Micro Madness 2023 / MM4 Grand Final

1. WhosLeon: I'm gonna be dead honest, this micro wasn't doing too much for me on first glance. Not sure if it was because some visual choices didn't rub off on me or if I was just simply overwhelmed. Diarrhea brown background didn't help much. First glance is a first glance, right? So I gave it a day and came back later.

 

Leon, this micro is why at this current moment you are the best player to touch this game.

 

This composition is impeccable. The sheer size of it is impressive enough, but the placement of everything is just perfect. The little street scenes are so readable amongst the infrastructure chaos and feel so immersive despite their surroundings. The focii like the dynamo and the skyscrapers are just as clear, and even if I don't think the silhouette effect works on a macro scale that top view against the sunset is to die for. The concept of the city powered by traffic and how you executed it with the functional treadmills is so unique. They gotta get you to plan cities dude. It's hard for me to really break down this micro's micro without growing a third beard, but it has that Acqua Alta level of detail and perfection for sure. And of course you pulled the FK and layered two coasters on top of each other. Two coasters in a micro move is a ballsy moved pulled off fantastically here. Love the flyer's banana roll especially.

 

I'm late as hell but that also means I get to reply to your research paper! Yay for long-winded spiels on how we make our funny little creations in the 20 year old theme park simulator! The process behind Bangkok Dynamo is so similar yet so different from how my R1 came along. Both were inspired by a funny little occurrence we noticed in our day-to-day lives, and both of them required those days which were just slogs. Somehow, we almost got the opposite message out of the process; yours was you don't have to be inspired every single moment, whereas mine was my lack of truly being inspired and feeling my idea led to a process that was more stressful than enjoyable and a result that didn't have much payoff. I guess it's because I'm not a genetic freak like you, but I'll get there. Either way, love hearing the philosophies behind parks like this.

 

Leon, huge congrats on the dub. Knew from the moment you registered you had it in the bag. That's my king.

 

2. AVC: So happy to see you in finals a second time. I remember MM19 was early into my time with NE, and you were my favorite to win it all. Unfortunately Leon existed this time around, but do not let that deter you in the slightest. The holographic projection is one of the coolest ideas of the entire contest. (Help me Gustav, you're our only hope!) The sandstorm effect is so cool and I love how it times with the music. So glad I- you could get that music working; it adds so much to the atmosphere. Once the sandstorm subsides, the Mos Eisley vibes come out in full. I know this is more inspired by Dune (which my ass seriously needs to sit down and watch), but you can't deny this feels like everyone's favorite wretched hive of scum and villainy. Love the contrast of the gritty steel architecture with the man-made rocks. The coaster is to die for; such a dope layout and the hologram effects when it leaves the boundaries of the projection just hammer everything in. This whole contest you've had such a diverse portfolio but never lost an ounce of your style. Even if you didn't snatch the crown, you placed better than last time and you're well on your way. My GOAT.

 

3: Walto: We've had rocket launches, shockingly executed art exhibits, and eldritch horrors beyond our comprehension, yet I don't think anything this contest has had to offer has blindsided me as much as the Free Bird solo blasting in my ears into a max volume "OBAMNA" bass drop as soon as I've recovered. Had me dying for almost a minute. I think the best way I can describe this is a mini-H2H park. Goes absolutely ham on a single wacky concept driving in as many references as possible. Bernie Sanders drowning, Socialism being too intense (thanks for pointing that one out), the Wal-Mart and gun store in the capitol; so dystopian yet beautiful and hilarious. You made a dystopian American future so fun. The level of motion and architectural detail hits Ohio Stadium levels here. Ride design doesn't stand out as much as the other three, but I love the tricolor effect on the coaster.

 

What stood out to me more than this micro was your builder's diary. Reading it seriously hit home with me and gave me a sick sense of validation knowing I'm truly not alone. During the entire month of March, I was balls deep in another huge, time-sensitive project that really meant a lot to me. The self-doubt was all-consuming. Is what I'm doing worth it? Is it at least worth how much effort I'm putting into it? Is it worth the pressure? I'm pretty sure at one point I burst a blood vessel in my brain after overcoming a particularly frustrating hurdle. So many times I'm convinced I'm just a painfully frustrating one-off disaster incapable of learning anything. Even if that may be true, to see that I'm not alone in how passionately I apply myself to my goals is so relieving. Jerking myself off aside, the look into your life, job, and the themes of this micro really made it feel personal. In recent times but especially after looking into this diary, you've definitely become one of the most inspiring figures in this community for me and I couldn't be prouder to have had you as a H2H captain, even if it was the casual one. May not have gotten the H05 sweep at the end of the day but you went out with a bang you beautiful bastard.

 

4. nin: I'm gonna say this one last time before the contest is over; I wish I could have as much fun in my day-to-day existence as you did during this contest. From the moment I heard you whooping about feeling like Leon while making War & Courage and fearing for my life, you've put out some of your best work ever and really shown yourself and your style after what could be considered a slow period. It's hard to call a micro of this quality the weakest of the round. The underlying rockwork works really well; you've growing into the Fisch rock meta super well for someone notable for his own sub-style of rockwork. Love the railway centerpiece, especially the trestle supports. Archi is absolutely fantastic; reminds me of wandering through time capsule towns in the Rocky Mountains. New wall objects really shine here. Ride design throughout is a home run for me. The stagecoach ride is adorable, and there's something special about the way you opted for one massive coaster drop instead of a full design. Almost feels like a vignette or a dramatized travel poster. The bubbling crude is a really fun way to form a map edge while staying true to that western theme. Last note; I love the dude chillin by the campfire on the rock. I live and die for those little scenes.

 

One interesting tangent I want to point out; in the Discord, you mentioned being more inspired by dramatized artwork more than photorealistic references. I think this approach works super well for you here and helps create something unique. Amazing little entry, and congrats on a huge comeback run. For someone who wasn't really around during your more active years, I'm really understanding who you are as an artist in general from these micros.

 

Micro Madness: And that ties into my closing thoughts on Micro Madness, both this iteration and as a whole; this is the best contest we have. Confidential solo entries mean there's no outside influence or assistance. 225 tiles isn't enough for a straightforward concept in a competitive environment; you need to be creative to have a shot at getting ahead. There's no theme, just 225 tiles to fill. What results is the purest distillation of a parkmaker's soul, and that is a beautiful beautiful thing. Through these micros; 100, 225, or 400 tiles; we've all gotten to know each other a little more without any words spoken. That's not something a H2H or a Grand Tour can give you.

 

As a competitor, Micro Madness 2023 sucked. I waited four years to redeem myself for a pitiful Micro Madness 2019, went so hard on my idea I had multiple anxiety attacks, constantly doubted whether I was even making a worthy micro, and then got put in the most BS group ever and got absolutely demolished when I could have made it out of almost any other round. For someone who wanted almost nothing more than to fulfill the potential NE saw in me, this was devastating. My one chance to make history absolutely bulldozed.

 

But therein lay my greatest flaw; I wanted almost nothing more than to fulfill the potential NE saw in me. I was taking a rough idea that I thought was kinda funny at best, put a generic theme and more little twists I thought were kinda funny at best, and turned it into something that was more for my audience than myself. I was not doing this for myself.

 

What I've noticed about almost every other micro is how they encompassed the lives and interests of their creators. Leon fantasized about the inside of an ice cream salon he hadn't been in yet and created what may be the best micro of the entire contest. Hoobaroo created a beautiful abstraction out of simply returning to RCT2 after a hiatus. Others were inspired by movies they saw, music they listened to, or pasttimes they enjoy. And AJ threw a trans pride flag on AJ's Oil Rig because it was AJ's Oil Rig.

 

Home Away From Home did not feel like this in comparison. I was so lost in the process of making something that could win that I didn't give the thought of making something that represented myself the time of day. And it wasn't just a me thing; others even pointed out that my style feels like it aims to please others and they don't know what my style is as a result. And even if I kept denying it or claiming I would never go down that route, maybe my recent work has been a cry for attention in some sense. After all, NE does feel like the first time I've had an entire community behind me, not just a few people who may or may not be supporting me out of pure irony. Maybe I'm completely overthinking the whole thing and it's just because my execution isn't great. After all, I really don't put as much time into this game as most of this community. Once I get past the hurdles and the disgustingly high expectations I have for myself, maybe I can begin to put more of myself in my work instead of figuring out what the hell a scenery is.

 

But whatever it is, I've definitely learned a lot from Micro Madness. I've learned to look inside myself and understand who I am, both as a person as an artist. I learned how to use Fisch rocks and B&M supports which is kinda neat. And obviously I learned so much about you all as a community. Watching you all open up and bond over this weird-ass art form has been beautiful, to say the least. I just want to cap this all off by saying you have inspired me more as an artist, a project manager, or whatever than almost any other group of people I've been in. It really says something when the community I'm talking about makes surrealist art in RollerCoaster Tycoon. And of course, hats off to Liam, Posix, Xtreme, and CC9 for hosting another iteration of the best contest we have. Can't wait for the next one, and hey; let's bring back Monthly Micros while at it.

He's the Micro Madness 2023 champion.

 

After all these years, we finally have our answer.

Congrats, Leon. Your style and your work has always been inspirational to me. It gives off the impression of an effortless confidence; composition that is so clean but never safe, always pushing the bounds of a more subtle aesthetic mastery that is really unrivaled. It's very cool to see that insight into your process to see that it is not always as smooth as the final product would suggest; which adds even more to the quality of your process as a whole, and I'm sure is also a relief to some of us as well, haha. You're just too good, dude...

It's also cool to see you talk about artistic pursuits outside of RCT. We really are artists, and the things we can extrapolate from our work in RCT can so widely be applied to life outside of it if we believe and put our minds to it. 

 

Of course, much looking forward to seeing what you come up with outside of the contest. Hopefully the learning and reflection of your process will translate to your work going forward. 

 

I'm hoping to leave a detailed review of these 4 final parks soon, as they surely deserve it. All four of you have produced amazing work this contest. Big congratulations to all of you. 

Congratulations to Leon, and to the other finalists as well! What an achievement.

And big thanks to the organizers as well, all the work that have been put in behind the scenes have really been shining through. Participating, voting and looking at all these micros have been great fun!

Congrats Leon, you've already heard it from me a bunch but your work has been absolute stellar this contest, and it's been a great time viewing each release and watching you progress throughout the contest. Your Round 1 entry is still my favorite of the competition, and each proceeding entry had such a fun energy alongside incredible skill that stands so highly above the rest at times. On the side, it's also been a fun time catching up with you a bit over the contest and I'll miss our weekly "how's the entry" messages haha.

For the others, AVC and walto, your entries are just as incredible and it was an honor competing in the finals with you guys. Your combined entries through this MM were also amongst my favorites, and it was always a treat to see what you guys came up with each round.

For me, I want to echo my statement from the discord and just say what an absolute joy it was to take part in this contest, and a bit of a shock to have made it so far. The reception to my entries and my recent activity were so heartwarming and inspirational, and it really kept me going for most of the contest. I had been stuck in a deep creative rut for the longest time due to some life events, and this really brought me out of it and helped me continue to pursue my other creative endeavors outside of RCT. I really just used this contest as a way to make what I thought was fun, and challenged myself each round to learn something new which helped motivate me further. Unfortunately that energy ran out a bit in the final round and I wasn't able to commit to any of the other ideas I'd have rather done, resulting in what I feel was a dishonest attempt at a proper entry from me, but I'm glad that many still found it enjoyable. The coaster itself was meant to be much more involved than what we see, alongside other missing bits and vignettes, but I just wanted to have anything in for people to view to feel like I wasn't a total flub.

While I can't say that I'll enter many more contests in the future, this did revitalize an interest in RCT which had long been absent from me. Hopefully that results in more work, but for now I'm glad I was able to make as much as I did. Thanks again for all those who voted for my entries, and thanks to the admin team and community for making this Micro Madness such a great time.

Hats off to you all and Leon in particular for this wonderful contest. Was a joy to really dive into all the micros each round and see what you guys came up with. Also big thanks to posix, liampie and xtreme for a smooth organization of all this. Some hard work from you all, but in the end it really paid off in what I think is one of the most fun contests NE ever had.

Congrats Leon, well deserved.

 

As always, also props to the admins for another flawless contest, in terms of organization, refereering and presentation. It's always a joy.

What a great run Leon! You dominated all your matches, a great performance, your victory is well deserved. Congratulations to Walto, AVC and Nin, as we say in France you are wonderful losers!

I've been incredibly busy IRL lately and haven't had the time I'd like to devote to the individual feedback these entries deserve, but well-done to everybody all around! A well-deserved win by Leon for sure -- all four entries are astounding, with the Melting Orchestra being particularly breathtaking.

I'll always love H2H but I think this was probably the best contest I can remember in terms of quality, participation, general good vibes, everything. Thanks to everyone who made it possible. I LOVE reading the behind the curtain messages from you guys who were involved, thanks very much for that too. It's important to remember that these amazing entries don't just spring up out of nowhere every few weeks, they're the result of hours and hours of hard work and sacrificing other areas of your lives. 

thank you for making it easy to vote you #1 each round Leon - despite everybody else creating some amazing micros, yours always stuck out as the most memorable and well put together.

 

Enjoy your well earned internet fame and cash prize from Liam.

Congratulations to Leon for another stunning entry and winning the whole thing! You’ve created my favorite micros starting from R1 and I definitely was betting on you to clinch it and you did it with aplomb. What an inspired story behind it too. You’ve basically perfected the formula of micros in a way no other player has done: creative concept, picture perfect composition, layered layouts that are near impossible to match, and your usual dense yet clean architecture and detailing. There are so many brilliant details and movement in Bangkok, all while remaining so readable… it is incredible to think that this is only 400 tiles. The half diagonals are used to perfection and each sightline is so considered, it’s honestly hard to beat. I will say that the Melting Orchestra (chef’s kiss!) remains my favorite of your entries though. While Bangkok had some incredible ideas (especially the treadmills and the silhouettes against the backdrop), the layout of the coasters were so buried that it lacked the same power and grace of the bobsled ride in your semis. Still, this is a fully deserved win and you should be proud of what you’ve done this entire competition! Congrats bb, you deserved this!

To Walto and Nin, both coming up with incredible yet very different approaches that both were amazing to explore. Walto, your journal was the cherry on top as it truly speaks to your sincerity and pulled at my heart strings a bit… it is so wonderful to see your thought process in this form, and to see it culminate in an almost H2H-esque entry. The detailing is so well done, and there are so many little things that I ended up spending double the amount of time in your park compared to the others. You truly are a master of all styles, and I’m so glad you made it to the finals after being booted in R1! Nin, it was such a pleasure to see your visions coming to life this entire competition, and to see you at the top of your game. I’m hoping you keep this momentum in your own projects so we can see more of your creativity and unique perspective. Calamity canyon had a lot of surprises that I didn’t glean from first viewing, and it really took a close zoom to see some of the brilliant choices you have been known to make in the detailing and buildings. The monolithic scale of the tower itself creates such a cool macro vision, and the detailing really brought it all together. Although I echo the sentiment that I wish the coaster had a full layout, this was a great way to end a fantastic run this MM.

Regarding my entry, I’ve been wanting to do a Dune-esque idea for a while since watching the film. I thought putting the micro in a hologram would be a cool way to showcase a micro world, literally. The tile inspectors had an idea of a sandstorm covering the opening of a park and revealing hidden secrets as it dissipated (I believe this was for SF or Finals), but it never came to fruition. I’m glad I was able to pull this off, even though it is small in scale. Big thanks to Splitvision for helping with a larger smoke CTR which works perfectly, and to Gustav for the custom music! Although I am happy with how the vision of the hologram and desert landscape came together, particularly proud of the coaster’s layout and the deserted outpost vibes with the cables, I definitely hear the critiques and wished I had the chance to flesh out the architecture more to include alleys, cavern systems, and more little things. It was a bit light on detailed content, mainly due to a packed work / social schedule and slight burnout towards the end.

Thanks everyone for all the reviews, and especially big thanks to the admins for running this incredible contest. Echoing Nin’s (and most everyone else’s) post, this was hands down my favorite contest thusfar on NE. I had such a rush thinking of concepts and felt really inspired the entirety of the contest, and the number of reviews and community interactions were so appreciated!
Long Live Micro Madness!

PS. And long live the Tile Inspectors! Crushed it ??