Current:
Jazz2--003.png

Proposed:
Jazz2--002.png

In 1999, when 1.24 came out, the TSF episode was a big deal! Nine huge new levels! Wow!

Nowadays, popular sentiment seems to be that the TSF episode just doesn't have the best official levels. Too much repetition, in particular. If you're a new player, you don't know that TSF is special, you just see that it's the top episode so you play it first, even though it's not as good and it has nothing to do with the story. TSF isn't an expansion pack anymore, it's just the default way that people encounter the game for the first time.

So what if we moved TSF down to where the other one-off official episodes are, Shareware Demo and HH98/CC99? Based on its position value inside secretf.j2e, instead of special code in Jazz2.exe that puts it at the top of the list and ignores its real position. Still playable (though beating it would return you to the main menu), but easier to skip over, and new players will start with Formerly a Prince as it does seem like they should.

This is not the most originalist argument--HH98, TSF, and CC99 all put their titular episodes at the top of the list--I'm just tired of this particular one.

Sounds intuitive to me. Approved from my behalf!

It should definitely be down there.

But you run JJ2: TSF. Don't you expect to see TSF on top? Best option would be an edit mode where you can press up and down keys to move a whole episode and enter to select / release.

Originally Posted by ShakerNL

But you run JJ2: TSF. Don't you expect to see TSF on top?

In 1999, yes. In 2026 you have a lot less of a choice--certainly not an informed choice--whether to run TSF or not. If you buy "Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Collection" from GOG, for instance, are you really knowledgeably agreeing to run TSF specifically? If you're seeking out the latest version, which is 1.24--or if whoever provided the download to you decided to give you the latest version--is any of that really a conscious choice to seek out the TSF episode?

Makes sense because of the version number. In that case I'd put TSF below Funky Monkeys and place Home Cooked Levels to bottom.

Sounds good!

About Home cooked levels: I would have also like the home cooked levels at the bottom judging by it's completely different option, but that's only true looking at this episode in isolation. EP1-4 are linked while TSF and Shareware are standalone. I prefer home cooked levels where it is because it is as a visual break between the main campaign and the standalone episodes, moving home cooked all the way down insinuates that Funky Monkeys leads into Shareware and TSF. Also, by keeping HCH there it links the game versions together.