Right, let the judging commence!

Hi Giys. Sorry for the late response. Summers been busier than planned. Once I’m back from my holiday next week I’ll try and have a look through the entries as an additional judge which was my intention but if I take too long it sounds as though we have a couple of great judges anyway which I’m pleased for. Also grateful for the amount of entries as well. I’ll certainly review all of the entries when I get a chance either way

I'm more or less done with judging, just need to compile my notes into readable text. I have to say that the quality of the entries this year was, overall, very high. Great work, everyone!

Can't wait to see the entries! Congrats to everyone who completed theirs.

I've viewed all the entries and am part-way through the process of working out scores and writing comments. Barring accidents, I will be done by this time next week, if not sooner.

Just a reminder that I'm going to do a YouTube video reviewing the entries, similar to what ZeroEmpires did for the Winter Wonderland contest in 2019. With only 5 entries I should be able to do a good thorough review of each. Congrats again to everyone who finished!

Post the yt link here when you do CADi_Master, I don't have DE but I want to see the entries!

Will do!

It seems that with the latest patch comes with props overlay position changes (AGAIN, they keep doing this) to some of the units.



As you can see right here, some of the props in my entry now are looking out of places, for examples rubbles or cracks could display on top of stumps.

Just wanted to point this out. This might have, or not have, affected different entries, but my entry got jarred in some parts.

[This message has been edited by duyhung2h (edited 08-31-2022 @ 07:18 PM).]

Yeah it's beyond me how this keeps happening. I've had to fix my entry before for each patch. I haven't checked but I'm sure this ruined stuff in my scenario.

Good news is it sounds like Basse and Julius at least viewed entries already so their scores shouldn't be affected.

My scores and comments were all completed a few days ago and have been emailed to Sebastien, so they are unaffected.

Just wanted to point this out. This might have, or not have, affected different entries, but my entry got jarred in some parts.

Doesn't seem like it'll be affected fortunately, and I've already finished your one. Should have the results posted in a day or so.

What did they do to the cracks and so on to make it change behaviour like that?

What did they do to the cracks and so on to make it change behaviour like that?

Off the top of my head I know they've changed / fixed the display order of various sprites recently, meaning some sprites that used to display behind others are now displaying in front of them. This can have a big impact on aesthetics especially for subtle effects like duyhung2h's bridge.

[This message has been edited by CADi_Master (edited 09-01-2022 @ 10:00 PM).]

Exciting news about the speed of the judges. I'm looking forward to seeing the entires and results.

Just following up, any updates on when the results will be posted?

Soon™

Good luck to all contestants.

Apologies for delay, I'm having issues since this latest update verifying and syncing files. If all fails today I'll just completely reinstall.

How are things coming along?

If there are technical difficulties preventing this from being wrapped up, we could potentially go with just two judges for results?

In any case I plan to publish my file later this week, after I fix an unfortunate area near the beginning with some now oddly placed ice patches due to the latest update.

Right! I'm sorted. Turned out it was my HDD failing and couldn't write to it, hence the update issues. Then it started beeping and eventually died completely.

Took a bit of time for me to be able to organize that, but we're good now. Expect results today or tomorrow.

Good to hear you got it sorted out! Can't wait to see the entries.

Is it tomorrow yet?

[This message has been edited by Lord Basse (edited 10-13-2022 @ 04:42 PM).]

weekly bump

At this point, maybe we should just post the scores from the judges who are done and end the wait?

Agreed. I can't imagine the difference is worth a now almost three month wait. It's been some time since any contestant other than myself even checked in.

You could send your results to Julius or vice versa and have this wrapped up this weekend.

That seems reasonable to me. Basse, do you want to email me? We can total up the scores and discuss what to do if there happens to be a tie.

Will do!

At long last, we have the results!

1^st Matt LiVecchi:
Julius999: 27 + 17 + 13 + 15 + 6 + 9 = 87 (1st)
Lord Basse: 25 + 15 + 12 + 15 + 7 + 6 = 80 (2nd)
Total: 167/200

2^nd Hawkpvk:
Julius999: 25 + 15 + 9 + 13 + 6 + 9 = 77 (3rd)
Lord Basse: 24 + 16 + 13 + 14 + 8 + 8 = 83 (1st)
Total: 160/200

3^rd duyhung2h:
Julius999: 25 + 17 + 11 + 14 + 10 + 9 = 86 (2nd)
Lord Basse: 24 + 10 + 5 + 12 + 7 + 6 = 65 (4th)
Total: 150/200

4^th TheRealGuardian:
Julius999: 12 + 14 + 11 + 10 + 3 + 8 = 58 (4th)
Lord Basse: 20 + 13 + 12 + 10 + 5 + 6 = 66 (3rd)
Total: 124/200

5^th Seanbyrno23:
Julius999: 14 + 12 + 11 + 9 + 5 + 4 = 55 (5th)
Lord Basse: 23 + 8 + 13 + 10 + 5 + 4 = 63 (5th)
Total: 118/200

Congrats to Matt, and everyone who finished an entry! Judges' comments incoming.

Julius' comments:

Heroes of Roramork / matty12345

General remarks

This entry shows that Matt’s distinctive style transfers to Definitive Edition very nicely. It created the same kind of impression on me that his previous entries Smile No More and, especially, Spires of Heaven did. It is very much oriented around a series of grand constructions, most of which are described reverentially by the protagonist on his way through the city – he is some kind of commoner, who presumably lives outside the city but is familiar enough with it to be able to point out the sights to his son who is seeing them for the first time.

Scenery and Visual Interest: 27/30

In judging this entry as if it were a series of screenshots, it must score very highly and I don’t think anyone who has played it will require a lengthy justification. The design is of very good quality throughout, and there are various parts of the city of Roramork itself which are exceptional. I will address specifically some of the most ingenious points below under another heading though they are also relevant here. In addition there are plentiful examples of interesting and impressive combinations of buildings which don’t involve any special trick but which look great.

I will only single out one thing I didn’t think worked especially well, which is the entrance to Roramork – in part it looks like an entrance to a large cave, with a dark shadowy opening, and in part it looks like it’s supposed to be a stone archway that one can look straight through into the (above ground) city.

Overall though there is very little that can be criticised and the small gap between the score awarded and full marks represents remaining potential rather than deductions for any identifiable flaws.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 17/20

Evaluating this category is difficult, because the entry has both conspicuous strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, it’s a great depiction of a grand, monumental, fantastical city and the background music has been well chosen. On the other hand, this is ostensibly still a city of great significance and the seat of a king and, while it’s not completely deserted, Roramork comes across more like a neatly curated museum of architecture than a city. I gather that this is due to a lack of time to breathe more life into it, rather than a creative choice (but to the extent it was a choice, I don’t think it paid off). Then again, I really liked the mumbling voiced lines of dialogue from the father which invite the player to get drawn into the sense of awe, as well as dropping a few intriguing hints that Roramork is the capital of a country in some peril. I think there is a fairly wide range of reasonable opinions about the extent to which this entry succeeded in creating the intended atmosphere and sense of place, but I feel confident giving it a score in the mid-to-high range while still a little way off the dizzy heights.

Coherence and Layout: 13/15

Viewed as a whole, the map is pleasingly and comprehensibly laid out and the different areas relate to each other well. The player begins in essentially undeveloped countryside before passing a refugee camp and agricultural area into the mercantile and maritime part of the city and finally into the area dominated by the grandest buildings. This progression is managed without the overall layout seeming weird or contrived.

I will say that although Roramork does have some mercantile areas and some places for people to live, the city is heavily slanted towards monumental construction to a degree that, in my opinion, somewhat undermines it as a coherent city with an urban population and lends it instead something of a theme-park feel. In my view the entry as a whole would have more impact if there were more to Roramork as a functioning city.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 15/15

Surprise, surprise, Matt’s entry does very well in this category. Not all of the impressive parts of the city that I have rewarded elsewhere for their visual appeal demonstrate conspicuous ingenuity or appear especially novel, but several do. In my opinion there are certainly enough notable highlights that this entry qualifies as bringing something to the new table or taking an established technique further so as to open up a score above 12 in this category. I have in mind in particular the following, which will only make sense to someone who has seen them for themselves: (1) using the edge of a pyramid to represent a stairway, (2) two kinds of smoking chimneys, (3) a narrow stone footbridge that requires carefully placed objects to look convincing, (4) a building largely comprising crosses and stupas, and (5) a pair of constructions involving graves, stelae and Nubian pyramids. The latter three of those especially required considerable imagination as well as then a lot of finesse to pull it off. I am also in part rewarding the high standard of technical skill apparent throughout the bulk of the design, even where the tricks and techniques are more familiar and established. All in all, I think full marks in this category are warranted.

Ambition: 6/10

This entry in a way demonstrates ambition with creating impressive structures, but that is primarily rewarded elsewhere and carries much less weight here, and then notably with the characterful voice-acting. However, the aspects in which time and effort were not heavily invested are also apparent. The entry is not particularly large, it’s almost entirely static and not interactive, and the creator hasn’t taken advantage of the presentational possibilities such as introductory slides. I think that a middling but slightly above average score is warranted.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 9/10

I did not notice any glitches or glaring flaws (even small ones) worthy of mention, and attention has clearly been lavished on the special visual effects. What prevents a perfect score is not so much apparent problems with what is there but rather the absence of final polish.


The Impending Storm of Andres / duyhung2h

General remarks

I found this entry fascinating and rather bewildering. Quite a bit of the time I was not sure what exactly I was looking at or what was going on. What you cannot doubt, playing this, is the creator’s dedication to creating something remarkable – this is no surprise, having previously judged the creator’s entry to a very different contest. I did not think everything came off very well, but a lot of it did and you have to applaud the overall effort. The introductory text and slides describe a mountain citadel somewhere by the Pyrenees with a foreboding but largely forgotten tomb from late antiquity beneath a ruined temple, and there is a brilliant pitch: “Explore the city’s nooks and crannies to uncover its secretive present, and its ruinous not-too-distant future.”

A small point: on the basis that the ending cutscene might strictly have been outside the contest’s rules, I decided to ignore it for the purpose of judging. It is only short and it would not have affected my scores anyway.

Scenery and Visual Interest: 25/30

On the whole, this is a strength of the entry, the bulk of which has distinctive and interesting scenery, and there is a good variety of different locales from the interior of a mansion, to a crowded city, to mountain pathways, to underground streams, to a country estate, to an attractive riverbank.

In my view, it is something of a weakness of this entry that the design is quite so busy and cramped as it is. As I’ve mentioned, I wasn’t always sure what exactly I was looking at, and some areas are visually confusing so that however ingenious certain effects are they do not add up to an appealing scene. There were also some little oddities that I think exist because the creator, as he says, is using this map as the base for an RPG – the treasure chests (which were a clever idea though they looked a bit strange to me) being scattered liberally across the map and the yellow glow around signposts are examples which might have utility in an RPG but could have been dispensed with here.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 17/20

This entry is very atmospheric and merits a high score in this category. My favourite areas of the map to experience were where wooden walkways traverse underground streams and where a mountain road winds along the edge of a rocky outcrop. However, I think this entry is still left a little way off the maximum in this category. That is particularly because although most of the individual elements of the underground area are appealing I think the whole is less than the sum of its parts and the overall impression is confusing and muddled.

Coherence and Layout: 11/15

Viewed as a whole, the map works fairly well for the most part, with its unusual feature being that a considerable part of it is given over to the underground. Although I take into account that there are some fantastical elements, the chosen setting is still basically rooted in the real world. With that in mind, some aspects are rather strange, such as an apparently established road leading directly through a gate into the underground temple of some kind of cult. The underground section generally is somewhat muddled as I have already mentioned, with the elements of a main road, mining operations, lava (?), stretches of ice, and dungeons all being tangled together.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 14/15

For the most part, the way this entry demonstrates a high level of ingenuity, novelty and technical skill in its map design is through the many, many detailed effects created by the intricate placement of objects together. The map is peppered with these, but among the most impressive to me I will particularly mention (1) a bridge over an underground river with ominous flaming torches, (2) a novel way of making staircases, and (3) the scenes taking place inside a mansion (these indoor scenes perhaps stretch the boundaries of the scope of the contest, but I think within acceptable limits) that include a fireplace and dining table. These effects are generally convincing enough, and they look okay even where I could not always understand what exactly they were meant to be. I did also find the blended white and blue terrain appealing, although I was not certain whether it represented water or sky or perhaps was intended differently in different places. Apart from these effects, the overall standard of the design is technically very good despite some small areas that struck me as looking a bit odd and clunky – in particular some of the underground areas.

Because the judging criteria state that this category is focused on map design rather than other elements, the creator’s undoubted ingenuity and skill in making it possible to watch ‘visions’ at various points on the map did not affect the score.

Ambition: 10/10

The creator has strived to maximise virtually every aspect of this entry, with effort poured into every accessible corner of a fairly large map, music, voiced dialogue, introductory slides, optional cutscenes (which flirt with breaking the contest rules, but I think are okay because the player retains control of the unit) and all sorts. Not everything worked brilliantly, and I would particularly mention that the voiced delivery of the introductory slides is very flat, but judging this entry for its ambition I do not think anything less than 10/10 is justified.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 9/10

In my opinion there are enough nitpicks in terms of oddities with the design that I have already mentioned and things like there being hero units scattered around that have not been renamed to make it appropriate to give a slightly less than perfect score, but otherwise this is a highly detailed and polished entry.


Floods (Unfinished) / Seanbyrno23

General remarks

This entry depicts a large city and its surroundings, which is under attack. Despite the caveat that it is unfinished the vast majority of the fairly sizeable map is filled and there is plenty to see. However, of all the entries this is the most static and it can be summed up as a backdrop. Overall, I think it is fairly well designed but I find I do not have a great deal of comments to offer other than that it is unsurprisingly held back by being a work in progress.

Scenery and Visual Interest: 14/30

A particular highlight is the very opening itself, which shows a nicely blended road through some woods approaching a bridge over a stream into an encampment of the besiegers. That area shows the creator is certainly capable. The rest of the map does not really live up to that start (no doubt in large part because this is a work in progress), though I do think the marshy area to the south of the refugees’ part of the city also deserves particular praise. Overall, the map’s scenery is of a consistently fairly good standard and exhibits a reasonable range of different places but without a great deal that stands out. There is also some questionable use of the black terrain blended in, which to me looks like unnatural spills of oil or black tar and does not contribute to a good effect.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 12/20

The substantial city and its environs are overall believable as places without being highly distinctive or memorable in my opinion. The entry is also held back from a better than middling score by the absence of any animation when playing and of any fleshing out through text of what this place is.

Coherence and Layout: 11/15

The map makes sense overall, at least if we ignore a part which is clearly ‘behind the scenes’ and not meant to form part of the depicting of this region. The map is dominated by a large city and the design of the city itself seems rather cramped and overly dominated by walls of a mixture of styles that don’t always seem perfectly logical.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 9/15

The map is overall of a fairly good standard, although there are some places where the design seemed a bit rough, in particular with some bridges where different kind of bridge pieces had been used together in a rather haphazard way. I would suggest reworking those. Among the positives, I did notice a nice little campfire effect in the military encampment near the starting point.

Ambition: 5/10

This entry is perhaps the biggest in terms of raw size of the area available to explore and I give it credit for that, sufficient to give a score in the middle of the range on this category. No doubt the size helps explain why the entry is not fleshed out and finished.

Attention to Detail and Polish 4/10

I think in this category the entry suffers somewhat from its unfinished status. One small oddity is some kind of religious site where there is a pool, but some obscure kind of terrain has been used that has gridlines and the word ‘placeholder’ on it. It is also possible to get by boat to some areas which should not be accessible and probably only are present at all because this entry is an unfinished map, as it makes clear.


Between Worlds / Hawkpvk

General remarks

This is an unusual entry. I’m not sure I’ve entirely grasped what the creator meant by the introductory text, but I think this entry is most favourably understood as one that depicts an otherworldly place rather than being anchored depicting somewhere that looks like it could plausibly exist in the world we know. In judging it, I’ve therefore not subjected this entry to scrutiny on the grounds of realism but I have on the other hand been more demanding in expecting that the opportunities opened up for something fantastical and surreal will be taken advantage of.

Scenery and Visual Interest: 25/30

This design uses bold, confident strokes to create unusual and visually very striking scenes. In every segment the creator seems to have wanted to focus on and maximise a handful of key elements and I think the creative choices were good ones. Excellent use is made of contrasts between vivid greens and autumnal hues, between bright colours and dark-grey stone, and between torrential waterfalls and regimented streets. This all contributed towards a distinctive and appealing aesthetic that was consistently maintained throughout the map. More specifically, notable highlights were a torchlit bridge and surreal cascades of water among pillars of tree-topped rock, as well as some nice small details which I will mention again later. This all merits a score towards the upper end of the range. An even higher score though would in my opinion have required greater variety, scenery that was more expansive and fleshed out (this felt to me like the smallest and most compact entry), or more truly remarkable moments.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 15/20

This entry does have a striking and unusual atmosphere and this means a fairly high score in this category is merited. However, in my opinion it falls short in terms of having a sense of place. My overwhelming impression of this entry is that it represents a non-place. I bear in mind that the scoring criteria mean that a choice to depict something ethereal rather than real should not be penalised in itself, but I do not feel that the entry was fully successful even on its own terms. There are significant questions where answers are not even hinted at, such as whether the apparent inhabitants are real people leading real lives.

Coherence and Layout: 9/15

I found it difficult to judge this entry in this category. As I understand it, the concept of the entry is that it is not trying to be a believable place situated within either the real world or any other wider world. Rather, it is explicitly described as being ‘between worlds’ and the creator has set out a linear path which proceeds from one area to another, each of which floats in the middle of nothingness. This is all right as far as it goes, but in the end I felt that the drawbacks of this place being totally unmoored from reality and lacking any wider context were not sufficiently outweighed by any alternative structure. You progress into and back out of a town, quite abruptly both times, and that is it. I did not get the sense of any kind of mental or spiritual journey to lend it any significance. Ultimately, it all felt somewhat arbitrary.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 13/15

The overall ambience of this entry did strike me as quite novel, and this came from map design which consistently demonstrated a high degree of skill. I could maybe the criticise the style for its reliance on spamming some areas full of flowers and plants, but on the whole I thought that despite the potential drawbacks of that approach it was pulled off well and avoided coming across as excessive and lazy. I’ve already mentioned the torchlit bridge which is an intricate creation. I will single out for special mention that the stairway made out of overlapping bridge pieces is the best iteration of that particular trick that I have seen; the stairs look more solid and walkable and they blend into their surroundings virtually seamlessly. I also noticed some nice novel effects used for small subtle details, including smoke used to represent spray from waterfalls, a kind of rope bridge, tables with bowls of water, lights above some boats, and lights on tree branches. All in all, I thought the general standard combined with some highlights merited a high score, but it falls short of being truly spectacular and in my opinion doesn’t quite match the best entries in this year’s competition.

Ambition: 6/10

The creator has gone for an unusual concept of a fantastical, almost spiritual place, which is challenging to pull off well. On the other hand, it can also fairly be pointed out that this means the creator has been able to focus on a single linear path without needing to flesh out much of the map. There is also a nice image on the opening screen and a (rudimentary) introductory slideshow, which are worth some credit.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 9/10

This entry demonstrates a high degree of detailing and polish, with very little indeed to criticise under this heading. One niggle which in my opinion is not sufficiently explained by the otherworldly setting is where waterfalls plunge from underneath a building into a large pool. I haven’t penalised this entry for its frequent use of inexplicable waterfalls but here I don’t think the design quite works on its own terms, especially when one looks at the corner in the foreground.


Latan / TheRealGuardian

General remarks

I was immediately intrigued by the concept of the city that has fallen from prominence because of a catastrophic drought, which has apparently survived and is now calling for aid against a new threat. The player is an imperial ambassador tasked with visiting the overlooked city to consider whether it is worth trying to save. Although I did enjoy this entry, my overall feeling was that it only really scratched the surface of this great premise.

Scenery and Visual Interest: 12/30

The quality of design is consistently fairly good, allowing for the creative choice to depict a desiccated region which imposes some limitations, but I did not feel there was really anything to elevate it above a score in the lower-to-mid range. Even taking into account that the very concept means many kinds of scenery would be out of place, I think there could have been more variety between different areas of the city or even among the outlying areas. A lot of the terrain is very samey dirt, but the Definitive Edition editor would allow considerably more variation even adhering to the concept of a highly arid landscape. I did appreciate though a subtle use of certain rubble to add a little variety among the rocks and mountain formations.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 14/20

I think the strongest aspect of this entry, so far as this category is concerned, is the life and movement among the people of Latan, who walk around and chip away at rocks and so on. The nice depiction of the dried-up waterway with stranded docks and boats also deserves a mention. Overall, the creator has mostly succeeded with depicting a place that has managed to survive and even thrive to some extent despite great hardship from a horrendous drought.

However, there are a few reasons why I do not think the entry merits a score in the high range. First, on the whole I found the city felt largely homogenous and this held back the entry from excelling; there are even three different princes in Latan but little if anything to distinguish between the domains of each of them (though I did think the tamed reptiles by one prince were a nice touch). Second, there was relatively little to hint at the city’s former status before the drought came; yes, there are the stranded docks and boats, but a lot of the city comprises tents while ruins etc are largely absent. Third, I retained a nagging feeling that although the city was presented as notable for surviving a profound drought there was seemingly nothing to explain how that was at all possible; there is virtually no water on the map whatsoever, no aqueduct, no precious oases jealously guarded by the princes, and no obvious food sources of any substance either.

Coherence and Layout: 11/15

The structure of the map is good and cannot be criticised: the bulk of it is given over to a city nestled in rocky passages with multiple entrances facing towards a dried up waterway and a single militarised entrance facing towards a threatening adversary. I’ve already mentioned, however, the problems with the overall credibility of the premise of this substantial city managing decently well despite having no visible means of support.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 10/15

My overall view is that the design is solid and competent, but really I could not say it demonstrated conspicuous novelty or ingenuity beyond the choice to depict such a drought-ridden city. I do give this entry a little bit of credit for that though.

Ambition: 3/10

Frankly, I do not think this entry set out to be very ambitious, and particularly when it is compared with some of the other entries it is clear that a below average score is appropriate. It cannot really be said that it attempted to do something that is challenging to pull off in AoK or that it pushed the boundaries. Although a lot of options are taken off the table by choosing to depict a very arid environment, the Definitive Edition editor still offers a wealth of options with different dirt and sand terrains, dead foliage, ruins and other miscellaneous objects and I felt that only limited use had been made of this. (It might fairly be pointed out though that the creator did go to the effort of making and submitting an entry and only four other people did, so this is not meant as a personal criticism.)

Attention to Detail and Polish 8/10

There is not much to criticise in this respect, and I think a very good but not top score is appropriate. I give some credit to the creator for giving lines of text dialogue to quite a number of the citizens of Latan, though far from all of them; the effort invested into this certainly added to my enjoyment.


Lord Basse's comments:

Latan: 66/100

Scenery and Visual Interest: 20/30

I really like the natural flow of the terrain and mountains, and the winding streets of the town itself. Many of the locations look good and the mixing of buildings works well, especially given how many different building sets are at play. What I didn't like as much was that the mountain objects were mostly left undressed at the edges, and since they don't blend with the underlying terrain very well (especially on cliffs) it looked unpolished. I also felt that there was an overreliance on a few terrains, mainly Dirt 1 and Road Broken. I get that the goal is to create a sandy desert town, but it would have added a lot of visual depth to have some areas more dominated by pure sand, others (where there are already trees) with a bit more green dirt (2 or 3). The dried-out lake especially could have benefitted from having a unique base terrain, to separate it from the parts that have always been land.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 13/20

The author takes the theme of a desert town and runs with it, and it definitely feels like a distinct place and not just another B&D camp. As mentioned before, using a few more terrains and spending a bit more time on the details of the design would have elevated the scenario further, as would the use of music and sound effects to hammer home the desert theme.

Coherence and Layout: 12/15

In general I really like the organic structure of the map. My main issue is the often blocky use of elevation, which could be improved. It may also have improved the layout to have the roads to the important places (the palace, temple etc.) looking more well-kept, rather than having them in the same downtrodden fashion as the more pedestrian areas.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 10/15

Lots of nifty details here, like workers clearing rocks, an assassin getting killed etc. There was nothing jaw-dropping in terms of design tricks, but a lot of little things that added up to an immersive experience.

Ambition: 5/10

The map is relatively small and only about half of it is taken up by the town itself. The town looks well thought out, but with so much of it taken up by mountains and cliffs, I did feel like the map could have been bigger (or have had less of it dedicated to nature) to fully explore the idea behind the scenario. Adding a couple of more organized districts (military, palatial) to mix up the more organic streets could also have added to the look.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 6/10

Not bad. As mentioned before, there are a lot of little design tricks and civilian activity here, which is great to see. The main downside for me was the lack of terrain types, blocky elevation, and naked mountains, which all gave a somewhat rushed feeling to the design. A couple more hours of polishing would definitely have seen this score jump up a few points.


Floods (unfinished): 63/100

Scenery and Visual Interest : 23/30

There is a lot to like here. First off, the map is enormous and most every corner is highly detailed and thought through. The city itself has a lot of cool areas, although it does suffer from having too many ideas crammed into a small space. The grand staircase, borrowed from Lights of Kurishima, for instance, looks cool on its own but doesn't seem to fit very well into the city design. In the end I think this is the main downside of the map: too little breathing room in between areas, too much GAIA clutter that gives a very busy feel to the map, never letting the eye rest. That said, it's still a good map and the author shows a lot of skills in making lush swamps and forests. The swampy river to the southeast is probably my favourite area, really atmospheric.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 8/20

The flooded city theme is well utilized and the map is very immersive. However, the city itself feels more like a maze than a real location at times, mostly due to the lack of major streets leading to important buildings/other entry points. There seems to be a lot of ideas here, with the invading force to the west, a burning castle etc., but due to the lack of any story or dialogue there is no way to get into what these bits are about. The lack of any civilians in the city, which is not supposed to be a ghost town, also shatters the immersion.

Coherence and Layout: 13/15

Overall very good, it feels like you're walking through a real landscape. It loses some points for being too jam-packed with stuff, a bit more air in between the cool areas would have added a lot to the experience.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 10/15

Very good in general, there were many nice building combos, lots of small nifty tricks like using ruins for a fireplace, etc. I wasn’t too keen on using elevation with bridges, but other than that there were no major downsides. The relatively low score comes from other entries offering far more in terms of new, creative designs.

Ambition: 5/10

Would have been full marks if the scenario was finished. It is a huge map with a ton of work put into it, but some areas remain obviously unfinished. One glaring example is the main city, which is almost entirely devoid of life.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 4/10

The finished areas alone would have received a far higher score, but due to so much of the map being incomplete, I cannot justify giving a higher score here. There are also some bugs and other issues that bring down the score: villagers spazzing out when they are supposed to be working, building sets that don’t mesh very well, off grid objects making pathfinding very tough at times, etc.


Heroes of Roramork: 80/100

Scenery and Visual Interest: 25/30

Some incredible sights in this one, this is the only entry to truly “wow” me. The city itself has many magnificent displays, and, as with all of Matt's entries, the map is a showcase of creativity more than a liveable city. The unfinished opening area is the only thing to bring it down, but even there some areas here already look good.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 15/20

The music and the simple story really work well in tandem with the design, and it definitely feels like you’re visiting a semi-alien city of heroes or gods. Again the only downside is the bare opening scenes, which are of a far lower standard than the rest of the map, betraying the fact that it hasn’t been fully polished.

Coherence and Layout: 12/15

With a bit more polishing this would have gotten full marks. The layout flows naturally and the chosen building sets match really well. Again, the unfinished opening scenes bring the score down with their blocky elevation and too-straight roads.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 15/15

Anything but full marks would be a disservice to the scenario. There are a ton of tricks put to great use with amazing precision, like graves used for fountain edges, monuments constructed from stelae and statues, pyramids used as staircases, the rapids made from multiple waterfalls, etc. Even in DE, Matt continues to deliver.

Ambition: 7/10

Of the three unfinished entries, this feels far closer to being finished, thus the higher score. The scenario is also very ambitious in its use of new object combos to create completely new sights. The map is small but the hard work has been spent on making every minute detail right, which pays off handsomely.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 6/10

Again, the scenario would have gotten full marks here for the many incredible tricks on display, but due to its unfinished nature I cannot give it more than a six.


Between Worlds: 83/10

Scenery and Visual Interest: 24/30

A ton of wonderful scenes here. There is a lot going on here, with each scene being packed eye candy, birds flying etc. For the most part it works, but there are places where it becomes too busy, and the rock/tree areas sometimes blend into a standardized mass. But overall, it is a lovely map, clearly inspired by the films of Hayao Miyazaki (most evident in the score).

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 16/20

In a way it is similar in style to “Smile No More” from 2015: a string of islands that you gradually reveal as you travel, but the setting is very different, being a Japanese-style town in a rocky landscape. The music fits very well, but the story is a bit too shallow to really bring it home. Still, a very strong entry in this regard, probably the best of the bunch.

Coherence and Layout: 13/15

The map has a coherent look and sticks to its theme to a fault. There were some places where I wished there would be a non-rocky island to break things up, and the main island felt a bit too square and monotonous. But overall, again, a very strong entry.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 14/15

Lots of small map design tricks are used to great effect, making for a wonderful combined effect. Some tricks are clearly borrowed from earlier entries (namely the bridge stairs from Lights of Kurishima, and the use of Turtle Ships as gargoyles from Spires of Heaven and Juval Province), but are still impressive and fit very well into their environment. A couple are totally new to me, such as using Scorpion bolts (I think) to make hanging bridges, and using fire arrows as leaves on trees. Very impressive! The waterfall in the far east is also really lovely.

Ambition: 8/10

A really strong entry with a distinct look, although at times the different parts of the map feel a bit too similar - mostly the rock/tree combos which can become monotonous, since they frame every single part of the map.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 8/10

The author has spent a lot of time perfecting the various design tricks used in the scenario, and it shows. The only downside were some areas that felt monotonous, as mentioned above, or where the eye candy objects were used to such an extent that it became overbearing. For example, a few places had an exuberant amount of birds and various plants, and would likely have looked better with a slightly cleaner look. Still, these are mostly minor quibbles.


The Impending Storm of Andres: 65/100

Not sure this actually qualifies as a PTC entry. There are a ton of objectives and cut-scenes that can be unlocked (although technically you don't lose control of your unit in them, the forced camera pans are often used), but for now I’ll judge it as if it is accepted.

Scenery and Visual Interest: 24/30

There is a ton to see here, and a lot of work has been put into the details. There are areas that look gorgeous, such as the outside of the mansion in the opening, while others come across as too cluttered. Here, too, I wish there was more breathing room in between the various sights.

Atmosphere and Sense of Place: 10/20

On the plus side, this is the only scenario to have a spoken VO opening and slideshow. The music also works very well and the use of light effects also adds a ton to the atmosphere. It is, however, a bit hard to enjoy the atmosphere with so much going on, like objectives flaring and cut-scene warnings constantly popping up. I feel like this scenario should have been stripped down much further, so that it no longer feels like a playable RPG (which the PTC is not about), and more like a map to be purely explored.

Coherence and Layout: 5/15

Because this is designed for RPG gameplay, there are a lot of objective-specific sections, rather than a coherent landscape. That would not be an issue if this were a different contest, but for a contest specifically aimed at crafting towns and landscapes, it very much hampers the viewing experience: the underground parts and the indoor scene for the opening are perhaps the most clear-cut examples of this.

Ingenuity, Novelty and Technical Skill: 12/15

A ton of cool tricks and design ideas are on display here. Many work really well, such as using stumps around flowery areas; others are cool in theory but don’t really deliver in practice - the indoor scene in the opening is probably the best example. You definitely get what duyhung2h is trying to accomplish, but you still don't believe you're seeing a bed, for example. A+ for effort, however.

Ambition: 7/10

This is a huge map filled with intricate designs, and anything but a high mark would be unfair here.

Attention to Detail and Polish: 6/10

Mostly well done, although I would argue that there are too many details and too little breathing room for the eye here.

Final note: looking back on the scenario two months later (and after seeing Julius' comments on it), I do feel I was a bit too tough on this entry. Had I judged it today I would have given it higher points in several categories due to its grand scope, though not enough to change the order of the winners. The feeling that it is a modified RPG, not a PTC exploration scenario, still persists, but on a second viewing it feels like less of an issue. Changing the score at this stage would be unfair, however, so I will have to go with the ones I wrote originally.

Thanks for getting this wrapped up Basse! Very interesting reading the comments, but just quickly a few that caught my eye.

Roramork comes across more like a neatly curated museum of architecture than a city.

This is my largest complaint about my own entry as well. Some areas of the city were planned as urban and either removed completely by reducing the walled perimeter or encroaching further on the land with more sea, or else they were covered with a large building to minimize the design time required. An extra week probably could have got this closer to a balanced town, and filled it with some actual people. The market area is particularly empty in my opinion.

Of the three unfinished entries, this feels far closer to being finished, thus the higher score.

In retrospect I may have done myself a disservice with Basse by describing it as unfinished. It's really only unfinished in comparison to my grander vision for it, but it's probably more complete than many PTC entries which are submitted with no qualifying statement or disclaimer, so to speak.

It looks like the most polarizing entry is courtesy of duyhung2h. I suspected that might be the case. It's an entry which undoubtedly suffers from an issue I am all too familiar with. Namely, creative and unusual design is only a benefit when the illusions work for the viewer, and mileage can vary quite a bit between judges for such things.

[This message has been edited by Mr Wednesday (edited 10-25-2022 @ 08:57 AM).]

Congrats to Matt on bringing home the trophy, as well as everyone else for putting great effort into their submissions.

Thank-you to the judges for A) being willing to take the time to look at all submissions and B) providing detailed and meaningful feedback.

Looking forward to a video showcasing all the maps (hopefully that still happens), and especially looking forward to the next PTC.

Entries are approved and available to play.

Congratulations to all artists! The only thing I found weird is the scores and the reviews for duyhung2h. While Julius's review and points are quite positive (only one point lower than the winner Matt) the Lord Basse's review and points are somewhat harsh in some criterias. I found weird because the perspective of both of them are very different for duyhung2h (in my opinion). I mean that personal perspective can affect scores very greatly as this situation proves. Other than that it is a good contest with the most detailed PTC critera elements.

Not gonna lie, I knew my entry wouldn't have won in the first place, as I participated in many contests before! I know some people could come up as a hard judger, but honestly, in the context of the contest, it makes perfect sense. Either way, a confession that I would like to make is that I didn't participate in this contest to win, but it's more like my way of sharing my creative vision (even though the context could be mismatched, or that vision could have been better conveyed). Still, did try my best to make it as close to the rules as possible (even though some rules and boundaries are meant to be broken, as another contester said to me privately) :P


Still, are the actual entries being shown in the blacksmith will get a review based on these feedbacks? Although the criteria of blacksmith reviews shouldn't match this contest's, I assume.


And one day I mayhaps may make a video covering this contest on my Youtube channel (which has some videos about scenario designing related content), but if it's possible I would hope to see reviews in the blacksmith files itself also, not in this contest's criteria, but judging with a bigger scope in general.

It looks like the most polarizing entry is courtesy of duyhung2h. I suspected that might be the case. It's an entry which undoubtedly suffers from an issue I am all too familiar with. Namely, creative and unusual design is only a benefit when the illusions work for the viewer, and mileage can vary quite a bit between judges for such things.

And I do take that personally, Mr.Wednesday. It is how I roll in the first place, I'm the kind of person who would like to do things different from everyone. Sometimes a bit TOO different (like how you said, polarized). But I think it could creates interesting dynamics, even though not as I think it intended. But with that being said, sometimes being too ambitious or as you wander your minds off to the cloud to find the next creative vision, that often makes your entry not meant the way it should be.

[This message has been edited by duyhung2h (edited 10-27-2022 @ 04:00 AM).]