Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

One of the worst treasure hunt levels I’ve seen. Its size, along with the fact it’s underwater, demands at least 10 players. However, its linear one-way layout is suitable for perhaps up to 3, any more and all starting gems will be split between a few players, settling the result of the match within seconds. The eyecandy is quite impressive though.

Sancrosanct is a well designed, enjoyable CTF level by veteran level maker and J2O admin cooba – his first contribution to the JCS scene as a member of the prolific levelgroup Mystic Legends.

It’s clear that the level is intended as a tribute to Sanctuary in more than just the levelname. cooba has gone a long way to try and recreate the visual style of the 2004 level that inspired him, with Sacrosanct sharing many of the same visual attributes despite using a different tileset. Sancrosanct uses a palette edit of Violet CLM’s Medvio conversion, which has been given a blue/greyish colour scheme that resembles that of the Pezrock bricks – the set which Cell’s level used. In addition, the tileset use in cooba’s level also evokes the visual style of Sanctuary, through a similar use of the pillars, minimalistic background and even with a few splashes of green here and there to break up the monotony, much like the original. However, the comparisons end there – in spite of his intentions to vaguely resemble the original Sanctuary, cooba has taken his level further and added some scripted flourishes to the visuals, primarily through the use of lanterns, coloured water and all new weather effects; the latter courtesy of JJ2+ version 5.0. While on the surface Sancrosanct may appear to be a doppelgänger of its key influence, it manages to achieve its own feel. Cell’s Sanctuary has a sort of dreamy, spaced out vibe to it, whereas Sancrosanct feels dark and murky. This hallowing feel is realised by a clever combination of elements such as the occasional use of green patches that resemble mossy overgrowths, a shallow pool of marshy-looking water at the bottom of the level and the constant deluge of rain that pours over the dilapidated structure. From a practical viewpoint, the rain might be considered distracting for some players, but fortunately cooba has provided players the ability to remove it by enabling Low Detail. This has the unfortunate side effect of making the water look terrible in 16 bit, but that’s not important and out of his control anyway.

Gameplaywise, Sancrosanct has a rather different design to Sanctuary. Whereas the original level had a slightly more typical layout, this level runs with a semi-symmetrical design where the bases are situated in the approximate centre of the level, seperated only by a thin wall. While this style of layout is nothing revolutionary (even featuring in other old CTF levels by Cell such as Zaitox, Botanica and Stone Ways, and also in Toxin Twister by cooba), this level manages to have its own distinct brand of gameplay. The bases cleverly mimic the skewed nature of the carrot placement in Sanctuary, however it is debatable whether or not this design choice has any positive impact on the gameplay. Overall, the level has a somewhat circular design, whereby players get around either by circumnavigating the main structure, or by cutting through one of the numerous side paths. The layout is pretty vertical, featuring a number of springs, vines and RF climbable passages to help you get up. However, the level features just enough x-axis gameplay in order to keep things from becoming too overly vertical. A bit of side effect as a result of this general layout style is that it makes the gameplay fairly slow paced, since it involves a lot of going back and forth when it comes to hunting down enemy players. It also feels a little on the cramped side in some areas, which may make bullet dodging difficult in some situations. One unique gameplay aspect is the JJ1 inspired “wheel spring” at the bottom of the level, which periodically moves back and forth along the lower ledge. It’s a cool feature, but has one minor issue. At some angles the spring doesn’t bounce you high enough to reach the upper ledges adjacent to the base areas, and so if you don’t time the springs exactly right you can often find yourself unable to get up without the extra height from Spaz’ double jump; this has the potential to become frustrating for the player, especially if they’re playing as Jazz or Lori.

All ammo types sans TNT are present in this level. The weapons are exceptionally well balanced here; each one brings something different to the table with the given layout. The three powerups; Bouncer, Toaster and Gun 8, all receive roughly equal use here. I think Bouncer is perhaps slightly more useful overall due to the amount of climbing involved, although Toaster still comes into play when defending in some of the narrow corridors, and Gun8 serves as a chasing weapon in the upper and lower areas. I like how Ice can be used strategically here to freeze the wheel spring at the bottom in order to temporarily halt your opponent. The level features 3 carrots – one Full NRG and 2 +1s, all of which can be shot down. The use of freeze enemy (egg timer) events is interesting, since they can delay the player’s escape from the carrot area. This is particularly potent if the carrot is shot down into the small cavity below.

The level seems to be most suited to game sizes of 3vs3 and up. Due to the layout style, killing may be quite difficult in a duel or a 2vs2, although it should be fine with more. Overall the level generally facilitates gameplay focused around defense, which may not be to everyone’s tastes but tends to lead to gameplay based upon smart, tactical play as opposed to mindless ammo spamming, which is a good thing of course. The level isn’t perfect, but it’s a very solid and respectable effort, made by a creator that has a clear understanding of good level design principles. If you’re fed up of all of the overplayed CTF levels out there and would like to find an alternative, I recommend you give this level a try, or a download at the very least.

The verticality of the layout may not be for everyone, although I like how the level is not overly dependant on springs. I liked the base areas, even if they’re a little on the cramped side. The level may not appeal to everyone initially, but those who dive into it will discover fun, tactical gameplay.

This level manages to execute the theme well with careful attention to the architectural details of the level. It has the kind of functional and creative layout that CTF levels by FS are generally known for. The base areas are perhaps a little too open for my liking, but others may like them for how being RTS is challenging here.

The rich array of animations and other details result in a spectacular looking level that is bursting with energy. The layout is simple but well constructed, with some fun and quirky gameplay elements. An abundance of ammo and powerups makes this enjoyable in large games. The flow is a little awkward in the lower parts, but it’s no big deal.

@TreyLina
Thank you for your review! :)
Well yes, I mostly agree with you, but there are a few things I have to explain. About the MP3 file…
I know it sounds so stupid, but I thought JJ2 uses only .it files to play music, and I didn’t find the Jazz Castle music (in .it format) in my JJ2 folder. But I fixed it to castle.j2b as you advised.
Oh, and I just marked the upload with TSF+ because I created the level in it. Now I changed the music file, you can use any JJ2 version to play it.
If you want to cheat, you can fly through the map, but its goal is to defeat all enemies. So I guess you will download this map to battle your way through it, not to fly.
Er…what tiles you mean meant to layer 4, but put in background layers? And what do you mean under ‘there are a lot of tilebugs’? Where?
About the bats…
Yeah, they look a bit strange. I changed them into other enemies, because I am not that good in JCS and making levels to put something there they can hang on. :P
But thank you for your advices, I will make your suggestions! :)

EDIT: Hm. I don’t really understand this version thing. I created ‘Try-to-survive-this’ in 1.23 JCS, and then remade it with TSF JCS. So it should work with 1.23, because I didn’t put anything in the level that would require TSF, isn’t?

Yes, it’s been two years, and I still haven’t learned to use JCS professionally. But I fixed everything you said (except the version marker), so what you still don’t like? It is a simple map, you shouldn’t deal with things like there should be some enemies in the air, too. Yes, it would improve the gameplay, but this is not a real mistake. It can be completed quickly, and that is the goal of this level, not to stuck on it for hours. I think I made a good job with my personal knowledge, and that is not a problem if this level won’t be your favourite map and you won’t play on it for hours. This is not created for that. I thought someone will download it, play on it, and then leave it. You might play it again sometimes. So I don’t think I should change a LOT more on this level.

EDIT: No, I was just exaggerating it, of course. I meant that this level doesn’t need to be longer and harder, I think. Anyway, I still fall down a few times when I play it, so it is more than one minute to complete it, but maybe it’s just for me. :)

Oh, thank you for explaining that. But if I convert a level from TSF to 1.23, will I be able to play it in TSF? And what if I want to use TSF? Do I have to download 1.23, too, to use its JCS?

Overview
A short level with a bunch of enemies placed into a row, and one tile platforms placed ahead.

Pros
Uhh…..it looks less tilebugged than your other levels.

Cons

You can use copter ears over the entire level skipping all of the enemies, completing the level in 4 seconds.

The level has a lot of tilebugs, like cut off floor edges and random shaded pillars. Layer 8 uses layer 4 windows which causes distracting sprite trails behind them in single player.

I’m not really fond of the EC style, which involves putting tiles meant for layer 4 in the background, which creates a clashy look.

The layout is just a long platform with a bunch of random short platforms placed ahead.

The enemy distribution is also poor, because they’re all on the floor. That partly contributes to the level being so quick to complete (other than being a short, empty horizontal path).

This thing in your description: “ The level works with:

- JJ2 1.23

- JJ2 TSF (1.24)

- JJ2+ 1.23

- JJ2+ TSF (1.24) “

But the version marked on your upload is TSF+, which makes that all a load of nonsense. But seriously though, you don’t need to tell what the level works with, as the version marking on Jazz2online already explains that.

Could Improve on

Theres an exit sign in the tileset. You can use that to indicate where the exit is.

Conclusion
This level is still half-baked. Sure it’s better than “Try to survive this”, though not by much. I could see potential in a level where you have to rush killing enemies, but some scripting is needed for that, otherwise you can simply disregard them and rush to the exit.

EDIT: “Oh, and I just marked the upload with TSF+ because I created the level in it” no, thats not what version marking is for. It’s for telling the minimum version supported. You don’t create something in plus, only the features you use define what makes it plus or not (i.e angelscript, pits, custom gamemodes like jb/dom, MP3s/OGGs). There’s no such thing as JCS +. Also, when you save a level in TSF JCS, it doesn’t work in vanilla 1.23.

It’s been two years and you’re still relying on the “I’m a beginner!” crutch, while I never did. It’s time to stop making excuses and learn to make more polished levels. No one cares how much time you spend on your levels, it is all about the end result.

EDIT: Made the rating a little higher after some things were fixed. And removed some no longer relevant stuff.

You really think a level either takes hours or 30 seconds to complete? Wowwww…very few levels are so hard that they take hours to complete. The bare minimum of finishing a level should take at least a minute, otherwise it feels unsatisfying. I don’t even like massive levels myself all that much, but the polar opposite isn’t any better.

And yes, saving a level in TSF JCS makes a level unopenable in 1.23 JCS. That’s why there is a TSF to 1.23 level converter in the first place. Go on, try opening the level in 1.23 JCS and tell me I’m wrong. Infact, I don’t recommend using TSF JCS at all unless you have to use it, as unlike TSF JCS, 1.23 JCS supports showing special tile types without you having to keep right clicking to check, and allows you to use the new plus tile effects like frozen, invisible and heat effect.

This pack was okay. The premise of “an old school single player levelpack” is delivered well; everything is fairly “old school”, from the level design to the excuse plot to the music list.

The levels are mostly good old platforming with some trigger crate puzzles mixed in. Lots. Of. Trigger. Crates. Trigger puzzles can be okay and they’re pulled off well in a few situations in this pack but after the 5th or so crate exhaustion usually sets in and in these levels you’re at about the quarter-through point then. It’s not the biggest of problems, but it does make you wonder whether maybe leaving behind the old skool style and going for some more innovative puzzles instead might’ve been a good idea.

Perhaps repetition is this episode’s problem in a more general sense too; I found myself thinking of TSF’s Easter levels a few times, and then especially of those sections where you had to jump up a copypasted set of platforms that seemed to serve no other purpose than to make the level feel bigger. Now I’m not saying that’s what happened here, but things did feel a bit samey every now and then. It’s all perfectly serviceable, but not necessarily fun.

On the other hand there were many more enjoyable segments as well, with small detours that lead to bonuses and a lot of secrets. These did result in me having multiple powerups (including the Blaster powerup) halfway through though, which made the subsequent levels a lot less challenging than they would’ve been with sparser ammo. A more balanced distribution of weapons would’ve been better, though there’s few things as satisfying as having a fully powered-up blaster and running through the levels destroying everything in your path.

When it comes to visuals IJskonijn is an alumnus of the Spy school of design, where every layer is layer 4. Especially in the Jungle levels things look appealing at first sight but once you start moving everything becomes super confusing as platforms are used both as tangible objects and background scenery. This makes it quite difficult to see what parts of the level you can actually stand on. The other levels are a bit better in this regard, though some parts go off the other end of the scale and look fairly bland, with repeating patterns, and little eyecandy. A bit less of both (and fewer tile bugs) would’ve made for a nicer middle ground, but except for the more egregious parts the levels do look quite decent overall.

So what to make of this pack overall? As I said, it’s okay. It’s not bad by any means, and it’s an adequate diversion, but there was no moment during playing that I thought “wow, this is really cool” or anything like it. Good to download if you’re into single player and out of levels to play, but nothing out of the ordinary.

new sp episodes ftw. I enjoyed this one even if it doesnt use new jj2+ plus things.

That’s a superb example of having custom enemies in a SP level. Although, they might be difficult for casual players… Just saying.

Anyway, well done!

I love it! :D
(I hope this rating won’t be deleted because it’s short. It isn’t exaggerated either, I guess…)

(Note that depending on your control scheme, it may be difficult to use this while facing left, since some keyboards do not allow the simultaneous press of Left arrow, Up arrow, and Space. This is a bug in your keyboard, not the script, so kindly do not rate szmol down for it.)

Sounds pretty good. But that lower-pitched guitar riff that’s going on every now and then in the background is really ruining it IMO. Song would’ve been better without it…IMO.

NOPE

[Rating (1.2) clearance, there is nothing in this quick review that suggests that you downloaded the files. ~cooba]

First of all: Reviewing music modules is hard because you would need to form an opinion on something that is essentially just an individual preference. I can however, note any actual flaws in this one, which is none to be honest, it basically merged the SONG3.PSM’s last part with the JJ2 version of it (Tubelec.s3m). I actually was wanting to make this myself for a while, but as I am lazy I just didn’t bother to do it myself. I found absolutely no flaws in it.

So in short: Job well done, I loved it, and I am surely going to replace the original file with this one!

Also, the 9,7 is because I think only an original artist could get that :PP

This tileset ‘Organic’ takes on a theme that hasn’t been done properly before on J2O and does it very well too! Body/gut themes aren’t uncommon in platforming games, yet SkulG managed to make this one stand out on it’s own. There’s one type of ground tiles but enough scenery to choose from, such as arteries, membranes, blood (acid?) pools, a creepy eye, and err, cells? All share the same drawing style and fit together well.

The Battle level ‘Brain Tumor’ might have a disgusting name but yeah, it fits with the tone of the set. It’s clearly more than a mere example level, and has a tunnel-style layout that works especially well for about 3 to 6 players or small Team Battles. Ammo is not that plenty but I personally like not having seeker or RF spamfests on every level, so it’s fine here. Best of the level would still be the original atmosphere it creates thanks to proper use of the many sceneric tiles and the AngelScript that adds fluid movement to the background.

To me this set is the clear winner of Trey’s contest, and I recommend download for everyone looking to make a level with an original style, which is rare in 2015! I also recommend the level for the same reasoning, to play an okay Battle level with an original atmosphere!

This tileset captures the essence of JJ1’s Dreempipes with sceneric crystals added in. It manages to have 2 types of ground tiles (well, I count the metal edges different enough) and 2 types of Layer 5 backgrounds. There’s poles, vines, hooks, tubes, blocks, and signs as well, which is all great for a 150 tile limit!

The drawing style of the crystals and especially the clouds may be a tad odd to go with the rest of the set, but then again I’m not that good at judging art.

Biggest drawback may be the waterfall tiles needing AngelScript to properly animate. While it is indeed a blessing that such things can be accomplished by palette swapping to save tile space, it did give me some framedrops while playing the example level. And even though you can copy-paste the necessary script to your own level to get the same animated effects (also note the cool sparkling effect on the crystals!), it doesn’t really add to the convenience for the level maker and the player.

Speaking of the example level, it was short but fun to play nevertheless. The gameplay felt like Dreempipes with switches (crates in this case) that make the water level rise, opening up higher areas and secrets in lower areas. All well done for just 4 hours of work!

Overall I recommend this set for advanced users, since like most small sets it needs AngelScript to make a level look special enough to match up with the big boys, even while the set itself looks well-drawn and is very usable.

Truthly amazing :^)

A fun little level that provides fun gameplay in both regular and ODT-style duels. The layout is well designed, with two carrots that can be tactically manipulated. The level features a copter that does not despawn until it is taken, which is a nice touch. The EC is somewhat average for the given tileset, but it does the job. Worth your time!

Nice map