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Introduction to the “Commander Keen: Shadowlands” tileset:

The “Commander Keen: Shadowlands” tileset is a take of the second Commander Keen series’ Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle’s tiles.

Content:

One tileset, one example level, one battle level, and one text file are in the reviewed zip file.

Unbiased Review:

This seems to be the most important section of the tileset review. The tileset is based on a game not related to this.

Design/Content: 1.8/2.5

There are a fair number of tiles in the tileset. The tileset also is able to cover the most frequently used events, which is very important, and many tilesets lack. Though it is possible to flip tiles, they don’t really make up for the left side of a platform very well. The masking of the tileset does hurt the tileset as a whole, but unfortunately, there is no such thing as
a perfect masking.

Tile/Tile compatibility: 2.1/2.5

The tiles fit pretty well together. There is still the occasional excess room for confusion when putting tiles together in a level. However, this was made up by the formation of the tiles within the tileset (a common idea used by ideal tileset developers.) Extra animations were also supplied in the tileset. Perhaps the most amusing animation in the tileset was that of Spaz devouring the dopefish of the second Commander Keen series. This didn’t make up for any confusion in the
tileset make-up, but the other animations did.

Tile/Event Compatibility: 2.0/2.0

The tileset covered most tile-event combinations. As long as the supplied events worked (which they did), the designer of the tileset didn’t have a problem with this portion of the rating.

Tile/Concept compatibility: 0.8/1.0

Besides the day/night transition animation, it was an original concept. This tileset has a strong showing of tiles and their concepts. Though they helped this rating, the extra concepts didn’t really carry out anything useful in any level.

Layer use: 0.5/1.0

Aside from the content downfall, the compatibilities with the tiles and the layers was a sad downfall on the tileset’s part. The only real active layers are the few sprite layers, and maybe the background layer if there is a day/night transition. The eyecandy wasn’t at any current or previous standard (which couldn’t be helped since the original was done in 256 colors.)

JCS compatibility: 1.0/1.0

The tileset is fully compatible with JCS. As far as I know, this is a given for any tileset that works perfectly, and allows enough room for animated tiles to work.

Overall rating: 8.2/10.0

This tileset had limits, which probably could be resolved with a few tweaks that didn’t require much intelligence. The animations, tile make-up, and event compatibility had a well-rounded balance of ratings.

Biased Review:

My thoughts on the tileset aren’t much different from the unbiased review. There are a few different points that could be brought up, though.

Reusability: 3.5/5.0

There aren’t too many reasons to compel you to keep using this tileset for your levels. It isn’t a bad idea to use it for your levels at all, on the other hand. The tileset should be compatible with most of your ideas that apply to the official tilesets.

My opinion on this tileset: 4.5/5.0

The tileset is a fine display of work. I’m sure there was a lot of effort involved in designing this tileset. From the example levels, you can see the author was able to use it pretty well. In any case, this isn’t a tileset that you shouldn’t reconsider taking a look at, in my opinion.

My overall rating: 8.0/10.0*

From what I believed, I thought the tileset was pretty good. That’s all I really have to say about it besides my biased review.

True rating: 8.1/10.0*

Combined, the two reviews are only one tenth of a point apart. The tileset is considered not great, but good. The original rating of 8.2 is fair enough.

Summary:

If you are a fan (or were a fan) of Commander Keen, you should like this. If you are not a fan (or were not a fan) of Commander Keen, you might still like this. In other words, this tileset has my recommendation for a download.

How could this tileset be improved?

The left side of platforms and the eyecandy of the tileset could be tweaked a bit. Confusion with the tileset’s build could also be fixed by re-arranging the tiles in a more suitable manner, though they were done pretty well.

Interesting fact:

The tileset covers the tiles of more than just one level of Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle. The original levels were intended to look like Keen landed in a forest.

• Only the unbiased rating counts towards the site’s review rating system.

~ Derby

Thanks for the reviews! :D I am happy… :)

This level is quite below average. First off, the level’s design can make it so it’s very hard to pass another player, the only way is, well, the level has a few multible paths, some lead to no where, while other’s lead to the right way. Not a very good idea in race. And they are hurt events, which are bad in race, and they’re used in ways no one would think of! And design and eye candy can be inproved, and a few other flaws.

Anyway, not worth your download, I think.

Well, like a lot of the other reviewers think, Keen was a great game. Anyway, the tileset is great, also. But there’s one think I dislike about the tileset, the background. (Well, at least the checkered one). Also, this tileset is… well, I would never guess it was a Keen tileset without the name right in front of me. Also, the poles that you clime are creative, yet buggy. Still, this is a great tileset!

I’m sure it’s worth your download.

I can’t help myself…despite the fact “Race Mania” is, after quite a long time, finally a new race level, i don’t like it too much. The tile placement and the use of layers (sucker tubes!) isn’t too fortunate.
I have to say that there are some nice ideas and the overall concept seems to be great, but reality looks different :-)
To conclude this review, i can only repeat what iCeD already said: slightly below the average and no real need to download it.

P.S.:
The music file in the ZiP seems to be (slightly?) different from the original one!? Waste of webspace, i guess.

A very nice tileset and level. A tad small on the tileset size, but the level size I think is a tad bigger than most should be. Anyway, the tileset also does lack a bit of eye candy, but in the level, I must admite, on the level, the limited eye candy was used quite nicely. Level had great design, eye candy, ect. Also, you can make darn good levels through the tileset. The level, does have a few small problems, such as a super carrot in Battle Mode, oh well.

Anyway, this is well worth your download.

I’ve played the lvl, It’s a pretty Good lvl!

OK, despite the fact it uses some nice ideas, I really don’t like this level that much. You could have REALLY improved the eye candy and the layout was pretty simple. Things get tedious with the animated blocks (used in the elevator concept, an otherwise great idea, but ruined by the fact it will almost never work.) Also doesn’t use to many “fun” race obstacles. Can also get confusing at times.

One NASTY Bug: You get stuck at the end. Apperently you didn’t test this much.

Overall this is below average and I can’t recommend a d/l. Sorry.

WoW, another IMPRESSIVE tileset. Keen r00lz. It was one of the first games I’ve ever played and I still love it, and this tileset is also very cool. This tileset has a lot of stuff to work with and a lot of good ideas. Gotta love the amusing poles you can “climb down” (sort of) I myself don’t like the dull bg though… but I won’t take too much away from that.

Also includes an an example level along with an example battle level (with wrong next level settings, as Aiko mentioned, btw.) which aren’t bad.

Overall this is surely a MUST D/L! I can’t really decide between 7.5 or 8.0 on the rating.

Wow, a nice tileset that has some good ideas and is nicely sized. Looks good, you have some GOOD looking textures and the like. Despite the fact it lacks bg eye candy (as the author noted above.) it’s still a great tileset. Includes a lot of variety and is a good tileset all around. Includes a cool example level.

Overall this is DEFINITELY worth a d/l. Get to it. :-)

Good, still have time for this one…

OK, i’ll be gentle about this…Here’s a race level with a bit of a twist: it has a different course for each round. Quite original, but that’s the only good thing about this level. The eye candy and background need serious improving.

Conclusion: Need i say more? A 5. It got boosted to a 5.5 for using that “different couse for each round idea”.

- JelZe GoldRabbit

Aiko, if you’re saying that “keentube” won’t appear in my list because i have more than 256 levels, then you’re mistaking bigtime.

O well, i finally got that level to work, now for the review…

I must say i was pretty surprised when i first saw the level. Pretty good eye candy, but especially amazing was the hunt for trigger crates. The lay-out is indeed a bit confusing (circluar) if you don’t know where to go next. The music? Good choice.

Conclusion: A really good puzzle level, BirdOfPrey. The original rating: a 7. But since you’ve used Tubelectric (my fav. set) and put puzzles in it, it’s boosted to a 7.5

-JelZe GoldRabbit

Cool!!! "Forest: Party" is a great tileset release including all kinds of snowy landscapes, sleeping animals (it’s a cat i guess :-), greyish mountains, slippy ice and funky letters wishing us a happy 2001.
The tileset is pretty large (about 400 tiles) and gives the talented level author some very good tiles/objects to create eye candy with.
To show how that could work, the author also created a very good looking example (battle/treasure) level with funky/weird music playing in the background.
Really, this is not bad…DOWNLOAD NOW (EVERYONE)!

P.S.:
I’m stil undecided between 7.5 and 8. Maybe i’ll re-rate!

Well, "Commander Keen" was one of my favourite games at the beginning of the 90s because it had real exciting 2D platform action and a weird background story (in other words, Keen is a direct ancestor of Jazz :-).
Now, Talec made a tileset out of it and it really looks spiffy. It has most of the graphics that were in the first levels of "Secret Of The Oracle" (platforms, houses) and some funky additional stuff like spikes, a "Spaz ate the Dopefish" animation as well as errr…a mobile phone? Not to forget a large palm tree, fire and the like. The masking is very good, from what i’ve seen.
The pack also includes a small example level, which gives a good impression of the look and feel of the set.
Unfortunately both, the example level and the example battle level, which is pretty nice by the way, didn’t have a correct next level setting.

My conclusion: a MUST DOWNLOAD for all Commander Keen fans and EVERYONE ELSE :-)

First off, the music choice. You didn’t like it? Oh boy!!! "Keen on Tubelectric" includes background music by the one and only, the master himself, the king of tracking: Purple Motion, member of the legendary Future Crew straight outta the woods of Finland. Well, you noticed it: i really love the background music!
However, if i take the level design itself, it isn’t bad either. It has lots of sucker and trigger events and the eyecandy is pretty neat. Only real downfall is that the navigation can get a bit too confusing after a certain time, as iCED and Fireclaw mentioned.
But overall, a very good single player level, which gets a clear DOWNLOAD RECOMMENDATiON from me, not only because of the music ;-)

Hint for Jelze: ever heard about the program "Jazz 2 Organizer"? :-)

After a long time, finally something from good ol’ Germany (thats where i’m from guys :-).
"Elektrivision" is a small level pack containing two pretty short single player maps, both using the "Tube electric" tileset.
The level design is okay, there even is some eyecandy in the second level, but unfortunately i found some bad tile and ESSPECiALLY enemy placement (too many of them in many places :-). Also, the music (freeze.j2b) doesn’t fit at all.
Oh, and guys, don’t try to instruct JelZe when it comes to languages, he knows them ALL. However, i can assure that the text events are german und ich muß es ja schließlich wissen…
Leibi: ist in Ordnung, kann aber noch besser werden :-)

Eh…Am I supposed to rate the tileset? I think you hosted it online once, and I liked it. Anyway. This tileset has lots of useful tiles, some tar pits for hurt events, and some kind of house…

All in all. I give it a 6.0 Might change if need to be…

And it’s time for ST’s random rate of the week again. A day late, but still here. A few minor changes from last week’s episode, but they don’t amount to much. Oh, BTW, if a score comes out that isn’t on that pulldown bar, it gets rounded to the nearest # (although that didn’t happen today).

Okie, first off, eyecandy. Nice. The food helps for eyecandy (at least it has somewhat of a use). Everything else looks great. It ain’t perfect, but it’s darn close.

EYECANDY: 2.8/3

2nd stop: Layout. I’m pretty happy with the layout in this level. It’s really easy to get around, and a good, varying amount of building style. The carrots are placed fairly well (although not perfect), too. In some places it’s a bit too easy to navigate, sometimes a slightly low jump seems a bit too repeatitive, or an extra spring here or there. Overall, the problems are VERY minor problems. The weapons are the weak link of this level, though. They are very overused, and the the large amount of fastfires right by the blaster powerup is just ASKING for a broken combo. The warp spots, including the bonus bunny, are LOADED with powerups/ammo. I think a few powerups shoulda been taken out, and placed where some of that food was. Oh, there was also useless TNT in here. I always mark down a tad if there is TNT in there and it isn’t really useful.

WEAPONS: .8/2
NAVIGATION/CARROTS: 3.7/4

TOTAL LAYOUT: 4.5/6

In summary, this level is great. Quite an improvement from the original, I must say. Mmm, nostalgia. =D The only thing that brought down the “feel” was the food, which annoys me in multi. Overall, a good download it. A good level for a few games of fun, although the slightly-above average replayablity isn’t as stunning as, say, Where Warriors Fall (ironic I’m comparing this, heh heh heh) or Battle1.

OVERALL “FEEL”: .7/1

Closing Remarks: At least download it for the nostalgia. It’s a good level though, even if you weren’t here when it was originally released. =P

TOTAL SCORE: 8/10

A pretty average level. Anyway, it’s much better than a hotel, which is normally made outta the Tavern tileset. I found the design a little above average, while it needs a little more eye candy. Also, the level is quite small. Weapons placement is decent, also.

Anyway, it’s your choice to download or not, I think.