Head-2-Head-X / Advertise Yourself

Starting this so there's a thread like last time. I'll start off with my stuff and playstyle:

For building I have a fairly strong preference towards fantasy, and even more than that early 2000's scenario inspired builds, sometimes with a colorful cartoon sort of look. I enjoy NCSO(pen) and LL the most, finding CSO to be fairly tedious. However I can enjoy CSO for small builds, if tasked to do one specific building or couple of smaller things here and there, I also like doing non-park things in CSO more than actual park elements. 

I will say, I always try to play for fun and as a hobby, I'm a fairly casual builder and most of my builds and ideas are designed around how much I'll enjoy building them as I don't like RCT to feeling like a job. I don't mind (And might even prefer) being a small share player. I also would be willing to make a "Back up" park, one to use in case of an unfinished build to prevent a forfeit. I also don't mind beta testing parks, looking for glitches or missing objects, and solving peep jams. 

Also somewhat to what I said in the sign ups about unstable availability, my sleep "Schedule" is almost non-existent, so I could pop up at some pretty random times, however I tend to be on most from 9pm EDT to some time in the middle of the night, depending on my level of insomnia at the time. 

Some screens of my builds in LL, NCSOpen, CSO and DKSO:

I've been on NE for 19 years, been around for quite a while. From 2014 until 2021 I've released rct content each year. Last year I entered two entries for the Grand Tour contest, which broke my 2022 silence. I can be a quite productive builder in the right mood, at the right projects. 

 

Since H2H9 my main project is Mythecae Mundos, a 184x169 solo park. Progress has had it peaks and downs but if my park page shows you one thing, is that I can finish (big) parks. Semi-realism is what I am good at and what I like to build. Please don't throw me on fantasy projects.

 

I also like to mention that the old "haha wacky FredD lay-out" is dead   I can build decent flowing lay-outs and take a lot of inspiration of my 779 counting coaster count *brag* 

 

 

So, what'll you get with the old Robster? Well, for starters, I am no longer a 16-year-old chucklehead like I was last time. Instead, I am a 19-year-old chucklehead. In all seriousness, I think I made a good teammate on TI (I hope my former teammates would agree), and I genuinely enjoyed my H2H experience last time.

I think I have also improved my building skills since the last H2H. See the screenshots below. My proudest works have likely been Scenes of Georgetown and the Belgium collaboration with Terry. On paper, I think I would be a near-perfect floater option. I can hack rides, I'm decent at idea formation (by the way, I have some cool ideas for parks), I'm active and agreeable (most of the time), and I fit in with many building styles well.

 

I don't think it's an accident that I'm often the first floater picked during the mock drafts. I think I could be handy as a floater, especially given the new points system. I think I occupy a weird middle ground between "good" and "only borderline draftable," which is rare on NE. If we want to look at Jens' mock draft stats, we can see that I have the lowest average draft position among all participants who were drafted 100% of the time, which makes complete sense to me.

However, the issue is going to be my availability. Georgetown doesn't exactly give one a lot of free time, but the good news is the busiest parts of my semester are likely behind me. I also think I'll be motivated enough to squeeze in an hour or two of building most days. By the end of May, I'll have more time, but I'll still be pretty busy with an internship and summer job, the combination of which will probably constitute around 25-30 hours/week.

So, if all that sounds risky to you, I think I'd also be a great support builder for 35%- 40% of a R4 or R5 park, maybe with 10% of the semifinal thrown in, or something. We shouldn't get bogged down in specifics, but given that I'll likely only be a 1-pointer, I think I could make a lethal combination if paired with an elite builder, especially if we're given a lot of time. Look what happened when I went with Fisch for R5 in H2H9. We made Villerouge along with Kumba. Sure, I only did 15%, but that was three years ago. I've improved a lot since then.

TL;DR: I think I'd be a great floater, but the risk is availability. If I'm not a floater, I'd like to be a support builder once or twice on a later-round park. Overall, I'm looking for a fun and chill experience. I hope you'll consider me for your team.

-Rob(bie)


 

Ignore the part about being a floater. I now realize those are no longer a thing.

The Good:
- Large buildings
- Facades
- Architecture in general (various styles, not just urban)
- Layouts
- Custom (steel coaster) supports
- Realism, semi-realism (can lean a bit into fantasy)
- Modern CSO, NCSO
- Solid ideas
- Communication
- Open to criticism and feedback
- Vibes
- Humor

The Bad (Currently):
- Rockwork
- Foliage (somewhat)
- Landscaping (somewhat)
- Crunch
- Custom (wood/lattice) supports
- Hacked rides, shoestringing, etc.
- Pure fantasy
- Loopy Landscapes
- Humor

I'm not the same player I was back in my first (and only) Head-2-Head appearance, H2H8; I'm confident in my ability to make significant contributions to H2H-quality parks now. Despite my recent lack of RCT activity and slightly uncertain availability, I will fully commit to assisting whichever team I play for. As long as I'm in my element (which should be fairly easy), you can trust me to be an asset, be it filling the map, helping with ideation, or giving feedback.

If I can be selfish enough to make requests/set expectations: I am very likely not to do well if I'm put in a role that involves my weaknesses. Style-wise, I'll most likely let the team know which ideas I vibe with and would like to contribute to, because, admittedly, it's hard for me to build on concepts I don't like. That said, I could still help if in a pinch.

I know where I stand, realistically, with respect to draft rounds. Considering that (and the insanely deep competitor pool we have today), I believe I could upset my "seed". All I ask is for you, prospective captain, to believe in me too!

"Portfolio":
Admittedly, there's not much I've done that you haven't seen. Relevant works of mine are F1 Las Vegas (unfinished), Iron Tiger and Neo Bowser City (NCSO). However, I do have some work I can show, from WIP builds:

That top left building is dope as hell!

That top left building is dope as hell!

 

I'm saying, thought I was looking at some unfinished AVC work on first glance. PLEASE get drafted

Nominee for Most Promising Player of 2021. Best Breakthrough of 2023. This isn't a hollow flex; this shows my devotion towards grinding this game and being inspired by this community. In this period, I've won Head-2-Head Classic as part of Hawaii 0-Five making significant contributions to winning parks, upset players like Hydroportal and Alex in Grand Tour 2023, and entered (and won) countless building challenges in the Discord. All of that has been building up to the moment where I can once again sign up for Head-2-Head and hopefully inspire the community the way you all inspired me last season. I would be honored to be part of a team that can deliver huge, creative ideas and push the meta forward while keeping the vibes good throughout.
 

TLDR:

 

Flexible jack-of-all-trades with a strong focus on fantasy styles, flowy layouts, and utility potential through hacking, palettes, and custom music. Ideally looking to play a strong creative role in one or two parks while helping fill in the gaps with other parks and their creators' skillsets.

 

PROS:
 
- Idea guy. Helping develop ideas and bouncing them off other players is where I shine. I also have seventeen park concepts I've come up with since H2H9 ready to dump into your team's Discord. They call me Gustav Goblin because I hoard ideas like one.
- High concept, high fantasy. I see this game as a really weird and funny art form and greatly enjoy driving and expanding on unique concepts from grounded semi-realism to abstract surrealism. I'll be in my element working with like-minded builders or spicing up a relatively grounded park.
- #datflow. More than capable of contributing a smooth, flowy, coaster layout with realistic influence to any of your parks.
- Hackerman. Capable of basic hacking and unique ways to apply it. Notably hacked the bikes in Faas' Tivoli Utrecht, a barrier which prevented the park from being released for years before I was able to get them working. Would be happy to work with seasoned builders who aren't hack-savvy.
- Palettes. Hand-crafted Yatagarasu's painterly monochrome palette and even managed to modify and embraced 64 Shades of Brown in Birth of an Ocean and Chica Blanca.
- Literally wrote the book on custom music. I've also processed custom music for spotlights such as J K's The Lonely Planet alongside releases such as Poképark Kanto and NOLA Jazz Festival among many others. Also a self-taught indie game composer with over 16 years of experience and even wrote a tune for Chica Blanca! I'd be more than happy to provide an original tune or two for your team, granted I can find the time.
- Flexible and adaptable. Willing to match the style of any builder or park to ensure a smooth, consistent process. Adept at everything from LL and PT2 throwbacks to modern NCSO and The Meta™. My schedule is also relatively open so I can probably get a decent share on a few parks.
- Competitive and ambitious. I've entered every NE contest since Micro Madness 2019 with the exception of the first NEFC. I never settle for less than the best that I'm capable of either. Big ideas = big wins! 
- NE's Hype Man, or so I'm called. I have a bit of a reputation for being a little too excitable here. Imagine all that energy funneled directly into your H2H team. I want to be there for your team from the first brainstorming day all the way through finals. Don't expect me to go ghost unless an anvil falls on my head or something.
 
STUFF I CAN WORK ON:
 
- Slow. Swift and svelte as an obese glacier. If you want to see a lot of Gustav on one park, put me in a later round. Or help me learn how to build fast, that would be very nice.
- Bad at realism. Little knowledge of realistic theme park infrastructure. Haven't been to a theme park in over 10 years. I can hop on a realism park if absolutely 100% needed, but unless I have very explicit references I may not know what I'm doing and may not be able to deliver to my fullest potential.
- Dogwater macro. Little experience with establishing macro for a design or park and seeing it to the end. I also struggle to figure out how to make everything feel connected and end up leaving gaps, as if everything was just kinda plunked down. Looking to collaborate with players with a strong-sense of macro and learn from them to counteract this.
- Chronic yapper. I tend to talk a lot, spitball ideas, and get very very nervous at times, especially when I'm AFK and can't actually build. Tell me to shut up and build if it holds back the process enough; Walto did this during H2HC and it worked really well.
- Can get carried away with ideas that grow and grow and grow to impossible proportions. Feel free to let me know if I need to reel things in.
- Priority juggler. I have a lot going on in and out of work that can be very time-sensitive at times, so I may have to take some time away to focus on that. I'll still find the time to contribute and will absolutely push some limits if we're running behind or need to beat a deadline.
- Not an ideal leader. I'd definitely be happy to play a big part in the creative process of a park or pull a nice share, but it's unwise to expect me to pull a majority share without much assistance and expect us to win. You're probably going to have enough capable leaders to cover every round anyway.
- Not a supporter either. I am not only hardly experienced with custom supports (specifically B&M) but detest placing them. Don't expect me to be the dude who does your supports and places a few trees and does nothing else. I can learn and work on this during the contest; just don't expect me to be a natural when I come in.
 

Please also provide 3 professional reference letters and a URL to your LinkedIn profile please Gustav.

On it. I'm also preparing my medical records, my great grandparents' immigration papers, and the four wacky digits on the back of my credit card as I speak.

Four? Wtf kinda credit card do you have?

EDIT: Great portfolio work lol

alright here we go, i dont have much to share thats not on my profile already as ive had little time and computer troubles the past year, but i just built a new pc and im ready to roll
i like bright colors, striking landscapes, clean hacks and long walks on the beach
oh, and im not doing rct2 this time around. LLLL or bust

I heard she's a mean fLLorist

 

Realise not many potential captains (nor anyone else) has seen much of me recently. Some stuff I've worked on since the start of last H2H:

 

 

Star Wars Land - passion project that started when Otter showed me his. Part of my Disney park that's no longer being built.

 

 

 

Tokyo Tivoli - Not gonna happen, went to Japan last year again and hoped that would spark some motivation but nothing. 

 

 

 

Porto - Think I started this around last H2H, had a Portuguese girlfriend at the time. Don't anymore. 

 

 

 

Logan's Brewery - In my humble opinion, one of the most overlooked parks of last H2H.

 

 

I'm good at detailing, good at architecture but not good at finishing things if I'm not motivated. 

Why do you tease us Trav

Why do you tease us *more*Trav

 

 

Fixed it for you

I don't have any screens but I won "best non-coaster attraction" with a third of a rapids ride and plan to match my output of H2H9.

Basically all of my recent work is in Remembered Mekong and Birth of an Ocean and the Hansa Park screens I posted on discord.

 

I have a design-attempt that is pretty far. Captains will get the save if they request it, otherwise it shall remain secret for now

Pros

- Seasoned H2H vet, 2x captain, 1x VC, led multiple parks
- Participated in some of the spiciest match-ups and controversies of the last few seasons
- Achieved Parkmaker status twice with the same H2H park
- Accidentally stumbled into the MM2023 finals
- Led a group park from scenario to Spotlight
- Achieved the highest-rated NCSO design to date
- Introduced a few lingo staples into the NE meta, for better or worse (ie crunch, sg, nincso, nuke it)
- Supplier of cool sketches and park planning
- Sometimes whips out a cool logo
- Can make some cool objects
- Hotkey warrior, can move pretty fast
- Hosted first ever Fruit Draft
- Sometimes has some funny jokes

Cons

- Sometimes has some unfunny jokes
- Sometimes moves too fast and gets burnt out
- 75/no born and raised
- Lost to Scoop that one time
- "Nuke it" mentality isn't for everyone- I like to iterate a ton to find the best possible solution to things
- Not the best hacker
- Sometimes sings RCT music in discord
- Sometimes steals GammaZero's jokes


---

Admittedly I have never been the most prolific parkmaker on the site, especially in recent years, but do foresee that changing with this contest. As mentioned in my initial sign-up, I should be increasingly more available as the contest moves on and hope to lead a park or two (definitely not a Week 1 from me). I could also see myself helping out a new captain or helping consult those needing directions on parks. I do a lot of project management and scope checking irl and am looking to bring some of that to this contest given the quick turnaround needed. People are more aware now of my "just nuke it" approach to parkmaking and it has caused some friction in the past, but it has been shown to get things done and done well. It's just a less precious approach to parkmaking than some may be used to, but many have found it very fun to take part in.

I'm inspired. Put me on nin's team.