Park / The Storm is Coming
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It's all led to this. The four finalists battle it out in a matchup of sand storms, oil wells, moonlit streets and redneck dreams. One player will be crowned Micro Madness Champion.
The Storm is Coming
wheres_waltoIncident at Calamity Canyon
ninBangkok Dynamo
WhosLeonXerakkis Outpost
AvanineCommuterVoting Rules
You did it! These are all fantastic at first glance. I can't wait to dive in and find every detail.
oh fucking HELL
Damn, everyone brought it. Reviews coming probably after the deadline ends since I'm super busy with other stuff at the moment, but right now it's a hard hard vote and I have no idea who wins this.
Somebody has to be the first to comment on the parks, so unless somebody else beats me to it, I'll be the one.
Bangkok Dynamo is my first choice. Cool shadows, a nice half diagonal platform, a nice take on the dual coaster that we saw from FK on Picasso Sour. I picked it mainly because of the vibe. The orange chroma background gave it a very different feel.
Second for me is The Story is Coming. I picked it over Calamity Canyon because of the neat, if alarming concept. Also the coaster was more complete and had so much other things to add to the atmosphere like the drowning of opposing politicians.
Incident at Calamity Canyon was good but it didn't have the political element to spice it up. I'll admit my ignorance and admit that I don't know what was going on with the coaster. Were the riders just dumped into the oil? Interesting idea but it was a little unclear for me. I guess it was mostly thematic preferences and my indifference toward the particular use of brown because this was really well done with the derailed trains and all.
Xerakkis Outpost is the one I like the best conceptually but it had less going on than the others in some ways. I like the drooping cables and the coaster was pretty good but though it was neat, it just didn't have the stunning ideas that we saw in the others.
Well, that wraps up my voting on the last round of the contest. Congrats to the winner and everyone just for getting this far.
This round did not disappoint... for the first and second picks, respectively, I picked Xerakkis and Bangkok Dynamo. Xerakkis I think gave off the most convincing aesthetic: it didn't seem to quite have the detail of some of the others but it really feels like a level in a completely different game or a movie that I could actually visit: reminds me a little of the older fallout games. I also went with Bangkok because of the crunch and the atmosphere: really nice how the different layers of the city are unevenly fading into the void; it breaks away from the boxiness most micros suffer from. It's vertical in a way that makes it look bigger than its footprint without being overwhelming and I can also appreciate the usage of a different colored background void... wish we'd see more of that.
As for the other two still awesome micros, the wild west style music in Incident at Calamity Canyon and the base-game trains really gave me an old-school feel among all the crazy shit of this contest. The coaster itself is, well, it's a drop, but I do like the supports and the general atmosphere is excellent: feels like a cross between Loony Tunes and Team Fortress 2. Speaking of the support work and trackitecture of this... it's cool how wooden/steel trusses in both this and your Daytona park can really give off an aesthetically pleasing look.
Also... OBAMNA! Gotta say, The Storm is Coming is equal parts hilarious and nauseating. Although, with these kinds of political/current events parks, this will either age poorly or it'll, well it'll age poorly no matter what. I love the little easter eggs here: the capitol stormers and 'don't tread on me' flags bring out a certain authenticity. Really, props to you for this ballsy fucking entry. It's just, one look at that staff list and... eugh. Can't wait for the 'bright' future in store for us....
judging by these overviews, you boys did not disappoint! reviews incoming - i wont forget this time.
Congrats to all of you handsome nerds who stuck it out to the end
No particular ranking here !
The Storm is Coming : Your park has found a strong echo in me, the situation in France is chaotic these days, people are nervous, tense and the temptation of violence is present in some citizens. I love political and engaged parks, I wish I saw more on NE. The theme is also treated with a great humor and cleverness. Obviously, your park has in addition great architectural qualities and tons of details fun to watch, it’s really a complete work and a great accuracy, probably my favorite park of the whole competition, a huge congratulations Walto
Xerakkis Outpost : At first I thought I opened Nin's park ! A superb atmosphere and a lot of coherence in your park, the realization is at the top! I feel like I'm seeing some references/tributes to some parks in this MM. I find the strength of this park is its simplicity, everything is well executed and finds a natural place in the composition, I also really like the color work! Congratulation AVC, a great run in this contest !
Bangkok : What a sense of construction you have it's amazing, I really like the atmosphere here: the colors, the details, the architecture and the verticality, everything works wonderfully. I get a lot of inspiration from your parks, for me you are one of the best in the field of composition and architecture. Like the others, you have made an exceptional run in this MM, each of your parks have been little wonders, you will stay as one of the most memorable figures in this MM!
Calamity Canyon : Super happy to see a western theme here! Normally it's not what I like the most but here I loved the coasters, especially The Calamity Canyon Blaster, it's very simple but jesus it works well ! Visually, the rendering of the park is very good, I really liked the central railroad, and then this use of space and verticality is perfect! A great park here Nin, bravo !
Congratulations for this final you have all produced wonderful parks and each of you deserves to win, this MM has been memorable!
Before I type anything more, hats off to all four of you for an incredible final. Sometimes a contest like this can go out with a whimper but instead we got a glorious demonstration of the styles, aesthetics, and execution that got all of you to this point in the competition. I don't think there is a clear winner here, instead four incredibly well constructed micros that are all deserving of a win.
A major thanks to the admins as well, this contest has proven that NE contests continue to push the bar and I think that starts with the admin's work behind the scenes to provide a platform for this level of competition. Micro Madness for me has always been about innovation (how many times have I written this I wonder) and I'm so happy to see the diversity of approaches throughout this contest. When forced to build on a small scale, what do people make and how do they use that space to the nth degree to move outside its limits while still fulfilling the brief? That is what MM forces players to attack, and pretty much every round and every matchup has had stellar examples of unique, creative, and above all new ways to do just that. It makes me really excited for the years to come, as we now have a wealth of innovation to pull from and explore on a larger scale.
Ok, so, these damn parks:
Walto - Right out the gates, a bold concept to tackle and while unexpected, I'm getting used to being surprised by you. For me, in the weirdest way, the diary made this something truly special. This may not resonate with others or with people from outside the US, but for me this felt like an inspiring time capsule. A moment in history and a perspective from you as an individual, building a park and reminiscing on your place in life, the world and country around you. This park almost exists in two styles at once. On one hand, it could be reduced to a joke park; filled with smart nods to American Politics, to the Trump presidency and the Insurrection as a platform for comedy. And yet, as you note in the diary, it is also a scary look at a reality that didn't seem that far off on January 6th. For many Americans, it isn't hard to imagine a version of this park being a reality when you consider insurrectionists were allowed to break into the capitol building with greater safety than people of color sleeping in their own homes or children in schools. Perhaps I'm taking it to a more political and serious place than others might, but as someone prone to artsy-ness, the juxtaposition between this being a 'joke park' or being a 'nightmare reality' is truly poignant for me. To use a micro to force that kind of response is a mesmerizing accomplishment, so bravo.
If I leave the art behind and come at this from a strictly rct perspective, the composition felt a little clunky to me. The detailing, the execution, and even the construction of the capitol building as an individual 'setpiece' felt great. But when I compare with the other final entries that felt more flowy and organic, this came across as a bit chunky and rectangular. Not necessarily a bad thing, and I think that made sense with the theme and concept driving the ship. I think that this was the best concept of the round, something that transcended the format of an rct competition, but was also my least favorite aesthetic. But that makes sense, right? Based on my own person, I was never going to like this aesthetic and yet that is part of the concept in and of itself (at least for me). This put me in a difficult place, to vote for the park that had the biggest emotional response from me, or the biggest visual response from me. You certainly haven't made it easy.
nin - I think this is my favorite micro from you this contest. There is a sense of maturity and confidence that lays over the top of this micro, like you had a vision and the tools to make it and just did the damn thing. That may not be the truth of it's construction, but it has a huge impact on the vibes for me as a viewer. The execution is astounding, particularly the rockwork and supports, and how you've composed the micro overall. I particularly love the lowest level, with the dark oozing oil and the supports contrasted with the rockwork. There are a ton of objects in this (new or that I didn't know existed) that I can't wait to get my hands on. You also managed to create a lot of fun small moments, reminding me of Salon Tichy, without needing to add background to the concept. Just little bits of interest like the interior of the saloon or the peep by the campfire. This just feels like a really accomplished micro.
It was a bold choice IMO to only include the station, chainhill, and first drop for the coaster. This round being bigger, a lot of people expected full layouts. I don't personally mind that we are getting a 'glimpse' of something bigger here, or even something more abstracted than necessarily a full park in 20x20 tiles, but I can't deny it gave me less to explore in the park. I can't really fault anything in this park, but I am forced to compare it with the others in deciding how to vote as no one really slipped up here. And when I do compare, I found that some of the others provided either more unique concepts or more unique aesthetics that managed to hold my attention longer. I'm so glad we got to see you build throughout this competition, it feels right to see you reminding everyone the level of execution and quality you bring to every park you make.
Leon - Aesthetically, this park is just on another level. It manages to combine a lot of the gritty details and infrastructure that you've built your reputation on with the more adventurous approach to surreal and/or futuristic compositions you've explored in the last year or so, and certainly throughout this competition. The composition is so striking, wrapping together these huge skyscrapers with a vertical hierarchy of roadways and sidewalks and energy lines and a massive futuristic energy conductor. There are ideas everywhere that make this such a joy to explore each time I've opened it, finding new concepts that you've integrated into the overall aesthetic and concept, such as the treadmills or the way that colors drain to black above a certain height with the orange background and the moon.
I think level for level this has some of the best depth and detail we've seen throughout the competition. The coasters added some nice movement and flow to break up the more angular nature of the composition, though I feel like the pacing was a bit slow at times. Perhaps the only thing that I can fault with this is that it felt a bit rushed in places, or that some of the really minute details that you are so good at nailing didn't get that attention. That may be because there is just SO much depth to everything that I can hardly imagine getting all this done, yet alone getting the time to add that final polish. I don't know that this removes from the impressive visuals or overall aesthetic, but in a final like this we're splitting hairs. I would also say, a bit of background or some more breadcrumbs to support the concept would have helped elevate this. I say that less thru any fault of this park so much as comparison to the incredibly conceptual nature of walto's park that really made a stark comparison to the others. Overall, seeing your progress throughout this competition has been impressive if unsurprising, and this is a great way to cap off an incredible run.
AVC - Kween is a wildcard on a mission. DAMN is this micro the sauce. I feel like this micro is the actuality of everything you've always brought to the table with the execution that, maybe just I personally, have wanted to see you reach for. There is the classic AVC world building that we all know and love, a brilliant eye for composition and big, flashy setpieces, but with this entry you've upped your execution from excellent to near flawless. In the past, I would find myself blown away by your concepts, the design choices and the artistic eye for color and shape, but there were maybe rougher edges or smaller details that seemed missing from the perspective of how I build parks. But this, this is something else; the textures, the colors, the composition, the juicy little details that add context and tell a story without having to spell everything out. It's artsy and conceptual without needing to be overexplained; the micro tells it's own story and yet leaves a sense of mystery that makes it just so enticing.
I love the holographic affects, the indication that this is a virtual reality being projected for guests to explore. The aesthetic, with the rusty hues and dark background contrasted by neon blue, it just all comes together on another level I didn't know you had. I could maybe nitpick some elements of the layout and I do wish the train cars you had picked had sprites for the new track elements. There are a few glitchy places that I personally might have attempted to polish a bit more, but some I have to chalk up to my own preferences. The sandstorm to start and the level of crunch and wear you've added, it just all serves to sell us this world while in fact it isn't even real, just a hologram. It feels like two very clever ideas smashed together and then executed to the utmost. I'm so glad you got the wildcard spot because I'm so glad this now exists, it may be my favorite AVC creation of all time, amongst a trophy cases of incredible micros. Bravo.
Vote - This was super tough, and took multiple viewings to really figure out where I landed. Every one of these parks was executed incredibly well, the compositions were ace, the concepts were ace. I'm nitpicking the tiniest things to come up with a vote so a HUGE congrats to all four for making this the toughest it could be. In the end, I voted AVC #1 for a micro that took everything I knew you could do and surprised me with things I wasn't expecting. I gave my #2 to walto for a concept that really spoke to my love of artsy rct and forced me to stop and really reflect. While AVC's aesthetic nudge it to the top, I think walto's concept is one of the most bold and interesting we've ever seen. Again, congrats all around and thanks for all your hard work to give us these gifts!
Bangkok Dynamo: The concept is fun, the atmosphere is great and technical execution is superb. Really like the main coaster, great interaction, a wild concept and a ton of fun to watch. Also, the way the top of the city fades to the void color against the gold background, love that.
Xerakkis Outpost: Such a cool way to frame the micro and add that extra effect to it. Really like the rockwork and use of crunch to get that deslolate, weather-beaten outpost feel, the music add to that too.
The Storm is Coming: Bold choice to have something with so many references a lot of European viewers wouldn't immediately recognize, being American I was able to spot most of them. It's impressive how much twister, dark humor is in there. Also an impressive capitol recreation in such a small space.
Incident at Calamity Canyon: A lot of great structure work, from the main rig to the crumbling platforms.A lot great rockwork too. Also, nice use of the base game music to set the atmosphere with this it fits so well.
Love the dual support considerations in Bangkok Dynamo. The details and the architecture are almost too much to parse. The shadow effect at the top of the map is also a nice touch. Whole concept is just wild but simple enough that I feel like I get it. The power lines running everywhere are so chaotic but you cleverly put them so high that they don't ruin the view of the details at street level. And the flyer layout is a banger to boot.
Storm is Coming - oof. The ride integration struggled here a little IMO but the technical skill on display in the structures is excellent. This also feels like the liveliest entry, though maybe the premise is stretched a little too thin.
Hologram effect in Xerakkis is so cool. Great use of a palette to make the equipment all look rusted, very Mad Max. The coaster layout is solid to boot, plenty of opportunities to see in to the micro. Manages to be extremely tall without feeling like a gimmick.
nin - Your entries I think have been extremely clear and focused, but lacking in the actual use and presentation of rides compared to other entries. The lift here is absolutely immense and works as an intense centerpiece. The oil dripping aesthetic works great as a framing device; but, I just feel like something is missing. I think if there were an underground section that still let the mine train feel like a mine train in addition to the upper crust I'd feel differently about it. I also don't really get all the crashed trains. Now that I'm seeing these new terrain objects everywhere I'm gonna have to finally learn how to use them.
First off, I just want to say congrats to all four of you for getting this far in the contest. It's quite an accomplishment of your artistic ability to tell stories in such small spaces round after round. This vote was very difficult for me because all 4 builders got to this point with their very different approaches to micro building.
Xerakkis: Very much a stunning opening scene with the dust storm rolling through. The glitches/hologram projections were very neat. Makes me think this style could translate well to a Tron themed coaster/design. The contrast between the reds/browns and that bright blue was great. Really helped make everything pop. Coaster layout was very nice as well. Just overall so much flow. Curves everywhere, bold colors. Great sense of scale.
Calamity Canyon: Speaking of sense of scale.. damn. That mine shaft is huge! I think overall the scene you crafted is compelling and left me wanting more. But you told us "Don't Dig Too Deep"! I feel like this could easily be expanded to a H2H map and be a stunner. There's so many texture details that are so easy to skip over at not notice. I think being able to watch you make Pirates! helped me understand your building style and your attention to the most minor of details. What makes your style fun for me is the seamless merging of NCSO and CSO. It's all so cohesive here with the supports, the lift hill, the billboard. Only knock for me is that the coaster is just a teaser.
Storm is Coming: I think this entry elicited the biggest emotional response from me. I think it just made me angry lol. I think what you made is oddly believable. Like Trump would build a hotel at the Capitol building. It's just that insane. From your journal, I had a similar reaction to Jan 6th, and seeing the insurrection translated into RCT is jarring.. which I appreciate. Being able to convey emotion and real life events even if they are bad is a great use of any art medium. Beyond that, there's some fun details (if you can call them fun).. Hillary locked up. The little Don't Tread of Me flags and I assume MAGA flags in the crowd. Qanon ferris wheel, the Funko Pop Donald looking thing. The capitol building itself is very well done too. Love the dome.
Bangkok: Wow. Extreme kineticism on display here. What a creative idea too - using transit to power the city. We need you to redesign the US power grid! I like the night scene overall - I usually struggle with such dark palettes, but not here. I caught myself just letting the music play for 10-15 minutes. Just sets a great vibe. I imagine the dynamo is incredibly loud, so those rooftop parties would be deafening that close to the dynamo! But what it provides here is another layer of life/movement to everything else going on. There is so much going on from the ground level and on up. Very intricately done. Also, the dynamo itself reminds a lot of how Pac would make this. Feels like a Bangkok version of La Coeur. Feels like a living and breathing city.
Lastly, I will say that this vote was very difficult, and I loved all four entries, and I feel bad I can only give two votes. All are deserving. Thank you guys for making this such a great contest to watch.
What a wonderful set of final entries, kudos to all four of you!
Bangkok Dynamo has everything that moves me in rct: very focused big concept, gorgeous composition from all angles, packed with details, and a pervasive artistic flair. I love the role that light plays throughout with the orange background, the shadow effect on the tallest points against the sun, and the glow from lanterns down deeper in the cityscape.
Xerakkis has those same characteristics I look for... tremendous implementation of the holograph idea, every angle new things to uncover, great details, super stylish.
For my vote it was very close between these two. In the end I was just the hard-to-define "vibes" of Leon's that totally absorbed me. I like otter's description that it's like Bangkok La Coeur, to me it also felt like a gritty earth-bound Stardust Circuit.
Calamity Canyon was so intricate and packed with great little vignettes. The detail in the wood structures and building facades is next-level. Just wish the coaster was fully fleshed out.
Storm is Coming is a bold piece of art and impeccably executed. Walto's accompanying write-up/diary was really compelling too.
Congratulations to all finalists for again creating a micro at this top-level after already creating so many micro’s before. I thoroughly enjoyed all four of them. There was one that stood out to me in complexity, layers and interesting coaster and that was Bangkok. That sun/shadow effect was incredible. Xerakkis was my second favourite. I love how all of your parks this contest had a similar structure of three layers, but every one of them had such a unique look and feel. That sandstorm is so well done. The read-me that accompanied Trumpland was one of the best things I’ve read these past months. Great to get a little inside view on how you pushed through the work in that last week Walto. The park was amazing. I don’t think I got all the references, but I got the gist of it. Fun to visit the inside with cut-out as well. Calamity Canyon had a stellar composition. That mineshaft is such a lovely dramatic centrepiece and all those little vignets are great. That little saloon with the stage got me bursting out ‘Country Roads’ like there was no tomorrow. Thank you to all the contestants that put so much effort in creating all these wonderful micro’s and a big thanks to the admins for facilitating another great contest.
Such a hard vote this one. Genuinely could have voted for any of the 4, I don't think they're massively far away from each other in terms of quality, ideas, wow-factor, everything.
In the end I voted for Bangkok Dynamo first, Xerakkis second. Will review in the order I opened them.
The Storm is Coming - I didn't read the text file before looking at the park. And the amazing (scary) thing is, I realized as I looked around that I didn't know your political leanings. I've met you, you seemed like a great dude and I assume everyone that I like has similar politics to myself. But for the first minute or so, I couldn't tell if this was a parody or a shrine. This is one of the cleverest, most high-brow concepts i've ever seen, and I guess that is the scary thing about living in the USA these days. I genuinely feel like two people could open this park, and have EXACTLY opposite experiences. Everything was so subtle, so nicely done. It was almost painful to look around, and reading your text file now I think we had really similar experiences on January 6th.
I haven't even gone into any detail on the actual park.. everything was beautifully made. Execution as i'd expect from you, top notch. Loved it.
Calamity Canyon - another fantastic entry from you. There's a really subtle distinction between building things that look good, and building things because they SHOULD be there, and then making them look good. I feel like that's one of your biggest strengths, you seem to always put concept first, and then work out the best way to execute to make it look amazing. Nothing ever looks out of place, everything serves a purpose. Great park, gritty atmosphere, interesting to look around, tons of little details with everything furthering the story/theme. Another excellent park in a string of quality from you all contest.
Bangkok Dyanmo - Would love to know how the concept for this one came about. The overall aesthetic is a risky move - it's VERY dark, lots of brown. Very hard to make it look good. The brown background is a HUGE gamble. And yet, it all comes off - not surprising, but really admirable. So much cool stuff going on - obviously the roadways with everything slowing down and running the dynamos is amazing. It's pretty immediately evident what's going on, tells the whole story of what the theme is trying to do. The lower sections are fantastic, reminds me of Cyberpunk 2077 kinda, little ground level for people with tons of industrial shit going on above. Feels so real, like a proper city that's been built up over time. The level of execution, of polish, that you have going on is outstanding. I'm not sure of everyone who's active and building right now, but you have to be operating at the highest level i'd wager. Where someone else would go "that looks good, done", you've gone "that looks good, but THIS will look perfect". You've consistently built some of my fave entries all contest, and I think you deserve the win.
Xerakkis - The landscaping and structure's you've managed to build on such a tiny map is amazing. It's close to being TOO much of that copper color, but you've managed to make everything look intentional and readable while still being messy and organic. The holographic effect is striking, but works so well and adds another level to the concept - one that would still work without. Out of all 4 of these entrants, you're the person who I think builds the least like I do - I love exploring your parks because i'm constantly finding things and going "oh that's not what i'd have done, but it looks SO good". A really strong final entry, and happy to put this second.
Overall, like I said - 4 parks that could realistically win, no massive difference between them. You 4 guys are all incredible, hopefully you can take some downtime and then build more because i've loved everything you've done. Thanks!
Leon's entry is right up my alley, love the industrial cityscape, always wanted to do something like that in RCT. AVC's was next on my list, what a neat entry. nin and Walto's were great, I just happened to have liked the other two better, but like others have said all of the entries were absolutely fantastic. Great work everyone, you can all go home proud.
Got bored so I'm gonna give these a much-deserved review.
1. Bangkok Dynamo: Leon must've known while building this that at the very least, he'd have one guaranteed vote, lol. This just hits me in all the right ways. It definitely helps that I absolutely love Bangkok and used to be there a lot, but the idea itself is awesome.
RCT-wise, this is just more of the usual Leon MM goodness, but I dare say that it managed to eclipse previous entries for me (of course, bias and all that). Stuff like the lighting effects, organically-shaped towers and massive power lines, but also the small details like the street life and how the vehicles slow down while going over the dynamo make this not only my vote for this round, but my outright favorite micro of the contest. If there's anything I can nitpick compositionally, it's that I'm a bit iffy on the coasters being placed at street level. I get that the dynamo is supposed to be the highlight, but I would've loved to see what this could look like if the flyer interacted a bit more with the towers and the dynamo. Doesn't really matter though, the coasters themselves are still amazing and complement the scene almost flawlessly.
I can't believe you built this on a trackpad, while blindfolded and eating Carolina Reapers.
2. The Storm is Coming: It was gonna take a hell of an idea paired with amazing execution to challenge the Leon juggernaut, and I feel like this is that. Reading the diary before opening it, I didn't know what to expect from a premise like that (especially since I think that satirical parks tend to end up lacking and lowbrow), but wow. As soon as I opened this, my brain was bombarded with humor - the OBAMNA Free Bird solo kickstarted what must've been a solid 10 minutes of nonstop laughter. The park is so jampacked with clever jokes and references that I honestly didn't know where to look on my first view.
On my second view though, it started to sink in that this is actually really well-made, too. Despite being completely defaced (or given a face-lift? I guess it depends on which side of the political spectrum you ask), the Capitol still looks super good, both inside and outside. The little theme park attractions evoke that cartoon-y vibe, which makes perfect sense here. And the sea of peeps feels carefully crafted, to a point where it definitely portrays the chaos of the January 6 events without looking more messy than it should.
Overall, this is political satire in RCT done right, and I believe that this can be enjoyed by people of any political leaning - bar the extremists - on merit alone (but maybe I'm asking too much). You didn't get my 1st place vote, but I could see this being a contest winner in any other round. Massive props to you, Walto.
No particular order:
Incident at Calamity Canyon: I love how in all your micros, every structure and texture has a purpose, and this is extremely evident here. Similarly to Daytona, the verticality at play here is awe-inspiring, and the super clean faux-NCSO look just brings it all together. I especially love all the little details, like the horses, the Toona Saloona (lol), the balcony scenes, and the raven sitting on the pole, to name a few. The awesome landscaping holding up the entire scene can't be understated, either.
Like others have said before me, though: I completely understand the stylistic decision behind only including the coaster's first drop, but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed that we didn't get an awesome big RMC layout to go along with this micro. Overall, though, this is a truly amazing entry; it's just a shame it went up against other heavy hitters, but I think you can be very proud of everything you produced in your run.
Xerakkis Outpost: Let me preface this by saying that I'm not exactly the biggest fan of the "Future West/Dystopian Cyberpunk/Dune/Mad Max/honestly I don't know what to classify it as" aesthetic, so a bit of personal bias has obviously affected how I view this. Doesn't mean that I can't appreciate what you've produced, though.
The ideas here are just all sorts of awesome. The CTR sandstorm that clears up after a bit, the fusion of futuristic architecture with unnatural landscaping, and the whole holographic element going on are all super strong concepts, and you managed to bring them all together really well in usual AVC fashion. I also wanna highlight how you seamlessly integrated WW/TT objects into the build without it feeling forced at all.
Now, I just wanna say this: please don't take what I'm about to say the wrong way; I honestly don't know why I feel the way I do about it and can't really think of a more elegant way to say this. Here goes: my biggest gripe with this entry (which is actually a pretty small gripe, in the grand scheme of things) is that a lot of the elements that make this micro great feel a bit derived from previous entries in this contest. The way the big tower is structured and the sandstorm works reminds me a bit too much of the towers and rats in The Vermintide, the grid-like hologram effect looks a lot like the retro landscape in 80s Anemoia, and the whole idea of a futuristic desert outpost has already been done in the aptly-named The Outpost (albeit with a very different aesthetic and to a very different effect). Again, I don't know why the overly critical part of my brain decided to turn on just for this entry, and I know this is an unfair criticism to make when I could probably say the same about any piece of RCT produced after 2010 (and maybe earlier), but please trust me when I say that this doesn't impact the overall quality of your entry in my eyes.
To end this review in a positive note: like I said for nin, I think you should definitely be proud of your entries and your run in this contest. I'm really glad you were the one to be chosen as a wildcard for this final, and it really feels like you got here by pure merit. Thank you for continually providing us with these amazing micros.
Wow, that was a lot. This is why I hate writing reviews, I always end up putting in way too much effort
I just wanna close this out by saying that, despite what it might look like, I really loved all four micros, and I think you're all pushing the game's limits in an amazing way. Despite having missed R1, following this contest from the sidelines has been a blast, and I have all of you who participated in and organized it to thank.
I hope the four of you take this final message above everything else I've said, and that this doesn't come off as "Mediocre builder writes scathing review on work of quality way above anything he will ever be able to create #8596", because it really was not my intention. Okay, enough typing, I'm getting hungry. Congrats, guys!
Attention voters:
Due to the greater significance of this matchup, being the Grand Final, we feel it's appropriate to extend voting by a few more days in order to give everyone enough time to fully experience the micros before making their decision, or for those who haven't yet had the chance to look at them in full. We shall aim to close voting on Sunday night. Thank you and keep the reviews coming in!