Carrotopolis

Welcome to the Carrotopolis thread, the central hub for information on anything related to my project! This thread will contain everything you need to know in order to enjoy it as much as possible. There's only one rule: do not ask for release dates! It will be done soon, but there's nothing that bothers me more than making promises which may not be kept.

Facts

• The tileset is almost completely custom-made (as in, most of the graphics aren't borrowed from other jj2 tilesets). Moreover, there are some recolours which I personally made, but I've no problem if you decide to use them in your tileset after the level is released.
• While eyecandy is abundant in my level, gameplay is what I'm focusing on; you will be able to take part in a very wide range of activities and there may even be certain events on some days!
• The level is TSF and JJ2+ only due to the limitations in tileset size 1.23 has and allocated memory vanilla JJ2 offers.
• Everything you see in the following screenshots represents work-in-progress concepts; nothing is final. However, that shouldn't stop you from posting suggestions for improvement. Who knows, you might think of something I haven't thought of.
• The current estimative release date (do not ask for me to be more precise) is late october (possibly on the Halloween! Look forward to a special edition of the tileset and level).

Features

• Everyone gets their own room at the hotel through a complicated trigger system. The number on the F9 player list corresponds to the room number the player has. Of course, due to the limitations in trigger ID's, rooms will be shared. Thus, player 2 and 3 stay in the same room, etc.
• There will be an achievement system. If you do certain things, for example, trophies will appear inside the room (which only you can view, not your roommate). The first 10 people who send me a photo with all the trophies will receive their own manor somewhere in the level (you choose where).
• Beyond the city there are many locations you can visit. Head to the eastern gate and follow the path to find a volcano, a jungle, or even a beach. I've also prepared an ocean with a few islands you can open by doing museum missions.
• NO UTILITY NEEDED! No more pesky downloads for you. As a client, when you join the server, you don't need to have anything else open! Only the server needs to run a console program which does not need to be controlled in any way!
• Almost every building will host an activity/minigame, so you always have something to do!
• A dedicated 24/7 server will be hosted which grants unlimited access to the level! Join the server in the morning and be greeted with the sight of the rising sun over the skyscrapers! That's right, there's a time system with 4 different levels corresponding to the different times of day. Moreover, there's also weather! Sometimes it can rain, be cloud, or the sky can be crystal clear! An astounding variety of atmospheres at your disposal.
• The Weather Forecast TV channel (in which you are able to participate) influences the weather of the next time of day. For example, it's morning and sunny. One player may go to work at the Weather Forecast channel, and he is able to choose what weather will appear during the next level (daytime). That may only be done once per time of day (you can only choose once per morning, etc.)
• Non-Player Characters (or NPC's)! That's right, scattered everywhere around Carrotopolis are rabbits who will say things.. which go right into the chat bar!
• A private messaging system! (or rather, phoning system). While at first you may only private message people from telephone boxes spread around the city (you both need to be in telephone boxes, not necessarily the same one), you have the opportunity to buy a mobile phone for unlimited private messaging privileges!
• Much more to come, including more videos of information!

Screenshots


On foot in Carrotopolis.

Watch the cars zoom by when you're taking a leisurely stroll through the concrete jungle! There are also people who walk (or rather run, due to the layer speed limitation), so it's always fun to watch! Also showcased is the Help Center, where some NPC's discuss things of uttermost interest to the player!



Motel & Main Street

A rustic terrace is the perfect way to take your breath while watching the city move!



The classy Restaurant

Renovations have undergone since my last screenshot, and I hope it's for the better! The Restaurant looks as good as it gets, much to your enjoyment! Bon Appetit!



Healing minigame

Go inside your patient's body to heal him by passing a few tests (still varied in difficulty and method). It never gets boring with nice eyecandy! (vastly improved from last screenshot).



Billboard Plaza

Shown in this screenshot are: one of the billboards (the 'Download JJ2+' one), one of the Telephone boxes, and miscellaneous decorations.



The City Hall

Here you can view the mayor's office (because every city needs a mayor!), along with a portrait of the Queen Of Board (because references rock)!



Supermarket

Everyone can come and shop in Carrotopolis' only supermarket (only one in such a big city? Wow.), but not everyone can take part in the Shopper's Challenge! Not gonna tell you now what it's about, but expect details and screenshots soon! Also pictured is one of the subway stations (unfinished design, of course)



The TV station

Being the capital of the world, Carrotopolis has its own TV station! You can take part in a Game Show, be a cook in the Cooking Show, or change the weather with the Weather Forecast program! Possibilities galore.



The other side of the road!

In this photo you can see how the masks work, giving an impressive illusion of 2.5Dness. An abandoned house is also shown, where eventually a police mission will take place.



The Arcade

While probably belonging in a mall *hinthint*, the Arcade is the perfect play to engage in intense *cough* games of Super Jazz Bros, or Pac-Jazz. Exclusively in Carrotopolis!



Serious Café

As serious as it may sound, this location offers you a more relaxing alternative to the Arcade, allowing you to engage in a *serious* conversation with a NPC (no, really!). Of course, you may also just enjoy a cup of fresh coffee.



The Park

The most natural way to spend time in the big city is the park. Here you can take a stroll around the lake or simply lounge on a bench while staring at people (why would you want to do that, anyway?



The Zoo

Not only for decorative purposes, The Zoo offers, along with a not-so-wide range of animals, the possibility to work as an animal caretaker. How will you do that? It's still a secret..



The Casino

While you may not be able to play poker or spin the roulette, you can always play the more family-friendly alternatives: bowling, pinball, and a few others!



Lookout Points

You can view a panorama of a village here (you may even be able to visit it!). Depending on the time of day, the sky background changes. There are more buildings off-screen.



I hope you're looking forward to the level by now, and even if you're not, I would be grateful if you would bother to pay a visit to my city once in a while. Who knows, there might be something for you in such a big level!

I still want people to give advice and suggestions for new features, so shoot them without worrying about anything! They're always appreciated, and even if I don't reply (which is unlikely), I'll always consider them.

Enjoy, and stay tuned!

And here I was hoping for something JJA-related. If you can pull the masking off not to feel too constricted, this looks really good, and the graphics don't look all that mutilated by being thrown into a single palette. Have you checked in Disguise and mirror about using the Hotel Heroes stuff? Also, depending on how long the intro plane cutscene is, I would suggest allowing players to skip it.

Well, the Hotel Heroes stuff was into the tileset by default (Fihufil Tileset) so it's not really my problem. All I did was add the many tiles you see that are not found in any tileset. If I should, however, ask them, I will but it will be hard to get through to them.

I saw it too

Looks pretty cool. The perspective is a bit off in some of the screenshots (compare the side of the buildings to the roads) but overall it looks rather convincing. I hope you manage to get the masking right, I can imagine it's difficult to make a perspective like this work in 2D. I like how you took the basic idea of an hotel and expanded upon that (even though it's been done before).

On a side note, why do people still use Lark's JJ2 font? Ripping the large font with JSD would look much better

I also saw this,and I'd say it RULES. Have you built-in my idea though?

Originally Posted by Stijn

Looks pretty cool. The perspective is a bit off in some of the screenshots (compare the side of the buildings to the roads) but overall it looks rather convincing. I hope you manage to get the masking right, I can imagine it's difficult to make a perspective like this work in 2D. I like how you took the basic idea of an hotel and expanded upon that (even though it's been done before).

On a side note, why do people still use Lark's JJ2 font? Ripping the large font with JSD would look much better

Well, concerning the perspective issue, that's all I could do; if I skewed the tile more it would have been ugly and untileable, and if I skewed the road and sidewalk less it would have again been ugly. Sadly, I'm not that experienced in graphics. Sorry .

As I said, all graphics are subject to change. Now that you mention it, I will rip the font from the game so look forward to that in an update. Thanks for posting!

Originally Posted by Ron97

I also saw this,and I'd say it RULES. Have you built-in my idea though?

I am still thinking it over, but it will be in the final product for sure (as one of the cooler features!).

Update
I won't post screenshots this time, but I will reveal the fact that there will be firefighter and police missions, which involve searching for victims inside houses and solving cases. I will work on them this week, so hopefully next weekend I'll have screenshots up!

Regarding inconsistent perspective and tiling: I can only assume the next hotel level to come along will look like Fourside.

I also have had a go on it. This levels looks and eye candy are simply amazing. And no its not a lovely sugar coated sweet with crap inside. He has many ideas and fun game play elements as well. I was having fun and it was no where near complete when I played it. Trust me when I say you will love it.

I believe this will be the best upload to J2O ever.

It broke my heart seeing Fooville go by the wayside, because at the time it was the best hotel around. However, if executed properly, this looks like it may be even better. Good work!

This looks fantastic, I really can't wait to try it.
Speeza's impressions are heartening

What might this be?



Hint: It hosts a gameplay element.

This is looking pretty cool. What are the dimensions of this level?

Right now, the level is 500x567, though that number might become smaller/bigger as the release day approaches.

Update
I have a little question to ask you. I have 2 different versions of the same tiles, but I don't know which looks better. Help me choose!

Version 1:



Version 2:



By the way: The tiles in question are the backgrounds of the six rooms.

These rooms will host the police missions, each representing a different rank!

The second one is better.

I agree. The first ones are too bright.

Unless the setting of those rooms is the funkiest hotel ever, I'd tone down the tile colors a bit (even more than in the second version), so the stuff in front actually stands out against it.

Yeah, the colours stand out way too much in the first.

I'm still thinking abut a 24h/d hotel / test server, so say a word, when your level is reaedy to be palyed online and have some missions in (or whatever you want to include in it )

the pictures of the levels are looking really good...

Sfaizst

Originally Posted by ThunderBirD

The tileset is very big and the level, around half finished, is already 40 KB. That means no events and half of the map finished.

Pardon me if this seems like a bad question, I just need to check my reading =P

By "that means no events" do you mean that it will not have events, you havent added them yet, or it will feature some program more along the lines of karrot shire

Pardon again if it seems stupid XD

What I meant was that I didn't add the events yet. I will add them after I've finished building the map, as then I would have a proper outline of the number of warps and triggers.

Sorry for double posting, but I have an...

Update
Here's a sneak peek of Comedy Serious Café, one of the places where you just hang out, relaxing after a hard day!

Note: Heavily unfinished.

I do like the color edits gold. I think the blue actually suits the table and chairs more than the original green did.

The room looks relaxing, not still too sure on the wallpaper of the room. Looks awesome anyway, keep up the fantastic work !

Ok, first of all, I want a billboard, advertising "Want to be in a clan? Join Hell Clan! On JJ.net" XD

Second, if it is possible to put in various ctf bases and still work properly, include a bunch of small maps for dueling/2v2ing in.

I want an advertisement too: "Tired of cold,boring Earth? Come over to planet Chous for your holiday!"

Carrotopolis - Now selling advertisement space.

A fooruman ad and uncle ben ad would be awesome to see goldrabbit

Thank you all for the great comments, and yes, I will use all ideas for billboards EXCEPT for clan-related things. I don't want any clans to appear in any billboards in my city. (not because I am clanless, but because I want this to be a level anyone can relate to, anytime, and seeing as most clans die in their first two weeks these times, it would be hard keeping track).

Anyway, I have heavily recolored the cafe wallpaper, so it is much easier on the eyes now. I won't post a new photo, seeing as the level will be released in the near future.

The reason of this post:
Sadly, I don't think I can finish this in the time I posted (first week of November).
My personal life is really busy right now, as this is a real important year in my life with plenty of exams. Moreover, today I have went through a really bad time, and I'm not really in the mood for JCS'ing much.

I will continue to work on the level as much as I can, but don't be disappointed if I don't finish it when I said I would. Sorry guys .

Its ok goldrabbit. We rather see a fine product than a rushed one. Real life is way more important anyway. Good luck with everything.

In that case, advertise ME!!! (As in, just a whole billboard saying "SEAN") XD

How about a big J2O billboard? You could have the Jazz2Online logo and the web address underneath.

And advertise a upcoming SP pack called 'Awakening'.

Originally Posted by Sean

In that case, advertise ME!!! (As in, just a whole billboard saying "SEAN") XD

Advertising yourself ?! Isn't that called pr..... Nevermind

Originally Posted by SPAZ18

How about a big J2O billboard? You could have the Jazz2Online logo and the web address underneath.

It will be better if you put JJ.net there, too.

Sorry for the late update, but as you know, my life is pretty messed up right now. Anyway, here's something I have worked on as much as I could.

The Park!
One of the few outdoor spaces, the park is the one place where you can hang out at will, enjoying the beautiful vegetation and strolling between the numerous other people.

Not going to lie, this looks pretty cool. I usually don't concern myself with anything other then singleplayer, but I"m looking forward to seeing this completed.

Bots. Kinda like Plato. Add one in to this. Or create a spambot. Either way, if you put a "bot" inside the serious cafe that greets people, like a bartender or such, that would be great.

Especially if it was done threw PMs (which can be done with JJM). But either way, to have a "serious" conversation with a "bot" in the cafe would be really neat.

Originally Posted by ThunderBirD

Sorry for the late update, but as you know, my life is pretty messed up right now. Anyway, here's something I have worked on as much as I could.

The Park!
One of the few outdoor spaces, the park is the one place where you can hang out at will, enjoying the beautiful vegetation and strolling between the numerous other people.

That's looking stunning. Love the rpg maker xp eyecandy too. Fits in well

God, I want this level. I want it BAAAAD.