In:Cities

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• United States

• Logo Artist

One of my favorite maps from you in a long time. The landscaping just feels so natural and flowing. Top tier work as always.

This map is full of so many great little moments.

 

Highlights for me:

 

- The sweet pirate ship (is it a specific ship? Having just listened to a few podcasts about the VOC, would be cool if this was a nod to that time)

 

- The central island is a cool feature. Love the little river boats meandering past.

 

 - You do a great job with path details, particularly planters and foliage. They really help to bring the park to life.

 

- Station for the hyper twister is awesome. 

 

- The swan boat ride is beautiful. Love how it goes under the queue bridge.

 

- The green splashboats drop is a great moment.

 

 

I know i've mentioned it before, but my biggest gripe with this park is the map shape. Yes I understand that filling it with more tulip fields, grass, and car parks might not "add" to the park in a meaningful way. But by leaving the map shape with large chunks missing, it gives the impression that the park is incomplete. It's not so much about adding more content, it's about the perception of delivering a fully realized complete park. Unfortunately like it or not, the hyper polished parks that we're used to seeing in contests like H2H have moved the needle farther for me to where it's essentially expected to see a park as polished as it can be when sent out as a submission. Having large missing sections of the map makes sense when it's a contest park with a limit on the tile count. Or if the shape is very intentional. But when submitting a park of this scale and effort with zero time/space restrictions, it just feels haphazard. I know i've fought several people on this exact thing before, and I'll never understand the logic for pushing back so hard on it. Again, it's not about adding filler content to the map, but presenting a well-crafted, completed submission. If you're going through all of this effort to build a beautiful map to be considered for voting and reviews, why not set it up for success so that people like me don't have dumb things to nitpick about? 

 

All that said, I do love this park and thing that it's your best work yet by a mile. Coasters were great, overall ride design was brilliant, tons of atmosphere, colors are vibrant, and the architecture is lovely.

Strong coaster lineup and a nice overall park layout. It feels very classic in a good way, if a bit bare in spots. Overall a very pleasant park to explore

Awesome design. Love the macro composition and overall layout with the dueling lifts. I hate the bumpy flume drop. Colors are cool, if a bit monotonous. I understand what you're going for though, and I think it's largely successful. Great detailing throughout

Getting my reviews in finally. I purposely didn’t view these in depth until I could look at them all in one go. I also haven’t read anybody else’s reviews on purpose, so I’m sorry if I’m reiterating things that others have said before.

 

I think my biggest takeaway aside from the insane quality that showed up to this contest, is that the animated butterfly object should really get an MVP award.

 

14 - Met a Rebel - Ge-Ride

Quick thoughts: This is a fun entry that was a pleasant surprise. I like how bold it is. The theme is a tricky one to decipher as a viewer, so there naturally is a bigger emphasis on judging by the aesthetics. I really enjoy the pseudo cel-shaded cartoon vibe and admire the commitment to sticking with it throughout.

What I really enjoyed: The unique supports, the custom stylized trees, the general cartoon aesthetic
 

What didn't resonate: General lack of polish, clarity on the theme, coaster colors

What I'd score it: 55

 

 

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13 - Mirage - Liam

Quick thoughts: Even knowing that this is a Liam quickbuild, i’m still surprised with how beautifully cohesive this map is. The theme is pleasant and easily identifiable. The macro shaping is top tier. It feels like classic NE parkmaking through and through.

What I really enjoyed: The purple accent color flowers, the natural coaster station, the wooden elevated paths paired with white canvas, the tide pools on the beaches, the foliage in general
 

What didn't resonate: Honestly I didn’t dislike much on this map. The low-fidelity land tiles tend to work in this park’s favor as opposed to blending the edges. I know that this was a speedbuild, but custom supports would have really elevated this layout even further.

What I'd score it: 65

 

 

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12 - Cerulean Breeze - Milo

Quick thoughts: My neighbor’s dog is named Milo, so I already like this entry. Man, this map is just classy. Colors overall are top tier. Great aesthetic overall.

What I really enjoyed: The coaster colors, the signage, Lawnmower Man 1, the Offspring ride is super clever
 

What didn't resonate: Some of the architecture trended towards messy in places. The overall forms were there, but the object choices felt a little too cluttered at times.

What I'd score it: 70

 

 

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11 - Wellspring Gardener - Lurker

Quick thoughts: Right off the bat, this feels denser than a typical Lurker park. Great choice of theme and style. 

What I really enjoyed: Love the coaster colors (always a sucker for dark green supports), the distinction between the architecture outside the castle walls and within, the sweet lift hill supports, the music, the birds and the butterflies
 

What didn't resonate: While I like how bustling and busy it is, it does feel cluttered at spots. I don’t think that this map made the best use and integration of the coaster layout as well.

What I'd score it: 70

 

 

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10 - Sugar Rush - Otter

Quick thoughts: Wow where did you get these beautiful objects. I love seeing you take a bold and unique approach to this contest and pursuing a theme that you know many people may not enjoy. Tons of fun. The cel shaded objects aren’t the easiest to build with at times, but it seems that you picked up on it quickly!

What I really enjoyed: The colors (I almost wish you pushed it farther and went for an even more vibrant color selection), the kart track, custom mini golf course, the chocolatey mountains
 

What didn't resonate: It does get a bit messy in some spots. Colors overall are great, but I think you could have pushed for even more vibrancy and variety.

What I'd score it: 75

 

 

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9 - The Metal Moss - AJ

Quick thoughts: This immediately feels like an AJ map, and that’s a great thing. You always do such a great job at creating natural feeling interactions and integrating rides and layouts together. There’s some really picturesque moments on this map. 

What I really enjoyed: The foliage is beautiful, the natural feeling queue, the dark green coaster color, floating yellow pumpkins, the little pink flowers on the white columns, the music
 

What didn't resonate: Not much to dislike here. I think the coaster supports could have been pushed a bit further (the loop feels undersupported).

What I'd score it: 75

 

 

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8 - Ramses - Sulakke

Quick thoughts: Wow another Egyptian theme in rct. Wow, this one is actually great. This map is deceptively well done. While some of the architecture seems basic at first glance, it really is so perfectly executed throughout.

What I really enjoyed: The foliage on this map is some of the best in the contest (love the orange trees), the coaster station building, the foliage along the river, the little pond in the queue, the staff scenes and names, coaster colors are bold and work perfectly in the setting.
 

What didn't resonate: I think there’s too many peeps. While I know this is a design challenge, I think this map could have benefitted greatly from a slightly larger map - this feels a little too closely cropped to the coaster. I’d have loved to see more of the riverfront, as well as maybe some expansion of the desert into mountains or cliffs to the left of the station area.

What I'd score it: 80

 

 

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7 - Paint the Town Blue - Scoop

Quick thoughts: This is a super unique and bold theme to take on, and I think it’s largely successful. Cool to see you continue to push yourself as a builder and take big swings like this.

What I really enjoyed: Coaster colors are a great choice (monochrome coaster and track with a darker shade for supports is always a win in my book), the custom objects are great, lots of extra movement and life, the suspended monorail weaving throughout the map, the map edge, the covered walkway, the rapids and the integration of the drop with the giant wheel, bridge, and coaster element (super iconic moment). The large masses of people on the streets
 

What didn't resonate: While this is successful as a park, I don’t think it’s quite as successful as a design. The focus tends to be taken away from the main coaster at times, and while the track interactions are excellent, there’s almost too much extra content that’s unrelated to the design itself. The music is also very low for some reason. I also think that it’s a big risk to take on a theme such as this one. For those who are familiar with the source material, I’m sure it’s excellent. But as is the problem with most IP based parks in rct contests, you run the risk of the viewer not having a clue what is being referenced, and the park not resonating nearly as much with them as it does with you the builder.

What I'd score it: 80

 

 

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6 - Hydrocelestis - Jaguar

Quick thoughts: This map is borderline overwhelming. I can see how it would be polarizing for some. But it doesn’t take away from how impressive it turned out to be. There’s so much content packed on this map. I love the theme you went for - so much storytelling and worldbuilding to unpack. Oh wow, more animated butterfly objects.

What I really enjoyed: The vibrant colors overall are a lot of fun, your general use of pattern repetition in your structures, the bits of coral and sea life around the map, the music, the astromarine cosmobiologists, lovecraftian abomination, the starry background
 

What didn't resonate: While I love the overall colors, there really is a bit too much visual noise for them to fully work together to the best effect. This map would really benefit from some larger structures of a well-defined color scheme to help anchor it together. As a result, some of the impressive elevation changes are a bit hard to read.

What I'd score it: 85

 

 

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5 - Valley of Huanglong - Mulpje

Quick thoughts: This feels like NCSO at it’s finest. Which is crazy, considering that we just experienced Leafy Lake. The aesthetics we see here feel so unique and well executed, that the differentiation between ncso/cso/etc becomes irrelevant. This is simply beautiful RCT. The theme and setting is gorgeous, and this map has some of the best interactions in the entire contest. Everything feels intentional, well-crafted, and embedded as if this place grew up around the coaster itself. Beautiful work

What I really enjoyed: Everything. The chairlift along the cliffs with the tall wooden supports (clever trick),, the map edge with the waterfall, the distinct architectural differences between each “village”, the foliage overall
 

What didn't resonate: I don’t really have anything negative to say about this map - I loved it all

What I'd score it: 85

 

 

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4 - Unfriendly Invader - nin

Quick thoughts: Everyone becomes Walto eventually. This map is a beautiful piece of worldbuilding. Everything feels incredibly well thought out and intentionally placed. The theme is immediately apparent and the music really helps elevate the atmosphere.

What I really enjoyed: The massive powerlines provide great balance to the map, the sheer amount of movement and kinetic energy, the NE logo crop circle, the barn station (I have some roof objects that might have interested you), the scenes of the peeps being abducted, foliage overall (okay I feel like i’ve seen this butterfly object in almost every park), the land being ripped up and the water mains leaking
 

What didn't resonate: Why didn’t you use the levitating roof tile objects you fool - you clearly found the UFO street signs i made for Yucca lol

What I'd score it: 85

 

 

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3 - Farewell, For Worse Until Someday - Barnid

Quick thoughts: My dog is named Lucy, so you’ve instantly earned +5%. This is an interesting map. Tons to love here, though I could see how it might not be everybody’s cup of tea. I think you’ve done such a wonderful job depicting these immensely personal memories and scenes, and things become more apparent to the viewer the longer you view. It’s a bold choice to theme your map to something so uniquely personal in a contest such as this, and I think it’s largely successful. It’s been awesome to see your journey as a builder and member over the years. Huge congratulations on the win and elite status man - so well deserved.

What I really enjoyed: The ski slope is a great pop of contrast, zoo structure is awesome, i love the choice of putting a body of water underneath much of the coaster, the music is beautiful, flamingos, foliage overall is so well done, I like that park name sounds like an album title for an indie band
 

What didn't resonate: Torn on the sunset scene. While it works very well from one angle, it feels messy from the rest. The overall map shape and edge could have used a bit of polish and cleanup, but that’s a super minor nitpick.

What I'd score it: 85

 

 

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2 - Gaudi Gardens - Monsterbutts

Quick thoughts: This is RCT at it’s finest. Simply beautiful work for the sake of being beautiful. There’s so much to love here. I think this map succeeds the best out of all entries in it’s color usage. While this theme has been attempted before, this is by far the greatest depiction of it. Sincere congratulations for not only finishing this map, but for earning your parkmaker spot on something so wonderful.

What I really enjoyed: The color of course (The strong use of green throughout the map is what anchors the palette - allowing the beige to work as both a path and building color and the vibrant accent colors to really pop). The coaster queue with swan boats underneath is beautifully done. The curvy hedges everywhere - especially around the back half of the coaster are top tier. The waterfall by the starflyer is fantastic. That carousel! The tiered planters and steps everywhere are beautifully done and very readable as a viewer. I love the music.
 

What didn't resonate: The map edge was a tad messy in some sections, but that’s a minor nitpick.

What I'd score it: 90

 

 

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1 - The Cartographer - Xtreme

Quick thoughts: Simply spectacular. This map immediately feels extremely recognizable as an Xtreme map - which is further proof that your style is distinct and associated with the highest level of parkmaking. There’s such a clear macro here, and the overall park concept is very apparent. Frustratingly enough, the whole cartography map edges is an idea that I’ve wanted to create myself for quite some time, so congrats for beating me to the punch. You’ve certainly done it justice and at a level that would likely far exceed my own attempt! Shout out for using the cel shaded trees - super clever idea. This map is my favorite out of all submissions in this contest. 

What I really enjoyed: I sound like a broken record, but the colors on this map are perfectly chosen, the overall readability (everything is placed in a way that it’s so effortless to navigate as a viewer.) The details on the map itself (compass rose, the squid, the waves, X marks the spot, steve fishing for compliments). I love the little log flume that extends into the map. The foliage is appropriately lush and used to great effect. The Dancing Dragon ride is too good - I love the sun sails in the queue. Everything on this map just feels so organic and distinct. Sincere congratulations for creating such a wonderful scene.
 

 

What didn't resonate: The overlapping music was sadly very distracting. I’d almost want to see the map edges extended by a few tiles on all sides to make the cartography effect more apparent.

What I'd score it: 90