Contests / NEDC 6 Write-ups and Predictions

With 10 confirmed participants in the upcoming NEDC competition I thought that it would be a good idea to get some predictions going for the contest. I’ve written up a short prediction and write up for each participant below. Feel free to add any of your own thoughts! 

Steve – Steve is always a good bet to finish high in this sort of contest. With him being the winner of the NEDC 5 contest and being a part of a number of wonderful H2H parks, I would expect him to get another top finish in this iteration of the contest. Steve has released 2 spoilers for his entry in the NE discord which I have posted below.  

 Steve.PNG (132.74KB)
downloads: 10

 Steve1.PNG (18.66KB)
downloads: 10

Just based on these two shots we get a pretty good taste of what’s to come from Steve in the contest. I love the warm, tropical atmosphere that these screens show and everything here is really right in Steve’s wheelhouse. I would expect Steve’s final entry to be a wonderfully composed, greatly detailed project with an impressive use of foliage and landscaping. The teasers themselves give me vibes from some of Steve recent work including Blue Pearl, and Vare Aeternum. I’m really looking forward to the final product here. 

Final Prediction: Top 3 finish with an 85+% score 

Xtreme97- Xtreme is another heavy hitter who has repeatedly shown unbelievably high quality RCT in recent years. Xtreme has not given us much in the way of teasers but did release one small shot a few weeks ago which is posted below. 

 X97.PNG (6.95KB)
downloads: 6

It looks as though we will be getting a tropical theme from Xtreme in the contest which will surely be packed with details and atmosphere based on track records. Recently, we have seen Xtreme build in a variety of styles with absolutely stunning results and I expect more of the same during this contest. I was blown away by Xtreme’s most recent release, “The book nook”, and Lostileth was one of my favourite H2HX entries. We also can see Xtreme building in a more tropical atmosphere with their work on Thailand Action Park. I expect Xtreme to have a very strong showing during this contest. 

Final Prediction: Top 3 finish with 85+% score 

RWE – This is one entry that I think people are sleeping on a bit. Through working with RWE in H2HX I have an appreciation for how much he is able to do with the game and I expect a really solid entry coming from him. RWE has release one teaser for us which I have posted below. 

 RWE.PNG (22.25KB)
downloads: 9

From the teaser it looks like we can expect a dark snowy atmosphere from RWE in his entry. The details in the teaser are also impressive and I’m very interested to see how this vibe is continued throughout the entire entry. The theme of this entry is likely to be a pretty big change up from what RWE has released recently although we do get a chance to see him working in a more dark atmosphere on both “The Yards” and “Cirque Macabre”. I am really excited to see RWE’s final product and I think he has the potential to place really well when everything is all said and done.  

Final Prediction: Top 5 finish with 80+% score 

Monsterbux – Another wildcard in this contest who I’m really excited to see. We unfortunately have not gotten any teasers (that I’m aware of) from Monsterbux but we can get some information off of recent work.  

Monsterbux is a relatively new member in the NE community but has already made some splashes with some amazing releases. “Taste of Tuscany” shows a knack for parkmaking and “2 8 1 4 Birth of a New Day” was mind-blowing in its execution. Monsterbux seems to primarily work in NCSO but has shown that he can use CSO to a pretty high quality in H2HX and with the “A Merry Christmech Story” release. I am going to predict that we will get a NCSO entry from Monsterbux during the contest with a very high level of execution. Although I don’t think I’m going to predict Monsterbux to win the contest, I would not be surprised if they manage a top half (or higher) finish. 

Final Prediction: Middle of the pack finish with 65+% score 

Otter – Whether it’s NCSO, CSO, or something in between, the only consistency in Otter’s releases as of late is that they are high quality. We haven’t gotten any teasers (that I know of) from Otter’s entry so there’s not too much to go off in that regard although Otter has made some comments doubting his chances of placing highly in the contest.  

Last NEDC, Otter created a CSO entry which earned his a design and he placed 7th. Since then, he has released a spotlight winning park, participated in 2 H2H competitions, and released a number of other strong projects. Work such as “Millennium Discovery Museum” show that Otter is willing to go outside of the box and small parks like “Drachen Fire” show that Otter is skilled in park design. With that being said, Otter’s comments doubting his chances make me think were are going to get an outside of the box NCSO release which will get a mixed reception. Regardless, I think Otter has the potential to place highly in the contest.  

Final Prediction: Middle of the pack finish with 65+% score 

BarnNID – I won’t say much here but I will say this. I think this project is the best RCT that I’ve ever created, but I think there’s a chance the community will be divided on it. I posted my teasers below.  

 Barn2.PNG (41.04KB)
downloads: 10

 Barn1.PNG (912.93KB)
downloads: 11

Scoop – We have another heavy hitter in the competition with Scoop. As someone who has built a full scale park with Scoop before, I know that they can make amazing work with almost any concept or theme. Scoop has shown us one teaser of their entry which I have posted below. 

 Scoop.PNG (1.3MB)
downloads: 11

This teaser is really interesting to me. I love the toxic, polluted theme, and I am very excited to see how the rest of the park looks. I think this theme is rarely touched in RCT for no good reason. I imagine that Scoop’s final entry will feel extremely novel, and be packed with details and atmosphere. Scoop’s recent work has really given us a glimpse of their full potential with their H2HX work being incredible with projects such as “Expo Miami” and a decent share in “Sea of Symphonies”. Scoop’s last solo work in the “The Chareston Jazz Festival” really emphasized their ability to create realistic atmosphere and convincing foliage and landscaping. I would not be surprised if Scoop ends up placing very highly in this contest.  

Final Prediction: Top 5 finish with 80+% score 

Jaguar – I am extremely happy to see Jaguar enter this competition. As we all know, last NEDC we got maybe one of the most interesting parks I’ve ever seen in “Phototrophian” so my expectations are that we can another absolute wild park this time around (Although hopefully this one gets released with the actual competition lol). Jaguar has given us one teaser which I have posted below. 

 Jag1.PNG (357.23KB)
downloads: 13

From the teaser it is clear to me that Jaguar is coming in with the classic detail heavy, crazy concept style that we’ve come to expect. It looks like we’ll be getting a futuristic theme from Jaguar jam packed with great moments, great atmosphere, and a whole lotta blue. Based on previous works like “Phototrophian” and “Cosmic Infection” I’m guessing that we will be getting some wild, out-of-the-box foliage and landscaping paired with crazy architecture. One thing that’s interesting to me is the parity between Jaguars teaser and their work on “The New Millenium Club” which has a very similar vibe. Jaguar is a wildcard for me in this contest who I can see placing almost anywhere on the board. In total, I’m guessing we will get a very solid entry from Jaguar which may go overlooked by some in the community due to the wild themeing that will surely be included.  

Final Prediction: Middle of the pack finish with 65+% score 

Ge-ride – Well this is maybe the hardest prediction to make given the lack of RCT that we have seen from Ge-ride in the last few years. We also unfortunately do not any teasers from Ge-Ride's entry so far.  

What I do know is that the last few releases that we have seen from Ge-Ride have been experimental and abstract. I expect more of the same this contest with an entry that is very cool, but has a mixed reception. I would guess that Ge-ride will finish in the lower half of the scoring but I would be happy to be proven wrong! 

Final Prediction: Lower half with 60+% score 

Lurker – I'm really looking forward to this released from Lurker. We do have a teaser from Lurker which I have posted below. 

 Lurker.PNG (1.55MB)
downloads: 10

From the teaser it looks like we will be getting a really interesting mix of CSO, NCSO, and LL elements. This entry will be an extremely refreshing break from the meta and I would expect it to be enjoyed by everyone who views it. Lurker has recently made a breakthrough in their “Sunbright Acres” release which features a similar mix of objects and elements. We can also go back to Lurker’s work in H2HX to see their development as a RCT player with shares in “Troubadours et Baladins”, “Bene Volantes”, and “008 Mission Tropico”. While I’m excited for Lurker’s entry, I think the off-meta nature of it will negatively impact the score.  

Final Prediction: Lower half with 60+% score 

V1 – Last but not least, we have V1 who has already showed the entirety of their entry (and maybe also withdrawn from the contest). Since we have the full entry screens already, there isn’t much we can do in the way of predictions. What I can say is that I hope V1’s entry gets released to the community as it appears to be a very charming, well created design. If this park was released to the community I think it would get the design accolade.  

OVERALL: This contest is going to be an absolute toss-up. There are so many participants who I could see winning the entire thing. I am extremely excited to see how the contest ends up playing out. Feel free to post any predictions of your own below!