That's all I can say to you dudes. Why has it taken so goddamn long to correct nine maps? Well, I have a few reasons, actually, so let me spell them out for you.
1) I am sorry.
2) I have had a rush of exams in school, coupled with "EXAMS DONE? DRUNK!" and it is a bad batch of chemistry.
3) I went for five judges for this round, rather than the three I intend for larger rounds. My reasoning is that with five judges, we could get more feedback, but frankly, many of the judges I employed were a bit unreliable (Do not point fingers. I have kept the judges secret, and while I plan to credit the lot at the end, nobody will be singled out on a round per round basis. Thus, as I am the only consistent figure, point your hate at me.)
4) I am sorry.
5) I've had this cyst thing on my chest, three colds and a nasty bit of insomnia lately.
6) Laziness.
7) I am sorry!
But, alas, after two weeks of judging, I have finally compiled some feedback, although sparing for the amount of time it took, plus the eliminations (GULP!), and finally, Round 2! I hope everybody is still with me when I remind them that this is the biggest (and slowest! :D) Mapping contest ever.
First of all, a compendium of comments about individual maps:
(Scores assigned below are rough estimates of the actual score, as written by the reviewer. For the most part, they sync up, but if you see a very low score next to your map, it may not be as bad as you think! :D)
Group 1:
Gameplay: 5/5
Changes: 3/5
You guys really, really hit the proverbial gameplay mark. What you managed to do, from a gameplay perspective, impressed all of the judges. We really appreciate the style and liberty of the map. While it would not merit top marks as a regular map, from a competition standpoint, this is the absolute cream of the crop. On the other hand, the liberties you made with one section in particular are alarming. As I stated, the top right section was free to change so none of the criticisms are raised at that. And, for the most part, you made practical decisions based on the other sections. What we did not like was how much was lost of the middle bottom section. It seems completely pillaged of it's original intent, which was not criticized in particular initially. We were really disappointed by the disproportion there. But, to end positively, our summation is that your gold placement was superb, the gameplay, while simple and easy, was smooth and interesting, and the map actually plays like a real map.
Additional Note: We really liked the subtle changes in this one, with the middle top being the most obvious. Also, boba's part responded to the rest of the map really well. Good work.
Group 2:
Gameplay: 3/5
Changes: 3/5
You guys have one of the stranger submissions. A lot of judges didn't need to look at your initial submission to tell you right away that you didn't change the gold enough. This thing is fucking engorged in gold. And that's a shame, because you guys have an ugly map with some very awesome gameplay experiences. We might have had more fun playing this map if it wasn't so oddly constructed. You guys didn't do a great job of blending the parts at all. Which is one of the stranger parts about this, because while I feel like you guys didn't do much from to blend them, you also changed a lot of the individual sections intent by removing or adding key elements. When we look at the top middle, which was a beautiful section initially, it just doesn't work in it's new role. Which seems to be the recurring theme. I don't look at this map as great unity, but rather as one person's vision on how to improve six parts.
Group 3:
Gameplay: 2/5
Changes: 0/5
This submission is, once again, bizarre. One of the strengths of your inital map was its unity in theme, and this submission seems to sacrifice that in a way that actually makes gameplay worse. The judges were puzzled by the map as a final submission, and even moreso puzzled when they saw the original. What is with all of this triangulation? What has happened to the top middle section? Maybe intent could save this bizarre map, but it definitely did not work for us.
Group 4:
Gameplay: 4/5
Changes: 5/5
You dudes did a fantastic job tweaking your map. This thing still feels a little bit loose, but we felt you made a lot of changes to the core of the map that did not lost it's spirit but made it more cohesive as a whole. Once again, your map still feels a little shakey, and that top right is still the weak point from a mapping perspective, but it did actually seem to work well with other sections. All in all, one of the best efforts we received.
Group 5:
Gameplay: 4/5
Changes: 3/5
This submission was very cool. We like the way the map flowed, making it seem almost racelike while having tons of trick jumps and just all around coolness. What could have helped that coolness would have been if you guys hadn't left so much gold in the goddamn thing. That really subtracts from the gameplay, even if it is staying true to the original form. And you guys made some major changes to the map in a section where we were not expecting many changes because it already played so good. Nonetheless, you created a fun game experience.
Group 6:
Gameplay: 5
Changes: 5
As host, I just want to take advantage of that fact and mention that I love, love, love, love this map, and all of the judges agree that this is the cream of the crop. Scoring near perfect marks across the board, while still suffering from a little of the six piece disjoint, a sacrifice made only because the sixth optional change piece was not changed much, but improved, this map exemplifies fun and interesting gameplay, collaboration, and most of all, in my personal opinion, some of the neatest interplay of any of the maps. And the changes they made all just seem to really make sense. This map is one I would probably give a good mark to outside of this competition. I was dazzled. So were the judges. Congrats, guys.
Group 7:
Gameplay: 5/5
Changes: 1/5
Perhaps too much Fear of God was put into the almighty "DO NOT CHANGE THE ORIGINAL MUCH" rule, because most maps adhered to strictly to their original form. This map is unique in that it did not, and it actually created one of the best maps submitted, but unfortunately, lost some mondo marks for all of the changes made. Again, the gameplay is supremely stellar, but I think they sacrificed a lot of the collaborative aspect of it to do that.
Group 8:
Gameplay: 4/5
Changes: 3/5
This submission is a neat map. It is the only submission that seems to feel like six smaller maps, and that's to it's credit, because the initial submissions for the most part counted on outside elements. Alas, in doing so, you also sacrificed aesthetics, and the gameplay could have been less claustrophobic throughout. More changes to the tileset could have helped.
Group 9:
Gameplay: 4/5
Changes: 5/5
These guys did a great job changing the tiles to fit a pervasive theme, and for that, they certainly deserve credit. In fact, the changes they made were pitch perfect, and many were more impressed by the map after seeing it's roots. The gameplay is perfectly serviceable as well. If we have a complaint here, it's a lack of polish, but with deadlines, well, that's what happens.
AND NOW:
ELIMINATIONS
Really, you guys all did a fantastic job in the first round, except those of you who did not submit (:@). But sadly, each round somebody has to go. Here are the least great competitors of round one.
Aldaric, Aphex, chocollama, Diamondeye, etdeshon, flagmyidol, Fraxtil, lukesv, Manus Australis, MattKestrel, and Why Me
I don't want to bring attention to what could be perceived as an error on my part for the math, so let me say this: The reason that most of the bold guys from the last thread who were in the worst position went on to the next round is because they genuinely did a great job improving their maps, and it seemed to be a heavy responsibility.
And as for HIGH SCORES, Furry Ant achieved the highest total of any competitor, and is therefore due some prize. What that is, I don't exactly know quite yet. So, until then, Furry Ant, hold onto your prize ticket, because it will be redeemable at a later date in ADMINISTRONG.
So, where will round 2 go? With forty eight competitiors, will it take you guys even longer to judge the next round?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
ROUND 2 OF ADMINSTRONG BEGINS NOW!
What we want from this round is for some exposure on some underrated maps, as well as to expedite the judging process. I am comfortable with the fact that we have found a way to do both.
ADMINISTRONG ROUND 2: CONSTRUCTION
Duration: One Week, ergo next saturday afternoon EST.
Where to Submit: NUMA, then link in this thread.
How will it be scored: You will be competing head-to-head against one person. The worse of the two shall be eliminated.
What's the catch: You have to use an existing, non-you-created tileset off of NUMA (or N-Art! :D). Build upon it, and make something pretty or wonderful out of something pretty and wonderful.
We're going to be comparing the two maps based on originality of ideas, execution, and how well the tileset was chosen. Everybody could choose Cumbre Vieja, but we would be more impressed if you dug something up that we haven't seen.
Who am I competing against? Aha! The meat of the post!
OPPONENT
aapse vs. Zephyr
Ad vs. yungerkid
amomentlikethis vs. gloomp
aristolipto vs. Tunco
Avarin vs. TheEverPresent
BionicCryonic vs. Techno
bobaga_fett vs. squibbles
bufar vs. SkyRay
Cheez vs. Skyline
ChrisE vs. SeventhSpirit
crescor vs. Seneschal
Daikenkai vs. scythe
DemonzLunchBreak vs. Scrivener
Destiny vs. romaniac
EdoI vs. rocket_thumped
eternal _moonlight vs. Rit0987
Furry Ant vs. Riobe
guy_zap vs. Rhekatou
heatwave vs. Pikman
Hoohah2x2sday vs. OneSevenNine
im_bad_at_n vs. numa_ninja
Inspired vs. ninja_matt
Izzy vs. nevershine
kkstrong vs. natrues peril
A few extra notes:
1) I am sorry!
2) I won't be sending out PM's for this one, so if you can, send a PM or mention on IRC this event to your competitor.
3) guy_zap, since Rhekatou is banned indefinitely, you have no competition. It is also my understanding that Cheez might be gone. Feel free to make a map for fun, and we'll give you some feedback on it.
4) Go wild with this, guys. When we don't set many guidelines, it isn't because we want a by the book map. Something crazy innovative that doesn't quite work is just as good as something generic and flawless.
5) Have fun! :D
