The Amazing Race > RFF's Amazing Race: Design Challenge

The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!

<< < (205/260) > >>

Kamineko:


Kamineko's Comments

First, I'm sorry for being so late to post my comments.

My comments are done. In general, I actually hoped to see more varied countries, but it seems that some countries are obvious choices. There are some good and some not too good legs in my opinion, and this is already Round 5, so I really hope that you all up your game in the upcoming last two rounds of this game.

Once again, this is my personal opinion. It might be different from the other judges. If you have some issues in my comments that you already provided in your design but I somehow missed, you can state that, and I will adjust my score.

I'm going to give my comments based on the order of the designs posted in the Design Showcase.

Here we go!

Kamineko:


Kamineko's Comments


Design #1: Bookworm [Temuco and Lago Budi, Chile]

Show content   - I like that you picked a new location in Chile, but I don’t really fond of the idea of mentioning that Araucanía is the poorest region while mentioning its breathtaking scenery.

- The first ARI is really solid, especially when the poem author is related with the location they’re in. I wonder if teams were told about the aid that existed, but considering there are 

- The throwing ARI is not new in concept. It’s there just to add more indigenous themed tasks, but considering there are more to come, I can see this task edited out since the chance of position shuffling is not that big.

- For your Detour, I like the idea for the seaweed task, and making those bales can be hard if they don’t know how to tie the seaweed properly. In what way will they deliver the seaweed bales? On foot? For the shaman task, from your description, it sounds like it will take a longer time to complete, since there are so many things to do, but I like it regardless. Also, for presentation sake, I would like you to separate each Detour with some spaces (or at least like “===”) between them. Because, at first I am confused to determine where is the start of the second Detour option description. Your U-Turn placement is also nice since it’s near to both Detour locations.

- For the Roadblock task, I don’t love it nor dislike it. It’s just a mediocre task in my opinion, especially this late in the competition. Also, considering that the Detour and the pre-Detour ARI have already featured much of the round’s main theme, I think you can opt for other things for the Roadblock later. I also have some concern that some teams may not be able to do the free dive. It can cause a drama if they really can do it, but I hope some teams can opt for using an oxygen tank but with a time cost for the extra preparation. 

- For my last comments, I like that you pick an interesting location for this round and I like that you highlight the main theme for this round. I have some minor concern with the Roadblock, but it’s not really affecting my scores I believe. But regardless, I think it’s a nice effort from you to highlight this off the beaten path area in Chile, at least in my knowledge.



Design #2: Lemontail [Copacabana, Bolivia]

Show content   - I love your starting location since we haven’t seen a Belize leg before.

- I like the idea of the cryptic clue from the start. But I’m not sure that all teams will know directly where they should fly to and how to go to the town from the airport.

- For the Detour, I like the car decorating task since it will look nice on screen. Also, buying props for the decoration can add more challenge to some teams. What rules do they have to follow anyway? For the second Detour option, I don’t really see the relation of the name and the main task. What’s the purpose of them learning how to play the flute if the remaining parts of the task aren’t related with that? I would love to know the names of the planets in the language that you mention as well.

- The Roadblock sounds like a scavenger hunt typed task, please correct me if I’m wrong. I’m kinda confused with what you meant by “route markers” here. Perhaps you meant the materials for the pilgrimage? I just cannot really imagine how this task will play out.

- Your next location is good and I like that teams have to travel by boat in the middle of the race. This can make the U-Turned teams catch up with others as well. The stair-climbing task is also nice to watch since it’s already the second half of the leg and teams should be really tired after the Detour and Roadblock tasks.

- The ARI task with the llamas is another scavenger hunt task and kinda reminds me of TAR12 Leg 1 infamous donkey task. But actually I prefer that this task becomes the Roadblock instead of an ARI, because handling animals by yourself can be interesting to watch on screen.

- For my final comments, it’s clear that you’re rushed with your submission. I think that it’s okay to submit late even with a -1 penalty rather than submitting a mediocre leg. If you want to submit on time with some mistakes in your presentation, that can cause a bigger reduction for your score. It’s just my personal opinion, especially that you mentioned that you’re pretty busy these times.



Design #4: Nuku [Sacred Valley, Peru]

Show content   - Your choice is Cusco, Peru. This location is an easy pick in my opinion. Hopefully you can deliver a well made leg.

- The first ARI just serves as an intermezzo before the real tasks start, much like the one in TAR29’s Norway leg.

- I really like the concept for both Detour tasks. I like the celebration task since it’s not the usual concept. But I would like to know all five dances and all five costumes that you mentioned as well. For the navigation task, I would like if you draw (just use Paint or any photo editing app) the route that they have to take and approximately where the items are hidden. What message do they have to memorize too? You didn’t provide much detail about this.

- The Blind Double U-Turn is also fit better since teams can use the power without letting anyone else know, considering both Detour tasks look challenging.

- The ARI at the village is another consuming a local food (following the first one that involves a local drink). I’ll just pick one (preferably this one) if I were you.

- For the Roadblock task, I don’t understand the “the textile that represents the llama” part. Maybe you should provide a picture as an example? Also, having teams to go back and do the weaving from the start seems pretty harsh because I believe that a weaving task can take a long time to complete.

- The final ARI requires them to complete a puzzle of an Incan temple. I believe that the picture was taken from a Survivor task, so I find this task underwhelming and not really necessary considering there are so many tasks preceding this. It won't fit the usual ±40 minutes airing time.

- I like the idea of following a sound of a panflute that will lead them to the Pit Stop.

- For my final comments, I like your tasks, although there are lacks of details here and there. I think having 3 ARI tasks is too much. Just choosing 1 or 2 tasks are enough, but make sure that they are relevant and necessary, or just don’t include that.

Kamineko:


Kamineko's Comments


Design #5: nrh2110 [Puno, Peru]

Show content   - I like that you’re choosing a different location, as well as a never before visited place in Peru. The Uros Floating Islands are also a nice location to visit.

- Let’s jump on to the Detour. For the “Lay It Down” task, how do they measure a bundle of reed anyway? That task doesn’t seem really complicated, it’s a simple and straightforward task. For the “Pull It Up” task, I’m not really fond of a fishing task since it’s a nondeterministic timed task, but considering it’s just one fish I’ll let it pass. But what kind of dish do they have to cook? I would prefer if you provide a picture of the finished dish or a link of the recipe, if any. The Double U-Turn placement is also okay since it’s near both Detour tasks.

- Back to Puno, they have to find a person doing a diablada dance from a crowd of dancers. Thankfully you provided a video link for the example, but I prefer you also mention the exact time where the performer appears on the video.

- For the Roadblock, I really like the concept. It’s similar to TAR23’s Angklung task, but different in terms of what they should do. For a team member who’s deaf (like Luke) or tone deaf will really struggle, though. Assembling the panflute can be hard if they are not skilled enough. In summary, I think this task is pretty solid.

- For my final comments, I believe this leg is not bad at all. The tasks are solid and straightforward. The Double U-Turn is also well placed that can give a chance for the U-Turned teams to catch up. I think you just showcased a different side of Peru that I’m not aware of, and I’m really pleased with that.



Design #6: MikeDodgers [Paramaribo and Onverwacht, Suriname]

Show content   - First, I just want to say that I’m glad that you picked a country that’s never been visited before and even rarely mentioned. But I really hope that you can showcase a good leg for this.

- I see that you’re designing a first leg. I’m not saying it’s not good, but considering that there’s a U-Turn requirement as well, I hope you won’t disappoint me with that. The U-Turn vote at the Starting Line is not good because teams haven’t had any idea about their opponents and this may put some physically fit teams in jeopardy.

- Also, I’m just going to say that here before moving on to judging your tasks. I really don’t like that you tried to follow someone else’s presentation style (in this case, Alenaveda’s style). It gives an impression to me that you don’t have your own original style and you’re just mimicking others. Doing this style of presentation makes me feel that I’m looking and judging at Alen’s leg, even though it’s yours. If Alen is still judging this game, I don’t want to imagine what he would say looking at your design here. I really hope that you can find your own style of presentation and not mimic others anymore.

- Your first task in the Starting Line is okay, nothing really impressive. But at least it fits the Starting Line location and searching through those small die-cast cars can be hard in the rush.

- The first Roadblock in Suriname is not bad. Although the link you provided is just too long. I would’ve preferred a video or a picture of the performance here. Also, I don’t feel that connection with the indigenous people here from your presentation, compared with other designs.

- Following the first Roadblock, is a second Roadblock. I really don’t understand why you’re doing a Jewish themed task in Suriname. I don’t think this task is necessary to be included in this leg.

- Moving on to the Detour. For the “Hunt and Gather” task, I think it’s decent and pretty straightforward. For the “Live and Learn” task, I don’t have any idea about the game you mentioned.

- My nightmare comes true after all. You put the U-Turn board before the Pit Stop, which means a “death sentence” to those who are U-Turned, which I really don’t like. Also, considering that you’re designing a 1st leg just adding fuel to the fire.

- For my final comments, I'm kinda disappointed with this leg, although I had a big hope about this country. Your leg is not impressive this time because you put things that grind my gear, especially the U-Turn before the Pit Stop part. Remember that this is already Round 5 and the next round is the penultimate leg. If you want to reach the final, you should up your game. :tup:



Design #7: betheactress [Santiago, Chile]

Show content   - I like your bold move to design a leg in a city, especially the theme of this round relates with the indigenous people.

- At the Starting Line, there’s a Voting U-Turn. I want to know more about the mechanic for this Voting U-Turn, like why you only mentioned the 2nd highest tie scenario. Is there no chance of a tie for the 1st place? There’s also a chance that all teams will face a U-Turn if all get one vote, right?

- Moving on to Santiago the next morning, I like the greetings from the Mapuche people involved here.

- Let’s move to the Detour. For the “Bikes & Beans” task, the challenging part of the task is the cycling part, but the second part is pretty much a pure luck task and should not take really long to complete. I wonder if the bike track is similar to the one in the picture since if it’s the exact location then I don’t think any team can pass each other. For the “Cable Cars & Cieuca” task, it requires more effort to complete compared to the first option. It’s not good, but it’s not bad either. Although both choices are nice, maybe I hoped to see more varying culture themed task rather than picking two game-related tasks.

- For the Roadblock, the task sounds pretty straightforward, so it’s pretty solid. I wonder if the extra prizes can be claimed by all teams, since if everyone is attempting to get the Express Pass, there will be an Express Pass galore for the future legs which will become really underwhelming. I would prefer that if there are quotas for each prize.

- I really like the “See the Bigger Picture” task. This looks perfect on text and on screen, especially that it gives a chance for the U-Turned team to possibly catch up with the others. Good job on coming up with this idea!

- For my final comments, I believe that this leg is really solid. Both Detour tasks are basically a local game combined with a navigate task, so I’m not fully impressed with that. I like your Roadblock with a minor issue with the quotas of the prizes, but I adore your last ARI task. This leg is definitely in the upper tier, but I still think your previous leg in the previous round is better than this one.

MikeDodgers:
Kami, thank you for the comments. I was trying to go for an overarching theme for the opening leg. The theme I was trying to go for was the role of the indigenous people in our society and what happened to them. What can we learn from their ultimate fate to be better in the future? That'll be a theme for the season I have planned - progress. We are all one world, multiple societies with their own story to tell. We've also made our share of mistakes and the theme of the season is what we can learn from those mistakes to make the progress that we want to see in the future. As the season progresses, there'll be a gradual look ahead into more advanced civilizations, more tasks in futuristic like cities and the final leg I have planned will be a complete look ahead into the future with the theme of 'Dreams Come True'.

Sidenote: The final leg I have planned is NOT my round 1 leg.

gamerfan09:


Gamer's Judgments:

My comments will be quite minimal since there’s no point in beating around the bush - all of you are through the next round because of the DQs/Quits. Instead take this time to see what went wrong and what went right. Great job, and apologies for the delay in posting my comments.

Bookworm [Temuco & Lago Budi, Chile]

Show contentYour opening poem task is a nice short brain teaser to kick off the leg. The wooden target Route Info is basic but short, a good way to welcome teams into the village.

Your Detour is cultural and the tasks are good. Physical vs. Slow. My main problem with the Detour is really just that this is one of the very rare cases where I think having the U-Turn before the Detour would work. It’s a matter of personal opinion, but I personally think that the cryptic clue + Route Info earlier would be enough to shuffle placements, and if a team is U-Turned here, they can be more strategic with deciding what to do first. Do they conserve their energy for the physical task by doing the slower one first, or do they go all out and then use the slower Detour as a chance to be more calm under pressure? Just my personal opinion.

Your Roadblock is right after the Double U-Turn, and my main problem with the RB is that I think it has the potential to be linear, which means the U-Turned teams might be screwed from the get-go, it would come down to who finishes their U-Turn first. I think your RB could have benefitted if you made teams drive to a location, but the task itself doesn’t really seem like it has room for a lot of placement shifts. I think this task could have honestly been earlier in the leg, or just replaced.

We then head to your Pit Stop, which looks great.

Bookworm, I liked this leg, but I really just have nitpicks with your U-Turn placement and your Roadblock being linear. I just felt that the start of the leg was nice and calm, and then suddenly the “big major tasks + twist” of the leg are all thrown together in quick succession with not enough room to breathe. I think spacing them out could have done wonders for the leg, but nonetheless, this is a solid leg. Good job.
Lemontail [Copacabana, Bolivia]

Show contentI love your Detour! The cars is a basic decorating task that is ALSO a market task, and I can see this being very chaotic. The flutes work by the sights and the memory. I just think your Detour is very bright, very loud, and very high-energy, and the fact that the Double U-Turn is here means that it had the potential to be very messy.

I said potential because in this case, I actually think the Double U-Turn being somewhere accessible by foot after finishing the Detour of your choice would have worked better than driving to another place.

Your Roadblock is interesting, and I like that it’s a navigation task, but I think you made a mistake with the picture you used in your submission. It’s the RB from last leg.

We then work with llamas and then go to the Pit Stop. I really like your llama task! It’s a nice way to end the leg.

Lemontail, as a whole, I actually really liked your leg. I love the idea of almost all tasks having the potential to be overwhelming one way or the other. The Detour is noise pollution. The Roadblock is navigating. And the Llama task is animal handling. It’s just a very challenging leg that I enjoyed reading, and my only real nitpick is the U-Turn placement. Still, great job!
Nuku [Sacred Valley, Peru]

Show contentI think your Celebrate Detour is solid, but it seems like something that would fit an Active Route Info or a Roadblock better. Similarly, your other Detour feels the same. I don’t know what it is, but I can find some logistical issues with both tasks. For Celebrate, watching the performances might take forever. I don’t know how long they’re supposed to be, and thus I think watching 5 might take too long. Similarly, for the other Detour, I’m confused with the try again part. The challenge is clearly to memorize a message while looking for 2 items. But does trying again mean having to get the items again? I just don’t see the point of repeating that part, it was already hard enough as is, I think that the Communicate Detour would have been better fit as a penalty task. What do I mean? I mean that you have to memorize the message, get the items, and if you don’t remember it when you deliver, you wait out 10 minutes. I normally don’t like tasks with that element, but I think this could have been a good one for it.

We then eat guinea pig (but its not rly a gross out eating task if we’re going off on other travel shows, good enough eating task regardless), and then have a weaving Roadblock. Like Lemontail’s leg, I will say I like the llama, and I appreciate this task.

We then do a short Survivor-esque puzzle before going to the Pit Stop. I have no qualms with the puzzle, but I just think that considering how full your leg was at this point, this is a task that might just be edited out of the theoretical episode.

Nuku, I’m pretty mixed on your leg, but I do appreciate the culture in it. My main problem is really just that I felt your Detour suffered through logistics and planning issues, thus making the leg start off on the wrong foot so to speak, and then I thought the puzzle near the end was overkill. The rest are fine and even good.

As a whole, good enough effort, but I’d appreciate more details next time especially with tasks where specific times are important into determining how long something could take.
nrh2110 [Puno, Peru]

Show contentYour Detour is a mixed bag for me. The first Detour is fine, but I just have some qualms about teams traveling by boat to this Detour and then the first option they see is spending more time in a boat. The other Detour is fishing, which is a personal pet peeve, but I do like the additional twist of the seagull lol. As a whole, your Detour is fine, and its balanced enough for the U-Turn to not be that big of a deal.

The Diabalda Route Info is great. Your Roadblock is an interesting concept because most of the time its just teams MAKING the instruments and not really USING them. I liked it! Like the idea of teams needing to also construct and then ensure that the pitches are right.

We then head to the Pit Stop.

NRH, this is a fine, short leg. I thought the Detour at the start was relatively mediocre, but I appreciate how it being the first thing + the U-Turn makes it more balanced. The rest of the leg is pretty good, and overall, this is a solid effort. Good job.
MikeDodgers [Paramaribo & Onverwacht, Suriname]

Show contentOh you’re doing a premiere leg. Mike, your presentation with the teams. Too much lol. We’re on Round 5. I don’t care about your fictional teams, and I’m sorry if that sounds harsh but that’s really what I feel when I see your opening.

Your SLT is fine, but I’m not a fan of the first-impressions U-Turn vote for obvious reasons. That’s just not a decision that feels fair at the SL.

In Suriname, we have your Roadblock which is a praying ritual. I know you have an article but I’d have preferred a video. It’s fine.

Then we have another Roadblock. This one is not fine. It’s just a simple task that’s not exciting, not challenging, and just plain boring.

We then go to your Detour. Mike, I don’t think colonization is a good idea for an Amazing Race task at all. That second Detour is just very rough and something that personally didn’t do anything for me while also thinking that its a tad problematic. Your first Detour is just a simple target game. Your Detour has problems more than the tasks themselves because they are not balanced. A U-Turn here is killer.

And then right after is a Pit Stop at an old train station. The picture and the location Mike… it’s just not it.

Mike, as a whole, I’d like to congratulate you for making the next round by not giving up, because that’s what I appreciate about you this game. Not giving up.

Unfortunately this leg is not it. I didn’t like any of it, nothing blew my mind, nothing excited me. As a premiere leg, it is not good. As a mid-endgame Design Challenge round leg, it is severely under par.

Best of luck next round, because this really isn’t it Mike. You can do so much better.
betheactress [Santiago, Chile]

Show contentYour Detour is fantastic. It’s two local games, but with a twist. I really like how its a spin of a typical slow vs. fast Detour, but both options circumvent this by having TWO slow and fast segments for both options. It’s balanced, it’s unique, and I appreciate that this is at the start of the leg as well.

Your Roadblock is interesting. I do like it, but I have some issues with it, namely that I think there are far too many advantages. I like the idea of a risk element, especially on a leg where teams could even risk being there longer if they know for a fact another team is U-Turned, but I think an Express Pass and U-Turn Immunity is a bit too much especially since this is meant to be Leg 4 where there could be as few as 7 teams left after this leg.

We then have a panorama task. I really love this! It’s both navigation and memorization as well as attention to detail. It’s a very very unique and difficult task.

We then go to the Pit Stop to end a leg.

Another great effort from you, even though I have nitpicks about too many advantages at the Roadblock. Your presentation is top notch, your graphics are great, the tasks are solid, and this is just a fantastic leg.

Excellent job.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page