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Previously on The West Wing - we were introduced to Morris, Bartlet's doctor, a man so obviously immediately doomed that he might as well have been wearing a red shirt. Safety tip, folks - if you are a character on a TV show, do not introduce yourself to your new boss by showing him pictures of your wife and newborn baby and then tell him you're flying out to a particularly dangerous part of the world.
In addition to some other storylines about Sam and the call girl and the introduction of Charlie (yay!) this episode is about Bartlet dealing with his first military operation, and working out what sort of Commander In Chief he's going to be. How he reacts to Morris' death will indicate (in theory) how he will approach foreign policy and military issues. His military advisors are suggesting he make 'a proportional response' to the attack that killed Morris. Since this episode was made in 1999, the story comes out broadly in favour of restraint in the interests of not being at war, but Bartlet, contrary to expectations based on his lack of military experience and liberal views, doesn't immediately come to that conclusion.
The propotional response, by the way, is code-named Pericles 1, after the famous Athenian general and political leader Pericles - presumably in the hope that Bartlet will decide he wants to emulate him. Since Pericles was something of an imperialist, this may indicate that his military advisors secretly want to conquer everywhere as well...
Bartlet himself angrily demands to know the value of a proportional response, goes right through eye-for-an-eye-style vengeance and comes out into let's-kill-them-all mania, from which he has to be talked down by Leo. (This is also the episode in which Bartlet's smoking habit is revealed. He always smokes when he's trying to be badass). As they argue over the issue, Bartlet declares that he's basing his attitude on the Romans, because in the Roman period, a Roman citizen could travel all over the world protected only by the words civis Romanus ('I am a Roman citizen'), because the Romans would come down so hard on anyone who hurt one of their citizens. It's worth quoting this in full:
Bartlet: Did you know that two thousand years ago a Roman citizen could walk across the face of the known world free of the fear of molestation? He could walk across the Earth unharmed, cloaked only in the protection of the words civis Romanus -- I am a Roman citizen. So great was the retribution of Rome, universally certain, should any harm befall even one of its citizens.
I have numerous problems with this particular argument. For one thing, whatever Bartlet says, this would only apply to the Roman Empire itself. No Pict or German or Parthian from outside the empire would hold off killing someone because they were a Roman citizen (it might even encourage them). So the analogy only works within the United States (which Morris wasn't) - unless Bartlet's suggesting they actually start conquering places.
For another thing, while I fully believe there is probably some ancient primary source somewhere that claims this was true, it's not remotely plausible in reality. The parable of the Good Samaritan - a fictional story, but parables work by reflecting real life as closely as possible to make them relateable - shows how dangerous some parts of the Roman Empire could be, and it doesn't seem remotely likely that, if the Jewish victim in that story had declared he was a Roman citizen, the bandits would have said 'Oh, sorry mate,' and refrained from beating him up and stealing all his stuff. Similarly being, presumably, a Roman citizen doesn't do the character Charite much good in Apuleius' novel Metamorphoses. There are stories of particularly successful bandits in historical sources as well (Cassius Dio 76.10, Herodian 1.10), like Maternus and Bulla Felix (a sort of Robin Hood-type character). The evidence for them isn't overly reliable, but they do seem to have existed, and I doubt very much telling them you were a Roman citizen would have done you any good.
It's certainly true that bandits like these were punished, and Roman punishments, as is well known, were particularly brutal. So perhaps, if you wanted to avoid being crucified, thrown to the lions, or executed in an exotic mythologically-inspired way in the arena, you would do better to avoid a life of crime. It's also true that your crime would be considered much worse, and your punishment would be more severe, if you had killed or injured a Roman citizen - how far the Romans would care if you hurt other people is hard to say, and if you killed a slave you would owe their master money. So to an extent, it's true to say that killing a Roman citizen was probably not a good idea and you might find yourself in hot water for doing so. The Romans certainly determinedly went after Bulla Felix and Maternus, though the fact they seem to have been running major operations verging on Spartacus-levels of rebellion might have had something to do with that. But to say that every single Roman citizen all over the Empire could wander around telling bandits they were Roman citizens and expecting to be left alone is clearly ridiculous.
Where being a Roman citizen could help you more, of course, was in a more formal situation. St Paul was famously able to appeal to the Emperor because he was a Roman citizen - it gave you certain legal rights and you were probably more likely to get a decent trial if you were a citizen. But that's all it would do.
I don't know exactly where Bartlet got this idea from, though I'm sure it's in some source somewhere. But that's exactly what it is - an idea, an ideal. There's absolutely no way such a stance could ever be a practical reality, especially in a world without telecommunications and fast transport. But in a way, it's the perfect example to use in a show like The West Wing, which is all about ideas and ideals. The West Wing's relationship to reality is tenuous at best, but it holds up an ideal of what many people would like to think politics could be, so it seems only logical that The West Wing's President calls on a Roman ideal with little relationship to reality to make his point.
More West Wing reviews


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WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Metro lines will operate on a normal schedule over the Memorial Day weekend, with trains operating on a Sunday schedule for the holiday Monday.
Metro says beginning Friday at 10 p.m. and continuing through Monday, trains will operate on normal schedules on the orange and yellow lines. On the green line, trains will run on a regular schedule except at the Greenbelt station, where on Saturday trains will arrive and depart every 24 minutes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Red line trains will operate every 20 minutes except between Shady Grove and NoMa-Gallaudet where they will run every 10 minutes between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
On the blue line, buses will replace trains between Franconia-Springfield and Van Dorn Street. The Franconia-Springfield station will be closed.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

subset: commoncrawl


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Meet the Man Who Will Star as Osama bin Laden
Meet Ricky Sekhon. He's a little known British actor, who lives quietly in London with his wife and child. Ricky just wrapped his first big Hollywood role: playing Osama bin Laden.
Sekhon will star as Bin Laden in 'Zero Dark Thirty' – a film about the Navy SEAL raid to hunt and kill the world's most notorious terrorist directed by Kathryn Bigelow ('The Hurt Locker'). Sekhon joins Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Mark Strong and Jason Clarke in the film that will hit theaters in 2013.
The actor signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) prior to filming and his name was kept off official shooting lists to protect the actor. When reached in London by a reporter for The Daily Mail, Sekhon confirmed he had a role in the film but wouldn't talk about playing Bin Laden or any other specifics.
Sekhon reportedly lost 28 pounds to play the frail Bin Laden in his final days, hiding out in caves and growing sickly. While production on 'Zero Dark Thirty' is still underway in the Middle East, Sekhon wrapped his role, which was filmed in secret in Jordan over the past three weeks.
It's not an enviable role to play the most hated man in modern history (just ask the many actors who've played Adolf Hitler) but here's hoping Sekhon can rise to the challenge (though for once we won't mind seeing a character killed).


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Rise shows compliance trend growing
The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) recently released revenue numbers for cannabis sales for the second quarter of 2018. Tax revenue from the cannabis industry totaled $74,240,257 from April 1, 2018, through June 30, 2018, which includes state cultivation, excise, and sales taxes. It does not include tax revenue collected by each jurisdiction.
California's excise tax on cannabis generated $43,490,668 in revenue during the second quarter of calendar year 2018. The cultivation tax generated $4,482,119, and the sales tax generated $26,267,470 in revenue. Medicinal cannabis is exempt from sales tax if the purchaser holds a valid medical marijuana identification card.
The revenue from the first quarter of 2018 was $60.9 million, which included $32 million in excise tax, $1.6 million in cultivation tax, and $27.3 million in sales tax.
To better serve taxpayers, CDTFA has opened a new satellite location to accommodate tax and fee payers in and around Humboldt County, created a cannabis external tax advisory group, introduced a new pilot project in which the Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program (SCOP) teams visit known cannabis retailers to educate and assist them in complying with their tax obligations, and implemented improved procedures and security measures for financial transactions.
In November 2016, California voters approved Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act. Beginning on January 1, 2018, two new cannabis taxes went into effect: a cultivation tax on all harvested cannabis that enters the commercial market and a 15 percent excise tax on the purchase of cannabis and cannabis products. In addition, cannabis and cannabis products are subject to state and local sales tax at the time of retail sale.
To learn more, visit the Tax Guide for Cannabis Businesses on the CDTFA website.


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Making Meals: Chermoula Marinated Mahi with Moroccan Ragout
Making Meals: Chermoula Marinated Mahi with Moroccan Ragout
Chermoula Marinated Mahi with Moroccan Ragout
(yield 4 servings)
- 4, 4 oz. portions of Mahi
o 3 large sprigs cilantro (coriander), finely chopped
o 1 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
o ½ T paprika
o 1 t cumin
o ¼ t salt, or more to taste
o ¼ t ginger (optional)
o 1/8 t cayenne pepper (optional)
o 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
o 1 T vegetable oil
o juice of 1 small lemon
(Combine in a blender and puree to create marinade
- 1 T. canola oil
- 1 whole red bell pepper, small diced
- 1 whole tomato, small diced
- 6 queen olives, sliced
- ¼ white onion, small diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small carrot, sliced on a bias
- 1 t. sugar
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 springs of cilantro, minced
- 1 t. salt
1. Once marinade is combine pour over fish and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Once fish is marinated, sear the fish on each side for 3 minutes. Finish by cooking to desired doneness in an oven at 350 degrees.
3. In separate skillet, heat oil.
4. Add carrots and onions as they will take longer to cook. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Add to pan, the peppers, tomatoes, carrots, sugar and lemon juice.
6. Allow to simmer.
7. Finish by adding cilantro, olives and salt
8. Remove fish from the oven and serve ragout over the top.


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CLF protects New England's environment for the benefit of all people. We use the law, science and the market to create solutions that preserve our natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy.
Copyright ©2016 Conservation Law Foundation
Online donations made using this form are private and secure.
To donate by check or offline by credit card, please click here for a printable form.
Conservation Law Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Contributions to CLF are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.


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Patriots trade for cornerback Aqib Talib
The Patriots acquired cornerback Aqib Talib from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the only deal made Thursday before the NFL's trade deadline passed at 4 p.m.
New England also received a seventh-round draft pick in 2013 in exchange for a 2013 fourth-round pick.
Talib is in his fifth NFL season. He is serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy. He claimed he was using the drug Adderall without a prescription.
Talib appeared in four games for the Buccaneers this season and had 21 tackles and one interception. He is eligible for free agency after the season.
Listed at 6 feet 1 inch, 205 pounds, Talib was the 20th overall pick in 2008 out of Kansas. In his 58-game career with Tampa Bay, he had 53 pass breakups and 18 interceptions, three of which were returned for a touchdown.
Having Talib may allow Devin McCourty to remain at safety, a switch the Patriots wanted to make at the start of the season but were hesitant about because of concerns at the corner position.
There is little doubt that Talib is talented. But he also has a long list of off-field issues in the NFL, which began not long after he was drafted; at the 2008 rookie symposium, he got into a fistfight with teammate Cory Boyd. He has since been arrested for resisting arrest without violence and simple battery after an alleged incident with a taxi driver.
That led to his first NFL suspension, for violating the league's conduct policy. He wasn't allowed to play in Tampa Bay's 2010 season opener and was docked an additional paycheck.
In March 2011, police in his native Texas issued a felony warrant for Talib — he was wanted for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly pistol-whipped and shot at his sister's boyfriend, Shannon Billings. He was released on $25,000 bond and was indicted two months later. But earlier this year, the charges were dropped because of insufficient evidence and character concerns about Billings — at the time, Billings was in jail as a repeat sex offender.
During his Tampa Bay tenure, Talib also hit a teammate with a helmet and nearly had a physical altercation with an official.
Talib began serving his suspension Oct. 14 and missed the Buccaneers' last three games. With the Patriots having their bye this week, Talib must sit out New England's Nov. 11 game with Buffalo before being eligible to make his Patriots debut Nov. 18 against Indianapolis.
At the time of his suspension, Talib released a statement through the Buccaneers.
"Around the beginning of training camp, I made a mistake by taking an Adderall pill without a prescription. This is especially regrettable because, for the past several months, with Coach [Greg] Schiano's help, I've worked very hard to improve myself — professionally and personally — as a player and a man. I am truly sorry to my teammates, coaches and Buccaneers fans, and I'm disappointed in myself. I will work diligently every day of this suspension to stay in top football shape and be ready to help this team in the second half of the season. I have chosen to be immediately accountable for the situation I put myself in, which is why I will not exercise my appeal rights and will begin serving the suspension immediately.''
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Welcome to the July/August 2011 SRB2 Official Level Design Contest voting topic! In this contest we have five single player, seven match, four capture the flag, and one circuit entry.
To vote, play a few games of each stage in a division in the intended gametype for judging, and give each map in the division a vote from 0 to 10, no decimals and with 5 as average. You can not vote on your own map, but if you vote on the rest of the stages in a division the lowest score on your map for that division will be dropped. For votes to count, the voter must vote on every map in a division (excluding their own entry if they have one). Votes where the voter obviously did not play the level in its intended gametype, or where the voter did not play the multiplayer maps with other real players will be discarded. Please be as unbiased as possible for the author or the look of the map. It's all about how good the map plays, nothing else. For reference, the scale is as follows:
10 - Epic
9 - Awesome
8 - Great
7 - Good
6 - Decent
5 - Average
4 - Mediocre
3 - Bad
2 - Awful
1 - Horrendous
0 - Unplayable
Although it's not required for votes to count, it's very helpful to make comments about what you liked and didn't like about the map, so the author can improve his skill for future attempts. If your votes are dramatically different from the rest and you don't describe why, you may be asked to justify your reasoning.
Judging will end September 14, 2011 at 7 PM local time in the eastern time zone of the United States. Like the entry deadline, this counts the United States's daylight savings time between March and November. Votes submitted after this time by the forum timestamp will NOT be counted in the average, so if you want to be counted, don't vote at the last minute. After the deadline, the scores will be then averaged, and the person with the highest score in each division is the winner.
The entries are as follows:
Single Player:
Red House Zone by Ice
Pipe Towers Zone by Fawfulfan
Aquatic Temple by Kuba11
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest [sic] by D00D64
Midnight Pass Zone, Act 2 by KO.T.E
Siberian Base by akb778
SemiRuin Forest Zone by Zipper
Splice Lab Zone by Fawfulfan
Storm Stronghold by Spherallic, Errol, RedEnchilada, and SpiritCrusher
Jello Factory by Charybdizs
MT_Topangalifts by Brawl
Rush Jungle by Scizor300, KO.T.E, and Simsmagic
Capture the Flag:
Frantic Forest Zone by ThunderNova
Galactic Waterworks by Spherallic
Molten Canyon by akb778
Lethal Filibuster Zone by Fawfulfan
Girder Detour Zone by Fawfulfan (yes this means he wins by default, but vote on his map anyways so he gets some feedback, please)
As a final reminder, please make sure to play the levels in the intended gametype, and above all, have fun judging!
Last edited by Prime 2.0; 09-14-2011 at 08:29 PM.
The Tortured Planet guy
Red House Zone, by Ice - 7/10
Wow. This, uh...well, I...Wow. This level is trying to be way, WAY too much at once. And yet, in spite of that, it somehow doesn't manage to break. Huge props to you for that. The visuals are always at least competent, and at most quite lovely, and the layout is nice. My main problem with it, though, is that there just isn't enough to do. This level is primarily running, hopping, and killing enemies. And most special gimmicks involve button presses. I was quite taken with the swiveling PolyObject bookcases, but I don't think there should be such a long break, as it forces the player to stop and wait a few seconds, quite possibly without any knowledge of what he's supposed to do. I feel as though much of the level was pretty linear in places too, although there were some nice path splits towards the beginning. But hey, something this long is hard to fill with path splits. Of course, you could have just created several shorter paths instead of one mega-long path...it took me about six minutes to clear this level, so you definitely could afford to shorten it for the sake of extra routes.
Pipe Towers Zone, by Fawfulfan - Entry/One
I have put more effort into this than I have done for any other contest entry, ever. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, though of course judging will tell how good it truly is. Many thanks to SpiritCrusher, who must have tested this thing about half a dozen times, and occasionally managed to talk me out of adding awful stuff to it. But I curse the fact that it has to compete with Sonic Dumbventure for supremacy...what chance does it have? What chance would any other level have? Even Frozen Hillside?
Aquatic Temple, by Kuba11 - 4/10
Don't get me wrong, I adore the effort on this level, especially the visuals in the underwater rooms. But in other regards, the underwater rooms were what torpedoed your rating. You're starting to make me feel very guilty about my own underwater gargoyle puzzles in Tortured Planet. In some of the rooms, the objective was not intuitive in the least, and this problem was compounded a thousandfold by the fact that you need to stop what you're doing every few seconds to grab a freaking air bubble. Oh, and linearity is also a nasty flaw in puzzle-heavy levels; I'd try taking a leaf out of Thompson's book and giving the player the choice between platforming and puzzle solving whenever possible. And just as an aesthetic tip, I'd recommend you darken some of those interior areas towards the beginning, too.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest, by D00D64 - 10/10
Whoa now, wait a minute. When I nabbed the beta of this on IRC, I didn't realize you were planning to submit this behemoth to the OLDC! Nice job making the file so big that it needs its own download, by the way. I appreciate the massive amount of effort and humor that was put into this, but such a radical departure from standard level design is not what I'm looking for in the contests (observe, for example, how poorly I rated verifiaman's Cyber Gauntlet). Please don't misunderstand me, I quite love much about this idea, but I'm severely thrown to see it in a contest. I have a feeling it's going to be quite controversial as the voting continues on...
EDIT: I don't think it's fair of me to shave points off your score explicitly for that reason, though. This thing was completely epic, and as such it deserves an epic rating. Though I will point out that in Thunder Fortress, it's really hard to know what to do...I always get stuck there. And additionally, there's a body of water in Valkyrie Cliffs that lacks a colormap.
EDIT 2: Plus, I seem to have been way off the mark on thinking this level would be controversial. As of this writing, votes have spanned from 8 to 10, putting this baby on track to break Frozen Hillside Zone's short-lived record. I think I can prematurely come out and say congratulations to D00D64 and his brilliant creation.
Midnight Pass Zone Act 2, by KO.T.E - 7/10
All right, you and your brother need to stop abbreviating the names of your levels in the filename. In future, when I go back to try this level again (and trust me, I'll want to do so), I'll automatically assume that the name of the file is "scr_midnightpass2.wad", not "scr_MPZ2.wad", which means I'll spend a frustrating amount of time trying to find it again. Conversely, if I'm scanning my level folder to see if there's anything old I want to play, and I see "scr_MPZ2.wad", I'm not necessarily gonna remember what (and how awesome) that level is, and might skip it over unnecessarily. I'm really, really sick of trying to search for your previous creations in my folders and finding that their names are just abbreviations. Maybe you guys find it easier to insert the WAD for testing if you have a shorter name, but it's a tax on all the rest of us...and besides, if you just use the built-in Test feature of SRB2 Doom Builder, you don't have to insert the WAD into SRB2 during testing in the first place. Anyway, now that we've got that rant out of the way, I can talk about the level itself. This is certainly a visual masterpiece, from the little bouncy flowers to the meticulously-engineered colormap (even though you gotta fix that one sector right before the horror-inducing flash flood), and the whole thing was solidly built. But most of the gameplay wasn't that enthralling; lots of the level felt kind of samey. In short, it felt like Mystic Realm with a fresh coat of paint.
Siberian Base Zone, by akb778 - 5/10
It's big, it's spread out, but it's not bad. A decently executed, if overused and uninspired, theme. The rooms are plenty distinct enough for players to be able to navigate it well. Nothing extraordinary, but also far from terrible.
SemiRuin Forest Zone, by Zipper - 3/10
Nice to see that you heeded at least some of my advice. This level would have been worth even less otherwise. But the interior structure of the warehouse is just irredeemably awful. Why is that ceiling so high? Just lowering it would have helped a noticeable amount. And the control room beyond it just needs to go; it's a total eyesore, it exacerbates the level's painful linearity, and there's simply nothing redeeming about it. The outside of the loading dock, which I most doggedly hounded you to change, seems to have improved the most, but it still terribly misses the mark. I'm tempted now to make my own loading-dock level to demonstrate how it's done. And I might also add that your choice of name is...lacking, to say the least. It isn't a decent representation of everything within the level. Still, I notice you managed to make those trucks actually look like trucks. That's something. But in the truck windshields, just as in the case of the original version of the truck wheels, you chose a partially transparent texture and used it for the side of an FOF, leading to the ever-hideous Tutti-Frutti effect. Here's a general rule of thumb, Zipper: textures with transparent sections should be used as middle textures for in-level sectors, and NOTHING ELSE. If you want a see-through FOF, use the Translucent Wall effect on an opaque texture.
Splice Lab Zone, by Fawfulfan - Entry/Two
Yeah, it's tiny. Very tiny. That was intentional...I personally find that I have the most fun on very tiny maps. But of course, balancing the quantity of weapon ammo is tough when a stage is so small. I won't at all be surprised if the weapon placement turns out to be terrible.
Storm Stronghold Zone, by Spherallic, Errol, RedEnchilada, and SpiritCrusher - 9/10
Now this is something extraordinary. Certain rooms suffer from pretty nasty lag, but they're so gorgeous I can overlook that. I love how memorable every room is...every section of the stage has its purpose. Admittedly it'd be hard to play with just a few people, since it's so gigantic, but with enough people you could have the battle of the century here.
Jello Factory Zone, by Charybdizs - 6/10
I'm happy that you consolidated what needs consolidating. It's still so huge as to be awkward, but you did a decent job of trimming the fat anyway...for those of you who never saw the beta of this, trust me when I say that this is a dramatic improvement. That said, the size is still quite a problem, especially for battles between just a few people, but you've got a really unique idea that was executed pretty well. It's easy to see how much you have progressed as a designer from the days of Gravity Garden.
Topanga Lifts Zone, by Brawl - 2/10
Okay, this is predictably bad. The theme is kinda cool, but the layout is just terrible. Quite aside from the fact that your attempt to create sector-based giant birds came out looking totally atrocious, there are some things in this level that just make me wonder if you've been listening to earlier criticism at all. Why didn't you use more visual distinction to differentiate the sections of this level? Why did you create massive clumps of ammo and rings? Why did you neglect to put in any monitors? Why did you have a diagonal spring that sends you straight into a Death Pit? And why did you stick an invisible wall in the middle of nowhere? I know that you have a chronic tendency to make poor design decisions, but these are just rookie mistakes. For shame. Also, out of curiosity, I Googled "Topanga" to find out that it's a region in California. Nice job using the most obscure reference possible.
Rush Jungle Zone, by Scizor300, KO.T.E, and Simsmagic - 5/10
I must say, when I saw the title I thought it was going to be Forst Rush Zon Zone Act 2. Boy, was I wrong. It suffers from problems that seem systemic to this contest's Match division (vastness and openness), but otherwise appears pretty solid. Your choice of sky seems rather odd to me, but that doesn't really matter.
Frantic Forest Zone, by ThunderNova - 4/10
I personally love a good line-symmetry CTF stage. But this one features ugly visuals and subpar gameplay. The awkward positioning of the bases kind of gets on my nerves...I'm not a huge fan of repeated springing. More problematic is the lack of a significant alternate path to the bases (even my own CTF entry has a half-assed side route).
Galactic Waterworks Zone, by Spherallic - 7/10
Quite awesome, naturally. There's a loving attention to detail here, both in paths and in scenery. The problem, though, is that it's just too big. Each hallway seems to go on for too long, in my opinion. Still, undoubtedly the best CTF stage in the contest.
Molten Canyon Zone, by akb778 - 6/10
I really like this theme for some reason. It just seems to tickle me in a funny place. But aside from the minor alternate splits in the central area, the whole thing seems pretty linear to me. But I definitely appreciate the little Knuckles-friendly notches in the platforms to allow low-jumping flag carriers to advance without getting their butts burnt.
Lethal Filibuster Zone, by Fawfulfan - Entry/Three
Wouldn't it be nice if the U.S. political parties actually resolved their disputes this way? It could only be an improvement...
Girder Detour Zone, by Fawfulfan - Entry/Four
I don't personally understand SpiritCrusher's loathing for my level, to be honest. I mean, there's not a great deal of player/stage interaction, but there's nothing that seriously breaks the race. I'm certainly pleased with the visuals, but that's supposed to be irrelevant, of course.
Moderator Notice:
Tried to piece together what was lost, let me know if I messed anything up in the process
Just another indie game developer...check out my website, Chapman Games!
Last edited by Fawfulfan; 09-06-2011 at 01:27 PM.
Pretty chill guy
Woo! I'll get to playing these right away! Fireworks, anyone?
Endless Mine - Piano Cover (First one on youtube!)
Probably Responsible
So, as I was waiting for the contest topic to go up, I wrote this! Its all about Dumbventure and the many words I spit up about it.
Spoiler: GIANT TEXT BLOK ATTACK AAAAAA
Well, despite the fact that, at any given moment, something is wrong (hence "ITS ALWAYS SOMETHING [tm]", I can say...
I'm proud of this wad. It's a bit of everything I could hope for. It allowed me to use concepts that'd never see the light of day otherwise. It taught me many things in both mapmaking and soccing. I was able to do things I never thought were even possible in SRB2. I've son several things that have never been done in SRB2 at all, for that matter. As I worked, I made refinements constantly. A tweak here, a tweak there... it all built up. I went from a small concept room about two months ago, and turned it into something SRB2 never had before. And regardless of what I score in the OLDC, I will still proud of what I've done, as I am now. A wad about a blue hedgehog going to beat the shit out of a gorilla-headed sea monster.
Anyways, the level is divided into SubZones. These arn't mentioned in game (they were but they have been removed), but I will list theme here to help you guys out when reviewing specific locations.
Also, some of these areas and should seem familiar...
Valkyrie Peak is actually that one level I teased months ago. I asked about a name but never picked one. Cosmic Casino Zone is the remains of Sonic Pallete, my 2D level that had the 8-bit graphics and the walljumping Sonic. Leaf Forest is the remains of a ZDoom mod I made called SAUZA (Sonic AIDS: Up Z Ass), a mod based of this awful and awfully offensive comic I made.
As for the main villan... Well, some of you may know him. I thought of him on some random thought and he kinda stuck in my mind, waiting for his chance. He's the main mascot of SoniMoc, a series of videos I worked on. He also made a cameo in Chaos Domain by KOTE.
If there's one thing I wanted to emphasize in this mod, its hunting for secrets. There are tons of monitors hidden around, including a Fire Flower monitor! Scout around, you wont go unrewarded!
I have scattered the 7 Chaos Emeralds across the map. One is in each subzone, except the 8th and the 4th. One subzone has two emmys instead. I can't seem to get the saving to work, but getting them all will reveal a powerup you can at least use for the final battle. If you need help finding them, here are the locations...
Spoiler: EMERDOS
There are also a few easter eggs to find. You probably wont ever find out some of these on your own, so...
Spoiler: Eastah has come early
Yeah, I know I dumped a lot on you guys, but I just HAD to elaborate on this. This is my most extensive project yet, doing several of new things SRB2 has never seen before! But I also like to give some special thanks to my friends on #srb2fun, especially Monster Iestyn for his help on SOCs and making the UglyKnux statue, SpiritCrusher for pointing out flaws in my map and the baws, and Prime 2 for constantly finding things wrong/to do (ITS ALWAYS SOMETHING[tm]) as well as help with some SOCs and level mechanics. Not that they're the only people that helped, mind you! I may have been stubborn at times or on the virge of giving up, but I dunno if Dumbventure would be good at all without help from #'fun!
As you can see, very inportant to me, so I hope it does well!
Anyways, will play the SP maps ASAP.
EDIT: Oh wow I got my own zip this is awesome
Red House Zone by Ice - 5/10
Nice to see this actually got somewhere! The opening area is a good take on GFZ, with even places like the opening area with the bridge and cave making an appearence. However, aside from being VERY nice looking (aside from the trees having yellow for some odd reason), and having a few secrets here and there, there's not much to say about it. Much like Greenflower itself, I suppose.
Red XVI's house is much the same; very pretty (liking the concept) with all kinds of details (like the bedroom with the dropdown TV), but not much to say beyond that; its mostly straightforward running with breaks to kill crawlas. But it is very polished visually, and I actually didn't mind; I know this contradicts what I said about your other level ages ago, I actually liked the level, despite being a bit on the bland side gameplay wise. And yeah, I chuckled a bit at that ending.
Pipe Towers Zone by Fawfulfan - 6/10
...Well I'll be damned. You learned how to texture.
Anyways, the level looks great, using those big textures to avoid nasty repeatings, and features a few nice gimmicks like the shrooms (even if they are a bit buggy) and what I suppose was a ! or P switch (it really could have used a new texture for the outmost side for it), but again, not much to say; a few good bits of platforming to give it an edge over Ice's map, but not much else. Pretty basic. Definetly trumps the default Mario levels (as if that's saying much, but still).
...Though, if I must be a bit picky (oh who am I kidding, of course I do), I think some of the pipes could have used more secrets or monitors; I climb to a high place to a pipe only to be greeted with springs, who might as well say "Sorry, no powerups here :<". And why are none of the floating Brick Blocks breakable?
...And I actually didn't hate one of your levels. Heh.
Took ya long enough :P
Aquatic Temple by Kuba11 - 4/10
The first thing that struck me was "If this is underground and at night, why is it so BRIGHT?" But that was quicky replaced by the use of the ugly GFZ water and the wrong sidedef as well as a longwinded UNDERWATER gargoyle puzzle. Barely starting the level, and I am annoyed. But after that, the level wasn't so bad. I did enjoy the crusher segment. Overall, it would have been okay, but the gargoyles were just... eugh.
EDIT: Tried it again, and while I did like the one room with the trap that closes a door behind you, as well as the secret emerald token, its still awkward to push a gargoyle underwater (It keeps slipping away and I gotta keep turning left and right to get a grip on it) combined with the slowness of the water and the constant stops for air.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest[sic] by D00D64
I just made a long block of post over it.
I dont need to copypaste it here, do I?
Midnight Pass Zone, Act 2 by KO.T.E - 5/10
I can only describe this as "standard first level stuff". What more can I say? I really haven't the foggiest. Sure, the rising water was alright, and I did like the cameo secrets, but not much else to say beyond that, aside from "the colormap is incredibly blech and makes shields undecipherable". I may give this a re-evaluation.
...so yeah, not a bad contest.
My awful Twitter account
My also awful YouTube channel
Last edited by D00D64; 09-01-2011 at 04:23 PM.
footure semen
Here's my votes
Red House Zone by Ice - 6/10
Well, this is certainly an interesting map. The first area, while fun, certainly could have had some improvements. It felt way too much like Jade Coast, mostly because it was just GFZ all over. I still had fun though. Anyways, we come to this small red house to see a large palace inside, perhaps too large. The red brick texture tiles horribly, and there's a bit too much open space. The boss is also sort of strange in that you put a Block Monsters tag to keep him from leaving anywhere outside of the red carpet. Anyways, I found the level to be pretty fun, but also rather average. I'd say try making it look less like GFZ and perhaps trying to shrink some areas.
Pipe Towers Zone by Fawfulfan - 7/10
Personally, I still think you could have done much better on the texturing, but that's just my opinion. Otherwise, I think this level was rather decent. It flowed well, and it wasn't too bad. I did happen to go around in circles a few times though.
Aquatic Temple by Kuba11 - 4/10
Couldn't beat it, but it was confusing as hell for the most part and you really need to have different flats for your outermost walls. It makes the level look too gray and incredibly dull.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest[sic] by D00D64 - 10/10
I love it. The level design is well-done, and it feels more like a mod than just a simple level. The boss is also really good, not just a simple eggmobile. Overall, one of the greatest levels I've played in a while.
Midnight Pass Zone, Act 2 by KO.T.E - 8/10
I really loved the visuals here, but it was also rather unfair at times, especially with the rising water part (Why did the part transitioning to that have no lighting/colormap?). Otherwise, I thought it was pretty fun.
Anyways, I'll go ahead and get the MP pack votes when it's up.
Last edited by Scizor300; 09-01-2011 at 03:41 AM.
ms reflec beat stan
Single Player:
Red House Zone by Ice - 5/10 - a mish-mash of average
For using 1.09.4 textures everywhere, this map looked nice. The first section was almost like GFZ 2.0. However, there just wasn't anything to do in the map. And the dead end with the restrooms (with the toilets sitting out in public, for some odd reason) was silly.
Pipe Towers Zone by Fawfulfan - 7/10 - stomping goombas and shit
I like the aesthetics in this map. They're a lot better than your other maps. The design was also pretty fun, but that one room with the tower thing was confusing.
e: After playing the underground section again and finding an alternate path, it actually works nicely with the rest of the map. Nice touch with how the thwomps were used, too.
Aquatic Temple Zone by Kuba11 - 4/10 - fuck gargoyle puzzles
Really, those underwater gargoyle puzzles ruined the map. They're tedious, they take eons, they're annoying when underwater, and they're unnecessary. Quite a shame, really, since the rest of the map is actually pretty good. I just couldn't have fun with it with the gargoyles everywhere that I may or may not have had to push in various locations and I don't know which to push around and I'm drowning again and AAAAAAAAAAAAGH
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous [sic] Quest by D00D64 - 10/10 - best level ever
The sheer volume of amusing and varied content is stunning. The ridiculous story is kind of a lazy way to tie it together, but it works perfectly regardless. I can't say anything else.
Midnight Pass Zone Act 2 by KO.T.E - 8/10 - rather simple fun
The first time I played this map, I was caught completely off-guard by whatever was disguising those springs. It's rather unnecessary, in my opinion. Also, that one sector with the funny light level. And could those moving platforms go any slower? Totally killed the flow for a second.
Regardless, the map was quite fun, if a bit basic. But it's a first zone, so I can respect keeping it simple. It was quite relaxing, and I'd play it again. Easy map done right.
Siberian Base Zone by akb778 - 4/10 - huge empty tundra
The map is definitely on the bigger side. Either that or it blended together to the point where I couldn't tell where I'd already been. I also had a bit of trouble finding weapons. A lot of the area was also unnecessary, and you have too many dead ends.
SemiRuin Forest Zone by Zipper - 4/10 - huge empty forest
This has the exact same problems are Siberian Base. I had to play both maps again because my experience with them blended together so bad.
Splice Lab Zone by Fawfulfan - 5/10 - not meant for real netgames
This map is way too small. I don't just mean in room size, but in amount of rooms. It works amazingly with 1v1, but on the six-player netgame I got running, it was pure madness. The detailing also made it impossible to move around without smacking into things.
Storm Stronghold Zone by Spherallic, Errol, RedEnchilada, and SpiritCrusher - N/A - blame sphere for everything
This has been around forever. I still remember the first room I made, and I probably have a lot of betas sitting around as the map progressed. Errol actually hasn't been around in a while, as far as I know. This was the best worst-kept-secret on 'fun ever: "So how's the SUPER SEKRIT COLLAB coming, RedEnchilada?"
Jello Factory Zone by Charybdizs - 5/10 - gelatin-induced seizures
The room with the colorful unset gelatin rivers was done nicely; that can be pretty much left as-is. The front entrance could stand to have a bit more focus drawn to it, considering how it looks the best of any of the map. The room with the giant blocks of gelatin, however, needs to go; maybe replace it with a small room. Because as much as you like that gimmick, it flat-out doesn't work. (Then the map could be renamed Rainbow Factory, and the MB release could have an awesome custom song that I would totally force you to put in!)
Nice mural in the entrance room, by the way. Needs more alfalfa, though.
Topanga Lifts Zone by Brawl - 2/10 - so many death pits
That invisible wall was stupid and uncalled for. Otherwise, this is 1.09.4 style big-open-room design with annoying moving platforms in the center. Also, everything's over a pit. This is bad.
Rush Jungle Zone by Scizor300, KO.T.E, and Simsmagic - 4/10 - not worth the sum of its parts
For starters, where's the SRM? I played three games of this and I couldn't find it. I was partially expecting it to be inside the central tree trunk, to be honest.
Aside from that, the level was about the right size, but it was kind of confusing to navigate, and the mud laying around tends to catch people off-guard. And no matter how much you try to beat it into our heads in 'fun, Sciz, it does not make the JUNGLE texture set look good.
Capture the Flag:
Frantic Forest Zone by ThunderNova - 4/10 - trees make the best bases
The map was way too flat in general, and the trees in the middle turn you into giant railbait as you jump down. Kind of ironic, considering the rails are up there. I did like how the bases were designed, though; defensible without being campable.
Galactic Waterworks Zone by Spherallic - 5/10 - how not to make an alternate path
The design on the main path was decent; I don't have much to say about that. However, the alternate path you made is SO STUPID. It takes way too long, you move in Valve Time, making it worthless for flagrunning, and nobody ever used it properly. Without the alternate path, there's not much strategy involved here. Props on the visual design, though. I KNEW STEALING YOU FOR SUPER SEKRIT COLLAB WAS A GOOD IDEA
Molten Canyon Zone by akb778 - 1/10 - red team has a monopoly, gg
The overall map was boring and empty, but there's only one reason for that 1. Part of the blue team's base is actually assigned the red team base sector type, likely due to bad copy-paste. This makes it possible for a single person on the red team to score five caps within thirty seconds of opening the map, and there's basically nothing the blue team can do about it. It's basically unplayable due to this, but I'm giving a point regardless.
Lethal Filibuster Zone by Fawfulfan - 3/10 - democratics win
Look, the idea might have sounded good in your head, but this was one of the most boring CTF maps I've played in a while. If you're not at least trying to make something entertaining, don't bother submitting. It was flat everywhere, and the only path in sight was a beeline to the opposing building.
Girder Detour Zone by Fawfulfan - 6/10 - unfinished
I really did like the construction aesthetic. Really, I did! But the map was a bit flat and uninteresting for me. There was still some fun to be had, but it's nothing special.
Last edited by fickleheart; 09-05-2011 at 07:43 PM.
aka Sutekh94
Single Player
Aquatic Temple Zone, by Kuba11 - 6/10
...Holy crap that gargoyle puzzle was confusing and long. Also the level looked a bit bland in a few areas, but otherwise pretty good for a water level.
Midnight Pass Zone Act 2, by KO.T.E - 7/10
Only thing that really bogs down the map is that part at the end with the rising pit gimmick; you really need to lower that. Add air patches in a few areas along this path and fix your colormap in the area right before the rising water/pit and you have a really good map.
Pipe Towers Zone, by Fawfulfan - 8/10
Now this is impressive. The level itself has a really consistent flow to it, and just about everything here was executed really nicely.
Red House Zone, by Ice - 6/10
This place kinda reminds me of EzerArch's Miscellaneous Trip Zone. Only major problems that I found with this map are that the texturing here looks bland, and misaligned textures everywhere. I also LOL'd @ the end of the level.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest, by D00D64 -
...HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME. (Need I say more?)
Siberian Base, by akb778 - WA/HOO
SemiRuin Forest Zone, by Zipper - 4/10
Needs moar rings. And less hideous-looking textures.
Splice Lab Zone, by Fawfulfan - 7/10
...I came into this, noting that it was a pretty small map, thinking, "I'm not gonna like this." Turns out I was wrong; this map, being pretty tiny, seems to equal more frantic action in the long run. Also this looks and plays impressively.
Storm Stronghold, by Spherallic, Errol, RedEnchilada, and SpiritCrusher (most people throwing their hand into making a SRB2 map?) - 9/10
Folks, this map is really laggy for a reason: the detail here, as well as the overall look, is awesome. It'd probably be hard hosting a match on this though.
Jello Factory, by Charybdizs - 7/10
Boy this map is HUGE. Looks good, though; playability is really determined by the number of people playing on this map. Being this large, I'd say this would make a decent H&S map for smaller games.
Death pit city, bobbing platforms that make no sense at all, and stage design made to make people say "WTF just happened?" Weapon and ammo layouts are even stranger than the stage itself - why is there a string of platforms with only ammo on them?
Rush Jungle, by Scizor300, KO.T.E, and Simsmagic - 5/10
Kinda bland but otherwise nothing too special about this map.
More reviews to come when it's not 11 P.M. local time...
Other places I'm usually on:
YouTube | DeviantArt.
Last edited by akb778; 09-02-2011 at 04:11 AM.
Probably Responsible
RESULTIFICATED! I doubt this post'll be on Page 2, but its on my first post in this topic.
And yeah, basically being a mod in one level really helps get yourself your own zip :3
My awful Twitter account
My also awful YouTube channel
Last edited by D00D64; 09-01-2011 at 02:32 AM.
it's lamp for supper, kids
Oh good, Multiplayer Entries haven't even been released yet! And I thought I was going to be too late for the play-throughs!
Planning ahead is for ninnies who think they can predict every possible outcome. The future is mutable! Go with the flow!
i 2 i
Scores and a few words regarding the level. May write a full review on them if I feel like it.
Red House Zone - 6/10
(Intentional) GFZ clone and then a castle house followed by greenflower canyon zone.
Pipe Towers Zone - 7/10
Score revised after replaying.
Aquatic Temple - 7/10
Score revised after replaying.
Sonic Dumbventure - 10/10
Holy shit
Midnight Pass Zone - 6/10
A pretty GFZ clone at night with a twist ending that needs air bubbles.
Girder Detour Zone
Last edited by Simsmagic; 09-09-2011 at 06:42 PM.
Grape flavored
Permanently Banned
I'd just like to pop in for a moment to say that the reason D00D64 recommends playing Dumbventure at 640x400 is primarily to make cutscene easier to read; if you don't happen to have that resolution however, you should either use windowed mode to use it(depending on your desktop resolution, of course...), or use another aspect correct resolution as there is a known crash involving emerald collection at non-aspect correct resolutions.
Small notice on the SUPER SECRET COLLAB map: It was originally gonna be a CTF map and what you see now was supposed to be one base. I think the thing I deserve most credit for is that I talked the guys out of that. Otherwise, I laid down the basics for the backyard, fixed a few things here and there, added some items, and generally gave some feedback if necessary. My role in making the map is really the smallest of the four. I never even played this in a netgame. For all I know, it could suck badly. But at least it's PURDY. Also, Red's memory must have slipped, because I was actually already around on this project over a year ago.
Last edited by MascaraSnake; 09-01-2011 at 05:27 AM.
Pretty chill guy
Aquatic Temple Zone, by Kuba11 - 4/10
Well, what can I say. You have some good ideas, you simply didn't execute them properly. And well, I'm being generous with this 4 that I'm giving you, considering that:
-I hate water levels
-I hate gargoyle puzzles
And you just happened to incorporate both into the same area. But that's a personal bias. Otherwise, the level was decorated in what seemed to be a completely random fashion. Some parts looked like you put some thought into them, while others looked like you just went crazy drawing squares all over the map. It's not perfect, but hey, it's a start!
Midnight Pass Zone Act 2, by KO.T.E - 7/10
I'm a sucker for grassy, nighttime, waterfall filled levels, this being no exception. I just love the atmosphere these places bring. At random times I'd stop to take in all the scenery; the level's architecture is beautifully done if you just take a step back and look at it. However, I felt that a few things detracted from the overall experience. First off, the colormap. It's a bit of a personal gripe, but it detracted from my experience anyway. I think the level simply would've been much better without it. It dulled the walls to a strange purple, and made the grass an ugly shade of green. It felt like I was going through one of those ugly biomes in minecraft (you know what I'm talking about if you've played the game). Next off, the circular platforms. They had their place here and there, but I felt you simply used them to much. They really broke the flow of the level. Also, putting some Speedy Shoes and an Elemental Shield hidden right before the ending of the level might have sounded like a good idea, but they really didn't help at all. Here's my suggestion if you actually want to help players out: put a whirlwind shield instead. That way you don't sacrifice the challenge of the water (drowning), while helping the players get past the more time-consuming platforming bits.
Pipe Towers Zone, by Fawfulfan - 8/10
The level was great. The scenery was top notch, there was plenty to explore, and most of your ideas executed fairly well. It makes me think of how Doom Legacy would make a much better Mario game than a Sonic game. However, it seemed you succeeded a bit too well in creating a Mario setup. Playing as sonic (the character I always play as), I just felt downright constricted while exploring the smallish rooms and corridors that populated your level. Consequently, I didn't have as much fun as I could've had. The stage would've benefited from some more breathing room, in my opinion. Otherwise, still a stellar level.
Red House Zone, by Ice - MINE/10
I certainly had trouble naming this one. The inconsistent tone of the level comes from the fact that this wasn't all created as one zone. Instead, it's a compilation of all the unfinished maps I had laying around in my folder. Rather than let them rot, I decided to merge them together as best I could and enter it into the contest. I even came up with a minimal semi-storyline where eggman has taken residence in RedXVI's house. It's probably the last map I'll make, unless I get a very strong urge sometime in the future, so enjoy!
As a sidenote, please don't downvote me simply because of the GFZ textures. It's the laziest criticism I've seen on the forums, and it's stupidly common. Yes, they're overused. They also tile nicely, and help along the theme of having Red's house in the level.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest, by D00D64 - 9/10
I have to say, D00D64, I'm rather surprised. I think I only ever played one map of yours, and I thought it was frustratingly terrible. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this map from start to finish. I liked the new ideas presented, the stupid humor, and the gameplay wasn't too bad either. It could use some improvements, sure, but it was overall solid. If there was one area I'd improve, it'd be aesthetics. I can tell there was a lot of effort put into this map, and I fully respect that. Well done.
EDIT: Revised my score for Pipe Towers Zone, and posted my score for Midnight Pass Zone.
Endless Mine - Piano Cover (First one on youtube!)
Last edited by Ice; 09-03-2011 at 04:12 PM.
I don't believe the hype
How come I didn't notice it sooner? Oh well, let's go reviewing!
~Single Player~
Red House by Ice
Rating: 6/10
This level was quite nice with gimmicks but horrible with texturing. The textures in desert part where pretty much screwed, ACZ won't work with GFZ. Well, it was fun to play anyway.
Pipe Towers by Fawfulfan
Rating: 9/10
Wow, really great. You recreated Mario mode in something that's A LOT worth playing. The design was gorgeous, the only down is that there wasn't Bowser's Castle, but well. Let's get on other maps, shall we?
Aquatic Temple by Kuba11
Rating: 8/10
This one was pretty good, good texture variation, you were creative and underwater puzzle. I don't know what more to say...
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest by D00D64
Rating: 10/10
No, just NO. It can't be rated less than 9001/10, but oh well those limitations. I don't know how to describe this hell and it's intro, it's just epic in every way.
Midnight Pass, Act 2 by Coat
Rating: 9/10
Oh pretty good. Modified Sunset Pass, right? Only complain about is that at the mountain with End sign is REDWALL. You'd be nice to fix it.
Siberian Base, by akb778
Rating: 5/10
Good one. I liked it, but not that much. The base needs work a little, though.
SemiRuin Forest, by Zipper
Rating: 4/10
Not bad for your first map... Is it first map, right? Well. The trucks were... weird. and the pit with spikes and all in the building was bad idea either. The level is pretty confusing and huge either. And the music didn't fit too.
Splice Lab, by Fawfulfan
Rating: 7/10
The level was pretty much too dark, music didn't fit, but still a good execution for the theme. I had pretty much fun playing it.
Storm Stronghold, by Spherallic, Errol, RedEnchilada and SpiritCrusher
Rating: 0/10
Oh, many mappers! Duh, not too much playable on my side due to incredibly heavy lag I was having.
Jello Factory, by Charybdizs
Rating: 9/10
Oh you little freak. I love this level. It's so...
Well, I a lot liked the jelly gimmick which you could went into and bounce on/from it.
MT_Topangalifts, by Brawl
Rating: 0/10
Complete game freeze, I knew something is wrong just when I tried to play it. It freezed SRB2 in one blow. I had to close it via Task Manager. Btw, what's with the name?
Rush Jungle, by Scizor300
Rating: 8/10
Very good. No complains, just maybe... The water didn't have a colormap.
~Capture the Flag~
Frantic Forest, by ThunderNova
Rating: 5/10
I don't really know how to describe it, I'm loosing words every contest. Going to just rate next contests ._. Well, didn't have much detail and colored trees? Barrier of leaves? Well nevermind. Just the detail, music, and pretty much flag placing. Too easy to camp, and you know, that I don't like camp.
Galactic Waterworks, by Spherallic
Rating: 10/10
No words, just beautiful.
Molten Canyon, by akb778
Rating: 6/10
I guess that the middle bridge is supposed to have a lot close clashes, right? Well, it's the first option the nothing expecting flagger will get to mind when fleeing. That was pretty much wrong move. But still a good level, though.
Lethal Filibuster, by Fawfulfan
Rating: 7/10
Oh wow, I don't think I got into this whit my History lessons but well. Nice arena, but the flags with the BLUEWALL and REDWALL... Just why?
Yup, that's all folks! Oh my, it was really long time before I updated this post...
Last edited by Steelie; 09-10-2011 at 07:57 PM.
Single Player Division:
Before I begin, I would like to give a round of applause to those in this division, they clearly showed a lot of work and effort when making these maps, congrats gentlemen.
Quick Note: This is my very first review, so my insights may not be very particular about map development.
(I also may be prone to rewriting, so be aware of that)
Red House Zone Developer: Ice
To start off, you spend more time outside the house, rather than in it. Which is pretty weird, for a lack of words.
First of all, my first run through went by like a snap, there were little to no obstacles that stood in my way from blazing through the entire level.. That is until I managed to get myself stuck in the Bookcase room since none of the cases were spinning.
In my second run-through, I was enjoying myself looking around, taking one route, turning back and exploring the other, I then found out Bookcases turned when I defeated the badnik that was near them.
Anyway, the main issues about this level is that it's generally to easy, not much thought or work was required to maneuver through this, it wasn't hard to rape Robotnik against the fire pillar, and that basically the easiness was this map's biggest down point. The Texture variation and scenery was somewhere within the standard level, though it was nice to see some variation, such as flowery hills and caves, underground chamber doubling as indoor plumbing, and a desert for no reason. It was a nice touch to give it a small story behind your adventure, plus the fact that Red was planning on rebuilding his house was nifty too. Overall, I'd say your level came out somewhat above average.
Pipe Towers Zone Developer: FawfulFan
From my time here, I haven't seen very many well made Mario Themed maps. This one takes the bait and I honestly like this a lot more than vanilla's Mario Mode.
The texture variation and detailed scenery and varied surfaces really took the bait, this level is by far the most gorgeous of the four. the inclusion of the Underground part was pretty clever as well, which I thought was cool.
Anyway, the gameplay is pretty balanced as from what I've seen, but the platforming was it's main stand point, I honestly felt like I was playing a real Mario level. (And I'm not over exaggerating this fact) Gameplay felt varied and it was definitely enjoyable to play, it's not the most amazing thing I've ever experienced, but it was very enjoyable.
Enemies felt like they didn't even exist, but I guess since their Goombas, they're pretty useless anyway. One thing that I did kind of notice is that most secondary paths don't really last long and tend to lead back to the primary route pretty quickly. Another thing is that most of the pipes are pretty much trolls, they give you nothing in return for venturing into them to explore their empty, hollow selves. One more thing I found pretty annoying was the fact that in the flooded room, just after I hit that red switch I find myself overshooting the platform or slipping off of it, and that was the most annoying part of the level for me. I also hated trying to maneuver on those mushrooms, god that was very tedious.
Regardless, this is a very well made map, and I had fun exploring in it, except from those big, green disappointments. :(
Aquatic Temple Zone Developer: Kuba11
Okay, I'd like to point out that this map does NOT deserve the rankings it's been getting at the moment.
Regarding the Gargoyle room, it honestly is not difficult at all, it's not even the slightest bit annoying either, there are literally five gargoyles to choose from, and you only need three to choose from. Mainly two mainly from the fact that the first one is given to you.
Anyway, the level looks gorgeous, there's a lot more variation than RHZ from what I've seen; there aren't only Crawlas sprawled everywhere, and the scenery and varied surface made this level.
The gameplay here is stupendous, and I congratulate you for that, since it is not easy making a fun water level. There are a good amount of nifty secrets hidden here and one especially that doubles as an alternate path + Token location, which I thought the general location of said secret was really clever. The gimmicks shown here are things I myself haven't seen much and it's very well executed IMO. Like I said before, water levels are difficult to be efficient, and fun. The chosen song fits very well, and the overall level itself was spectacular.
If there is one thing I disliked about this map was the fact that I had no idea what to do in the room without bubbles within the Gargoyle Room. I panicked and when I realized what to do, I was already suffocated floating carcass. Aside from that part, I had no other issues with this map, gameplay was very varied and smooth and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Midnight Pass Zone Developer: KO.T.E
This map is nothing short of what I've currently seen KO.T.E do so far, I always enjoyed playing his levels and this is no exception.
Anyway, this level is very beautiful, from the custom textures, to the custom scenery, all of it is great looking (I'm especially fond of those monitors..). Though I wasn't very fond of the first part's music.
There are really interesting things going on here, such as springs in mushrooms, a hidden Christmas secret along with a somewhat difficult mini boss, and a surprising end to it that involves flooding.
Unfortunately, aside from these small, neat features, the level itself is very wide arranged, I understand that it's supposedly a first level but most areas have a strange sense of repetitiveness within them. The platforming and overall difficulty was pretty standard, but considering the fact that it's overused, get's a bit too.. bleh. The mini boss like I said was somewhat difficult, and I felt as if it was unfair, from the fact it can shoot rings, normally and instantaneously. The hidden secret that involves Hinote (which it also involves a typo) is a really one of the most pointless secrets there are. It only contains Ring monitors, 1-Up Monitors, and an Invincibility Monitor. Not only do these do little to no benefit to you, but it requires you to Back-Track to find it, and it's not in the most obvious of places either.
Aside from these, it was a fairly good level, at least one that's supposed to be a first level.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest Developer: D00D64
I'm not going to write a review of this until I'm sure I've gotten everything. But I will say HOLY SHIT.
This is the most entertaining mod I've seen in awhile now, it's a shame it ended so quickly. From start to finish, I loved everything there was about this map/mod lovechild.
(I won't have the oppritunity to review MP Levels, so SP is all that counts I suppose.)
Last edited by Final Radiance; 09-08-2011 at 12:51 PM.
1-player reaches enormous heights. I have never seen such levels, I'm jealous. All levels, without exception, have a wonderful level design. And tonight we have a special guest who may has revolutionized a new type of construction (next generation). SRB2 will soon look like a game as developed as those of the consoles like PS3, etc..
The holidays have put in minds of our participants, an improved level design, and full of new ideas. These new ideas, we can't sleep in front of them.
Fireworks for everyone, so, you did a great job.
Because of that, I am happy with every participants.
Notes are also high ! Of course, that's just my opinion.
Multiplayer notes levels will come later.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken Disasterous's Quest by D00D64 : 10/10
Yes, "special guest tonight," is you, D00D64. This is the first time I see a such mod. For this exceptional work, you got full marks. But however, you must not lose sight of the Level Design. Your level is awesome, no problem about that. But remember that the level design is the main thing noticed here. Without all that you added (the intro, the spectacular boss, etc. ...), the level will be less sympathetic.
No, no ! I'm not saying that is 99% Next-Gen, 1% level. I'm not saying that there is nothing to play, away from ! I just ask you never to walk away from the base.
In short.
1) I was able to see the working time for the wad, you had to work a lot of time on it. Good thing, continue to be as serious about it.
2) We recognize your personality in the level (your famous humor) and I like it !
3) Perhaps the passage near the castle, the place where I must thok on "shields-flying enemies," is a bit hard. Players are perhaps not used to the new speed of Sonic, his Homing Attack, etc..
4) Then, in the GBA ... I'm not a fan of DK, so I did not know. Rather well done overall. If Sonic would have been better if he was also black and white, but it's pretty hard to achieve.
5) Like in 3), hard to understand how to hurt the snake-monkey boss, if you don't know how to master the Homing Attack.
==> I have some questions, like "How you do this, etc..." I will maybe ask them to you in PM. Your Intro taked all my attention and interested me.
Midnight Pass Zone, Act 2 by KO.T.E : 9 / 10
KO.T.E, KO.T.E. .. I see all the time the same thing right now.
However, I'm starting to get used to your Next-Gen personal, take it to positive.
I have seen levels that were 4-5 in exactly this topic. The theme "Greenflower caramel."
Sunset Pass, one of Chaos Domain in Sunset version and Midnight version, etc ...
Yes, of course, the level is good, I agree ... but I want you to show me your talents in another theme, ok ? As Kuba, I will like to see what your Designer talents provides in a water level (water / ruins) in the style of Deep Sea.
Or, in a mechanical level, style Egg Rock. I think you should already have do this.
Meanwhile, surprising that you can play from time to time on the Netgame, and build at the same time levels !
1) 100% KO.T.E style. Nothing to say about this, it your style and it is good.
2) A problem that I passed on it at first, but at the end, with the rise of the water, it annoyed me : the color of the water.
I'll assume you have a colormap which colors all the level ? Unfortunately, the colormap of the water is crushed by the level colormap. To solve this, the level colormap must color all the tags, one by one, they must all do, except the tag of the FOF water sector.
I know it's boring, myself too, I am a slacker ...
3) I felt light and soft calm, between light, decoration, and music.
4) One last thing. Fawfulfan said that, and I agree with him, you should rename your files, I can't digest files called src_ATZ.wad, because when someone has over 300 SRB2 wads in his folder, he has to to check if it is the level at which he think.
==> Just make me a level different, and I'll be happy !
Pipe Towers Zone by Fawfulfan : 9/10
Ah, that's for sure, it must be you to do a Mario level to keep your name, Fawfulfan !
This is a very well built level, with care.
And for once, I feel that you are moved to a different style, I'm glad to see that.
Maybe it is the help of SpiritCrusher, I do not know.
In short. This is the good old Mario as we love it !
1) You have combined the Mario theme (in general) with the traditional SRB2. This combination is 100% successful ! We find all the charm of the MAP30 of SRB2 but in an improved version, or the tradition of Mario and of SRB2. The name of the level mixes also Sonic & Mario ! (Not easy to explain, we will proceed to the 2.)
2) I had a slight problem, I had a small crash, but maybe is it just my computer. You see when there is a big red diagonal spring to sending a green pipe, very high ? My SRB2 exploded when I touched the pipe. I think it must be my computer. Anyway, I managed to avoid this problem by redoing the level carefully.
3) A rise in the water ...? This is original ... This is something that can not be placed by anyone ! Not easy to put water in 8-bits.
But it has been properly placed in the tower, well done.
==> It was very nice to play level, I'ill do it again later for fun.
Red House Zone by Ice : 8 / 10
Yes, for sure you had a little trouble naming.
A compilation of several wads, you say ? Ah, well why not. The result is satisfactory.
I do not see why the lower rating just because someone has created a level in the style Greenflower, there is no harm ! A successful Greenflower may be a good level, Jade Coast is the proof. It's basic, sure, but it's always fun.
I'll give advice to remember, Ice, when you set up a level in the Greenflower style, you should not use a custom music. Just because the custom music is more excessive and in a style much harder than the lullaby GFZ1 which "break" the classic nature. Keep it.
1) A Greenflower, a Castle Eggman v.1.2, and Arid Canyon, why not. The first two themes are successful, but the style Arid Canyon goes wrong ...
2) In the first part (GF), I spotted ... sand collapses ? It does not suit me.
3) Again and again, you do the traditional 100% SRB2 and I appreciate that. The Next-gen can be used, but if it is badly used, it can become psychedelic and become very boring and irritating. My levels are currently 100% next-gen, but I still have a great appreciation for the good old Old-school.
4) I run around for 2 minutes, I did not understand that I must Spin Dash in the red house ... Maybe I'm the only one who was confused by this !
5) Make out Sonic thanks to the toilet ? Uh .. original.
==> Oh, you too you will make less levels cause of the school ?
Too bad, I really enjoyed this level.
Aquatic Temple by Kuba11 : 9 / 10
Well ! Very quickly you progress, you are even stronger than me, congratulations !
It is not good for me.
You're lucky, because :
What we can say is that you do a good old Deep Sea Zone, but with different textures.
1) A level that represents all the ideas that water can do in SRB2. The reduction of speed, area where we must breathe often, currents, falls, water rises, the old gargoyle above or below the water ... there are all good ideas.
2) The enigma of the gargoyle is well controlled and especially : not confuse, and it's awesome. Underwater, the effect is twenty times more impressive. There is a mystical atmosphere.
However, a simple gray wall rocky drops ? I would have preferred the destruction of the cave, lots of giant rock fells, a flood, etc ... but a door opening, it is really ... well, you understand me.
3) It is very general, I have much to say ! You fully enjoy this theme, the gargoyle puzzle is included, and the water is pure.
==> You are perhaps more at home in the aquatic / cave style ? Maybe ... you can play with it, no worries, but you must also try the other themes, ok ?
Siberian Base by akb778 : 8 / 10
A basic level, that I like. A little too basic, perhaps ...
1) The level is fine. It is beautiful. There are beautiful sculptures of ice and a good circulation of water.
2) There isn't enough height ! Higher platforms.. 80% of the level is located at the same height (the center of the level).
3) I have nothing to say about the weapons, they are pretty well placed, but the shield, an important element of self-respecting good fight, has not be found.
4) There is a place very close, I do not like it. A kind of "hollow" in one Iceberg.
The 4) embarrassed me.
But it's a level that can make small battles, of course ...
SemiRuin Forest Zone by Zipper : 7 / 10
At first, I had the feeling of déjà vu. Then I visited the plant and terminated by the forest ... with the lights.
I enjoyed the forest, but the plant may request some qualities.
1) The beauty, detail is your strength ! (The truck, the computer of the future, the giant keyboard, original lamp ... it's very successful and very beautiful ! I will not hesitate to take the same lamp for my dark levels.)
2) Unfortunately, there are a lot of work on the placement of weapons. This spoils the gameplay. I struggled to collect all weapons, they are placed so far and they're placed too strange, too.
3) Crumbling leafs ? I do not like. I advise you to use the linedef 220.
4) The atmosphere (so, again, the beauty of the level ), is successful and appealing.
Splice Lab Zone by Fawfulfan : 7 / 10
Made in Fawfulfan ? It did not look ! I thought for a Blade/KO.T.E style.
1) So first of all, no one will say otherwise, purple neon lights are beautiful .. and original for ERZ style. Your level has beautiful ideas, it is noticeable.
2) Maybe the textures are *slightly* to review, especially near the Bounce Ring Pannel.
3) It's a little tight, do not you think ? I do not see people using the rail here, but I see much Bounce / Explosive users.
4) The music, the music ... I can not find it suitable. I think the music ERZ1 would have been better. This is of course only my opinion.
5) The white lights are properly controlled, I spotted a balance between "lights that are noticeable" (neon purple) and "natural light" (white)
Successful on the graphics but the gameplay is a bit medium. ERZ style is hard to achieve. Nod to the large area near the bases of Twisted Terminal. Not easy to fill this place !
Storm Stronghold by Spherallic, Errol, RedEnchilada, and SpiritCrusher : 8 / 10
There are much creators.
And seeing the immense amount of detail, I can understand.
1) Like Zipper, beauty is successful, and a medieval atmosphere is felt.
2) Weapons are to be reviewed. They are a bit complex to get, for my taste ! What happened to the old 5 rings line with a Pannel Weapon in the middle of these rings ?
3) There is something about the shield. I feel that you want to push the player to take a shield of water, and then..push him in toxic water, maybe because Sonic likes play into the water ... maybe shields that attract rings should replace a water shield.
4) The lag, especially in the large garden. Of course, it's not your fault, SRB2 is not very powerful. These lags do not affect the rating.
5) A wide variety of details and themes make your level fun to play in the eyes of the player !
Jello Factory by Charybdizs : 7 / 10
Not bad at all ! You like the style "fun, good humor, comic"? There is no problem.
1) Fun, beautiful, fun to play. Oh, and by the way, I'm not a big fan of that generation of people who love ponies, but I must admit that the white pony (Rainbow Dash, if I remember rightly) is beautiful ! It is almost suitable the theme.
2) You still forgot one important thing ... the shields. I want one.
3) As in Stronghold Storm, What happened to the old line of 5 rings with a Pannel Weapon in the middle ? I mean, the weapons are boring if they are placed in difficult areas and hidden. Remember that this is a big factory ! The automatic ring is anyway well placed. (On the pony ... it's cute.)
4) The large cubes colored liquids are strange. They bounce, but I can get inside ... it's weird. An explanation will maybe re-motivate me.
5) I just want to know something about colored liquids. In the room with five different liquids flowing, I'm supposed to be in what ? Gemstone juice ?
MT_Topangalifts by Brawl : 4 / 10
A level that needs experience. The aim of the competition is certainly to win, but it's also a very useful event to learn tips from other designers.
1) Before-all, know that your level could have been much better. The style you used (Egyptian ruins / Aerial Garden mix) can be quite pleasing, even despite its many holes.
2) The objects are placed randomly. You have to find a rationale for the placement of these objects. For example: "Place the rail here so the player can have a huge corridor to attack players "...( Meadow Match is a good example) The same thing goes for the rings. They are just huge handfuls of rings placed in copy and paste. Use some rings monitors and most importantly, the traditional line of 3, 5, 8, or 10 rings.
3) I do not know about you, but I found myself thok ... everywhere. On a spring, on a platform higher, everywhere in all directions.
4) Increases the details ! For example, add flying ruins (with DSZ textures) away, floating ... Here, I just a big circle of loose plates. I want the ruins in the pretty sky.
Rush Jungle by Scizor300, KO.TE, and Simsmagic : 9 / 10
I love ! As soon as I saw the charm of this vegetal level, I crushed my mouse button to enter the game.
1) As I said, beauty, and how basicly the level is building made me want to play the level.
2) Slight problem ... I can not find Rail. I'm sure many players who know how to aim have enjoyed this weapon here, it's surely one of the weapons most suited to this level.
3) You have abused of ring boxes in the secondary sectors. By "secondary sectors", I mean caves and platforms higher. Anything that is not in the central arena, actually. You can reduce the number of boxes in these places at least 50%.
4) I was hoping, but not ... there is no weapon in the tree in the center of the level. However, it would have been a beautiful place.
5) The blue textures in the caves, I dislike them, they are not at all suitable.
6) The idea of the killing mud is great, is the first time that I see it.
7) Problem with Colormap ? It's weird, there is not Colormap that affects all the level ...
Girder Detour Zone by Fawfulfan : 9 / 10
Your level mechanical moderately pleased me, but I believe this race is very realistic and very ... resembling those of other racing video games. Missing more than boxes "?", And go for a Mario Kart !
1) Everyone has noticed the graphics experience at the beginning of the level. Your level looks like a real race. That's something of an expert, that !
2) I do not know what to say, honestly, the race is good in itself, and the details take care of everything else. This level should go in the next version of SRB2 ... but it's too late. I appreciated it.
3) Let's talk about this panel.
Is this is what I think ? 200 FO ...* faints *
It's alright, go on, you'll never know anything if you don't try
Last edited by Internet Explorer; 09-04-2011 at 12:28 PM.
Randomly found avatar
First of all sorry I didn´t make it with my map to this contest maybe next time it´ll be there.
Red House Zone 4/10 - There are some stupid inviible walls and not always working. Also most of level is running without any chalange.
Pipe Towers 9/10 I haven´t seen Mario level in while. This one is awesome. I especialy liked the fact that even tough i always run at random directions I always managed to find next checkpoint quicky.
Aquatic Temple 2/10 Confusing as hell, terreible gargoyle puzzles and water level. What a combination.
Midnight Pass Zone 8/10 Fun short level with nice ending part.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest 10/10 Well i dunno if OLDC is place for mods but whatever I´m giving it full score for epicness. Hope you´ll create more parts.
I'm so insane I read all 558 chapters of Inuyasha in 3 days.
Last edited by Yoshi; 09-01-2011 at 04:24 PM. Reason: Dumbventure made me dumb
Pretty chill guy
Endless Mine - Piano Cover (First one on youtube!)
On that note, it is indeed possible to thok through the corners of the invisible wall.
Voting time gogogo
Single Player
Red House Zone 1 by Ice : 7/10 Okay.This started out just fine but the sudden scene changes made me feel weird.It brought no challenge whatsoever and it was PAINFULLY wide.
It WAS pretty fun though I'll give you that. Nice old platforming and some harmless enemies making the place look good.
Pipe Towers Zone by Fawfulfan : 9/10
A really nice concept to bring Mario in the OLDC and it turned out well too.It just had the usual problem your other maps had : A lot of platforming.A LOT of platforming. The flats and shrooms didn't feel very Marioesque but the wall textures more than made up for that. I haven't got much else to say but cut down on the platforming. Seriously.
Aquatic Temple Zone by Kuba11 : 10/10
why is this getting so many low votes aaaaa
Anyway, the level itself was absolutely brilliant at most times.The gargoyle puzzle wasn't really hard OR annoying for me.The parts after that flowed nicely too and the nice little secrets scattered around were worth a look.
I wasn't planning on giving this a 10 but I am not able to describe the flaws right now. I'LL BE BAC- *cutoff*
Midnight Pass Zone 2 by KO.T.E : 8/10
This level kept going real nicely and the ending was quite a surprise.It just felt too short and played on rails sometimes (plants.they were a nice touch though). I'm sure there were secrets around, I just couldn't find any.You should find a fun way to ket the player travel without plant bouncing all over like you did in the end.
Sonic Dumbventure - Volume 1: Donkey Kracken's Disasterous Quest by D00D64 : 10/10
....ahem.You can pretty much understand how awesome I think this is from that comment.There were tons,TONS,TONS of secrets to find and the gameplay with the new Sonic was super fun.The boss was just as awesome, if not more. The idea of this level was really interesting and was anything EXCEPT dumb.It's nowhere near dumb it's so hilarious it rocks.That is all.
Multi Player
Siberian Base Zone by akb778 : 6/10
This map played pretty well, however the dead-ends were less than pleasant to encounter. I liked the little passageway in the main base thingy but other than that this map didn't really bring anything interesting to the table. Some flat running and springs at times.
SemiRuin Forest Zone by me : Whydid/Idothis
Take my complaints about Siberian Base and multiply it by 1.5.I hoped I'd manage to create something decent but then again it is my first try at a Match stage.I am aware of the huge-ness and the flat-ness and the bad graphic choice and whatever I forgot to say now and will try to fix whatever terribality if I ever make another Match stage.
Splice Lab Zone by Fawfulfan : 7/10
wheeee small Match map BOUNCE EVERYWHERE
That.....pretty much sums it up. You said you created this because you liked the hectic-ity of small maps, and this map proves that they CAN be fun.Some of the platforms halted movement too quickly and using springs in a hectic map like this is suicide.Other than that bounce is a GODSEND in here and scores lotsa points proving it's worth.
Storm Stronghold Zone by Spherallic,Errol,RedEnchilada,SpiritCrusher : 10/10
Oh my god a giant castle!It's a castle and it's giant!
This map was awesome. It was very big and wide but the sector placement prevented it from looking empty. Gameplay is REALLY fun here when you get to find the others, because wide space allows you to think of different tactics.Overall the only problem was........you know what forget this I can't find a flaw you get a 10.
Jello Factory Zone by Charybdizs : 8/10
Jello,jello everywhere!This map is HUUUUGE, but most of the time it was fun!Like, really fun. The reason you get an 8 is that it was very possible to get lost in the giant factory(yes I know this is the shrunken version), removing a lot of action.
Topanga Lifts Zone by Brawl : 2/10
erbrbrbrbr Some bouncy lifts with extremely silly item placement and invisible walls.Over a giant death pit.Giant death pits are NOT good for Match.I was thinking of giving this a 1 but it had lots of rings, so the gameplay had a "so bad it's good" factor.
Rush Jungle Zone by Scizor300, KO.T.E,Simsmagic : 7/10
A pretty straightforward level. It was fun nonetheless, generic shooting and climbing up a mountain-like cliff and getting the upper hand. The mud was really weird, since it wasn't solid, and the match gets repetetive after a while because there's only so much to do here.
Frantic Forest Zone by ThunderNova : 4/10
Oh......my. Really flat level with some forced spring usage so that it doesn't feel bland.90% of the time you're running on the ground,the small stairs bring little to none to the gameplay.The trees didn't have a lot of interesting things on them either.
Galactic Waterworks by Spherallic : 9/10
Pretty darn good,as usual. The path split reminded me of Lime Forest, one of them being fast and one of them being slow but stealthy. the one point drop is because some of the water pools are REALLY annoying,just like the springs in Lime Forest.Sure they are avoidable but if you don't there's a chance you're screwed.
Molten Canyon by akb778 : 7/10
Overall good level, but some of the platforms really broke the gameplay. It gets annoying when you decide to take the platform path and get crushed, or get hit by people while waiting. It didn't have anything else that was interesting.Oh and the gamebreaker glitch really kills the map, so if you ever decide to re-release it on the MB fix it.
Lethal Filibuster Zone by Fawfulfan : 5/10
aaa flat level with politics
This level was mostly boring, with being a flat dash from one base to the other, but the path splits were nice after all, and the small area underwater was a nice touch too.
Girder Detour Zone by Fawfulfan : 6/10
Not much interaction with the objects after all, but the level flowed nicely, and was fun to play. It'd be great if we had the chance to interact with the construction material more, but oh well.
So yeah...this OLDC had some awesome maps rolling around.Definitely lived up to my expectations.
Last edited by Zipper; 09-06-2011 at 08:31 AM.
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Interesting. Does it take place in the real world, or is it a fictional world like Dragonball Z?
For some reason I never tried to watch it when Cartoon Network showed it years ago. What's it about? It looked like treasure hunting from the commercials, lol.
Mine is Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.
I've heard of One Piece, and kinda wondered if that's your avatar was from. I heard that it's a lot more adult-oriented in the original Japanese version.
Your avatar is awesome. Just sayin'. :P
Tweeb Overlord
43rd Mojave Summer
Technology Staff


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Wild Signs Bussieres To Entry-Level Dealby Staff Writer / Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild has signed forward Raphael Bussieres (pronounced boo-SEE-air) to an entry-level contract.
"We're very pleased to have Raphael under contract," said Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr. "He's had a very good year on a quality team in Baie-Comeau that is competing for the QMJHL Championship. We look forward to seeing him in training camp."
The 19-year-old tallied 68 points (29-39=68), 43 penalty minutes (PIM) and a plus-27 rating in 60 games with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) this season. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound native of Longueuil, Que., totaled six power-play goals and ranked third on the team in scoring. He was named the QMJHL's No. 2 Star in November after tallying 23 points (10-13=23) and a plus-11 rating in 13 games and tied a team record scoring a goal in eight consecutive games (Nov. 9-23). Bussieres was also named the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Player of the Week on Nov. 19 after scoring 10 points (4-6=10) in three games. He has collected 16 points (4-12=16) in 18 playoff games as Baie-Comeau trails Halifax, 3-1, in the QMJHL championship series.
Bussieres was selected by Minnesota in the second-round (No. 46 overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.


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The Blues beat BMG 4-2 at the Etihad last season and take them on again at the Etihad on 13 September.
Next up is the trip to Parkhead for what should be an unforgettable first meeting with Celtic. The Blues will face the Scottish Premier League champions on 28 September - one of four successive away games with two trips to Swansea before the tie and another to Tottenham.
Then come two epic back-to-back ties against Barcelona that will go a long way to shaping the final group placings.
City will play the Catalans twice inside a fortnight with the first clash at the Camp Nou on 19 October and the return at the Etihad on 1 November.
The Blues then travel to Borussia-Park for the return clash with Monchengladbach on 23 November before wrapping up the group stage action against Celtic on 6 December.
Full ticket details and selling criteria for all Champions' League Group Stage home fixtures will be announced tomorrow...


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A few thought's while watching the trailer for "Charlie St. Cloud":
- Zac Efron needs to grow a beard, if he can (speaking as someone more than 15 years his senior who can't). He's a good looking kid, but at 23 and with all those damn "High School Musical" movies floating in the ether, when you see him in a bar, you think, 'Does he have a fake ID?'
- Took a look at the book's Wikipedia page and if the movie is even 80% true to the book, this could be the most treacly, emotionally manipulative film in the medium's history. Good lord...
- With the so-called Curse of the Bambino behind us, the absolute worst thing about being a Red Sox fan is the depiction of Red Sox fandom in books and films. It used to be a point of pride that men like John Updike wrote odes to the likes of Ted Williams, but this is just embarrassing.
- It's unfortunate that the one black guy in the trailer is biggest jerk in the trailer. I don't think for a moment that there was any intent there, but don't they have people who look out for this stuff?
- What happened to Donal Logue's career? How is it that he's been reduced to playing a guy named Tink Weatherbee in a movie like this?
Obviously, we're not Efron's target demo, but still, this looks rough.


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Joe DeSimone, PhD
DeSimone is a nationally recognized and highly acclaimed chemistry and materials science researcher, whose discoveries have led to more than 100 patents and the founding of several companies.
While bringing the best and brightest researchers to UNC is fundamental to achieving our goals, keeping our best is equally important. The University Cancer Research Fund has been invaluable in our retaining key faculty, none more so than Dr. Joseph DeSimone, William R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and director of the UNC Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience, and Technology.
DeSimone is a nationally recognized and highly acclaimed chemistry and materials science researcher, whose discoveries have led to more than 100 patents and the founding of several companies. His ground-breaking research in developing novel ways to create nanoparticles has resulted in the founding of a UNC spin-off company located in the Research Triangle. Potential use of this nanotechnology process in delivering targeted cancer therapy and imaging helped UNC become one of eight Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence in the country, joining the likes of Cal Tech, Harvard/MIT, and Stanford. Application of nanotechnology to the delivery of cancer drugs, including both standard chemo-therapy and new biologic therapies, holds outstanding promise for the next generation of cancer treatment that not only works more effectively but also with fewer side effects. This field of nanomedicine, which melds the physical and biologic sciences to improve patient outcomes, will be a major focus of the UCRF.
In 2008, Dr. DeSimone, Chancellor's Eminent Professor of Chemistry and co-principal investigator of UNC Lineberger's Carolina Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, was honored as Tar Heel of the Year by the News & Observer.
DeSimone's outstanding research and entrepreneurship has made him a recruiting target for the nation's top institutions, especially those backed by large private endowments. Losing DeSimone would have been a severe setback for UNC's plans to become a premier institution and leader in cancer nanomedicine. UCRF funding, in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences and other University units, will provide the resources to Dr. DeSimone and his colleagues to help build a cancer nanomedicine research enterprise that will lead the nation.
UNC's DeSimone receives American Chemical Society honor
DeSimone Receives Top Science Mentor Award
UNC scientist to partner on nanoparticle vaccine for prostate cancer
UNC Spinoff Wins Gates Backing for Vaccine, Nanomedicine Work
National Cancer Institute awards $13.6 million to UNC's Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
Humble Protein, Nanoparticles Tag-Team to Kill Cancer Cells