2011 / 2011 New Element Award Voting

Guess I could have timed that "faggot" comment better, huh?

Yeah, our policy is to provide one nomination to each logo artist of the year, unfortunately with 5dave it was a choice between Phantom and Portal. Portal was deemed slightly better, it was a tough decision, as always when choosing between 5dave's logos

I still think it's a horribly policy. For best logo, we should nominate the best logos. No offense, but those last few logos are just not on par with any of 5Dave's or verti's logos. Not even close. By having only one logo from logo experts like 5dave and verti chances are very high that the hypothetical winner is excluded from the voting. Here are some logos that should've been nominated:









(Mul. Holy shit.)









(by Imi. Much better looking that Stone Valley Amusement Park)



(another good looking one by Imi.)




I voted from Dreamport, anyway.

I do agree with robbie in that I felt some parks dominated the awards while some very deserving parks didn't even make an appearence... there were tons of good designs this year but tons of the decisions came down to voyager, dreamport, and a couple others. Not to say they're bad (I love them) but I think some variety within the different categories would have been nice. And some things, like whatever aeronatica was, didn't really seem to deserve multiple nominations...

but overall I'm pretty happy with this anyway, we had a great year and hopefully we'll have another one too!

As I said above, I just think we have to nominate the best in each category instead of forcing variety for the sake of it. Some releases just were 'better' than others so they get nominated more often. So be it?

No idea how you guys ended up picking the contest logo out of the stuff I did last year, but that's all fine I suppose.

Not by me.

Still think we should have a "Best RCT2 NCSO Park" hopefully we will for this year's coming events!

I think that could be arranged, but only if there are enough NCSO releases. I don't think we've seen enough NCSO to fill a category this year, without having to nominate shit. Maybe next year.

Wow, I'm nominated three times, even for best park? Anyways, I'm looking forward to the ceremony!

Still think we should have a "Best RCT2 NCSO Park" hopefully we will for this year's coming events!

Yes yes yes yes. Maybe I sound a little bias seeing as how thats the only way I play the game. Either way congrats to everyone and I can't wait to see how this turns out.

As I said above, I just think we have to nominate the best in each category instead of forcing variety for the sake of it. Some releases just were 'better' than others so they get nominated more often. So be it?

While I agree that variety for the sake of variety is stupid, the nominee list feels in ways like you went out of your way to nominate specific parks/people for things. This is going to sound arrogant, but I'm pretty pissed that the spotlight park I spent almost two years working on managed to receive less nominations than two designs by an assistant admin and a failed submission built with assistance from another admin. I'm not trying to insinuate that there were poor intentions behind it, but I feel that there was plenty of excellent work, mine and Roomie's spotlights included, that were ignored for other releases of equal equality. Besides, was the landscaping in Dreamport really nomination-worthy over plenty of the other releases this year, or was essentially building a concept creation without that accolade label worthy of best idea? I'm sorry, but I really wish you guys had consulted backstage this year, because there's a breadth of work that's noticeably absent from the list.

Suggesting that the admins have took advantage of their position doesn't help the discussion. And it is a hard to win that discussion anyway. People can disagree with those nominations just the way you do. Opinions you know. You can question the way they selected those nominations. It would have been more fair if they selected the nomination democraticly but that is a lot of work. I guess there wasn't enough time for that.

I haven't been here around the whole time last year. I don't know the public opinion about all of the creations. I can see where you coming from but you are kinda disrespecting others nominations. I think this was the best way to organise these awards under these conditions.

Nominations were created by a list of people who had helped create them in previous years in the backstage forum.

When being done backstage it was only ever these select few that ever came up and gave help, everyone else just sat back and watched.

We wanted it to be more secret and eliminate these watchers as they haven't helped. So we went direct to the helpful that had proved themselves in previous times. We like to reward people that work hard to help us out with our jobs and wanted to stop people being able to just sit back and watch.

Whilst this nomination list may not be up to everyones standards, had anyone helped out previously then they too would be able to help out this year, but no one else did apart from those we already selected for this panel.

Selection this year was difficult due to the vast amount of quality from a wide range of releases, but this final list is what we felt were the best in their categories, if that missed out a few parks, that yes were great on the whole, then so be it, but each category asks a specific thing, and those great parks just may not be as good in those areas as other releases, no matter how great they are in the big picture.

And anyway, blame us all you like, but its still far better than previous years when one sole admin selected the nominations and the winners themselves.

Lot of the categories I couldn't really answer good. For example the best archytecture category they where all the same .... no really spectacular archytecture nomination but just the same buildings in different parks.
The park I liked the most because of its atmosphere wasn't even nominated for best atmostphere (Chronicles of Arransia) also I missed Trough the Ages in that list.

it's clear that the people making the nomination had the same taste and therefore the nominations are all kind the same.

To Louis, I tried to help each year with the nominations but I didn't got the question this year, and I don't remember a single year where the admin selected them all by themself, maybe it looked like that but as far as I remember there always was some talk with others about the nominees, probally you just weren't included in the talk (I think roomie can agree with me on this and else kumba can).

still good job on getting the list and doing this again

Well SFSF was a great park, no doubt, but it's also a 'mud 'n conrete park' with mostly generic architecture and clone coasters. It was your decision to make a 'bad' park, and with that you shot yourself in the foot for some award categories, if that's what you were aiming for.

Liampie, you're going to tell me that generic architecture can't look good or have a nice atmosphere? I really don't understand the logic that generic realism is a 'bad' style. Correct me if I'm wrong but Six Flags Carolina was at least nominated for best architecture last year. Not to mention CedarPoint6 almost won Best Steel Coaster last year with Bizarro, which was a clone. So why didn't Robbie get a nomination for Leviathan or Tempest in SFSF. Both coasters were spectacular, clone or not. As much as I respect all the parkmakers here, I believe this years awards were a bit biased. As Levis mentioned all of the nominations had much of the same style. I can't complain about being nominated three times, but I am willing to state my case that realism should not be looked down upon.

Let's take a look at the categories SFSF wasn't nominated for:

[GAME PERFORMANCES] Most Original Creation
Floating Resort by FreeRider
Portal by Roomie
Hyatt's International Speedway by RCTNW
Taboo by ivo, FantasticCo & Janus
Canyoneer by Xophe
Vesper Island by AvanineCommuter
Aeronaut by Airtime & Louis!

[ABILITIES] Best Theme
Vesper Island by AvanineCommuter
The Missile Crisis by JDP
Twisted Acres in Dreamport by J K
Snake's Pass in Chronicles of Arransia by Metropole
Portal by Roomie
Archimedes by 5Dave

These two should be clear, and I don't think Robbie will have a problem with this.




[RIDE DESIGN] Best Steel Coaster
Phantom in Phantom by disneylhand
The Azure Dragon in Through the Ages by Roomie, jusmith & Geewhzz
Basilisk in Chronicles of Arransia by Metropole & Phatage
Yakima in Hyatt's Northwest Adventures by RCTNW & Cedarpoint6
Lycan in Dreamport by J K
Misisle in Missile Crisis by JDP

Leviathan is an impressive effort, and fun to watch, but at the same time it's an eyesore. The layout, while accurate, doesn't exactly flow well. The surroundings are sand and the station is a box. I like it, but it's not for this award in my opinion. I deleted Leviathan from the nominees list and no one objected. Not even a single comment. Personally I don't see why Tempest should compete for best coaster of the year either. I have to admit I don't think that coaster is anything special. Sorry for sounding so negative, but you asked for it. I can see why you're disappointed though, since your park was almost all about coasters and only one made it to the awards.





[RIDE DESIGN] Best Non-Coaster Attraction
Piraña by Liampie
Crisis in The Misile Crisis by JDP
Robin Hood in Dreamport by J K
Katapult in Piku Playground by Prodigy
Expedition: Shipwreck Isle in Cthulhu by Cocoa
Swashbuckler in Leviathan by Loopy

Damn, Harold the Helicopter should've been in here.




[ABILITIES] Best Architecture
Archimedes by 5Dave
Schwarzwald by Pacificoaster
Vulture by K0NG
Inferno by Airtime & Louis!
Dreamport by J K
Piraña by Liampie

SFSF's architecture was pretty good for what is was supposed to represent but do you honestly think that a park that consisted of 50% glitchy shacks are a competition for these nominees? I don't care about how accurate the shack is. It's not memorable. I don't think 'wow, that toilet building in SFSF was ridiculously good' weeks after viewing the park. And having superior airconditioning units doesn't change anything.




[ABILITIES] Best Atmosphere
Archimedes by 5Dave
Schwarzwald by Pacificoaster
Piraña by Liampie
Vulture by K0NG
Dreamport by J K
Varmland Park by Dimi

SFSF had a very good atmosphere, but these parks had a better atmosphere. Maybe it would've been in here if




[ABILITIES] Best Landscape & Foliage
Piraña by Liampie
Voyager by RRP & Liampie
Vulture by K0NG
Dreamport by J K
Canyoneer by Xophe
Nature's Fury by Comet
Varmland Park by Dimi

Again, by no means bad, but just not on par. As generic and forgetabble as well done foliage gets. Again, I don't care how accurate something is. It's not memorable.




[ABILITIES] Best Idea
'Inverted Dive Machine' in Icarus by BelgianGuy
'Non-Coaster Design' with Pirana by Liampie
'Teleporting Rollercoaster' in Portal by Roomie
'LL Supports' in Adelaar by Pierrot
'RCT as Art' in Taboo by ivo
'Basketball Sideshow' in Son of Kumba by Kumba
'Doppelmayr Mountain Glider' in Aeronaut by Airtime & Louis!

I think the trampoline ride is what comes closest to this category. I would've had it in here instead of Taboo, Son of Kumba or Aeronaut, but I'm not the only judge.





However, this made me think that we should have an award for "Most Realistic Creation" next year.

^ But if we go down that route 'Best Fantasty Park' needs to be included and 'Best NCSO Park' also need to be made. I think it's all well and good saying you deserved a few more nominations here and there as that's your opinion Rob. The community is built up of a lot of different views. I remember the same feeling a few years ago and it only made me want to get my name up there more. To be moaning about it isn't the best as it's seems you think you should be getting these awards. I know myself, I'd rather be nominated for two awards and win them both compared to being up for 9 and not winning a single thing.

^I'm going against your park in both; not gonna win either of them. Regardless, it's less that SFSF alone has little nominations and more that things like failed submissions, regardless of input from an admin or not, gets more nominations than anything that won an accolade, or that a "rides and concrete" realism park is automatically given less respect than something with a theme. JJ did a coaster-less design years ago, except it was called a concept creation; BG did an inverted DM in 2009 in his bronze, and Kumba did one in a micro in 2010. It's technicalities like that that make me wish you guys did what yo've done in the past years and consult all of us panelists/prep members in the backstage so we could make sure there weren't any repeats in that regard.

Whatever... At this point, the awards are awards, and getting spotlight alone for a park is good enough. I just hope that the next park I submit won't be taken into less consideration than honorary mentions if it wins spotlight.

The poll has now closed and winners are decided! They will be presented tonight at the winner ceremony. Make sure to come!

The Awards Ceremony will be held Sunday, March 18th 2012, 9pm(GMT), 5pm(EST), 4pm (CST), 2pm (PST), 10pm (MET) in a group chat. This will be placed at the bottom of the front page. They are always a fun-filled event, so make sure you are there to participate!

We believe that when announcing the award times we may have announced them wrong for some of our American members. If you think that the ceremony is due to start in 10 minutes, it isn't. It's due to start in an hour and 10 minutes. The chat will be open for pre-awards chat in 40 minutes. We apologise for the inconvenience!

So 5:00 ET?

How long will the awards take ?

God dammit...

@chorkiel: Depends on how long the presenters and admins take with each result. But I'd guess three, maybe four hours?

It will be hopefully only around 2 hours long. But stick it out because it will be worth it