MorganFan

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Indoor Egypt - I love this park! I wasn’t expecting to see a realism park set in the modern day in this round, but you pulled it off and this is a really strong entry. I only have one main critique which I’ll get out of the way: I feel that the pyramid aspect loses a bit of focus as a feature, instead functioning as the park’s structure. Nothing wrong with that, but I would have liked to see the pyramid theme reflected more within, as it could be missed with a less discerning eye. Still I think it was a genius move to put a park inside the pyramids. Strong ride selection inside with two dominating coasters, a nice flume, and several nestled flat rides. Path plazas and overlooks make up a solid portion of the interior and lend a nice space to the inevitable chaos of indoor parks; the overall layout and macro is the park’s main achievement. A minor nitpick is that I wish the park entrance was more grand. My favorite part is pit with the spaghetti bowl coaster and log flume, it looks like something you could see in real life. Great park here, very glad we got to see such a strong solo entry from you!

Ptolemy II's Alexandria: 250 BC - Here we have the clear heavy-hitter of the round. Tons and tons to look at, and a home run of a theme. There is a professional quality here, as if I could see this exact map created in a AAA video game (I’m particularly reminded of Baldur’s Gate, though I don’t know if that was intentional). Well done! It’s almost difficult to put all of my thoughts into one paragraph. Great balance of rides and peep space. The architecture is imposing without being too claustrophobic. As a coaster nerd/snob, I wish there was more to the water coaster, but on its own it functions fantastically as the park’s centerpiece ride. Well, maybe one of two centerpieces. The library is a marvel and its namesake ride may be one of the best dark rides in the medium of RCT2 to date. At the risk of being overly-critical, I felt the cutaway sections were a bit heavy-handed, and I think the park would have benefited from a more complete structure. The entire harbor scene is absolutely my favorite part. Everything in and near the water is a triumph, I’d say the color palette is a cheat code for putting tan architecture near Mediterranean water, but it’s more than that; the structures, macro, and details combine into one beautiful painting that accomplishes the daring task of feeling somehow both historically accurate and modern-realistic. There is so much to say and fawn over but I’m trying to stay as succinct as possible. Fantastic achievement.

Ancient Light - This contest wouldn’t be complete without a LLovely LLurker LL entry! And this is without a doubt some of your best work. There is a fluidity to the map and macro here that is a hard mark to make with the limited tool set available in the game, but you nailed it. Full of life and motion, I could see myself here. By contrast, the lighthouse stands very still in opposition to the rest of the park, though I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I am amazed at the amount of attractions stuffed into a relatively small footprint, with none of the trappings of blockiness that can unintentionally occur in LL. At points there are certain angles that are a bit harder to read, but that is a hard balance to hit, especially with so much to look at. Namely, the main walkway I think is a bit too broken up and would have been better off asserting itself as a more solid block of color. I understand this is difficult to do in game though, so I don’t believe that’s much of a drawback. I think the inverted coaster is my favorite even if the layout isn’t necessarily realistic. It has a nice flow to it and the bits of interaction allow it to dominate its area, without being too large or intimidating. Really great entry!

The Seven Wonders Selection Survey at Sidon - Ignoring the few spots of unfinishedness, this is a sweet little park. Great macro and the shape feels organic and lived-in. Texture and foliage is ever-present yet balanced, and each set piece has a good sense of space which flows throughout. I wish there was a ride or something, but I can’t be too pedantic. The use of map stalls to call out the names of the monuments is clever. My favorite one is Alexandria, but the entrance of the park itself is my favorite part of the park. Glad this could be submitted, it’s definitely an idea worthy of creation.

Pyramids - Very nice assembly of features here. The main plaza in front of the coaster is nice, and I really like the temple with the two obelisks in front. The chunkiness of the pyramids feels good, and the scaffolding were a nice touch. The coaster has a great start, but I feel it meanders a bit in the second half when it wraps around the drop tower, which itself is a bit separated from the rest of the park; I wish it had been integrated more gracefully. My favorite was the log flume, especially the trough at the beginning. Overall this is a nice map!

The Ancient World - First off, the coaster is very nice. It is well-paced and has some great interaction points, and the supports are well-done, if a tad overdone in a couple spots, but that is a nitpick. I do wish the main high-speed portion of the coaster was less hidden by the pyramid and foliage over by the scrambler; I think a viewing platform or plaza near the coaster’s large elements was a missed opportunity. The pyramid itself is imposing, and functions as a nice clear centerpiece, but again I feel that leaving it empty aside from the launch tunnel was another missed opportunity. I absolutely adore the placement and function of the scrambler digging into the side of the pyramid. The coaster station is very clean and has a nice realism to it. The scaffolding add a balance to the tan brick and the whole structure as a result to make my favorite part of this map. Lots of good stuff in here, cool entry!

The Construction of Giza - On first impression, this is by far the most visually striking map of this round. Carefully selected colors, forms, and structures with appropriate negative space add up to much more than the sum of its parts. There is a satisfying visual balance that pervades throughout the viewing experience which makes for a very effective park. I absolutely love the coaster. It makes great use of its surrounding setpieces and has a great flow with a realistic mix of intense and gentle pacing. It dominates the map strongly, lending a breakup of color to the tan landscape and structures. The color balance in general is wonderful; with a vein of blue-green through the drab sand, as a foundation for the brown and black coaster, the whole map is vibrant without sacrificing the feeling of dry desert. The details and various peep scenes are a nice touch, adding life without distracting from the main pieces. Texture is everywhere and does so much to keep the surroundings interesting. Hard to pick a favorite area but I’ll go with the little farm by the river or the tomb foundation beneath the coaster finale. Absolutely fantastic work!

I have a hazy idea but I'm open to support someone who has a more concrete plan

edit: The R1 parks got me inspired, very down to build now

edit edit: sorry gals I'm taken

R20 Faas
R21 Lurker

R17 Xtreme
R18 nin
R19 Gustav