Week 14 Weekly Digest (4th-10th February 2023)
OK, everybody; Week 14 is now here! As per usual, I have 3 things to get through this week, so let's get straight to it!
Round 12 Results
After a week of voting, Round 12's results are now in! I can confirm that I got
3 responses in the Google Form, and the winners of Round 12 are as follows:
- Overall: @Connor98 (10pts)
- Realism: @Connor98 (1pt)
- Originality: N/A (No Originality votes were cast this week)
The leaderboard for Round 12 is as follows:
As such, the leaderboard for the overall contest so far is as follows:
Great round, everybody! Now let's move onto Round 13 voting...
Round 13 Voting
Our Round 13 submissions are ready and built. Therefore, the voting stage must now begin!
Please vote for your Round 13 favourites via this Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfP39hpT94Z38YZyv-RlrjHxMuHo1GRcanu8Gnn98vXdYj_-A/viewform
Let me just recap a few things about voting, if you need a reminder.
- If you're not clear on how I'd like you to vote; please pick your top 5 track layouts and rank them in order of preference from #1 to #5. If you give a player a particular ranking, the points allocated are as follows; #1 ranking = 5pts, #2 ranking = 4pts, #3 ranking = 3pts, #4 ranking = 2pts, #5 ranking = 1pt.
- You will also receive the opportunity to nominate a submission for Realism or Originality if you wish. Unlike last year, these nominations are not compulsory; you can award them if you wish, but you do not have to nominate anyone for Realism or Originality. Each Realism or Originality nomination a player gets will grant them 1 Realism point or 1 Originality point.
- Please only fill out this form once. I have not mandated this within the form itself, but I'm trusting you all here.
- Please do not vote for yourself. I know that there is no way I can mandate this, but I trust you not to. Please can I request that you only nominate submissions that are not your own.
- Please judge submissions on track layout only. This is a coaster layout building contest; theming is pretty much irrelevant here.
- I know that this form of voting is a lot more anonymous than the voting process was in the last contest. If you would like to add a slightly more personal touch, you can still post a comment in this thread indicating your top 5 choices, as well as any Realism or Originality nominations, like you did last year if you would like to. However, can I please request that the Google Form be your first port of call for voting; I will only count votes cast within the Google Form, as if you post in this thread, I wouldn't like to assume whether you've already voted in the Google Form or not. Post your choices in the thread by all means, but please make sure that you log your votes within the Google Form first, as the votes within the Google Form are the votes I'll be counting.
Here are the Round 13 submissions so that you know what you're voting for:
- Taking the Piste, a B&M Inverted Coaster by @RicketyCricket:
- Delirium, an S&S 4th Dimension Coaster by @Matt N:
- Inferno, a B&M Stand-Up Coaster by @Poisson:
- Unnamed Mack Rides Launch Coaster by @Connor98:
- The Ride to a Reasonable Amount of Contentedness, a B&M Flying Coaster by @Matt.GC:
- Happiness Pun, a B&M Wing Coaster by @mo237:
- Project Daredevil, a B&M Dive Coaster by @Thameslink Rail:
The Round 13 voting deadline is
Friday 10th February 2023 at 11:59pm.
Now that Round 13 voting is all cleared up, let's move onto the Round 14 reveal...
Round 14 Building
OK, folks; we've built our Round 13 submissions, so it's about time I revealed Round 14! The Round 14 brief is...
Antarctica Replacement at SeaWorld Orlando! The context for this round is as follows:
After it closed 3 years ago at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin is finally being put out of its misery. Clearance has recently started around the building, and the hype is building for SeaWorld Orlando's next big attraction. The park has awarded the contract for Antarctica's replacement to none other than you, and with SeaWorld being on a coaster building spree at the moment, they fancy another coaster for Antarctica's replacement! They've decided that they want a family thrill coaster after their last attempt to build this in Ice Breaker failed somewhat (due to the imposition of a 54" height restriction that completely defeated the object of the ride's original mission), so you can't make it anything too extreme, and they've also decided that the Antarctica building has to stay due to it holding the park's penguin exhibit. However, the park have also granted you use of some of the area around Antarctica's building, so you can build a partially outdoor coaster if you'd like. What coaster will you replace Antarctica with?
The constraints for this round are as follows:
- Maximum Footprint 118m*80m/387ft*262ft
- Must Fit At Least Partially Inside Antarctica Building (Dimensions 84m*72m*16m/276ft*236ft*53ft)
- Maximum Height 82ft/25m
- Maximum Speed 50mph/80kph
- No Inversions
For some additional context, the area of SeaWorld we're working within is as follows (it's circled in black and labelled "Antarctica"):
This round is rather unique in that we are building within both a building and a template. You can build a partially outdoor coaster if you wish, but you must keep the building within the footprint and you must also stay within the given dimensions above.
For PC users, I have created a Steam Workshop template with the building pre-built inside it; here's the link to download it:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2918579671
If you are on console, I regret to inform you that I cannot provide you with a pre-built template, as Steam Workshop cannot be accessed on a console. I apologise for the inconvenience. All is not lost, however, as I have created a step-by-step tutorial showing how to construct the building yourself.
This can be accessed in the form of a video where I show myself building the building so that you can build along with me (I apologise if it's a bit crude...):
This can also be accessed in the form of a Google Doc showing written instructions with accompanying pictures, if you prefer written instructions:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WvPL1bw7yJ2rx00CwESR1PYVtfMz0CI5mR1o1VkCcg8/edit?usp=sharing
As for how you can denote the maximum overall footprint; I would recommend using path or wall pieces to give an approximate idea (these are 4m in length, for reference).
To determine your ride height, please use Terrain Relative height markers (the option denoted by the picture of a mountain).
As for what you need to do to submit; please build your submission, film a POV and off-ride shots, and post them in this thread. You can do a brief description of what your ride is if you wish. If you have any issues with uploading your video(s), please don't hesitate to PM me.
May I once again emphasise that this is a
coaster layout building contest. By all means add some light theming and landscaping if you wish, but the
coaster layout should ideally be the focus. Quality of coaster layout is pretty much the be all and end all here; heavy theming won't gain you any points, and no theming won't lose you any points.
The Round 14 submission deadline is
Friday 10th February 2023 at 11:59pm. If you struggle for time and would like me to extend the deadline, please PM me or request an extension in this thread before the deadline. I would be more than happy to facilitate an extension for you if you would like one.
If you do not make contact with me and ask for an extension, I will assume that you are happy to forfeit this round and move on after the posted deadline.
So, that's everything for Week 14! If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
Good luck, everybody... get building for Round 14 and voting for Round 13, folks!
