The mapping contest is off

[Osmose]

When I started judging I added a paragraph for each map to describe it's strengths and weaknesses. Around the second page I realised that was going to take too long for all the maps, so I just started slapping scores on them. I'm going to post what review I did give below just so you can get an idea of how I scored maps and what I did and didn't like in the entries.

Elthe Deli by Robotam - 6  MNT

The name is kinda wierd - I've never heard of a mountain named James Johnson. Deli's Peak or something would sound a bit better, but that's not what gave it the score. Now, the map itself is pretty decent - a good amount of detail, some variation, etc. The torches look way out of place, though. I wouldn't expect to find some torches that look like that on a mountain, and their placement is really random. The pillars look too good, too. Maybe if one of them was broken it would look a bit more natural(And if this part is supposed to have signs and paths and stuff, there would be a full bridge, not pillars ). Lastly, the extreme contrast in the water looks really bad. A better chipset could've saved this map.


Mount Kanza by Meiscool - 5 MNT

What I like about this one compared to Robotam's made with the same chipset is the better use of the water contrast, although some of the same problems still plague this one, including the torches. Also, the cliff edges that jump down over and over look really unnatural, although that's also something as a result of the crappy chip. I really recommend using a different chipset soon. Oh, and why is there a random torch just sitting on the ground?

Mount Calima by WingZero - 3 MNT

Now I'm sure a lot of effort was put into this map, but I don't score for effort. This is very very basic. Those red crystal things are out of place, there's no variation in the mountain design, it looks all box, the sky looks like a pixture was shovved there, the bottom corner of the elevated areas just cuts off... yeah.

Forest of Dreams by CoolZidane - 5 FST

This one is good in that the author obviously knows how to use the chipset, but it's too boxy. The little lake-spinoff is unnatural to be so small when it's so close to a main river, and the flowers and rocks added look too forced. I really like the use of shallow water, though.

Mount Telras by Linkforce - 7 MNT

This is the first mountain I really like. The flowers look very natural, as does the path - the stoes open up where people walk, so it breaks and widens at different places and follows the shortest route. The variation in cliff edges looks very nice too, although a bit more accurate shadowing would've been nice. Also, the lack is a bit too unnatural, but other than that a solid map.

Mount Greenglave by SaiKar - 7 MNT

This is another good map, and I'd expect no less from Admin #2. Looks very natural, I like the broken and cracked pillar efect, but the steepness looks too static. Probably the chipset, but the drops look like boring stripes, and you didn't use the diagonal edges as much as you could've. Nice entry.

Sasie's Pass by Seth Mitchell - 5 MNT

Not bad, really - you've got the variation in grass down, which is good. The water is decent too, but the cliffs look too static. Even a mountain base would look less forced. Decent, though.

Zalanuaku Islands by SC3K - 8 FLYISL

I really like this map. The backstory is nifty, the name is cool, and the islands look amazing. Very natural, very rounded, enough randomness. The paths that end are a nice touch too. The edge of the one with the tent is a bit too squared, and there could be a bit more variation in island shape, but this entry really impresses me for it's smaller qualities - it doesn't go for a lot of things happening at once like some other maps do.

Balbino Beach by Robotam - 8 BCH

This is much better than your last entry, Robotam. The cliffs look very nice, the house is simple, and the turtle is cool too. Not much to say that's bad, except that some variation in the water would've been nice, and the docks look kinda funky in a bad way. That wierd wooden thing in the left should've been used as a railing for the dock on the right. Other than that, really good.

Western Coastal Lands by drenrin2120 - 8 WRLD

World Maps aren't that hard to make, so I'll most likely be giving high scores in this caregory. Regardless, this map looks really nice. Enough variaton and meets all the standards. Only two complaints - The buildings seem too close together in one area, making for boring, quick map traversing, and there's nothing really spectacular to deserve a 9 or 10. Solid work, though.

Link Beach by Meiscool - 7 BCH

Not a bad map. Looks pretty cool, natural, all the standard crap, but it's just too busy for my taste.

----------------------------------------------------

Below are the actual scores I gave to every map. I'm pretty sure that they're all in the right category as Meiscool put above, but if they aren't, point them out and I'll be glad to change it.

Forest
Riverglen Pass by blackskullwarlock - 8
Remolas Forest by Linkforce - 7
Cabinore woods by Robotam - 7
Stenchcorpse Bog by MrMister - 5
Wanderer's Forest by Moosetroop11 - 6
Winter Forest by 69_so_fine - 5
The X Forest by Red Fox - 5
Forest of Dreams by CoolZidane - 5
Cave of Demons by Tomi - 7

Mountain
Karlian Pass by Leon - 8
Senidar Peak by Ace of Spades - 6
Mountain /w Fruit Stand byt 69_so_fine - 5
Synchromania by Red Fox - 6
Sasie's Pass by Seth Mitchell - 5
Mount Greenglave by SaiKar - 7
Mount Telras by Linkforce - 7
Mount Calima by WingZero - 3
Mount Kanza by Meiscool - 5
Elthe Deli by Robotam - 6

Castle
Castle by neb87 - 5
King Boonder's Castle by Linkizcool - 3
Some Castle by Meiscool - 5
Radiance Manor by SaiKar - 5
Narijal Castle by Red Fox- 6

World Maps
River Side Lands by WingZero - 3
Forest going into Desert by neb87 - 5
Nilze Isle - 6
Western Coastal Lands by drenrin2120 - 8

Dungeons
River of Deception by coasterkrazy - 6
Snow Cave Dungeon by neb87 - 6
Kanza Dungeon by Meiscool - 7
Zhalyzar Temple by Red Fox - 5
The Ruby Volcano by Robotam - 6
Some cave by Ian-TheResourceMaker - 6
Darkwater Caves by DarkFlood26 - 5
Hermit's Hideout by Ace of Spades - 8

Towns
Unamed by coasterkrazy - 7
Denbal by Robotam - 6
Kanza Encampment by Meiscool - 7
Smuggler's Safehold by SaiKar - 8
Lathi Village by Red Fox - 5
Village in the Snow by neb87 - 6
Oblugochi Desert by Ace of Spades - 7

Beach
Beach /w Market by neb87 - 6
The Beach by Red Fox - 5
Link Beach by Meiscool - 7
Balbino Beach by Robotam - 8

Flying Islands (of Jasonia!!!!)
Floating Islands by neb87 - 5
Advica by Meiscool - 7
Baryudia by Robotam - 7
Zalanuaku Islands by SC3K - 8

Inners
Will's Item Shop by Tomi - 7
Cabinore Church by Robotam - 6
Kanza Cave by Meiscool - 8
Zax's Dragon Stable by Red Fox - 6
The Moonlight Cafe by Moosetroop11 - 5
Ma and Pa Store by neb87 - 4

Notes on the maps I didn't review:
Linkizcool - It takes more than just using a fancy chipset to constitute good mapmaking. Comeon now.
Robotam - Try making your maps less busy. It gets a bit confusing and overwhelming to stick a lot of random stuff in there.
Red Fox - WILL YOU STOP SPELLING ALL WORDS THAT END IN "LE" WRONG?! IT'S STABLE, TABLE, TEMPLE!!!

-----------------------------------------------------

And now for the actual winners that I picked. For this I went through each category, picked out the highest score, and named it winner. If there were ties, I want back and reviewed each map to choose.

Forests Winner:
Riverglen Pass by blackskullwarlock

Mountains Winner:
Karlian Pass by Leon

Castles Winner:
Narijal Castle by Red Fox

World Maps Winner:
Western Coastal Lands by drenrin2120

Dungeons Winner:
Hermit's Hideout by Ace of Spades and Kanza Dungeon by Meiscool

Towns Winner:
Smuggler's Safehold by SaiKar

Beaches Winner:
Balbino Beach by Robotam

Flying Islands Winner:
Zalanuaku Islands by SC3K

Inners Winner:
Kanza Cave by Meiscool

Why are there two Dungeons Winners? Because Ace's map isn't really that much of a dungeon. I see it as just a guys house and would've put it in inners. Both are good entries and deserve winning anyway.

And now for the overall winners. The best of the best, the people who's work really impressed me, regardless of other categories.

Best Mapmakers:
1.Tomi - Even though you only submitted two maps, I still like you above anyone else because you (along with Ace on Hermit's Hideaway) were able to create quality in a small packadge. Instead of going for big and flashy, you worked to make a subtle quality that shows in both maps you entered. Very well done.
2.Robotam - Well, 1.For making me a judge, and 2.Because you make a lot of good quality maps. The only real reason not all of your maps won was because you put a bit too much stuff in them. Tone it down a bit, and you'll be unrivaled.
3.neb97 - I really like your drive. You submitted a map for nearly every category, and none of them were really bad, just not up to a winner's level. Just because someone makes really good maps, however, doesn't mean they can make a lot of them.

Best Maps:
1.Karlian Pass by Leon I really like how clean the cliffs came off even though there's enough to constitute saying it's 'busy'. Well done.
2.Oblugochi Desert by Ace of Spades - This map really became one of my personal favorites even if it didn't win anything only because of the effect of the little cliff going upwards - something you see in videogames a lot, but rarely on anything around here.
3.Riverglen Pass by blackskullwarlock - This was a great looking map that took a simple scene and added just the right amount of detail.

Well, that's that. Good job everyone, and I can finally stop worrying about this stupid thing.

[Ace of Spades]

Cool, thanks for the review! ^^ And uh, actually Oblugochi Desert was more of a castle. I thought the word "stronghold" would've given that away, but ah well. Glad you liked those two though.

[Meiscool-2]

Two complaints. First, I got a 7 and Ace got a an 8 in the dungeon mapping? I see in no way how that is a tie. 7<8 is how I always saw it.
Second, I don't really think you should've rated by chipset, as most of your picks are Rudra Chips, but that's just me.

[Ace of Spades]

Originally posted by Meiscool
Two complaints. First, I got a 7 and Ace got a an 8 in the dungeon mapping? I see in no way how that is a tie. 7<8 is how I always saw it.
Second, I don't really think you should've rated by chipset, as most of your picks are Rudra Chips, but that's just me.

And now for the actual winners that I picked

I think the number ratings and his actual picks were separate ratings.  

[Meiscool-2]

ah, thankyou for pointing that out for me.

Edit- Oh, I also missed that thingie he put about "why are there two winners?" That explained it pretty well too.

Also, Robotam, you gotta send me the map somehow if you're gonna give it to me lol. I can't get to my PMs for some reason, so you'll have to gimme it another way.

[coasterkrazy]

Thanks for judging Osmose!

I have to say I'm quite pleased with my scores because I really just entered for fun. I wasn't thinking I would be really competitive at all.

[Osmose]

Choosing a chipset is just as much a part of mapmaking as making the map yourself. Take Robotam's first entry - with another chipset it probably would've looked way better, especially in the water. But he choose to stick with a chip that had crappy water contrast, and that's his fault.

[Robotam]

Thanks a lot for the ratings Osmose. ^_^'
Now we shall await Razor's and GC's result of judging.

[Linkforce]

Wow, I did much better than I thought.  Thanks for the review.  ^^

[Tomi]

Wow, me, one of the best mapmakers?  Thanks!

Thanks a lot for judging.  And congrats to the winners so far!

[GhostClown]

Forest map winner:
Remolas Forest - By Linkforce

Village map winner:
Denbal- By Robotam

Mountain map winner:
Elthe Deli - By Robotam

Inner map winner:
Kanza Cave - By Meiscool

Dungeon map winner:
The Ruby Volcano - BY Robotam

Beach map winner:
Link Beach - By Meiscool

Worldmap map winner:
Nilize Isle - By RedFox

Flying Island map winner:
Baryudia - By Robotam

Castle map winner:
Radiance Manor  - By Saikeeer


Over all results:
Three absolute best maps:
1. Denbal- By Robotam
2. Link Beach - By Meiscool
3. Remolas Forest - By Linkforce

Three absolute best map makers:
1. Robotam
2. Saikar
3. Meiscool

Notes...
-------------
You all did a great job, I was looking for purpose and creativity in each map, and not only how well built it was. I hope that you will see that, aswell as I did in each of the maps that I chose.

[Linkforce]

Yay, I won forrest!  w00t!!!    Great job to everyone else, and thanks for the review Ghostclown.  

(I never even thought I'd win anything...o_o)

[Seth Mitchell]

But What did you really win....thatll keep you up alllll night.

[Meiscool-2]

Originally posted by Seth Mitchell
But What did you really win....thatll keep you up alllll night.

He won a penis trophy.

I WON INNERS NANANANA!

[Razor]

Forest
Riverglen Pass by blackskullwarlock - 7.5 (expect to see these .5s)
Remolas Forest by Linkforce - 8.5
Cabinore woods by Robotam - 9
Stenchcorpse Bog by MrMister - 6
Wanderer's Forest by Moosetroop11 - 7.5
Winter Forest by 69_so_fine - 7.5 (be better if the treetops weren't dark blue)
The X Forest by Red Fox - 7
Forest of Dreams by CoolZidane - 6
Cave of Demons by Tomi - 7.5

Mountain
Karlian Pass by Leon - 8
Senidar Peak by Ace of Spades - 7.5
Mountain /w Fruit Stand byt 69_so_fine - 7
Synchromania by Red Fox - 7.5
Sasie's Pass by Seth Mitchell - 6
Mount Greenglave by SaiKar - 8
Mount Telras by Linkforce - 7
Mount Calima by WingZero - 5 (sorry, but it was sort of really... plain. on the brightside, it didn't look like a pond)
Mount Kanza by Meiscool - 9
Elthe Deli by Robotam - 8

Castle
Castle by neb87 - 6
King Boonder's Castle by Linkizcool - 7 (be higher if you shaded all applicable areas instead of that one bit at the top, y'know)
Some Castle by Meiscool - 6
Radiance Manor by SaiKar - 7.5
Narijal Castle by Red Fox- 7.5
Oblugochi Desert by Ace of Spades - 8

World Maps
River Side Lands by WingZero - 5
Forest going into Desert by neb87 - 6.5
Nilze Isle by Red Fox - 7.5
Western Coastal Lands by drenrin2120 - 7.5

Dungeons
River of Deception by coasterkrazy - 8
Snow Cave Dungeon by neb87 - 8
Kanza Dungeon by Meiscool - 9
Zhalyzar Temple by Red Fox - 7.5
The Ruby Volcano by Robotam - 9
Some cave by Ian-TheResourceMaker - Too big! NO WIN FOR YOU!
Darkwater Caves by DarkFlood26 - 7
Hermit's Hideout by Ace of Spades - 6.5

Towns
Unamed by coasterkrazy - 7
Denbal by Robotam - 7.5
Kanza Encampment by Meiscool - 8
Smuggler's Safehold by SaiKar - 8
Lathi Village by Red Fox - I didn't see this one, lol
Village in the Snow by neb87 - 7

Beach
Beach /w Market by neb87 - 7
Chakalakan'zaxalorizalioncvaz Beach by Red Fox - 7.5
Link Beach by Meiscool - 7
Balbino Beach by Robotam - 7

Flying Islands (@ hotmail . com?)
Floating Islands by neb87 - 5.5 (too dark, I say. and technically the moon should be much bright)
Advica by Meiscool - 8.5 (the screen isn't covered by darkness, the background is faded nicely, and the island is above the clouds, woot)
Baryudia by Robotam - 9
Zalanuaku Islands by SC3K - 6

Inners
Will's Item Shop by Tomi - 6
Cabinore Church by Robotam - 7.5
Kanza Cave by Meiscool - 8.5
Zax's Dragon Stable by Red Fox - 7
The Moonlight Cafe by Moosetroop11 - 7
Ma and Pa Store by neb87 - 8


 Forest Winner: Cabinore woods by Robotam
It was really... good. Having a few rays of light would have made it quite nice, too.
 Mountain Winner: Mount Kanza by Meiscool
It was better than the rest. Oh yeeaaaah.
 Castle Winner: Oblugochi Desert by Ace of Spades
I hadn't actually noticed you'd won until after. The other castles weren't too spectacular, pretty plain really. So you win for being out of the norm!
 World Map Winner: Western Coastal Lands by drenrin2120
It just looked nicer than the other one with the higher score. But I reckon the mountain range could've used more mountains.
 Dungeon Winner: The Ruby Volcano by Robotam
Freakin' Meiscool's and this map owned the rest. This only won over MIC's cause it's more eyettractive. Meiscool's is very well designed, though.
 Town Winner: Kanza Encampment by Meiscool
Sai'Kar's was great, but Meiscool's was just... y'know, better.
 Beach Winner: Chakalakan'zaxalorizalioncvaz Beach by Red Fox
The beach entries weren't fantastic. Red Fox wins because the other three were slightly more not fantastic.
 Flying Island Winner: Baryudia by Robotam
Meiscool did everything right everywhere, but then Robotam did them same, and then finished it off with a cone of Turkish Delight icecream. You guys know what I mean, right?
 Inner Winner (lol): Kanza Cave by Meiscool
Very spangley. Very spangley indeed. Mmmm.

Best maps:
 1. Cabinore woods by Robotam
Designerific. Next.
 2. Baryudia by Robotam
What you again?
3. Mount Kanza by Meiscool
Stop complaining, you knew it was great.

Best People:
1. Robotam.
Cause he rocks hard at map making.
1. Meiscool.
Cause he rocks equally hard at map making.
3. Linkforce
Cause I really enjoyed that forest map.

Best Judges:
1. Razor
For stealing Moose's score set up so you didn't have to do any of the work besides looking at things.
2. Moose
For making that template for me to steal.
3. Ghostclown
Because you got in before I did. I'm still the rightful heir to the mansion, and you know it!