Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Random review.

Eyecandy
Rather normal use of the Odyssey tileset. There are lightbulbs here, broken lightbulbs there, and dead lightbulbs everywhere. There are some interesting moments, though.

7/10

Layout
The layout (and here I mean placement of platforms and stuff) is good, but there is one problem with it: flow. It is tough to reach from blue to red and vice-versa. It took me 10 minutes to figure out the path (and I still haven’t quite gotten the flow of the level yet). There are also some campy places (the Toaster powerup can be guarded with seeks at the tube and the bases are too easily guarded with bouncers).

6/10

Gameplay
There is a reasonable amount of possibilities for gameplay. You can spam bouncers or seekers at the warp target to hit someone coming from the powerups. Sadly, there are no RF climbs/jumps/tricks areas around here and no RF powerup. There are also no carrot tricks (on Happy Semiconductor CTF you can shoot the carrot down and take it from the bottom/on Jungle’s Edge you can shoot the carrot down all the way from the top of the level to the bottom).

7/10

Music
I couldn’t hear it on this computer so let’s skip it.

0/0

Extra points
First level, I always add points for that :P +1

A little too little ammo. -0.5

Overall
7.26666666 or rounded to 7.3.

DR? I want to half recommend it but that’s not allowed, so it’s neutral.

Nice first level, Hordy :)

I was able to play this online with a couple of people, and although i think this level is more suited for large servers i did get a fair idea of how the level plays.

First of all, the level design mixes several different themes together, made possibly by Spotty’s Foomerge tileset edit (which I myself used, although it was a heavily edited edit of that edit cough :P, in phantasmagoria). All these themes (or as SJ describes them – “elements”) combine within the level to create a unique and interesting design. If I could summarize the eyecandy style here in one word, it would have to be chaotic. A great attention is paid to detail here, and no area of the level looks dull or bland, but sometimes the mix of seemingly unassosciated tiles together in such a small space can be a little bit disorienting, especially the background layer eyecandy. That being said, I liked that the eyecandy was kept out of the way for the most part, and besides the disorientation from the style itself, it did not interfere with the gameplay of the level. Also, going back to the style of the detail here, I think the way the appearance was designed, as a blend of everything with the castle area in the middle, gives the level a unique personality (for lack of a better word) and I liked it. Although, it could take some time to get used to.

As far as the layout and gameplay of the level go, I mentioned before I think it is better suited for larger amounts of players, like team matches or ffa games. Tho the level doesn’t look very big, the amount of passages in the layout and the presence of water here means it can be kinda hard to find your kill, even in a 2vs2 game. Also, i counted 5 carrots here (tho I could be wrong?) which is a lot, and means you probably shouldnt be playing duels here, even if one of the carrots is hidden and the other seems like it could only be gotten with a copter. There are also a few warps scattered throughout the level, which make getting from one side to the other fairly easy. It also made it a lot harder to stalk others in this level, because I couldn’t be sure where they were going, and it was already hard enough to find them in the first place. I’m not a big fan of using water in levels that don’t look like they would naturally contain it, but it was used here in an interesting gimmick with the bouncer powerup requiring a sugar rush, and used in combination with a fire shield placed in the level. The strategy involved in choosing when and where to use the shield, and the option of obtaining it through the use of the #2 powerup for a longer timespan, makes the water here serve a purpose (as well as the food scattered about), which is fine.

In terms of ammo, I found myself mostly using the RF powerup for long hallways or seekers for the vertical/water areas of the level. Bouncers were also very useful, but it took time and careful planning to get the 100 food required to obtain them, so they couldn’t be depended on for the entire match. There is also a #6, #1 and #8 powerup, and some fastfires. They tend to be scattered towards the top of the level (besides the bouncer), which I guess is meant to counterbalance the shield being at the bottom-center of the map. TBH, I mightve placed the blaster a bit lower down, since its about a second and a half away from the RF, but generally I think everything is spread out nicely. I mentioned this already, but I like how the food placement here serves a purpose, beyond just a sugar rush. The water and the option of obtaining a powerup and a longer shield time really make the food a lot more deadly than it usually is (although i still doubt it will play any significant factor in determining the outcome of a match, but w/e :P).

The music also fits perfectly, although it reminds me more of a sci-fi show than the HoMM series here, for some reason.

Overall, I have a tough time rating this, because its meant for large games and I could only play this with 3 people today, but I’d definately like to see this in the Anniversarry Bash this year. The interesting gimmicks, plus the unique design style and theming, and generally solid level design in general, means this is a level you shouldn’t miss out on, and that you’ll probably see hosted in public servers in the future. I’m giving this an 8.4 for now, although that may change after I get to properly play this as it was intended (8-32 people).

~Blacky

really awesome

EDIT: Yeah, Master sven, but did you read the whole review? There’s the real rating at the bottom.

This review has two versions: Honest and Newcomer. One is more harsh than the other, but for a newcomer to battle level’s sake (I know you’re not that new to it, but still, it has the feel of a newbie) I have posted the Newcomer rating as the main one.

Newcomer…

Eyecandy
Good concept, but poorly executed. Eyecandy, at a glance, looks very overpowering and overbearing, but good. Then we get into the level and find out that the eyecandy kind of obstructs the level. Blocks ammo and stuff.

5/10

Layout
Meh. Normal. And small.

6/10

Gameplay
Rather decent. There are 4? fastfires on the top of the level, toaster ammo below the FFs, RFs at the bottom, and seeker in a small room. Unfortunately, there is only one place for most ammo, forcing you to go to that specific area. More variety = More gameplay possibilities. Good maps like Happy Semiconductor CTF or Sanguinary Sanctuary all have ammo scattered everywhere. OK, maybe not scattered, you get my point.

Also, no Power-Ups?

7/10

Extra points
Lack of One-Way where actually needed. -0.5

Total
6.5/10

Harsh
Obstructive eyecandy, too small layout, not enough ammo, not enough variety, sucks.

3.5/10

Nope. No point at all :D

Quite a fun level, but getting a 10 and 9.2 is absurd

this is just a comment, so please don’t downvote it.

Hordy, we weren’t being rude with our comments (At least, I wasn’t). In fact, I thought I gave you a pretty decent review. The level is what it is, so please be careful when you go venting on J2O. Take it from me, it doesn’t work.

@TreyLina While I do agree that things like NES conversion don’t fix the artstyle, I still think if done right they can still work. However the only one to get it right so far has been hocous pocous

Reviewing this as part of the review exchange thread on the forums, so here goes.

One Starry Night by PT32

Basically, according to the description and what the author has wrote in the readme, this pack features a concept that blends the level design styles of jj1 and its sequel counterpart. I haven’t touched JJ1 in a long while, but i’ve played through it and more or less remember a general picture of what the levels looked like, especially the first 3 planets. However, this pack draws from Holiday Hare, namely the first one featuring Holidaeus. I’m going to review these levels as a whole instead of individually, since this is a pack and I think it is more fitting that way. Also, for like the first time i decided to use jazz for the playthrough.

What i liked about these levels is the difficulty level was excellent, the design was solid in the fact that it was consistent and i didnt encounter any bugs, and that the levels delivered on its intentions made in the description of the pack, although since i dont recall the original holiday hare levels well i cant judge on the extent this element has been reinterpreted here. However, as much as I loved JJ1 I have to say that a lot of the elements that were present in its level design feel very dated, especially using the engine of its sequel. This extends to the levels themselves to a degree. That being said, I still found them enjoyable to play for some old fashioned and straightforward single player action. I’m kind of torn on the rating though, but generally around 7-7.5 seems fair. Download reccomended, since I think this deserves more attention than it currently has.

I thought it was awesome level. now that there’s a lite version its imo even better. and music is not by kevin riepl, so thats great for a pj level! gj :D

Awesome level with epic eyecandy and gameplay. Also the castle ‘ruin’ is nicely done. Good job.

While this level isn’t very noob-friendly, it surely gives you a lot of tactical advantage over others once you learn the level properly yourself. What is it about?

It’s about knowing how to maneuver with your character here. The level is fairly big technically, (depends on how you consider medium to be) but it’s also pretty solid, so it might not feel that big while you’re playing. In that sense, learning how to move shouldn’t take very long, but of course there is much variety in the flow, so you need some memorizing. Also considering that there are only 4 springs in a level of this size, it means that you need better control over your character to be able to move well. Some modern levels tend to have springs or float-ups put everywhere around the level, (even unnecessary places) so you don’t need to jump at all, basically, which is a bad thing. Here, however you need to use jump to reach certain spots or areas from a certain point.

The level uses a modified tileset with a Grey’ish palette which creates a deadly atmosphere. The same thing has been done before, but it’s nice to have another one in a new environment every once in a while(for example see The Death Facility by P4ul/Booshi.) But also the level has very surrealistic graphics in an innovative way that makes it look less dull.

There are a few dead ends at the top part of the level. You could get trapped there in case you lack bouncer ammo. At the same time, you may camp against your opponents pretty well in them, but since the gamemode is battle, they aren’t such a big matter.

The level contains 5 power ups and 3 carrots if I counted right, which is fair enough for this level. One of the power ups(the most powerful one – Seeker, of course) is pretty hard to reach and notice in general. It is a nice concept, but I think the power up could be more visible or there should be at least a hint of it’s existence there. For the rest things are placed and executed well.

This is a fun, and high quality level by PurpleJazz, that is definitely worth a download and a lot of games. This level should work well with 1vs1 games, but the more, the merrier. Also props for the hidden messages.

EDIT: Thanks for the update. The power up should be fine now.

SJ

Was there really any point in uploading this?

Well, I’m not sure how anyone could make a serious good looking level with this. The worst part of this conversion is the surrounding white and light grey pixels around it. Couldn’t you of at least got rid of those? When you add EC in the walls, you can see them quite clearly as you can in the screenshot. I don’t get how people get so worked up about bad ratings if they know it’s bad themselves. Rather than trying to make conversions with everything you can find, it’s better if you just find something that would fit well with the style of JJ2 (no more NES game tilesets please especially. Not that I have anything against the console itself although but the graphics aren’t anything pretty for JJ2), and something that you dont have to visually modify so much, that it ends up looking strange in the end. There’s not much you can do with this either. No vines, no poles, no decent background tiles, no slopes, infact so much useful tiles are not there. And some of the existing tiles aren’t really needed for JJ2. Well there’s your load of advice which is pretty much everything I’ve wanted to say about the majority of non-JJ2 related conversions.

I’m giving it an 8.4. Why? Because you have a reasonably great story, good gameplay, and good difficulty (necessary). There is a problem with when you fall down and get caught by the guards. You get sent back to your cell, then you fall down into the ground, but you don’t die. I had to host a server in Coop mode to try to use the /r command, but it was very annoying. Also, secrets are very hard to find since you used the Glowee tileset. But it’s actually a very nice and fun level. Recommend download. :)

Before playing, I really CAN’t imagine how will this work :D
The idea is good.
After playing: Now I know…
(This ISN’T a review)

Eyecandy
————
Normal, could be improved a lot, especially on the upper part of the level. The bottom is good, I really like it, the center is normal, and the top is mostly bad.
Bottom: With the brownish yellow ground (+the green rfs, blue bouncers), the background layer 5,6 made to green with plants, layer 7 with the sea, and layer 8 textured background fits really nice together.
Center: Here mostly the layer 3 was used(with lots of tile type), on the front of layer 4. On the layer 7 the sea, the mountains on it’s top are seeable. The layer 4 is boring, with the repeating tiles. And finally those floating wood boxes with waterfalls from it in the background probably on layer 6.

Gameplay
————
This is normal too. The poles on the center of the level are rather bad. The big one kicks you exactly into the pit. The other smaller ones are making you move slower, especially if you are playing with Jazz or Lori. The ways to the enemy bases are not equally long. The flying sands (and other things)ARE makeing the movement/flow bad/normal.

Ammo placement
———————
This is well done. If we aren’t seeing that thing, that the seeker, toaster PUs are easily pickable with Electro Blaster/upgraded Bouncer and the other 2 PUs are taking longer time to collect, the Pepper Sprays are on bad place. I don’t know even now, where the +1 carrots are…(I won’t rate this). the Full NRG carrot is on a good place.

Scoreing
————
Eyecandy: 6.8
Gameplay:.6.7
Ammo placement: 8
No Bugs found,funny pit text:+0.5
____________________________
(6.8+6.7+8)/3+0,5=7,66= 7,7
DR: Neutral, if you like sunny CTF levels, yes :).

Edit: now know where is the 2 +1 car. raising with 0.2

Since people dislike this level I’ll help you guys out with my rating.
Decided to give a fully full review which is fuller than full!

Eyecandy:
Considering that this eyecandy has a few ‘bugs’ doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It’s actually well done. The speeds are good and gives a really nice hell effect. The grey atmosphere has a nice colored balanced glow of its map. But the red mists are kind of weird with its speeds.

Gameplay:
Since there are newbies for who has to be the flow perfect. Let me tell you this, not even a single level is perfect. It doesn’t excist, so be happy with what you’ve got. By learning the map you can improve you skills and be like the real pwners. But it seems you don’t seem to understand that. Anyway, now about the levels gameplay.
Since I liked that RF trick there should be another way to get there, with a tube or frozen spring thing, but that is up to you. But you deleted the warp (which I liked..), but that doesn’t effect my rating though. The flow is fifty/fifty.., it has some lacks and i see some nice ends where you can stand. (I mean in the walls) Try to fix these, you can find them by mask on. To get the seeker pu is hard for newbies. It’s just like in ‘Evil Mike’s Evil Fortress’, which has an incredible hard way to get the seeker pu if you play with a lower resolution. Because you don’t see it, I only heard it from a pwner that there was a seeker pu.
Since it’s an hard tileset to use with such crappy maskbugs, so it’s well done and makes the level with the flow a bit better.

Layout:
Ai…, my eyes hurt.. It looks nice, but better you don’t play with low detail. And you hardly see your own rabbit. But that isn’t a big deal, because you always say your name (But not the ground). But I guess the layout is okay but a bit chaotic as well.
But what the hell..? I hardly see carrots because they have to same colour as everything else?!

Placements:
Since this doesn’t count that much, I have to make it count more. Just in this little case.

Seeker PU:
The worst spot in the whole level. It’s too pro biased and has no more ways to get it. Even for the pro’s it sucks.

Bouncer PU:
Has a good spot, but the diagonal line of it doesn’t fit it. Just in the middle of it..

RF PU:
One of the best I guess. On a small island and with some ways to get there.

Blaster PU:
Small doorway, campy, and a C near it. Perfect DD spot.

Toaster PU:
A bit Spaz biased but good enough to control it.

Carrots:
1st (31,7): This one is Spaz biased. Uncampy.

2nd (124,17): This one is more for the DD people which like to camp at the blaster PU. It’s hard to take from the vine, so the best way to get it is from the left.

3rd (64,45): Uncamp, and in a free area. Takes some advantage to get it from the right.

Start posts:
This is something I’ve hardly seen. The startposts are at a small island near a wall. I liked that.

Ammo Placements:
Rather good, sometimes not. Too much tiles between them for example.

Music:
Nice bumbin’ straight in da ears.
(Just good, nothing to say about.)
But I wouldn’t listen this all day.

=================================================================

Since my review is more based on what people think about the gameplay and less about the level I’m not a disliker of this map.

So, the few maskbugs and such could be solved. Learn the freakin’ map instead of complaining.

~Adeøn aka Loon

@ PJ: Honestly, I may not know the exact definition of “skills”, but I don’t think it’s like you can call discovering the existence of the PU (no chance for it if you play the level in battle mode, low chances in offline/not serious games – you’ll basically only find it via JCS, SP cheats or if someone tells you), training the level offline a lot to find the proper spot, memorizing it by heart, and being lucky enough to hit the shoot button in the right gametick (there’s one or two I think when you can successfully get the PU) during the game as being “skilled enough to get it”.