::Alien Sanctuary CTF:: by Rage

aliensanctf.j2l
ETs Planet2 v3.j2t
darkness.mod

This is a solid ctf level, with nice eye candy and an interesting layout. Rage not only placed both bases on one side, one above the other, but also stuck the powerups (bouncer and flamer, I don't count pepper spray) and full health carrot on the opposite end of the level. The structure of the level is good, with a sprinkling of springs in the right places and platforms that flow very nicely. The layout does feel a tad monotonous though, which I believe is due to the very consistent spacing between platforms and size of the platforms themselves. All things considered, however, the monotonousness is not a big problem because it isn't too important to know where you are: if you need to capture a flag you go left and otherwise you stay to the right. Sticking the carrot or one of the powerups in a different location would have made level a good deal more interesting.
The music is good and fits well. I have a "version 2" of the song on my computer so it was fun to hear the original.

-concentrating the bases on one side can work, but make sure players have an incentive to run around the entire level a lot
-give the platforms a bit more variation

::Chromosphere CTF:: by CelL

chromctf.j2l
corrupted sanctuary.j2t
cloud.mod

This is a very good level with lots of secrets. The bases are kittycorner and the powerups are in the opposite corners and middle. The interesting thing about the secrets is that only a few of them change the level flow at all, the rest simply warp you to a nearby place and give you some ammo. I'm curious as to why CelL chose such limited usefulness for most of the secrets, while at the same time the level's single carrot is right next to an rf powerup which in turn warps directly to the seeker powerup box warp. From the seeker box there are four warps which each go in a different direction. This concentrates most of the action around the top left, which I don't think makes the level more fun. I'm also not sure about all the one ways on the left (red) side, which make it much easier to get from red base to blue base than vice versa.
I think I have, however, complained much more than this level deserves, because the structure is otherwise superb and the overall feel is very professional. CelL uses some nice tricks to spice up Disguise's tileset and the level glimmers with polish, with nice ambient lighting and no bugs that I could find. The level's intricacies add a lot to the replay value as well.

-for dueling especially, the concentration of the rfs powerup, carrot, and seeker powerup in such an accessible area makes the level balance feel a bit top-heavy
-one-way events are nice for flow but in this case they felt a bit restrictive
-excellent level regardless

::Snowland Showdown:: by Disguise

dis66.j2l
WinterlandW.j2t
freeze

Disguise's own Winterland tileset was without question the most popular tileset of the competition, used by 3 entries. Wisey's level naturally takes full advantage of the eye candy in the set, and keeps the large solid platforms interesting by breaking them into smaller pieces. The layout is quite interesting due to the one way nature of many passages. Although the level layout is easy to learn, it takes time to learn which routes will get you to where you want to go. While this makes the level fun, it is also a major drawback because it throws off the level balance: the blue team is faced with several disadvantages. Blue base is much easier to get to from red than vice versa. In 1v1 duels this is a significant problem, because if the red player is able keep to the left side of the map, the blue player has to be flawlessly fast to return the flag to their base in time. On the other hand, the blue team respawns essentially as far away from red base as possible, so if they are killed they have little to no chance of getting the flag before red scores. This issue could possibly be fixed by adding some more advantageous blue start points and/or a shorter blue to red route. The seeker powerup is also placed much closer to red base, which exacerbates (worsens) the problem.
The carrots are placed well and except for a few spaz-biased jumps the structure is quite fun and easy to navigate. In games with more than 2 players, where it is less critical that bases be equally accessable, this level holds its own against many of the better levels out there.

-playtest with two players a bit more!!


::Frozen Land:: by Enigma

EnFrozen.j2l
WinterlandW.j2t
Sor-DDawn.it

Enigma's level also uses Disguise's Winterland tileset, though calling the levels similar wouldn't do either of them justice. For starters, Enigma doesn't one-way any of the snowy tree limbs. This can be rather frustrating if you are used to being able to jump up through them but otherwise there's nothing inherently wrong with not enabling this. The level structure is slightly on the enclosed side, with a large number of small passages that do a good job of creating choke points without making navigation too annoying. The level feels pretty well balanced with three useful powerups and one central full health carrot, thought the carrot is a bit too easily defended. The eye candy is not too interesting but does the job, although a discerning player will notice that many of the solid blocks do not quite match up.
However, while there are lots of good things about the level, it doesn't stack up very well against some of the other levels in the competition. It was hard to put a finger on, but I think the problem is not enough concern for the player. In other words, navigation quickly from one place to another is just kind of frustrating. Some of this is due a fairly widespread use of hooks, which are both hard to get on and hard to get off. A key spring is also recessed below the ground in a hole one tile wide, causing a second or so of needless pause when using it. These design decisions coupled with the already restrictive tunnelish nature give the level an amateurish feel that it just can't shake off.

-give the player some more space and make sure that routes feel like routes and not obstacle courses
-conforming to usual one-way block usage wouldn't hurt

::This Level Is Untitled:: by EvilMike

EvilMike212.j2l
WinterLandW.j2t
mywonder.mod

Strange how all the Winterland levels end up grouped together alphabetically. Enigma could definitely take a lesson from EM's level regarding ease of navigation. "This Level Is Untitled" is quite streamlined, with springs leading to exactly the right place and smooth transitions from platform to platform. The layout is nicely put together and the map is fairly easy to learn. The three powerups, 1 full health carrot, and one one health carrot are balanced around the level. EvilMike obviously believes in supplying players with plenty of ammo, as it comes in large clumps and unless you're camping heavily you'll never run out. As petty as this sounds, the simplification of ammo gathering does nothing for the eye candy, which is otherwise quite nice if you ignore some imperfectly aligned inner solid blocks. (hardly noticeable)
TLIU's most prominent trait is probably its extremely streamlined structure: you never need to slow down, whether you are gathering ammo, going to a base, or hunting another player. Mike also takes some liberties with player movement, adding float ups which, at places like 83,10, can seem a bit like overkill. The two major choke points of the level are the passage up to the full health carrot and the blue base, which is much harder to get away from than the red base, considering the reliability of copters and distance to the blue spring to the right of the blue base.

::Industrial Disaster:: by BlurredD

itest.j2l
labrat3.j2t
RESP-Z.xm

BlurredD's Industrial Disaster is easily the best looking level of the pack, with lots of cool tileset tricks and a very unique feel. The layout is as streamlined as EvilMike's, though part of this can be attributed to the overall simplicity of the level's structure. BlurredD's passages are wide, with spacious level-long passages running along the top and bottom. Balance is pretty straightforward, with seeker and rf powerups in either corner, a full health carrot in a carrot box in the middle, and ammo scattered in large groups throughout. The rf's end up being quite useful due to their speed, ability to richochet, and affinity for three hit kills. The warps to the carrot are perhaps too exposed, since a player has to essentially stop before entering. It bears repeating that this level looks great, in a way that doesn't distract from the gameplay at all.
While initially enticing, the level just ended up being a bit too simple to keep my interest. A bit more variety in the layout have made the gameplay as memorable as the visual style.

-take these comments with a grain of salt because this level rocks

(continued in next post)