Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Introduction

This level, City of the Sn00zE, has already been uploaded but that was in Codename: Alliance, a pack of 17 levels. Due to popular request Purplejazz uploaded it as a separate level, so the level could possibly get more attention. This level deserves a good review, as I’ve played it several times now and now that it’s uploaded as a separate level I finally get the chance to do it. So beware.

Layout

The level is semi-symmetrical, and has a few big platforms and lots of small platforms (roofs) and one ways. It also has several warps and secret passages. I think that the layout is pretty easy to learn, even when it’s not entirely symmetrical. The underground (aka the |U|||||||n|||||||D|||||||e|||||||R|||||||g|||||||R|||||||o|||||||U|||||||n|||||||D) is a bit darker than the upper area of the level. One of the bases is placed at the l33test position ever (13,37) I feel special because I was the first one who found out that it was placed at that position (except PJ himself who placed it there intentionally)

Gameplay

Like I said, there are lots of one ways and warps and there are also some vines. The flow is alright. You have to jump a lot but that’s probably the tileset’s fault (because it’s a pain to use) The balance seems okay. No red or blue bias like in some popular levels. And yay for all those textstrings that are hard to find (one is in the wall so if you find that without looking in JCS you’re cheating. Yes, I looked in JCS because I couldn’t find all of them.)

Eye candy and theme

For the given tileset, the eye candy is really good (GUD AND STRONG) Really, if anyone uses this set without making lots of tilebugs or boring eye candy that person is a winner (Snooze already did it with Persona Lity) Almost all eye candy is in layer 4, except some tiles that were needed to make things tile (now that was a weird sentence.) There’s enough eye candy in the walls too. The background is pretty (and I <3 the fade colour) The theme seems to be some sort of city where the Sn00zE lives (so BEEHAIV OR U GETT VOTB) and the music fits, as it sounds pretty happy.

Placement of stuff

This is a level with 3 Power-Ups (actually 4, but 3 different ones) and 3 carrots. The 2 Bouncy Power-Ups are at the top left and top right. The Toaster Power-Up is in the middle (sort of at the top, but under the platform between the two Bouncy Power-Ups) The Seek Power-Up is in the UnDeRgRoUnD (it looks like it’s closer to the red base though) There are 2 +1 carrots. One near each base. The Full NRG is in the middle, although it seems a bit closer to the blue base. I guess that still makes it balanced.. however, the only Gun9 ammo seems closer to the red base too. Not that it matters much though. The other ammo placement seems alright. There are no fast fires in this level, which seems good.

Further comments

This level, called City of the Sn00zE, has potential to become popular. And I think it already is, because people often suggest to play it. If you didn’t get Alliance yet (although I doubt it with more than 20000 downloads) then download this. Even when you already downloaded it I recommend to download this as it will make ur head asploed. I also recommend to host this. It’s good for team games, but even duels work well although it might take long. I give this a 9.7! No, just kidding. I give this an 8.4 and like I said, I also give this a download recommendation.

Introduction

After making lots of Multiplayer packs like the New Ages series (and some levels for Codename: Alliance) Snooze has created a Single Player pack/episode. But the main question is: is Snooze good at making Single Player levels or should he focus on Multiplayer more? Keep reading for the answer.

The pack starts with some introduction levels. There’s not much to say about that, except that it shows what you can expect from this pack and it’s part of the story.

Then comes ‘Street’ a Townhouse 2 Night level. It’s relatively short, but it’s still pretty fun. Be sure you don’t fall in the pits (as I fell in them right before the end of the level) the level has some nice secrets and overall the level wasn’t too hard. It’s just that I’m pretty bad at Single Player (but I played this on Medium)

I quote: ‘After the normal city, your dream changes into something futuristic..’ that’s Dream Drift (part 1 of the 3 that are in this pack) It’s another pretty short level (if you know where to go) It could take long as it took a while to find out that you have to freeze a spring near the end. The part with the springs is probably the hardest, but still pretty easy. This level has more enemies than the previous one. I especially like the area at the top (which is the end of the level) Another quote: This view is beautiful.. wow.” It’s exactly what I thought when playing it.

After Dream Drift, there’s a big and long level called Dream Drift II. You have to find 10 coins, and some of them can be really hard to find. On my first try (in a previous version of the level) it took me about 20 minutes to get all the coins.. then I died at the boss battle at the end so I had to get the coins again. On my second try I had 8 coins and couldn’t find one of the other 2 (I had to get that one before the last one) This level doesn’t have too many obstacles except spikes and a few enemies, but it’s still challenging. It’s easy to get lost, but the level is not as evil as QoB.

The Voice is Calling is a level that introduces the enemy (more about that later)

After that it’s time for a level called ‘Beach’ which shows some interesting tileset usage. It’s not too hard, and although it looks big it’s not too long. It’s good that the level has different areas and those areas all have different things (and secrets)

Then comes ‘Inside the Ghost Ship’ another Beach level and it’s, one one word, awesome. The theme is something I haven’t been before with this set. The collapse scenery at the start and the disappearing pole are good examples. And the choice of enemies too. This level also has some good ideas, like the trigger crate near the gun crate that you have to hit by shooting a turtle shell. This level has many enemies, and I lost 3 lives in it. But this is undoubtedly my favourite level of the pack.

Dream Citadel is the next level, and it’s another nice-looking level. The level itself is not too difficult, but you have to find a way through the destruct scenery (which is pretty easy anyway) A textstring in the level says: “Warning: unless you have 5 coins, dont go past this area” then you have to go up and find a warp to a trigger crate which opens the triggers at the end of the level.

The Demon’s Castle has an impressive intro with some cool light effects and a short dialogue between the main character and the enemy (not going to spoil what it is) This level also has some cool tileset usage (like the corkscrews that almost no-one uses) The level is a bit shorter than it looks, but it’s still fun. It’s not too hard either (in my opinion) One of the better levels from the pack.

Then comes The Demon’s Castle? A level that’s not too long but if you want to find every secret in the level it would take a long time. This has some more impressive tileset usage, like the tubes and translucent blocks in layer 5 and the crystal window. This level is not too hard if you have maximum fast fire, but it’s still really fun. The level ends with a boss battle, which shouldn’t be too hard either. Well, if you thought that was it, think again..

Dream Drift III is possibly the most evil level of the pack. When you start you will immediately see some enemies that will most likely hit you. And then you’ll get to a puzzle with lots of spikes and trigger crates. Then comes the evil part: ‘Use your guns wisely..’ you probably won’t have too many gun9 ammo by now as there’s only 6 ammo at the start of this level (maybe from the previous levels) but use it to hit a save point. Then you’re supposed to die (so if you have 0 lives that kind of sucks) Then you get to a warp which leads you to a short maze with destruct scenery and hurt events. That’s not too hard though. Then comes a part with different routes. I’m not going to tell what’s there in every route. But the main route leads to some hurt events and a carrot crate with some bees. Then comes a small maze with some spike bolls and hurt events, and you have to get up without being hit. The last part of the level requires you to find 3 coins. They’re not as hard to find as in Dream Drift II. After you’ve found 3 coins, you’ll go back to the area where you had to shoot the save point. Then, after that, you have to search for a warp that leads you to the end of the level.

The ending level describes that the battle is not over yet. But what will happen next? Find It Out.

So overall, this pack gets a really high rating because I was impressed (and I don’t play a lot of Single Player!) Snooze shows that he can’t only make Multiplayer levels. I give this a 9 and a download recommendation.

This tileset is pretty good. It has a good theme, and some eye candy possibilities. I think that we will see some more levels using this tileset in the future. The different palettes are nice too.. my favourite one is Silence. And the music used in the example level(s) is awesome too. So this tileset is a must have if you’re looking for new sets.

I don’t really feel like writing a long review, but this won’t be a quick review either.

These levels have some interesting concepts that haven’t been tried before.

Atom Heart 243.5 has already become popular for a lot of people, and it’s one of my favourite levels to play in. It has good eye candy and a strategical layout. Despite its size the 2 Full NRGs it has are placed with thought.

The Sun Fired Blanks is a really big level that I really like as well, but it’s not that good as Atom Heart
243.5. It also has some nice EC ideas.

Center of the Universe (this time with the right capitalization) is not just another random Diamondus Beta level, it might be a bit cramped but it’s fun to play in.

Dim0rphic has a really strange layout that’s hard to learn, I think the level is kinda underrated. It’s really big as well, and has a sense of humour. ;D

Earth is one of my favourite levels of the pack, it uses the Space Warbase tileset in a really creative way and the layout is interesting too. I remember playing here once and I had a lot of fun.

The Fights of March is a really small level that almost feels like a bonus. I think I’ve seen this level some years ago..

Greater Legacy is a really big level. It has great eye candy, the best I’ve seen with Chateau(that’s no wonder though) It’s really hard to learn, but I think that’s not a big flaw.

Central Shaft makes great use of the Pekka Kana 2 tileset, a tileset that hasn’t been used a lot before. The layout is pretty open and not too simple.

The Frozen Throne is one of the smaller levels of the pack. It’s the best use of Glacier I’ve seen, and it has some nice ideas. I remember playing a Team Battle game here and that was pretty fun.

The other versions of these levels are a nice bonus. Overall, this is a great Multiplayer pack. The pack was probably supposed to be bigger, but SJ has made some great levels. These levels are great to host sometime, and because some are pretty big they can be used for things like events too.

Introduction

For some people this pack might be unexpected, but most people(including myself) knew that this pack was coming. After NAII, a pack that a lot of people liked but some people didn’t really like, it’s time for NAIII. And Snooze beats me again.. with 9 levels in a pack and he uploads his pack before I do it :(

Anyway, let’s start.

Gameplay

The layouts of the Battle levels are all relatively simple and solid. Unlike NAII, which had levels with more complex layouts. These levels have better layouts in my opinion. It’s really easy to run around and you don’t bump against things. I would call the levels’ size medium, although Water is a pretty small level. There is nothing wrong with the flow either.

The CTF levels are like the Battle levels: easy to learn, pretty simple, solid and nice layouts. The ways to the base are not extremely simple, but they’re not complicated either. For example, in After Dark the way to the base is not a straight line and it takes some seconds. Otherwise, really nice gameplay in both kinds of levels.

Eye candy

When you play levels from this pack the first thing you’ll notice is that most of the levels have a translucent background. Snooze has paid a lot of attention to the backgrounds in the levels, especially in Echo Isle. According to the author himself it took a day to create it. The eye candy in the levels is pretty original. For example, Northscar Needle not only has a good background, but it also has original eye candy in the walls(in layer 3) Another example is the eye candy in -(no wonder why the level has that kind of name). I really like the pillars there. There is enough eye candy to look at, in every level. microcrack // uses a tileset that has been used a lot before, but still it has some original eye candy. Land of Kaamos uses a tileset that’s really hard to use, but it has been used well. It has some translucent tiles like the sky. Those few things just show the creativity of the EC in the levels.

Placement of stuff

As usual, the ammo placement is good. Although Desolate Chemistry doesn’t seem to have a lot of ammo, it’s spread well. The Power-Ups in that level are placed with thought, even if they’re in dead ends. The other levels’ Power-Ups are placed well too (although Echo Isle has no Power-Ups!)

The Battle levels all have 2 carrots. In most levels the carrots are spread, but Desolate Chemistry has 2 carrots that are pretty close to each other. However, you will need the copter to reach one of them and that might take some seconds.

Most of the CTF levels have more than one carrot, but – has only one (a Full NRG). There are a few levels with one Full NRG and 2 +1 carrots, there is one level with 2 +1 carrots and there is one level with 2 Full NRGs. There is nothing to complain about here, even though I am not a big fan of levels with only one carrot.

Further comments

I really like the fact that microcrack // has sober at the bottom right corner of the level. Kurast Bazaar has the C-C-C-CHAMBER OF THE SNOOZE and there are a few other secrets in the levels. Just Find It Out.

I’m pretty sure that this pack is better than the previous parts of New Ages. I don’t really like giving ratings before something gets uploaded, because then you know what you are going to get. I just want to say that we need more levels like these: they’re awesome!

Introduction
It’s been a while since I reviewed but I promised PurpleJazz to review his pack. This pack was going to have 5 levels at first, but it seems the author didn’t want to make another level.

Gameplay
The levels in this pack are all unsymmetrical. The layouts of the levels are a bit experimental, but there’s nothing really wrong with them. The levels don’t have some random platforms, but they are well planned. I think that Sunken Realm has the best layout, but Altitude Terrace and Evening Shades have good layouts too and some new concepts. Doomed Citadel is not bad either, but it can’t compete with the other three levels. People might call Altitude Terrace confusing at first because it’s not easy to learn. A nice concept used is that in Sunken Realm you start with a Gun8 Power-Up.

Eye candy
In my opinion the level with the best eye candy is Altitude Terrace because it uses all layers and the layers have lots of stuff. The other levels also have good eye candy.. it’s pretty original in some places. Sunken Realm uses Mystic Isle II, which hasn’t been used before the old one got updated. It has a nice background with a translucent layer 6. It didn’t crash me though. There is enough eye candy in the walls and also on places where you can actually go.

Placement of stuff
The ammo placement in the levels is nice, with some quite good shapes. I think some people might think there is not enough ammo, especially at the right side in Evening Shades. That level has a Full NRG on an interesting place, a RF PU that’s not very easy to get, and fly carrots. Sunken Realm has a Full NRG and a +1 carrot and they are close to each other. Nothing really wrong here.

Further comments
Because these levels have some original concepts they might not be very competitive. However, I think Sunken Realm can be a good level to play in. These levels are good to host in so-called ‘Random Levels’ but I think they’re more than that. It’s unfortunate that this pack only has four levels, but they’re really good. A CTF fan should download this, they’re well-known for some people already but I’m sure that there are still enough people that don’t have the levels yet.

MULCH, as strange as the level name is, is a really fun level to play with a few players or with a lot if you want to see some crazy action. The random weapon concept makes it fun, but it can also get frustrating if you get the wrong weapon all the time.

Sometimes you don’t get a PU, that probably happens when people are getting killed over and over. If I’d were to rate this as a serious level I’d give it much lower, but just because the fun you can have in it(I played it till 100 a few times and played it very often in my own server) I’ve also experienced that the server usually wins with even teams.

Of course it’s all about the weapon you get, because Pepper is not useful in the level. If one has Pepper and the other has Seeker you can guess who wins. But that’s just the level.. not much to do about it. With Carrotade on you can’t recapture fast but if you don’t have it on you can recapture faster. That’s why you should play with Carrotade on. This gives people the time to score more, otherwise you would have gotten even crazier games with people killing each other without scoring a lot.

You can sometimes score 2 points if you kill someone because of Carrotade. With 1 player against more it’s unfair, but this doesn’t mean you can’t score points.

This level is not a candidate for the next JJ2WC or some JDC event, but it’s still a very fun level. Like I said, if I wanted to rate the level as a normal CTF level(that means looking at the eye candy and the placement, although there are no carrots and there is also no ammo) I would rate it much lower.

Download recommendation? Well, this didn’t get downloaded a lot yet so I have to say yes.. but only if you want to have fun and you can take some stress.

Host: Well, in my server this is the standard opening level so you can have some fun before you’re going to play other levels. But if people don’t want to host or play this I really understand that because this is a controversial level. I’ll give this level an 8.2 for now.

After Hitch reviewed my level, I felt like reviewing his level as well although I didn’t post in the Review Exchange topic or something. Anyway, this level deserves a review. Behold!

First of all, the level name is pretty interesting. ‘Daring Rebels’ doesn’t say much about the level. Also, this is Hitch’s second Battle level, and the second one with this tileset.

First comes the gameplay. While Hitch said that my level had bad flow, this level’s flow isn’t perfect either. But a level doesn’t need a perfect flow, just a good flow. I can say that the level’s flow is good enough here. The level’s layout is interesting, the author has used One Ways and vines to connect platforms.. which is a style I’m starting to like more. Vines are pretty underused in levels, and that while they’re good to have. The warps in the level are useful, because one of the warps take you to a carrot and the coinwarp leads to another carrot, a Full NRG. More about that later. Also, the spring at 29,74 is not visible because of the layer 3 eye candy.

Talking about the eye candy.. it feels a bit chaotic in places, but overall it looks nice. The idea from The Chasm(not The Chasam) is awesome indeed. The level uses all layers, some more than the others but it gives a nice effect. The background is pretty original as well. Some of the caves look a bit like the ones in Return of the Doomed, particularly on the left side. Around 81,62 you need to put layer 5, those are tilebugs ;(

Overall, really nice eye candy but those bugs need to be fixed.

Then the placement.. like I said, the level has a coin warp. There are 8 silver coins and 1 gold coin, and 4 of those silver coins are really close to the gold coin. The ammo placement.. well.. the level could use other events than just coins, ammo and Power-Ups. The shapes of ammo are good anyway. The level doesn’t have two groups of the same type of ammo close to each other. The Gun9 Power-Up is not very useful here, but it’s a nice add-on to the level. Could use some ammo around it, but not necessary. The level has 2 +1 carrots and one Full NRG that you get in the coin warp. The two +1s are at the bottom of the level, one of them is in a warp at the left side and the other is on the right side. The three Power-Ups are placed well, maybe the Seek PU is too close to the Bouncy PU. The RF PU is around the bottom middle. The Seek PU could have been placed somewhere at the left side as well, or the Bouncy PU.

And then the question: Does this level have a chance in the contest?

This level could go for 3rd place maybe. Cooba’s level and PoL’s level have a great chance to win, I don’t know about the third place. Basically every other serious level(so not Sacrush’s level, sorry Sacrush) have a chance for the 3rd place, but we don’t know yet. It also depends on the judges. It’s hard to say what this level misses. Maybe it’s the layout, maybe it’s the flow, or something else. I also think it’s a bit dark with the dark palette of this tileset, but that palette hasn’t been used before. It’s easy to switch between palettes, but the level has to fit the palette as well. And this level fits the palette. I give this level a 7.7. It’s a nice level overall, and deserves a download recommendation.

Well, a few comments:

First, the flow is not bad in my opinion. Maybe because you bump against the wall for the RF PU, I could have found another place for that though.. I have to agree there. But you can move around well on other places. Also, Hitch, I don’t know if you downloaded the new version of the level with more ammo and less candies.

Anyway, this level might have been a bit too much like a CTF level. After seeing other levels for the contest, particularly The Warden Woods and Foreign Country which are the two levels that have the most chance in my opinion, I learned some stuff about Battle levels and their layouts.

New Ages II

After months of hard work, the second part of New Ages has been released. I have hosted these levels very often in my server(except the last one) and I’m going to give this a fair review.

Friendship

This level uses the Twilight Park tileset, which is an underused tileset because it’s pretty hard to use. The level is pretty big, but it’s not so high. Just very wide. The layout might be a bit weird at first, but after playing this it won’t be as weird. It’s balanced although it’s unsymmetrical. The flow is good, but some sucker tubes are hard to find if you play this for the first time.

Eye candy is just as good as it is. This tileset is hard to use, but Snooze placed the stones in the walls how you should put them. The layers have been used well, and the background is good. Some nice effects have been made, like the water blocks at the left and right sides. Not much to complain about here.

Then the placement. Because this level is big, it has 3 Power-Ups. They’re placed well. There is also some food to fill up the level with events. The groups of ammo are pretty good, and Snooze didn’t place the same ammo at both sides. That’s something not everyone tries, but it works here. The Full NRG is a bit closer to the red base. But the Seek PU is a bit closer to the blue base. It balances the level.

While this is not something very special, this is still a pretty nice level. Therefore I give it an 8.3.

Gloriania

This name doesn’t say much, except that it might have something to do with glory. It’s Snooze’s second level of the pack using Mystic Isle.

Hmm.. yeah. The layout is something completely different. Pretty hard to learn at first. The author has taken some risks with this layout, but he succeeded. It has alot of warps and some tubes. The level is also pretty big, which is not a bad thing. The flow is good enough with those warps and tubes. The bases are placed at the left and right-middle of the level, and the way to the base is pretty long. There is a warp that takes you to the base, pretty handy. There are tubes to the bases with Freeze Enemies, which is pretty fun and makes it harder to capture if you take that tube. There is also a normal way to the base though.

Then the eye candy. The author has made something original with this tileset: The green things in the walls. Layer 5 eye candy has lots of caves, but the special thing is the FISHTANK VOL 2 at the bottom-middle. In Radiation there was also a fishtank, but that was vol. 1. The interesting part of this level’s eye candy is the fishtank, and the green things are pretty nice too. With a limiting tileset, this has good eye candy.

Placement is something different. The level has groups with different types of ammo, it has 2 Power-Ups but it also has 2 Full NRGs and 1 +1 carrot. Some food has been added too, as well as Fast Fires. The groups of ammo are good. I have noticed that placing different ammo at both sides doesn’t matter that much, this level proves that. The Full NRG carrots are placed well, not just on a random place. The +1 carrot is only reachable by a warp, and that warp is placed fairly.

Overall this is something that’s better than Friendship. Bonus points are given for the weird layout, because this level has a weird layout ;P. Therefore, I give this level an 8.5.

Saint Zipcode

We’re up to the third level of the pack, using Jungle 2.0 while it has stars in the background. Thus, it’s a space jungle. This one has interesting things as well.

What makes this one interesting is the base placement. The level was inspired by One Spot, like you can see if you see the bases. That makes this more a duel level. It’s one of the smallest levels of the pack. Although the bases are both more to the left of the level, this is balanced. This level again has warps. The flow is just good and this level is more cramped than Gloriania. There are also some secret passages and tubes somewhere.

Like I said in the beginning, this is a space jungle. Something that noone tried to make so far. This tileset has stars, and the author used them. It’s original and it’s nice to see. There are lots of leaves in layer 5, and layer 4 has some nice stuff (like waterfalls) as well as the foreground which has a few things. Again there is nothing to complain about.

Then comes the placement. The Power-Ups are in walls, and might be hard to find at first. However, you should see them if you know where they are. They’re at the left corners of the level The level has 1 Full NRG carrot and a +1 carrot and they’re a bit close to each other. With the weird base placement that doesn’t matter much. Ammo placement is just good, and there is some food(again)

Overall, this is an original unsymmetrical level with weird base placement and an original background with stars. Therefore, I give this an 8.5.

Will of Fame

A level that changed name several times. First was ‘Trademark’ then ‘Memories’ and now ‘Will of Fame’ It’s another unsymmetrical level in the style of ‘Friendship’ so not very high but pretty wide.

The flow in this level was a bit bad because of some bad masking, but now those bugs are fixed and the flow is much better. The level is pretty cramped but the layout is still pretty good. It doesn’t have many platforms. The base placement is good, although the way to the base is a straight line. But that doesn’t matter much. Some Float Ups have been used too. This time the level has no warps and only one tube with two ways.

This is one of those underused tilesets. But after I saw this level I wanted to use this too. The level has some original eye candy. While layer 5 is pretty standard which mostly has some black tiles, the foreground has some original stuff. Layer 6 is nice, and layer 7 has translucent stars which makes a nice effect with layer 8. But the green tiles at the right side in layer 4 are also special. The walls have some standard things to fill it up a bit.

The level has 3 different Power-Ups, while you can only get 2 different ones. The reason why this was called ‘Trademark’ first is because of the 4 Toaster Power-Ups in the middle. You can’t get them unless you cheat :P. The level has 2 +1 carrots that are close to each other. It’s something experimental, but it seems to work. The 2 Power-Ups are placed where they should be. Ammo placement is good. This level doesn’t have that much ammo, but there is still enough.

Overall this is something that’s a bit worse than the other 3 levels. But still a pretty nice level. Therefore, I give it an 8.2.

Durance of Hate

The fifth level of the pack uses D*mn+ Cold. This is a pretty big level with big platforms. The filesize is also insane(over 27 kb)

The level is pretty linear, but linearity is not always bad. There are still alternative ways. The bottom area of the level is probably called the ‘Chamber of Torment’ and a textstring also says ‘OBLIVION AWAITS!’ but anyway. The bottom has some warps at both sides. In the middle of the upper area there are copters. The level is not completely linear, just a bit. Putting walls in the middle didn’t help either.

Now comes the interesting part: the eye candy. The level is over 27 kb which is insane for a CTF level. The layers have lots of stuff, especially the bottom. It looks a bit scary at the bottom, but it actually looks pretty nice. All stuff that’s added here looks very nice, and there is not much to say about it. The EC is almost perfect in my opinion, because the level is not flooded with EC(the upper part has not that much as the lower part) The backgrounds are also nice.

The level is big, so it should have a lot of ammo. It also has 3 Power-Ups and 2 Full NRG carrots. It’s enough for this size. Ammo placement is again pretty nice. There is not really much to say here, because I keep saying the same all the time. Oh, there is also some food. Didn’t say that yet. ;D

Overall this is a pretty big level with very nice EC. In my server people liked this level a lot, and I like it a lot as well. Therefore, I give this an 8.6.

Tainted Heaven

The sixth level of the pack is made with Heaven, but the level doesn’t look like a heaven. Anyway, up to the review!

The level has a pretty normal size, it’s a bit higher than 01, 03 and 04 and lower than 02. But size doesn’t matter much. Anyway, the level has some tubes and such. There is also a SECRET CHAMBER OF DURANCE OF HATE. So this level might have something to do with the previous one. The bases are a bit close to each other, but the way to the base is longer than you might expect.

This tileset has the same kind of stones as Twilight Park, they are pretty hard to place. This level has lots of those stones in the walls. The layers have been used well, every layer is used. The backgrounds are not very original, but this tileset is not a tileset where you make original backgrounds with. The eye candy is not as good as in Heavenly Havoc, but it’s almost as good as that.

The level has 3 Power-Ups. The Bouncer Power-Up is closer to the red base, the Toaster Power-Up is closer to the blue base and the Seeker Power-Up is pretty far away from both bases. That’s balanced enough. The Full NRG carrot is closer to the red base. The ammo placement is pretty good (it’s getting boring to say that all the time) but it’s true. The level also has a few apples(only 2)

Overall this is one of the best levels from the pack. Therefore, I give it an 8.7(and that’s almost the highest I give for a single level ;O)

Dreaming..

Another level that changed name several times. While it was ‘Around the World’ first, it got other names as well and ‘Dreaming..’ is the final name of the level.

This level’s layout inspired me a bit. It doesn’t have much platforms but it’s good. It has tubes and warps like almost all levels. The bases are placed pretty well, and the level has a good and a bad side. The right side is the bad side and the left side is the good side. That might explain the name. Anyway, the level has a good layout.

The tileset used is one of those underused ones that I find pretty hard to use. The good side of the level has normal EC for the tileset, and the bad side has some original things. The level’s good side probably has better EC, but the bad side is also good. The backgrounds are nice as well, and I like the storm.

The level has 1 Power-Up, one +1 carrot that’s in a warp and 1 Full NRG that’s balanced. Ammo placement is again pretty good, this level has no RF ammo. That’s something that other levels didn’t have. The only Power-Up, the Bouncy Power-Up, is in the middle.

Overall this is another nice level. Worse than 05 and 06, but better than 01 and 04. Therefore, I give this an 8.4.

Cliffhanger Ending

This level is the end of the pack. It uses Spacey Universe, which is not really overused but you can still do some nice things with it. The name is pretty weird, like almost all other levels of the pack ;P.

So, this is a duel level with lots of warps. The blue base has only one real way to it, that explains that this is for duels. I like the fact that you can RF climb in the level. It’s fun. The flow is good but the level might be hard to learn because of those warps.

Now comes the eye candy. This time layer 5 hasn’t been used for eye candy, because there is some kind of ‘sea’ in the foreground. So the eye candy is a bit different compared to other levels of this pack. Layer 6 has been used for eye candy though. But layer 4 has the most. The foreground has some stuff as well. The spring at 51,46 has been used for eye candy as well.

Placement now. The most interesting thing is that this level has 2 Full NRGs while it’s not that big. The level is made for duels, but duels might take long here. 2 Power-Ups as well. There are Fast Fires(4 at each side) so you can run out of ammo pretty easily as well. The ammo placement is just fine, in other levels it was better I think. This level has less ammo than other levels. I haven’t really tested this level, because it’s the last level of the pack.

Overall this is a nice last level of the pack. Nothing very special, still pretty good. Therefore, I give this an 8.2.

One thing I haven’t said yet is that most levels use lighting effects and they look nice.

Now it’s finally time to calculate ratings.

8.3 + 8.5 + 8.5 + 8.2 + 8.6 + 8.7 + 8.4 + 8.2 : 8 = 8.4.

Bonus:
0.2 for the musics that have been used.
0.2 for the ‘story’ behind the pack.
0.2 because it’s a pack with 8 levels.

So overall, I give this a 9! That’s very impressive, because it’s one point lower than a 10 which is perfect. And I don’t give that. Because I don’t give single levels much higher than an 8.7 it’s also very special. But this pack deserves it. Now I’m ready to upload my pack in a few days I hope. I think that’s not as good as this pack, but still pretty good. So go give my pack a review like the one I give here ;)

Download recommendation: Of course!
Host: Some of these levels are very nice so hosting them is a good idea.

Inferno 2.0

This conversion, made by P4ul of IC, has already been used for a level. The author of the conversion has reviewed one of my levels, so I’ll give a review for this.

Eye candy

The author has added waterfalls to every version of the tileset. The old eye candy is still there, like the ‘caves’ but the author has added more cave tiles to the tileset. Also, a background that should be used for layer 8 has been added. Tiles from the Darn tilesets have been added, like the skeletons that you can use for foreground or background eye candy(or sprite layer if you place other ones in layer 5, like Snooze did in his CTF level). The things you can put on the walls in the sprite layer were in the old version as well, those things were not used a lot in old Inferno levels though. Some tiles of the old version have some other colour now.

Other changes

Of course the most important change is the masking of the tileset. The old Inferno tilesets have terrible masking, and in this conversion it’s much better. In the old version, some diagonal tiles were a full tile. But the most terrible thing about the masking was that the tiles from row 70 and 71 were just a square with a white border around it. The author also removed tiles that weren’t useful.

5 different versions

The old version had only 2 versions, now three have been added and the normal and night versions have been renamed to ‘Ice’ and ‘Fire’ the other tilesets are a nice addiction. Personally the ‘Dark’ version is too dark in my opinion, but you can always change to it if you’ve finished a level. It will be impossible to make a level without changing the tileset. But the ‘Shade’ and ‘Water’ versions are really cool. The ‘Water’ version has been used already, and it has been used very well.

Easy to use?

Like Cooba said about the old Inferno: ‘Inferno is literally an inferno to use’ that has been changed with this conversion. Because the masking has been changed a lot it became a lot easier to use the tileset. The waterfalls and caves should be easy to place in the background, and the skeletons aren’t hard to place either. The platforms might still be hard with those different ways, but it’s not that hard I guess.

Conclusion

A really nice conversion of Inferno. People can use this much better/easier now, and maybe I’ll even use this if I can’t find another tileset to use. I hope P4ul can/will make more conversions like this one and Jungle 2.0. The 6.5 from n00b was a bit low in my opinion. I’m giving this a 8.5, like 2 other people did already.

Download this? Yes
Use this? Yes, if you can’t find another tileset or you have been waiting for this conversion all the time.

New Ages

Less than a week ago, Snooze told me he was going to make a pack. He worked on this pack faster than ever, and today he is already uploading it. It’s a pack with 5 CTF levels that have small/medium size. He also uses some weird and funny names in these levels.

Question;

At first, this level was called ‘Unoriginal Level’ then ‘Satellite One’ and now it became ‘Question;’ it’s a level that uses NOKA’s Labrat.

The layout of the level is pretty good, because it’s really solid. It’s easy to run around. It’s almost symmetrical. Although it’s solid it’s pretty simple as well. But in this pack you’ll find levels with better layouts, so keep reading this. Because it’s easy to run around the flow is good. You don’t have to jump a lot. The bottom corners have small dead ends, but it’s easy to get out of it.

Eye candy is typical Labrat eye candy, although the background is original. Snooze didn’t overuse the eye candy or something, but he just did what he should do. The tileset has been used pretty well as well.

Placement is.. well, something different. There are two Bouncy Power-Ups(so people don’t complain about the choices of Power-Ups) and one Blaster PU. This system hasn’t been used a lot, and I can’t recall a level that had it. The placement of the level is good enough, I like the food that’s placed to fill the level up with events. One Full Energy and one +1 carrot here, with 2 different PU’s it’s good enough. There is no Fast Fire here, that’s not really needed. RF is powerful here because there is lots of free space and straight ways. The other ammo placement is just fine.

Overall, this is a good first level.. but not the best of the pack.

Rating: 7.9

Complex
Snooze used this tileset for Galaxia, but now he’s used it again for this level called Complex. ‘I’m going to show my new skills with this tileset’ like he said it when he was going to make this.

Well, as the levelname says, this level is pretty complex. At least its layout is. It’s everything but simple, and very unsymmetrical as well. But it’s balanced. There are some secret ways in the level that took a while to find out. The level feels bigger than it is in my opinion. There are some warps and tubes, and I also a copter that helps the flow, which is good enough.

Like Snooze already said, he wanted to show his skills with this tileset(he referred to the eye candy as well) and in this level you can see that he doesn’t lie. This EC is better than in Galaxia, also more random. On the right side of the level there is something different than at the left side, for example. The top has a red area. The background of the level is also good.

There is one Power-Up in the level, a Toaster Power-Up which looks too close to the red base but that’s not true. Snooze made it so you can’t get the Power-Up from under it. The level has one Full NRG, which is on a nice place. The other ammo placement is pretty nice as well.. good choices of ammo too.

Overall, this level is a bit better than Question; but still not the best of the pack.

Rating: 8.0

Persona Lity

Speaking about weird names.. this is one of the weirdest so far. It’s a level that uses Colon Night with masking fixes. The level was called ‘Codename’ and Personality’ at first, but now it became ‘Persona Lity’

The layout of the level is something interesting. The bottom of the level has sewers which is pretty linear, maybe too linear. The other parts of the level are better. Although the layout might be weird, the level flows nicely(again) the bases might be close to each other though, but it’s slowed down by springs and vines.

The eye candy in the level is very good for the tileset. Snooze tried something, and succeeded. The tileset has been used nicely, and Snooze didn’t overuse anything. I haven’t seen a Colon level with better EC, I think. There is more in layer 5 than in the sprite layer, but together it looks really nice.

The level has food, which fills up the level. The ammo placement is good again. Some ammo is close to the ground(like in the sewers) and other ammo is in the air. 3 Power-Ups here. 2 Power-Ups are partly hidden, but can be seen easily. The main Power-Up, the RF Power-Up, is in the sewers and it’s in the middle of the level. Three carrots here. 1 Full NRG and 2 +1 carrots. Because the level has 3 Power-Ups that’s good enough. Some shapes of ammo are boring, but it’s hard to make new shapes nowadays.

Overall, this level is the best so far. Snooze made the beta version of this and Complex in one day, so JCS NOLIFER AWARD TO SNOOZE!!1

Rating: 8.2

Radiation

Again a weird name here. The level uses ET’s Planet 2. It was called ‘Radiate’ at first, but ‘Radiation’ is better.

The level has a medium size in my opinion. This time, there are no tubes. But at the bottom there is something that will shoot you up. The bases are close to each other, but the walls prevent that. It’s possible to RF climb to them though. Again the flow is good.

The eye candy is very good, to say it short. Why? There is lots of stuff in layer 5, like the waterfalls and caves. And that thing at the right-bottom of the level is funny. Layer 4 also has lots of stuff, and it looks very good together. It’s just very nice, dunno what I still have to say about it.

The level has 2 Power-Ups, a Seeker Power-Up and a Bouncy Power-Up. The right side of the level has a Full NRG carrot, which is something different. The left side has a Seek PU and so the right side has the Full NRG. Interesting concept. Snooze was also inspired by All Your Base CTF for this, that’s what I can see if I look at the Seeker Power-Up. Ammo placement has been worse before, but it’s much better now.

Overall, this is a really nice level. I give it a higher rating than Teacup!!1

Rating: 8.3

The Boneyard

The last level has been made pretty fast as well. The name is finally something that fits the level, and not a unusual name like the previous ones. This uses Inferno 2.0 Water, a new tileset conversion.

The layout is something different compared to the other levels. This level is pretty closed, with not so many ways. It’s linear, but solid. That’s good. Bases are placed in the top-left and bottom-right, with warps near them. Again the level flows nicely.. just like the other levels.

Eye candy is very good, just like in 04. This time, the Inferno 2.0 tileset has been used like it should. Lots of waterfalls and caves are placed in layer 5 and 6, and the things from (-) have been placed as well. They’re in the sprite layer and layer 2/3. There is water in layer 1, so Snooze used every layer here. Very nice!

Placement is a bit biased towards the right base. At the right base there is more ammo. The only Power-Up, the Toaster Power-Up, is closer to it as well. In a 2v2 you probably don’t really care about that. There is one Full NRG that might be close to it as well, but the warps make that good. The other ammo placement is good, there are some boring shapes again but oh well. The placement in 04 was better.

Overall, this is a nice fifth and last level of the pack. I give you extra points because you used this tileset.

Rating: 8.2

Well, this pack has really good levels.

7.9 + 8.0 + 8.2 + 8.3 + 8.2 = 40.6

40.6 : 5 = 8.12 = 8.1

Pack bonus: 0.3

Music bonus: 0.1

Overall rating: 8.5

Download recommendation: YES

Host: 03, 04 and 05 are really nice. 01 and 02 are a bit worse, but are good as well. So yes

But next time, please don’t be so fast.. even though I said that once. You can get an 8.7 or maybe even higher next time!!1

‘Teacup’ how weird as the name of the level might be, is a level with the Space Warbase tileset. It’s Snooze’s latest level. 2 days ago I first heard of the level, and 1 day ago I played the beta version. Since then, stuff has changed. But now I’m starting with the review.

While you’re walking through the level, you’ll notice that the layout is something different. It has warps that makes it more complex, and it has dead ends in the upper corners which are pretty strategical. The flow is really nice as well, even with those warps. The name ‘Teacup’ has been chosen because of a carrot that’s in the middle of the level, which is above a platform with water blocks in it. I guess the water is supposed to be the tea here ;P. Anyway, the level has the bases placed close to each other, but there is a pretty long way to the base. People that have a bit skill can RF climb to score faster. The bases are pretty easy to defend, but it makes it more challenging. The level has an original layout, that’s for sure.

The eye candy in the tileset that’s been used is rather limited, but the author tried something with the tileset and succeeded. There is lots of stuff in the background layer, with a nice and original background and layer 8 has stars and has a sort of yellow-brown colour. Eye candy has been placed in the walls and the author put some nice stuff there. Overall I think the eye candy in the level is probably the best eye candy so far with this tileset, probably even better than Zaitox.

The ammo placement is pretty nice, with some nice shapes and choices of ammo are fine as well. The level has 2 carrots, 1 Full Energy and 1 +1 carrot. The +1 carrot is in the top middle, and I already described the other one. There are 2 Power-Ups, which are in short dead ends. With the space between the platforms 2 Power-Ups is enough, even with 1 Full Energy and 1 +1 carrot. Food is also included, but it’s hidden. It’s above the carrot, near the bases. You can shoot it down with Gun9.

Well, I don’t really know what I can say that should be improved, but no level is perfect in my opinion. The layout might be hard to learn, but I learned it pretty easily. I can say this is probably the best level by the author so far. It’s not as simple as Galactic Warfare, and it beats Clipboard Chaos as well I think. Before I were going to review I already told the author what I would give the level, and I think that was a fine rating. Overall this is a really nice level that should be downloaded and hosted. I’m giving this an 8.2, which is very good for a single level.

After a review that I disagree with, I’m going to review this. The person who can make weird layouts did it again. This level is already quite old, but just uploaded. With the LaYOutZ CTF Package Birdie showed that weird layouts can work. He’s working on more levels with weird layouts. This level is, compared to Limenade, UndergrondSpacebase – Area 51 and his new level, a level with a less weird layout. Oh well. I’m giving points for every aspect again. Just trying a new review style. Instead of talking so much I will just start the review.

Layout
Starting with the layout, the level is one of those levels that has a bigger height than width. Something that not a lot of levels have. The level has a few small dead ends at Power-Ups, and in the bottom right. The platforms in the level are maybe a bit squared-off, but that’s probably the tileset’s fault. I think the platform on the top is hard to reach, but you just need skills to get on it ;) The layout is pretty open in some places, but not everywhere. Overall there is enough space in the level, so it’s fun to play in it.

Rating layout: 8.1(bonus points are given for the size)

Other gameplay
The level has a nice flow by the use of springs and one ways, combined with some tubes. The dead ends are not necessarily a bad thing, because it can be strategical. You need a copter to get to the top platform with a RF PU on it. This weapon is very good in the level, as in some places you can chase people easily with it. Of course other weapons can be used, but I’d say the RF will be the most useful here. The level also has a few secrets you might want to find sometime. I really like the place where you get shot up by 2 tubes.

Rating gameplay: 8

Eye candy
The tileset is pretty hard to make good eye candy with. If I’d make a level with it I’d probably have a hard time. But Birdie used the tileset really well. The layer use is good. Almost every layer is used. The sprite layer eye candy is excellent, and the layers 3 and 5 make the eye candy better. Combined with a nice background the eye candy is over average in my opinion. I haven’t seen lots of levels with this tileset but I think this eye candy is nice. So I’m not going to say more about it.

Rating eye candy: 7.8

Carrot placement
There are two carrots in the level. One carrot is near the top, under the platform with the RF PU. The other one is at the bottom, above the tube, in the small dead end. 2 carrots in the level is just fine. They’re both placed in the air so they can be shot down. This won’t have much effect, because I couldn’t shoot the top carrot off the platform.

Rating carrot placement: 7.7

Other placement
First off, the level has food. Food in a Battle level is always good in my opinion, especially when the level’s tileset is a nature one. The only kind of food used is milk. There is not a lot in the level, just how it should be or maybe there could have been few more. Anyway, the level has four Power-Ups. Something I used for my last Battle level(which also had 2 +1 carrots) and I think it worked. This level has a Gun9 PU that can be handy for the small dead ends where the Bouncer and Toaster Power-Ups are. The fourth PU is a RF PU that I already mentioned. It’s at the top of the level. The ammo placement is pretty nice. A few nice groups of ammo are placed in the level. The weapon selections are fine. There is no Gun9 ammo, just a Power-Up of it. I think it’s just because it’s not an important weapon here. I know that Birdie doesn’t like Pepperspray/Gun8, so that’s probably why he didn’t place it in this level. A few Fast Fires could have been nice. But then again, I don’t really know where to place them.

Rating other pickup placement: 8

Overall, I think this is a nice Battle level. When I first saw it I was surprised when I saw the size. Now, let’s calculate the rating..

8.1 + 8 + 7.8 + 7.7 + 8 = 39.6 : 5 = 7.92 = 7.9.

Host this: Maybe.. it’s a good option for the Battle Server if it gets updated.
Download this: Yes

I think Quickz’ new level needs to have more attention. I dunno why Emp reviews every level by Quickz, but whatever. Let’s go to the review!

Layout
The first thing you’ll notice when playing this level is that it’s pretty small. The layout is non-symmetrical, but it’s balanced. That’s always a good thing. There is one real way to each base, but you can get there in two ways. Near the bases are tubes that will lead you to the upper platform. The base placement is about the same as in Hydronificant! and Rainbow Hills. Maybe it’s time for a different placement, Quickz? ;p

There are tubes in the middle that will lead you to near the carrot. This is nice. That there’s a wall in the middle prevents you from running around at the bottom of the level without being stopped. It’s a good thing in my opinion. The area near the carrot has changed since I beta tested the level. You can run around there without being stopped, but there were small holes before. I personally like this more, because it makes it easier to hit someone who camps the carrot.

In the top middle there is a warp that will lead you to a Power-Up. This method has been used in Hydronificant! as well. The Warp Target, however, is closer to the left base than to the right base. Making it in the middle or putting two Warp Targets would solve this. It’s not a serious problem though.

It’s pretty hard to defend very well. There are lots of slopes near the bases so Seekers don’t really work to defend with. People can shoot Bouncers from above or they come from the other side and use Toaster or Bouncer. Seekers aren’t very good in this level I think. Some people can dodge them very well.

Other gameplay

As usual, there is quite good flow. The springs are pretty useful, but you might bump against a wall. Nothing to do about it I guess. Just keep it like this, as it’s not a major problem. The way to each base is pretty much to the left and the right, but with obstacles like the tubes in the middle. One Ways are used at the springs left/right from the carrot and to lead you to above by using the blue spring. There is one small dead end at the Toaster Power-Up. I don’t think it’s a problem, as it’s small and strategical.

Eye candy

The eye candy in the level is typical Swamps eye candy, but it’s logical. Lots of leaves in layer 5 and 4 and other stuff that’s used in lots of Swamps levels. There are also empty places to prevent the eye candy from being overused. I personally like lots of eye candy a lot, so if there’s eye cnady everywhere I like it more. Unless it’s extremely overused. In this level is isn’t. I appreciate the fact that people use Swamps properly because I had big problems with it when I tried to use it. The foreground layers aren’t used a lot. Probably because I don’t really like foreground eye candy with the Swamps tileset. But anyway. The background in the level is also pretty basic, it’s just what Swamps levels should have. Overall, the eye candy is pretty good, can’t say a lot more about it.

Carrot placement

The only carrot is a Full Energy carrot, which is enough for a level of this size. It’s placed in the middle and is easily campable. But you only want to camp it if you have 3h unless you are fast enough and you can get it before you die when you have 1h. RFs are good to use against a camper, and Toaster also works fine. A camper must be extremely skilled if he/she wants to survive with 1h while the carrot isn’t there.

Other placement
The placement of the level is pretty basic. The shapes of ammo are nice, the 3 × 3 group and the 2 × 4 group of Seekers are the only unoriginal ones. There are 3 more Seekers at the right side by the way. ;p

There are a few Fast Fires at the left and right sides of the tubes in the middle of the level. They can be useful for Bouncers in the level, but not for other weapons(as usual)

There are 3 Power-Ups in the level. Seeker, Toaster and Bouncer. These 3 are used a lot in levels. The Seeker Power-Up is in a warp, the Toaster Power-Up is in a small dead end and the Bouncer Power-Up is between some vines. I personally think that the Bouncy Power-Up and the Toaster Power-Up are the most useful in the level.

Originality

The music used for the level is a standard music from Jazz2. It’s better than Jungle.j2b, which has been used in other Swamps levels(like The Marshland of Evil) but Beach.j2b has been used in Santranigus V. Anyway, it fits the level even though there is no water or something in the level.

The level doesn’t have any original ideas, but it’s hard to make up something nowadays. The tileset used is pretty overused, but I don’t think that’s a problem. I can’t really find a nice underused tileset anyway.

Okay, now that I wrote all this stuff you probably want me to rate the level. Well, before I do that I’ll tell that it’s your best level so far(in my opinion) Hydronificant! looks a bit like this level, but I like this level more(because of the better eye candy probably) Rainbow Hills was also pretty basic in my opinion. This level doesn’t have anything special, but I like it.

Host this: Yes, sometimes. I’ll probably host it if Quickz allows me to. A 2v2 could be nice here too.

Download this: Yes, it’s a nice, small, new level. We don’t see a lot of new levels lately.

My final rating is an 8.0. This level is a very nice third level(although you made more, but this is the third release) and a very nice first level made for XLM. Have fun!

P.S. This was my longest review ever for one level. Hurray!

I don’t feel like writing a real review, so I’ll just post a short one.

A fairly large level with a pretty weird layout, and some dead ends that I don’t really like. The flow could be better as you have to jump in some places. There are some turrets which are pretty nice to use when defending, and there are lots of tubes that take a while to find. The gameplay is decent, not very good as it has dead ends like I already said.

Eye candy is pretty basic, although I like some parts like the things in layer 5 which you’ll also find at the border of the level. The turrets are pretty nice to fill up, and everything else is just fine. The blue tiles are in many places, but at least they’re not everywhere.

Placement is decent too. The Full Energy is closer to the right base, that’s one thing I’m sure of. Ammo placement needs more nice shapes of ammo but it’s all right. Power-Up placement is questionable, there are 4 Power-Ups but the Toaster and Seeker Power-Ups are too close to each other. The Seeker Power-Up is also a bit hard to reach for people who aren’t that skilled. There is only one Full Energy carrot which is a bit disappointing. The warp to the Bouncy Power-Up might be a bit hard to find as well.

Overall, this is a decent level. I like it more than Softcake Stew, but it still needs work because the layout was weird. I’m giving the level a 7.4 and that’s that. Download? Not a must, but I give it a download recommendation anyway.

Bah. I finally got a review and the rating is.. well, unexpected. I think Planet Internet should have used another tileset, or I would have just made another level. But I was in a hurry when I uploaded this pack, so I had no real time to find good beta testers.

Oh well, I guess I’ll just find real beta testers next time. At least someone reviewed.

Already fixed that. I was afraid that bug was still there, as I put xlmhahaha in the pack and didn’t replace it with another version with ‘xlmlife’ as next level. Also I fixed some other stuff, like tilebugs in xlmburn and xlmtree.

And it’s funny that Snooz’ review is featured. It’s not bad, really. But this pack is still one of the uploads that needs a review(this is just a comment on some stuff) so a really good review would be appreciated. ;p

I felt like reviewing again, so I review this level called ’7k CTF’ which is a funny coincidence because the level size is a bit more than 7 kb. And that’s actually weird with this level size. Oh well, let’s start.

Layout

The first thing you notice when playing this level is that the level is very long but not that high. Birdie explained why in the level description, and levels with this kind of layout are usually a bit linear. It’s not a big problem, but it can annoy people sometimes. If you look at the level in JCS you’ll also notice that the level only has a few platforms. There are 5 platforms in the sky and the rest is just one platform that’s extremely big. It’s not like it’s a bad thing, though. The level is balanced and symmetrical, which is always a good thing in my opinion.

Other gameplay

The level plays pretty fast, even with this size. The flow isn’t perfect, but you don’t bump against walls all the time. The level has some open spaces, and also some cramped/closed ones. RFs and Seekers are really good in the open spaces, like left and right from the carrot. The carrot can’t be camped, but it can be moved and shot down. Even when it’s shot down it’s impossible to camp it, which is a good thing. In other places of the level you can camp though. But it’s almost impossible to prevent people from camping, so I won’t distract it from the rating.

Eye candy and tileset use

The tileset used is Space by Blade, which has pretty good eye candy. Too bad CelL already used a lot of things of the tileset in his levels(Like All Your Base CTF and ToXaNi-StArWaVe CTF or something) but Birdie tried to be original and succeeded.. sort of. He put lots of black tiles in the walls, and I haven’t seen them a lot in levels with this tileset. However, if you play this level you get a divide by zero error sometimes. I don’t know why it happens, but it happens in levels like Quasar Quandary and The Chasm as well. Maybe there is too much sprite layer eye candy or something.. meh. The amount of eye candy tiles used isn’t that much, but it’s decent. Birdie could have used layer 5 more and put other stuff in the sprite layer though. The eye candy is decent, but not like the eye candy in All Your Base CTF where CelL put lots of stuff in layer 4 too but it was more randomized and there was much stuff in the walls.

Ammo and Power-Up placement

The ammo is placed in some creative shapes which is always good to see. There is enough ammo for everyone, and the choices of ammo are nice as well. About the Power-Ups.. there are four of them, which is acceptable in a level of this size. The Power-Ups in the level are, in my opinion, the best Power-Ups of the game(Toaster, Bouncer, RF, Seek) and every Power-Up has his own room which is actually pretty cool. There is no Fast Fire in the level which is actually pretty good because Bouncers are powerful with Fast Fires in this level.

Carrot placement

Only one Full Energy that’s impossible to camp here. I think 2 +1 carrots and a Full Energy would have been nice too, but at least you don’t get people who camp at the carrot because they can’t. They can still guard the carrot and kill the opponent if the person who guards the carrot has enough skill. You get shot up if you try to camp it, and that’s a nice method that prevents people from camping it.

Overall, I think this is a nice level with some ideas but unfortunately the level hasn’t got a very creative layout which is a con. I think this level was underrated so that’s why I felt like I wanted to review it, so be happy I did it ;)

Anyway, I give this level a 7.5 and a download recommendation. You can host it if you want. In my server I host all kinds of CTF/Battle levels so this level might be hosted as well.

It would be great if a level gets reviewed more times as well. This thing gets ‘reviewed’ lots of times. Anyway, this is pretty simple. I can’t draw very well myself, but this could have been much better.