Park / Gauntlegrym
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28-April 21
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Description
When dwarves struck an underground spring deep within their mine, they decided to have some fun. Welcome to Gauntlegrym.
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La Tomatina: My first impression of this park was that it looked a little bit bland for my liking. However as I started zooming in and exploring, I kept finding incredible little details that really made this park for me. First of all, the way you did the peeps is amazing, I love the packed environment of the town center while it becomes much more space as you travel outwards to the border. The coaster layout was great, I wasn't as big of a fan of the color though. The landscaping was a big highlight for me, it seemed super fluent throughout. I do wish there was a little more variation in the buildings towards the center of the town, but on the outskirts that problem does kind of go away. the archy was great for the most part, those half diagonal arches are awesome! I really enjoyed this park, for sure a fun one to veiw:)
Gauntlegrym: The entrance to this park is strikingly beautiful, great landscaping and micro detailing. As I moved further into the actual park itself, the landscaping become hit or miss for me. Some parts of the rockwork were great and other parts were lacking. I really enjoyed the archy throughout the entire park, that was definitely one of the highlights for me. Everything is very unique and fitting for the atmosphere. I was really surprised by the amount of slides you managed to pack into this park. This makes for a lot of movement making everything seems very lively. The coaster was another highlight for me, I loved the weaving in and out of the mountain. the various cut away sections are also a nice touch. There's definitely a lot of cool ideas in here, it was a great first outing for sure:)
I'm not sure what I'm going to vote yet, I'll have to take another look at these parks later on tonight
First impressions..
La Tomatina
+ you cheeky bastards, I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the bright red woodie supports dominating the teaser screen, but it was definitely not this
+ awesome cereal box, very creative (but I won't let it affect my vote)
+ the aqueduct is trippy, never seen a structure like that in-game, the coaster interaction is messy to look at but I was pleasantly surprised how clean it was when the trains flew past
+ tons of little details, love the medical tent, trucks delivering tomatoes, cannon balls are a perfect use of object
- I thought the architecture was fine, most of the buildings are simple. I appreciate how much effort was put into making each of them distinct. My biggest gripe is the church, as a central structure for the town I feel it falls a bit flat
- the blue tarps with fade wall are clever but I find them a bit of an eyesore
Gauntlegrym
+ I really enjoyed the architecture, by far the best part of this for me was the entryway. Great colors, textures, it really felt both massive and mysterious, like something you'd find in Skyrim deep in a cave
+ I'm impressed with the technical ability and level of detail, this will be a park I return to look at for inspiration
- the theme feels confused, is it a fantasy cave temple? Is it an underground mine? Is it a hyper-themed water park? I'm not entirely sure how to evaluate because I'm not sure of the genre
- I don't particularly enjoy those rock objects but I appreciate how well they're used
I'm not going to vote right away, but after first viewing my takeaway is that Tomatina is a better H2H park, but Gauntlegrym is a more impressive display of RCT. The H2H meta for years has been very kind to lighthearted parks with funny little details and a story, but for me many of those parks are quickly forgotten after casting a feel-good vote. In two years, I doubt I'll revisit Tomatina for longer than a few minutes, but I can see myself going back to GG trying to figure out how something was made and exploring the visual ideas. For that reason, I'm leaning GG but I suspect I'll be in the minority
First of all, great job both teams, really enjoyed both parks. Picking up my screen review with bits I liked best about both parks;
La Tomatina
When I opened the park, this immediately caught my eye; nice way of getting the tomato throwing across, using a peep jam and all this red on the floor. Maybe use a red t-shirt shop to give them all red t-shirts though, that would've finished it!
Love the center building with the brick work, and also love the use of those fade effects, to get the tomato splashes across. The roofs were all the same color though, some variation there would've been nice.
Nice little supporting ride. The red cars fit the theme well and the squashed tomatoes in the water are a nice touch.
Love the truck getting tomatoes from the farm with the tomatoes actually being in there and then it comes back empty. Nice idea.
Just a nice Spanish scene here; Nice architecture, lovely elevation changes and nice variation in color usage.
Overall, the park felt a bit safe and like I've seen it before. The bright red on the woodie wasn't pleasant to look at either and I felt it had some pacing issues in the back half of the ride.
Gauntlegrym
Love this entrance. Gave me Moria vibes which I found out was kind of an correct guess
Lovely architecture, and the landscaping is nice too with the waterfalls coming out of the rock work. Clever use of the Fisch ferris wheel object to give the entrance a nice decorative punch.
Backside of the entrance, again nicely constructed and love the waterfalls next to the curvy balcony.
I'm just a sucker for this waterslide feature, I know it has been done before but it's just so nice. Also, finally some color
Just a nice cutaway, great interaction between the minetrain and the landscape features.
Again, love the landscape work and height variations here. Queue interaction with the slide is also very nice. And those waterfalls are just top-notch.
Love the chain emulating the wheel getting turned, just a shame the ride itself is stationary.
Overall, I felt the kryptonian rocks were overused, but once I looked past it the park really became alive. Some more colors would be nice , but guess the darker earthy tones fit the dwarven theme better.
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It was kind of a toss up, but in the end I went for the more daring concept and landscaping of Gauntlgrym. I feel it will have a hard time against La Tomatina, as that's a more H2H friendly park, but I want to reward trying to think outside of the box, and I'm just a sucker for waterparks. Great job both teams!
Match 2!
La Tomatina
- LOVE the cereal box, so fun and well done! Looking forward for all the unique boxes for future rounds...
- very strange selection for the starting screen, seems like a weird random corner, and it's also not the most flattering angle for the coaster
- first thing that really caught my eye are the Tomato trucks... what a cool new object and trick with them filling up and emptying out with tomatoes!
- love the perfectly rounded tomato map shape... overall very well composed map with clear direction and macro considerations
- not a fan of the techno music... we've had some strange music selection thus far
- love the theme and idea behind the park. Overall I think the tomato fighting areas were executed well, as there was a sense of chaos and liveliness. However, the real tomatina has literal *pools* of tomatoes and people swimming in sauce. I think that was definitely missed as an opportunity to take this to the maximum effect with some alleys fully submerged in red tomato stew
- great trick with the tomato plants changing colors as a flower object! clever and well executed little detail. The jumping fountains are also perfectly used here
- some really nice use of the 1/2 diagonal objects to give the city that haphazard European charm, especially loving the stone arches around the helix. Then on the other hand, some really unnatural, almost forced use - the aqueduct comes to mind. While I like the idea and it is a bold move, it awkwardly intersects the coaster at multiple points and seems tacked on rather than intentionally planned around. I think a regular diagonal aqueduct would've worked better here.
- I personally love the brightness and bold choice for an all-red woodie! It's so vibrant and really brings the park to life. The supports on the coaster are absolutely gorgeous too, I really love the interaction fo the lift hill supports with the drops and even the awkwardly placed aquaduct. Great layout overall, a very good competitor for best woodie to The Moss we just saw in Match 1! The queue line through the greenhouses are a nice touch
- The church's gray dome stands out as a little awkward in comparison to the surrounding architecture
- not quite clear what the water car-ride is themed to. Is it a car wash?
- architecture throughout is very pleasant but does feel a little stock standard and generic European. Not sure I'm really seeing anything particularly interesting or regionally specific
Manual Laborers - Gauntlegrym
- The opening scene is beautiful with the massive entrance hall and rows of columns. Love the interaction of the waterfall and stairways
- The landscaping throughout is hit or miss for me. Some areas look fantastic, and others look rushed. Definitely seeing a lack of polish around the edges, which I'm assuming is due to lack of time more than anything else. The black kyptonite rocks I actually really like, and in some areas it looks really natural and well integrated.
- The gray stone archy is lovely and I love especially the mine train + station for Gold Rush + Coal Chute. Creative use of commonly used objects to create a unique aesthetic and new look here.
- The park really packs in a TON of slides and pools, it's taking me a while to explore all the nooks and crannies. Great work on such an ambitious lineup of rides.
- I love the chain + ferris wheel combo, looks stunning
- Cauldrons for the blacksmith is really nice
- The crystal mines theme definitely is reminiscent of a mix of Costa del Maya + Arcanis Mineralis, with a touch of ITM's Scandinavian park in terms of architecture. I love the dark and mysterious atmosphere throughout, but I really wish the theme was made even bigger with more crystals and pops of color to break up the dark landscaping. Also wished there was more exploration in using different water colors, especially with the crystal / mining theme, that could have been a nice way to further the theme and atmosphere
- really enjoyed the cutout views along the edges showing the interior caverns, the turnaround for the mine train is beautifully done there
- the station for the mine train is a little messily hidden, I wish there was more structure so it stands out as a destination. It took me a second to find it amongst the rocks. That being said, I adored the layout and all the cool interactions with its surroundings, diving in and out of the landscape and weaving through the slides. Really complex composition in this entire back area that's really commendable
- Overall macro composition of the entrance is stellar, but towards the actual waterpark it is a little less impressive; there lacks a clarity there that could have been achieved with some more thoughtful consideration on where the bright pools of water would be able to punctuate the dark rocky landscaping. As it stands, it feels a little messy and lacks cohesion as a map
Gonna let this marinate a bit before voting. Great work to both teams, impressive showing for R1 of this H2H so far!
I struggled with this match-up, but I'll be busy the next few days and wanted to take tonight to view and review them in full. I found both parks strong, but neither would make me want to go to bat for them, if that makes sense. In short, I think Gauntlegrym could've used another few weeks to realize its potential, while La Tomatina as a concept sort of capped what it could be as a H2H park, but had some sore thumbs.
La Tomatina - Very red and very bright. My first reaction was that the woodie should've been brown. After I got past that, I found something I thought was well executed. Take out the red of the coaster, and you have a nice, cohesive town in terms of textures and colors. The brick texture and use of stone elevated this one to something modern. From a concept stance, it was fun - I'm always uneasy about "event" parks, to be fair - and a fine subject matter for H2H, if a bit unambitious. I asked myself, is the tomato-fight event necessary for the map to work? I think the answer is no. I'd say this is a good thing, as I'd be just as interested in seeing the town itself, but the festival gives you the unique details.
The coaster was solid, and I was happy how well it was integrated into the map. I didn't care for how the first drop led right into another drop, otherwise the layout was great. The details were nice, but also unobtrusive to the macro (ie, tomato trucks, tents, sprayed tarps). Architecturally, as mentioned, was quaint and cohesive and taken to the modern level. I have no idea what happened with the grey dome on the church, it's such a sore thumb when next to the rest of this. Just plop a dome object on there. I liked the fields. Map shape was cool, I enjoy these things, but map edges are fast becoming a thing to elevate further.
Overall, I'd say well executed is the best way to describe it. It also had advanced building techniques in there. A few glaring negatives like the bright coaster and the church dome were there too though. They aren't bad, per se, but they're main points of the map.
Gauntlegrym - A more ambitious idea than its competitor here in terms of what you could do with it, I think. The entrance was stunning with the half Ferris wheel shapes in there. From a macro standpoint, a good way to enter a park, through a giant rock arch with an elaborate tunnel. Cutting it like that with the landscaping also made the views easier on the eyes. The designs of the pillars and structures were cool and executed very well throughout this, and clearly a focus. Great thematic pieces sprinkled in this one, especially the forge including the cauldrons, chains, etc. Also has some nice cutouts that didn't fall into the forced look they sometimes can with H2H parks.
The mine train flowed through well, and it has a very cool corner. Macro-wise, I would've liked the whole mine over there to be opposite the entrance and centered, just as it's the next major part of the park. The think that really hurt this from hitting its potential was the abundance of krypton rocks. I get why, but you're just missing out on so much form-building with the cave landscape in exchange for the granularity the texture offers. The giant arch over the entrance hall was clearly defined - I wanted that everywhere. I did find myself wanting something more developed for foliage inside, like cool mushrooms, dead trees, or whatever, if nothing else than to get some additional thematic stuff going. I loved the immersion of the worldbuilding - love the names, mine details, and all that. What happened with the ride names? Racers, Springs Slides, Rock&Bowl (clever), and the ores as slides aren't quite to the level you did with the shops and staff. I wanted more like Halgrim's Halfpipe or Loghem's Lazy Loop (could drop the 'lazy'). Ramshackle Ravine also inspires a further setting narrative.
Overall, great concept, great moments throughout, and generally strong worldbuilding if the immersion fell off just a bit on ride naming; I do really think the choice of those rocks, beyond just my personal preference, held it back from phenomenal.
Cereal Killers - La Tomatina
Well well well... Liams team builds a park to a local spot. What a surprise
Can't blame you, that formula has worked before and it gave us jewels like DKS and Lijiang. I'm afraid La Tomatina doesn't fall into that category. Is it the concept or event you went with?! No, that tomato throwing fiest in Spain is a great subject tbh. But to me this park is a collection of wrong choices and not quite on the top level of H2H. It doesn't do it for me.
First of all: the coaster. There's nothing wrong with the coaster lay-out itself. It's even integrated pretty good with the environment. But the red color... dudes... I know it fits in the narrative but it's so distracting and it just looks ugly. I switched it to normal wood colors and to me that just worked fine and it looked way better. I don't think it would've hurt to the story of this park, you could still went with red trains as a narrative touch.
The archy is also pretty hit and miss in my humble opinion. We see some good texture work fitting the theme, but it's also been done too repitive. It lacks a bit of variation. That goes specifically for the town center, because there is some variation on the edges. You guys should've done that too in the center.
This church is off to me. The center part is really good, beautiful. The left tower feels kinda meh, bit underdone. But the right tower is just not good... This shows a general issue: there's some really good archy and than there's also archy that's just not up to par. It throws me off.
I'm really harsh here, I'm sorry, I'm brutally honest about my opinion about it. Please don't take it personally! It might be there was not enough time to give the park the final polish?! And there is also stuff I do like, like these:
The square is done nice, all the red smashed tomatoes everywhere is cool. I also dig that small beige building in the middle a lot.
This is my favorite part of the map. Great archy with variation
This little maze with the river and the backside of that building, it's maybe not so much but it works so good and I like this a lot.
Manual Laborers - Gauntlegrym
Have to say the entrance is quite a banging way to start. It follows a little waterfall, surround by bombastic archy to then reveil the park. Great job at that, I liked the start of my viewing experience. I'm not familiar with the story behind it (I googled it while reviewing this) but the park is made pretty clear so that the theme is still understandable. Maybe I do miss on some details?! That's ofc the risk you take with that but I have to say I enjoy looking this park.
It al looks pretty gritty. Somehow it also feels very fantasy but in the other way it also feels like this park could've been real. I also like the choice for a waterpark, these make me always excited to see for some reason. In that sense, I don't really know if you guys needed the coaster... It's not bad, it doesn't harm, but it also doesn't do something to me.
Another complaint is that there's some spots showing there was too little time to finish it completely. It's nitpicking but making the station parts of the Spring/Helix slides is such a little task to do but it adds so much to the park. Its also a bit a missed opportunity you guys went with a nice looking custom topspin but didn't hack it to make it operating.
Great way of building up, following the waterfall coming to that entrance square surrounded by bombastic archy. Love it!
That chain next to the topspin is genius! The cauldrons are also pretty nice.
I like how this slide is so well integrated in the landscape.
This is just an awesome piece of rct!
Yeah pretty obvious my vote goes to Gauntlegrym.
La Tomatina: Nice idea. Good excuse to build a quaint spanish town. Although the town looked nice, unfortunately it's not exactly my cup of tea. My favorite parts were the outskirts, the maze, and the first aid post.
Gauntlegrym: Although I'm usually not a fan of water parks, the original take on them struck me. It won't surprise that one of my favorite parts was the mine train. Some other things that I really liked were the entrance and the blacksmith area. My least favorite part was the rockwork.
My vote goes to Manual Laborers.
Congrats on another round of finished parks!
La Tomatina
Enjoyable! I like a good, simple concept fleshed out like this. Also I have a weak spot for food themes....
With the grand tour fresh in my mind (with some mediterranean themes as well) I can't help but feel it is a bit repetitive and something we have seen many times before. I do love the coaster and its daring colours, I want more of that stuff!
Edit: I like the idea for the coaster queue, but I don't like how the entrance to it is sort of hidden in the back.
Gauntlegrym
I did not really enjoy this park. Sorry for the harsh review following:
I checked the extra content to see what Gauntlegrym is, but to no avail. The landscaping was horrible in my eyes and all over the place. Please stick to one or two rock types. Some of the set pieces I also had a hard time figuring out, like the sword with a huge brick block as a handle? I do like the idea of a water park set in a mine (was it a mine?), and the entrance was pretty cool. I would have liked to see some more colour here and there (maybe as accent colours?). On a basic level, this to me was hundreds of textures in black, grey and brown, and that's also why I struggled with distinguishing all the micro details.
Voting for La Tomatina
Man, another great matchup without an instantly apparent winner (in my eyes). Two completely different parks, two great ideas. Execution is great on both, and I thoroughly enjoyed poking around both maps.
La Tomatina
Cereal Killers
I didn't think i'd like this one as much when I first opened it. But my mind was quickly changed the more time I spent looking around. I love the worldbuilding here, and the boldness of the color choices speak volumes. While some architecture is pretty lackluster in spots - the content on this map as a whole is pretty top-notch; no matter what the nerds on my team say.
Some highlights and commentary:
The tomato trucks are great! Love how they leave full and come back empty. Awesome detail. And the greenhouse rows are spot on. Definitely adds a lot to the atmosphere.
I like the big tomato at the ride entrance. Nice little gated area.
Good structure as a whole! But man that grey dome is unfortunate. From my experience building the croatia GT park - cathedral domes absolutely suck to make. So I applaud the effort. Unfortunately one of the 2x2 dome scenery pieces might have been a better choice for this one. A single outlier in a park filled with great architecture though.
Trippy colors. I dig it. Also the stairs going down both sides of the building. Great elevation.
Almost looks like a covid testing site haha. I like the row of porta-potties. That yellow vehicle is hefty though.
Tomato eating contest and drop tower smashing tomatoes? Brilliance.
These gardens are great. Having just watched a documentary on spanish gardens, this area stuck out to me haha.
This ride was another miss for me. Not a big fan of whatever its supposed to be.
Whatever this scene is - I really like it!
Gaurntntulgroin
Manual Laborers
First impressions of this map were WOW. The entrance area is so serene and imposing. Reminds me of discovering something cool in Skyrim. The waterfalls cascading down are probably my favorite park. As a whole, I found this park both hugely impressive and slightly underwhelming in some ways. The storytelling is there. The visuals are there. But I definitely am missing some liveliness. Granted - it IS a somewhat somber feeling underground dwarven waterpark haha. But some areas of the map just felt like a ghost town. I think if this park had an extra couple days to really polish it up, it would quell all of those nitpicks. The sheer amount of peepable rides and content is impressive. I like the commitment to the theme, but I DO wish there were some more color. And those rocks did kind of look like a mess in spots. Coming from one of the biggest offenders of rock spam haha. All in all, this was an incredibly enjoyable park that I'll likely return to quite a few times to pick out the details.
Assorted highlights and commentary:
Really cool cutouts. And definitely needed on a map like this. But I can't help but feel like they are so lifeless. Any bit of movement would have helped - even some peeps pacing around or seated at tables.
The cascading waterfalls are my favorite. And that rock arch is just so perfectly done. I really like how it frames the door. The green trim really sells the Dwarven theme.
Spectacular ride design. The cauldrons are great pieces of theming - and the chain/ferris wheel is a really fun set piece. The waterfall cascading behind/under it is brilliant. Maybe i'm missing something, but I do wish that the top spin was operational.
There's the color pop I wanted! Great little corner of the park. The arches at the top right really achieve that Dwarven look. Biggest gripe with this area is that its so devoid of life on the path. I think this park would have benefitted from a few hundred extra little peeps.
The money shot we've all been waiting for. This coaster is fantastic. And the drop under the lift is so good. The station for Coal Chute and Gold Rush on top of the mountain is imposing and grand. I love how the black track curves back into the building.
All in all, both incredible debuts for each team. Especially given that its the first round - each of these maps is super intimidating for what these teams can accomplish. I flip flopped back and forth a lot but in the end I found myself going with Tomatoboys. Despite my dislike for eating actual tomatoes irl. I had a lot more fun exploring and finding fun details in it, and the boldness of color really paid off for me. Color and contrast are big factors in my opinion, and they just worked great in that park. I understand the complaints about the red coaster, but I like it.
Excellent work - both teams!
Great matchup once again and this time let me do a small word of review for both:
La Tomatina:
Lets start with a downside, as its quite obvious: the huge red coaster. Like others in here i agree this was a little over the top and not needed. as most woodies, brown is perfectly fine.
Now the positives: I like how the theme is set. Tomato festival in the south of europe is hilarious setting and i love the details that come with this park. Architecture helps to establish the southern feeling. I liked the smaller rides, the lovely maze scene and the square. Overall alot to discover once i get past the sea of red.
Gaurntntulgroin
Interesting lack of color when opening this park after the sea of red. This one is more my color-style. and I love the rockwork, grey tones and lots of water features. only downside to this more raw rockiness is the distinct absence of "life" especially when compared against the peep-filled red tomato park.
all in all im going to discover the parks some more and vote when i feel i have made up my mind.
Congrats to both teams once again!
La Tomatina: What really stood out to me in this park were all the great little details. From the tomato trucks loading and unloading with multi dimension sprites to the handyman who picks the tomato plants by using wilted vs healthy sprites. Genius! I really enjoyed all of the rides here. The wooden coaster layout was really great in my opinion, though I wish the red was an accent color. I understand the choice to go bold, though, and it doesn't bother me all that much. The drop tower that crushed the tomatoes is hilarious and fun, and the water ride is cool. Nice use of those fence pieces to make tight single rail turns. By the way, the cereal box readme to this park was awesome, lol. I loved that. For me though, there were a few negatives as well. First of all, I felt that the 1/2 diagonal aqueduct does not look very good from 2 out of the 4 angles. Also, it feels like it cuts through the coaster pretty awkwardly. Additionally, I felt like some of the archy could use a bit of work. The archy on that small plateau at the edge of town is phenomenal, I loved it. However, some things like the church dome maybe could have used a bit of work in my eyes. All in all, this is a pretty cool park! I enjoyed it.
Gauntlegrym: The entrance is really nice. The blue flames near the square and the ski racks used in the shop are cool. Once in the mine, there were definitely things I really liked. The ferris wheel with the chain, the giant cauldrons, and the topspin were all nice. I do wish the topspin was functional. I also really liked how the bowl slide and the wave slide were integrated into the landscape. However, one thing I will say is it felt to me as though most of the slides were standard Six Flags slides put into a crazy landscape. I personally think some more crazy water slide designs that really stood out would have been cool. Also, the water slides currently just slam into the station. I didn't really like how that looked. It is possible to hack the slides to make them "brake". The mine train was nice, I liked that coaster. I will say that I was not a fan of the rocks personally. To me, they did not look very cohesive with the standard rocks. I think if you only used the standard rock pieces it would have looked nicer in my opinion. Finally, I want to point out how the archy within the mine is fantastic. I really enjoyed it, especially the triple water fall that leads from one pool to another. Great work there.
While both teams did a good job, my vote is going to go to the Cereal Killers with their park La Tomatina. I felt that the concept was executed well, and I absolutely loved all of the subtle details that were added.
And again a difficult matchup to vote - at least to me.
I first opened Gauntlegrym, which is a very nice semi-realistic waterpark. Enjoyed the architecture and landscaping in this park. For me the park is missing an eyecatcher ride - as the minetrain was rather hidden, which is always a big downside in voting for H2H parks for me.
Opening La Tomatina my first impression was this is an easy win for Gauntlegrym. Zooming in I then got lost in all the nice little details enjoying the park more and more. The half diagonal aqueduct looked somewhat odd and the coaster layout could have used more work. Interaction and little details turned my vote to La Tomatina in the end.
Good work from both teams again with two almost 100% finished parks.
Two fantastic parks by both teams so congrats to the builders on both sides.
Some ramblings on both parks:
Tomato
My first impression when opening this park is that it is very red. Which I guess is kind of the point. However I feel like in some places it could have been toned down a little bit. The more I explored this park the more I saw things that I liked. I love the many small details you guys put in: the tractors transporting tomatoes (with the carts which change from being full to empty after dropping off their tomatoes!), the droptower as a tomato smasher, the little ambulance near the hospital. A lot of fun details which where fun to explore. I thought the archy was pretty great overall with some fantastic buildings spread throughout the map, it really gave the Spanish feel. The park is quite busy which is further accentuated by the many peeps. This is both a good and a bad thing. Good because it fits the theme well but bad for me because my pc did not like it
. My favourite part of the map was the little turnaround of the wooden coaster through those two brick arches, very picturesque. I do agree with others who have said that the red colour on the wooden coaster was a bit much. However its not a showstopper to me.
Gauntlegrym
A completely opposite park from Tomato park. The entrance area immediately had me in awe, it looks awesome and was one of the best parts of the map to me. I wish you guys had added some more foliage on the rest of the park to add some contrast, even if it doesn't particulary make sense with respect to the rest of the theme. The backside of the entrance is equally impressive and I love the square which gives a nice overview of the rest of the park. I imagine standing there would be quite the sight. I am a sucker for waterparks so it is no surprise that the rest of the park was a lot of fun to explore for me. I thought the landscaping, while cool, was a bit messy and repetitive in places, although there are also examples to be found on the map where it really shines for me. One example of that would be the middle island with the three slides, when viewing this in the direction of the entrance of the park it looks so slick. My favourite part of the map was the part with Forge's fury. The ride itself is just so well done and so original. I also love the pots of lava and the open architecture of the blacksmith building.
Conclusion:
I think that in the end La Tomatina was perhaps built better from a technical and landscaping perspective, however I also think that it is a very safe concept. Gauntlegrym on the other hand, is a much more daring concept and while there are definitely some small flaws I think overall the park still works really well. In the end I decided to vote for Gauntlegrym just because it kept my interest for longer and because it felt more daring, even if it is perhaps more flawed.
Copying my notes as previously done with M1:
H2H9 Park Reviews
Gauntlegrym
Broken chains! Wish Forge’s Fury was functional
Smelting pots are a nice touch of themeing that adds color
Tall pillars with Blacksmith Coppermane are impressive
Sheer scale of architecture is impressive all round, especially enjoy the speed slides building
Halgrim’s Halfpipe is really well done, just as the statue that sits above its turn
Spring slide complex sells the story well, offers a great contrast to the imposing structures above
Crystalis is a very enjoyable layout. +1 for cave interior!
Dwemer vibes always fun. Refreshing theme in general
La Tomatina
The Cereal Box was really creative! Always enjoy the extra bit of content
Kind of wish the coaster itself wasn’t so red, but understandable given the theme
Layout is great, as well as the queue. Love the switchbacks through the greenhouses
Not super sold on the use of diagonals in large scale applications (aqueduct)
Otherwise, city use of diagonals is fantastic. Especially around the ruined walls/tomato patches
Good use of fade texture to sell the theme
+1 for La Tomatina Battle. Such a mess but so much atmosphere
The tomato trucks!!!
Overall surrounding areas are very pleasant and a great complement to the busy city center
Vote for R1M2 – La Tomatina
The decision was supported by the overall liveliness, atmosphere, and supporting details to uphold the theme. Not to take anything away from Gauntlegrym, however La Tomatina felt to have a more demonstrative theme and story.
Impressive work again by both teams. Keep up the great work!
In the end I've voted for La Tomatina - by a slight margin only. I think the creative objects with the tomatoes and trucks, as well as the cohesive theme and overall composition got me.
All right, a match-up I'm finally not a part of. Is it just me or did the first one last like four weeks? No? Well it fucking felt like it. I am on the scent that this match-up might be no different, though. You know what I say? Good. Get used to the taste of hard liquor and prescription medication, my dudes. Just kidding. Maybe. I mean, what?
A second Steve Review in one day. What gives? Well, Xtreme is hogging all the parks like a real dickhead. It's fine though, because first up is Grindelwald. Another Harry Potter reference, the fuck is wrong with me (AVC, anything from Emma yet?). Anywhoozle, let's talk about this entrance: it's fucking lit.
Speaking of things that are lit, this little pulsing light-up path detail is wild. Around all these fountains, too, man. These elves or whatever-the-fuck they were hit some big natural springs. How'd they go this long without noticing such a vast water source? I want answers. Where's Legolas cause I don't want to talk to Gimli about it.
I appreciate them having some fun though. Slides are slides though, and unless it's ITM sliding into my DM's to tell me who built it for me to win Guess The Builder then I remain indifferent. Rock work be damned, whatever that means. I thought the rocks were fine. They're rocks. Get over it, losers.
For my third and final Steve Review of the day, we are led into Tomato Town or something? I dunno, all I know is that this is Liam's team therefor I shall show no mercy. First off, what the fuck, guys. What is this archway under the coaster. Who on Steve's green Earth allowed this. I can't ev-- oh, hold on, it's Xtreme. Taking a break from the park hogging I mentioned earlier, it seems.
...oh it was Tolsimir?
...Well yeah but.
...Why can't I say that?
...Whatever, just send me the park when you're done.
OK, the arches still suck but fine; Tolsimir you're in bigger trouble. It looks OK in other places on the map, I guess. The big tomato fight stole the show which makes sense because, well, it is the show. The red coaster was a bold choice that I'm sure Rusty wasn't pleased with. What's up with this church though that looks like five different people built it? Liam? LIAM. Answer my DMs a least, if you want to ghost captain my team you need to, like, respond. I mean, what.
Anyway. Cool tomato trucks.
Alright, time to add another comment because I like what I have seen so far.
Much has been said already, and I agree with most of the critiques and praises.
Anyway, a few points I really liked while exploring the parks:
Gauntlegrym:
+As has been said, the grandeur of the entrance is fascinating. The archway and all of the merchants selling their dwarvengoods.
+The cut-outs and all the wooden planks leading to all the nooks and crannies to be discovered throughout the entirety of the park.
+It's difficult to make good queues in a water park with high elevated entrances. All the wooden towers and bridges really set them apart and also provide a nice overview for queueing peeps.
+The support work and structure around Coal Chute is amazing.
+Ramshackle ravine is very well placed
-I wish some of the double/triple slides were synced.
- Some of the slide exits could perhaps have been hidden. Same goes for the exiting peeps
-Not the biggest fan of the rockwork.
-I think the bowl looks a little weird
La Tomatina:
+ Love the layout and all the interaction moments of El Tomato Grande.
+The entrance building is really well done too, the queue line going over top of the balcony is excellent.
+The tomato farm, the farmhouse itself and the delivery trucks
+The peep tricks pulled off in the city centre
+The architecture. I know people have their doubts, but for me this is a nice variation in height and shapes. In all honesty, would have loved some more variation in roof colours, like you guys did near the tomato contest area.
-I have to say, I agree on almost all of the points mentioned by everone else, but I do like the coaster colour. It's a bold move, and I like it.
-I haven't been around that long to criticise the fact that this is a 'safe choice
All in all, I think this screams La Tomatina, everywhere on the map you'll be hinted at the festival in one way or another.
For me it is the enjoyment I had exploring the park and the way everything ties together in this park that make me "vote" for the Cereal Killers. Now let's hope my vote will be able to get through this time.