Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

abgrenv: this tileset is expected for use in JJ2+, which lets you put traditional skyboxes in any level, so there is no need to include them in the tileset:

	jjPIXELMAP skybox(TEXTURE::NORMAL);
	for (uint x = 0; x < 256; ++x)
		for (uint y = 0; y < 256; ++y)
			skybox[x,y] = (skybox[x,y] - 176) / 2 + 192;
	skybox.makeTexture();
	jjTexturedBGUsed = true;
	jjSetFadeColors();

it’s a pretty nice tileset, though I feel a lack of chemistry between the background layer (layer 8) and the rest of the tileset, separate they both look great, but combined they sort of differ in artstyle and look like they belong in 2 different games

other than that it’s nice, plus Violet informed me that the classic background is always available in JJ2+, so that issue is also negated

A small and nice conversion with some usability, but also fairy limited. It definitely requires the levelmaker to do some extra work (like tileset merging) in order to create unique levels. The artwork itself is nice, but to me the soil and the sublayer backgrounds don’t look great, although I understand the uploader decided with a direct port.

Beautiful

Very pretty. It’s a solid conversion that looks easy to use. Can’t wait to see it used in a full-fledged level someday.

I had lots of fun playing this during AB23. Pretty visuals, original gameplay, fun with any number of players. Ribbit.

Perhaps by 2001 standards this was considered a great, innovative level. Comparing this level to modern levels with similar high ratings, I believe it aged like milk.

The first half of the level is just a narrow path with barely any space to jump. The only thing that makes this level stand out whatsoever is the layer trickery used to make it look like the player is piloting a submarine in the second half of the level. Enemy positions are spammed almost randomly. The visuals are mediocre, leaning towards bad.

Not worth downloading.

Loon brings us yet another party-sized epic. Strictly for larger games of no less than 5vs5, so best saved for special occasions. There’s some rather inventive things done with the tilesets, and on the whole the level looks dang impressive (but is worth noting that you may experience some framerate issues unless you have decent PC specs).

Featuring two of the strongest powerups (Seeker and Roller) and not many safe places to hide, the gameplay in this level is ferociously fast paced. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but will be a refreshing change for some. The theme of the level is realised well and suitably complements the gameplay style. Give it a go if you’re after a thrill!

What I particularly enjoy about this level is the degree to which it has distinct areas. Instead of being constants, elements like giant carrots or snaking vines or wooden platforms will appear in clusters, making those areas memorable and giving the player a feeling of progression. More such focuses keep turning up throughout the experience, including progressively larger cave areas, bigger uses of wooden platforms, and a lategame forest and underwater section. Besides that, there’s a good healthy amount of pickups all through the level, on the main path and in alcoves and in secrets, and enemies are varied even if never particularly dangerous. The layout and graphics do a lot to avoid becoming boring: the floor is constantly rising and falling as you move along, you change directions a lot, there’s some variety in wall thickness (although it would feel more Carrotus-y with some thinner platforms), various bridges and wooden things appear to keep things fresh.

Other than the rock pushing section, at the bottom, though, nothing in the course of the level ever feels unique… which, of course, is totally fine, it just means that the level isn’t transcendent. But I’d like to see more attention paid to how the level can feel distinctly Carrotus/Easter, particularly when using events instead of just stuff the tileset provides. Bird cages would feel at home here, for example. The wooden platforms and floors didn’t always feel great, due to a combination of how thin they are drawn and how inconsistently solidly they were placed (layer 3 vs 4). One area is covered in thorns that don’t hurt you, followed immediately by a small pit of thorns that does hurt you. Speed blocks are used in place of lock blocks. Diagonal carrots only ever sprout from the ceiling. Both(?) powerups can be obtained by shooting bouncers at them instead of using the intended warps.

It’s a good level with good, if never particularly challenging, gameplay, but it lacks a certain identity.

I love the fact you’re still uploading :)

Awesome level! Enjoyed playing it (hard mode)
Instructions/introduction were very clear.
Concept is creative and original, liked the metrovania-ish aspect of the level!

Very original! Enjoyed the level!

I liked the variety in the Lori enemies in terms of movement and weapons! Level design itself was cool too.

I kinda cheesed the boss(?), it kept spawning loris that jump in place that shoot rocks but I outranged them and simply stood still and kept shooting from afar.

Not sure how other feel about this, but I think most of the invisible springs are pretty pointless, and the version that removed them did the right thing (apart from the Marbelara secret level of course), in Jungrock 2 for example you can’t even get the invincibility powerups since the flowers act as very weak spring which don’t bounce you high enough to get the said items

also I’m not sure if this is an issue you are aware of but on one of the Ceramicus levels, a moving spring could get you permanently stuck. Do you intend to add the final bit of Tubelectric 2 back into the level btw?

Other then that, it’s a definite recommendation, and it’s awesome that you guys are actually fixing the game to make it the best it can be.

The aurora in layer 8 is quite lovely, but the rest of the level doesn’t charm me as much. The layers of mountains and trees in front of it are dull gray, neither silhouettes in front of the green glow nor illuminated by it. Frosted Peaks does a better job of blending these background colors. The darkest color in the blue grass gradient is still too bright, distractingly so. Electroblaster pickups are common but the layout does not seem designed for them. Barrels and masked trees appear because the tileset has them but mostly don’t seem to contribute to gameplay, instead getting in the way of easy movement. Multiple top right corners of walls can’t be jumped up against because of improper masking (and no One Way events). Most egregiously, innumerable platforms are simply too high up to reach unless playing with a double jump. Several in particular are placed ever so slightly higher than the highest point reached by a spring that appears to be intended to take you there, but, only if you are Spaz. Other springs bump you into ceilings or are hard to find, set not quite flush against the nearest walls. The design process seems to have prioritized graphics (though with some questionable palette choices) above gameplay flow, but both are important. The areas with bridges or vines are generally nice and interesting, but it’s frustrating to get around the rest of the level.

The aurora effects in this xlm level are perfect! 8.2/10!

Oh, the music (This Is Gonna Be Good) is made by Randy Newman, and is from the Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog”.

WOW Dragusela I really like your snow xlm battle level! 8/10

BTW in my version I used “Knuckles’ Chaotix – Evening Star” music by Joseph Tek Fox instead of Drax’s “Christmas Memories”.

Not that bad, could’ve used more testing but the visuals are good.

A pack of 8 levels tied together by a storyline.

The first level is centered around what looks like a sea of lava, produced cleverly by using a combination of foreground tiles, many hurt events, and some MCE toaster shots to cover the surface. Above the lava is a barrage of spikeballs and enemies on destructable blocks. Freezer ammo is there to make things easier, but with enough patience you can also shoot down the spikeballs.. The objective is to find an Invincibility carrot to walk through the lava without getting hurt, but since you have such a long invinciblity time already after getting hurt, you can also just cross it by force. You do need to get at least some coins so a bit of exploration is necessary. Anyway, checkpoints are aplenty and while the level starts off fairly hard, it becomes a lot easier near the 2nd half.

The 2nd level is very different. It has you infiltrating a facility ‘Mission Impossible’ style. Touching a guard or falling into a trap has you restart without losing a life, so exploration is very forgiving. Some areas are a bit cramped here and there, and the amount of ammo you can get through stashes is somewhat excessive. Also, the rat enemies really like hopping through the ceilings.

The 3rd level is gimmicky and centered around the frog morph.Tricks are used to allow you to navigate vertically, while Fencers are your main threat. There’s also a floating box near the end used as a platform.

The 4th level focuses on moving the water level in order to clear your path, but stays pretty linear aside from that. The boss is cleverly designed. Although many things have been done with the Robot boss before, this one combines it with a copter to force the player into danger below before the boss can be damaged.

The 5th level uses an original mashup tileset, and a ‘haah waaw’ photograph for the background. Still looks nice. The start pos has you on your toes as you need to shoot some blocks fast before your copters run out. The following objective is to disarm bombs placed in the many sewer parts of the level. While it lacks some of the clever designs of the earlier levels, it’s still fun to navigate.

The 6th level is disco themed and starts off in very cramped buildings where you’ll need to find unlocked doors to progress. Other than that it’s a very traditional JJ2 level. There’s apparently a Rocket Turtle somewhere near the end but it didn’t activate correctly in my run. This level is directly followed up by the final. A not so fun Devan boss in a cramped space with some minor enemies to help him out. Since there’s a huge ammo stash down below to make this fight easy, your biggest challenge will be trying to prevent Devan from hopping through the walls.

And finally, the tiny end credits level has another nice protograph for a background. For some reason, walking right doesn’t actually end the game for you. You’ll have to do that yourself. Sucks if you’re lazy.

Pack recommended for everyone seeking a moderately unique vanilla JJ2 experience. If you manage to get through the challenging first level, the rest of the pack won’t be a problem for you. Enemy and ammo placement is a bit annoying and excessive at times, but for the rest it’s a well designed pack glued together by a story that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

A big pack containing 10 levels, with 7 of them being christmas themed. They all offer traditional JJ2 gameplay, almost to the point of being an extension to the HH98 levels. The gameplay is, however, a bit more intuitive than that. The levels make good use of diagonal slopes and springs to make paths less linear. On the other hand, they also rely a lot on the old “find the crate to open up your path” design. There are many nooks & crannies that are missable so exploration pays off (usually in coins). There’s a ton of ammo with all gun types coming up throughout the levels, yet not that many turtles and lizards to back up that amount of firepower. Eyecandy is done very well, not overwhelming but the scenery is slightly more filled than the official levels.

In the end there’s a small haunted house level, probably the least special of the pack. The 2 secret levels make up for it though. Download recommended if you’re up for classic fun, but remember that the length of the pack could make it feel like a drag, especially if you’re used to modern AngelScript enhanced levels.