Author Topic: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!  (Read 190113 times)

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Offline betheactress

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1250 on: December 01, 2020, 10:49:06 PM »
 :welcome: to RFF!

Offline elthemagnifico

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1251 on: December 02, 2020, 02:56:20 AM »
Yoo that's amazing  :cheer: :cheer:
.also  :welcome: to RFF
what might have been


Offline georgiapeach

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1252 on: December 02, 2020, 07:06:50 AM »
Y'all can read some of Lee's TAR 25 insider music comments here:  :hfive:

https://forum.realityfanforum.com/index.php/topic,30495.msg1038826.html
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Offline Bookworm

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1253 on: December 02, 2020, 07:32:58 AM »
Welcome, Lee! Thanks for joining!
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better; it's not" - The Lorax

Offline nrh2110

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1254 on: December 02, 2020, 05:19:04 PM »
Welcome Lee! From a fellow composer/scorer, I'm really excited to hear your perspective!


Offline TimmyTAR

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1255 on: December 04, 2020, 10:17:20 PM »
Oh wow this cameo! This will be fun

Offline ovalorange

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1256 on: December 10, 2020, 05:57:55 AM »
Oh wow Lee Sanders  :2hearts:

Can't wait to see how this finale turns out  :)x

Offline Lee Sanders

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1257 on: December 11, 2020, 04:13:10 PM »
Hi, everyone—I'm working on the judging right now. Really excited to be doing this! Thank you for the kind words, as always… it makes my week to see your support for the show (which has been my dream job for so long!) and for each other. This is a terrific community, and I'm so proud to be here.

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1258 on: December 11, 2020, 07:09:08 PM »
Hi, everyone—I'm working on the judging right now. Really excited to be doing this! Thank you for the kind words, as always… it makes my week to see your support for the show (which has been my dream job for so long!) and for each other. This is a terrific community, and I'm so proud to be here.

We are thrilled to have you here! Thanks Lee!
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Offline Bookworm

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1259 on: December 18, 2020, 01:49:30 PM »
 :cheer:
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better; it's not" - The Lorax


Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1260 on: December 19, 2020, 10:53:19 AM »
Comments will come in around 12 hours from me for all finalists. Please take note that I cannot go in depth as much as I'd love to, so a cleaned up footnote format will be used. Sorry for the delay  :2hearts:

Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1261 on: December 20, 2020, 12:29:44 AM »


Gamer's Final Judgments:

I will be doing footnotes for everyone. Good luck! And this time, due to the delicate nature of this finale, I apologize if I didn't respond to PMs before, but if you want to clarify specific aspects, feel free to PM me.

First off...



Route:

Show content
New Zealand - This is a very adventurous leg. I think my only problem with it is that aside from the Maori and pavlova task, there’s a little bit of an overload of adventure tasks which is kind of predictable for NZ. But this is a solid leg and a solid starter.

Australia - Liked this leg! Definitely an improvement from the first submission.

Cambodia - Easily the best of the legs so far. It’s a busy Cambodia temple run Roadblock, and both of your Detours are telegenic and interesting. Also love the eating task!

Thailand - Another great leg! Love your tasks, and the Head to Head not being at the end works. The Roadblock is also hard enough to make placements truly shift, so props to that.

Kenya - Absolutely love your music task and your Detour has the potential to be a very busy task. I also like how chaotic the Roadblock can be, although I think three sandals is a bit excessive.

Kenya 2 - Unfortunately I think this is the first leg I just didn’t enjoy. I think the Roadblock is too long, and the Beasts Detour feels like something that’s been done before. I also think the translation task is a little bit too predictable and overplayed since we’ve had so many language tasks in Africa by now.

Croatia - Not a fan of the slide puzzle Roadblock. I also think the map ARI at the Museum is a bit too safe? The leg just doesn’t flow very well with me here. I don’t really like Croatia on TAR, and this leg unfortunately continues that streak.

Latvia - A Fishing Speed Bump is fine since it’s easier than a basic task, but fishing is boring lol. It’s a personal pet peeve and that bothers me. Your Detour is great though! I just think that the spa treatment with condensation might be a little bit too unrealistic. Still, good task. Your Roadblock though… it’s pretty similar to CHEKOV from TAR14 but I appreciate the music twist.

Czech Republic - Still like this leg!

Spain - Decent leg! I like your pot smash Detour and the other Detour is an exhausting physical task to balance it. The Roadblock is also not exactly that original (and a similarity to a TAR14 task again sticks out - this time Chinese Waiter but in Spanish), but it’s a good Roadblock. Also like the murals ARI, but I feel like you could have cut the knights lol. It just feels like bloat especially when one of your Detours was already a puzzle.

Peru - My thoughts stand.

Finale

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Ok here’s where I can get a little bit more in depth. Your first Roadblock is decent, but I think there’s a bit of unnecessary bloat with the second task being the other team member joining to look for a buoy. IMO, that could have easily just been part of the RB as well. Drive the boat then find the buoy. Your second Active Route Info flows way better though! It’s not that hard to remember the eliminated teams, but an added factor of having to navigate and find hints before putting them all together is great. The Leprechaun Fashion Show task is fine, and I like the idea of teams searching in a crowd for someone with the right match. Your final RB is pretty much what TAR32 could have done but didn’t do, and for that, good job.

Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show content
Finale Thoughts: Slightly unnecessary bloat aside from the first Roadblock + ARI, this is a great memory-task filled finale that successfully captures the vibe of being a busy, difficult, and packed finale leg.

Overall Route Thoughts: This is a pretty good route Nuku! While I think your first two legs lean a little bit too heavy on the adventure side, and I think your route suffers a little bit in the middle stretch, the highs are good enough to overpower the lows. Excellent job! The improvement of your work from Day 1 to now is going to be your biggest selling point.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2020, 12:33:15 AM by gamerfan09 »

Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1262 on: December 20, 2020, 12:32:37 AM »


Gamer's Final Judgments:

Next we have...



Route:

Show content
Guatemala - My thoughts kind of stand, still not a fan of the nun task, but I appreciate the new Roadblock and the nun task being delegated to an EP challenge works better.

Brazil - Your Detour is fine but I think your task descriptions on the Wiki are a little bit too wordy. Regardless, the first option is a good matching task and the second is a decent cooking task. The Capoeira Roadblock is decent, and it kind of surprises me that they haven’t done this on a Brazil visit on TARUS yet lol. As a whole, this leg is alright.

Spain - Love the changes of this leg! The Detour is no longer confusing and I also really like the other one, despite the Cooking Detour feeling a bit off since we just had one last leg. The Sangria task also being relegated to a Roadblock flows way better. You pretty much took a leg I had problems with and did some reshuffling to make it a good leg, so nice job there.

Croatia - Okay so I have very mixed thoughts. For one, your Speed Bump actually feels like it would have been better suited as the Roadblock, since it’s a more active task. The necktie task, considering how there’s a limit, definitely feels more like the Speed Bump than the Roadblock. For your Detour, I’m a bit confused on why we have three Cooking adjacent Detours for three consecutive legs. The other Detour is way better, and is easily the task I loved the most. It could really show off the location and it might make for some good TV if you get teams to try and get people who ended up not being couples. As a whole, that other Detour is really what only manages this leg for me. Maybe Croatia is a cursed location because with Nuku and now you, the Croatia leg is easily my least favorite thus far.

Belgium - The horseback shrimping Roadblock is great. I normally hate fishing tasks, but making teams use a horse to help catch them is a nice twist. The Which Pets Detour is also good, but as a matter of personal preference, I’m not a fan of the morse code Detour. Sure they’re balanced, but considering how a Morse Code Detour in an episode is what made TAR lose their first Emmy (deservedly, TAR16 sucks lmao), I just don’t think it’s a very exciting task.

Kenya - Same comments as before except you structured the coconuts right this time. Great job.

Ethiopia - Same as before. An excellent leg and even better than Kenya.

Sri Lanka - Still unsure about that one Detour’s penalty system but otherwise its fine.

Uzbekistan - Both Detours fit the vibe of a chaotic market, but weirdly, I think both are a bit too similar? One just involves matching more intricate patterns while the other is correctly determining items from a list. Still, solid market Detour. The sheep double battle is great (I refuse to acknowledge the Face-Off name). Love the Roadblock too! It’s a music task with some navigation added. My only uncertainty for this leg is your similar Detours tbh.

China - Your Fast Forward is decent but I’m not sure about the Roadblock. I don’t know how this would work with multiple teams, but I just think that the “only x guards will let you pass” task extended just doesn’t seem very new. It’s a staple on activeTV TARs, and even though it could work on TARUS, I still think this is unnecessarily long. Your Detour is good and I like how both play with time. For the Bamboo Balancing, the time burned will be on swimming back. For the other, it’s the 10 minute ride. Considering how minutes are very important at this point, I appreciate the Detour also being a strategic choice for teams.

China 2 - Your Roadblock is great! Like the integration of knock-offs. The Speed Bump also being a cryptic clue instead of a task is also very inspired, while I think your Detour also works very well. Love the matchmaker Detour and the music Detour. Also love the idea of a memory task at Final Four. Honestly, while I think your tea task ARI is a little bit too much for a leg (I doubt this will all fit in an episode), this is a very packed and exciting China leg.

Finale

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Your first Roadblock… I’m not sure. I respect the idea of a very hard task at the get go, but I’m not too sure about the execution? For better or worse, it feels like a memory task that would be much more at home on a TAR Fantasy Game than the actual show. The teepee building Active Route Info is fine, but has been done before. The bullriding… idk I feel like there’s a little bit too many elements there. I get the searching + bull task, but its immediately followed by a searching through crowd + put them all together element and it just feels overwhelming. They’re good tasks on their own, but I think a split could have worked better instead of all these elements being there at once. Now your second Roadblock is where it’s at. I like the picturesque looks of the balloons mixed with the flags. This is a great final task.

Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show content
Finale Thoughts: Unfortunately, Bookworm, while I do respect the ideas on board, I’m not too sure about this finale minus your final Roadblock. There’s an unfortunate amount of bloat on your other tasks, and the teepee isn’t very original. It’s still a decent finale all things considered, but I think there was just too many elements in play.

Overall Route Thoughts: While I think you definitely had an overload of cooking Detours on the first half, and I do have problems with your finale and the Croatia leg specifically, I still think your endgame stretch of Kenya to China 2 is VERY strong and will be your strongest selling point for this route. You’ve been one of the most consistent designers here from Round 1, great job!
« Last Edit: December 20, 2020, 12:36:02 AM by gamerfan09 »

Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1263 on: December 20, 2020, 12:35:40 AM »


Gamer's Final Judgments:

In third, we have...



Route:

Show content
Japan - Still love this leg. Your best submission and a very very strong start.

Tibet - Removing the Head to Head element out of the monk task is enough to say this leg is already better than the original submission. It is a busy and atmospheric mountain leg that just works.

Brunei - Like your Kite Roadblock and the school bus task. But I’m not sure about the sudden forced bunch at the end. I get that it’s three teams tops, but it still feels off to suddenly force teams to be split into threes 15 minutes apart when the next task is right before the Pit Stop and is just a sports task. Otherwise this is an alright leg that is really hurt by that final structure.

New Zealand - Unfortunately still not a fan of this leg minus the cooking Roadblock and it feels a little bit too short.

Maldives - Not a fan of the Speed Bump, but I like the trash collecting Roadblock. The Detour… I think the time spent on the trip is a little bit too long, and a long boat ride for a Detour choice when we already had a boat ride like that in Brunei feels off. A shame because both options as tasks are actually pretty good. I also heavily appreciate how your leg focused on showcasing the locations, but the tasks aren’t exactly there.

Egypt - This is a heavy Egyptian mythology leg but the papyrus Detour isn’t very exciting, unfortunately. I do love your Fast Forward and Roadblock though!

Finland - Same thoughts as the original submission, but I do appreciate the extra task of eating the local delicacy.

Finland 2 - See, as much as I find this leg objectively not very cultural minus Santa, this leg proves how being cultural doesn’t always mean bad. Absolutely loved this leg as a winter theme. The Detour being luck vs. delivery is a good strategic choice, the Roadblock is a bit too similar to TAR14 Chekhov but works better since there’s a memory element, and the Angry Birds task + huskies just work. It’s not a very original leg, but it’s a ton of fun, and that’s what matters for this leg. Great job.

Three Country Leg - First off, appreciate the concept. Secondly, I’m not sure how to feel about Andorra just being used for a mountain bike task. Ditto with France for the newspaper task. Lastly, your Detour is actually very good but I have issues with feasibility. I get that the difficulty in the dishes is the sheer amount of food + memory, but I think 32/40 is still too much. As for the other Detour, I’m not sure about how the safety will work. I think teams are better off just finding the people to do the stack instead of doing it themselves. As a whole, interesting concept but the execution could have been better.

Peru - Did you forget to include your second Detour option? I don’t see it at all in the Wiki. I can’t judge this properly as a Detour with a U-Turn if I can’t see the other option. Otherwise Lay it Down is a fine task. Your Speed Bump being a leadup to the Roadblock is also good. I appreciate having them be able to see what the Roadblock is presumably while doing their Speed Bump which can help the last place team strategize prematurely. Makes it a bit more fair. I also like your extra tasks! Honestly, just disappointing that the other Detour option isn’t here on the Wiki, because otherwise this is a very very solid leg, and I like that the Speed Bump is nearer to the end of the leg to prevent teams just U-Turning the Speed Bumped team. A resubmission where I liked what was added but I wish it was complete on the Wiki.

Costa Rica - Love the juggling Roadblock. Sip and Serve as a Detour though… while I like Sip a lot, I think Serve is a bit too unfeasible to require teams to cook that much, wouldn’t you say? I think just making an intricate special as a cooking task would work much better. Also not a fan of the limited stations at Final Four when these tasks don’t really feel like they’re that cramped feasibly. The Sack Race ARI is fun! This is a good leg minus your cooking Detour.

Finale

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The Superman Roadblock lol <3 Considering how prevalent superhero movie culture is right now, I appreciate this! The polaroid task is good, the Pierogi task adds some culture to the leg, and then we go to NASA. Your final Roadblock is very very interesting concept-wise. And then… Finish Line? That was fast lol.

Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show content
Finale Thoughts - While I really loved the idea of your final leg being Hollywood then NASA (because ALL STARS hehe), I think your finale had to have an extra task or two. It just feels pretty short, and that’s really just a shame for me because otherwise I do like this finale a lot. I just wish you added an extra task or memory element somewhere. Still a good finale though and hypothetically speaking, the best TAR All Stars finale already :)

Route - NRH, no matter what happens, please know that just by making it to the end, you have achieved the pleasure of saying that you were a Design Challenge finalist. Not everyone can say that, and you should be very proud of even getting here. That said, I thought your route was a relatively mixed bag. While I think it started off excellent, I had quite a bit of issues after all the way to the end. Locations are on point though, which will definitely be your selling point. Good job!
« Last Edit: December 20, 2020, 04:22:44 AM by gamerfan09 »

Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1264 on: December 20, 2020, 12:39:01 AM »


Gamer's Final Judgments:

And last but not the least...



Route:

Show content
Myanmar - Still love this leg.

Taiwan - Ditto.

Hong Kong - Okay a leg I haven’t seen before! Let’s see. The Hong Kong Roadblock is very good, but I think your Detour is the highlight lol. While I’m not sure about the feasibility of TAR actually having a socially-relevant task, this is a good Detour and certainly a good statement. Your bonus maze task is actually the weakest element of the leg, but it works as an add-on after that Roadblock. A good leg.

Norway - My thoughts remain the same but I appreciate the changes done for the Fast Forward!

Netherlands - Still love this leg.

Netherlands 2 - I think this leg is a little bit too short, but it does make sense as a Non Elim. Head to Head being at the start is better, not too sure about the task itself though. The luck task and Cheese delivery tasks are good though! As a whole, I think this is your weakest leg so far, but that’s only really because of not enjoying your Head to Head that much.

Greece - Love the Greek mythology Roadblock! It’s a simple and easy task that can work with the atmosphere. I also appreciate that while technically your Detour on paper isn’t very exciting, I like the idea of both tasks achieving the same goal but approached from different areas. Wind is cool in the sense that you have teams actually making a windmill, while Water has teams working with rocks to also build a water system. This is a decent, short leg.

Chad - Same thoughts as before.

Togo - Your Fast Forward is great. It is a very intense music and matching task that would definitely make a good set piece for an FF battle. Your Detour is also very cultural. The Screaming Stories in particular is a good memory task that can easily led to drama over who does the relay. The other Detour is definitely slower, but that just means there’s a strategic element to this Detour, and that is always appreciated. The Roadblock is also interesting because its a twist on your typical house construction task in Africa. It would also look really cool and potentially interesting to see racers estimate of how much they work on their walls only for it to fail lol. As a whole, I think this is your strongest non-submitted leg thus far.

Mexico - I think it’s certainly a choice to have the entire leg at Chichen Itza. As for your Detour, both options are cultural even though I think it’s a bit too general to have a cooking task vs a local game task. It’s personally not a very exciting Detour, and since the leg takes place at the same location, the U-Turn seems ill-placed… but luckily you have the memory task at the U-Turn spot. I think this is even better because by surprising teams at Final Five with the memory task and right before the final U-Turn of the route, you give teams a difficult task to make placements shift instead of just having the board. Good! Afterwards teams are faced with yet another mental Roadblock involving the Mayan calendar, and while I really wasn’t too keen on this leg for your Detour, the rest is too strong to ignore. Good job!

Chile - Still like this leg.

Finale

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Not too sure about the feasibility of the bungee + ball Route Info, but it’s definitely an interesting take on what is otherwise your typical New Zealand heights task. I’m also not sure about its structure because as recent finales have proven, a jump could determine the final leg before it even really begins. We then have a memory task involving barrels that I think is good! It’s hard enough to stump teams but not impossible. We then have a physical task involving powering a boat, and then a final Roadblock. Much like the bungee, I think this is a typical adventure task (in this case skiing), but you made it the memory task. I think this type of memory task works great for a season where so many different clueboxes are in play like TAR19. We then go to the Finish Line.

Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show content
Finale Thoughts: While I have problems with the bungee, I appreciated what you were going with for the finale. You pretty much threw in basic elements that almost every New Zealand leg has (bungee, skiing, wine), but you integrated various twists and spins on these otherwise basic tasks to really elevate it, especially with your memory tasks. Just a very strong finish.

Overall Route Thoughts: You came in out of the gate as one of the strongest designers, and the fact that you barely changed anything in your reused legs from your submissions speaks volumes. As for your route as a whole, while it’s not perfect (I personally think some of your non-submission legs are a little bit too short + some comments here and there about specific tasks), I think your selling point, much like all of your work to this point, is your consistency. Your presentation, your creativity, and your tasks and locations have been there from day 1. Excellent job!

Offline nrh2110

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1265 on: December 20, 2020, 02:21:06 AM »


Gamer's Final Judgments:

In third, we have...



Route:

Show content
Japan - Still love this leg. Your best submission and a very very strong start.

Tibet - Removing the Head to Head element out of the monk task is enough to say this leg is already better than the original submission. It is a busy and atmospheric mountain leg that just works.

Brunei - Like your Kite Roadblock and the school bus task. But I’m not sure about the sudden forced bunch at the end. I get that it’s three teams tops, but it still feels off to suddenly force teams to be split into threes 15 minutes apart when the next task is right before the Pit Stop and is just a sports task. Otherwise this is an alright leg that is really hurt by that final structure.

New Zealand - Unfortunately still not a fan of this leg minus the cooking Roadblock and it feels a little bit too short.

Maldives - Not a fan of the Speed Bump, but I like the trash collecting Roadblock. The Detour… I think the time spent on the trip is a little bit too long, and a long boat ride for a Detour choice when we already had a boat ride like that in Brunei feels off. A shame because both options as tasks are actually pretty good. I also heavily appreciate how your leg focused on showcasing the locations, but the tasks aren’t exactly there.

Egypt - This is a heavy Egyptian mythology leg but the papyrus Detour isn’t very exciting, unfortunately. I do love your Fast Forward and Roadblock though!

Finland - Same thoughts as the original submission, but I do appreciate the extra task of eating the local delicacy.

Finland 2 - See, as much as I find this leg objectively not very cultural minus Santa, this leg proves how being cultural doesn’t always mean bad. Absolutely loved this leg as a winter theme. The Detour being luck vs. delivery is a good strategic choice, the Roadblock is a bit too similar to TAR14 Chekhov but works better since there’s a memory element, and the Angry Birds task + huskies just work. It’s not a very original leg, but it’s a ton of fun, and that’s what matters for this leg. Great job.

Three Country Leg - First off, appreciate the concept. Secondly, I’m not sure how to feel about Andorra just being used for a mountain bike task. Ditto with France for the newspaper task. Lastly, your Detour is actually very good but I have issues with feasibility. I get that the difficulty in the dishes is the sheer amount of food + memory, but I think 32/40 is still too much. As for the other Detour, I’m not sure about how the safety will work. I think teams are better off just finding the people to do the stack instead of doing it themselves. As a whole, interesting concept but the execution could have been better.

Peru - Did you forget to include your second Detour option? I don’t see it at all in the Wiki. I can’t judge this properly as a Detour with a U-Turn if I can’t see the other option. Otherwise Lay it Down is a fine task. Your Speed Bump being a leadup to the Roadblock is also good. I appreciate having them be able to see what the Roadblock is presumably while doing their Speed Bump which can help the last place team strategize prematurely. Makes it a bit more fair. I also like your extra tasks! Honestly, just disappointing that the other Detour option isn’t here on the Wiki, because otherwise this is a very very solid leg, and I like that the Speed Bump is nearer to the end of the leg to prevent teams just U-Turning the Speed Bumped team.

Costa Rica - Love the juggling Roadblock. Sip and Serve as a Detour though… while I like Sip a lot, I think Serve is a bit too unfeasible to require teams to cook that much, wouldn’t you say? I think just making an intricate special as a cooking task would work much better. Also not a fan of the limited stations at Final Four when these tasks don’t really feel like they’re that cramped feasibly. The Sack Race ARI is fun! This is a good leg minus your cooking Detour.

Finale

Show content
The Superman Roadblock lol <3 Considering how prevalent superhero movie culture is right now, I appreciate this! The polaroid task is good, the Pierogi task adds some culture to the leg, and then we go to NASA. Your final Roadblock is very very interesting concept-wise. And then… Finish Line? That was fast lol.

Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show content
Finale Thoughts - While I really loved the idea of your final leg being Hollywood then NASA (because ALL STARS hehe), I think your finale had to have an extra task or two. It just feels pretty short, and that’s really just a shame for me because otherwise I do like this finale a lot. I just wish you added an extra task or memory element somewhere. Still a good finale though and hypothetically speaking, the best TAR All Stars finale already :)

Route - NRH, no matter what happens, please know that just by making it to the end, you have achieved the pleasure of saying that you were a Design Challenge finalist. Not everyone can say that, and you should be very proud of even getting here. That said, I thought your route was a relatively mixed bag. While I think it started off excellent, I had quite a bit of issues after all the way to the end. Locations are on point though, which will definitely be your selling point. Good job!
Thanks Gamer for your comments.

I've been super busy these last couple of months (hence why even in my own game and the game i've been participating in I wasn't involved as I had been months ago) so when I work on things here it's typically late at night and that's what happened with the wiki—I was probably super tired when reading it over and missed my errors—1) I actually meant to take out the bunching in Brunei as I originally had them going to the Sumbiling Eco Village which is more difficult to get to, but I ended up ditching that and I forgot to remove it I guess. 2) You're right, I totally forgot to add the 2nd Detour in Peru, but just as an FYI, it's the same thing as my submission for the South America round.

Maldives — I think this is very different from Brunei, and as I believe I put it in the notes or my wiki, the submarine ride is shorter than a typical submarine ride to make it feasible and also equal to the other Detour. Brunei's task was more about navigating and driving a boat whereas this Detour is sitting in a submarine and remembering the marine life that is pointed out, which uses totally different skills from the Brunei task.

Finland 2 — I actually completely forgot about the Chekhov task, tbh I've only watched TAR14 like once or twice and the last time was probably at least four or so years ago

Three Leg — Andorra is impossible to access by air, so I set it up in France, but didn't really want France to be the highlight of the leg, so the photojournalism task was just a simple ARI to set up the leg while staying culturally relevant to the photojournalism festival of France (and I could picture Phil giving a whole spiel about the fest to introduce the task). The thing that Andorra is really known for is its landscape which is made perfect for extreme sports like skiing and mountain biking—in fact, this place where the roadblock is is one of the best mountain biking places in the world. This race needed more physical tasks and I figured this was a perfect task to incorporate in, while also highlighting the beauty of its landscape. I will agree with you that your points on Barcelona are valid, and maybe that's something I should've considered for both tasks (maybe even lowering the 8 fake dishes to 1 or 2).

Costa Rica — I think maybe I should've made it more clear, but the daily special at a typical soda isn't like a daily special menu you see at restaurants elsewhere; it's like an entree with a side dish of like beans and rice, so really not a lot of food to cook nor is it too difficult.

Cleveland — I'm not too sure about it being too short but that's maybe bc it's been a while since I've watched the older finales that had more tasks. Can't really argue much more on that, but glad that you liked everything else!

Hope this helps clarify things a little, I appreciate all the feedback you've given this entire race!

Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1266 on: December 20, 2020, 04:21:44 AM »
Gotcha NRH, and I realized just now that Peru was a resubmission. I'll re-edit my thoughts accordingly for that leg and consider your clarifications. Thank you!  :conf:

Offline Nuku

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1267 on: December 20, 2020, 06:33:10 AM »
Thanks so much gamer!! really appreciate all the positive comments, and respect and understand the negative ones!! thanks for all the help through the journey!!

jw, what does thoughts stand for peru mean??

Offline gamerfan09

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1268 on: December 20, 2020, 06:48:21 AM »
Thanks so much gamer!! really appreciate all the positive comments, and respect and understand the negative ones!! thanks for all the help through the journey!!

jw, what does thoughts stand for peru mean??

Thoughts stand mean to say that how I feel about the general core of your Peru leg which was an earlier submission (the Detour + Roadblock) is still how I feel about it now in spite of the changes :tup:

Offline Bookworm

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1269 on: December 20, 2020, 08:49:34 AM »
Thanks for the feedback, gamer

Having three culinary tasks in a row is an oversight I can't excuse; I had designed each separately. I will say, though, that the focus is only explicitly on cooking in Leg 2. The Leg 3 Detour specializes more on navigation, whereas Leg 4 has a decoration component. I can understand why Croatia fell flat, I was trying to exert a certain theme with it, and while it was clear to me since I've been to Zagreb, perhaps I could've communicated that better.

But, for me, that communication is through details and explanations. I understand that you find it bloated but intricacy is how I express creativity. Incorporating moving parts is something TAR often fails to do, and, for better or worse, it sets me apart. I understand your thoughts towards my finale, but I can't help but find that your comments put me in a "damned if I do, damned if I don't" situation. If I keep a task rather simple and physical, like the teepee, it's called unoriginal- and yes, I understand TAR5 had a similar task. But when I try to try new things, like two memory tasks and a multifaceted Western task, it's frowned upon. I understand you're pressed for time, as we all have been, but what about the concept of the first Roadblock? I'm quite proud of the task and so I'd be curious to learn a little more where it all went wrong. As far as the comic task, I get that I overcomplicated it, but it was in the spirit of creating a difficult task that permits placement changes- something modern finales have been lacking.

To leave on a more positive note, I'm really glad the back half of my race is appreciated. It's a route I'm proud of and I really enjoyed making the China legs especially!

Thanks again for your feedback, and big thanks for stepping in to help co-host this season!
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better; it's not" - The Lorax


Offline Pi

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1270 on: December 25, 2020, 12:59:40 AM »
The following are comments for legs 1-11 on designer routes from guest judge Lee Sanders, who graciously dedicated his time to comment on and score these legs. Join me in giving him thanks!

Note: Comments from the remaining judges and legs, and then the results show, will be coming sooner rather than later. We look forward to wrapping things up and crowning a winner. Thank you for your patience, especially during these difficult times.

Leg 1
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Nuku
Hard to go wrong with NZ. I’m not a fan of getting teams dirty right off the bat. The Vudu Cafe event, like many food-related events, seems difficult to make compelling (unless some team has a meltdown). Gorgeous end location.

Bookworm
Starting Line task seems like it could take a while, rather than propelling us into the action. That Mayan RB also seems tough—impossible unless teams find those plaques. I love the cultural aspects of this leg, though.

nrh2110
I like the use of traditional and modern in this leg; people tend to think of Kyoto as an “old” city. Geisha event obviously funny with teams of two guys; cultural sensitivity issue here?

Betheactress
Really like the Starting Line task and the flow between events. Harvesting tomatoes seems much less compelling narratively. Love the iconic Kayan brass neck rings and the World’s Largest Book location.


Leg 2
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Nuku
Slightly one-dimensional with the water-based events, but it’s an extremely cool dimension (though expensive to shoot—!). The skydive has been done, but it’s always spectacular. I don’t mind seeing it again.

Bookworm
Detour has strong, interesting options, and I really like the Capoeira RB. Finding the gourd stand is just OK for me; we’ve been in similar situations a lot. Nice use of a lesser-known city here.

nrh2110
The activities here seem secondary to the location, like you were looking for things to have teams do. I do like integrating smell into the Detour, though… very creative. The monastic debate is also cool.

Betheactress
The 7-11 side of the Detour in particular seems difficult to keep visually compelling; stalls in the night market are better. But the palanquin fireworks are great! Dragon and Tiger pagoda event is a fine use of the location.


Leg 3
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Nuku
I like the variety of tasks in this leg—and Cambodia is such a cool location, with so many options. I’m a little on the fence about the Angkor Wat pick-a-number, but overall a great leg.

Bookworm
Barcelona could be a little done-to-death, but this is reasonably strong. The Detour has one obviously more fun option, which isn’t optimal. RB sounds incredibly tough.

nrh2110
I can’t imagine the production ever allowing children on a motorized boat driven by team members; are licenses required? Other elements are OK.

Betheactress
An extremely political leg. As presented, it’s extremely unlikely that the Bricks Down (and probably also the Slums Up—especially with that title!) Detour would make it to production, much less air. Shrimp paste roadblock is tough to make interesting visually.


Leg 4
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Nuku
The Songkran Festival is a great idea—the only potential difficulty being controlling and securing release forms from the crowd. It’s so much more fun than the lantern Detour that I wonder if it wouldn’t be better if it were a mandatory event. Muay Talay is great for a H2H; love it. Other elements are OK-to-strong.

Bookworm
I like the Speed Bump—I’d actually prefer to swap it with the cravat-tying Roadblock. The Detour is just OK for me. Cooking is always tough to make compelling visually, and searching a market for a Thing is a familiar trope. I like the funicular; they’re always good fun. Finding Venus could be a time sink, which is a concern.

nrh2110
I really like how you’ve focused on cultural events here, rather than the usual bungee jumps and jet boats. It’s a little tough to make cooking challenges compelling visually, but generally this is quite strong.

Betheactress
The FF is visually gorgeous, and I think this leg generally relies on the setting more than on fresh-feeling events. Food-making tasks can be so tough to make visually compelling. I really like the Goat Stroll, though—I’d be hoping every team chose that option!


Leg 5
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Nuku
I particularly like the Detour here—interesting, cultural, contrasting but seemingly equally tough. The RB seems just OK. The music event is such a cool idea—I want to know a bit more about the specifics, but of course I’m intrigued! Other events are also pretty strong… nice leg.

Bookworm
Super-strong leg here. Lots of local specificity, interesting and cinematic events… very little to criticize. Belgium just got so much more interesting in my mind!

nrh2110
Speed Bump seems kind of bland… as do the Blind Detour options. None of these have the teams being super-active. The additional tasks along the way seem cooler, and allow for some great scenery shots.

Betheactress
I love, love, love fishing bikes out of the canal. It’s a whole aspect of this city that I’d never considered. The Detour is strong, too—similar enough in difficulty, yet different and culturally relevant. I even like the additional tasks along the way… This is a great leg.



Leg 6
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Nuku
Roadblock is so cool that I kind of want both teammates to experience it. The necklace Detour doesn’t feel as fresh to me as the elephant shelter (which I quite like). The hot air balloon ride would make for some incredible visuals (and a nice opportunity for some Epic Amazing Race music). Nice.

Bookworm
Speed Bump is appropriate and well-integrated. I like the Detour options, as well—a nice way to combine animal hijinks with the buzz of a busy marketplace (on one side); a nice, active cultural event on the other. I also kind of like that the RB isn’t too strict.

nrh2110
FF is cool, with lots of cultural significance. Luxor is a great location. Detour feels balanced, though maybe a little fussy rather than intense. Valley of the Kings riddles are OK—my only small concern being with teams *running* around that incredible location.

Betheactress
Racing the Nuna is a cool and unique H2H… the rest of the events here are somewhat stereotypical for The Netherlands (clogs, tulips, stroopwafels) but well-constructed. (Race teams + wheels of cheese seems like a perennial winner anywhere!)


Leg 7
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Nuku
Figuring out a puzzle; learning a dance… these are OK, if a little done-to-death. I like the Picigin event, though, and the Archaeological Museum event could be quite cinematic for a “thinking”-type thing, with maps aplenty and old-looking tools.

Bookworm
That FF sounds *hard*. Which is OK, as players might get there and then give up… always dramatic. The tunnels between the churches and the cool location make what could be a boring RB (solving puzzles) really cool. And I love how dorky the “Tongue-Tied” side of the Detour would be.

nrh2110
That Sibelius side of the Detour is giving me “needle-drop” flashbacks from music school! PC or not, I think the wife-carrying thing is a hilarious event. Add in a little eating task, and this is a really fun leg. It all hinges on the wife-carrying, and whether it could be presented in a way that the show could actually get on air.

Betheactress
I really like the Roadblock here—a chance for teams to be active and for the show to be cinematic at the same time. (I’m a sucker for labyrinths) I also like the Detour options—culturally tied to the location, interesting, comparably difficult… Really nice.


Leg 8
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Nuku
I like the Speed Bump here—culturally appropriate and potentially really funny. I also like the Detour—those beer bikes are iconic (if not specifically Latvian), and the spa side clue reveal is clever. Bobsledding adds some action to this leg, making it strong all around.

Bookworm
The Roadblock is kind of passive for the team member, but the dancing and costumes compensate well. I always enjoy incorporating scents into an event, so the spice side of the Detour appeals to me. Lift Off is a more common sort of event, but it’s OK. I like the add’l tasks—especially the monks.

nrh2110
The Santa Detour is fun, but the Help Santa side could be tedious if teams don’t get lucky. Roadblock delivers on action, with a “read the words as you fly by” add-on to make it tougher (pronunciation?). Angry Birds is a nice little throwback. The huskies are probably my favorite part; I might want to feature them more in the episode.

Betheactress
Lots of FFs in your route! I like this one in particular. The RB here seems very familiar—and “replicate the setup” just isn’t my favorite activity type. The Guelta is a terrific location, though, and you get the most out of it between this RB and the “collecting water” side of the Detour. This leg is good, but I’m left wishing for something a little more compelling.


Leg 9
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Nuku
Kind of a creepy Detour, and I love it. Right in keeping with the character and history of the city. The RB is potentially lots of fun, too. The additional tasks seem a tiny bit perfunctory, but they showcase the city well.

Bookworm
The Detour options both have a little twist from the usual trope they’re based on, which helps keep them interesting. The head-to-head event has the potential to change the game drastically—which I like a lot—without putting anyone hopelessly behind. The band RB is fun, too… though potentially *very* difficult to get good production sound in that environment. Well done overall.

nrh2110
I think the Maxiavalanche event is just too dangerous to make it to production. It’d be incredible, .ut no way. Likewise, to a lesser extent, with the Catalonian Casteller side of the Detour—huge safety concerns here. Beyond these, your events are OK… sort of standard finding/searching tropes. But I have to grade this leg harshly on safety issues, which would make much of it a no-go.

Betheactress
Really neat to feature twins on the FF—cool way to incorporate that fact. I had to re-read the Adire-making side of the Detour (dyeing, not dying—!), but I’m not docking points for that. I really like the wall-building, especially as it ends with a spear throw! Lots of cool cultural things going on here, and I really enjoyed them all.


Leg 10
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Nuku
The Detour seems a little one-sided (in terms of fun vs. not-fun); both feature cool settings, though. I like the RB—or maybe I just love tapas!—and I’m glad you didn’t have teams *making* the tapas here. I feel the Alhambra is slightly under-used with the event as written. It’s such a gorgeous location, and that could so easily be missed with teams just assembling a suit of armor.

Bookworm
What a gorgeous location. The FF is fine, though eating challenges aren’t my particular favorite. The RB is a little confusing, but I appreciate the effort to put a fresh twist on a familiar activity type. The bamboo pole side of the Detour feels fresher than the Tujia dance learning, but they’re both cool and interesting. Hanging onto the cricket is a nice touch!

nrh2110
I like the Speed Bump here—appropriate in difficulty and culturally tied into the location. I love the Roadblock, of course—it’s a great integration of an indigenous musical tradition. Simple but effective. The rest of the activities here are fine; the location provides a nice backdrop for some tried-and-true activities.

Betheactress
I love the Shooting side of the Detour here; the Shucking side is another food-making challenge, which is… OK. The Mayan calendar RB is a strong use of familiar—and very cool—imagery. And a little memory game-style challenge along the way is the icing on the cake. Hard to go wrong with Chichen Itza. Good choice and a solid leg.


Leg 11
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Nuku
Speed Bump is cool and appropriately difficult. The “Communicate” side of the Detour seems more unique than the ‘learn a dance’ trope used in “Celebrate.” Both are fine, though. The RB seems difficult to make compelling, at least until teams are trying to hike with that llama (please be stubborn, Mr. Llama!).

Bookworm
RB is the familiar search-the-market trope… but what a market! I also love both sides of this Detour. Wild. The Speed Bump seems like it could be time-consuming and/or throw Chuck and Jim horribly off track if they misinterpreted the clue somehow. But that’s a tiny concern. Additional tasks are fine—I particularly like the acrobats and how you used them.

nrh2110
The juggling Roadblock could be a *huge* leap forward or backward, depending on if a team member already knows how to juggle even a little. I like both sides of the Detour, despite them being familiar tropes—the cultural tie-ins saves them for me. The sack race could be humiliating, which is always awesome. All in all, a nice leg.

Betheactress
I really like that the Detour features two ways to get up the same hill, and the games and challenges associated with each side are cool, too! The RB has such big in-game implications… and I really love that. Stakes are raising. Consistently great locations… interesting twists on your events… I really enjoyed this leg!
"I would define [culture] as the propensity to respect. The propensity to respect the other, the propensity to respect that which you do not know, the propensity to respect bread, earth, nature, history, and culture, and as a consequence of this, the propensity to respect the self, to dignity.” - AB

Offline Kamineko

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1271 on: December 25, 2020, 10:20:42 AM »


Final Round Scoring

Hello, finalists! Sorry to keep you waiting.

In this post, I'm going to explain the scoring method that we'll be using for this Final Round. The scoring will be in two parts: the first scoring is for the Route but only focused on Leg 1 to Leg 11; the second scoring is for the Final Leg.

Here are the scoring method for Leg 1 to Leg 11:
1. We will score each Leg with a score of 1 - 5. The score 1 is the worst and 5 is the best. The judges can assign a fraction .5 score if they want.
2. Each Leg # from all finalists will be judged individually, however we will compare with the same Leg # from each other. So, for example, Nuku's Leg 1 will be compared with Bookworm's Leg 1, nrh's Leg 1, and betheactress' Leg 1, and so on.
3. The judges are not obligated to give a different score for each Leg. Therefore, for example, we can give all Leg 5 scores for all finalists a 5/5.
4. That will give a maximum score for Leg 1 to Leg 11 of 55.

For the Final Leg scoring, we will use the same method that we used from the previous rounds, so all of you should be familiar by now. The maximum score for the Final Leg alone will be 50. Therefore, the maximum total score from each judge will be 105.
Your final score for this Final Round will be the AVERAGE of all judges' (Kamineko, Pi/, gamerfan09, and Lee Sanders) total score.

I will also create a poll as usual to decide audience's favorite. But the result won't have any effect at the final score.

Should you have any question, please don't hesitate to post your question in the thread. :tup:

Thank you for your attention. I also want to say Merry Christmas and I hope that next year will be much better for all of you than this year.
Good luck and may the best designer win! :luvya:
The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Game starts here!

The Amazing Race Japan - Sign up here!
*Postponed until after TAR:DC 8 finished*

Offline Kamineko

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1272 on: December 25, 2020, 11:19:51 AM »


Kamineko's Comments

Hi all! I will give my comments for your final route wiki and your final leg design. As usual, I will give my honest thoughts, so it might be different from other judges' comment. I will only give a brief comment for each leg in the wiki, but I will be more thorough on the final leg comment. Also, I will be giving my final comments for your route and wiki presentation as a whole at the end.

I wish you all the best of luck.
The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Game starts here!

The Amazing Race Japan - Sign up here!
*Postponed until after TAR:DC 8 finished*

Offline Kamineko

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1273 on: December 25, 2020, 11:20:17 AM »


Kamineko's Comments



Here are my comments for your route:

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Leg 1:
I like that you start in New Zealand right away. The starting line task is fine because there will be some position shuffle right away, a bit luck involved but that’s okay. Roadblock is okay for the adrenaline activity task checklist in New Zealand. The task in Vudu Cafe is kinda forgettable. The second part of the leg in Milford Sound is pretty good, love the scenery here.

Leg 2:
A pretty generic seaside leg trope to me, because those tasks can be replicated somewhere else with some tweaks. Not really a fan of a U-Turn before a Detour, especially it’s almost before the Pit Stop.

Leg 3:
I have to say that this leg is way better than TAR 32 Cambodia leg. I love to see the Detour happening in a real race. The Roadblock can be tough if only the answer for each team member is different, otherwise we might see possible answer-sharing here. Overall, a really solid leg.

Leg 4:
The Detour idea is nice, however both festivals take place at different times (one in April, one in November), so I’m not sure how these tasks will be featured at the same time. The Head-to-Head and Roadblock tasks are also good, they really showcase Thai culture.

Leg 5:
I like the Active Route Info and the Detour tasks, but indifferent with the Roadblock. However, I like the leg as a whole because: 1. We haven’t seen a Kenya leg before in TAR, and 2. The tasks are pretty balanced in showcasing the culture.

Leg 6:
I don’t really like the Roadblock task because it sounds too much just for delivering something. The language learning task seems to have appeared before in real TAR, so nothing new about that; also it sounds oddly placed when your main focus location is a national reserve. The Detour task is nice though, so it kinda saves your leg this time.

Leg 7:
I’m not really a fan of a slide puzzle here, I think there are better ideas for this kind of task (can be inspired from TAR19’s memory challenge). A bit weird task distribution where you crammed the Roadblocks at the end part of the leg, but overall the leg is okay.

Leg 8:
I kinda like this leg. The beer bike Detour task is great, but the sauna is just okay. The Roadblock is interesting because they have to pay attention while riding the bobsled.

Leg 9:
Same as your original submission, I still like this leg and it’s a solid leg in Prague.

Leg 10:
I think this leg is just bland. Both Detour tasks are not really interesting to watch. The Roadblock is very similar to taking meal order tasks that happened in previous TAR seasons, and the other tasks are similar in their own way (either collecting or searching through something). Basically you picked a beautiful location but not highlighting the beauty of Granada & Alhambra much.

Leg 11:
This leg is pretty okay for a penultimate leg. Definitely there are possible position shuffles during the whole course of the leg, especially the Roadblock task.


Here is my comment for your final leg:

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First, Nuku, congratulations for being in the final round. You’ve become a dark horse in this competition. Let’s see what you can bring in your final leg.

Your final destination is Boston. However, you didn’t provide a flight. This could mean a lot, especially for the final round, where I expect nothing but perfection.

Making their way to the North Point Park, teams encounter a Roadblock. I think driving a duck boat is not really finale-worthy, since I don’t get the adrenaline rush when I watch this task happening on screen. I would also prefer if you provide the detailed way of how they will be judged, like driving to a buoy and then come back or carry passengers from one point to another point, etc.

After that, they have to ride the same duck boat and search for a buoy. This is fine, but I don’t know if the buoy is large enough so that teams won’t have to swim to retrieve the clue. Then, they have to make their way to another park, which starts to bore me.

The biking through the Freedom Trail is fine and provides a nice intro for a memory challenge, but I want you to provide the route map of this task, especially where the monuments are located. The following memory challenge is good since the team hints are not obvious. I also kinda like that the only way teams will know the answers for some of the hints are if they talked before with other teams, because if they’re isolated themselves, this task would kill their chance of finishing fast.

Following the memory challenge, they have to go to an Irish pub where they have to dress up a leprechaun mannequin. This task could be interesting to watch, especially with the crowd inside the pub.

After the leprechaun task, they have to make their way to TD Garden for their final memory challenge. The Roadblock concept is interesting. It has a similar concept with TAR 12’s final memory challenge, however with different elements used which are the mascots. There is a potential of changing positions here, so I like it. Finally, they’re heading to the Finish Line, which is located in Fenway Park.

Here are my final comments for your whole route and final leg: :luvya:

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Route:
Nuku, your route and legs are pretty straightforward, except that you started in New Zealand, which is good for me. Some of your legs are really good, especially the Cambodia and Czech Republic legs. However, some legs are not up to my standard, such as in your Croatia and Spain legs. You created many good legs at the early part of the route, however it started to decline at the later legs. But in general, you’ve done an awesome job reaching this far in your first participation in DC.

Final Leg:
Nuku, I see that you tried to highlight Boston, but I actually expected more from your Boston leg, especially that you designed it as the final leg. Some of your tasks are great, but I actually hope that you would make them go to one of the major universities here, like Harvard or MIT (well, they’re in Cambridge, but still part of the Metropolitan Boston area). I can imagine some great finale-worthy tasks held in those universities. Perhaps if you add a cryptic clue task in Harvard, it would be really nice to watch. I’m not 100% impressed with your park-heavy visited locations and you didn’t provide flight info nor maps, but I’m 100% agree that you’ve given your best in designing this final leg.
The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Game starts here!

The Amazing Race Japan - Sign up here!
*Postponed until after TAR:DC 8 finished*

Offline Kamineko

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Re: The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
« Reply #1274 on: December 25, 2020, 11:20:38 AM »


Kamineko's Comments



Here are my comments for your route:

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Leg 1:
I’ve commented on this leg before, so let me get through this fast. Interesting starting line task, but can take a long time to complete. Still loving the cultural aspect of this leg as I said before. Solid first leg.

Leg 2:
I don’t know if both Detour tasks can take a long time or not, but it sounds unbalanced, especially the Fried task. Loving the Roadblock task because it requires skills and attention to detail at the same time.

Leg 3:
It’s been a while not seeing a leg in Barcelona, but I think you did a good job here. Both Detour tasks sound pretty physical, but showcasing different aspects, so that’s okay. The Roadblock sounds fun, but it’s another food/drink themed task, which just happened in one-part of the Detour.

Leg 4:
I like the Speed Bump task, it’s pretty creative. The Roadblock is pretty simple and straightforward, but also has a potential to stumble some teams. I also like both Detour tasks, and would love to see these happening in real TAR. Pretty solid leg.

Leg 5:
I’m surprised at the Roadblock because I’ve never heard of it before; kudos in finding an idea for this task. The Detour task is also really good, but I wish the Lost Cadets task was made easier since it sounds hard to complete (remember TAR 16’s Detour?). Also, I would prefer this leg placed more into the latter part of the race because of its difficulty.

Leg 6:
Like what I said in my previous comment, I really like this leg. It showcases enough culture and tasks for one solid leg from the start to the end.

Leg 7:
I still love this leg even after reading it on a wiki version. A really solid Ethiopia leg, indeed, even one location is reused from TAR 6.

Leg 8:
Just like the original submission, I really like this leg. It captures the beauty of Sri Lanka really well and showcases their culture in a good portion.

Leg 9:
I really like your tasks here. The Detour is pretty straightforward despite the long explanation. The Face-Off can be hilarious to watch and I think the losing teams could learn something from their mistake before trying again. Uzbekistan should be visited soon on TAR and I have high hopes for this country after seeing your leg.

Leg 10:
I love the stunning scenes we might see in this leg. The tasks are also pretty nice. You picked a rarely mentioned location in China, which I find really amusing. Some of your tasks here are pretty complicated, that you had to write a long paragraph for it, which also made me confused reading it without pictures to explain it, however.

Leg 11:
Really solid Roadblock task, with the location setting can really make this task more difficult. Nice way to highlight the traditional side and the modern side of Shanghai in one solid leg. I really like this penultimate leg.


Here is my comment for your final leg:

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Hey, Bookworm! Congratulations for reaching this far in the competition. You’ve had your ups and downs throughout this season, and you’re worthy to be one of the finalists in this season of Design Challenge. Let’s see if this time you can take the trophy.

Starting from Shanghai, teams are told to go to Durango, Colorado. An interesting location, indeed. I see that this is your Phil’s favorite location leg as well, so let’s see if you can impress Phil (if he reads your leg hahaha). Arriving in Durango, teams drive themselves to find a railroad in downtown Durango for a first Roadblock, which is a memory challenge. I absolutely love this memory challenge. Combining clues that are not so obvious to retrieve from teams’ personal notes (if any), adding an easy math problem that could cause confusion if they make a mistake, and having this task held in a train, is awesome. I really like this task. But, should you place this right at the beginning, or is this task more suitable for the final memory challenge for its complexity?

After finishing the first Roadblock, they make their way to a museum where they have to build a teepee. This task sounds simple but can trample some teams if they’re too rushing because it should take some patience and precision. Adding the petroglyphs in this task just makes this hard task even harder. Even if you ignore this part, it still makes this task great. But it’s not wrong either to challenge teams’ ability to focus in the final leg, and I like it too.

Now, they have to go to one of Phil’s favorite locations, Pagosa Springs, and the first destination is in a rodeo ground. The task here is pretty hard if they’re not really paying attention and failing in riding the mechanical bull. But I’m glad that you’re not just asking them to ride the mechanical bull, because it will be really boring for this late of the race and design challenge. My concern is whether the complexity of this challenge is too much considering all the previous tasks are also pretty complex.

After that, they have to go to a hot spring for a final Roadblock, which is their final memory challenge as well. While I agree that this task has an awesome concept, I’m kinda concerned with the execution. First, how many balloons are there? Also, the fact that those balloons will be on air for a while before the task begins, there’s almost a certain chance that the balloons will be seen by all teams even before they reach the task location, and perhaps they can “get ready” for this task. Then, there’s also a chance of natural interference that causes the balloons won’t go up. I like the idea of reminiscing their first task on the race on a bigger scale, but there are too many risks here and there that could make this task hard to execute perfectly on site.
Their final destination and the Finish Line is located at the Great Sand Dunes, which is a really nice location for the Finish Line. I can totally imagine a Finish Line in this location.

Here are my final comments for your whole route and final leg: :luvya:

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Route:
Bookworm, I see that you’ve given your all in designing this route, but sometimes too much. There are some issues at the formatting of the Wiki, but that’s pretty minor. I have an issue with you copy-pasting the whole task description on the Wiki, which makes it too long to read, because I expect the Wiki format will be the brief version of the leg, but without removing important information. There’s not many new legs that you design in this final round, because many of them are reused from the previous rounds, but I’m loving many of your newly made legs. The highlight of this route I believe is your Belgium and the penultimate China legs. My issues in this route are mainly in your Spain leg and your first China legs; as well as that many of your tasks have intricate details which is too much for me. I would prefer if you balance some complex tasks with simple and straightforward ones, so that the audience won’t be confused as well. You definitely love to create unique and complex tasks, but I would prefer if you tone it down a bit and make them balanced. Overall, I believe that your route is a pretty solid one.

Final Leg:
Bookworm, I think you’ve done a great job in designing this final leg. I certainly believe that this leg must be in a 2-hour finale, otherwise I have to say that this leg is too long to be edited into a 1-hour finale. Your first memory task is really the highlight of this leg for me, with your teepee assembling task comes in second. However, that also means that the remaining tasks are not as good as the first two tasks. The rodeo task is good, but can also be boring to watch if teams keep failing on the mechanical bull part. And, the final memory challenge has issues and can be risky for production with too many variables. I believe that you’re assuming that we’re living in a perfect world, thus this leg should work well in that perfect scenario, which is true. But, if we want to see this leg really happen in real race, there are many ifs and preparations to be answered and done for the production.
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*Postponed until after TAR:DC 8 finished*