September/October 2009 Voting

[filio]

Oh no, barely a day left! I gotta rate!

SP DIVISION
My Favorite : Refurbished Gadgetry Zone by SonicMaster
MAP01 - Gothic Gardens Zone Act 1 by VX501 - 3/10 (was gonna be 3.4/10)
Pros : Some Gimmicks.
Cons : Lack of Sceenery, Boring, Repetitive.
Comments : You need to test the level, or get beta testers, if this took about a couple hours/days, it isn't enough. Please try again when you get better.
MAP06 - Refurbished Gadgetry Zone by SonicMaster - 8/10
Pros : Great Gimmicks and Difficulty.
Cons : Upside down parts are already frustrating, mabye make them a little easier?
Comments : I LOVED this level, it was fun, appealed your eyes, and the lack of enemies was replaced by BETTER challenges. The ending with the upside down and rightside up water slide was awesome.
MAP01 - Graceful Coast Zone by D00D64 - 6/10
Pros : Good music choice/switch, good gimmicks. I like the Timer.
Cons : Only one path, no one can see the path needed with the button, impossible to reach emerald for Sonic, you copied falling platforms, and it's also small. Lastly, the geyser gimmick is frustrating and too unpredictable.
Comments : This seemed good, but small. Has a nice feel to it and good music.
MAP01 - Magma Core Zone Act 2 by Blade - 7/10
Pros : Good gimmicks, but overusive.
Cons : Overusive flame jets, very repetitive, could use more paths.
Comments : The lava rising part was great, and the falling platforms while frozen part was good too, but a bit boring.
MP Division
Match:
My Favorite : Azure Lake Zone
MAPM1 - Battle Forest Zone by Aaron - 7/10
MAPM2 - Misty Mesa Zone by fawfulfan - 8/10
MAPM3 - Acid Comet Zone by D00D64 - 5/10
MAPM4 - Icicle Warehouse Zone by glaber - 7/10
MAPM5 - Volcanic Desolation Zone by Scizor300 - 4/10
MAPM6 - Azure Lake Zone by KO.T.E - 9/10
MAPM7 - 30 Minute Zone by RedEchidna - 1/10

CTF:
My Favorite : Sunshower Canyon Zone (excluding the lag)
MAPF1 - Canyon CTF Zone by Eggmanfan - 0/10
MAPF2 - Ancient Arboretum Zone by Com Rante - 7/10
MAPF3 - Red River Zone by darkbob1713 - 6/10
MAPF4 - Sunshower Canyon Zone by D00D64 - 8/10
MAPF5 - Techno Laser Zone by KO.T.E - 6/10
MAPF6 - Iron Turret Returns Zone by Neo - 8/10
MAPF7 - La Villa Strangiato Zone by Penopat - 8/10

Circuit:
My Favorite : Frostbite Peak Zone (well duh)
MAPR1 - Frostbite Peak Zone by RedEchidna - 8/10
MAPR2 - Egg Flower Zone by Mach - 3/10

EDIT : Rated 3 CTF levels.
EDIT2 : False rating for MCZ2 and spelling error in 'barly'.
EDIT3 : Finished all rates.
FINALEDIT : Forgot the 'Favorites'.
I will NEVER comment on the MP maps, unless i'll get paid. :3

 

[FuriousFox]

Just a reminder: All votes are due by today at 7:00PM Eastern US Time, which is about 8.5 hours from this post.

 

[sphere]

Multiplayer votes now.

Match:

Battle Forest Zone by Aaron - 5/10
Well, the sector layout was decent, but the item placement sucked horribly. Undeafed weapon rings in small clumps, monitors all over the place, weapon panels sometimes very close together... It didn't look very pretty either. But, at least you didn't use the ? monitor.

Misty Mesa Zone by fawfulfan - 2/10
Symmetry does not work in 2.0's weapon system. And you managed to get this map too cramped and too open at the same time, and that's not a good thing. The open, central field didn't have any rings whatsoever, just like the cramped bottom tunnels. There were almost no items, except in the corner, where there were too many. I mean, 2 weapon panels and 3 powerful monitors? That's overpowered. The central caves were also too cramped, and there was nothing in the middle, sans the only rings in the entire stage. The only good point were the graphics, which weren't too bad. Also, ? monitors suck, don't place them.

Acid Comet Zone by D00D64 - 5/10
Well, average map you got there. The sector layout was decent, the graphics not too bad either, but the item placement outside wasn't really good. There were too many monitors around the outside area (including one of those damned ? monitors!). And I didn't really like how the acid drains rings, very annoying if you get shot in by someone else. But overall, not a bad map.

Icicle Warehouse Zone byglaber - 7/10
Yay, the first good map in this contest! The sector layout was really solid, and the weapon panels were placed in good spots, far from each other. But the ammo placement is the most horrible of all maps. Seriously, all types of ammo together in one clump, placed numerously over the whole map? That really sucked. The graphics weren't too bad though and the monitor placement was also really good (except for the one ? monitor close to a WRM). Overall, a good map.

Volcanic Desolation Zone by Scizor300 - 2/10
Openness. That sums up this map perfectly. In fact, it's so open that it causes graphic glitches, and that's not good. The weapon placement sucked horribly, not only because of the lack of ammo over the whole stage, but also that all weapon panels were placed on one side of the map. There were also no random monitors in this stage, the lava part was completely useless, and it looked very ugly.

Azure Lake Zone by KO.T.E - 8/10
And this is the second good map in this contest! The level looked extremely nice, and the sector layout was awesome. You might need a bit of work on the item placement though, there were too many weapon rings, and the monitors were in abundance. But the rest was just extremely good. I can't wait to see the finished version in SRB2&K!

30 Minute Zone by RedEchidna - 1/10
I'm not going to give you points for the fact that this was made in 30 minutes. Start on your map earlier, and don't intentionally make one in 30 minutes. That said, this map is absolutely horrible. The item placement was bad, the graphics looked like putrid, and the sector layout was extremely sucky. The current might have seem like a nice idea on paper, but in reality it's a horrendously bad idea, because you can easily get shot by others who have Rail. The emeralds also floated too high in the air, and there was nothing good about this map. But it's still better than...

CTF:

Canyon CTF Zone by Eggmanfan - 0/10
...This pile of putrid crap. Seriously, this map is so bad, it should be retextured and renamed to The Shining River Zone CTF. The faults:
-It's not symmetrical at all.
-The quick sand was way too strong.
-The falling boulders were in abundance.
-The item placement was garbage.
-The graphics were extremely bad.
-The console got spammed with errors.
-It just is the worst map ever in a contest, together with The Shining River Zone.

Ancient Arboretum Zone by ComRante - 8/10
This is the best looking map in the contest. Period. The detail was superb, the texture choice excellent... It's just a pleasure to look at. The sector layout was pretty good too, but a bit hard to navigate in. The weapon placement was very good too, except that two of the same weapon panels were placed too close together sometimes. But it was a very good map.

Red River Zonebydarkbob1713 - 6/10

Sunshower Canyon Zone by D00D64 - 6/10

Techno Laser Zone by KO.T.E - 5/10

Iron Turret Returns Zone by Neo Chaotikal - 7/10

La Villa Strangiato Zone by 'Not' Penopat - 6/10

Race:

Frostbite Peak Zone by RedEchidna - 3/10

Egg Flower Zone by Mach - 6/10

[other comments will be added later]

 

[danie]

heres my top three of single player levels

1.Refurbished Gadgetry Zone
2.Magma Core Zone Act 2
3.Graceful Coast Zone

heres my top three of multiplayer levels

1.Battle Forest Zone
2.Icicle Warehouse Zone
3.Azure Lake Zone

SORRY!

 

[Fawfulfan]

Your vote won't count unless you assign a number value 0-10 for the levels.

 

[glaber]

heres my top three of single player levels

1.Refurbished Gadgetry Zone
2.Magma Core Zone Act 2
3.Graceful Coast Zone

heres my top three of multiplayer levels

1.Battle Woods Zone
2.Icicle Warehouse Zone
3.Azure Lake Zone

Battle woods was not even in this contest. This contest had Battle Forest

 

[Bbop800]

That's because RGZ replaces MAP06-Techno Hill Act 3. If you've unlockes Level Select either through getting all Emblems or have a complete save file with a character, you should've seen it.

Ooooh, thanks. (I feel so stupid.)

My review on RGZ has been updated.

And I don't think I'll have the time to vote for the multiplayer levels, 'cause I haven't played all of them yet. But when I played a netgame with the levels, they rocked overall.

 

[MascaraSnake]

CONS:
-Lack of enemies.

Does a level like this really need enemies? Of course you're allowed to have an opinion, but did it really feel like they were missing at all? I can't think of any enemies that fit the level and, just as with ERZ1, it doesn't need them to create hazards. Although this might make the level feel a bit more empty than it currently is.

 

[Bbop800]

Does a level like this really need enemies? Of course you're allowed to have an opinion, but did it really feel like they were missing at all? I can't think of any enemies that fit the level and, just as with ERZ1, it doesn't need them to create hazards. Although this might make the level feel a bit more empty than it currently is.

Actually I didn't think it needed enemies. I don't really see anything wrong with the level, so I had to put something there.

I could just put none I guess if you think it's necessary.

 

[filio]

I edited my post (the first one on this page) with all rates. Wait, are you gonna go over the rates at the end? Or is this just a spam post.

 

[FuriousFox]

Single Player:
Gothic Gardens Zone, Act 1 by VX501 - 4/10
I pretty much stated my feelings on this map in the email I sent back to you. You clearly understand the technical aspects of mapping, now you just need to master the design aspect of it. Take a look at the official levels and old levels from the Genesis Sonic games and ask yourself what makes these levels fun. Once you understand what makes a map fun, the quality of your maps should improve.

Graceful Coast Zone by D00D64 - 4/10
Pretty, but it doesn't play all that well. Again, you seem to understand the technical aspects of wadding, as well as alot about decorating, but alot of the gimmicks in this level are just downright frustrating. If you move while springing outward from the screen, you'll miss the invisible wall that "catches" you and go flying into a death pit. The section with the 3 blocks on the water jets was also frustrating, since you had to use the gas jet to make a blind jump over to the middle block. This section frequently took me several minutes to do right. Lastly, there's the blue spring part with the spikeballs. I don't know what people's fascination with using blue springs above water is, but they aren't intended to be used that way. I usually just get hit and run through while I have temporary invincibility.

Refurbished Gadgetry Zone by SonicMaster - 5/10
This level is okay, but I feel like you can do better, SonicMaster. The level just feels kinda empty and bland. I liked the room where you had to repeatedly change gravity in a single jump, but other than that, I didn't see much that impressed me in this level. It just seems like jumping from platform to platform in an empty room, where if you fall you have to take a spring to go back to the start. I also feel this level could use more starposts.

Magma Core Zone, Act 2 by Blade - 7/10
I really liked this level. There were alot of great gimmicks in this level, such as the rising lava room, riding a hang-rope over flame jets (and having to jump to avoid them), and the little event where the bottom of the cave fell out. The main problems I had with the level were the over-use of sounds (I could barely hear anything other than falling rocks and flamethrowers throughout most of the level) and the repetition of some of the gimmicks. I understand that falling rocks are neat, but you don't need them in every single room of the map. I also got lost a little bit in the beginning of the level, and noticed a jump that looks like you can almost make it, but you can't. Overall, it's a very well put together level, but some of the faults are holding it back. It could have easily been an 8 without the problems I listed.

 

[Arf]

Gothic Gardens: 2/10
Graceful Coast: 3/10
Refurbished Gadgetry: 6/10
Magma Core: 8/10

Maybe later I'll get some actual criticism done here. MP is nigh umplayable with my lag, so it's a no-go for that division.

 

[Chromatian]

I don't have much time so I'll just quickly give a rating for the singleplayer maps.

Gothic Gardens - 2/10

Graceful Coast - 4/10

Refurbished Gadgetry- 5/10

Magma Core Act 2 - 5/10

 

[SunCyclone]

Quick ratings for the CTF maps, since I don't have much time:
Canyon CTF: 0/10 (Eggmanfan, hang your head in shame.)
Ancient Arboretum: 4/10 (Way too large and confusing)
Red River: 7/10 (A bit boring)
Sunshower Canyon: 10/10 (Perfect, except for the music, which I'll let slide.)
Techno Laser: 7/10 (Some gimmicks felt broken)
Iron Turret Returns: 10/10 (I never played the original Iron Turret, but this, along with Sunshower Canyon, is perfect.)
La Villa Strangiato: 8/10 (A bit bland, but I like the concept.)

 

[Fred]

The section with the 3 blocks on the water jets was also frustrating, since you had to use the gas jet to make a blind jump over to the middle block.

There's actually a second jet between the left and middle geysers. It took me a while to notice that. You still have to make a blind jump from the right block to the left block, though, or wait until the left and middle geysers synchronize in such a way that you can jump directly from one to the other.

 

[Ezer'Arch]

Match:

MAPM1 - Battle Forest Zone by Aaron: 5/10
Made of "ummm interesting"

The tunnel part is interesting to set up grenades and bounce rings. I used that hole (sector #118 ) to protect me from bounce rings some times. Although I feel the tunnel is a tad dark.

I'd suggest you to make the map less "squared" too.


MAPM2 - Misty Mesa Zone by fawfulfan: 4/10
Made of "LOLSigSegv"

I get some random SigSegvs when I fall into deathpit (something like 1/20 chances), but this is a minor issue.

Symmetrical maps don't work well in new match system. Worse, you made a double symmetrical map: east part = west part = north part = south part. This makes the navigation a tad boring; if I played over 1/4 of map, I ended up playing whole map.

Make each part of the map different, so player can memorize where each weapon/power-up is and create interesting strategies.

You could've used a cloudy sky, at least.


MAPM3 - Acid Comet Zone by D00D64: 5/10
Made of "arrrgghhh acid"

Outdoor part is a tad confusing.

It's hard to explain, the way how the map was made, I can't get involved with the theme. Almost whole map is made of simple platforming and "avoid the acid to not get hurt".

MAPM4 - Icicle Warehouse Zone by glaber: 6/10
Made of "I liked it"

The strongest point: each room has something different and distinguish from each other, so it makes the navigation interesting and I can create some kind of strategy.

I prefer ammos weren't so concentrated. 4 ammos in one spot is enough. "Ring clouds" are somewhat pointless, besides, they give me a weird 3D impression: I feel they are more "deeper" in the floor or more farther.

Make the level less "squared" to make it more interesting. Footbridges need to be 50% wider.

And finally, you did something decent.


MAPM5 - Volcanic Desolation Zone by Scizor300: 3/10
Made of "HOMs there!"

Two mountains, some lava, lake, 3 towes... I missed something? The only things I can do there is running, hiding, and going up the towers. It need more creativity and variety.

Too large rooms create HOMs: you should know it.


MAPM6 - Azure Lake Zone by KO.T.E: 6/10
Made of "Oh Cute.... *smash against the wall*"

The invisible straight wall "killed" the map, and created too narrow corridors. I'd like it a bit less cramped (not the whole map is cramped).

The lakes with quicksand effect with camera changing are a tad annoying.


MAPM7 - 30 Minute Zone by RedEchidna: 2/10
Made of "LOLNO!"

It's fun for a random match, but if I want to play a serious match, I wouldn't play here... (obviously you weren't being serious upon doing this map).

Sometimes emeralds spawn so high I feel I need to jump like a retard to get them.

--------

EDIT: Edited part is italicized.

 

[CoatRack]

CTF:

MAPF1 - Canyon CTF Zone by Eggmanfan
0/10:
ugh, this has to be the worst CTF level ever put into the contest.
Cramped, unbalanced, no floting rings. Please, try again. :(

MAPF2 - Ancient Arboretum Zone by Com Rante
6/10:
Cool level you got here. Great senery, though it can get in the way sometimesand it also make it gets a bit cramped. Also, make the air shield a bit easier to get, many times I missed it because of the jump being to big.

MAPF3 - Red River Zone by darkbob1713
5/10:
Cool level, texture choice was very ineresting. But it could have used more senery, like flowers and stuff. Also, check your player starts, some of them seem to be at the wrong base.
Other then that, great level.

MAPF4 - Sunshower Canyon Zone by D00D64
6/10:
nice level here, neat theme, good textures, and a fair amount of rings for the teams. but one of the main problems is that it was quite flat on some of the paths. mainly the bridges and pipe things.

MAPF5 - Techno Laser Zone by KO.T.E
mine/10:
Ok... So this one expirament wasn't the best one, seeing as many of you guys thought that the scaling was useless and cheap. But I do have one thing to say. Why do you guys think that normal has only one way to get to the base? I put to side paths that lead to the front of the base. I can't see how you could miss them.

MAPF6 - Iron Turret Returns Zone by Neo
4/10:
Eh, not the best, It looks like you just took Iron Turret and 2x'd it's size, added another path to the bases and caled it a day. It stil has a magor flaw of being flat and wide open. :(

MAPF7 - La Villa Strangiato Zone by Penopat
7/10:
Eh? This level is so strange it is good. Textures was ok, but you could have done a bit better one where you put some. Music didn't quite fit, but at the same time it did. Also, make it have a few more monitor boxes, I coudn't find any realy. Other then that, good job
-----------------------------------------------------

It was a good CTF division this time around. usaly there is only 2 or 4 CTF levels in the contests, I am quite pleased with it this time.

 

[FuriousFox]

Votes as I've talley'd them so far. If you tell me I screwed up, I swear to god I'll scrape your eyes out with a rusty spork X_X.

N Gothic Gardens 113241363543422
N Graceful Coast 777846062342436434
N Refurbished Gadgetry 5967555466798565
N Magma Core 99X9897884778877785

- M1 45755
- M2 23824
N M3 444555
N M4 834776
N M5 224423
N M6 55986
- M7 223112

- F1 000000
- F2 457846
- F3 646675
N F4 486X6
- F5 55657
N F6 8787X4
- F7 568687

N R1 8883
N R2 8636

If your map has an N to the left of it, that means that the lowest vote will be dropped.

EDIT: Also, half an hour left in the voting period. Get those votes in quick!

 

[PrismaticAngel]

If your map has an N to the left of it, that means that the lowest vote will be dropped.

I have a question about that, why exactly do some maps get their lowest votes dropped while others don't?

EDIT: Oh ok, it's explained

 

[Armonte]

Canyon CTF, 10/10
I love how the rocks are set up by the bases, and the quicksand, and even the tricky monitor in a death pit. It's sad how people can't see this maps sheer beauty

Magma Core, 9/10
Okay, a slight stepback from 1.09.4's one, I dislike the sound that the flamethrowers are using, and the jumps can be cheap sometimes, so eh

Frostbite Peak, 9/10
OMQ I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING, but nonetheless a good map, it's just it has no starts :(

Techno Laser, 9/10
Completely AWESOME CTF map, I like the idea with the scaling, and the zoomtubes, but smaller players dominate the bigger ones D:

Egg Flower, 8/10
Pretty fun map, I liked it, but the visuals could be worked on SO much, and the crushers with the patterns are pretty cool

Azure Lake, 8/10
Fantastic, but one thing I don't like is all the ledges, I mean, if a good player got a rail, you'd be done D:, and the swampy water is a nice gimmick, but can get old easily.