RMN MAP-DESIGN CONTEST [WINNERS ANNOUNCED]

Posts

Thanks! give it a shot now. :)

I'll comment on everyone's map when the voting begins.
@Blind: Your map was awesome. The picture looked better than it did in game though, those moving bushes distracted me lol. Also, that music was pretty different/cool, what was that?

@Sion: The atmosphere you created was perfect. It was kind of melencholy, or even depressing with it raining, and that music choice was great. (Was it Star Ocean 2? Sounds familiar) Found like 1 mapping error, but it was still my fav that I tried so far.

I'll try others in a bit. Oh, and will this be a monthly thing? Cause I would love to try it as well, just found out about it a little too late.
SE, I could be wrong, but I think Blind used music from Donkey Kong, which in my opinion is pretty awesome and is a great choice. ^_^
Feel free to begin nominating submissions for the top three! WIP has let me know that the Poll feature will unfortunately be unavailable to us during the time of the judging, so we'll have to do it manually.

Note: You may nominate only two maps.
Will Upload CBS video if nominated.
:P

~Sion
I suggest we allow Neophyte to enter his submission, before anyone does any nominating.
Helpful hint: Include your names in your submissions. I don't know what submission belongs to who; I just scoured the topic for download links. If I don't have a name, I'm just putting the name of the archive that the submission had. If I missed anyone, scream at me and I'll look at it.

Forest: Please don't have screen tints fluctuate like that. It hurt to look at it and I closed it after a few seconds of looking at that bloody tint.


Paradise: Where the player could walk was too narrow. Too much of it was one tile wide. Plus was there any way to get to the far right corner of the map? I hit the top, left, and bottom edge of the map but never the bottom.


Contest: This one automatically wins! While I was waiting for it to finish I played God Hand, and God Hand is simply fucking awesome. Sorry guys, but God Hand gets every nomination possible. Contest over.
(It's been downloading for an hour, it rolls at ~5kbps then it dies after a few minutes. Over. And over. And over. Please rehost.)


Little Wing Guys' Entry: Please check your tileset passability. There was some stuff, usually a top-cliff edge, that I could walk through and a flower-top that I walked on top of instead of under like the rest. What you can't walk on is annoying at times too; you can't walk on an edge and I kept trying to. Maybe that's just me though. I also hate how your dialogue is spread out. Awesome ambiance though, although I wish the birds weren't scripted.


Blindsight's Entry: I can walk on trees! What you can walk through is also inconsistant; I can walk through big bushes but medium sized ones? Nah. You also have a bird that doesn't move at all


Map Submit: Passages hidden in foilage? Possible to get stuck under it? Argh. Unless it was intentional that there are passages under the foilage that you can't see which gets a double argh. There's a few other odd bits that you can walk through which you think you can't. Butterflies being obstacles is another annoyance.


Summary: Please pay more attention to where the player can walk. I don't give a damn how pretty your map is if I can walk all over it.
I nominate Paradise and, uh, that's it. I really hate passability issues like those experienced in LWG/BS/MapSubmit's maps and Forest just hurt.

(If Contest ever finishes I'll post to make any changes to nominations)
@Great Red Spirit: Mine (contest) was rehosted, the link was in this post

author=myersguy link=topic=1044.msg15831#msg15831 date=1210459509
Wow, I'm surprised after such bad screens and low self-confidence, someone actually planned on downloading my map. Anyways, here is a different host with no rtp.

DOWNLOAD

Apparently mediafire hated me...
I nominate Neophyte and Chartley.

Neophyte's was pretty cool. Cliffhanger ending. =/

Chartley's map was amazing... Also, the ghost's story shows how the order of events can change the entire story... Amazing.
Oops, missed that one, sorry. My ability to read/skim for download links sucks at midnight.


Myersguy's Entry: Holy rectangular forests Batman! Something needs to be done to make this forest look less artificial. More bends, more outcroppings, anything that isn't so square. The foilage also comes from nowhere, shouldn't you be able to see the trunks for the trees
Check the priorities for your tiles, the forest foilage corners appear below the player instead of above.
Also, doublecheck what you're using as reference to the cornberry. What's next to Mr.BlackMage isn't a cornberry.


I also realized I missed Craze's entry (That's what I get for skimming, I miss links hidden in images)
Craze's Entry: ... I don't get it. Is there more to it aside from talking to people? It isn't much of a map on its own. *shrug*
Guys, my entry has already been submitted. Don't skip it. =/
http://www.sendspace.com/file/nhk41q

For those that didn't look on the first page, there it is.
Tau
RMN sex symbol
3293


If I'm not to late, and Blind stole my idea.. though it will look like I stole his?

It's just a map, a small map, didn't really want to add a mini game or event so.. yeah, plus it was supposed to be bigger but I got bored haha.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/n6xxjv
author=GreatRedSpirit link=topic=1044.msg15885#msg15885 date=1210486463
Little Wing Guys' Entry: Please check your tileset passability. There was some stuff, usually a top-cliff edge, that I could walk through and a flower-top that I walked on top of instead of under like the rest. What you can't walk on is annoying at times too; you can't walk on an edge and I kept trying to. Maybe that's just me though. I also hate how your dialogue is spread out. Awesome ambiance though, although I wish the birds weren't scripted.

Wow thanks for playing it, having feedback is always awesome. I did the scripted birds so it felt like they were flying away from the player/ the player scared them, I guess I did it wrong. You can't walk on the edge because then the player could just walk up the back/ side of high cliffs. I won't do the dialogue like that again, I was a little confused on what to do with interactivity. I'll keep that all in mind for next time. Thanks very much. At least it didn't crash again xD

I'll post my thoughts on everyones later, i've got to go out now.
author=GreatRedSpirit link=topic=1044.msg15893#msg15893 date=1210488108
...What's next to Mr.BlackMage isn't a cornberry.

ARGH! I knew I had forgotten something. I completely forgot to put that in. Anyways, thanks for the review Red.
Okay, I've played through them all, so I'll say a few words about each!

Little Wing Guy
I really enjoyed the humour actually, I thought that was a nice touch. The map LOOKED very good, but it was rather hard to tell where I could walk and where I couldn't, but I figured it out. I also really enjoyed the mini game, especially how you begin to run out of stamina. (Though it was a little annoying walking slow, but it increased the suspense.)

myersguy
Okay, a little plain, but it was the one map that never confused me, as the borders were very clear. Also, the mini game was cool. Basic, but cool.

Sion
Not bad, but a little confusing. And the foliage looks kind of funny in some parts (Though I guess I can't really criticize there. ^_^). But over all, it was pretty good. But I don't recommend having such a slow text speed, most people can read much faster than what was being displayed.

BlindMind

Wonderful map, and wonderful ambiance. I hardly have any complaints, as the map never really confused me. Good work!

iamnot
I actually really really dig this one, as it explored a completely different setting than the others, and it succeeded wonderfully. Also, this map was not very confusing at all, and it looked nice.

Tau
This one was awesome because it had a simple uncluttered lay out where you could walk, but nice complex looking cliffs/foliage where you couldn't. I do like how it kept the confusing stuff separate from the gameplay area. Excellent.

Neophyte
This one was wonderful because of the interactivity of it. I liked the feeling of real exploration. The cut scene at the end was pretty fly, but I didn't really know what was going on.

Craze
This was a pretty cool idea for a riddle, actually! It was a little easy though for a master riddler such as myself ;). The voice acting and music was pretty neat, but as you said, it was rather creepy. Which is all good of course. The map itself was pretty plain though!

Nomination
And with that, I nominated Tau and iamnot. I do this because their maps never forgot they were designed for a game. Tau gets points for his map looking nice and broody, and iamnot gets points for establishing a unique setting. Good work everyone!
Time for my mini reviews. I'll be judging each category(atmosphere, playability, etc) on a scale of 1-5.


Craze
Man dude, the voice acting freaked me out. It was really cool though, but I couldn't figure it out. Map design wise, there wasn't much to look at. This definitely scores points for being original though.

Ambience and atmosphere - 3
Playability & coherence - 4
Aesthetic appearance - 2
Function and navigability - 2
Use of sound design - 4
Originality/Uniqueness - 5
Miscellaneous elements - 2

Overall: 22/35

Chartley
I really liked this one. You didn't clutter the map with unnecessary things, but still managed to pull of a great atmosphere with the overlay. I had no issues with movement, and the map was easy to traverse. The small mini game at the end also added a lot, since there were multiple endings. Overall, this is probably my favorite.

Ambience and atmosphere - 5
Playability & coherence - 4
Aesthetic appearance - 4
Function and navigability - 4
Use of sound design - 3
Originality/Uniqueness - 4
Miscellaneous elements - 4

Overall: 28/35

Iamnot
In terms of actual map design, this is one of the best. There's too many things wrong with this map, though. First off, is the navigability. You've created a map that looks really great, but half of it wasn't explorable because of the limitations you put on it. The waterfalls were missing the character set that is supposed to be associated with them, and there were no sound effects present(at LEAST a waterfall sound effect would have been nice). You should have made the character set a bird so you could travel across the whole map. =P

Ambience and atmosphere - 4
Playability & coherence - 2
Aesthetic appearance - 5
Function and navigability - 2
Use of sound design - 2
Originality/Uniqueness - 4
Miscellaneous elements - 2

Overall: 21/35

Little Wing Guy
First off, I didn't like how slow the player walked. I realize it was for the sake of the mini game, but it still really annoyed me. The humor was great though. As for the map design, it wasn't that bad or that spectacular. Like Chartley said, it was hard to tell where I could walk and where I couldn't. You used sound effects pretty well, and the overall atmosphere was solid.

Ambience and atmosphere - 4
Playability & coherence - 4
Aesthetic appearance - 3
Function and navigability - 2
Use of sound design - 3
Originality/Uniqueness - 4
Miscellaneous elements - 3

Overall: 23/35

Myersguy
Yours is still downloading. =(

Blindmind
Well now, this was interesting. The map was extremely well done, and I personally couldn't find any issues other than the bird that didn't move. I did however, have an issue with how it functioned. I was able to walk through the upper layer cliff tiles and trees. This could have easily been fixed by using the directional pass function in the database. That was really the main problem with the map. Regardless, it was very solid, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Ambience and atmosphere - 5
Playability & coherence - 3
Aesthetic appearance - 5
Function and navigability - 3
Use of sound design - 4
Originality/Uniqueness - 3
Miscellaneous elements - 3

Overall: 26/35

Tau
Another solid map. This however, also had navigation issues which could have been fixed by using passability and the directional pass function in the database. I was able to walk over the upper layer cliffs, as well as the side cliffs. Also, I think the map would have been more pleasing to look at if you didn't stick to one color. I personally would have made the bushes and trees a magenta/pink color to match with that little flower in the screenshot. The overall atmosphere was decent, but could have been slightly better with the use of sound effects. Good work with those cliffs though!

Ambience and atmosphere - 4
Playability & coherence - 3
Aesthetic appearance - 4
Function and navigability - 2
Use of sound design - 2
Originality/Uniqueness - 3
Miscellaneous elements - 2

Overall: 20/35

Sion
Just like iamnot's, this map would have been better if you were a bird and could travel over all the trees. Right off the bat, I noticed the square water tiles at the top of the map. Some of your cliff usage could have been better, I saw some of the cliffs extending far too long, and they looked unnatural. Aside from all of that, it was an okay map. You had a good atmosphere, and the rain sound effect was alright. There just wasn't much to look at, though. Too much was covered by leaves that it was hard to judge anything. It felt like I was trying to find the character set half the time.

Ambience and atmosphere - 3
Playability & coherence - 2
Aesthetic appearance - 3
Function and navigability - 2
Use of sound design - 3
Originality/Uniqueness - 3
Miscellaneous elements - 3

Overall: 19/35

So...let me see here. Chartley and Little Wing Guy get the nomination for me. Blindmind would have gotten it, but he's not allowed. =P
author=Little Wing Guy link=topic=1044.msg15921#msg15921 date=1210501467
Wow thanks for playing it, having feedback is always awesome. I did the scripted birds so it felt like they were flying away from the player/ the player scared them, I guess I did it wrong. You can't walk on the edge because then the player could just walk up the back/ side of high cliffs. I won't do the dialogue like that again, I was a little confused on what to do with interactivity. I'll keep that all in mind for next time. Thanks very much. At least it didn't crash again xD

I'll post my thoughts on everyones later, i've got to go out now.

I see what you were trying to do with the birds, but I went right (where the last butterfly shows up later) instead of up (towards the evil spirit) and there were no birds in that area. Then when I was heading towards the evil spirit, all the birds showed up again. That's when I realized that they were all scripted for when they show up and the effect lost most of its impact.

I don't think I was clear on what I meant on how the dialogue was spread out. What I meant was:
"This is a
message box.
I really like"
(new message box)
"cake because it is
delicious."
Trying to fit an entire sentence in a box.


I'll get to the last two later.
Craze
Ja?... I couldn't figure out the riddle at all. I tried talking to people in a certain order/ certain amount of times, but I think the world exploded. Confused but having fun, the most orginal one here! The voices were great. The map was meh, not the worst.

Myersguy
OK. Nothing more. RTP music (I think,) nothing wowed me, walking in and out the forest was cool though!

Sion
I do like that FFX music, gave a nice effect. I liked the whole overgrown forest effect too (as in lots of leaves and branches connected). The only nitpick was the butterflies set to the same layer a hero, they kept getting in my way and there was one on the bridge...little bastard.

Chartley
The glow was awesome, never seen anything like that before, such a nice mystical effect to it. I don't think theres anything to complain about. Though I didn't try every order the minigame was cool.

Iamnot
Oh no, i've gotten trapt in the god damned happiest place on the planet and its not Disney Land! Two pathetic nitpicks, the waterfalls (explained by a lovely lady) and no noices, nothing much needed, all the birds around seemed to be amute though. Overall I liked it a lot.

Tau
Probably one of the nicest to look at, plus you re-coloured it. Easy to navigate without it being simple and boring. Eh, running outta things to say... Its just plain great!

Neophyte
So much to interact with! Everything you touch has a story behind it, very cool! I liked how easy it was to find your way around and it looked nice too. Only it felt liked you picked it right out of some game. I'm not sure it thats a good thing or not. On one hand, I don't know what going on, nor will I find out, on the other, it doesn't effect gameplay at all and i'm not judging interaction or story. It just felt a little random.

Nomination
It has to go to Iamnot and Chartley! But it was a toss, between some of them. Good job everyone.

Did I miss anyone?
PEOPLE! When downloading my game, I said I rehosted it to rapidshare without the rtp. Download from there should only take a matter of seconds. Here is the new link (for the third time!)
DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD
Here's the last two:

RMN Mapping Entry (I assume this is Tau's entry): Passability issues! I was walking over cliffs and everything. I'd suggest making the fog more interesting that just being there statically. Even a ripple would help.


Neophyte's Entry: Inconsistant passability issues, likely due to what you can and can't look at. The player can walk over some bushes and plants and others of similar/smaller size you can't. Best example is by the first bend in the path, there's the animated flowers (Oridian) which is impassable and three tiles to the right is a bush that you can walk over. I'd assume this is so that you can tell that you can examine it but its still annoying.
To the left of the same Oridian flowers is the top of another plant, which you can examine. You can't examine the base of the plant though; you can even walk on top of it. This is consistant throughou the map, I think one of us is looking at it wrong.
The top of the trees with no leaves doesn't have the proper transparency colour. There's an opaque colour in the corners that looks like it was supposed to be the transparent colour, except it isn't.
There's a foilage trap after the u-turn. To the right in the corner is a passability issue: I got to walk on a tree trunk!


I'll nominate Paradise/Iamnot (Interesting map and no passability issues!) and Neophyte (a small passability issue).