Well since it's basically over, I wanted to offer an apology for my entry, Retro Rocket, as clearly it was not well received and did not belong in the competition. I wanted to enter for fun to feel a part of the community, but I guess I misjudged the seriousness and prestige of this as a competition more for merit and less for fun. While I didn't specifically design it for this competition, I did work really hard on it thinking I could eventually enter it if I thought it turned out well, but I guess my maximum effort is still at a poor level compared to everyone else. Anyway, I'm sorry I wasted an entry spot and I will refrain from entering anything in the future unless I can make significant improvements. Good luck to the remaining 3, I wish I wasn't forced to vote for myself because I don't deserve it and would rather cast my vote for one of the immensely better entries.

Well since it's basically over, I wanted to offer an apology for my entry, Retro Rocket, as clearly it was not well received and did not belong in the competition. I wanted to enter for fun to feel a part of the community, but I guess I misjudged the seriousness and prestige of this as a competition more for merit and less for fun. While I didn't specifically design it for this competition, I did work really hard on it thinking I could eventually enter it if I thought it turned out well, but I guess my maximum effort is still at a poor level compared to everyone else. Anyway, I'm sorry I wasted an entry spot and I will refrain from entering anything in the future unless I can make significant improvements. Good luck to the remaining 3, I wish I wasn't forced to vote for myself because I don't deserve it and would rather cast my vote for one of the immensely better entries.

@Mynock, don't worry about the CC (constructive criticism) you get. It's just people's opinions. Yes I realize some take it more serious than others, and some come across as blunt and maybe even a little rude at times but don't take it to heart. I personally use any CC I get to my advantage, some may see something from a different perspective that I hadn't noticed. You don't need to apologize for your craft. To be honest there's been plenty of winners that I didn't think were any better than the others but it's all about the votes. And of course don't forget, some people are just wired differently and have different personalities and are impressed with certain things but not others. We're all different. However there's always going to be haters in life as well, I don't suppose this website is any different than any others when it comes to different personalities clashing, it happens. Some could very well be jealous of an entry and that jealousy reflects their vote. Not saying that happens a lot, but I'm sure it has at some point down the line. Just continue your craft and continue to advance your creativity and continue entering the contests. Remember at the end of the day, it's just pixels.

@Mynock - To piggy-back off of Brad's comment, the CC supplied by myself and others is not intended to belittle any of the entries or be rude in any way. We supply CC as a way to help critique entries and supply feedback that may help creators (both that entered and those that are spectating) to take a look at their work with the feedback supplied and improve.

I wouldn't consider Build-It! a serious or prestigious competition, if you'd like to see people that take themselves far too seriously I suggest you take a look at: https://www.nedesigns.com/ , rather I see it as an opportunity to help others on site improve through showcasing their work. Of course, everyone wants to win (I'm guilty of that as well, just take a look at my signature), but I consider that secondary to improving as a builder.

I wouldn't consider Build-It! a serious or prestigious competition, if you'd like to see people that take themselves far too seriously I suggest you take a look at: https://www.nedesigns.com/ , rather I see it as an opportunity to help others on site improve through showcasing their work. Of course, everyone wants to win (I'm guilty of that as well, just take a look at my signature), but I consider that secondary to improving as a builder.

Heh heh heh. I'm one of those people who takes things too seriously.... but anyway, @Mynock, I know it can be tough to hear criticism of something you've worked hard on. Just hang in there and try to incorporate the comments for next time. You do that, and you WILL improve, I promise you that!

I'll post some reviews of each entry after the round concludes, as I think it's fairer for someone who's entered to do so that way.

I said myself that if it was down to the 3 that weren't mine, yours would take my vote, I love the foliage work and it actually had an interesting theme and something unique about it
To be fair though, its not a bad build, but its what I call a park coaster, a coaster that would really work if put in a park, but by itself doesn't stand out too much, I would say the same thing about the other 2 entries as well actually, and the 4th one is already in a park
Don't take it too much to heart, if this is your first actual entry congrats, its fantastic, just ask BlazingEmpireHD who started out way worse than you and now basically wins every round he enters
Nave

If I happened to have any part in giving you a serious and negative impression of this casual competition I'm sorry too haha

We're all nerds playing years old theme park games, after all, and some just like building with specific ideologies which can clash with others'. There's no right way to play these games anyways, we just show different ways to look at parkmaking to help ourselves and others in improving through however we like.

Just as an example, stick around long enough and you'll find I never judge the ride layouts themselves in this competition, even though it may be the strongest or only factor to determine another person's vote. Might make my CC less credible but I don't care lmao

Hello, Mynock. Welcome to Build It!

Every entrant has been where you are right now. You happen to be up against three people who have entered Build It before, which puts you at a disadvantage for this round because you aren't familiar yet with what other people typically enter. This is completely normal for someone in your position, and everyone here has been in that position at some point or another. If you can survive another few rounds, you'll have a better idea of what you're up against, and you'll find that you can use that to your advantage. You seem like a dedicated builder, so I hope we'll be seeing more of your work in coming rounds!

(I actually hold the record for most consecutive Build It losses, so I know how difficult it can be at first)

As others have mentioned, our feedback is not meant as a personal attack by any means (though I've been known to give a builder a good shake every now and then if I've known him long enough, look out nave); it is there for your benefit, at least that's our intention when we write it. We put the time and effort into illustrating how your work could be improved because we want you to continue to enter, and we want to see you hone your creativity. There's no obligation to follow our advice; we just throw it out there in case something sticks. It's more fun to watch a builder progress over time than to see him waltz in with tremendous skill and blow away every round from the beginning.

I am notoriously the hardest critic, but I've been told by some regular builders my feedback has helped them improve over time. You'll see that I'm much harder on the veterans than on the first-time entrant (which I would have been even if you hadn't revealed which entry was yours) because I'm more familiar with their styles, and I have a clearer idea of what they're aiming to accomplish. 

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Colossal Turbo
This is an example of a realism-based coaster with nothing inherently wrong with it, but nothing particularly special or memorable about it either. It's strong in the landscaping department (which is the area I tend to be most critical of), with strong foliage and rock positioning, and no building seems out of place either. From the aerial view, the coaster looks like Moses parting the red brick sea, which for some reason just leads to a dead end with no discernible purpose past the tower ride in the corner (which is placed nicely). I would have also liked to have seen that path put to use, as it would have looked much more lifelike with guests walking around.

Seaside Salvager
This looks like it must have been fun to build, even though I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at. The architecture has an abstract charm to it, and though they only use a few different colors, artistically it's somewhat pleasing to the eye. I would like the built-in waterfalls a bit more if some of them didn't flow directly onto the path (and in one instance, onto a canvas tent). What I really can't get past is that layout; you built half an island with so much potential for terrain interaction--keeping in mind that you had full control over the height of every single terrain square--and the coaster barely touches it. Not to mention that it goes nowhere near the tower (nice to see WW objects, by the way), which is the central point of the origin story. Saying "the coaster itself was not done with much thought" is not an excuse to enter a track with little thought put into the layout.

Retro Rocket
Even though it's a first-time entry, the terrain interaction shows potential. This is this coaster's greatest strength, and it looks like the coaster was built realistically around the rugged landscape. My favorite part is the drop before the helix at the end, though that brake run could have been built on a level plane had you shaved the top two helix halves off. The scenery selection fits with the fantasy-medieval theme, but the placement of objects around the track seems random. There's definitely a cleaner way of displaying this theme, and it would involve some more planning as to where the objects are placed. You may also consider varying the terrain type to include some dirt or some rock here and there to create some open areas as a contrast to the areas with heavy scenery density. The inclusion of negative space is a fairly advanced concept in Build It, but when done well, it can blow the competition away.

The Twister
The second example of realism done very well, though it doesn't exactly jump out at the viewer. This, however, is difficult to remedy when the coaster is a recreation, and the real-life version isn't visually striking. At least, not at first glance. Upon closer investigation, one can spot the subtle details, such as the train running underneath the ride or the almost-hidden underground tunnel, so it does appear that the builder paid very close attention to the Knoebels park layout and where all the rides are placed in relation to each other. This attention to detail is why I believe this is by far the strongest entry this round; even if this weren't a recreation, it would still be one of the most impressive examples of realism we've seen in this competition. Top 10 at least. Phoenix is still much prettier.

And Thundering Sierra