RobDedede

• Offline
• United States

• Accolade Panelist

I thought this was fabulously composed. It sticks to a nice minimal style despite the inherent size constraints. I agree with posix that a park in this style on a full-scale would do wonders. It has a very clean yet not boring quality to it. Nice work. 

This map really grew on me. At first, I found the palette to be a bit too saturated, but I liked it more and more after viewing it for a while. I think where this map shines is creating a distinct aesthetic that looks really cool. The way I would explain it is the map almost looks like a page from Tintin. I hope that makes sense. I also want to highlight the many little details you've managed to accomplish with only a semi-cso toolbox. The many signs, stalls, boats, and other details elevated this map for me. Nice work. 75%

This was cool. The new go-kart track pieces are put to good use, and the castle was impressive. I liked the landscaping in most respects, including how you did the trees, but some of the waterfalls were left looking a bit angular. The map also felt a bit hollow, with peeps only present in a few areas, and there being relatively little movement. Solid work nonetheless. 65%

1. Before anything else I say, I know that I might catch flak for my score on this entry, but I don’t care. The accolade panel isn’t designed to be an objective, AI-like rating system; it’s supposed to capture the median opinion of a park from a representative range of aesthetic preferences from various established community members. The only thing I regret to say is that I don’t have more time to write more expansive, detailed thoughts on the map because it truly deserves them. 

2. With that said, I’ll begin the purely technical, “objective” side of the map, which on its own is superb. You’ve managed to incorporate various different areas and moments in a brilliantly cohesive manner. The sunset effect is effective, not tacky, and not distracting at all. Brilliant. Your usage of text to give context to the viewer is also effective, and did not distract me; it almost left a sensation like the map was a mosaic of postcards, each of a moment you spent with a particular person whom I am assuming the majority of this map represents. 

3. With that as a transition, let me now discuss what I really want to discuss, and the reason why I gave this map a 100. First, I have dealt with moments of loss and grief in my own life, so the map’s narrative immediately spoke to me from that perspective. It’s a beautiful, respectful tribute that I really admire. We have to ask ourselves - what is the point of RCT as an art form? I don’t care if people cringe at that question, and I suspect the cringe comes from their own insecurity. The reality is we all love this game, and for many of us, RCT is a primary creative outlet, used to express our interests, experiences, and shared interest in roller coasters and roller coaster games. Beyond that, however, RCT can act as a vehicle of artistic expression beyond merely making theme parks. Sure, a re-creation of a famous ride is cool, and it might even be the backbone of the game and the community, but for me there is also room for pensive, emotional artwork to take center stage. Am I saying that all forms of this more “serious” type of RCT immediately receive a 100 because it’s emotionally important to the builder? No. What I am saying is that this park in particular is a splendid mixture of strong technical skill in the game, a moving, personal artistic narrative, and a frankly bold and inspiring choice to share the community in what I suspect is your grief. I am firmly of the opinion that scores of 100 should be possible, and should be reserved for parks that define the viewer’s memory of a particular “era” of RCT (maybe every few years or so). In that sense, this park accomplishes that goal for me, and then some. Like I said, I wish I had more time to dedicate to reviewing this park and my justification for its score, but I have many, many other things I have to write, and so little time. Congratulations, nonetheless. This park made me emotional in a good way. 

• Truly incredible work. The cartography theme is clever, with a cool aesthetic gimmick that is both well-integrated into the limits of RCT, not too distracting, and overall additive to the viewing experience. You took an age-old theme and added a fun new layer, with clever usage of niche and new objects. The way you made the map look tattered is so cool! I love the usage of all-black rocks, as they add to the feeling that the park takes place on some kind of remote, volcanic island. Next, to the macro and architecture. First, I adore how you enclosed the main square around the Cartographer’s station as a walled fort, which adds to the immersion of the theme taking place long ago when those were still functional and necessary. Last thing to note is the supporting rides add to the park and do not detract from the main coaster, and are amazingly well-integrated on the map. A highlight for me was the sextant and other navigation tools near Voyage of the Seven Seas.