reddude333
Giga Poster
Re: Josh73's 2nd RCT3 Competition!!! Due date extended! (pag
Okay, here are my short reviews just for the sake of giving some feedback to my competitors. I will try to be honest while not sounding too harsh.
Thekingin64: First off, I will just say that I favored your entry over Addy2053's, but both left much to be desired. Pros: In terms of being a terrain coaster, I was glad to see how much Free Bird stuck to the ground. The final shot you posted from the mountaintop was nice and gave a great perspective of the coaster. The section with lots of trees seemed much more intense than the rest and had a nice ambiance to it. Cons: Besides the helix, the first half was fairly bland. Overall if you had incorporated more scenery items and had some interaction with them it would have made the coaster seem less "lonely". Using particle effects is good, but if they are left alone, they often seem out of place. For a flyer (considering the lack of inversion options) I would have liked to see you incorporate more variety. On a final note, although this may be a personal preference, I don't like drops that can't decide whether they want to be just slightly angled or steep; I feel it is unattractive to look at.
addy2503: Your coaster was no doubt unique but as I said before could have benefited from some extra effort put in after the layout was designed. Pros: I commend you for breaking way out of the norm and trying for a drifting coaster. The first drop was intense and the extensive use of helices played well with the coaster type you chose. Cons: In terms of being a terrain coaster, only a couple hills really fit that criteria. The land surrounding the coaster is devoid of theming whatsoever which made the entire ride seem less appealing from the start. Due to the nature of drifting coasters, switches in direction were just plain painful to watch and must be executed more carefully as to not cause backlash. Your coaster also had some of the same issues with drops that King's had. Hint: A predrop is not necessary for a coaster containing only one car, perhaps continue the drop into a banked curve instead of flattening out first.
Mouse: Your entry was great overall and truly had me worried about my fate in this competition. Pros: Stuck to the terrain very well and in places where it didn't, addition scenery (mostly trees) maintained the feel of being close to the ground. Theming all matched up well and colors complimented each other well. Variations in terrain color and height surrounding the coaster helped make it feel like the land was already there and the coaster was built on it (as opposed to vise-versa). The launch was smooth and the ride pacing was very realistic and felt natural. Good mix of banking angles. Cons: After the MCBR I see what you were going for but I personally felt like the transition into the overbanked drop was a tad slow. When taking pictures, cropping out the frame makes the shot look that much nicer. The station was nice but could have been improved upon. Overall great effort though and a quality product.
Final notes:
•Terrain should be completely smoothed out and seamless by the time an entry is submitted
•Station buildings will almost always look better if they cover more than just the "station track" and can be greatly enhanced with extra scenery items placed around
•Editing the options.txt file can make terrain issues practically vanish if done correctly (consult me if you want help with this)
Okay, here are my short reviews just for the sake of giving some feedback to my competitors. I will try to be honest while not sounding too harsh.
Thekingin64: First off, I will just say that I favored your entry over Addy2053's, but both left much to be desired. Pros: In terms of being a terrain coaster, I was glad to see how much Free Bird stuck to the ground. The final shot you posted from the mountaintop was nice and gave a great perspective of the coaster. The section with lots of trees seemed much more intense than the rest and had a nice ambiance to it. Cons: Besides the helix, the first half was fairly bland. Overall if you had incorporated more scenery items and had some interaction with them it would have made the coaster seem less "lonely". Using particle effects is good, but if they are left alone, they often seem out of place. For a flyer (considering the lack of inversion options) I would have liked to see you incorporate more variety. On a final note, although this may be a personal preference, I don't like drops that can't decide whether they want to be just slightly angled or steep; I feel it is unattractive to look at.
addy2503: Your coaster was no doubt unique but as I said before could have benefited from some extra effort put in after the layout was designed. Pros: I commend you for breaking way out of the norm and trying for a drifting coaster. The first drop was intense and the extensive use of helices played well with the coaster type you chose. Cons: In terms of being a terrain coaster, only a couple hills really fit that criteria. The land surrounding the coaster is devoid of theming whatsoever which made the entire ride seem less appealing from the start. Due to the nature of drifting coasters, switches in direction were just plain painful to watch and must be executed more carefully as to not cause backlash. Your coaster also had some of the same issues with drops that King's had. Hint: A predrop is not necessary for a coaster containing only one car, perhaps continue the drop into a banked curve instead of flattening out first.
Mouse: Your entry was great overall and truly had me worried about my fate in this competition. Pros: Stuck to the terrain very well and in places where it didn't, addition scenery (mostly trees) maintained the feel of being close to the ground. Theming all matched up well and colors complimented each other well. Variations in terrain color and height surrounding the coaster helped make it feel like the land was already there and the coaster was built on it (as opposed to vise-versa). The launch was smooth and the ride pacing was very realistic and felt natural. Good mix of banking angles. Cons: After the MCBR I see what you were going for but I personally felt like the transition into the overbanked drop was a tad slow. When taking pictures, cropping out the frame makes the shot look that much nicer. The station was nice but could have been improved upon. Overall great effort though and a quality product.
Final notes:
•Terrain should be completely smoothed out and seamless by the time an entry is submitted
•Station buildings will almost always look better if they cover more than just the "station track" and can be greatly enhanced with extra scenery items placed around
•Editing the options.txt file can make terrain issues practically vanish if done correctly (consult me if you want help with this)
