The Resurrection of Devan Shell [Archive] - JazzJackrabbit Community Forums

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EvilMike

Apr 25, 2008, 10:35 PM

On April 25, 2005, I released the first episode of a project that would take until 2009 to finally finish. The beginnings of it actually go back to about 2002 or 2003, with an earlier level pack that I never managed to finish. Also, one of the levels in the fifth episode dates back as far as 1999. Suffice to say, this thing took me a while.

The Resurrection of Devan Shell is a high difficulty, plot driven series of episodes that are set a little over a hundred years after JJ2. I took a lot of liberties with the storyline, and added my own elements though, so it's pretty different. Also, it's a lot more "serious", though much of it is deliberately over the top.

Each episode is a different length, but all together the series has several hours of gameplay. I can't give an exact count as to how many levels there are, since many are revisits or cutscenes, but there are only a couple of other series that I can think of which rival this one in terms of size, and none of them have much of a storyline.

This thread serves as a place for discussion of these episodes, and also a place for me to post info and links to all of them in one convenient location.

---

UPDATE (2008 April 30): Episode 4 has been released. Thank you to everyone who contributed something, even if it was just ideas.

UPDATE (2009 June 6): Episode 5 is almost done and I'm looking for testers. See my post on the 3rd page of this thread for details. It should come out sometime this month, or next month if things are delayed. Overall it's a very big level pack, and I'm glad it's finally done with. I won't be doing any rereleases of old episodes like I did last year, but I am doing small updates to them, to fix a few problems.

UPDATE (2009 June 9): Episode 5 will come out on the 27th. Testing has begun. In the time between now and then, I'll be fixing bugs and also working on the new (and probably final) versions of the other 4 episodes. I've also rewritten the first few paragraphs of this thread, since they were getting a bit outdated. Oh, and screenshots.

UPDATE (2009 June 26): Episode 5 has been released. And a day early, depending on your time zone!

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<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3685">Episode One: The Invasion of Deserto</a>

Synopsis: This episode takes place on the planet of Deserto. It has just come under attack, and you are a resident of it who has suddenly been caught in the middle of what is soon to become one of the biggest wars in history.

I started working on this years before it was released. The original intent was to make a large, non-linear level pack comprised of five main levels, each quite gigantic. You can still find threads I made back then in the JCS forum where I talked about the development of it.

That plan fell apart, but a number of levels remained. I took some of them, changed the story, made a few more levels to tie it all together, and released it. Because of the very long amount of time this was being made, episode one is the longest in the whole series. I decided that this story would be told in five parts.

I wasn't even able to use all of the levels I made, so some of it got used in the next episode.

Screenshots:
<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3685/screenshots/1/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3685/screenshots/1/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3685/screenshots/2/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3685/screenshots/2/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3685/screenshots/3/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3685/screenshots/3/thumbnail/"></a>

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<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3855">Episode Two: The Rebirth of Evil</a>

Synopsis: After the events of the first episode, you leave the planet in search of answers. What you discover is that things are much, much worse than they initially seemed.

A few old levels made their way into this one, although for the most part the only thing that survived was the concept. The only one that survived in its entirety was Devan's Fleet. Deserto Orbital Base for example, the largest level I have ever made, was originally a completely different level with a similar feel. A few parts of the original level made their way into the finished version, but most of it was made specially for this episode. In any case, due to the large amount of pre-existing stuff I was able to draw on, episode two also is longer than the later ones.

People seem to think this is the best episode of the lot, and I can understand why. I put more work into the main level of this pack than I ever have put into any other level, and probably ever will.

Screenshots:
<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3855/screenshots/1/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3855/screenshots/1/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3855/screenshots/2/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3855/screenshots/2/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3855/screenshots/3/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/3855/screenshots/3/thumbnail/"></a>

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<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=4640">Episode Three: The Battle for Carrotus</a>

Synopsis: You have finally arrived at Carrotus, bringing with you an urgent message: an enemy fleet is on its way to conquer the planet. To help fight them, you enlist with the Imperial Forces and are ordered series of missions sabotoging and destroying enemy ships.

This one came out over a year after the release of Episode Two. For a long time I didn't work on it at all. Then, when I decided to begin making it, I found out that the plan I created for this episode was completely unfeasable.

So I decided to swap the plans for episode four and episode three, with some story adjustments. And then I threw out the plan completely, and rewrote almost the whole thing.

The end result still worked out to be pretty good, despite the troubled development process. This episode is much more plot-heavy than the previous ones though, and the levels are not as huge either. Somewhere along the line my focus shifted from level design to storytelling. It might just be because I don't have as much time to make levels, though.

Screenshots:
<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/4640/screenshots/1/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/4640/screenshots/1/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/4640/screenshots/2/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/4640/screenshots/2/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/4640/screenshots/3/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/4640/screenshots/3/thumbnail/"></a>

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<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=5074">Episode Four: The Resistance</a>

Synopsis: You have been a prisoner of war for the last five months, held by the enemy occupying Carrotus. Suddenly, you are freed by members of the Carrotus resistance force, and are given an opportunity to continue fighting.

It's been about a year since my last release, but most of that time was spent simply thinking about what to do with the fourth episode, and carefully laying out plans. Overall the final product turned out to be quite close to the plans I originally made before the production of episode three, but there are a couple of key plot points that were added quite recently. The original plan also had this epsiode being rather non-linear, but I scrapped that idea due to it being impractical and not very fun to play.

Most of the levels were made in the last few months, except for the Forest Path level which is actually completed from a highly unfinished level that I started around 2003. There are more levels in this episode than the previous one, but they are also shorter on average.

This episode, like the previous one, is very plot-heavy. A lot of that is because of necessity: my plans for the fifth episode don't leave much room for storytelling, so I have to cram as much of the plot as possible into this one. It also didn't help that it turns out I really hate using the Carrotus tileset. Still, the quality here is on the same level as the previous ones.

Screenshots:
<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5074/screenshots/1/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5074/screenshots/1/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5074/screenshots/2/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5074/screenshots/2/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5074/screenshots/3/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5074/screenshots/3/thumbnail/"></a>

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<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=5550">Episode Five: The Fortress of Ruin</a>

Synopsis: The final confrontation with Devan Shell is near. You have traveled to the planet Nippius where it said that he is hiding, but something very strange is going on there. You're going to need to take a few detours, it seems...

It's the last episode, finally. I wanted to be done with this in April, but what's a few extra months?

This is by far the longest episode, and personally I feel it's the best one. I used almost all of the ideas I had, and unlike the previous episodes, refused to place any limits on myself when it came to plot or setting. Everything I wanted to get done is in here, and I'm glad I managed to do it.

This episode is much more gameplay-heavy than the previous ones, with the plot mostly being confined to scrolling text. It's structured around a massive "hub" level, which branches off to a bunch of different unique areas. Each area consists of a regular level, a "fortress" level, and a small boss level. The hub area also mirrors that format somewhat, just on a larger scale.

All of the levels are new, except for one, which was started way back in 1999, and abandoned for a very, very long time.

This is the final episode. There won't be any sequels continuing this storyline. Perhaps one day I'll make another level pack, but it will be a new story, set in the same "universe" with a different protagonist. Maybe a prequel. That's just speculation though. Maybe if JJ2+ ever adds new single player features. Other than that, I'm pretty much <strike>retiring</strike> taking an extended break from level making. I just don't see what else I can do from this point, other than repeat what I've already done. To be honest, I'm glad this is finished!

Screenshots:
<a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5550/screenshots/1/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5550/screenshots/1/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5550/screenshots/2/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5550/screenshots/2/thumbnail/"></a> <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5550/screenshots/3/"><img src="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/5550/screenshots/3/thumbnail/"></a>

---

And yeah, this thread is pretty much an advertisement. Still, you might as well get some use out of it, so if you have any questions or comments, this thread is for you. Plus I know a lot of people don't check the downloads page all that often, so it's good to point out when a major release has been made.

EvilMike

Apr 26, 2008, 05:07 PM

I have two good betatesters for ep4 now, but I could still use one or two more. If you want to test it then just ask. I really want to upload this soon and I would prefer to get a reasonable amount of feeback before doing that.

You don't even need to be a good level maker or anything. Being able to tell the difference between a good level and a bad level is enough, and practically anyone can do that.

At this point it looks like all of the tricky stuff is sorted out, so the type of testing needed now is the more general sort (this level is too hard, that level is too dark, etc). If you want to help out, just post here. The first few people to ask will probably get it. You could also try reaching me by private message or IRC query but I often forget to check those.

Bboy Type7

Apr 26, 2008, 05:55 PM

tight, i love the second shot :). great work on this. I agree. you're not pro, but you're getting there man. just keep practicin and learn more about the art. still, very good work man. keep it up.

plunK

Apr 26, 2008, 07:28 PM

That second shot is great. I'm working on a single player campaign. I wish i was as good as you.

Puffie40

Apr 26, 2008, 07:53 PM

When I started that topic in the JCS forum about the "Levelset of the Decade", This storyline is what I had in mind.

This is so good, it should be a game in itself.

EvilMike

Apr 26, 2008, 07:56 PM

That second shot is great. I'm working on a single player campaign. I wish i was as good as you.
It's always great to hear when people are working on their own single player episodes. So much of the attention these days is paid to the multiplayer scene, and I think a lot of people really forget where this game has its roots.

Of course, it's also one of the hardest types of level to make, so that probably contributes to it as well. So many people start projects but never finish them, and as a matter of fact two of my favourite jj2 episodes ever are unfinished, those being <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=4979">Tomb Rabbit 2</a> by Kejero and <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3501">TDI2</a> by Moonblaze. Both of these packs are very good on their own, but could have been so much more. It's an unfortunate fact that it's easy to start something, but hard to finish it. the unfinished Tomb Rabbit 2 especially contains some of the best jj2 level design I've ever seen (though a bit rough in a few places).

Of course, I just say that's a reason why even more people need to make SP levels. More effort means more stuff gets released, and that's always a good thing! I think that anybody who manages to release a full episode is truly skilled, even if it only gets an average rating.

Odin

Apr 26, 2008, 11:57 PM

EvilMike

Apr 27, 2008, 12:57 AM

I always knew the series title was going to be something along the lines of "Devan's Resurrection". <Although the title you gave it sounds like something out of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series. The Melancholy of Devan Shell sounds kinda awesome.> Also, I'm extremely surprised that this series has been in the works for more than 3 years. It certainly doesn't feel that long. Anyway, I'll beta test if you want/need one more person.
Yeah, the title was always going to be something like that, I just never decided which way to word it. I'm bad at naming things, so I prefer to go with the most literal approach possible.

To me it actually feels like this has been going on for a lot longer than three years, but that's probably because it sort of has. Out of curiosity, I found the <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=5544">thread</a> where I posted about a very early, abortive version of the episode, and the date on it is September 2002, though it was obviously started even before that. I <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=7141">continued</a> along with that plan, with a few adjustments, into 2003. Eventually it all fell apart, but the levels themselves were all mostly done so I recycled them into episodes 1 and 2.

So that means I've been working on this thing for like six years, and that's actually kind of scary. And it's also taken me that long to come up with a name for it.

Regarding testing, I've already been privately contacted by two people, but if any of that falls through or if it becomes apparent that more revision is needed, I'll keep you in mind.

Unhit

Apr 27, 2008, 09:59 AM

I like how you mention that this is posted in the General JJ2 Talk board, and how people comment on that screenshot which had been posted in the JCS forum weeks ago already. Seems you were pretty right about far more people checking the General JJ2 board indeed :p

Valco

Apr 27, 2008, 01:27 PM

I'll offer to betatest for you, but I'm not exactly known for my good reviews. I'll put in some extra effort if that's what it takes, and it looks like a good levelpack. I'd be honoured to be in the credits.

email: rsamquestions@live.ca

PurpleJazz

Apr 27, 2008, 11:09 PM

I'd just like to point out that the CTF death pits used in the updated version do not work correctly with JJ2+. However, it means that death pits like the ones in MP levels can be used instead. (I've tested it)

And I'd be happy to betatest if you want. In the right frame of mind, I can give some strong opinions on things.

billy_the_big@hotmail.com

EvilMike

Apr 28, 2008, 12:14 AM

Interesting. It appears you're right about that. Strange it took until now for me to learn that.

For now I am going to consider that to be a problem with JJ2+ and not a problem with the levels. I will therefore leave the ctf base system in place. I will, however, also add support for JJ2+ style death pits. That way it should work regardless of which version you use.

I will release a small update soon to correct this problem. For now just type jjk if it happens.

Unhit

Apr 28, 2008, 01:11 AM

Don't type jjk, it can give a memory error :p

cooba

Apr 28, 2008, 07:25 AM

I'd just like to point out that the CTF death pits used in the updated version do not work correctly with JJ2+.Then don't use JJ2+ for single player. Simple enough I guess.

Stijn

Apr 28, 2008, 07:30 AM

It's quite inconvenient if you need different exes for different game modes though. A cross-version solution would be better, but luckily Mike seems to have that covered.

Nonomu198

Apr 28, 2008, 07:48 AM

Then don't use JJ2+ for single player. Simple enough I guess.

What about hosting co-ops >[

DoubleGJ

Apr 28, 2008, 11:34 AM

I heart this episode series, I kind of always wanted to write an awesome, lenghty review but always lacked time or inspiration, but I really think I must get myself to do this. This thing really moves me, the story, the design, it's not your ordinary JJ2 levelpack and then again it is your ordinary JJ2 levelpack, because some fresh ideas aside, it doesn't, like, introduce a new technology or idea of making levels, but it's all done so smoothly and with good ideas that out of all levelpacks I ever played, The Rebirth of Evil was the one I replayed most times (4 or 5, I think).

We need more singleplayer packs/episodes indeed, especially as interesting as this. I'm not expecting a lot, just to have a good story and fun levels. I'm doing my part too and don't expect to do better than Mike does, but that's not the point. More emphasis on singleplayer plz! :(

EvilMike

Apr 28, 2008, 03:50 PM

I'm doing my part too and don't expect to do better than Mike does, but that's not the point.
Heh, from the few screenshots I've seen of Devil Dash, it looks like you are already doing a better job than me. It looks like you're making original tilesets for it, and that is enough to probably make you way better than I am at this. I have to use other people's tilesets, because I just don't have what it takes to make new ones. I only ever made one good tileset, and that was in 1999 and half of it was ripped from other tilesets. I'm looking forward to your episode more than probably any other one being made right now.

FireSworD

Apr 28, 2008, 09:57 PM

Devil Dash looks great. I don't think having the ability to make your own sets gives much of an advantage though. It's better in the aspect you could specialize the sets, for better execution of your concepts.

cooba

Apr 29, 2008, 07:00 AM

Simply put, devres has <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=982">everything that people want in a SP pack</a>, hence why it appeals to basically everyone, without fireworks like eyecandy in P4ul's method or custom tilesets. EM would have gone too OTT had he have custom tilesets for devres. Part of the series' novelty comes from giving old tilesets an unique atmosphere.

MoonBlazE

Apr 29, 2008, 07:44 AM

I really look foward to your upcoming release, Mike, <s>although I can't beat it without cheating.</s> I hope I can be of artistic help in your final episode as well.

EvilMike

Apr 29, 2008, 06:46 PM

Just an update, I have decided to not patch any of the episodes to work around that JJ2+ bug. I found a method, albeit a cumbersome one, that worked to eliminate the bug, but I am not sure if it is a good idea long-term. For one thing, the solution is a bit ugly and makes it take even longer to die, and also I prefer not to reupload stuff unless it is for something very important. There is also a chance that after JJ2+ fixes this problem, my method for working around it will just introduce a new bug (the level will be trying to kill you with both the ctf base method and the jj2+ method).

I have instead added a note to download descriptions of all episodes that they must be played with standard JJ2. This is not such a big deal, since you can just load Jazz2.exe instead of Jazz2+.exe. It also applies to a lot more levels than just mine. This warning will be for ep4 as well. This is perhaps a bit inconvenient for some people, but it is not my problem to fix.

On a lighter note, ep4 will be uploaded tomorrow.

Bobby aka Dizzy

Apr 29, 2008, 11:09 PM

Has the story changed enough in the updated other packs to warrant playing it again before EP4?

EvilMike

Apr 30, 2008, 12:40 AM

Has the story changed enough in the updated other packs to warrant playing it again before EP4?

The story has not changed in its important details. The rewrite was only done to make the dialogue better and clearer. It was also done to address minor continuity issues and such, and made a few small stylistic changes.

Also, I just uploaded episode 4. Enjoy.

Eigus

Apr 30, 2008, 10:17 AM

my reaction when/after playing ep4:

wow.

DoubleGJ

Apr 30, 2008, 11:49 AM

darn I can't wait to get back to my university room to play it <3

Ragnarok!

Apr 30, 2008, 11:55 AM

Heh, that was shorter than I expected, but nonetheless quite fun indeed. Saw some very cool and fun stuff here and there. Cooba smells. This one was kinda short (for me)... ;[

cooba

Apr 30, 2008, 11:57 AM

Heh, that was shorter than I expected, but nonetheless quite fun indeed. Saw some very cool and fun stuff here and there. I want Ep5 to be biggerr.. This one was kinda short (for me)... ;[Episode five is untitled as of yet, and I don't want to reveal too much about it. I can say that the plans are laid out, and I want this one to be bigger than the last two. It would only be appropriate to go out with a bang<!>

Valco

Apr 30, 2008, 02:29 PM

So I've been denied? Or just forgotten about.

n00b

Apr 30, 2008, 02:33 PM

Regarding testing, I've already been privately contacted by two people, but if any of that falls through or if it becomes apparent that more revision is needed, I'll keep you in mind.

I'll offer to betatest for you

<It pays to read the post directly above yours>

Va1co

Apr 30, 2008, 02:37 PM

That post really didn't help.

n00b

Apr 30, 2008, 02:39 PM

I'm not sure how hard the concept of "If you were needed for betatesting you would have been contacted, so there is no use asking about it" is to grasp, and I don't think I can make it simpler.

Valco

Apr 30, 2008, 02:44 PM

That post really didn't help.

Imposter!

n00b

Apr 30, 2008, 02:45 PM

Oh no, I have been fooled!

EvilMike

Apr 30, 2008, 04:44 PM

Valco, you weren't so much denied as you were beaten by other people who asked first. I just forgot to reply to you.

Heh, that was shorter than I expected, but nonetheless quite fun indeed. Saw some very cool and fun stuff here and there. Cooba smells. This one was kinda short (for me)... ;[
I agree with you actually. Each episode's length is largely dependent on the amount of time I spend working on it (I literally spent years on the first two), the amount of interesting stuff I can get out of the setting without stretching the plot too much (no space levels possible with this one, for example), and finally the amount of inspiration I have.

That last bit is pretty important. Using carrotus as the setting for ep4 was necessary for the storyline, but unfortunately it is not a setting I like to use very much. I really wanted to get it done, so I could focus on the next one. The end result wound up being a bit short, and a bit disappointing for me, but people seem to like it at least. Besides that, I tested the amount of gameplay time and it actually seems to be about equal to ep3.

Valco

Apr 30, 2008, 04:58 PM

Valco, you weren't so much denied as you were beaten by other people who asked first. I just forgot to reply to you.

That was the 'forgotten about' part. I guess I can leave this subject alone for now, and gather my patience to wait for the pack. In the meantime, I'm going to play all the updated packs <STRIKE>and beat them on hard mode</STRIKE>

EvilMike

Apr 30, 2008, 05:50 PM

That was the 'forgotten about' part. I guess I can leave this subject alone for now, and gather my patience to wait for the pack. In the meantime, I'm going to play all the updated packs <STRIKE>and beat them on hard mode</STRIKE>

ummmmmm

Try reading some of the posts in this thread. I already uploaded it.

Odin

May 1, 2008, 12:06 PM

Maybe it's just me, but I think one of the levels is broken.

In the Hell level, it is impossible to defeat Bilsy.

SPAZ18

May 1, 2008, 12:23 PM

Maybe it's just me, but I think one of the levels is broken.

In the Hell level, it is impossible to defeat Bilsy.

HIGHLIGHT TO READ:
No it's not. I managed to beat him. The health meter didn't go down because there are more Bilsys down below trying to kill you and I think the health meter is being displayed for one of the others.

[Changed to spoiler tags - FQuist]

Ragnarok!

May 1, 2008, 02:16 PM

Well if this wasn't clear earlier, the shortness isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just I REALLY had a thing for your big levels and making levels a bit smaller because of the set is something I'd do xD. It was still very fun and had some quite original things, I was expecting a little more from the patrols, I suppose the journey to Nippius / the time at Nippius should experience some hardships? I'm looking forward to a bigger episode as suggested further up.

This post probably is pointless. I just like ranting on. :]

EvilMike

May 1, 2008, 04:42 PM

HIGHLIGHT TO READ:
No it's not. I managed to beat him. The health meter didn't go down because there are more Bilsys down below trying to kill you and I think the health meter is being displayed for one of the others.

[Changed to spoiler tags - FQuist]
This is correct. It's an annoying jj2 bug, and makes the boss health bar completely useless, but the boss IS possible. Make sure you use the carrots. And if you have any powerups, use them. Another tactic you can use, if you are bad at stomp-blocking the fireballs, is intentionally get hit by the boss itself instead of the fireballs. This way you will lose 1 heart instead of 2, and greatly extend your life even though you are taking a lot of damage.

Of course, I should say that if you play it in hard mode, you probably would disagree with me. But even then, it's theoretically possible.

arjandevries

May 1, 2008, 09:49 PM

When I reached Bilsy on hard mode I shut the game down, and I used jjnxt to play on easy instead :P.

Anyway I reviewed your pack.

Raven aka StL

May 1, 2008, 11:18 PM

Awesome episodes, save the bosses.
And you shouldn't overly criticize packs that've taken 3 years to finish. ;P
I basically can't find anything worth criticizing.

Grytolle

May 2, 2008, 02:28 AM

And you shouldn't overly criticize packs that've taken 3 years to finish. ;PJust when I thought you couldn't get anymore of an ololgo.

Odin

May 2, 2008, 02:52 AM

This is correct. It's an annoying jj2 bug, and makes the boss health bar completely useless, but the boss IS possible. Make sure you use the carrots. And if you have any powerups, use them. Another tactic you can use, if you are bad at stomp-blocking the fireballs, is intentionally get hit by the boss itself instead of the fireballs. This way you will lose 1 heart instead of 2, and greatly extend your life even though you are taking a lot of damage.

Of course, I should say that if you play it in hard mode, you probably would disagree with me. But even then, it's theoretically possible.

Oh, I just kept looking at the boss bar, noticed it not dropping at all, said "screw this" and posted the complaint. I'll try it again later.

Valco

May 2, 2008, 06:00 AM

Something tells me this level pack is definately going to get featured this month. All of the Devres packs are, after all.

Eigus

May 2, 2008, 08:35 AM

...duh, valco :mad:

cooba

May 2, 2008, 09:57 AM

Something tells me this level pack is definately going to get featured this month. All of the Devres packs are, after all.<img src="http://forumpics/capobvious2.jpg" />

Unhit

May 2, 2008, 11:49 AM

classic image

Nonomu198

May 2, 2008, 12:56 PM

should make a movies about it

edit:
should make a movies about it

http://forumpics/capobvious2.jpg
:mad:

NovaStar

May 2, 2008, 10:45 PM

http://forumpics/capobvious2.jpg

Odin

May 3, 2008, 02:18 AM

I'm holding off on writing a review until I complete the level pack, but what I've seen so far is compelling me to write one right now (I'm a little past halfway). What should I do?

WhiteBlaster

May 3, 2008, 05:47 AM

Eigus

May 3, 2008, 09:22 AM

It's a good levelpack, in my opinion.

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/640/aajcu2.gif

only 'good' is underrating though...

Falcury

May 3, 2008, 11:12 AM

It's a good levelpack, in my opinion.
I think the jungle level is the best one: the light is PERFECT, all is green! :-)
There's only one thing I couldn't solve: the Trigger crate behind the wall, with TriggerID=3. I tried to hit the crate near it with all I had: ElectroBlasters, Bouncers, E V E R Y T H I N G, but I only wasted guns. :confused: Please, tell me what's the right way...

"The answer is on someone's back."
You'll notice it in the end, especially when you back and forth a few times through that part of the level.
I liked that puzzle, took me a while to figure it out. I like basically everything about the series, in fact.

The story screams "PREQUEL!" at me by the way, especially the bit about the mysterious artefacts (which reminded me of Assassin's Creed) and all the backstory in Episode Two. I have ideas...
Anyway, great work Evilmike, keep it up.

EvilMike

May 3, 2008, 11:52 AM

There will not be a prequel.

Falcury

May 3, 2008, 01:07 PM

I expected that :)
Still, you might allow others to build upon your memorable work.

Slaz

May 4, 2008, 02:39 AM

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/640/aajcu2.gif

only 'good' is underrating though...
Well not everyone has to be 'uber' excited about this pack, in fact, my opinion on this will be 'good' aswel as I'm somehow still a fan of the 'original' JJ2 gameplay introduced in the original episodes. So say goodbye to Captain Obvious hahaaaww!.. But yeah, overally this pack is one of the best single player ever released, of course.

Valco

May 4, 2008, 11:32 AM

Unhit

May 4, 2008, 01:04 PM

Is it just me, or do most newbies overuse emphasis.

most, but not all (!)

i still havent completed all classic episodes and i suck at singleplayer :/ but i bet this new one rocks (!)

EvilMike

May 4, 2008, 06:22 PM

Is it just me, or do most newbies overuse emphasis.

Anyways, the right way is to not use a gun to break the crates. Here's a hint: A turtle shell can break things too.
The turtle shell is the correct way to do it. But it's certainly not the only way. I tested it and you CAN hit the crate with bouncers... you just need to have a good aim and a lot of patience. A sort of brute force solution for those who can't figure it out the normal way.

Valco

May 4, 2008, 07:49 PM

What does Devres even stand for? Assuming it's an acronym.

EvilMike

May 4, 2008, 08:02 PM

Gee I don't know maybe it has something to do with the title of this thread? A combination of a few of the first letters, perhaps? It's a mystery!

Slaz

May 4, 2008, 11:56 PM

Devan Resurrected. Not much other stuff I can think of. Sorry for solving the mystery.. :p

DoubleGJ

May 5, 2008, 01:52 AM

guys you impress me in a way you can't even imagine

Unhit

May 5, 2008, 02:49 AM

What does Devres even stand for? Assuming it's an acronym.

The moment when you think there was nothing new to be discovered any more is the moment you're being surprised once again.

arjandevries

May 5, 2008, 05:02 AM

Haha I just checked your devresep1 levels and apparently there are some funny secret quotes in there :P.

WhiteBlaster

May 14, 2008, 11:02 AM

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Is it possible that, in 2 days, you completely vivisected my post???

Ok, let's start.

http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/640/aajcu2.gif

only 'good' is underrating though...

Only because Evilmike did this levelpack, that doesn't mean that it's automatically beautiful. Even a good level creator can do bad levels or do mistakes. For example, the castle level of the first pack (devres07.j2l) had some errors (on the first release) on how it works:

There is an extra live for each side of the level (on the bottom) and if you fall off, you only lose one (obviously :D ); so, you can take them and fall off, and you earn a life;
Inside the castle, you can avoid searching all the crates by simply shooting an ElectroBlaster through the trigger scenery walls and hitting the save point at the other side; then, if you fall off, you restart from there (this is how I solved it the first time, I couldn't find the "White" crate... :p )
In the end, in the last part of the level, you can skip walking a floor going directly up.See?
Also, I think the last levelpack is worse than the others, because I think there isn't enough story.

Is it just me, or do most newbies overuse emphasis.

Well, in fact, a little,a bit...
I DO
but however it was my very first post, so, please, be patient!

Grytolle

May 14, 2008, 12:46 PM

Good packs have basically no story (You set out to kill the bad guys!), speed (and thus no stupid puzzles).

Ragnarok!

May 14, 2008, 01:00 PM

Speed in an SP can be fun and it's something I intend on trying sometime, however, the levels you are able to speed through are often too easy, therefore meaning it's not often too fun. Well, storylines often make the game more fun (not to mention it makes it easier to follow or picture what the heck you might be shooting walls open for) and most of the best SP games have storylines alongside puzzles; take Zelda for example. The puzzles in this pack are not too hard to do and they require mere logic and I think they're really creative.
On what WhiteBlaster said, despite you pointing out the flaws (one of which I noticed too), that's still my favourite level in the whole of the lot of the packs. >O
Still, these are probably my favourite SP packs up to date, and err, what Gry said. I wanna see speeeeeeeeeed... Hm, I think UnknownRabbit made a really cool screenshot of a level that seemed pretty awesome. I barely remember it but I remember two rocks, a log, and a "JUMP" sign. Yah. Speeed. Fun. Yah. Yah. Uh. Ignore me. :D

Violet CLM

May 14, 2008, 02:34 PM

Still, these are probably my favourite SP packs up to date, and err, what Gry said. I wanna see speeeeeeeeeed... Hm, I think UnknownRabbit made a really cool screenshot of a level that seemed pretty awesome. I barely remember it but I remember two rocks, a log, and a "JUMP" sign. Yah. Speeed. Fun. Yah. Yah. Uh. Ignore me. :D
<img src="http://www.tachyonlabs.com/sam/JUMP.png">

EvilMike

May 14, 2008, 04:54 PM

There is an extra live for each side of the level (on the bottom) and if you fall off, you only lose one (obviously :D ); so, you can take them and fall off, and you earn a life;
Inside the castle, you can avoid searching all the crates by simply shooting an ElectroBlaster through the trigger scenery walls and hitting the save point at the other side; then, if you fall off, you restart from there (this is how I solved it the first time, I couldn't find the "White" crate... :p )
In the end, in the last part of the level, you can skip walking a floor going directly up.
These sorts of things usually get noticed in testing, but I decide to leave them in anyway. I don't consider it to be a bug if it helps the player. Rewarding players for being clever is a good thing, and that shortcut in level 7 is just one example. Many of the levels have tricks like that.

DoubleGJ

May 14, 2008, 10:43 PM

It's a really fun thing to do and should be left as it is. I put such shortcuts intentionally in my levels for speedrunning purposes.
Hey, maybe a DevRes speedrun wouldn't be a bad idea!

BTW, what's with the food falling from sky endlessly in episode 1 castle level? =P I found it easy to get there with Jazz. \o/

Falcury

May 15, 2008, 12:22 AM

These sorts of things usually get noticed in testing, but I decide to leave them in anyway. I don't consider it to be a bug if it helps the player. Rewarding players for being clever is a good thing, and that shortcut in level 7 is just one example. Many of the levels have tricks like that.

Yup, in the Ruined Castle, for example, I am able to bypass the whole "getting the lizard" section quite easily. Especially with Spaz :D

Nonomu198

May 15, 2008, 10:38 AM

SPEED

You know, you might think the community can pass the gunned sonic phase in 10 years.

n00b

May 15, 2008, 02:03 PM

Except custom JJ2 levels are rarely like Sonic at all.

EvilMike

May 15, 2008, 07:13 PM

Everyone knows JJ1 was the sonic ripoff. JJ2 is an earthworm jim ripoff. Get your facts straight.

Nonomu198

May 16, 2008, 01:01 AM

Everyone knows JJ1 was the sonic ripoff. JJ2 is an earthworm jim ripoff. Get your facts straight.

It's called the "Jazz Jackrabbit Community Forums"

Ragnarok!

May 16, 2008, 10:21 AM

<img src="http://www.tachyonlabs.com/sam/JUMP.png">

<3 you. When's that gonna be available? (Or is it available already? Then I'll feel like a muppet). =o

Valco

May 16, 2008, 04:36 PM

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3722/muppetuf2.jpg

Violet CLM

May 16, 2008, 04:42 PM

<3 you. When's that gonna be available? (Or is it available already? Then I'll feel like a muppet). =o
I have absolutely no time estimates... it's possibly my main project at this point, despite the typical screenshot filenames reading sideproject, but I rarely actually have time to work on it...

...but finals are now over, so I can be on-topic and finally actually download and play this here episode! :D

EvilMike

Jun 6, 2009, 08:42 PM

Bumping this thread to say that episode 5 is VERY close to being complete, and that I'll be needing testers soon. I'm looking for people who are willing to give honest feedback. I want to know what works, and more importantly what doesn't.

All I have left to do is the music selection, and make the cutscene levels. Everything else is done, aside from one level which I decided to cut (it wasn't working the way I wanted it to).

This episode is very large, probably about as big as the last 3 combined in terms of gameplay. Maybe a bit bigger. Because of this, testing is going to take a while, and I don't expect testers to beat this in one sitting. This will either be released at the end of the month, or the beginning of next month, unless something horrible happens.

I'm going to update the first post in this thread with screenshots later. For now I just want to let people know that it's almost done, and that I'm looking for testers.

In other news, I'm also going to release small updates to the other 4 episodes a bit before I release ep5. Mostly just bugfixes and fixing oversights.

arjandevries

Jun 7, 2009, 12:14 AM

I'd like to test it. But I never created any level in JCS and don't know how JCS works.

But it isn't very clear to me what I have to do as a tester.

EvilMike

Jun 7, 2009, 12:49 AM

You don't need to know anything about JCS. All you need to have is a sense of what makes a level good or bad. And in most cases, that simply boils down to one question: "Is this fun or not?" It also helps to be somewhat good at single player levels (the difficulty is quite high) but easy mode should balance things, and really I recommend easy mode for most players.

In any case, once I think it's ready to start testing I'll private message the people who have offered to test.

arjandevries

Jun 7, 2009, 01:08 AM

EvilMike

Jun 7, 2009, 01:52 AM

Ok, then I'm in! :)
I finished the first 4 episodes so I can probably take the difficulty.

E: The site where you can download the music of your previous packs is down. I just wanted to download them again.

Thank you for informing me of that. I had no idea. People will just have to do without the music for now. When I release the updates I'm working on, I'll upload the music to a more reliable host, if I can find one.

Stijn

Jun 7, 2009, 02:26 AM

You can also upload it to J2O if you want, there's a tool for admins to "merge" downloads now.

Superjazz

Jun 7, 2009, 04:09 AM

I volunteer as a tester. I've been familiar with single-player scenes for long now, and I've been a tester earlier as well. Ask for a contact if you like.

CrimiClown

Jun 7, 2009, 04:21 AM

I'd love to test, to to be honest, I'd rather play it when it's done... I just love the suspence.

If you're still in need of testers in the end, I'll do it, but I'd rather pass the baton to someone else who's dying to test this.

White Rabbit

Jun 7, 2009, 07:00 AM

I have lots of free time this summer and would be happy to test episode 5.

Ragnarok!

Jun 7, 2009, 07:03 AM

I'm waiting for the surprise. ;o

EvilMike

Jun 7, 2009, 10:26 AM

Here is the surprise: you are devan shell. it was you all along.

Troglobite

Jun 7, 2009, 11:30 AM

I logged onto J2O and read the first line of the news annocement, and got excited, thinking that it had actually been released already. I was a bit disappointed when I checked the downloads and didn't see it.

But anyway, I'd be happy to beta-test it if you still need more people. I hope <S>I'll actually be able to beat this one on easy </S>my input will be helpful. But I do agree with CrimiClown, that there is fun in the suspense, and I'll be just as happy to wait for the official version.

EvilMike

Jun 7, 2009, 12:55 PM

Sorry if your hopes got up. It's coming soon at least! I think I'll at least be able to set a release date within the next few days, and the newspost can be updated with that info.

I wanted to make the announcement before release, because this pack needs the best testing it can get.

About testers, I've got plenty of requests now so thank you. Sometimes it's hard to get people to volunteer, but it was pretty easy this time for some reason. I'll be contacting the various people as soon as I put it all together. What I usually do is I get 2 or 3 people to test it at first, and then once I get feedback from them, I send the updated version to a couple more people.

EvilMike

Jun 9, 2009, 09:06 PM

Hmm. It's going to be a bit difficult getting this on J2O. The zip file is 12 megabytes. Even if I split the upload into several chunks, use admin powers to surpass the 5 upload a month limit, AND use admin powers to merge the files, I still don't think I can do it. One of the songs is over 2mb when zipped, and I think that's the upload limit. I'd love to be able to host this on j2o as one download, but I don't see how I can, even using admin powers. I can upload the levels and tilesets fine... but for the music if I'm going to host it on j2o, the only solution will be FTP.

In other news, I'm now 100% done, have personally tested every level, played through the entire episode twice, and sorted out a number of very annoying bugs that made a couple levels unplayable. I bet you didn't know that "bees" events don't erase themselves when they go offscreen! A couple hundred of those and sprites start disappearing.

I'll be sending this to the testers shortly. Some will be getting it before others. Regular betatesting procedure applies: if you see a bug or a problem, report it. You can say if you don't like something, but you have to say why and how it could be better. Also, note that jj2+ has a bug with boss music: the levels will play fine, but "activate boss" events won't change the music. Nothing I can do about that.

The release date will be the 27th of June, assuming no huge problems arise and the testers reply before then.

Stijn

Jun 10, 2009, 12:26 AM

If you upload a dummy file to J2O and then the "real" .zip via FTP (also to J2O), I can sort things out so it uses the correct files.

EvilMike

Jun 10, 2009, 01:02 AM

If you upload a dummy file to J2O and then the "real" .zip via FTP (also to J2O), I can sort things out so it uses the correct files.
Alright thanks. I checked and there is actually only 1 music file that goes over the limit (Irealize.xm). Which is funny since it was your suggestion!

So that will be the only thing requiring the "dummy file" trick, when the time comes to upload the episode.

DoubleGJ

Jun 10, 2009, 02:19 AM

I bet you didn't know that "bees" events don't erase themselves when they go offscreen! A couple hundred of those and sprites start disappearing.
(-).

Slaz

Jun 14, 2009, 02:24 AM

I'm planning to play through every episode from the first to the last as soon as you've released the final, on the hard level, without cheats. :p

Troglobite

Jun 14, 2009, 06:22 PM

I'm planning to play through every episode from the first to the last as soon as you've released the final, on the hard level, without cheats. :p

That's possible?

I just realized that I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks, and leaving the day before Episode 5 is released. So I guess I'll have something to look forward to when I get back.

EvilMike

Jun 14, 2009, 08:09 PM

(-).
That was pretty much my reaction. If you have a level with too many of those events, you're going to either need to find a way of reducing them, or split the level. I was luckily able to cut the amount of events in half without impacting gameplay.

I'm planning to play through every episode from the first to the last as soon as you've released the final, on the hard level, without cheats.
If you (or anyone else) feel like replaying the episodes, go and redownload them from J2O. I updated them a couple of days ago. I uploaded them as minor changes, because only a few minor things are noticeably different.

Some of the changes I made:
-The downloads on j2o now include the music
-General bugfixes and a few minor design changes to two or three levels with some sort of very obvious flaw
-Every episode now has 8 powerups (1 for every weapon except TNT). This isn't actually a huge change, I just added it because it's a fun challenge to try to find all of them.
-For episodes 3 and 4, there are now 20 green gems, 10 blue gems, and a gem ring in most levels. For episodes 1 and 2, there are 20 purple gems.

That's about it. As you can see it's not as big of a change as last time I did an update (where I pretty much did a total dialogue rewrite) but it's still worth getting the new version I think.

Superjazz

Jun 15, 2009, 06:29 AM

I'm planning to play through every episode from the first to the last as soon as you've released the final, on the hard level, without cheats. :p

I'll be looking forward for you to beat it in hard. It hardly is possible I believe. ;)

cooba

Jun 22, 2009, 01:42 AM

Synopsis: The final confrontation with Devan Shell is near. You have traveled to the planet Nippius where it said that he hiding, but something very strange is going on there. You're going to need to take a few detours, it seems...You have traveled to the planet Nippius where it said that he hidingwhere it said that he hidinghe hiding:gabber:

EvilMike

Jun 22, 2009, 11:25 AM

You just don't like my use of urban slang, obviously.

Ragnarok!

Jun 22, 2009, 02:57 PM

haaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

EvilMike

Jun 26, 2009, 02:58 PM

It's now uploaded to J2O. Thank you to everyone who helped me with this.

Edit: Also, I THINK I managed to cover anything (updated the info on previous episodes etc) but I might have missed something. Also if there's an obvious bug, like a missing file or something, tell me right away! I am pretty sure nothing is missing, but with something this big, it's hard to tell.

DoubleGJ

Jun 26, 2009, 04:59 PM

I think I know what I'll be doing next week

Troglobite

Jun 26, 2009, 09:09 PM

EvilMike

Jun 26, 2009, 09:44 PM

I had eleven (Eleven!) lives (and two power-ups to boot) when I beat Deluge, and thought that maybe I might finally be able to beat <s> all 5 episodes in under a minute, blindfolded, with my left pinky, using only gun3, and losing no health, on hard</s> an episode without cheating on easy. Then I died 10 times before I could even beat the water on the first tower of Fortress of Floods once. And then I died again as soon as I started the next tower.

Bleargh.

Haha, yeah that's a hard one, maybe the hardest in the whole series. The main reason is it has a totally different type of gameplay, where you have to actually race against the level. That time limit puts a lot of pressure on the player and a lot of people wind up making mistakes because of that. It also puts way more emphasis on movement, rather than shooting enemies (the level has hardly any enemies, relatively speaking).

Balancing it was really weird too because some testers didn't have as much of a problem with it, while others had a ton of trouble (even if the rest of the episode didn't cause too much difficulty). Again I think it's because it requires a different type of skill than the other levels. People who are good at test levels will probably find this level to be easier.

For the first tower, all I can really suggest is don't go TOO fast. If the water catches you, you'll have a chance to swim up with it or past it. For the second tower, there's no real issue with falling behind, since near the end you'll be able to catch up to it. As for the rest of the level, just run as fast as you can and try not to get hit by anything... and use pepper spray.

Maybe it's a bit too... evil of me to throw in something so different from everything else, but I'm one of those weird people who plays old platformers and finds that one really evil level (and they all have one of those) to be the most fun.

arjandevries

Jun 26, 2009, 10:05 PM

I'm sorry I didn't send screens of the last 2 levels. I was a bit busy and didn't find any problems in the levels.

It was a great pack!

@Troglobite, you ain't seen nothing yet :P
Wait till the third tower and the levels after that.

EvilMike

Jun 26, 2009, 10:08 PM

There's no need to apologise, the fact that you sent screenshots of all the other levels was incredibly helpful and I made a lot of changes based on them. A lot of people give highly detailed feedback, but you're the only person I've seen who backs that up with pictures. It makes it much easier to find stuff. You've given some of the most useful feedback I've gotten, for this episode and the previous one.

Violet CLM

Jun 27, 2009, 12:16 AM

Whew, done. Seven, eight continues? I lost count. Plus an access violation for some unknown reason.

arjandevries

Jun 27, 2009, 03:19 AM

Thank you, Mike. It's nice to hear that. :)

CrimiClown

Jun 27, 2009, 03:42 AM

...wow this is... Hard. I play on Normal, 'cause, you know, I beat the last episodes on normal too... but this is a bit over my head.

Oh by the way, a small 'bug' I found... I had a Sugar Rush going and I fell into a pit... I think those are your everyday CTF-deathpits, but as long as the Sugar Rush was on, I just bumped up and down a lot, making squishy noises... Not much of a bug since you'll die after 20 seconds, but just saying.

It was in the Tempest level, by the way.

cooba

Jun 27, 2009, 04:30 AM

as long as the Sugar Rush was on, I just bumped up and down a lot, making squishy noisesThat's because EM used Bees for the hurt in the instakill... pity that I never thought that this situation could happen.

when is helldome 2 coming out :confused:

CrimiClown

Jun 27, 2009, 04:47 AM

But why use hurts? Doesn't the CTF-flag thing sufficiently kill you?

cooba

Jun 27, 2009, 05:08 AM

Try removing the bees/spike ball/hurt and watch your lives counter go down (not)...

CrimiClown

Jun 27, 2009, 05:11 AM

Try removing the bees/spike ball/hurt and watch your lives counter go down (not)...

Well sorry for asking mister awesome.

I might finish this pack sometime later, for some reason I'm not motivated enough to watch myself die over and over.

cooba

Jun 27, 2009, 05:34 AM

:( I didn't mean to sound patronising..

CrimiClown

Jun 27, 2009, 07:57 AM

:( I didn't mean to sound patronising..

Well, okay, never mind. Sand over it (haha a Dutch-ism).

By the way I LOVE the Tempest level... with the Frog routes and the bird route and such. I've never seen a 'non-attack' route be used to well. Chapeau Mike.

SPAZ18

Jun 27, 2009, 08:39 AM

This has got to be not just the best SP episode of 2009 but possibly also the BEST SP EPISODE I EVER PLAYED!
The whole episode took me over 5 hours.

I might post a review when I have enough inspiration to write up one.

EvilMike

Jun 27, 2009, 09:24 AM

Plus an access violation for some unknown reason.
Could you tell me which level it occurred in, and perhaps which spot? It was probably just a random fluke, since JJ2 does like to crash sometimes for no apparent reason, but it's possible that I make a mistake with one of the levels. If you can't remember it's ok.

Oh by the way, a small 'bug' I found... I had a Sugar Rush going and I fell into a pit... I think those are your everyday CTF-deathpits, but as long as the Sugar Rush was on, I just bumped up and down a lot, making squishy noises... Not much of a bug since you'll die after 20 seconds, but just saying.
As cooba said it's because the death pits use "bees" events, which are required to cause a life to be lost. Hurt events don't work in death pits. And if I used something else like spikeballs, you wouldn't get stuck, but you'd die without losing a life. So, my rather cheap solution is to just force the player to wait it out. The best thing would be to use JJ2+ death pits, but I want all of the episodes to be compatible with every version of JJ2, and more importantly, with each other.

Violet CLM

Jun 27, 2009, 09:25 AM

It was in the island level, near or in the test to get the blessing of fire. I assume just a fluke since I'd swum by that spot many times before.

EvilMike

Jun 27, 2009, 09:30 AM

Hmm yeah there's nothing there that would obviously cause a crash. There IS a shield in that level though, and if you have a shield, there is a bug in JJ2 which can rarely cause access violations. JJ2+ fixes it, I believe.

Slaz

Jun 28, 2009, 02:14 AM

That has to be very rarely then. Been playing JJ2 since the first days after release and never had an Access Violation with a shield in both SP and MP.

EvilMike

Jun 29, 2009, 10:32 AM

Why do people host this online...?

CrimiClown

Jun 29, 2009, 12:58 PM

Why do people host this online...?

To offer a co-op situation of EXTREME DIFFICULTY.

...I doubt co-op-ing this pack would actually work well, by the way.

Raven aka StL

Jun 29, 2009, 02:02 PM

If you could get hurt online etc etc...

EvilMike

Jun 29, 2009, 02:13 PM

It doesn't work, because only the host can take damage, there's a bunch of stuff that breaks with more than 1 player (like one level which requires you to get 50 out of 60 coins - what happens if both players get half the coins?) and of course death pits which do not work AT ALL if played online.

Of course, it's up to players how they choose to play it. Still, it's a very strange way to play, and probably not even possible in some levels.

Xobim

Jun 29, 2009, 02:44 PM

Probably a fetish or something, I guess...

Anyway, I've played your final episode, and hated it. The story is very nice, and was also the main reason why I downloaded the final part.
But it seems I haven't played JJ2 in a long while. I died a bazillion times, and lost my savegame when I overwrote it from the first boss level (small level, but still an access violation, unfair!).
I'll try it on easy the next time, and see how far I get.
From what I've seen, I find Deserto Orbital base the coolest level you've made. The fortresses were just as big and complex, but they didn't really have the atmosphere I found in the orbital base.
Overall, a good job on a very special episode. I'm glad you've finished it.

EvilMike

Jun 29, 2009, 02:58 PM

Superjazz

Jun 30, 2009, 06:25 AM

Notice how the average rating raises by 0.1 with each episode from the first to last. However, seems like there was something wrong with EP4, since it differs from this formula.

CrimiClown

Jun 30, 2009, 07:10 AM

Notice how the average rating raises by 0.1 with each episode from the first to last. However, seems like there was something wrong with EP4, since it differs from this formula.

Well, you see, EP4 had its moments, like the mine (made with a Carottus tileset, I mean, WOW? That looks really good!) and the (what I call) "Distopia levels"... but, the thing that differed was that EP1, 2 and 3 had A LOT OF moments, if not one big moment, and EP4 just didn't have that... at least that's what I think.

(EvilMike don't kill me. D: )

Superjazz

Jun 30, 2009, 08:48 AM

Being a well known person and a decent creator doesn't automatically give you a higher rating than your previous work, yes. :P

EvilMike

Jun 30, 2009, 08:56 AM

Well, you see, EP4 had its moments, like the mine (made with a Carottus tileset, I mean, WOW? That looks really good!) and the (what I call) "Distopia levels"... but, the thing that differed was that EP1, 2 and 3 had A LOT OF moments, if not one big moment, and EP4 just didn't have that... at least that's what I think.

(EvilMike don't kill me. D: )

I personally consider 4 to be the weakest one, and I also didn't enjoy making it very much.

Xobim

Jul 2, 2009, 04:17 AM

I agree, deserto orbital base is the best level I ever made. And the reason is simple: the tileset allows for massive versatility and originality in the level design.

That access violation in the boss level is annoying but unintentional. It's also the reason why I made the warning a bit more prominent in the ep5 download... there is no way to fix it unless JJ2 itself is fixed.

Overall there are 8 points in the episode where you can save safely guaranteed (cutscenes or transition levels).

As for the difficulty level, it's definitely not for everyone. If it's so much that you hated it, well I'm sorry to hear that. However, playing on easy mode probably won't make you like it more. In fact, you should just not play it at all. Play something you enjoy instead: there's no reason to put yourself through a several-hours long episode if you know you don't like it.

I thought the last episode should the most challenging and varied one, though. And easy mode does help a bit (but the death pits will still get you). If you're dying due to falling, easy isn't going to change a lot. What easy mode adds is carrots (about double the amount). Funny thing is quite a few people criticized ep4 for being too easy. You can't please everyone, I guess. It's a good idea to play the other episodes and get used to those.

Top3 is indeed an extremely useful tileset, but the ambience in the level is what attracted me the most. However, everyone who tries to make a spacebase with that tileset from now on will get that "you're cloning evilmike"-look, unless they make something just as impressive. (Well, that's my idea, actually. The real world will probably react differently.)

Without the amnesia errors, the game would be indeed a lot easier. Surprisingly, I was able to save at the beginning of the fortress of storms, but after the first two rooftop jumps the game would crash if I saved and loaded there.

Well, maybe hating was a bit of a strong term. After a while I just got annoyed with all the traps and used cheats to get past them. I was still eager to know what kind of horrors my little rabbit awaited in the next level. And I wanted to know how the story continued, so I played on. You've always got some nice ideas in each level, and I don't want to skip that as well.

I'm open to giving it another chance. Now that I know what I can expect, I might have a bigger chance of surviving out there. :)

Troglobite

Jul 4, 2009, 07:41 PM

I agree, deserto orbital base is the best level I ever made. And the reason is simple: the tileset allows for massive versatility and originality in the level design.

That access violation in the boss level is annoying but unintentional. It's also the reason why I made the warning a bit more prominent in the ep5 download... there is no way to fix it unless JJ2 itself is fixed.

Overall there are 8 points in the episode where you can save safely guaranteed (cutscenes or transition levels).

As for the difficulty level, it's definitely not for everyone. If it's so much that you hated it, well I'm sorry to hear that. However, playing on easy mode probably won't make you like it more. In fact, you should just not play it at all. Play something you enjoy instead: there's no reason to put yourself through a several-hours long episode if you know you don't like it.

I thought the last episode should the most challenging and varied one, though. And easy mode does help a bit (but the death pits will still get you). If you're dying due to falling, easy isn't going to change a lot. What easy mode adds is carrots (about double the amount). Funny thing is quite a few people criticized ep4 for being too easy. You can't please everyone, I guess. It's a good idea to play the other episodes and get used to those.

Deserto Orbital Base is definitely one of the best levels I've ever played. Although I think my favorite may be something from Episode 5 now. I've been on vacation and still sort of am, so I haven't gotten to play as much as I'd like. I've made it to Blight, and got to the third set of rocks before losing all my lives. I think my favorite levels so far have got to be Deluge, Blight, and Fortress of Floods. The gameplay on each is quite unique, and the fact that they're way too difficult for me makes it more fun when I finally do win. I think Fortress of Floods alone took me three or four hours.

Anyway, I've really been enjoying this episode, and it seems like a more-than-worthy ending for an already amazing series.

Troglobite

Jul 20, 2009, 07:45 PM

Woah. I actually <s> double-posted</s> beat it?! Without cheating?! Up to Fortress of Decay, it took me forever to beat some levels. But the last couple levels on easy actually seemed quite reasonable. Maybe even almost easy. Like Oasis? After all the moving platforms and collapsing bridges and horizontal springs (I never want to see a horizontal spring again after playing fortress of decay) and pits, I felt like I could have beaten Oasis with my eyes closed. I even beat Devan first try, although this involved a lucky kick right as he was changing that insta-killed him. The rocket turtle wasn't as bad as I expected either, mainly because I repetitively froze (Hurray for gun 3!) and stomped him. I can't believe its over. I guess I could go back and beat the earlier episodes without cheating. Or follow the advice in the level properties of the credits level.

FireSworD

Jul 20, 2009, 09:06 PM

I agree, deserto orbital base is the best level I ever made. And the reason is simple: the tileset allows for massive versatility and originality in the level design.

Shameless Plug (http://www.jazz2online.com/jcf/showthread.php?t=18291)

I haven't had the time or urge to play fortress of ruin, so I'm only up to deluge currently (yes, at the part with the shield). So far I consider it better than 4. It pretty much forces you to lose health and even die, so it's definitely a challenge as everything isn't logically placed this time.