takes care of itself. In this level, I found myself making critical jumps and analytical maneuvers, which I'd interpret as, actually, the point of the level: exploration, I guess. Different from the "ignore everything and just run through!" type of level, and again not bad, but it's just not up to my personal tastes. I dig the music, though.
This level also seemed very Aerial Garden-esque. It looks like somebody's been playing Mystic Realm ;P.
Guess: 7/10
Match Levels
MAP01 - Carrier Crisis - JJames
I dunno. This map seems too closely confined, what with the obstacles, and even the floor space isn't big. It gives me the impression that Matches here would be a little slow. I do like the visuals of it!
Guess: 6.5/10
MAP02 - Twilight Tower - JJames
Ooh, I like FOF towers!
This level seems to be a little big, even for the colossal 10-player netgames everyone seems to be having these days. That's all, really. I like the floor layouts, at least.
Guess: 7/10
MAP03 - Crater Lakes - Flame the Hedgehog
Seems awfully simplistic, I think. The space is too open and the terrain just seems very flat. Actually, it's not, but I consider the crater and the grassy area above it totally separate when considering a space. Purely, it's "shoot and evade". Not much to explore. Kinda' boring, really.
Guess: 5/10
MAP04 - Platform Chaos - Flame the Hedgehog
This actually seems pretty confined! The platforms are too small for comfort and the center area is too closed in. I might be spending more time trying to stay on the ground instead of shooting at others. The paranoia factor is too emphasized here, I think.
Guess: 5/10
MAP05 - Sonic Islands - Flame the Hedgehog
A cute idea, but I'll admit that I was never optimistic about this map since I saw it in Releases. The design of this map just doesn't fare well in terms of game mechanics. The powerup placement is unneccessarily abundant, and also (I think) unbalanced. I also think this map is a little too big. In a three player netgame, I'd spend half my time just trying to find the other person.
Guess: 3.5/10
MAP06 - Ozone Island - GCFreak
I kinda' like this level, but it has one really glaring flaw. For one, the block-textured platforms are way too thin. It's really hard to move on a thin platform, especially over a pit. I'd worry more about actually staying on it than shooting the other person. It's just not fun. Also, the layout is a little obscure. It's not obvious that to get to the top of the centerpiece, and ergo the platforms on the perimeter of the map, you have to use the yellow springs. Speaking in terms of visuals, actually, I quite like the centerpiece.
Guess: 5.5/10
MAP07 - Meadow Garden - Mikel93
I've gotta say: this is much more developed than your past attempts. I applaud you for that.
That being said, I'm not sure what to think of this one. For certain, though, I consider the AGZ-themed area of the map as extra junk. That area is just totally boring. The GFZ-themed area, on the other hand, is open and has height depth. The GFZ-themed area alone would make an acceptable map, I think.
Guess: 5.75/10
MAP08 - Chaotic Belief - JJames
Pretty. :)
Actually, I'm not going to play this since this map is in the PAZ theme and, not having played Mystic Realm for awhile, I'd rather play the actual PAZ just for the sake of "plot" (and by that I mean visual setting, too). I don't like spoilers, really. Sorry.
Guess: na/10
MAP09 - Ship Yard - Sonict
Ooh, this looks interesting. Flaw: some unbalanced practices seem to be set here. An established black shield, for one, and a liquid shield, for another. Even if a level has an extensive underwater part to it, I wouldn't go using the liquid shield. I'll say though that, especially designed around a distinct theme, the layout seem to flow quite nicely.
Guess: 6.5/10
MAP10 - PC Motherboard - Sonict
A Match in here might be mindless thokking and throwing rings. Though obstacles are in place (which is miles ahead than "open, flat field" actually), the entire room is just open. There's not much involvement with the player and the layout, which only leaves the match itself, with players throwing rings at each other. That alone is boring, yet an involving level design makes a Match level interesting.
Guess: 5.5/10
MAP11 - Hill Top Battle - Flame the Hedgehog
Really interesting, but I think it's a tad big. My only gripe with this is the deep lava depressions; I don't like depressions filled by hazardous water blocks. They're annoying, really.
Guess: 6.5/10
MAP12 - Arctic Halls - Oogaland
This looks like a really solid level. You've got a center area which unifies the perimeter really nicely, both the lowest level and the highest level. The fact that it's not just two floors on top of each other and instead rooms that increment in height really works. The flow of that is just that much better.
Guess: 8.5/10
MAP13 - Glacier Cocktail - Neo Chaotikal
Hah, an actual cocktail. That's really nice :).
Though, when you get down to it, it's the typical "center pit open area Match level". Though, the way you executed this map seems to be pretty optimal when it comes to that sort of layout, but I still know this type of layout to be pretty unspectacular. I love the cocktail, though. At least that's original :P.
Guess: 7/10
MAP14 - Feudal Age Rush - Penopat
I don't know what to make of this one. The theme is really interesting - I'll give you that. Some parts of the level are unusual for Match, such as the houses, but other parts of the level do seem suited for Match. I don't know, really.
Guess: 7/10
Capture the Flag Levels
MAP15 - Greenery Cave - JJames
Wow, the bases are back-to-back. That is really, really neat.
Can't say much here, other than that the level seems to be a little too confined. Other than that, the level seems to flow pretty smoothly. I'm quite fond of the back-to-back thing :).
Guess: 7/10
MAP16 - Mountech - Blue Blur
The flow's alright, but in my opinion, the layout seems a little complicated. It took me a little bit to find the bases, and it didn't help that the spectators all start on the one Player 1 Start. Other than that, I guess it's okay.
Guess: 7/10
MAP17 - Mountain Peaks - Espyo
The layout's simplistic. The use of pyramid-like structures just totally stops the flow. Pyramid-like structures make the action really slow, and it's also annoying when someone shoots you and you drop the flag. You'd have to start climbing all over again! At least you can run from base to base on acceptable, flat ground. Still simpistic, though.
Guess: 3.5/10
Circuit Levels
MAP18 - City Heat - JJames
I really quite like this. Maybe a tad haphazard with the flow, but the fact that there are plenty of obstacles to thwart thokkers really makes the player pay close attention to the track. I quite like that. Though, I noticed the shortcut near the beginning with the red spring and the building seemed to be Tails/Knuckles-only, without indication of such. As with your single player entry, that seemed annoying. Though, the first word that came up to mind with this level is "creative" :).
Guess: 7.5/10
MAP19 - Lime Isle - JJames
Works. It just simply works. I like how there are psuedo-alternate paths (though it looks as if they're really are shortcuts), which is good since it's not all one linear track like in the regular game.
Guess: 7.5/10
MAP20 - Morning Hill - JJames
Wow, realistic lighting! That is really neat. I wanted to do something similar to this in BSZ, actually, but the framerate just screamed "NO!" at me :(.
Though, the level layout just seems a little too simplistic to me. The pitfalls that existed in your other two maps didn't seem to be in this one. It's really more of a thok-fest, like in the regular game, than a track you'd have to be careful with. Kudos for the decoration, though!
Guess: 7/10
MAP21 - Dusk Street - GCFreak
Not bad. I like how the track goes through parts of a city, like a highway, streets, and through a building. That's all.
Guess: 7/10
MAP22 - Royal Raceway - Spazzo
Thok-fest. Unlike in the other maps, there are no pitfalls here. You just go thok on the overly large track. That's all. Also, the map seems to lack direction. I got lost at Peach's castle and just gave up from there. I don't care if it's from MKDS; this map doesn't really go the extra mile.
Guess: 6/10
MAP23 - Cosmic Valley - Lloyd
This is even more of a thok-fest. Furthermore, the terrain is entirely flat; ergo, the action is boring. Height-depth makes a level interesting. Without floors of multiple heights, a level is just dull.
Guess: 2/10
MAP24 - Nebulous - Sonict
The idea is really innovative. Though, the execution kinda' falls short. The transition makes the game itself lock up a bit to change the sky and music, and then it also screws up the player a little bit. The track itself is alright. Maybe a little simplistic, but it's not too much of a thok-fest.
Guess: 6.5/10
MAP25 - Four Seasons Circuit - Oogaland
Using the Crawlas as spectators was really cute :).
I liked how at some parts the track forks, but the paths are really quite equal. It comes off as a bit of a thok-fest, but the turns are well-placed enough to make the player sort of pay attention to the track.
Guess: 7/10
MAP26 - Race Alley - FoxBlitzz
Really neat. I like the floating arrows!
It looks like a thok-fest, but the obstacles are well-placed and the turns are well-situated to prevent the map from being so. In the end, it actually comes off as a little tricky (especially the turns), which is really good. I like being kept on my toes.
Guess: 7.5/10
