Capture the flag, by 
As I like to take initiatives, I have decided to finally review this upload. I strongly believe that taking initiatives is important, if they are done in a reasonable way.
I am not going to cover all aspects thoroughly, just the ones I think are worth mentioning. I am also not reviewing this consistently with other uploads I have reviewed, and have adopted a new way of reviewing uploads.
First, let me start off by saying that I respect this upload for the fact it was relatively good when it was made, and it served as an inspiration for people to make levels, so things would probably be slightly different today without this. However, the problem with most older levels is that they are quite franky…very unbalanced. One of the levels in this pack is the most popular level according to JDC statistics, which I will explain further in my review. Generally, these levels are a bad influence when it comes to gameplay, and I feel that at least needs to be clarified. No one can make levels like these, receive high ratings, and even have one of them be the most popular level currently. I am in no way insulting stripe, and I have liked a few of his levels (superconductor), and I also think he is still one of the best level designers ever in the jj2 scene.
.
Happy Hell CTF
What a fitting name, or not so fitting as I was only happy to change to the next level. In general, I don’t mind mp levels that are hard to navigate, as long as you can adjust to the obstacles. Here, you are forced to use the v-poles to reach the bases, but there’s also a warp at the bottom to reach both bases. However, it can only send you to a number of locations in a certain order. I find that annoying, what’s the tactic? – It’s not fun in any way in my opinion. There’s this cool secret: you can go into the platform that is below the poles, and the spring there will make it so you can reach the first pole only. Now, the spring on top of the platform will force you to use both poles, so you can only stomp before the second pole. The secret allows you to go below the second pole without the stomping state. If you took the ‘secret’ spring, you can go towards the right side of the shaft, which is where the other part of the secret is. It’s a toaster pu with some triggers that spawn platforms that make it easier to reach the bases! – Unfortunately, the effect is triggered off once you touch a base. I would really rather play something else than this level. The famous quote “inferno sucks!” is clearly not just frustration at using the tileset, but also the author expressing that he knew the level is subpar. There’s probably more I can say about the full NRG, but I’m really, really sick of this level.
Happy Canyon CTF
I really don’t want to go into detail here. You can apparently destroy the bridge and access the hoverboards (afaik you need your team around to access hoverboards) all by destroying the crates and opening triggers. Some of the triggers and crates are well hidden and require you to search every wall. Besides that, the level is really nothing I would consider interesting, and it’s annoying to play in my opinion, because of the void left in the middle after crates are broken. I’ve heard the level is buggy and laggy as well.
Happy Castle CTF
I never have liked this level much. I only recall enjoying a jb game here. There is only one way red team players can reach blue base, while there is only one way blue team players can reach red base? – Not exactly, blue base’s design is much easier to defend than red. It doesn’t help that the layout is somewhat symmetrical with varying sides. It doesn’t help that blue can only get bouncer pu while red can only get toaster, and there are no other pus to compensate for this. The differing pus may be said to be equal, but I’ve always had more of an advantage with bouncers for obvious reasons. Also, in my opinion, the layout is redundant and overly complex; I never used all the area available to me. I like the ‘cannons’ at each base, and I also like how the roofs are open in your team’s base. Again, there’s probably more to cover, but those were the most important points.
Happy Jungle CTF
I have always liked small, yet fun and quirky levels like MULCH/MALCH, Stupid CTF and Beachcombing. This level is very small as well, however it’s not as simple as Stupid CTF, MULCH/MALCH or beachcombing. It has blue base at the top, with red base at bottom. Guess what? – Higher up is always more advantageous. The times I’ve played here were all chaotic and lag based. I can’t really say anything more about this.
Happy Desert CTF
A complex level. Again, I don’t really want to go into detail here, but it’s another somewhat-but-not-really-symmetrical level that’s probably imbalanced. The first time I played this I thought it was absurdly hard to navigate. Nowadays I don’t think it’s that hard, but the layout could’ve benefited from much better arrangement.
Happy Semiconductor CTF
Where do I begin?
This level has been one of the most popular levels on jj2, and seems to be even more popular now being the most played level on jj2 currently. There are some nice tricks, like exploiting the top right area as an RTS spot, all the neat rf climbs, and the fact most platforms are 1 tile
thick make the level fun. What isn’t fun is blue team has better spawnpoints. Blue is easier to defend than red. It doesn’t help that it’s really campy in duels because of 1 full c (although most levels are campy). Lots of passages are 1 tile thick, though I personally don’t mind. In my opinion, this level is average at best, maybe even below average if I consider the gameplay quirks. I keep hearing varying opinions on which side is better, but the fact is this level is imbalanced.
I could’ve gotten into more depth with other aspects, but there’s no point. I think the designers now should focus on making balanced levels, with emphasis on flow. I never mind obstacles that can result in a way to gain an advantage, but not as advantageous as exploiting the level in a way that the opposing team or player can’t.
