Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Arcane Observatory

Someone cycled to the level and people started to criticise it, what i will use in my review.

Theme

Arcane Observatory, this name refers to WarCraft 3’s building where there are these magical floating stuffs in a building. What can I say, this level is totally based around that thing, thus there is the big building made of floating platforms, with a dark forest at the background, raining heavily with the really nicely fitting music (what is made by Alexander Brandon who made the musics for jj2 too), that adds a lot to the feeling while being at the this level. I feel like I was at a mediveal, magical sorcery place, genious, I love the Theme of the level.
[18:07:20] RabRabCC: the theme of the level is nice though
[18:07:25] PurpleJazzCC: well yes

20 out of 20

Eyecandy

Mainly it’s dark over there, it’s relaxing for the eyes. I especially like the background, even though it’s the basic offering of the tileset. There are some nice background parts, many windows, it’s simple but natural, what means you’ve put there the right amount of decoration. There aren’t confusing things, except for the BNC PUs, they are a little hidden but once you found them it’s no big deal, I mean, a part of them is visible. This amount of Eyecandy is really right for a CTF level (or anything else basically). It’s definietly nice.

20 out of 20

Layout

Well after all these nice points, I’m sad about it, but i have to say that the level is a little too much focused on the Theme and the look, what causes the level’s gameplay and layout to have problems.
Firstly I would explain it’s simplified layout: Bases in the middle routes side by side, Powerups at the 4 corners of the level, carrot in the middle. That sounds allright, it’s obviously balanced, fairly easy to understand. The carrot’s box is problematic though, since there is only a full carrot, and it’s really campy. The entrance of the carrot is campy, the box is a trap, and the exit of the box is also very campy, this makes a larger team game carrotless, as the flagholder can’t risk going to the carrot , because he/she has hardly any way to get out with more health. Moreover in these two critical places, the entrance of the carrot box and the exit from the box are the two ways where you can go to the other side, and they have seekers close so they are ultimate camp places. That is bad.
[18:05:45] -t3’: this dead end is a terrible design decision
[18:06:07] -t3’: it could just have a passage to the other side
He is talking about 69 23 to 73 25. I have to agree with him, there is a solution with triggers, so that the person can go up with the tube (or if he/she wants to get out he can get out by buttstomping) and the person who wants to go to the other side has one other nice way to do so.
[18:11:41] PurpleJazzCC: i don’t really like the platformish layout
Well In my view of things, being platformish isn’t an issue of layout, but okay, the level is platformish, I will come back to it at the gameplay section.
The layout is simple anyway, there aren’t many tactical issues, you can’t really chase else than in liner paths when the enemy isn’t far, you can rather camp.
It’s unique so that’s a good point.

16 out of 30

Gameplay

Duels work, since there is only one carrot, maybe in duels the carrot problem i explained right above is nonexsistent. It’s quite big though, so it might take a lot of time if someone decides to run around and hide. The size suggests 3v3, but the carrot and it’s campyness suggests 2v2 rather. In 3v3 it becomes a carrotless map, it might still be fun it does work then too, but it’s somewhat bad. The RF is crucial, BNC is useful too, and as there are both of them in both sides, it gives enough supply. The BNC’s dead-end is a bit dangerous, but I don’t think it’s a problem. The ammos are allright, they are functional in the level, yet there could be some non powerupped toaster, they might had some use. Ah and EB seems to be a little useless, there are no walls you could use it on else than the carrot box. The ammo placement is a bit agureable, you shouldn’t put seeks close a campy place.
Pits:
[18:06:20] PurpleJazzCC: i think the pits here are annoying and
[18:06:23] PurpleJazzCC: unnecessary
[18:06:46] PurpleJazzCC: they were fine in coffee
[18:06:52] PurpleJazzCC: but here they just seem really random
[18:07:12] PurpleJazzCC: a bit of a risky design choice considering this
[18:07:18] PurpleJazzCC: was to make a new mappool level
Many people (excluding me) hates pits. PJ is right, these pits aren’t carrying something tactical or intended, they are just there, like “why not?”. I can assume, the reason why the pits are there is the name, the theme’s concept, and now comes back what I said earlier, the theme is more in the focus than the gameplay. The base areas are neat, they can be approached from many ways, can be defended with seeks or something.
[18:09:52] Kenny-CDF-: i dont really like its flow :/
[18:12:20] PurpleJazzCC: yea lots of jumping required here
That’s true, you gotta jump a lot, but mainly the flow is allright I mean you don’t crush to unexpected obsticles, if I ignore occasionally falling down.
As the last thing about the gameplay I will say, the platformish layout. There are plenty of ways you can go on, you can always change direction, there aren’t anything to control your movement, like you needn’t go up, in the route you can just go right along, and this makes the players be very unexpectable, you can’t really predict where to go, and if you even could, you can not get in front of your enemy, or you can’t shoot him from a place. The carrot box and the middle place is an exception to this said, but I already told what’s bad about them.

14 out of 30

Conclusion

This is a nice level, it’s pretty, has a catchy feeling, yet the gameplay is dull, not too tactical, with a campy carrot box. What advice i would give is that, you need to plan the gameplay ahead and then decorate the level, what you, comrade, do quite right.

-RabidRabb

It was indeed possible as Spaz with some RF jumping. I’ve fixed it now, thank you very much for reporting it so soon.