Thread: JCS Awards 2017
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Jan 12, 2018, 07:11 AM
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Best Battles:
1: Outgrown - A very good layout with a pleasant, lounge-ish feel and a number of quirks that enhances the level ludonarratively. Probably the most enjoyable level to come out last year, and as such, it gets my vote for the top battle. Also maybe if it wins, FS will finally decide to stop reuploading it with invisible "fixes" all the time.
0.5: Hyperviolence! - A Battle level so solid, it could probably serve as the international prototype over at Sèvres. Whereas FS went for a level to chill out in, PJ gives us a bloody red murderbox with no place to rest (both figuratively and literally). It's a respectable design choice but compared to Outgrown, it sort of lacks flair.
0.25: Riddlehamhope Hill - Not as solid of a layout as the previous two, but still fun and well built. This is probably my favorite from Loon's pack (and also one of the few levels in it actually made in 2017), but then again, I'll always have a soft spot for ruined medieval castles in JJ2. Also a rare occurence of Loon not going full ham with eyecandy.
Honorable Mention: Seasons of Diamondus - PJ takes an idea I've been too lazy to develop myself and he does it gracefully, with a small layout that draws people towards the main attraction, the seasonally affected pool of water. It's a nice level though it shows that it was made in a beeline before the GOG release, as much more cool designs could have been done with the shifting seasons idea.

Best CTFs:
1: One Froggy Evening - There was no way I would be voting for anything else than my absolute #1 level of 2017. Every time I feel sad about AngelScript coming to JJ2+ several years too late, I play this level and instantly feel better about the community, life and everything else.
0.5: Skyward Showdown - Many years and many iterations later, PJ's massive Odyssey level was released to the world, and almost instantly became the biggest crowd pleaser of Anniversary Bash 19. I really hope this marks the end of the UT2004 soundtrack in JJ2, though.
0.25: Re-Purposed Offshore Platform - FireSworD's CTF levels this decade have me go either "Uh, what" or "Nice, a return to form". Fortunately, this level is the latter, with probably the most "regular" layout FS has ever done yet. Very playable and also atmospheric.
Honorable Mention: Hyperspace - This level is more of the "Uh, what" category but I have to respect the mere idea of even attempting to do a level like this, even though the execution isn't my cup of tea at all.

Best Single Player:
I'm not sure if splitting up one episodic release but leaving the other ones intact was fair for anybody involved, but I don't suppose that matters too much. My full vote goes to Snowball Valley on account of being simply the best SP level of last year, and my half- and quarter- votes go to Down the Rabbithole and Flashback REBORN respectively, on account of being the only other episodes nominated. A honorable mention would go to Jingle all the way for being my other favorite level in HH17 (not counting my own... sorry to be so vain).

Best Script:
1: One Froggy Evening - Nearly 5 years after AngelScript was released onto the JJ2 community, the existing scripts can be mostly divided into two categories: ones that simply add to an already "made" level, and ones that actively define the entire experience. This is probably the finest example of the latter, with the level, though neatly designed, being more of a vehicle for Violet's vision, delivered by the script.
0.5: Seasons of Diamondus - Same as the above, though on an obviously much smaller scale.
0.25: Snowball Valley - Not as vitally necessary to its level counterpart as the above nominee (the winterized enemies are nice, but aren't the focus of the level; the floating platforms could have as well been swinging platforms; and the blizzard looks great, but is ultimately only eyecandy), but it still enhances an already very good level. The boss is also a good and creative piece of work.
Honorable mention: Icicle Grotto - Considering the amount of sleep that PJ lost over this, it simply deserves a nod.

Best Mutator:
Best Custom Weapon:

Not voting for any weapons here, sorry. It would be rather unfair, considering how I still haven't judged the Top Gun contest (which I promise to do in the foreseeable future, really). My half- and quarter- votes go to Level Guide and h? respectively.

Best JCSer:
AngelScript has become an inseparable part of JJ2 level design. This fact is reflected in the majority of the nominations this year (and also the past few years) and their use of AS to enhance, or reinvent the JJ2 experience. Many nominees owe their nominee status to their scripts - and as a matter of fact, they owe it to one particular script writer, Sir Ementaler, who is credited in nearly every major upload since 2013. I know for a fact that The Price of Admission wouldn't be as good as it is without his help on the script. Even though his JCS output this year wasn't as prolific as the others, he was behind multiple levels this year becoming top tier levels, and as such, he deserves the best designer award.

Last edited by cooba; Jan 15, 2018 at 05:06 AM. Reason: Post-reveal typo fixes