Yeah you should probably not count bets from anyone at SWS, or probably the Monsoon guys either, at least if you are giving out a prize. The betting thread is just for taunting and predictions and laughs, but if prizes are involved don't count my bet.

HEY!!? Why dragging us into it? Neither of us played DeCrosB's or my entry. We play it fair on bets at least.

I placed my bet before seeing any other entries. I think I literally cannot win the betting thread anyway, because I put Andan as my fourth pick and didn't bother with a fifth and there's at least one other betting card naming the same top three ordering. But I'm happy to renounce any prize I could theoretically win anyway.

[This message has been edited by Julius999 (edited 08-22-2017 @ 03:44 PM).]

Have there ever actually been prizes for the betting thread? I know that in the past some have been temptingly dangled, but I don't know of any that were ever actually delivered

So, I finished writing the reviews. As far as I know Sam is already done as well and I guess Cata won't need much more time either.
All in all, the scenarios were of very high quality. It was a lot of fun to play and evaluate them. Thank you all!

@Sam & Cata: Please check your mails.

[This message has been edited by Bassi (edited 08-23-2017 @ 01:45 PM).]

Wow my prediction we'll get results until sunday might actually be proven wrong. And in the opposite way than expected.

[This message has been edited by Great_Artiste (edited 08-23-2017 @ 02:08 PM).]

Good stuff Bassi. Ill finish writing my scores and comments before checking out the txt you wrote, though im curious to check it out

Received! At this rate we might have the fastest judging period in AoKH contest history, haha.

Have there ever actually been prizes for the betting thread? I know that in the past some have been temptingly dangled, but I don't know of any that were ever actually delivered

There have been prizes. And some have even been delivered. Seonid got it partcially, once there was a steam gift of 5€. Zetnus is about to get his for the last betting thread as well.

My scores and comments have been sent to hockeysam.

I suspect his scores were already complete, so we should be en route to a speedy finish.

I haven't received an email. Are you sure you sent it to both of us?

Yes, but I sent you another email individually just in case.

Oooh the suspense.

Now that the scores can't be affected by commentary...I want to thank everyone before the results are out. To back up, this was what I posted at SWS around the time everyone knew PTC would be the next contest:

Okay, let's be real. I don't design anymore, and likely will never release another scenario. Slightly less finished but basically the same as me is Julius. Mash and Basse are both still in the game a bit, but there stars are fading. Whaaat? Like Basse is going to top RoA. He is clearly in the downswing of his designing career. :P

Sam is starting to feel the time crunch too. And then there is Andanu and Von, mere shades that haunt our stormwind forest, sometimes recalling the faintest memory of a scenario, but being too ethereal to ever coalesce themselves into design reality.

Anyway, I propose one last PTC. this summer/fall maybe. And we all enter. Last charge of the stormwind legion as it were. Julius and I, both winners, but never against each other, something that clearly cheapens both our wins. Sam, the current brightest of us, but like Tommy in Rocky V he has never beaten the real champs. Basse, who went from Swedish Noob to Ingo Reincarnate while we slumbered, but has a penchant for finishing 2nd and 3rd and missing the gold. Mash, synonymous with DTS gameplay and winter scenery, but never a PTC contestant. And the ghosts of Stormwind past, Andan and Von, perhaps they reappear to lead the Stormwind charge once more, like St. George before a medieval battle?

A clean sweep of the podium. We can accept no less. The giant flexes its muscles one last time.

What say ye?

Having not seen the other entries, I have no idea what the results will be, but I'm pretty proud of the old guys whatever happens. Most of us didn't make it across the line (Mashek!), but three of us got there, and Julius and Basse did amazing work.

But really my thanks is just to everyone who entered. This was the most fun I've had with a competition so far, and the results haven't even been posted yet. Just as important (more?), thanks to everyone who was such a good sport about my cruel teasing. My entry was supposed to be my final design, a parting gift so to speak, and instead I had so much fun designing and interacting with the community I'm already designing another scenario. Probably will never get finished but still...

So yeah, good luck everyone.

At least the judges didn't need two extensions

Good luck everyone, may the best man win!

I actually sensed something one could call feelings in Matt's post above. Shocking!

If no one minds I would thank you all as well. This was my first contest and I, as well, had a really good time, even when trolled by Matt and others ^^

[This message has been edited by Great_Artiste (edited 08-24-2017 @ 02:12 AM).]

Your acting too old Mr wednesday. Get young. What a melancholy read. Might as well close the forum down after putting the results up now.

Results are in!


1^st Julius999:
HockeySam18: 20 + 10 + 15 + 5 = 50/50
Bassi: 20 + 10 + 15 + 5 = 50/50
Cataphract887: 20 + 10 + 14 + 5 = 49/50
Total: 149/150

1^st Lord Basse:
HockeySam18: 20 + 9 + 15 + 5 = 49/50
Bassi: 20 + 10 + 15 + 5 = 50/50
Cataphract887: 20 + 10 +15 + 5 = 50/50
Total: 149/150

3^rd Mr. Wednesday:
HockeySam18: 19 + 10 + 15 + 5 = 49/50
Bassi: 20 + 10 + 15 + 4 = 49/50
Cataphract887: 19 + 10 + 14 + 5 = 48/50
Total: 146/150

4^th Lildbehr
HockeySam18: 16 + 10 + 12 + 3 = 41/50
Bassi: 18 + 10 + 14 + 3 = 45/50
Cataphract887: 17 + 10 + 12 + 4 = 43/50
Total: 129/150

5^th DelCrosB
HockeySam18: 18 + 10 + 13 + 4 = 45/50
Bassi: 17 + 8 + 12 + 3 = 40/50
Cataphract887: 16 + 10 + 11 + 3 = 40/50
Total: 125/150

6^th Great_Artiste
HockeySam18: 14 + 7 + 13 + 3 = 37/50
Bassi: 15 + 7 + 11 + 3 = 36/50
Cataphract887: 14 + 6 + 12 + 2 = 34/50
Total: 107/150

7^th Zetnus
HockeySam18: 13 + 7 + 13 + 3 = 36/50
Bassi: 15 + 7 + 10 + 2 = 34/50
Cataphract887: 14 + 7 + 9 + 2 = 32/50
Total: 102/150

8^th MrMew
HockeySam18: 13 + 7 + 12 + 3 = 35/50
Bassi: 12 + 5 + 8 + 2 = 27/50
Cataphract887: 13 + 6 + 10 + 2 = 31/50
Total: 93/150


Congratulations to the winners and all contestants on a fine set of entries!

[This message has been edited by HockeySam18 (edited 08-28-2017 @ 09:47 PM).]

I had a feeling something like this was going to happen.

Congrats to Julius and Matt, either of you would have been worthy as sole winners. And thanks to the judges for a record fast judging process!

Congrats to all. Interesting to see a tie though, but nevertheless, good job!

Analysis:

Zetnus:

Aesthetic: The author presented us with an admirable effort at a barren, bleak countryside set in the middle of a ferocious blizzard. Atmospherically, the entry is bound to have a memorable impression, as the conjunction of UserPatch snow effects and chilling sound effects ensures that the player can nearly feel the cold themselves as they drive their cart through the storm into town. However, the map design, while successful on the front of creating a bleak and barren setting, could use a little improvement in the way it struck a balance between utility and aesthetic, leaning a bit too much towards the latter. Outlying establishments were interesting to look at, but the town itself left a little to be desired in the way the buildings were arranged. 13/20

Creativity: Taking on a wintry blizzard setting in AoK is a bold endeavor, and one that has seldom been tried due to its difficulty. While the scenario presented little out of the ordinary here, it was generally solid and was enhanced by the use of the UP1.5 weather effects and a fairly novel take on a PTC theme. The accommodation that the author made with regard to the ability to increase the speed of the scouting unit did not go unnoticed, either. 7/10

Layout: From a broader point of view, the map was laid out quite well and believably. Each portion of the map has a distinct character, from the walled town and marketplace to the west to an inn, a shipyard, a mine, a mountain range, and the player’s own dwelling. This made the entry quite navigable and gave the impression of being rather well planned out. 13/15

Attention to detail: While the author’s effort in this category was generally solid, there were a few issues that prevented a perfect score here. Change name effects were mistakenly applied to entire complexes instead of individual objects or object groups, and a handful of spelling errors made an appearance. The building combinations in the town and outlying settlements, while not a poor effort by any means, could have seen some improvement. 3/5


Great_Artiste:

Aesthetic: The author clearly knows his way around the AoE2HD scenario editor, and in many situations did solid work in synthesizing the vanilla and DLC objects to create a pleasing result. The highlight of the map for me was the arid western portion, though the others did not look half bad either. Background music coupled with the map design and other features created a reasonably decent atmosphere, although there is certainly improvement to be had. 14/20

Creativity: The concepts of a guided tour and writeups that appear in the objectives tab as the player travels from place to place were clearly inspired by previous PTC entries, although to the author’s credit the implementation of said concepts was in a rather different spirit than in the sources of inspiration. The author nevertheless demonstrated considerable spurts of creativity in parts of the map design, the swamp and western plains being among my favorite. 7/10

Layout: By far the greatest strength of the scenario, it is clear that the author took care to plan out his entry in order to effect a result that appears as a noble estate with all the nuts and bolts that it would contain. Each portion of the map has a distinct character, and, while not perfect, the layout is solid enough that the only major point of critique is the difficulty that the player’s unit has in navigating several portions of the map due to the proliferation of off-grid objects. 13/15

Attention to detail: While generally technically proficient, there were a couple of points that detracted from a perfect score here. Several spelling and grammar errors reared their heads, which was unfortunate given the text-heavy nature of the writeups in the objectives tab. The other main point of concern was the low LoS of the player’s scouting unit. While the author revealed some of the map for the player, the rest of it was cumbersome to scout out. 3/5


MrMew:

Aesthetic: This category was a mixed bag for this particular entry, as some portions of the map looked legitimately good while others were clearly rushed. The author made an admirable effort despite working within a short timeframe (as he noted himself). The highlights of the scenario were the destroyed town, which fit the bill quite well, and a handful of portions around the town which struck a solid balance between looking nice and being clearly battered. Overall, a bit more polish all around could go a long way in improving the aesthetic and atmosphere. 13/20

Creativity: I quite liked the concept of a town under siege, and the author’s creativity manifested itself most heavily through the map design, which featured little in the way of profound design tricks but was solid and fairly innovative. 7/10

Layout: Certainly a strength of the map, the author did solid work in compartmentalizing the map into different portions that nevertheless all fit in and did not seem out of place. The player is able to journey from the countryside to a burned town, a siege camp, and finally the city under siege, all of which look the part and mesh well together. 12/15

Attention to detail: The entry demonstrated both strengths and weaknesses in this category. Obvious strengths lay in some parts of the map design, particularly in building placement and in the burned city. However, the way some buildings overlapped created perspective issues, and a little additional care in unit placement to avoid blocky arrays would have helped things here. 3/5


Lildbehr:

Aesthetic: I went back and forth on this entry, as there were some parts that were quite nice and others...not so much. In general, the map lacked consistency and unity, as the player travels between radically different regions of variable quality. In general I found most of the path to the main town to be rather well laid out (though not perfect), but try as I might, I could not get myself to find the burning hellish setting of the main town appealing. The atmosphere was a major plus here, although I must say I found it rather morbid and bone-chilling. 16/20

Creativity: It is impossible to knock anything here, as the author has charged valiantly into relatively uncharted territory and combined objects and buildings from the HD DLCs in ways that have seldom, if ever, been seen before, and has done so rather effectively. Even if the hellish atmosphere of the main town was not to my aesthetic taste, I could not help but respect the innovative nature of the entry as a whole. 10/10

Layout: The layout of the entry was quite straightforward, as the player follows a linear path through numerous landscapes en route to the final destination. However, the aforementioned inconsistency was an issue here, as vastly different landscapes followed each other with little transition or warning to speak of, and the chaotic nature of the entry meant that it left a little to be desired in the way of structure, but was by no means a poor showing. 12/15

Attention to detail: Much like many other parts of the entry, this was a mixed bag. Some aspects of it, especially in the earlier stages, showed precise and caring attention to detail, and the map is in many places quite solid. Others, however, betray fundamental mistakes in spheres such as terrain mixing and mountains and waterfalls blending with the surrounding objects and terrain. 3/5


DelCrosB:

Aesthetic: DelCrosB has come leaps and bounds since his last release, and presents us with a stunning depiction of a town nestled in a thick jungle. Buildings flow seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, and off-grid landscape is used to excellent effect. The atmosphere is accentuated by various happenings, comings, and goings throughout the town, and while not perfect, is a pleasure to view. 18/20

Creativity: The shining star of the scenario, the creativity blooms in the light of a proliferation of interesting off-grid placement tricks that contribute to an already beautiful map. It’s an awesome effort, and well worth a top score in this category. 10/10

Layout: The author has created a rather well planned town with several distinct districts, each with their own characteristic elements and features. Despite their differences these nevertheless blend together seamlessly, and although the map is a bit cramped and sometimes difficult to navigate, it is nevertheless top-notch work. 13/15

Attention to detail: In most regards this entry demonstrates spectacular attention to detail, although there were a few mistakes that I noticed, “floating” objects due to building stacking and a lack of water terrain mixing among them. The greatest downside came in the form of a bug that I found where three allied ships caused a logjam on the westmost waterway, forcing me to exit my vessel and shoot them, which took quite a while given that I owned a bowman. 4/5


Mr. Wednesday:

Aesthetic: Coming off a spectacular showing in 2015, Matt did not disappoint us with his entry to this contest, which was certainly a worthy successor to his previous winner. After exploring outlying farmland, the player sails through a narrow waterway into the heart of a fascinating and gorgeous city. In typical fashion, the author surrounds brilliant design tricks with gorgeous map design and a fitting soundtrack to enhance the atmosphere. 19/20

Creativity: The strongest point of the scenario, I daresay that this entry narrowly surpasses the other frontrunners in terms of pure creativity, which is fitting given the author’s modus operandi of building a scenario around a core set of stunning tricks and effects. Of these, there are too many to count, and several of which have never been seen before. Turtle ship prows used as gargoyles, a forest made almost entirely from ugly tree rotations that nevertheless manages to look quite pleasing to the eye, building/unit/object combinations that many designers would never dream of, and, of course, the waterfalls and various arrangements of graves. 10/10

Layout: Heavenspire is masterfully planned, from its outlying farmlands and forests to the contents of its walls, which include beautiful gardens, wondrous structures, residential and workers’ districts, fortified bastions, and even a large zoo where circuses perform. It’s a rare instance of a city where the macro details mesh seamlessly with the micro details. 15/15

Attention to detail: Needless to say, the city is a masterpiece in terms of detail. The author has brought his (often scarily) keen eye to the drawing board and used it to excellent effect. Even one with a mission to nitpick would be unlikely to spot anything off aside from a couple of spelling errors in the postgame text, which were not enough to detract from the score here. 5/5


Lord Basse:

Aesthetic: Lord Basse once again showcases his remarkable affinity for the Mesoamerican building set in a unique take on the theme: an underground, semi-legendary city. Vibrant, verdant landscapes surround the mysterious (and lovely) city of Agartha, a metropolis that was clearly meticulously planned every step of the way, from the initial concept to the design and the story and atmosphere surrounding it, which were highlights of the scenario for me. 20/20

Creativity: The aforementioned novel take on a PTC design was remarkable enough, but the author has returned to the PTC armed with the design features that the UserPatch provides, and the result is astonishing to behold. The combination of design tricks and solid map work create a result that is paradisiacal, and the story that is a cornerstone of the entry is a work of pure genius. The author has combined past elements of his wheelhouse with new innovations to excellent effect. 9/10

Layout: The entry is nothing short of masterful in this sphere, with a compartmentalized yet fluid and organic mesh between landscape and cityscape, with each part of the map not just looking distinct and fitting the part but also interacting well with the story that accompanies it. Particularly impressive is the pure scope of the map, which is rendered even more of an achievement considering that the quality of the design does not suffer at all from it. 15/15

Attention to detail: Agartha is spot-on in this category, and there is truly not a single issue to pick out. It is a manifestation of expertise, and what is perhaps most impressive in this category is that the extensive story within the scenario contains not a single spelling or grammatical error, a testament to the meticulous care put into the entry. 5/5


Julius999:

Aesthetic: Vibrant map design meets a commensurate atmosphere in this entry. The player sails past an island bastion into the harbor of a town that is as diverse as the numerous civilizations that the game allows you to play with. Travel from the harbor and dockyards of wood and thatch surrounded by gorgeous green marshlands and forests to fearsome citadels, secluded monasteries, tombs, and more. The guided tour only serves to enhance this experience, and is highly recommended. 20/20

Creativity: Innovative concepts meet creative map design, a staple that players have come to consistently expect from the author. The map abounds with design tricks and minor details that contribute to the scenery as a whole - they are beautiful and complementary, but do not look out of place. As always, the author supplies viewers with a simple but effective and engaging storyline that makes the playthrough all the more memorable. 10/10

Layout: Possibly the strongest suit of this entry, the layout and planning behind Juval Province is superb. What is truly remarkable is the extreme diversity on display and yet how it all seamlessly fits together. Various building sets and objects are blended with ease, and the author succeeds in not just encapsulating a single town, but also all of the vibrant and exotic features of a foreign territory. 15/15

Attention to detail: The technical skill involved in the map design of this entry is nothing short of stunning, and there is little more to say than that it is a masterpiece, perhaps even Julius’ finest work of map design to date. No detail is overlooked, and the result shows it. 5/5

Damn, 146/150 is only good enough for third. That's competitive.

Congratulations to Julius and Basse. Both entries are absolutely amazing. I felt like Julius would win, but a tie isn't surprising.

Great work everyone!

Damn, 146/150 is only good enough for third. That's competitive.

Yeah, it's pretty insane. The top 3 all have higher scores than the previous three PTC winners received.

It's also nice to see such high scores all around. Playing through all the entries is going to be very interesting!

[This message has been edited by Lord Basse (edited 08-24-2017 @ 09:47 AM).]

Congratulations to all designers who took part in this contest! It was a pleasure to judge the entries. I'm glad both Basse and Julius made 1st place, since their maps are both absolutely excellent.

Here is my analysis (I guess in a sometimes questionable English, but I tried my best):


Little Berry - Shandri Lu

Aesthetic: Berry's entry is very impressive. The designer used a lot of buildings and Gaia objects which came with the latest DLC "Rise of the Rajas" and made execellent use of those. The detailled map design is outstanding in nearly all aspects, same goes for the entertaining story line. (18)

Creativity: This is definitly not an generic PTC map. The story comes with an unexpected plot twist; the idea of creating a burning town which is torched by its own inhabitants is grandiose. (10)

Layout: The combination of several building sets was done very cleverly. The designer has succeeded in giving the city a sacred but also insane touch. The landscape, which the player can explore, is also beautiful and the transitions to the city are just as lovingly designed. However, it is a pity that there is much blank space which is not used. (14)

Attention to Detail: There are very beautiful design tricks to marvel at in this scenario. Especially impressive is the hangman's scene, which has really been implemented excellently. Unfortunately, however, objects have been renamed falsely, so a mill is now named "Keepers of the Fire", although the rename-effect certainly meant only for the villagers of the same player. Also the transition from cliffs to mountains did not always turn out well and sometimes seemed somewhat unrealistic. (3)

Score: 45


Greate Artiste - Wilburshire

Aesthetic: In Greate_Artiste's scenario you can explore an English county that has been mostly well designed. The Northern European design is convincing, but the world the author created is a little too sleepy. There is little movement in the game, which gives the scenario a very melancholic flair. This impression is also reinforced by the somewhat mournful soundtrack. In my opinion, a brighter atmosphere would have been more appropriate. (15)

Creativity: There are no awesome gimmicks in this scenario, but the author has been thinking about how to represent an English castle and village realistically. The implementation is creative and in harmony. (7)

Layout: Various building styles were used in this scenario to represent the village surrounding the castle. The result is nice to look at. The landscape also turns out well, but a little more terrain mixing would have been desirable. Also the design of the roads needs improvement. (11)

Attention to Detail: When exploring the swamps in the north, my companion blocked me, so I could not move. The back-up trigger construction failed, so I had to abort the game. Pity! Otherwise, there are some nice details that have been carefully implemented. The design and history of the village's inn were very good. All in all, I liked the fact that some buildings were given historical background information, and I also liked the way in which they were written. But a more detailed in-game village life would have been nice: a group of hunters, woodcutters in action, a traveling carriage etc. Overall, the scenery is too static. (3)

Score: 36


Mr Mew - Kratersee

Aesthetic: The city of Kratersee is besieged, but this does not prevent us from visiting said town. The author, Mr Mew, has tried to explain the strategically important location of the city in the text areas and has also implemented the map design accordingly. But according to the text-based introduction, I expected a darker atmosphere. The scenario does not meet this expectation, however, since it is very peaceful and therefore turns out to be more like a cozy Sunday outing, which was quite odd. (12)

Creativity: The description of the city and the idea of arranging a town around a crater lake, I would rate as creative. The author has used a few elements, which are only available in the HD version of AoC. The burned down outpost next to the actual city is, for example, quite well designed. The Aqueduct objects were also used satisfactorily. Overall, however, the scenario is not overly creative and therefore feels a bit empty. (5)

Layout: The map design is appealing, but phase-wise it lacks details. The design of the city could certainly have been more versatile if not only a building style had been used. In mountainous regions too few elevations were placed, which is unrealistic. The design of the roads was partly good, but there are also less beautiful sections, e.g. a place where the road runs directly against a mountain. (8)

Attention to Detail: Overall, there are not many details that stand out. The design highlight is, in my opinion, the waterfall near the castle, which was placed very remote for some inexplicable reason, which can lead to the player possibly not discover this beautiful piece. A bit annoying I found the trails of smoke, which were partly not carefully enough placed and not connected to the appropriate chimneys. In addition, I did not like the trading cart wandering without orientation on the shore of the lake. The same is true of the donkey, which was stuck at a cliff at the eastern edge of the city. (2)

Score: 27


Zetnus - The Blizzard

Aesthetic: In "The Blizzard" you and your trade cart have to reach the city of Westmarch - but a heavy snow storm troubles you. To illustrate the drifting snow, Zetnus has used the new effects offered by the latest version of the user patch. This means that in this scenario it is really snowing and that the player has only a restricted view. A great idea, which compensates the rather reduced map design. (15)

Creativity: The basic idea of the scenario is certainly obvious as soon as you have familiarized yourself with the new UP effects. However, since Zetnus is the first to publish a scenario with these new effects, this is to be rewarded accordingly. This is also due to the fact that his contribution to the PTC is also usable as a showcase scenario, which should be interesting for many designers who also want to create an extended winter atmosphere in their scenarios. (7)

Layout: The winter landscape has been implemented satisfactorily, but in the long run it is somewhat monotonous. Also the city is not particularly detailed. The gaming experience is fully dependent on the implementation of the new UP effects. (10)

Attention to Detail: The different locations you can go to are nicely designed, but lack details. I liked the possibility of being able to make my own unit get faster. Very annoying is the included soundfile, because the trigger mechanism is faulty. The author has forgotten to add a timer as a condition. Therefore, the storm sound is played every second, resulting in a gigantic sound overlap. (2)

Score: 34


Lord Basse - Agartha

Aesthetic: Lord Basse is known for his outstanding talent to tell exciting stories and to implement them with the possibilities offered by the map editor. It may come as no surprise that his this year's contribution to the PTC is a masterpiece again. The entire map is beautifully designed, there is not a single spot I would criticize. The background story is, as expected, extremely comprehensive, but so gripping that I was delighted to spend my time in Agartha. (20)

Creativity: The entire landscape has been created with great attention to detail. The same applies to the actual city that is to be explored. The storyline you can follow is also extremely creative and exciting. The idea that you can explore some parts of the map only by means of a ship, I also liked a lot. The player is free to just explore the map, but if you want to learn more, you can go to several stations that provide you with more information. The entire concept is excellently implemented and therefore deserves the highest rating in the field of creativity. (10+)

Layout: Basse has designed the whole map, there is not a single area that has not been used. The transitions of the individual landscape structures are perfect. The city itself is abandoned, but still lives. Difficult to explain, but if you play the scenario yourself, you'll understand what I mean. Whether city, jungle, mountains, lakes or grassland - everything is well-elaborated. In addition, there is always also some beautiful eye candy to marvel at. (15)

Attention to Detail: As already mentioned, everything is lovingly designed. The triggers also work perfectly. I especially liked the mechanism which marks important spots on the mini-map, in case the player lost his bearings. (5+)

Score: 50+


Mr Wednesday - The Spires of Heaven

Aesthetic: Another outstanding contribution to the PTC. Mr Wednesday takes us on a trip to Heavenspire, a mystical city of divine nature. The focus of this map is on the many design tricks that characterize the cityscape. It is partly stunning what Mr Wedneyday has achieved here. (20)

Creativity: Although the attached story is rather brief, it is very touching. The author knows how to put a poignant plot on paper. The pointed implementation, the creative interplay of all aspects this scenario offers, impressed me very much. (10)

Layout: The map design has a high recognition value and is partly unique. Many areas of the map have amazed me. The different quarters of the city are beautiful to look at. Particularly impressive is the harbor, which is framed by very cleverly designed walls. The botanical garden is also very well designed, as is the fantastic waterfall. The landscape that surrounds the city is also very detailed, coming with a lot of beautiful eye candies to admire. (15)

Attention to Detail: Both triggers and map design are extremely carefully worked out. The use of the turtle ships did not convince me, however. The use of the bridge parts in the south-west of the map I found also somewhat questionable, besides, the smithy and the mill in the west of the map fit into each other somewhat unclean. (4+)

Score: 49


Julius 999 - Juval Province

Aesthetic: Julius lets us slip into the role of Sir Evergreen, who was commissioned by the Senate to check if everything is in order in the province of Juval. Our journey leads through a beautifully designed coastal town that has been lovingly designed down to the smallest detail. (20)

Creativity: Julius explains the world he has designed in a very detailed way. On the one hand, you can read the background story before the start of the game. On the other hand, you can choose the "guided tour" in the scenario itself, which provides lots of additional information for the player (and even a plot twist). As expected, the high degree of creativity is also reflected in the design of the map. Any angle you can explore is perfectly worked out. (10+)

Layout: The map design is outstanding in every respect. The city lives and is inhabited by many active people. The combination of different building sets is perfect and seems to be completely "natural". I very much enjoyed the combination of nature- and city designs, which make the entire map construction extremely realistic. There are no abrupt landscape changes that seem unnatural and there are also lots of extras to see. I would like to emphasize especially the bridge designs, the stairs in the mountains and the castle of the occupying forces. In my opinion, Julius has delivered the best contribution to this year's PTC in a purely mapdesign-technical sense. (15+)

Attention to Detail: Julius's contribution has been drawn up with utmost care, as is clear from what has already been said. Trigger- and design-wise, there is nothing to complain. I would like to emphasize at this point how much effort the author put into the dialogues. This aspect of Julius' scenario clearly contrasts strongly with all other contributions.(5+)

Score: 50+


DelCrosB - Xochinayu

Aesthetic: This scenario leads us into a fantasy world in which we visit a gigantic city, which is located in the middle of a vast jungle, surrounded by waterfalls, mountains and rivers. The overall layout of the map turns out well, so it is fun to go exploring. Still it is slightly behind the top notch entries of this contest. (17)

Creativity: The author can be credited with a good degree of creativity. The background story is appealing and the concept of the map is largely well thought out. (8)

Layout: The map design I liked extraordinarily well, however there are some points to complain about. This mainly affects the watercourses, which are not always realistic. Some elevations are placed too careless and then there are some areas that are way too flat. Especially in combination with mountains this does not always make a convincing impression. What I really enjoyed are the terraces and the palace and temple constructions. (12)

Attention to Detail: As I said before, the city is designed in a detailed way, but overall somewhat bloated. Beautiful detail work repeats itself, so that the effect reverses to the opposite and the overall picture becomes somewhat monotonous. Sometimes less is more. (3)

Score: 40

The use of the turtle ships did not convince me, however.

Heathen!

One of the problems with my entry is it tries way too many radical things. Everyone will find at least one that doesn't work for them at all. For me the turtle ships was one of my favourite bits of design, I was fairly annoyed that Julius also used them. I assumed some of the grave stuff would work a lot less for many people.

Congrats to the judges though. Fastest judging ever.

Congrats to Basse and Julius as well as everyone else!

I'm pretty suprised I wasn't last though

Looking forward to playing all the entries

EDIT: Monsoon actually didn't do bad with all three entries following those of SWS ^^ Congrats team we did a good job!

[This message has been edited by Great_Artiste (edited 08-24-2017 @ 10:26 AM).]

I was trying to keep my comments to a single medium length paragraph but things got out of hand. Oh well. I thought giving out a 50 rating was an extreme and unprecedented move but it seemed warranted.

Also my comments are more along the lines of my blacksmith review style than fitting closely to the rating format. Hope its ok.



50/50 agartha

When Lord Basse asked the judges approval to include a 3000 word story, I was skeptical. How could such a massive story be delivered while being relevant to a contest based on Map Design? Surely there is a goodly amount of reading to be done, but it in no way drags the map down, but instead elevates it upward to stratospheric heights, giving a deeper meaning to the contents of the map, and helping frame the context of the map design. The quality of the writing itself obliterates any concerns about it being a detracting element, while offering a surprising amount of interaction. The player wanders through an underground city searching for torn pieces of a diary, combining clues to gain the full picture of how events came about. By the end you reach a melancholic, mysterious ending but perhaps one with an element of hope and optimism to it. The story certainly gives a good explanation for the cities construction, lending a justification and explanation of the map layout and its omision would take away far more than it would add in ease of playthrough.

Moving on to map design, this map is a lovely jungle with a perfect combination of dense foliage and open areas with an elegant simplicity. The overgrown areas in the city are perfect, starting with the sense of life and utility from the infrastructure with a layer of neglect and tragedy in the encroaching vines and plants. The walled off district near the cities south-eastern exit was fantastic. The city's layout is quite nice with a ring of roads around a mountain, with a number of tertiary locations that lent a real sense of scope to this underground kingdom. One could argue that the map lacked in population and activity, being an abandoned city;however, I find this added a excellent flavor of mystique as the player wandered the streets of a very plausible and authentic city construction. Points of detailing highlights were plentiful with great building combinations and excellent usage of gaia objects. One point that stood out to me was in the East Temple Ruins, with bridges for walls and a gaping hole at one point. The abandoned ruins in the islands were nicely done as well. The river near the start with its desert terrain is strikingly lovely. Suffice it to say that every critera I have ever used for judging map design was generously met, and a detailed recounting of everything that look good on this map would be better done by simply directing the reader towards the actual scenario in liue of recounting every single bit of the map.

This map brought me back fond memories of reading "Journey to the Center of the Earth", a book I have not read in many years. My imagination was on fire, and I was even nervous about the dinosaurs from the story appearing, so vividly was this image painted. I had an immensely enjoyable playthrough and can scarcely find anything to complain about at all in this map. Could I nitpick on some cliffs not merging perfectly, or make an impossible-to-address complaint about the mountain pillars not being entirely convincing? Sure, but I could make similar tiny little nitpicks on every map in the competition;if that minor stuff is grounds for reducing the Attention to Detail by a point, then I could easily just lower the rating in that category by one point for each of the other maps as well. A 50\50 doesn't mean its unsurpassable perfection, but its damn close in my eyes. A fantastic map that is deserving of a massive score.

20/20
10/10
15/15
5/5

49/50 juval province

Juval is a gorgeous map with a variety of terrain types;the cliffed waterfront with the island minaret was especially eye pleasing. I loved the desert area with the sand ships;this area was quite intriguing and filled me with a desire to explore further out, though sadly every map has its border. The plain sand looked great in contrast to the city clinging precariously to the containing mountain. Towards the end the green valley area delivered a tranquil, laid back terrain that really fit the area. The swamp was a nice usage of the grassy shallows terrain;the beach below that was perfect with just the right amount of detailing.

Specific locations were a strong point of the map;I could only list some of my favorites, but it is difficult to avoid reciting the entire map in that case. The monastery of the dragon monks caught my eye as an impressive combination of buildings. The border fort in the desert cliffs, the mausoleum, and the bridge constructed of TC sections were all standing out for me. The ruby mines with multiple mills carrying water from an archway was especially impressive. The ploughed fields using a barracks roof was believable, and yes, the field with haystacks looks good.

The storyline was a good one, though maybe having the main character speaking some lines wouldn't have been out of place. The ending of this tour was quite amusing, and it was well orchestrated to take the player throughout the main points of interest, breathing a substantial amount of life into the province even beyond what the map design already achieved. I might mention that it was slightly unfortunate there was no border for the edges of the valley region, as when the map ends you can see unfinished land, and the same for my beloved full map printouts. Lastly, I might add that this was an inspirational and invigorating playthrough, filling me with many ideas and a sense of wonder and amazement. Thank you for that.

20/20
10/10
14/15
5/5

48/50 spires of heaven

This map was very creative and brought a wide array of impressive tricks, to the point that I am quite sure I have fully appreciated everything there is to offer. A stunner off the bat is the walls lining the river made of gravestones, which have been used to great effect across the map in a variety of tricks. They reminded me of usage seen in a AoCHawk (Chinese) map, but taken much, much further. A fountain, the walls of a garden, some pillars, and in combination with the spikes object to create a iron fence were more amazing uses of the gravestones. The map had all the usual map design elements expected for a city and all of them implemented at a very high level of detail. There are points of interest all across the map, but one that grabbed my attention was a backstreets courtyard with a dock used as a house;its a stunningly beautifully location. On a similar note, near the start was a blacksmith, market and archery range used very cleverly to create a number of smaller buildings in a wooded mountain. Maybe the only two areas that seemed slightly lackluster were the hill behind the Spanish wonder, which looked spectacular with its dragon mountings, and also the shipyard marshy area on the left, where I don't fully understand the walled+bridge construction below it.The story element was a welcome touch providing a nice emotional impact., though it didnt resonate with me to the extant it did with "Smile no More". This is a map loaded with tricks and superb off grid placement usage, and I am sure I will return here many times to analyze this one more in the future.

19/20
10/10
14/15
5/5

43/50 shandri lu-fire temple

I greatly enjoyed Shandri Lu, moreso than even the rating would imply. The atmosphere of the map was great, and I was a little spooked by the insane behavior of the villagers burning down their own town. The sound effects were an excellent touch and the hanging scene was very well done. The switchup of music was very well done, with the second track kicking in at a perfect moment. The earlier music suited those areas quite well in its own right. The combination of architecture on the map combined with the oriental gaia objects used as structures brought a unique, refreshing visual aesthetic to the scenario. The map design fundamentals were good as well, though some areas could have been blended better like the snowy into fire area. The icy pit of water was a nice touch, as was the farmer at the start;the main waterfall im not so sold on. A problem was that the map was quite linear and small;I would have loved to see more expansive terrain and I found myself wanted more and more of this map after having finished it. Some of the grammar and spelling was a bit off(not including that THS which was an accent), combined with some gaia object placement that seemed weak is why the attention to detail score is not higher, though there were some great touches in the map too. Overall a lovely entry which I had a blast playing through.

17/20
10/10
12/15
4/5

41/50 xochinayu-jungle map

Xochinayu brings a dense jungle map to the table, with towering mountains and vast structures for a massive fortress city. I quite enjoyed the perspective from traveling via river, with large structures like the twin minarets towering above you. Some of these building and mountain combinations did feel a bit overdone and symmetrical however. The jungle detailing is quite good with a mix of tree types, rocks and little details with sparing use of flower patches. The shoreline with the jungle coming into the water was good, but I came to desire the sight of beach and desert terrain at some points to change things up, which wouldnt have been out of the question to implement with the aid of UPs new terrain placement functionality. Building formations were a good source of creativity here, though on one hand while they conveyed an impressive sense of magnitude and architecture they sometimes tended to become a bit repetitive or symmetrical. There were some good tries, like the balcony overview and the bridge, though I think my favorite area might be the dockland area in the marshy swamp. The layout of the map seemed a bit chaotic as I found it hard to navigate and also to imagine how this fortifications would be of any use in the first place, being dissected with rivers and all. Lots of good scenes with goodly amounts of dialogue help bring the map to life, quite a good and creative entry all in all.

16/20
9/10
11/15
3/5

34/50 wilburshire

Wilburshire was a pleasant map with nice terrain and good forests. There is room for improvement in the terrain mixing while there are a bit too many grass patches etc out in the open. The layout of the village was excellent, as houses in this type of village were placed in a authentic small village fashion, though perhaps each could have had some attention given to creating a small yard or vegetable plot. There were many white outlines visible through the map from resources and deer, and I wasnt a big fan of the gaia path placement. The keep was not particularly inspired although it is sufficient to carry the day here. Other building combinations like the Fat Ox were quite nice. There was a goodly amount of life in the village but perhaps some more movement would be in order.

This map is on the verge of being very good, but it really needs more work done to add a bit of punch. Overall the map design itself feels a bit simple and underbaked while the template is a good one. There is good potential here.


14/20
6/10
12/15
2/5

32/50 blizzard

I found this map to offer an immersive experience with its take on a wintry blizzard, though it does rely heavily on UP features to make this happen. Thats not a bad thing, but the map design was a bit bland with its depiction of basic terrain, although you could also argue it depicts a harsh, brutal wintry environment in its simplicity. The usage of various too green items like forage bushes and grass snow undermines this argument however;a more focused approach to would be difficult but the effort may pay off well. The rocky areas meant to portray mountains may have benefited from working in the dirt gaia mountains and the pile o' rock object. The layout of the map seemed a bit simple with little difficulty, real or imagined, in crossing the pass. The little structures scattered around the map had a nice character to them, but i found the main town to be a bit simple. A bit more activity, less symmetrical houses and maybe some pine trees mixed in there. I quite enjoyed the map regardless of its shortcomings.

14/20
7/10
9/15
2/5

31/50 kratersee

The map offered up a war torn region that was pulled off reasonably well, but lacking a bit of life in the enemy camps;some combat or at least patrolling units would have added a nice touch. The map design was nice looking with good forests though perhaps a tad too many grass patches. Most of the combined buildings were pulled off well, but some buildings did seem to float, such as the houses beneath the lake or the burnt out city, which has several odd looking buildings because of mistimed elevation changes. When viewing the objectives ingame you can see the standard win conditions, combined with the nonfunctioning music this lowers the attention to detail scoring a bit.

13/20
6/10
10/15
2/5

Hmm, reading the comments, I probably should have taken that extra week to include more life and movement, add a lot more dialogue with villagers, and perhaps a few more scripted events. I was of the opinion that my entry could use more of that, but I also though being the PTC it could at best be worth a point or two. I wasn't really expecting Julius and Basse to be as good as they were.

I'm not sure it would have made the difference though anyway, as you can't do better than 50, haha. At best I could have forced a three way tie.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm glad people found the story somewhat interesting, despite its spartan delivery. I am working on a scenario set 60 years later.

I'll consider using my PTC as a template for a showcase map in one of the campaigns I have in mind

Thanks for the comments. I had every single villager renamed in one version to inspire the idea small size of the town, but scrapped it later. It's just my laziness not "animating" the town.

I'm sorry Bassi, that the trigger failed to prevent stucking of the unit. I tried it several times to stuck my unit on purpose but managed to "save" it everytime with the trigger :/

Just curious with Cata's vegetable comment: The "corn" fields in the south weren't enough to feed the town?

Another question for the judges if I may: How many "text sites" have you visited? I'm asking this as I haven't included the total number you "have to" visit and am wondering if you might miss any text.

I'll try and improve the map now that contest is over and give Cata some extra work reviewing it again. Otherwise, who would fill the review holes in showcase section



Another thing not related though: HockeySam have you received the mail I sent you a week or so ago? Didn't want to push until now since you were judging and extra work from my side wouldn't be nice.

[This message has been edited by Great_Artiste (edited 08-24-2017 @ 11:39 AM).]

Having read all the comments now, I am a bit overwhelmed, haha. I'm really glad you all enjoyed the map and the story. I rewrote it altogether at one point and spent many long hours polishing it. I'm still not entirely satisfied with it, I could probably have added a few more entries and filled in a few more of the gaps in the story, but at some point it had to be good enough.

The story is a part of larger one which I have been trying to work into a novel for a couple of years now; the very first iteration was actually an entry I made to the Writing Competition here some years back. To hear that so many enjoyed it is really encouraging, as I have had a ton of doubts about whether the story is going to work at all. So thank you for all of your comments!

Quoted from Sam:

the extensive story within the scenario contains not a single spelling or grammatical error, a testament to the meticulous care put into the entry.

Well there are a couple that I've found, haha, but it's good to hear that they went unnoticed!

Quoted from Cata:

This map brought me back fond memories of reading "Journey to the Center of the Earth", a book I have not read in many years.

I think I've read that book at least twice, maybe even three times. It's my favourite out of Jules Verne's stories and definitiely an inspiration for this story.

Quoted from Matt:

I wasn't really expecting Julius and Basse to be as good as they were.

I find your lack of faith disturbing, Matt.

Honestly though, as I've said before, your and Julius' entries are probably your best work to date. We could have a PTC victory each if we had just spread our entries out over a couple of years, haha.

Quoted from Great_Artiste:

Monsoon actually didn't do bad with all three entries following those of SWS ^^ Congrats team we did a good job!

For a team that was formed just a few months ago, it is quite impressive! Although not all that surprising considering you have a bunch of guys that are well-established as good designers. Still, you're off to a good start!

[This message has been edited by Lord Basse (edited 08-24-2017 @ 11:46 AM).]

For a team that was formed just a few months ago, it is quite impressive! Although not all that surprising considering you have a bunch of guys that are well-established as good designers. Still, you're off to a good start!

Thank you! ^^

Just curious with Cata's vegetable comment: The "corn" fields in the south weren't enough to feed the town?

I wasnt thinking in terms of food, but maybe giving each hamlet its own character. Been awhile since i watched LOTR but the shire near the opening i think had a bunch of little fields enclosed with walls near the houses.

Another question for the judges if I may: How many "text sites" have you visited? I'm asking this as I haven't included the total number you "have to" visit and am wondering if you might miss any text.

I thought I found most of them, but its hard to tell without a list or some system to check them off as you go. Julius entry with his guided tour handled this well drawing the attention systematically to key points.

. I assumed some of the grave stuff would work a lot less for many people

They didnt look like graves off the bat for me! I also thought the dragon ships were good.

As the official critic of snow waterfalls, how does my newest waterfall invention fair?

Basse, what size is your map?

I went and took the liberty of approving all the files, so everyone can join the discussion.

[This message has been edited by Mr Wednesday (edited 08-24-2017 @ 12:23 PM).]

Surprisingly convincing I would say, still requires some imagination and effort from the viewer but its pretty good. The thing that actually caught my eye there was behind the nice looking archway the righthand roof gets repeated in symmetry. Probably nothing that could be done about that though without obscuring the arches in the first place.

Speaking of types and grammar errors, I made a surprising amount of them in what i thought was my spell checked comments The start to your entry should have said "to the point that I am not quite sure I have fully appreciated everything" but im sure you could figure this out yourself already.

I also didnt mention the little cave with monkeys used as vines, that was really nice as well.

Congrats to the winners, and to everyone else as well.

Looking forward to experiencing these works of art!

The arrangements of graves along the waterline reminded me of my visit to Venice a few years ago, as did the gargoyles for that matter.

One pitfall of having such an experienced design community is that everyone knows the editor so well that you can immediately pick out little things like the bit of the Mongol wonder by that castle or the fact that those waterfalls are shore fish, so there's a danger of not being able to disassociate oneself from seeing the object as just what it is in the vanilla game. Dave Earl was an extreme example of this, being notorious for his dislike of building combinations and his opinion that they just looked like two buildings stacked on each other, which I always thought was a rather obtuse and limiting way to look at things. Granted, back in 2006-07 the scenario design community was engaged in a crazed arms race and he probably got tired at seeing ten sub-par attempts at mapcopied buildings for every successful one.

I try to avoid that as much as possible and just to appreciate the tricks for being innovative and pulled off well, which they were (in my opinion, at least). Someone less familiar with the editor would probably have thought your entry (and some of the others, for that matter), had been heavily modded. The shore fish waterfall was so well done that only true connoisseurs of the editor would be able to deduce that it was made of shore fish simply because there is no other possible candidate. Of all the tricks in your entry, that is likely the one that will spawn the most mapcopied or derivative imitations in scenarios to come

Just found out my entry actually isn't part of the "New Files" tab -_-

I wasnt thinking in terms of food, but maybe giving each hamlet its own character. Been awhile since i watched LOTR but the shire near the opening i think had a bunch of little fields enclosed with walls near the houses.

Nice idea. Expect it in the updated version

I thought I found most of them, but its hard to tell without a list or some system to check them off as you go. Julius entry with his guided tour handled this well drawing the attention systematically to key points.

I honestly don't remember all
There are:
Old Mill
Fat Ox
Graveyard
Shrine
Unsure about landfall?
Wall Ruins

I think these are all.

[This message has been edited by Great_Artiste (edited 08-24-2017 @ 12:58 PM).]