Park / Mushroom Kingdom Links
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02-May 19
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- Downloads 458
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- Comments 18
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How to vote?Round 2 - Quarter-Final 1
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Cocoa - The Green Plague
bigshootergill - Mushroom Kingdom Links
Sulakke - Ha Long Bay
mamarillas - Mech Hangar
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First of all, check out all the entries in this match. If you can't view one or more entries, for example if you don't own LL, then please, do NOT vote. Once you've viewed all 4, select your favourite and second favourite in the polls above. After 3 days, we will close the poll, the results of the two polls will be added together, with the votes from the second poll weighing only half as much as votes from the first poll, and the 2 highest scoring entries will proceed to the next round. The third placed park will place its creator on the reserves list for the next round of the contest.
Votes are public and so any cheating of the system, betrayal of honesty or mistrust will be picked up on and will be dealt with.
All good entries on first impression, but damn Cocoa.... one of the finest so far.
All four are awesome! One stood out for me and that was Cocoa. Very original idea executed with great technique, multilevel view and great atmosphere. Second pick was a really close call. Went with Mech Hanger in the end, because the idea was the most original of the three in my opinion and because I really liked the sight of all these mechanics frantically running around.
Again, will be hard to choose.
1) The Green Plague - I think this one was even better than your Round 1 entry. The main rapids/mine hybrid was awesome, and reminded me of egg_head's Mystery Creek. Good atmosphere and movement going on here, especially with the swamp bubbles. It was pretty classic cocoa small-scale architecture that was sort of placed on top of each other in that certain way. I thought the tudor style stuff was excellent especially. Having the rapids drop through a whirlpool was a great idea, though I wish you'd hacked on a pause before the drop which would've added to the suspense of it. Castle was great too - overall just a well done, complete package of a micro.
2) Mech Hangar - Ambitious; where it lost out to cocoa was just in the sort of sacrifice to the aesthetics of it in exchange for the awesomeness. It wasn't the most pleasing thing to look at or the most beautifully composed, but it made up for it in coolness. I thought the choices of textures were great, and the mech itself was cool too, if a bit simplistic for the main feature. There was some good details like the power cord and power station, etc., as well as the arches for the hangar. The bottom level wasn't really fully fleshed out and was a little bit harsh in that it was a major form of the composition that wasn't broken up to feel more natural, but it was interesting to include.
Ha Long Bay - Really liked the choice of rollercoaster here, and it was pretty effective for essentially being all over water, which I think is a hard thing to pull off. Good use of colors, and nice landscaping, even though I'm not a huge fan of the 1k rocks into land block style that's going on. Canoes were a nice touch. Where it missed out for me was just that it felt like it wasn't quite as fully formed as the others, and I really wanted some more attention to the underwater stuff as it ended up being a major portion of this micro.
Mushroom Kingdom Links - Had a bit of a hard time getting into this one. It's risky including tiny individual themes and so many of them in this little tiny format. I think there just wasn't enough space for each thing to really come to fruition or frame itself to bring my attention to it. I liked the little portion of the ship and clouds the most, and there was good individual elements. The shape of it was sort of random, and might've worked a bit more cleanly as a regular shape like a perfect circle or ellipse. It did feel very BSG though, but I think it was lacking compared to what you put out R1.
Everything was good, beautiful, good to appreciate, I'm still having fun enjoying it.
Attached Thumbnails
The Green Plague - The architecture here is unlike anything I've ever seen. Love it. The barrel ride/coaster is cool too, just not sure why it's a train of barrels?
Mushroom Kingdom Links - I love this so much. The areas are so incredibly identifiable considering most of them are six tiles or less. The Lakitu section and Bowser's ship are my favorite.
Ha Long Bay - I adore the supports. Good use of the color palette too - the foliage here is on point. The coaster is the standout ride in the round. It's insanely hard for me to choose between this and Mushroom Kingdom for 2nd place.
Mech Hangar - I think this might be the first time literally ever I've been included as a staff member in someone else's park.
I love the idea, never seen anything like it in a micro before. Only way I can imagine improving it is having the hangar slightly smaller to be able to show more context/surroundings.
This was an awesome group, well done everyone, the quality here was so high.
First vote to Cocoa, cause, cocoa. This was amazing, so much energy and activity, lots to watch and explore and that amazing execution and atmosphere we expect from you. What I loved most was the unusual and creative little things that push this outside the norm of what we usually see. The green peeps, the plague storyline, even the coaster/tracked ride is an unusual choice that pays off so well. Great work.
Second vote to bsg, this was pretty close for me but it just kept my attention longer than then the last two. Love the little themes and the floating blocks and all the small details. I will say, maybe the only criticism is that this didn't feel like a new idea from you. Super well done, but maybe too much in your comfort zone.
mamarillas, I loved this and was so close to voting for it, but I feel like it was missing just one thing to create a bit more movement or narrative, compared to the other entries. That being said, I love the ideas and the sculpting, the scale was great though led to a few rough edges. Overall, just loving what you brought to MM and hoping to see more.
Sulakke, this was also really good, amazing quality this round. Overall, it felt a little one note compared to the others, but I love the atmosphere and the colors, a unique locale for coaster. Also, small thing, but I adore the final turnaround for the coaster before getting back to the station. Because you hid the one super-sharp other coaster track piece, it ends up looking like it's just a sharper turn, definitely a cool trick.
Again, well done everyone. Worth the wait.
Green plague was amazing, wonderful theme and adventure ride, felt like something out of a fairy tail or novel. BGS back to a Mario theme, but it was pretty well done. Was kinda close on my vote for it or the hanger, but felt it had more detail and content, but that machine was really cool. Ha Long Bay was good, just didn't seem very unique and was in a very tough group.
A tough group here with a clear #1 and then three others that I could have made an argument for #2.
Cocoa- One of the best maps of R2 for sure. I'm amazed at how well you've managed to tell a story here. The ride fits in so nicely with everything without being overbearing. It was a great way to explore the whole map by just following one of the vehicles around. The vertical lift up the well was my favorite part though I do also like the drop down into the witch's grotto towards the end of the ride. Architecturally the village is just lovely. I especially enjoy the little tower in the corner with the octagonal level and little round tower off the top. I'm pretty impressed with how well the castle reads too even with everything going in and around it. Lastly I really like how you've used the entertainers to help add another layer of storyline to a map that's already packed full of things to look at. Amazing work.
Sulakke- My 2nd vote was not in the majority, but I really like this map. The source material is incredible and you've made a nice attempt at it here. I like the choice for a Vekoma flying dutchman since it's kind of a rare pick. Your layout flows really well here for the tight space. And you've managed to get a brake run, station, and all the standard coaster type details in there. The floating buildings are pleasant, though rather simplistic on the whole. The real thing is more or less like that too so not too much that can be said, I suppose. The biggest drawback for me is space and unfortunately the nature of the contest means you can't really fix it. I feel like you'd be better able to convey this theme with some more area to work with. A little more structure, more landscape tower, variation, etc. But for what you had to work with here, it's quite nice.
BSG- It's tough to really develop a theme in small blocks like this, but you did a nice job conveying the various areas. You've already done the Mario land thing so it's a bit of a rehash, though I like the mini golf route you went this time. The holes have enough detail to see what kind of obstacles you've included to make up for the default being invisible. I guess on the whole I just wish there was more. Something to kick it up to the next level in terms of fantasy. More motion, more things to click on and look at, and that next step up in creativity.
Mamarillas- This was a huge surprise. It nearly jumped up to my #2 vote. On the surface there's not too much, but there's a lot of detail here and some especially clever things like the vehicle hacks. The use of trackitecture is tastefully done and not just for the sake of using coaster track. All the employees running around add some nice movement to an otherwise pretty static map. The would really be the biggest drawback here, though it's not a huge one. On the whole I'm really impressed by your work and I hope you'll continue to submit more to the site. Great job!
Highlights
The Green Plague: crane lift
Mushroom Kingdom Links: boat hole
Ha Long Bay: overgrown rocks
Mech Hangar: hobbit door wheels
Plague - Love a new take on the plague/toxins theme, having done one with mantis back in 02. This one has an excellent reel/rapids boat/mine train hybrid...an amazing idea in the first place, with excellent sludgy theming. It's like water coaster meets reel meets mine train. Oh, and I like the castle too. Another MM3 fave!
Mech - Liked this one more than I would have thought, and the next one less! Love the details here, including the short circuiting sparks on the floor, the raised platform supports to work on the cockpit. Color scheme is good for the theme. That a mid grade Mech?
Links - First off, it's not that this isn't awesome. You've done it again, but at micron level? It's like those 5x5 challeges, or 3x3 I saw on Discord, but 18 sections worth. There are great little plots here, some more effective than the others. It would be a fun course to play, provided that the hole doesn't flip upside down while putting. Great job.
Long - Interesting Bay, nice layout of coaster, station, theming. Unfortunately this grouping is stacked and makes this one seem more simple than it is. I like the floating water queue line theming, simple but well done.
Cocoa - Its honestly frustrating how effortlessly you build lol. Whether or not this is actually the case, your style just feels so naturally well composed. The ride is one of the best rides of the contest so far and it has a little bit of everything with the roller coaster section, water ride part, and dark ride bits and its so long too. The "barrols" were also a cool choice. The castle and town also both look great, there's so much detail and layering without it being overbearing or crammed. You're another person I'd want to watch build because I don't know how the fuck you do it...
bsg - This was another incredibly strong entry for me, even if it was a bit of a rehashment for you, it felt like a very appropriate micro concept. I don't understand how all of that fit within the tile limit and its even 18 holes too?! Every hole was extremely well executed, except maybe the bowser castle one was a bit overwhelming and the steel walls didn't really fit (would've liked to see those spinny fire wheels somehow?). It seems like a big theme of success or this contest has been movement, and you had plenty of that despite no major roller coaster, with all the animated objects and the decorative mine train.
mamarillas - Not sure which site you're from but so far you've displayed a unique style that combines a unique "non-NE" style with the detail and polish of an NE builder. Hope you stick around after the contest because you're already talented, have a lot of creativity and I could see you becoming an upper tier parkmaker!
long boi - This was a nice map but came up against tough competition and had some weaknesses. Even though its a different location the foliage and rockwork felt a bit like a Lijiang remake. A bit too much of the map was water for me (even if it fits the theme), and right along the transition from the rock peaks to the water felt a little too sudden, maybe there needed to be a bit more rubble and maybe rapids water to make it look natural? Still a good entry, I liked the coaster with the helix around the rocks and the supports sticking out. The paths above the water were also done well and the boathouses were nice. Rotating this around, I actually think the view with the station closest to the bottom of the screen framed this the best, the overview/initial load view were much less flattering.
1st - coco - green wit's end
Everything about this is done so well. The concept, the story, the colors, the ride, the layout, the peepability. You're a master at this game. Big Hugs.
2nd - mama - Pacific Rim
This is such an excellent entry. Great, clear concept, and a perfect execution. I love the amount of movement on the map, despite the main focal point being a stationary mech. The colors are what really make this for me. The bright yellow with the blue and black really provide a good contrast. The roof structure and scaffolding are done excellently, and the hangar has just the right amount of small details to make it believable but not overcrowded. Love it!
3rd - Sulakke - Ha Long Boy
It's a shame that this is a micro contest, because I wanted to see more of this map. Another entry that while executed perfectly, is better suited for a bigger map in my opinion. Lovely color choices throughout the map, and the little details are excellently placed. I love the floating docks and peeps on tubes. Also, I love your choice of using the peep officer
4th - BSG - Mario Golf
While I love this concept, I don't think it was executed as well as it could have been. It felt too blocky in places, while in other sections it was very flowing and smooth. Biggest highlight for me is Bowsers ship with the surrounding clouds, and the mine train in the Shy Guy area. I'm not the biggest fan of the Mario custom scenery pieces, but they do work pretty well in this setting. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing more from you!
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Winners
cocoa: 36 + 5/2 = 38.5 points
bigshootergill: 2 + 17/2 = 10.5 points
Eliminated
Sulakke: 1 + 12/2 = 7 points
mamarillas: 2 + 7/2 = 5.5 point
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cocoa and bigshootergill proceed to Round 3.
Sulakke is eligible as a replacement for Round 3.
Congratulations to the winners!
sad not to see mamarillas go through - I really was looking forward to another entry. Same with Sulakke.
BUT I am excited to see BSG and cocoloco go through!
Yes, too bad mama! You had a good run. Just ran into the wrong match.
I voted Sulakke over Gill, but they were about even. I hope both submit an entry for the next round! I think Gill has to step up his game though. His R1 was more like it.
Hope I can review all four parks later.
Sulakke's made me want a bowl of pho, and cocoa's changed my mind.