Park / Saeiqa

15 Comments

  • Comment System%s's Photo
    comment below
  • CoasterCreator9%s's Photo

    Alex-esque. More thoughts later.

  • Mulpje%s's Photo

    Lovely Ncso design, I really like how the coaster interacts with the park. All the buildings are really well themed and the foliage looks amazing. The steam under the water and in the tunnels is a neat little trick. Great job!

  • Bluetiful_Monday%s's Photo

    This is my first lengthy analysis of anything on NE Designs, so I might not be as thorough and accurate as I could be. That said, NCSO is my preferred way of playing RCT. This is the first time I’ve seen your work SSSamy. And I’m extremely impressed.

     

    Layout-wise, Saeiqa has to be one of the smoothest, most exciting layouts I've come across. You combined all great things I’d find in a new-gen Vekoma, but juxtaposed with an epic terrain coaster. The Zero-G roll wrapping around under Alamatar is one of my favorite sections on any design - absolute perfection.

     

    Attached Image: Saeiqa image 1.jpg

     

    The same holds true to the section with the large corkscrew leading into the barrel roll, wrapping over the monorail. It’s such a smooth transition, and nestled within the terrain.

     

    Attached Image: Saeiqa image 2.jpg

     

    In addition to scaling the land, Saeiqa has a great amount of interaction with the guests. My favorite moments include the large corkscrew over the path, and the park entrance fly-by with the heartline twister netting. In summation, the interactive moments are plentiful and well-placed.

     

    The rest of the map is filled with beautiful architecture. I love the different trims and objects used to make these buildings, whether it be the wooden fences as windows, or the portcullis doors. It feels similar to Ancient Worlds as some have pointed out, but it feels like your own.

     

    Some points of contention that prevent me from giving this the highest possible score:

     

    - I know this is can be a royal pain in the neck, but with a diagonal brake run, I wish this was shoestrung and functional, rather than for aesthetics. With the Ride Vehicle Editor, you can get the shoestring track to be the exact same length as the coaster, or at least within one “track progress” unit.

     

    - There’s nothing wrong with using wooden coaster track for roofs or arches, but all of these are missing a covering. Defeats the purpose of a roof.

     

    - The supportwork is well-done, however, spots like the large loop are undersupported.

     

    - One instance of clipping into the roof pieces right before the monorail cutback.

     

    All points considered, this is an astonishing release. I think this has the potential to score above an 80% as an NCSO design. Hopefully, it does. A big congratulations from me. My final score: 90%.

     
  • G Force%s's Photo

    Glad to see you still working on solo stuff Sammy, it's always a teat for me to view your work, especially when it's in this semi-LL/Nsco type style.  This was no exception, really nice all around.  Feels like a natural progression of things for you and honestly I don't miss it being LL exclusive at all.  The few OpenRCT tricks you included added a lot to this but doesn't take away from the classic feel at all.  Also loved the combination of the coaster and boat ride, just such a themepark thing.  Lovely work.

  • RobDedede%s's Photo

    I have to agree with G Force. I am a huge fan of this style of clean NCSO and this design is no exception. I found the architecture to be supremely well-done and struck a great balance between classic 2x2ism while still containing some intriguing variations on shape and form. I also thing the landscaping helped elevate this map and gave it more life, which is something that is difficult to accomplish in NCSO. The one thing I would have considered doing differently is using CSO trains to make the inversions a little bit cleaner, but I understand why you chose not to do this.

  • ottersalad%s's Photo

    Pretty epic. Love the theming, very old school yet refreshing at the same time. Oddly, I think the splash boats ride is my favorite thing on the map. Great details to it with the underwater tracks/rapids and the main drop is perfectly framed. It feels like such a throwback adventure splash boat layout and I'm all here for it. 

  • Ge-Ride%s's Photo

    I like it a bit but it's short and I'm a little underwhelmed the brown. Still, it uses NCSO quite masterfully so I'll rate it a 70 overall. Good work, just has the bad luck of not appealing to my particular taste.

  • Jens J.%s's Photo

    Yeah this is cool Sammy! Very happy to see another NCSO design, especially with all the recent changes like the addition of new/special colors which you integrated pretty well here. 

     

    Attached Image: SSSammy Saeiqa Pic 1.png

     

    The coaster really is interaction heaven with its many near-miss moments. Bluetiful_Monday already pointed it out but the section up on the hill where the splash boats and coaster cross each other is awesome.

     

    Attached Image: SSSammy Saeiqa Pic 3.png

     

    Another fantastic moment. The monorail x Saeiqa interaction is off the charts. I also like the combination of the rigging object with the portcullis doors, works very nicely imo.

     

  • Terry Inferno%s's Photo

    Finally, more SSSammy NCSSSO. 

     

    The surroundings really make this map, and you've done very well in adding a modern twist to the generic "old beige world" style that has been a cornerstone of LL for centuries. Usually I find the style to be incredibly bland and repetitive, but you've done well in adding plenty of color and textural variation so that it does not feel at all monochromatic; the yellow, red and dark water breathe life and fun into the architectural environment. I also appreciate that the 2x2ism aspect is used when necessary and not a dominant feature of the architecture - each building has its own identity, which is truly why this is one of the best RCT2 takes on this particular style. In addition to the palace, which is indisputably the map's signature building and focal point, I also particularly like the look of the Mukbar's building. The open wood track roofs on closed stone buildings are a weird stylistic choice that I do not agree with, especially when we can see the interior walls and a visible ride entrance. However, in a build where the architectural composition is the primary focus, it is certainly forgivable when everything else is in such lovely form.

     

    As someone who complaints ruthlessly about foliage, I have no complaints about the foliage.

     

    Now, I want to like this coaster more than I do. I want to be blown away by the layout itself the way I am with the architectural composition or that lovely splash boats ride. The coaster's interaction is beautiful and well thought out, and it contains elements that I myself prefer when building my own layouts--vertical drops, central loops, and plenty of dips over and under other ride tracks. Despite this, I've been looking over the coaster all week and pondering why I have felt it to be underwhelming compared to many of your past coasters, such as NCSO hidden gem Forest Fire, the beautiful dueler from H2HC, and even that lovely Schwarzkopf from Ashford that I referenced many times when designing my own Revolution-style layouts. The conclusion I've reached is that, as good as the coaster is, it is the icing on a very nice cake but not the cake itself.

     

    The only way I can convey this point moderately well is, had you omitted the coaster and either submitted it as a Spot or Alamatar as a Design, the map would still be in 65-70 territory, looking very balanced and complete on its own.

     

    Attached Image: saeiqa sans coaster.jpg

     

    Saeiqa has a good layout, pleasant and fun as a coaster should be, so it does add something to the map. But when it comes to leading the map as the central ride and tying everything together as the main attraction, this one does not meet the threshold for me as an iconic 80+ layout. Removing it should feel like the most important piece has been lost, but instead it feels more like the top layer is gone from an area that's already doing pretty well on its own. It is not that the surrounding area is "too good" but rather the coaster just does not elevate it significantly. Contrast with Forest Fire (I'll never run out of good things to say about that beautiful Arrow, I really hope you look back on that one and smile proudly each time) where the coaster is the driving force behind the map being great even with more stripped-down surroundings... a layout like that built in an area with this map's level of precision, path interaction, etc. would be an easy 80-90 from me and possibly the best NCSO Design yet. I cannot elaborate at this time on what makes one layout more aesthetically pleasing to me than another, nor have I provided much that is particularly useful in terms of how something like this could be improved upon, so at the end of the day, one opinion is just one opinion. The short of it is, I like the map, I like the coaster, and I just happen to like the rest of the map more than I do the coaster.

     

    Of all the maps I've voted on this year, this was legitimately the most difficult panel vote. I do not like choosing between 75 and 80 on a map where it could be the deciding vote for a builder who has certainly proven worthy of a green name over the years, but I also do not like to vote 80 on a Design when the feature of the map that I am most ambivalent about is the coaster. If mine is the only vote below 80 and it gets dropped, you know I will be very pleased to see your name up on the green wall where it belongs. And if it misses by a hair, I'm looking forward to seeing the coaster that finally gets you there. 

    (and if it's another powerful Arrow asserting its dominance in the middle of a forest, you know you'll see a high vote from me)

  • Lurker%s's Photo

    An excellent piece of NCSO(pen). A lot of clever object use, great macro and the coaster has some great interaction. Also a really solid supporting ride, the train trick effect is a nice touch.

    Also, I like how the RCT1 paths were used, I don't see that many people use them because of the LL requirement but they really work well as accents like that.

  • SSSammy%s's Photo

    78 is such a surprising score for something that seemed to come so quickly and easily for me, and I'm humbled by all of the feedback. Before I begin replying, I must first thank the NE team for getting this out, and BSG specifically for making the logo. such an amazing logo, thanks mate

     

    CC9 - whenever you're ready ;)

    Mulpje - flattering coming from an NCSO builder like you!

    Bluetiful_monday - such a detailed report, thanks so much for your insight and feedback. I hope you stick around in the community and build more with us and continue to give great feedback

    G force - where is the long overdue SSS/G Force crossover event...

    RobDedede - thanks Rob!!! 

    otter -  thanks otter, parks like yours have been useful to learn from

    ge-ride - thanks! the world would be a boring place if everyone liked the same things

    Jens J - Thanks!! so glad those moments i love are being loved by everyone else

    Terry - such an interesting idea to delete the coaster to see the balance of the area - I can't really take it as an insult that the area works well without the ride ;) thank you so much for the detailed synopsis, lucky for you, i am constantly building big arrow layouts. I have no idea why - probably the same reason why you like them so much too lmao. appreciate the shoutout to ashford as well lmao

    Lurker - thanks mate, your feedback and help made this possible!

  • wheres_walto%s's Photo

    Good taste never goes out of style, great job Sam

  • FredD%s's Photo

    Really lovely piece of rct here. Love the beige colors all around, foliage and landscaping is on point and enhances the atmosphere so much. Really like how the splash boats are integrated into the terrain and I also love how it has a bridge over itself.

     

    Coaster is so good, so much interaction. The highlight is the corkscrew/turn going under and over the splash boats lift. Great piece of parkmaking there. Coaster is very flowy and seems super smooth.

     

    Whenever I see such great NCSO releases, I always get in the mood to try it out myself. 

  • FredD%s's Photo

    -- ooops, posted it twice

    Edited by FredD, 13 September 2023 - 03:32 AM.

  • CedarPoint6%s's Photo

    I did a video review of this one.  Great design!  Loved the flume.

     

    https://youtu.be/ImCL8mu6sDY