Blaster usage and single player

[Treylina]

I noticed that in single player, I almost always use blaster, unless there's a real reason to use any other weapon, which is rare.

Who else does this? Is it really something only the good single players do?

[Zah dud4h]

It depends on the situation

i use every weapon,but most likely the blaster would be my choice if i don't want to waste ammo on small enemies

[SAMI]

Same here. I always use blaster. Not that because I'm good or something, but I'm lazy enough to change weapons during playing SP. If it gets too much necessary, I use other weapons then.

[Violet CLM]

[4:27:23 PM] TreyLina: Violet: what kind of ammo do you prefer to use instead of blaster?
[4:27:55 PM] Violet CLM: Depends what I have and where I am.
[4:28:42 PM] TreyLina: seekers are the most versatile, i think
[4:29:06 PM] Sir Ementaler: Unless you're fighting a Bolly boss.
[4:29:17 PM] Violet CLM: If there are enemies below me, bouncer. If there are several fencers or something that take multiple hits and move around well, ice. If all else fails, seekers. If I need power and speed and aren't in a place where I need to worry about recoil, RF. If enemies are hard to aim at, toaster. If something's on the other side of a wall, EB.
[4:29:58 PM] Violet CLM: And if something takes multiple hits and I have a powerup with a good bit of ammo, and I don't have a blaster powerup, maybe just go with that whatever its movement properties happen to be.
[4:30:24 PM] Sir Ementaler: And if you're playing one of those Episode 5 levels, pepper spray.
[4:30:50 PM] Violet CLM: The fewer hearts I have, the likelier I am to use non-blaster weapons.
[4:32:33 PM] onetruepurple: the fewer hearts I have, the less likely I am to use knockback-causing weapons
[4:33:38 PM] Violet CLM: Also a concern.

[PurpleJazz]

Even though I voted for the first option, I will say that using the other weapons can be a godsend in the more difficult SP levels, where the enemies are tactically placed so that dispatching them can be tricky with the Blaster alone.

[Skulg]

Even though I voted for the first option, I will say that using the other weapons can be a godsend in the more difficult SP levels, where the enemies are tactically placed so that dispatching them can be tricky with the Blaster alone.

I agree with this.

Apart from situations like that, I use the Blaster almost 100% of the time; preferably with full rapid fire.

[Primpy]

Blaster is still the best weapon in my oppinion, and I most likely finish the game with lots of unused ammo. Every ammo has its downs and ups, but the blaster has no downs except its short range. I can finish Single Player using only the blaster, and even better if it's power-upped and rapid fired.

[Jelly Jam]

I hardly ever use blaster in multiplayer (except when everyone else takes powerups. LOL)
But I used to have an urge, and i still do, that I need to save weapons so I can fight the bosses, but at the end, I forget and I fight the boss with a blaster. LOL
But yeah, pepper spray is the least usefull weapon in SP.

[Skulg]

I hardly ever use blaster in multiplayer (except when everyone else takes powerups. LOL)
But I used to have an urge, and i still do, that I need to save weapons so I can fight the bosses, but at the end, I forget and I fight the boss with a blaster. LOL
But yeah, pepper spray is the least usefull weapon in SP.

Ugh yeah. Does anyone ever use it? Thinking about it, this makes me realize that nearly all weapons aren't that great compared to JJ1 in my opinion.

Toaster used to be awesome, straight-forward and powerful. Now it's like a half-hearted chili fart and only useful against bee swarms but that's it.

And don't get me started on the unpredictable bouncing of the blue bouncy things whose name I forgot. Good grief! Loved them in JJ1 because, you know, YOU COULD PREDICT WHERE THEY'D GO AND USE THEM STRATEGICALLY. Now it's just like "what the heck is happening what th- NO WAIT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO- *gets killed by incoming enemy*"

Powered-up RF Missile is the only kinda useful and really freakin' awesome weapon. However I mostly find myself just shooting it into the air for the hell of it because HOLY CANOLLI THAT SOUND. You wouldn't wanna use it on enemies too much, though, because chances are it'd recoil you down a pit.

hhHHHHHHH

[cooba]

Fireball is the best SP weapon

[Jelly Jam]

Fireball is the best SP weapon
If you played 1.00g that originaly had fireball and not pepper OR jj2+ fireball, it's just a crappier version of the blaster.

[Seren]

I just re-watched my speedruns for reference and it would appear I rarely shoot in the first place. The pen may be mightier than the sword but the buttstomp is mightier than the gun. When I do shoot, I shoot blaster, because I like when my ammo tanks stay full. If neither buttstomp nor blaster do the trick, the weapons that do tend to be seekers and pepper spray, the two most useful SP weapons. RF missiles in SP are a support weapon and shouldn't be aimed at anything but walls or blank space. TNT and freezer are hardly ever useful against actual enemies either. Bouncer and electroblaster have very limited use and are rarely worth the bother. Toaster is for those who can't aim.

[Love & Thunder]

I tend to only use blaster and sometimes the toaster. Everything else is highly situational.

Although special abilities(Stomp/uppercut) are very useful too, especially against ravens and dragonflies(Jazz's uppercut is a godsend against them).

[ShadowGPW]

fire is awesome against bugs :)

[Treylina]

But yeah, pepper spray is the least usefull weapon in SP.

I disagree. Freezer is the least useful because 90% of the time it's a gimmicky, glorified blaster. It doesn't even damage. It's only good in races and pit fights.

Pepper is a good weapon in SP to start off with. Unlike MP, it can hit multiple times. It also has a better spread and lasts in the air for longer (than blaster).

[Skulg]

Pepper is a good weapon in SP to start off with. Unlike MP, it can hit multiple times. It also has a better spread and lasts in the air for longer (than blaster).

I personally find it very hard to see against a dark/moving background, maybe that's why I haven't been too fond of it. But thinking about it, your arguments actually make sense. Maybe I should give it another chance!

[Ninja]

I don't use ammo.

[Slaz]

I used to clear the original SP levels using solely the blaster, switching to other weapons only if destruct scenery required it. Then I started to play the (original) SP multiple times over the years using basically all weapons in different situations. And while the level design doesn't require it, it still felt rewarding killing everything with style!

In harder custom SP levels, I generally use what the designer intended to use (if any). Though blaster and buttstomping still works great in most of them..

[Violet CLM]

I'd be interested to know how people found themselves playing if they challenged themselves <em>not</em> to use Blaster. Presumably through a simple script, though self-discipline or JSD would also work. Would you stick to the most-blaster-like weapons, or abandon shooting completely, or what?

[Skulg]

I'd be interested to know how people found themselves playing if they challenged themselves <em>not</em> to use Blaster. Presumably through a simple script, though self-discipline or JSD would also work. Would you stick to the most-blaster-like weapons, or abandon shooting completely, or what?

That's an interesting question! I assume I'd most likely use Spaz's sidekick and buttstomp way more, however of course this won't work with all enemies. If I had to choose, I'd probably work with long-range ammo (probably actually even pepper spray, even if I can't see where the heck it's going thanks to its color.)

[Jelly Jam]

That's an interesting question! I assume I'd most likely use Spaz's sidekick and buttstomp way more, however of course this won't work with all enemies. If I had to choose, I'd probably work with long-range ammo (probably actually even pepper spray, even if I can't see where the heck it's going thanks to its color.)
Well actually, I prefer Jazz in SP, but I can't deny that Spaz's double jump is really useful!
Also the buttstomp rulez

[Primpy]

Well actually, I prefer Jazz in SP, but I can't deny that Spaz's double jump is really useful!
Also the buttstomp rulez

Of course, but Spaz is overrated, and it's just surprising how many people preffer Spaz instead of Jazz. Jazz is the main character after all, and the helicopter ears are really useful, especially when you don't know what bonuses you could miss when falling (Like the shield in the second Hell - not Damn - level). His high jumping powerup compensates Spaz's double jump, but it's harder to handle. All the characters have buttstomp, which is good. Spaz's kick isn't that useful, but better when there are multiple enemies ahead (which could be easily destroyed with any weapon, but yeah).

[Love & Thunder]

IMO, whether you prefer Jazz or Spaz(Or Lori) doesn't actually matter, since they're exactly as good as each-other(Although Lori is a little harder to play as). The whole point is that they're different, and whether you play as one or the other depends on what playstyle you prefer.

That's what I've observed, anyway.
I'd be interested to know how people found themselves playing if they challenged themselves <em>not</em> to use Blaster. Presumably through a simple script, though self-discipline or JSD would also work. Would you stick to the most-blaster-like weapons, or abandon shooting completely, or what?Sounds interesting; I'll have to give that a go sometime. I'd probably stick to the toaster mostly(Which gets super-OP when you have the power up and a lot of fastfire).

[Skulg]

Of course, but Spaz is overrated, and it's just surprising how many people preffer Spaz instead of Jazz. Jazz is the main character after all, and the helicopter ears are really useful, especially when you don't know what bonuses you could miss when falling (Like the shield in the second Hell - not Damn - level). His high jumping powerup compensates Spaz's double jump, but it's harder to handle. All the characters have buttstomp, which is good. Spaz's kick isn't that useful, but better when there are multiple enemies ahead (which could be easily destroyed with any weapon, but yeah).

That's an interesting view. I personally am surprised at how many people prefer playing Jazz - sure he's the main character and he's really awesome, but I find Spaz more efficient and convenient to handle. His sidekick allows him to kill horizontally, as opposed to Jazz who can only kick/punch vertically, and if I remember correctly, it also instant-kills enemies you'd have to shoot several times otherwise. Depending on where you start the kick, he'll either go down a slope or go horizontally through the air to attack a flying enemy. I find this pretty handy.

I often find myself getting 'stuck' in Jazz's flight animation if I accidentally press jump twice, which sometimes costs valuable micro seconds, much to the advantage of enemies who can just rush up to me and kill me as I'm trying to get out of that slow flight sequence. I find Spaz much easier to handle when in the air, as he twists and turns faster. But then again, I might be just clumsy, or a speed addict, or both. ;)

[Primpy]

That's an interesting view. I personally am surprised at how many people prefer playing Jazz - sure he's the main character and he's really awesome, but I find Spaz more efficient and convenient to handle. His sidekick allows him to kill horizontally, as opposed to Jazz who can only kick/punch vertically, and if I remember correctly, it also instant-kills enemies you'd have to shoot several times otherwise. Depending on where you start the kick, he'll either go down a slope or go horizontally through the air to attack a flying enemy. I find this pretty handy.

I often find myself getting 'stuck' in Jazz's flight animation if I accidentally press jump twice, which sometimes costs valuable micro seconds, much to the advantage of enemies who can just rush up to me and kill me as I'm trying to get out of that slow flight sequence. I find Spaz much easier to handle when in the air, as he twists and turns faster. But then again, I might be just clumsy, or a speed addict, or both. ;)

Spaz is made especially for speedruns, my oppinion. You rarely see lots of enemies ahead, so you can use the kick. At one moment he will eventually stop kicking and if there's one more enemy ahead he (the player) didn't destory, you can say goodbye to one heart (not in Lori's case!). Jazz's punch is good especially on annoying enemies such as bees, crows and flying lizards. There's a very small chance to get harmed while doing that. As I see, most of the people from the forums think that Jazz is too mainstream, so they go with Spaz. This makes Spaz even more mainstream than Jazz. To be honest, I enjoy playing with Lori more than I do with Spaz. Oppinions, oppinions...

[Skulg]

Spaz is made especially for speedruns, my oppinion. You rarely see lots of enemies ahead, so you can use the kick. At one moment he will eventually stop kicking and if there's one more enemy ahead he (the player) didn't destory, you can say goodbye to one heart (not in Lori's case!). Jazz's punch is good especially on annoying enemies such as bees, crows and flying lizards. There's a very small chance to get harmed while doing that. As I see, most of the people from the forums think that Jazz is too mainstream, so they go with Spaz. This makes Spaz even more mainstream than Jazz. To be honest, I enjoy playing with Lori more than I do with Spaz. Oppinions, oppinions...

Haha I agree! In the end it's just a matter of personal playing style; there's no objectively 'right' or 'wrong' choice. They all have their perks. I personally enjoyed playing Lori as well because her kick was super fast and deadly, and you chould chain it on and on and on for as long as you wanted, while with Spaz, you had to wait a bit until you could start another kick.

[DoubleGJ]

I use toaster whenever I have enough ammo to spare, RFs also pretty often if I'm good on health so I can risk getting blown away a bit. When underwater, I use seekers almost exclusively (when I can), and often strategically to hit enemies around corners and stuff like that. I also use bouncer pretty often to not only shoot down holes and drops but also to get rid of some low-height enemies like lab rats or suckers because it's faster and more convenient than ducking

so yeah, I don't really use blaster that much

[Treylina]

IMO, whether you prefer Jazz or Spaz(Or Lori) doesn't actually matter, since they're exactly as good as each-other(Although Lori is a little harder to play as). .

Lori's ease of use depends on the layout. She's the easiest in SP levels when all the jumps are easy. I'm still going to stick with my belief in that it depends with the layout and enemy types/placements and possible character exclusive areas.

As I see, most of the people from the forums think that Jazz is too mainstream, so they go with Spaz.

Not true at all. People play Spaz mostly because A: He's usually the best in MP or B: More players find him fun to use. Loads of players start out as playing Jazz, but soon switch to Spaz.

If someone wanted to be hipster, they'd pick Lori (discluding streetfight).

[nellybergamo]

So I've been hardcore speedrunning the SP for around 5 months now.
Up until I started really started the speedruns Ive played through the SP almost exclusively with the Blaster but nowadays as Spaz I basically only ever use the flamethrower, that bubble thing and the rocketlauncher. Blaster is only useful for breaking walls and at the points where you got no other ammo. On Lori/Jazz however the blaster upgrade is in my path so i use it after the upgrade :)

[ShadowGPW]

Nelly, do you have some movies of it? I'm interested in seeing those runs!