Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

No it’s not.

I don't really have much time to review, so I will keep this short.

This level is a brilliant example of how to use Blade's recently (one month ago? ;p ) uploaded tileset, "Islands":http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3610. The tileset use is really splendor. With all of the layers being used and gems scattered on the whole level (like Radium has said on this level in Anniversary Bash 7 server, "INTERACTIve eyecandy fx" the outcoming effect is a pure pleasure to the eye. However, I do have a few (really, really minor) gripes. Por exampla', the coast-like thing on layer 5 visible when you're underwater shouldn't have bushes (unless they're the underwater kind of).

The gameplay is as smooth as it gets with a Blackraptor level. No flow issues, clear and easy to learn layout (after a few minutes of playing in here you should remember each place and most of the (rather pointless, but still funny) secrets), bits of creativity there and there (like both of the coin warps, allowing for quick moving from edge of the map to edge of the map if you have got enough coins. I like it very much, it's extremely useful when it comes to strategies in this level. Aside from a very slight Spaz bias in some of the places, the gameplay rocks.

Placement of events is a strong point of this level as well (to be honest this level lacks any weak points whatsoever ;p ). The powerups are all logically placed, maybe except for Toaster powerup placed just a few tiles away from the underwater area ;p but that's about it. There's enough ammo scattered over the map, and you won't find yourself running into a place lacking any kind of ammo. Somehow TNT manages to work in this environment as well (handy for blowing up opponents chasing you underwater), and that's a rare thing in battle. The wide variety (vaarsiinety!!!11omb) of food also makes its job; you will get a Sugar Rush (rather pointless as well) in a matter of seconds. And of course there are three carrots. Unlike WR has said, it's quite hard to stay alive even with three carrots, when you consider the level layout as a rather tricky one. The similar situation (and the same review issue ;p) could be seen in "FireSworD's":http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/user/profile.php?userID=579 "Garden Brawl":http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=3489.

(Or it might be just me being rusty. ;p)

Overall, this level does a flawless job on putting you on a pirate coast, which is what the tileset is supposed to represent by itself, but that's an other story. ;p In short, I give this the rating of 8.7 and a download reccomendation. Keep on making levels like this, Blacky!

Because he can.

It’s not the trigger crate what blocks the wallclimb spot, it’s the trigger zone. It’s there so latecomers don’t wallclimb in when game starts. However, this system falls prey when server is laggy, and right now I’m modifying it. Thanks for noticing that, Blacky.

(blah) Nonetheless, thanks for pointing the bugs out, Sonyk. You helped me with making these levels better, thanks to you. =)

“Just upload it normally by putting both files into the zip.”

Good luck on trying to upload a .zip which is 5 MB big.

Example levels don’t have to be super-l33t-wow-omg levels, all they have to do is to show what you can do with the tileset and how to use some tiles…

Egypt you used is Kejero’s.

What. The. Hell.

Whatever you may think, Battlea is NOT a secret level. Moreso, Battle4 is a level which came with v1.00g. However, the edit itself is awful enough to blissfully ignore that Battle4 has been done. Hurt events. Lighting Shield. Ultimate Weapon of Doom accessible via a coin warp. Invincibility carrot kept. And many more poorly overlooked flaws.

Far Out has been edited so badly that I just can’t explain how badly is that done. Zapper apparently has no clue how to make foreground layers move, so he puts there various loads of junk hoping that someone (maybe Jarno?) could find it nice. The way to access the level itself is also bad. Crash a crate and get a secret!!1

Anyway, as Zapper has informed me, I shouldnt rate it because it’s not a level pack, but a patch (tisk tisk). gg.

Untrue, Sonictth.

Gameplay
Not a typical gameplay you’d expect. You move up, using copters to fly up from tall pits. While that’s relatively original, the fact that copters (and their respawn time being too low) are used quite ruins this level. Especially when they stop respawning, and they will eventually. You can ask any experienced level maker, and they will tell, that copters stop respawning. This is quite cramped, too, and fighting people while waiting for the final copter could be a little less evil and annoying.

Eyecandy
Changing the tileset from Day to Night version was a good move, considering the day version a little boring. However, layer 4 walls are boring as well; just a plain lot of tiles and that’s all. It could be done in a better way, considering the blue blocks being so easy to use. Could use some creativity, too, as this eyecandy isn’t really original apart from textured background which is a nice shade of cyan. And you can’t neglect your level being ugly because levels do not focus on eyecandy.

Eventing
Let’s start with powerups. Seeker and Toaster PUs in teams’ warp rooms, a Bouncer Powerup in a central game room where players pick their choice to attack or defend, EB powerup made to let you get the Bouncer PU. While it may sound a bit overdone, team based Full Energy carrots make up for it. Plus, there are two +15 Bouncer Crates, which would work far better with many +3 Bouncers scattered over the room with Bouncer PU. Now, the level will cause some decents amount of lag. Besides use of +15’s, no major gripes in this section.

Overall
While this is a fairly original level, the way it was done (+15 crates, occasional blandness, COPTERS) downmark it a bit. Still, you should check this level because it’s a breeze of freshness in field of Assault anyway.

I like how no one bothered to replaceJazz Start with a MP start in Deserted Paradise for something like six months.

Just when you thought that Blur is done with making Ground Force levels, he comes and kills wannabe “survivor” levels with survivor prefix. With 5 brand new outrageous levels. \\o/

Updates
All 30 levels use the new (and somewhat superior) Anti-Jazz system. This system is generally more safe than old one (the one using bridges tends to give Divide By Zero errors. Go figure.), and isn’t as complicated. Complicated as in, it’s far more user-friendly in JCS (I doubt I will use it, though). However, someone may not know how to wallclimb, so they are stuck in the Anti-Jazz filter room; while almost everyone should know how to sidekick with Spaz. Other than that, this system is easier to use than the older one (sometimes I kept being pushed into the bridge so I couldn’t even kick in). And we all know, that in multiplayer the easier, the better. ;p

The recent update on most of the levels is the feature, that if you are hit in air enough high, you lose. While it doesn’t really sound dangerous, be aware than it might happen with some lag and seekers. It never happened to me, but still, be aware.

Rants on originality
Most of the levels are a little more than your typical Ground Force level, as in, they’re just more original. The best example would be level 20 (Tower of Death) and 28 (Under Construction). They’re just like something you have never EVER seen before. In “Tower of Death” you must climb up an enormous tower or be hit by Laser Shield (shot out of apparently nowhere. Whee evil forces =D ) and fall down. “Under Construction” features a building made out of Speed Blocks and they have lots of Pepper Spray which destroys Speed Blocks as well. So, if you buttstomp – you are dead.

Those two levels are fine example of this pack’s overall originality, like I already said. While not every level is incredibly original and outstanding, the levels which are make up for it. Check out by yourself.

YaY for Eyecandy!!1 =D
Most of the levels are, simply, beatiful. The waiting rooms are perfectly decorated, yet eyecandy there isn’t overdone. Most of the levels have splendidly used layers, and outrageously designed walls. Everything tiles perfectly, no minor annoying bugs. The remains of destructable blocks are oftenly different than the blocks themselves. but they still manage to look great and whatnot. In levels using official tilesets, eyecandy is very original and isn’t what you’d expect from a level using those tilesets. (That doesn’t really apply to level 6, which is a little plain.)

However, not everything is pink and sweet and curly. (I said that MOST of the levels are great. Don’t blame me if you misread stuff.) Waste Drain (level 3) is just bland. Barely any noticable layer work at all, no real variety between block patterns, etc. The textured background, however, is original and isn’t what you’d expect from a typical Wasteland level. Also “Second Chances” is a little bland in the waiting rooms.

Evilness rux
The levels are hard. Hard as in, it’s difficult to survive in those, especially with a lot of people. This applies to latter six levels (25-30), because they are quite unique losing-wise. (But then, so are levels 8 and 18.) You can make barely any manouevers in “The Sludge Grounds” because warps are evily placed in the ceiling etc. Already mentioned “Under Construction” prevents you from buttstomping. In “Second Chances” walls become (like Blur called it) “evil” when a trigger crate is activated. Someone you fight with in “Avalanche Ranch” might have got an extra life so when he falls and you follow him, he warps back into the arena and thus wins. The reason why “Tower of Death” is evil should be obvious. (The SE version is even more evil, trust me.)

…yes. Truly pure Evil, with capital E.

Did I mess something? I mean miss.
That’s basically all I have to say. The overall score I’m giving it is a 9.5, no more, no less. No more, because some levels lack variety and eyecandy, no less, because of anything else.

Download it and be happy.

Six years later edit: My 13-year old self has learnt what ‘less is more’ means.

How about THIS http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/downloads/info.php?levelID=1672 instead of that ugly Ihlvindi thing?

(F)

This level is very nice. Despite the too low rating that person gave, just be aware that it’s a good level I suggest you to DOWNLOAD.

I won’t rate it however, as I’m in XLM.
(Flame removal. ~Violet)

…am I the only one who agrees with Winner’s rating and review?

PHT, big rocks are a (crap) decoration FYI. ;p

“R3ptile didn’t mention any of that”

“Blue team has a bit advantage with defending because you can just stand below your base”

“Type: Capture the Flag”

As I’m really unsure how to rate this somehow unusual level, I’ll use something different this time. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there’s a level which doesn’t even deserve a 1 for god’s sake.

Layer 1
Empty and unused.
Layer 2
Empty and unused.
Layer 3
Being barely used, doesn’t help out awful layer 4 eyecandy.
Layer 4
Being a bizarre mix of tiles, Layer 4 doesn’t really feature anything. It has some wooden parts used at the beginning(with severe event misuse and overuse), and then comes “fun” part – swimming in water across awfully awful sand blocks which don’t even manage to look good being split off themselves. At the very left of the level, there’s an ugly face (made out of sand as well. gg), which you must touch to make this level go ka-boom. Not really fun, unlike the author stated.
Layer 5
Empty and unused.
Layer 6
Empty and unused.
Layer 7
Empty and unused.
Layer 8
Random combination of blocks which do not tile with eachother. As author barely knows anything about layer resizing, layer 8 remains at its default size which is 10 tiles x 7 tiles and looks awful. gg.

[Adjusted to use 1 as rating. ~Cooba]

Eyecandy
Blandest level I have seen for ages. No background eyecandy, barely any sprite layer eyecandy, no foreground; there isn’t much, and what is there, is ugly, like the snow.

Gameplay
You did a good job on providing hurt events. Never put hurt events in multiplayer levels. I’m going to take 0.5 point off the rating because of that. The layout, being also bad (lots of dead ends, don’t put dead ends in the way you did.) downmarks this level a lot.

Eventing
If a player is lucky enough, he will not touch an airboard, and thus he will be more swift. Player must be forced to touch it. Otherwise, he will fall down to the bottom of this level, and he will be stuck. Also I’d take out the Airboards and replace them with Fly Carrot MCEs.

TSF. ;p

Oh well, since my JCS started to twist inbetween 1.23 and 1.24 versions and thus becoming a quadruple quandary, I will review this anyway.

Gameplay
What strikes me here is the fact that it takes less time to get into seeker powerup and the full carrot going from red base. Anyway, it’s pretty easy to get around this level, maybe except some 1-tile wide places, but they’re only one flow issues. However, this level is apparently small, and a little platformy, too. At first glance, it seems to be very random layout, but it grows on you as more you play.

Eyecandy
At last, a Carrottus level without tilebugs! Other than that, this is pretty good eyecandy, although needs a little more green. While there are all layers but 1st one used, there’s not really much green in them, but I can live with it. The background fades into black (bad), and layer 7 eyecandy moves for no real purpose. Yes, I made you think like eyecandy is horrid, but it’s nice. The snow looks splendor.

Eventing
This is somewhat oddly balanced. It’s easier to get seeker powerup going from red base, but it’s easier to get to two +1 carrots for blue team. Red team gets RF PU and blue gets Bouncer PU, but what blue gets is Electroblaster ammo, which may be used to get another RF PU… Somewhat confusing, but manages to work online. What strikes me is the double RF powerup. This could be better with Blaster PU stuck in wall and some Fastfires spread along the level. Or Toaster Powerup. Other than that, this area is innovative.

Overall
This CTF level is, as simpliest to describe it, just good. The balance is original, and eyecandy is nice. Download, because you’d be a stup otherwise.

What level is the first?