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Originally Posted by Slaz
Indeed, not really. Long ago there was XJJ2 which allowed server hosting/joining from a simple to use UI, including buggy co-op and race. Then Overlord released Project Controller which gave some desirable hosting setup features. But nothing that came even near what Plus allows us to do now.
About JJ2 being a financial failure, I somehow recall reading that it was a profitable game for both developers (Epic and Orange Games) yet a failure to both publishers (Project2 and GODGames). That's an entirely different thing, especially at that time on the market. Many small publishers that believed they could afford the 'risk' of publishing retail products from post-order software either became nonexistant (like Project2) or merged in with a larger company (like GODGames). Even now, nearly all game publishers are part of a large business structure rather than a squeezy little office space.
I do agree on the amount of bugs and the undeniably fast pace in which the developers moved on from the game. However, it's not uncommon for a playerbase of loyal fans to find as many workarounds and fixes as they can in order to make their favorite game survive. It's not unique to JJ2!
And I'd say the 'multiplayer unbalance' is somewhat judgmental, especially on weapons as it's easy to say Seekers and RF's are overpowered, yet it's usability depends on the map design and availability. And the mutliplayer gameplay that survived up to today mostly relies on user made content. The only official maps that kept people interested throughout the years are Battle1 (somewhat) and Capture3 (JJnet editied nowadays). Basically, any multiplayer game has spouted complaints about unbalance in some way or the other, it's all about the player's perspective here.
Many players that bought and loved the game in the past have indeed moved on. A few may seek their past interest on the internet and come across this website and Plus, but most just moved on and may never think about JJ2 ever again. For me, although I'm not an active online player, JJ2 still remains unsurpassed in quality by any other game in the genre. No other platform/action game I ever played has so much diversity and customization. I always tend to get reminded of the game and feel the urge to play it again.  |
I don't think RF is overpowered, it can push you into the wrong places if you aren't careful using it. Though its power does depend on the layout. Seekers, on the other hand, are usually always strong, reguardless of layout. They can poke players out, be used defensively if you're being chased, easy to aim, and is generally hard to avoid. It's too good at most things. Several players flocking to the seeker powerup says something about it. Because they home in, they are very versatile. I could say the same about Spaz to an extent. If double jump allows you for more advantages, and making a map results in unintended ones, that says something more than "just the map design". I mean, why would 95% of the playerbase be using him then?
Some weapons are underpowered because the powerups were bugged, and being generally mediocre (electro, pepper), though it now remains as part of the game. I actually enjoy using electro to hit players, though I think it's a little bit weak.
Imbalance doesn't ruin a game, but I find it does make it less fun. My eldest brother partly left JJ2 because of it. It's likely true that the majority of players don't care about it, since they're so used to it being that way.
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Originally Posted by DoubleGJ
Supposedly GOD Games spent quite a sizeable sum on promoting the game and were very pissed when they lost most of it on the sales. No surprise though, as the campaign was so shitty you could think it was a student project.
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I'm curious what the campaign was.
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