Mapping Contest Battles

[Robotam]

My judging friends didn't have the time to judge maps for us so I've finally decided the take care of it all by myself. I will judge the map battles, and release the results at random times. But I will not release more than two battles a time.
And yes, I obviously have disqualified all off my own maps because I'm judging.
The results of the first two battles will be released tomorrow, and so will 'tournament schedule'.
So watch out for updates!

Here's the competitors:

              [Map name]   [Map Artists]

1.    Clearing                       -artoni
2.   Devils Liar       -neb87
3.    The Slums      -Bluhman
4.        Minstrel's Woods         -coasterkrazy
5.        666         -Meiscool
6.   Doom Cafe      -MrMister
7.    Senguel                   -DragonBlaze
8.             Harken Sea       -Lighting Half Dozen
9.        Shuttle Station 0       -neb87
10.    Worldmap   -Shadowless1
11.    Graveyard       -neb87
12.     Subway          -neb87
13.         Desert temple       -neb87
14.        Gaylnor Croms   -Leon_1990
15.        Forest Journey       -neb87
16.          Buried Castle           -coasterkrazy
17.             Tall tails                     -lonewolf
18.          Desert Town               -Bluhman
19.             ABS map                  -Meiscool
20.    Japanese            -Kijuki_Magazaki
21.       Giggleboo Castle          -Linkizcool
22.     Compane             -coasterkrazy
23.          Snowy forest     -Grandy
24.           Aria Forest              -DarkFlood2
25.     Harbor          -enso
26.            Aria Falls                  -DarkFlood2
27.      Snow              -Desimodontidae
28.         Another entry         -Shadowless1
29.           Gliken Field               -Linkforce
30.         Variun Forest         -Ace of Spades
31.             Trazunia            -Ace of Spades
32.          Trone Room          -Ace of Spades
33.             Sumeria             -Ace of Spades
34.         Fairn Destert         -Ace of Spades
35.          Soleil Beach           -coasterkrazy
36.        Swanky casino       -Moosetroop11
37.       Another entry 2        -Shadowless1
38.       Another entry 3        -Shadowless1
39.     Random               -DragonBlaze
40.       Ruins                  -Meiscool
41.      Castle of Dreams          -Red Fox
42.         Such a Nooob            -Red Fox
43.       Zakaarna Beach          -Red Fox
44.     Da haunted forest     -DragonBlaze
45.        Meh                -DragonBlaze
46.           Hometown               -Meiscool
47.    The Social               -Linkforce
48.   Hotel Room           -Shadowless1

I wish you all good luck!

[Robotam]

Here we go!
 
Battle 1
Dragonblaze with his "Senguel"


Ace of Spades with his "Trazunia Castle"


Battle 2
Coasterkrazy with his "Minstrel Woods"


Shadowless1 with his "Another entry"


Comments on the battles are very much welcome in this thread.
I will give out the results of these battles later today.

Here's the schedule of all the 11 first matches:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/Giga_Illusion/tournamentschedule.png  

[Robotam]

Battle 1
DragonBlaze's Senguel:
Indeed a very good cave map. A succesfull water effect, a cool picture that makes you think the sun is shining through the cave ceiling. If I were the author of this map I would have put more detailing into a few spots. I also think this is not suppose to be a 20x15 map, it would look better in full size seeing as we all notice it's bigger than 20x15. Other than that very good.


Ace of Spades's Trazunia Castle:
Another very nice map. I've always thought castles and one of the hardest types of maps there is to make. So this one makes me quite impressed. But, just like DB's map it may not be the best shot of the castle.
You also faded the screen very nice.

Battle 1 winner
The two maps were in a very equal level but in the end I decided Ace of Spades's map wins this battle.

 Battle 2
Coasterkrazy's Minstrel Woods:
First thing I notice with this map is that there's a lot of first layer mistakes. And that ladder looks more like stairs. The waterfall looks all right, what I like with this map is that you've somehow managed to make it look like a happy map somehow. A happy map with many colors and that makes me foget some about the first layer mistakes.


Shadowless1's Another Entry:
I like the whole concept of this map, it's a cool brigde idea.. and the chipset is nice too. But the map is way too simply made to be able to beat CK's map.


Battle 2 winner
The winner is Coasterkrazy with Minstrel Woods.

[Robotam]

Battle 3

Moosetroop's Swanky Casino

VS
Neb87's Subway

[Robotam]

Battle 4
Leon_1990's Gaylnor Croms


VS

Artoni's Clearing

[Robotam]

Battle 3
Moosetroop's Swanky Casino:
I think this Casino looks a bit too big, that's not always something bad but this time it is. In an inner map I can recommend that if you want it to look cool you must always take the screenshot in a place with more ceiling than this, because inner maps shouldn't look like huge fields and this one does. Like I said it makes it look very simple made; red floor, tables at random places, a little wall, just a little ceiling, poker tables at random places and other games also at random places.
One thing you did good, you made the people look like they belong in the casino and that is a +.
Next time make the casino a bit tighter, with more walls and ceilings and I'll guarantee you I'll give a lot more +es.

Neb87's Subway:
I like this map but I've got ceiling criticism for this map as well. In this case you've cut a very nice subway into nine different rooms. And I tknow that's not what you intended to do but that's really how it looks. Could also have more people in it. But other than that this map is pretty good.

Battle 3's winner is...
Neb87 with Subway.


Battle 4
Leon_1990's Gaylnor Croms:
Now this is a nice map. The people in it looks very alive and the dragon is really cool. But bridge looks very out of picture in my opinion, you should have made it with two layers instead of just one. And that stone house on the left side of side of the map doesn't look like it belongs up there. Other than this though.. very good!

Artoni's Clearing:
Now this is would be a nice place now wouldn't it? But for a map, a place in a game... No, no, no, no.
First of all that tent looks very out of picture, it's a whole other type of graphic. And mixing graphics in the same maps is like the worst mistake ever. The fireplace looks nice, would look better with people around it.
But the whole map is something you can put together in just a minute. Very simple.

Battle 4's winner is...
Leon with Gaylnor Croms

[Robotam]

Battle 5
DragonBlaze's Meh


VS

Linkizcool's Giggleboo Castle

[Robotam]

Battle 6
Meiscool's Ruins


VS

Bluhman's Desert Town

[Robotam]

Battle 5
DragonBlaze's Meh:
This is a nice map.  The holy cross in the upper middle looks a bit wierd because of the ceiling that goes up in a strange way, that you could have made right before submitting this map. Otherwise, I really like it. You've put in all the things that had to be there, maybe a painting of something holy wouldn't be so bad.
But even if it's a nice map I can't rate it too high, after all this map isn't the hardest map to make.

Linkizcool's Giggleboo Castle:
Tell me, which one is the gigolo castle?
I think this map is wierd, it's unique. The picture you added doesn't really look like clouds if that's what you intended. And is that a flying forest over the castle in the lower left corner? It kind of makes you wonder.
I dunno, this map is special but it's not something that amazes me to be honest. But you should have named it Giggleboo Kingdom or something instead, because I believe there's two castles in this map. But I don't rate names so don't worry too much about it.

The winner of Battle 5 is...
DragonBlaze with his Meh

Battle 6
Meiscool's Ruins:
All righto. First I'd like to say that I love the waterfalls in the background, it makes the place look like a kickin' water temple.
But there's a "but" to this map as well. I see in a lot of your maps that you add things that maybe could look better if they weren't there. I'll give you an example, the two things on each upper corner.. are those four things pillars or what are they? I think it would have looked better with something else up there, maybe another entrance or something, I dunno. Use your imagination.
When looking at this map there's a lot of things that you can't quite understand what they are or why you've put them in there. I'm not sure if your other ruins had the same kind of things but I do know that map amazed me a lot more than this one.

Bluhman's Desert Town:
I want to thank you, cuz you made me realize that those things you used in the upper left corner were stairs and not roof. And that's going to help me making maps with this chipsets.
The roofs on this map was better than mine were, but the houses are too big. I'd like to more smaller houses instead of just two huge ones. And that weapon shop is cool but who's taking care of it?
Maybe could have filled up the sand with something as well, but the houses were the most important thing. And that's why this map lost Battle 6.

Battle 6's winner is...
Meiscool with his Ruins

[Robotam]

Battle 7
Desimodontidae's Snow


VS

Grandy's Snowy Forest

[Robotam]

Battle 8
Shadowless1's Another Entry 2


VS

Darkflood2's Aria Falls

[Robotam]

Battle 9
Kijuki_Magazaki's Japanese:


VS

MrMister's Doom Cafe:

[Robotam]

Battle 7
Desimodontidae's Snow:
Indeed a nice map, a bit square at some places. Looks like a labyrinth, but that's not a bad thing. This might as well be a screenshot of a labyrinth. You what would be cool though? This is a map with no people in it, like a forgotten place no one goes to anymore. It would be nice with a fog effect. And then the thing with the footprints would be something scary. Like someone's been here. Silent Hill style, I like the map, but the lower left corner doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the map. And that looks bad.
Otherwise... good map.

Grandy's Snowy Forest:
First off, that waterfall is as flat as a waterfall can be. I'd like some effect to it, and instead of a thin flood I'd like a not too big river. Because that's not a small waterfall.
The forest is a bit squary and thin I'd describe it. But it works.
The area itself is all right I suppose, I'm not sure how you could make it too much better, it's a nice place. But that waterfall pretty much takes away the feelin' in this map, sadly.

The winner of Battle 7 is...
Desimodontidae with his Snow

[Robotam]

Battle 8
Shadowless1's Another Entry 2:
Im sorry, but this is yet another mmap made by you that is very simple. Sure, it's somewhat cool, but the thing that makes this map cool is the chipset. If that's suppose to be a temple it should be bigger, now it looks like just any strange stone building. This map has no cool feelin' to it, no soul. It's just a very simple attempt of a temple to me, and it isn't too impressive.

Darkflood2's Aria Falls:
OK, to begin with that splash effect you put in where the waterfall hits the water is pathetic. That's how it looks when a six year old bounces in a small pool of water. That bridge should be made of wood, and the huge mountain where the waterfall comes from is very square. It also looks like a strange place for a tombstone to be at. And yeah, like coasterkrazy you also managed to make the ladder looks like stairs.
Everything else is all right.

 The winner of Battle 8 is...
It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end..
The winner had to be Shadowless1's Another Entry 2.

[Robotam]

Battle 10
Shuttle Station 0, by Neb87


VS

Buried Castle, by Coasterkrazy