Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Interview with CraccoBoyCC, leader of the CC clan. Bold is me, normal text is CB.

What type of clan is CC (Cracco Clan)? A fighting, level making, tranquil, etc?

fighting, but some of our members also make levels.

Especially you.

Correct :) I think I’m one of the persons who made the most levels in JJ2.

Is there a reason you always seem to use your own tilesets?

Well, kinda.
The default tilesets are too overused, and they don’t have the tiles I exactly need for my levels. Do you think a level like LoC (Cracco Land of Coins) or TaD (Cracco Time and Dimensions) could be done in a default tileset?

No, but there are plenty of tilesets other then default.

Yep, but they don’t either. For a level like LoC I needed 32 different coins, and no tileset has that except my own.

Ah.

I must make and use my own tilesets because I’ll know they’ll suit with the level.

What is the main reason of your level making? High J2O ratings, fun, to please the public, you feel it’s your duty?

- J2o ratings, I don’t care about J2o (interviewer’s note, BLASPHEMY!!!), I only uploaded a few there
- to feel it’s my duty, maybe a little, some of my members and friends want to see new levels from me often
- fun, please the public, yep, this is the main reason. the pleasure of playing the level.

Have you ever made a level that you think is perfect, and can’t be improved in any way?

I don’t want to boost my ego but I think LoC is nearly perfect.
Snowdust, TaD and Wars come close though.

Snowdust. I remember that. As soon as I got into the castle, about 75% of the time I couldn’t shoot one bit, so I never was able to get very far.

It’s not necesary to shoot in the castle :P

I thought it was… maybe it’s just the way you always hide trigger crates. I find that annoying, really.

oh

Why do your tilesets rarely have masks, and if they do, only in some small parts?

I suppose you haven’t seen all of my tilesets

I see the ones you release, and one or two others.

CA, CB, CC, CD, CL, CLC, CN, CMT, CS and CR don’t have masks, or masks in small parts
CMT has a special reason though.. It’s the tileset for the Cracco Mountain in which the point is getting stuck and sinking to the bottom of the mountain ;P

Getting stuck. How wonderful.

When you see the level u’ll understand ;P
CE, CF, CG, CV, CW, CX, CY and CZ are fully or almost fully masked

That’s exactly the trouble. Automask.

not automask.
‘real drawen mask

But instead of using layers 5/6/7, wouldn’t it be easier to make things that are always in those layer unmasked?

No, that’ll confuse people and what are those layers for then?
I want as much as possible solid tiles to use on layer 4, if I want a background or foreground i’ll use the layers ;-p

Eyecandy. Most levels use them for mountain ranges and trees and stuff, like they’re supposed to be used for.

eyecandy, I like good graphics on the background :D

But making everything really solid causes people to get stuck in all sorts of tiles.

not if you mask the tiles well.

In the tilesets of yours I’ve seen, they’re not.

Which tilesets of me did u see then?

Gets JCS
CC, CE, EF, CG, CLC, CP CV, CW, CX, CZ.

Hmm..
CF, take a look at that one
it’s much masked :)

Yes, but complex structures aren’t masked solidly, so you can get stuck in them easily.

that depends on how the levelbuilder uses the tileset and builds the level

The average level maker wants 5, 6 and 7 to put eyecandy in, and use layers 4 and 3 for the stuff you walk around in.

I usually use layer 5 for objects on the background or ‘stuff u walk around in’

Yes, but it doesn’t appear on low detail, making everything look bad.

Always play a level of me in high detail ;-p

Sounds like the “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature” excuse.

it’s not a bug, I did that because that’s most easy and handy for me to work with my tilesets

But you ought to think of other people.

The people who use my tilesets know how to use them too.

Runs out of arguments Shall we move onto the next question?

Ok :P

Related, how many people other then CCs use your tilesets?

I don’t know exactly. even though the tilesets are mainly created for CC’s and some are just made for MY own levels,there are other people who use my tilesets
no clanners, TECs and LDs..
UR sometimes too.

Ah.
Ok, new question. What are your expectations on Jazz’s CP project?

I think it’ll be good
I’m intending to help him when he’s done iwth the indoor part
and the minigames will be good, since they’re mostly from other succesful Cracco levels.

Any original ones?

Yea
there should be at least two.

When CC was started, what were you thoughts on its future?

I thought it would become a good clan if I just put enough efforts in it and got loyal, good and nice members.

And do you believe you have achieved this goal?

not really.. I already achieved that goal next year

Next?

CC was created in late 1999
in 2000 it was already a popular, good clan
I had no ideas what would become of it when I started it… Now it’s one of the few never died, merged and good clans.

What makes a “good” clan?

loyal members, much friendship bewteen the members
and good players ofcourse.

Where did you get the idea for Loc? (Different note)

Nowhere
I just came up with an idea to create a new original level
and I just learnt how to use triggers ;-P

Triggers art fun.

yea
If you look at my very old levels (from 2000 and 1999) you can see they didnt have any triggers
LoC was one of the first of my levels which uses triggers.

Triggers revelutionized your level making?

Yea
but there were more level making revolutions
when I learnt how to make my own tilesest… The big change from Default to Custom tilesets.

I don’t think everyone liked that revolution.

At least me and my fans did :P

Did your fans diminish at that point?

the few levels made with default tilesets weren’t that good.
diminsh? what does that word mean?

Amount Lessen

explain the question ;p

Did your number of fans lessen when you learnt how to make your own tilesets?

no
The times I made levels with default tilesets… Not many people knew of them but my friends and most members liked them
unfortunately the people who still have all the old default levels are mostly all gone from JJ2……
When I learnt how to make Custom tileset I was much helped by my friends and mostly by Coolman

Did you lose them?

Well from ALL my finished levels I made
I only lost 3..
I were able to find about 10 old levels back from people who still have them

We’re wandering. Back to the interview?

Cracco Colloseum, Cracco C and Cracco CC :P
okay sure.

How much effect do you think CC has had on JJ2?

Big one.

In any ways you can tell us?

much..
okay.
I think there was a time that CC gave a little negative effect on JJ2 because our members were newbies.. (1999-2000)
But CC strengthened alliances between clan
and was the second or third CTU member (I dont know if UR was earlier than me).
And some of the levels CC members made probably wont ever be forgotten either.

Like LoC?

yea
exactly.
Also CC did many fun things and the old members are still loyal because of the good effects of CC

Have you watched the Wizard of Oz?

uhm ;-p
a few parts of the animation serie
when I were VERY little. I can only remember that there were a girl, a scarecrow and a robot

Have you read the book?

no :P

Too bad.

I don’t read much books, only comics and game-review books ;-P
and when I HAVE to read a book for school. sigh

Books are good for you.
Didn’t you go off JJ2 for some time?

Not only when really necesary
like getting my computer replaced with a new one that took some days
and vacations ;-P

I thought there was some long interval when Coolman took over.

but there’s always a coleader that can replace me.
Coolman the Coleader took over when the computer got replaced and when it got formatted later
the formatting only made him leader for 1 day
when it had to be replaced it was longer, maybe more than a week.
but I trust coolman that he’ll do a fine job he is the most loyal member.

It is good to have trust.

Yea..

What is your favorite part of JJ2?

What do you mean? Gamemodes? Characters?

Everything.

uh
I like spaz ;-p
I like the old times when GpWs and DMs werent discriminating other clans and when every JJ2 player was equal (interviewers note: Don’t blame me for this)
I like Carnage, Survive, Conquest, Assault and CTF ;-p

Fun.

I like the nice people around and my members mostly :)
the evil, unfreindly members have already left or got kicked out of the clan, now there are only the (for me) nicest JJ2-ers left.

A silly question for the weirdos.
DO YOU LIKE CREAM CHEESE?

what’s that?

You put it on bagels.
You also put Lox on your bagels in order to protect them.

?
and what is LoX
and what is bagels


?


:|

Bagels are round things with a hole in the middle.

donuts?

Lox is a variant of Salmon.
Nay.

well I guess I never ate one so I dont know ;-p :o ;p

Is CraccoBoy your only name?

It’s not my real name ;-p

Do you play by any others?

I used to play as Knight, Crany and just CB


:P
but since about one full year
I only play with my CraccoBoyCC nickname ;-p

Thank you for your time.

Don’t worry the pleasure is mine :D
Cya ;-p

Bye