Here are my votes for the Official Level Design Contest 2021, Round 2 - Singleplayer Bracket.
Finally, as usual, here's the plain text feedback I recorded while playing. (NOTE: I made some edits to this part after my initial submission; however, I did not change my rankings, as I believe they should stay the same as when I first submitted them.)
- Botanic Space Zone, Act 2 by DeltaSanic
- Bricked Busted Zone by Mikhael Blur
- Digital Deluche Zone by RoyKirbs
- Sunset Summit Zone by Entropy
- Caustic Crater Zone by Seaballer
- Nimbus Lake Zone by Yyeellooww7
- Lucid Landscape Zone by Othius
- Something Zone by Marcos
- Powder Park Zone by DakotaSpine
- Lofty Woods Zone by Vixuzen
- Command Facility Zone by Twins'R'Okay
- Follow Your Rainbow by Rogerregorroger
- Rhyolite Ruin Zone by Radicalicious
- Frozen Fissure Zone by Garrean
- Blue Glacier Zone by BronsoKip
- Iron Dominion Zone by MK.exe
- The Twins Palace Zone by Chaolino
- Pineapple Prairie Zone by SupaCustardbro
- Grass Planet Zone by Voidy2246
- Invasion Zone by JABSphere94
- Junkyard Jeopardy Zone by PhilJFou /// ChaRG
Finally, as usual, here's the plain text feedback I recorded while playing. (NOTE: I made some edits to this part after my initial submission; however, I did not change my rankings, as I believe they should stay the same as when I first submitted them.)
NerfPlayeR135's Feedback for OLDC 2021 Round 2 - Singleplayer Bracket
{Preliminary Notes}
>I always use OpenGL for gameplay; if I saw something that could be a rendering error I momentarily switched to Software to confirm it. Once again, there was an exception.
>Normally I play as Tails, but since levels tend to be built around him, I played as Sonic. I had Tailsbot with me, but only used his flight once (you'll see why).
>I always play in first-person unless something requires me to switch to third-person. For example, some of the pulleys in Arid Canyon block the player's view in first-person.
>It's a lot easier for me to elaborate on negatives than positives.
>I did not attempt to collect all emblems or perform any Record Attack runs.
>I used SRB2 version 2.2.9; at the time of this writing, the first prerelease for 2.2.10 was available, and the release of the second was imminent.
>I used version 1.1 of the OLDC addon.
{A Message to All Mappers}
>Please, do not be afraid to experiment! There seem to be a few of you (I won't give names) that have fallen into the trap of making the same kind of level over and over again. Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new - you'll develop your skills further as mappers!
(1)[Botanic Space Zone, Act 2 by DeltaSanic]
>Great visuals, great level design. But that's not what I love the most about this level - it's the subtle things. The map starts out with an area similar to Act 1, complete with that act's music, before abruptly transitioning into something incredibly different. The level tells a story without using words (for the most part) - no cutscenes, no dialogue, nothing like that. And it teaches you a new mechanic through one you already know: since every Sonic player is conditioned to collect as many rings as possible, there are rings placed around breakable computer equipment at the start, encouraging you to "discover" the new mechanic. These are things that I believe only a truly skilled mapper is capable of doing.
(2)[Bricked Busted Zone by Mikhael Blur]
>Wow, this level is amazing. The whole building block aesthetic is really well done, and the level design is top-notch. The only thing I wasn't really a fan of was all the Eggman monitors - I value exploration, and (for example) finding a semi-hidden cave only to be greeted with the equivalent of a troll face isn't encouraging.
(3)[Digital Deluche Zone by RoyKirbs]
>A visual treat, this one; I've always liked this kind of aesthetic. The level design's great too, making use of floor warping in creative ways. I never thought I'd perform an Unreal Tournament-style lift jump in a Doom engine game, but here we are. And, of course, it can't be a RoyKirbs level without a quality Kirby reference.
(4)[Sunset Summit Zone by Entropy]
>I really enjoyed this level! The aesthetics and the music combine to create a very calming atmosphere (which doesn't last long because of the enemies, but oh well). The level design flows very well, although there are a few places where I think some people might get a bit confused. Exploration is encouraged, which is something I'm always happy to see. And Credits Island is a neat little idea... but then I fell into the gap between the island and the signpost platform. I didn't get too angry at that unintentional Kaizo trap, but I know plenty of people who would. The effects used on Credits Island and the transition to it were well done, though. (Oh, and don't worry, I didn't fly over the whole level.)
>NOTE: There's an Emerald Token near the start of the level (to the left) that pretty much can't be collected because the sector underneath is accidentally marked as a death pit, despite appearing to be solid ground. This seems to be a common occurrence with floating island-type areas, but isn't usually an issue... unfortunately, I tend to discover them during Score Attack runs.
(5)[Caustic Crater Zone by Seaballer]
>Great aesthetic, great level design. The Attraction Shield segment at the end was an interesting challenge, although I'd personally prefer if non-water soluble shields and damaging liquids were kept away from each other. Thanks to a vanilla SRB2 bug, those types of shields will disappear BEFORE you get hurt if you touch the acid here.
(6)[Nimbus Lake Zone by Yyeellooww7]
>A very linear level that's still fun to play thanks to the solid level design.
(7)[Lucid Landscape Zone by Othius]
>That was an... experience. The level design, while fun, could certainly use some more work; the timed spike sections in particular seem very difficult to traverse without getting hurt. Obviously the main highlight was the visuals - I don't know how you made that left-or-right thing pop out like that, but it was cool and I love it.
(8)[Something Zone by Marcos]
>Huh, that really was something. To be more specific, it was a very unique usage of Axis2D and camera perspectives. (I made sure to use Software, by the way.) While I'm sure there have been "all-stages remix" levels made for SRB2 before, this one's presentation truly embodies the phrase "All the world's a stage." That being said, some vanilla characters can't jump over or otherwise circumvent the Egg Guards in the Castle Eggman segment if their shields are in the way, so that's a problem. Thankfully, it's a problem that's going to be fixed, if what I saw on Discord is anything to go by.
(9)[Powder Park Zone by DakotaSpine]
>A nice-looking snow level that seems to take inspiration from Sonic 3D Blast, if the level design is anything to go by. Fortunately, it works quite well, although I noticed the Penguinators frequently got stuck or slid into a pit before I reached them. Plenty of exploration, too, which is always appreciated. The choice of music (SRB2 2.2's NiGHTS Attack) isn't the best, though; it gets repetitive fast. Some custom music would have been appreciated - it's not too difficult to loop music, and you can always ask for help if you're having trouble. Otherwise, Frozen Hillside and Midnight Freeze are two pre-existing tracks that could have been used.
(10)[Lofty Woods Zone by Vixuzen]
>A fun platforming challenge, although it might be a bit too challenging for some. Especially that spiral - I think the punishment for failure there might be a bit too much. I did occasionally find myself unable to jump because of some wonky collision, so that could be improved. Those realistic textures were certainly put to good use, though.
(11)[Command Facility Zone by Twins'R'Okay]
>A pretty good adaptation of the first Doom episode. It’s not a copy-and-paste - the techbases have been retooled to work in SRB2, and they work fairly well. The texture choices are a bit questionable, though. I will admit this map’s rather high position is due to my bias towards retro FPSes.
(12)[Follow Your Rainbow by Rogerregorroger]
>Roger's back at it again with his unique texturing. The level design starts out as only decent (was this designed for Modern Sonic instead of vanilla?), but gets a lot better towards the end. The trademark humor still shines through as well. Who else would have City Escape end in a shopping mall that plays anime music?
(13)[Rhyolite Ruin Zone by Radicalicious]
>NOTE: This map was mislabelled as "Magma Caves Zone" on the Message Board post.
>This is actually a 3-mare NiGHTS stage based on 2.2's Red Volcano. It's solid for the most part, but the usage of the lavafall objects from RVZ creates some issues, especially in Mare 2. How am I supposed to use a Super Paraloop when I'm being bombarded by lavafalls whose origin rocks - which rumble when they're about to erupt - are hidden by stage geometry?
(14)[Frozen Fissure Zone by Garrean]
>A difficult platforming level that could have used some more polish.
(15)[Blue Glacier Zone by BronsoKip]
>A short, water-based map that could really use some more water bubbles - the few that exist, while clearly marked, are far too spaced out. I hope to see the finished version someday.
(16)[Iron Dominion Zone by MK.exe]
>I'm not really a fan of this one. The level design is fine, and the visuals are cool, but there was one particular part that really bugged me. On my first playthrough, I found the fast route for everyone but Fang (the one hidden behind a breakable metal grate). The solution for the Sonics is not obvious - they have to bounce off a horizontal spring, curl into a ball, launch off a ramp, and bounce off a wall to land on a higher platform. Unlike Botanic Space's computer equipment, there is no indication, subtle or otherwise, that the wall is bouncy, and so I saw it as an obstacle that needed to be avoided.
(17)[The Twins Palace Zone by Chaolino]
>Another marathon of a level from Zaxel/Chaolino. However, I'm not as big of a fan this time. My chief complaint is that the custom enemies are missing sounds again - I could've sworn this was addressed before! I think you may have spent your 3MB audio budget entirely on music, and looking at the OLDC PK3 in SLADE confirms my hypothesis. I highly suggest you ditch the easter egg music next time.
>Now on to the lesser complaints. At one point, my shield was replaced without warning (there's no sign this time) by one of the elemental spirits upon their defeat - please see my feedback for the Autumn 2020 OLDC, because this is still something that needs to be fixed. The warps aren't two-way, which is really odd, considering these kinds of levels all but encourage backtracking.
>Now, most people don't really like Chaolino's levels specifically because they're so long, but I appreciate them because they were built not to be sped through, but to get as many rings and points as possible. Why else would there be insanely high score and ring emblem requirements (with ring and enemy counts to match), or point monitors outside of Record Attack? (The latter is, however, considered bad form by most.) But this one simply doesn't hold up to Chaolino's others in my opinion.
(18)[Pineapple Prairie Zone by SupaCustardbro]
>This one seems to be a bunch of different ideas that would probably work well on their own, but fall a bit flat when mashed together. (Which is rather fitting, since Sonic Lost World seems to be an inspiration.) Still, I can tell there was heart put into Pineapple Prairie. And the death screen Lua is a nice touch.
>POST-SUBMISSION NOTE: This map exposed a critical vanilla SRB2 error. It was discovered that upside-down water droplets do not despawn, which causes extreme lag and eventually crashes the game. I guarantee you that SupaCustardbro did this by complete accident, and was likely unaware of the error until after submission. Regardless, I didn't notice before I submitted these votes.
(19)[Grass Planet Zone by Voidy2246]
>This level would have been fine, but there are Hive Elementals everywhere! And pulleys, too?! That is a recipe for disaster. For the record, Hive Elementals are VERY good at spotting you from a mile away, and as soon as they do, here come the Bumblebores. They work in Aerial Garden (for the most part) because the level is structured into many different rooms and hallways, and the Hive Elementals can't bother you if they can no longer see you. But in a wide-open stage like this, there will always be multiple Hive Elementals spawning endless Bumblebores to ruin your day. Which means you have two options: Kill all the Hive Elementals and Bumblebores (incredibly tedious and dangerous), or run for your life to the exit. Try the latter, and the pulleys become your worst nightmare, because while you're riding one, it's incredibly difficult to dodge Bumblebores without falling into a pit.
(20)[Invasion Zone by JABSphere94]
>There's always at least one stinker, isn't there? The level design here ranges from "decent" to "questionable" to "BS" to "I think there's a vanilla character that can't make this jump." And it's long - far too long. There's one part where a crushing ceiling chases after you, and once it's done moving downwards, it starts going up and down as if it was a platform - not very multiplayer friendly. To give perspective, this is the only level where I had Tailsbot help me skip a platforming section, not because I couldn't do it, but because I was tired of the level's crap. The custom enemies aren't much better. The most common enemy was given two health, run-and-jump style AI and the Egg Mobile laser as its attack - and you get locked into rooms full of them! Oh, and did I mention that there's a conveniently placed extra life near some of the checkpoints? The OLDC gives infinite lives, thankfully, but if your level is so cruel that you have to keep the player from getting a game over by forcefeeding them lives, I think it's time to reconsider some things. Like how you have to damage the boss as a spindash character - by jumping off a floor-to-wall curve. Not fun.
(21)[Junkyard Jeopardy Zone by PhilJFou /// ChaRG]
>Is there a way to call this level bad without being incredibly insulting about it? Right from the get-go, we've got two different sets of moving platforms on different cycles. The spring needed to progress is only available half the time, and the platform you need to reach with it will inevitably be out of reach by the time you can use the spring. Next up is a path split. To the right, we have a convoluted 2D puzzle that's too easy to softlock, even with the provided reset function. To the left, we have a bunch of lasers and crushers. Lesser of two evils wins - we're taking the left path. From then on, you'll notice that half the shields fizzle out in water - and the main environmental hazard is acid. As mentioned before, damaging liquids will remove these shields, THEN hurt you. One of the shields here, however, is a Bubble Shield, which provides immunity to acid. To me, this indicates that the level was not thoroughly playtested. Final section, and another path split - if you're taking the spindash path, you're led to a large, open room with a passage on the other side. Do you go through said passage? No, because that's for Amy and Fang. Instead you go to the bottom of the room and hit a switch, which opens a door all the way back at the start of the path split. That's where the signpost is. You have to backtrack to the signpost. Oh, and the enemy placement is haphazard, too.
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