I like gems. I often use them in SP levels to show the correct route. My levels often have a lot of sidepaths (sometimes containing ammo, or a coin, or just a lot of bad luck and enemies) but as soon as you stop seeing Red Gems littered everywhere, you know you're not heading towards your objective.

I know that I'm not very well known for my SP packs... the two I did release were flops (and lost). I am working on a storyline again, though, but as with most SP packs of mine, I rarely finish them. So far I have three unfinished packs which use the idea of Red Gems as route indicators:

- Spaz Revolutions
This pack was supposed to be a Spaz only pack, which included certain levels which you played as Jazz as the 'other side of the story'-element. This one is lost and will never be recovered.
- The Game
A quick mindspin of mine. Jazz is arrested by the High Council of Heaven and Earth for entering hell and, together with Devan, he's doomed to be sent into oblivion by the high council... but Jazz gets one last chance, because he did indeed kill Devan. For some reason, Devan gets to compete as well in an odd, mission-based tournament called 'The Game'... The main plot was that Devan and Jazz were sent on missions to restore balance in the world, by countering terrorist actions, foreseeing global disasters etc. This will probably never be finished.
- Jazz Advance 2: When Epic Strikes Back
This pack has the most chance of being finished at the moment. This takes place in the Jazz Jackrabbit Advance universe. It starts on IceBoxIII where Jazz finds himself buried in an avalanche. He managed to get up and has 'lost his memory'; which is to say, he thinks he's in the JJ2 universe. He takes off his shirt (sexy) and tries to find Spaz and Eva, both which don't exist in the JJA universe anymore. He gets contacted by Margsly of R.A.B.T. and Margsly explains everything. Overall a funny, light pack with things such as CliffyB cameos and lots of in-jokes and community humour. I hope to finish this one day, but it's a lot of story and a lot less action, which makes linking the levels hard.

... so yeah, to answer your question, gems are good and the counter needs to be fixed and even include purple, Super Gems and Gem Rings, if you ask me.