Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Well, it’s that time again – Anniversary Bash is coming this weekend (the 12th and 13th). This pack features the battle levels for AB (CTF will be coming in a bit). AB is Anniversary Bash, an event that occurs once every year on the anniversary of the release of the shareware version of Jazz 2. Since I did not make the levels, please do not rate this, though feel free to review them). Here are a few shorts reviews of the various levels in this pack (I will post extended versions once I get enough time to):

1. Officials Vs. Competitors (ab5btl1.j2l)
This is a good and fairly unknown Medivo level. I like it, so I thought I would include it. My apologies to whoever made it, as I’m not sure.

2. e-Line Circuits by BlurredD (ab5btl2.j2l)
This level features a very creative and well-done layout and some neat-looking eyecandy. Also, I thought that BlurredD should have three levels in here.

3. Mystic Forest Cave by Spy (ab5btl3.j2l)
This is a really good Jungle level, and far underhosted in my opinion. The flow is nice, especially for a battle level, and it is a classic.

4. Universal Warground by CelL (ab5btl4.j2l)
What would AB5 be without an array of levels based on Disguise tilesets by CelL?

5. Toxic Waste by Shadow GpW (ab5btl5.j2l)
One of my favorite all-time Shadow levels, and definitely a great battle level. Plus it has a lot of cheese.

6. Chocolate Lamp by Violet CLM (ab5btl6.j2l)
This level is nice, as it is a break from a lot of dark-like space themed levels. It’s an enjoyable, fun level with enjoyable gameplay.

7. Carrotus Squash by martin aka partydude (ab5btl7.j2l)
Definitely a classic. You really can’t go wrong with Martin’s levels, even if it does use Carrotus.

8. Shine-O-Rific Land by EvilMike (ab5btl8.j2l)
This level uses JJ1: Diamondus and is a fun level, especially when there are quite a few people. Even though it is small, it balances that out with good weapon placement. An old favorite.

9. Tribal Temple CTF by Cell (ab5btl9.j2l)
Something about this level just makes me want to put it in the pack. I really don’t know what that is though. In any case, this is a worthy level, and one with no serious flaws.

10. Sandstrand O’Hazes by spy (ab5btl10.j2l)
This is a popular level, and while I am not a huge fan of it, something made me want to put it in the pack anyway. So I did.

11. Green Beret by Bluez (ab5btl11.j2l)
Like six hundred people asked me to put this in the pack, and I like it, so it’s in.

12. Hectic Housewars by Disguise (ab5btl12.j2l)
I wanted to include a Disguise level, and this one was his most recent, so I elected to put this in. It’s fun and definitely a unique level.

13. by EvilMike (ab5btl13.j2l)
I included this half because it’s a great level and half because I like to be yelled at for including a level featuring a shield.

14. Forsaken by BlurredD (ab5btl13.j2l)
What can I say? A BlurredD level using Agama’s Egypt. I love Agama tilesets and this level definitely makes great use of Egypt.

15. Virtual Headache by Project Forward (ab5btl15.j2l)
Perhaps one of the best collaberation levels of all time. A great use of Jungle, and tons of fun to play.

16. Higer Fragging Rate by FireSworD (ab5btl16.j2l)
A great FS level. I had to include one level using 7th Lava Fall, and this definitely was the best this year. Nice gameplay, good weapon placement, and all-around a fun level.

17. 60,000 Feet Under by BlurredD (ab5btl17.j2l)
It’s always a good idea to have plenty of default tileset-based levels in AB packs for obvious reasons, and this is one. Well done with good item placement and gameplay. And it’s by BlurredD, so why not.

18. Rockingham II by Merlyn (ab5btl18.j2l)
It may be a Carrotus level, but it’s amazingly well-done. I feel bad for including two entire Carrotus levels, but well…this is just too good to resist.

19. The Dark Fortress by CelL (ab5btl19.j2l)
A fun and definitely unique Castle level. Plus it’s by CelL.

20. Spider Swamp by defalcon (ab5btl20.j2l)
A fantastic level using the famous Agama tileset. This was apparently a first level, and a great one at that. Fun to play, and even more fun to just sit back and look at.

21. Chemical Reactionz II by MidN aka Chimaera (ab5btl21.j2l)
By (in my opinion) the most underrated levelmaker of all time, this is a great Labrat level. I had to put something by MidN in here, and this is a great level, not to mention fun to play.

Special thanks to Bobby aka Dizzy, FireSworD, and Violet CLM for help along the way. Also thanks to the AB5 organizers and hosts. I hope you enjoy this pack. See you at AB5!

EDIT: Various longer reviews.

16. Higher Fragging Rate
“Higher Fragging Rate” was intended to bring some strategy into the fairly strategy-deprived world of battle levels. This is a step in the right direction, but there are a few more steps before battle is truly a strategy-heavy mode. The level may be gameplay-centric, but it is not short on gameplay. It has an elevator-ish background with a foreground that is sort of industrial (it uses 7th Lava Fall by Dethman, which usually ends up either looking like a city or some sort of factory, this time it is a factory.) Weapon placement is good, but not amazing. The flow is good, but there are some places where it is hard to move around. It did, at times, remind me a lot of battle1, with a lot less ammo. It’s definitely worth a download and the eight point two I’m giving it. Great job, FireSworD.

17. Rockingham II by Merlyn
I had the pleasure of playing this excellent battle level online and must say that while I am a CTF lover, this is one of those few levels that actually makes me consider playing more battle levels (not that I’m un-lazy enough to get around to doing so.) If you thought that there was no room for battle levels in Carrotus to get anymore (or any less, for that matter) innovative, you may want to rethink your assumpitons, let alone your entire world view. Most battle levels fall into a fairly narrow margin of creativity. A lot of them are fashioned off of the gameplay of Battle1, and these days the sight of one that truly attempts to put some strategy into the realm of battle is a rare commodity. While it does not go as far as to revolutionize the entire gameplay as a whole or introduce some psychadelic funky eyecandy set, it does what it does best: be a really, really, really good and solid Carrotus battle level.

When you first start playing the level, it is hard not to compare it to Every Other Carrotus Level Ever Made. After all, Carrotus levels have been stereotyped more than Michael Jackson has had pretend skin diseases. This level is not predictable in any way, shape, or form. That’s why it is so strikingly different from other Carrotus levels out there (I am not saying the tileset can not be used with interesting gameplay, it’s just that levels using Carrotus often are similar in gameplay – solid but uninspired, much like the tileset). Gameplay is always very good. Weapon placement is one of the two areas, however, that were not perfect and could have been improved if it was thought about enough. While most powerups were fairly well-placed, certain areas had an overkill of powerups that seemed a little too out in the open. While I can’t say that this effected gameplay that much, it still was just one of thost things that annoys me without actually mattering that whole too much. However, WCS (Weapon Clumping Syndrome) is annoying beyond belief, and this level has a very minor case of it. A few weapons moved around here and there would be nice. The second area that could use some minor improvement was eyecandy. Generally, the level looked solid and had sufficient eyecandy to keep you interested, but in many cases there were small overlookings in the scenery. A few tile errors here and there did not exactly help how the level looked, but unless you were specifically looking for them, it probably won’t bother you too much. Since I informally beta-tested it, I must say that I am disappointed that the author did not fixed either of the two mentioned tile bugs after we pointed them out, but nonetheless that doesn’t detract a huge amount from the overall feel of the level. Flow was excellent for a battle level. Flow isn’t as important in battle levels as it is in Capture the Flag, but that doesn’t mean I like to see levels just ignore it, and this one certainally pays due attention to this often overlooked aspect of the battle genre. Another interesting thing which may fall under the “pros” column or the “cons” column depending on personal preference is the use of coins and a bonus coin warp in this level. You don’t see this often in battle levels, since the “roast as fast as you can” additude of battle levels does not exactly lend itself to hunting for various coins to get a powerup which you will probably lose after being killed a minute later. Still, while few people were able to get this powerup, the coin price seemed fair, and its inclusion certainally did spice up the level a bit.

What you have here is an example of a Carrotus level at its best. While it may not echo every other Carrotus level ever created, it achieves the hard-to-garner goal of being new and lemony-fresh without being so revolutionary puritist players who refuse to play anything more revolutionary than Chemical Warfare won’t play it. It bridges the large gap between classic and innovative, and bridges it quite well. While it may have a few quirks, the amazing level of concentration, ability, and knowledge of how gameplay structure works in a new JCSer is about as common as unpoisoned water in Death Valley. Even if you aren’t a fan of battle and aren’t amazed by this rating, it is definitely worth a download just to see the great skill of a new level designed. I seriously recommend you download this pack, and I think that a 8.2 rating, while it may not seem extraordinary, is still quite high. This may be the highest rating I’ve ever given someone’s first officially released level, and I really hope to see future releases from this level’s author. Rockingham II is really that good.

21. Spider Swamp by defalcon
This is a very nice battle level using Agama’s excellent Swamps tileset. When I saw someone using Swamps, I was in dobut, since it’s a somewhat hard set to use. But neither graphically or play-wise does this level fail. The level excels especially in ammo placement, which is near perfect. It also flows very well. The only problem is that the level is very small. It takes a long time to make a large but very good level using this tileset, so I won’t knock this level that much for it. However, this level would not be suitable for multiperson duels or the Battle Server (though I would have no complaints if the Battle Server accepted it.) All in all, and excellent level, definitely worth a look. A big download recommendation.

I hope you enjoy these levels. See you at AB5!

- Trafton[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

I love the selection. It can’t be faulted – Carrotus Squash is in it, and Toxic Waste is in it. Good stuff. I’m sorta glad that ‘Bobbo Meets Royalty’ isn’t in it this time ;)

First level? Meh, not really. :P

EDIT: Hmmm Newspaz is right, they replaced it last year cause of that.[This review has been edited by defalcon]

What did I do? :)

Level 1: Officials VS Competitors (original name unknown)
Trafton’s copy of this level may have come from an OVC match, but I always have and probably always will identify it with Team Battle, a game mode it is ideal for. This level, using the Medivo tileset, has good (though nothing spectacular or new) eyecandy, great gameplay and design, and the standard music. I find I can not say anything bad about this level at all, in fact. Yay whoever made it (Mike?).

Level 2: e-Line Circuits
This is another of my favorite battle levels. I have been told it is grossly underplayed (I don’t join servers as a general rule, so I’m taking their word for it), and I can’t see why. The eyecandy is/was new, though just a little on the sparse side, and the rest of the factors are great. The multiple warp targets idea is used well IMHO. So far, this pack is turning out great.

Level 3: Mystic Forest Cave
Oh well. A lot of people like this, but I can not say I really care for it. Battles end up converging around the Toaster powerup, and the flow is horrible. Still, despite the fact that I do not like it, I suppose it’s a good level.

Level 4: Universal Warzone
Several of the levels in this pack seem to be levels I hosted as Newer Rabbitaria pregames, and I’m beginning to wonder if that’s how I helped. Anyway, this is a good level using a good tileset. The main problem with this level is, of course, the infamous bug where you get stuck if you hit a certain spring. Trafton/whoever was apparently able to do nothing (or didn’t bother to) about this, sadly, so it’s still there. Other then that, this is another great level.

Level 5: Toxic Waste (no, not THAT Toxic Waste, the OTHER Toxic Waste)
I can not say I really like this tileset all that much, but this level (as do seemingly all that use it) uses it pretty well. There is nothing revolutionary or amazing about anything in this level, it is just a solid battle level which takes few chances. The flow could use just a little work.

Level 6: Chocolate Lamp
This level is HORRIBLE! Boring background (just a flashing color with some moving bubbles), single (for the most part) colored walls, incredibly sparse ammo placement, tons of chocolate.. you name it! The whole level looks like it was made by a hyperactive kid on a sugar rush in two days with an urge to add every powerup imaginable! The top half of the design is ok, I’ll admit, but the bottom half is either too cramped or too open, and plainly uninspired. As a saving grace, there are some nice sucker tube things, though the vertical ones on either side could have been done much better.

Level 7: Carrotus Squash
This is possibly the best example of an unoriginal, solid level I have ever seen. The author knew what he wanted (I think) to present with this level, and suceeded – normal Battle gameplay, but at its best. This is, simply, a great level all around. The eyecandy is nothing amazing, the gameplay is nothing new, the design is standard, but all put together they come out AOK.

Level 8: Shine-o-Rific Land
This is another example of a good, solid level that doesn’t rely on dazzling special effects to generate fun. My only real complaint about this is that the background is too plain.

Level 9: Sandstrand O’Hazes
I do not recall seeing this level before. Regardless, it’s an interesting level, but while like the last two it shows nothing new or exciting, it does not execute this well enough to make it super cool. I am not too fond of this, but it’s ok.

Level 10: Doomsday Darksdream
Now, THIS level I have seen before. I can not, however, think of too much that is interesting to say about it. Everything in it is done well, except for one or two spots where I think it’s a wee bit too cramped, and the background doesn’t work in 8-bit (not entirely the level maker’s fault). Still, this is another great level for this great (as of yet) pack.

Level 11: Green Beret
I never want to see this level again. Not that it’s very bad, in fact it’s good, but I am so incredibly sick of it!

Level 12: Hectic Housewars
One of the most recent levels of this pack (I’m not sure how many of the levels were actually Made in the previous year, but probably not too many), this is interesting but I think it’s grows a bit boring after extended play. The tileset use is, of course, good, and the design is good, but there’s just something wrong about this level I can’t put my finger on.

Level 13:
Never seen this one before! It uses Blade’s Oasis tileset, and I can only assume the level’s theme is an Oasis as well. This level is overall good, but I have one gripe with it, the background. It’s nice that Mike found tiles in the tileset that could be textured, but it really needs support from the other background layers to not look so incredibly dull, especially in conjuncture with the lack of color of the rest of the tileset. (The level needs more greenery) Apparently there’s a shield in this level, but I don’t know where.

Level 14: Forsaken
A good level by BlurredD, using one of the most complicated tilesets in existance (certainly harder then Metal Mania). For some reason I thought this was a Treasure Hunt level at first. Anyway, there is really little to say about this level, as it feels like any other Egypt level based inside the temple and not outside.

Level 15: Virtual Headache
Umm.. this level, using the Jungle tileset, was made by a variety of different people and comes out with multiple types of eyecandy, gameplay and design, if not music. It is actually kind of hard to review, and besides, I worked on it (though it’s hard to tell as almost everything I did was cut out by someone later on in the chain).

Level 16: Higher Fragging Rate
I’ve reviewed this one before, and I don’t feel like doing it again. Let it just be said that this level is a very vertically oriented piece of work with some nice strategy.

Level 17: 60,000 Feet Under
This is another good, solid level with nothing much all that interesting. My main gripe with it is the eyecandy, as it uses Dam Nation in such a way as it looks like the most boring tileset in existance, which it isn’t.

Level 18: Rockingham II
This, like Carrotus Squash (a better level, however), is a simple solid Carrotus level with nothing too amazing, just bringing normal tileset use/gameplay to its best. I am not quite sure if the two of them belong in the same pack, but oh well.

Level 19: Dark Fortress
VERY interesting choice to come after the last two levels, as it contrasts with both of them so incredibly. While 60,000 feet under and Rockingham II were solid normal levels with mostly standard tileset use, this is different. The author takes chances and usually suceeds, with fun gameplay, good design (a little too vertical, but oh well), and eyecandy which you can look at it without getting dizzy. There are also a lot of coins, several morphs (!), and some TNT (…) to round out this very interesting level.

Level 20: Spider Swamp
I find the only thing I can say about this is “I never knew Swamps had an owl”.

Level 21: Chemical Reactions 2
Ok, who made this (..oh, MidN), how did it get in here (I see, MidN made it), and why on earth is it Battle and not Treasure Hunt? This would make a GREAT treasure hunt level, but it seems to be Battle instead. Anyway, it feels amazingly like the official multiplayer levels, in that it’s rather linear and has several dead ends. The eyecandy is a lot more daring then in the official levels, but I’ve never been a fan of layer 4 walls in the background without at least a transparent black tile in front of them. While this is interesting, and probably the most different level in the pack, I still say it should be Treasure Hunt instead.

Level 22: Where Warriors Fall
WAHHHH MEMORIES!!!! I learned to fight in this level…. . did you know you can push Monolith all the way from the coin warp back to it again? Umm, anyway. This is a good, oldish level, but I find that it makes a pretty good last level. As with many of these levels, it’s a good solid play.

Overall, this is a great pack composed of some of the best levels around (and one or two others). My main complaint is that there are too many good, solid levels and not enough exciting ones like Dark Fortress.[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

I’d take Toxic Waste out, it crashed last year’s server.

I made OVC if anyone cares. Keep in mind that this pack has a modified version of the one used in JDC. The level is also on J2O, listed as “Team Battle.”