Raneforus V, the tileset that has been barely used in general, has been used really well for the theme that the level here uses, the level that was chosen for the JJNet ladder’s mappool. The theme in ‘Canyon Grove’ is indeed well executed, although cause of the theme, the level’s name could as well be ‘Jungle’s Inside’(reference to ‘Jungle’s Edge’.)
However the level of course is more than just a jungle, as it’s more like a ruined temple in the jungle. The background consists of the tileset conversions’ classic JJ1 background tiles and it fits just well in my opinion, as it’s been all done in detail like the rest of the level. The tileset of course hasn’t been used to it’s fullest potential, as only tiles that were necessary for the theme were used. However, the amount of visuals is just brilliant and there is certainly no need for more of them, as it would make the eyecandy rather excessive and distracting if all the tiles in the tileset were used, even when they weren’t really needed.
Now, the level design itself is what completely surprised me when I saw it the first time, as it’s really ideal for CTF with still a lot of room to make various plays. The designing is partly the type of designing that I would expect to see from the legendary BlurredD himself. It may at first seem overly complex, but really, in the end it all just makes sense. There is a good mix of solid and thin walls/platforms, and there are many corridors where a player can hide, but with the wise usage of ammo the level won’t turn into a campfest either. There is also enough space to shoot, and yet there aren’t any too open areas which would increase ‘lag-dependency’ in online games. I really do like the design around bases especially.
One of the questions may be that; Is this level too big for normal games? Well, certainly not for typical 3on3 games and bigger. I tried one here and it played really well in my opinion, there was enough scoring and roasting. However, I’m not yet certain about duels or 2v2 games, as I’ve tried out neither of them, but at least the long spawn-times of carrots (25-30) should make them plausible.
One of the major concepts here concerns the ammunition, for which some AngelScripting has been used. The script will never let you have more than a maximum of 25 seeker ammo at once, which discourages massive seeker spamming in the level wherever you go, and forces to make wise use of them instead which is a good thing. The other part of the concept is the power up placement. In the latest JJ2+ there is the new type of ammunition; Fireball which replaces Pepperspray(Gun8) which all JJ2+ users should know by now. Since the Fireball deals damage value of 2 when powered up, it makes for an equal alternative for the RF power up. Since pepperspray power up deals always a damage value of 1, powered up or not, that would certainly be too underwhelming against the RF power up. As these 2 power ups have been divided among the team sides, the script prevents the disable of Fireball, which ensures fair games in all cases.
I’m now sure that this is my favourite level of PurpleJazz so far, as it shines of sheer brilliance in both gameplay and visuality. There are only a couple of minor flaws that I would complain about, one being the flow error at the level edges, requiring a player who comes from the bottom of the level to jump by the bases’ platform to get up to the spring that takes you to the next level. The other flaw being the slightly confusing use of One way events, since there is no clear logic which of the thin platforms have it and which not, except that it’s somewhat obvious under the bases and wherever springs make the flow. Well, I guess it also helps to counter camping with the seeker ammo. Also, whether or not this level works well in duels/2v2 is yet to be seen for me. But at least the level is ideal for 3on3 games and JDC Events.
Too long/Didn’t read/Summary part: Here is a very high-quality level by PurpleJazz that offers exotic gameplay in exotic environment(cheesily said.) Download this!