Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Not much to say here that hasn’t already been said. Good layout, smooth flow, nice eyecandy, excellent eventage.

I wasn’t too impressed with the sand-colored Layer 8 BG, the campable Seeker powerup or the music (which I felt was a rather poor fit), but overall the level was nice and definitely deserves a DL.

I just love the map. The strategy, weapons, eyecandy, PU’s, everything. For me this is a complete 10.

As the tileset author, I was very impressed with how you managed to make a smooth and rich layout using so few tiles as the set had. It always makes me happy to see people get in depth with my set and make such impressive levels, and I’m honored you choose my set for your contest entry.

I would rate this but I’m afraid I’d base my rating on your usage of my set rather than the actual game play. I hope that a few kind words will do. ;)

A very fun CTF level with good flow, item placement and good eyecandy. Sucker tubes work very well.
Ideal for duels and 2v2s or whatever. Also a good level to host online.
Rating: 8.2/10
DL Recommended! :)

EDIT: Rating raised because I had so much fun in this level :)

(This review is part of a review exchange)

Domination is a fairly new game mode. Quite a few DOM levels have been made since Blur first introduced the popular UT game mode into the JJ2 scene with the latest update of plus, however no one has really experimented with the concept; it has a lot of potential, which is very slowly being realised. Who knows what wacky DOMs we may see in the future? This level, though, is the first step into seeing what kind of gameplay Domination is really capable of.

I had my doubts on this level when seeing it in it’s early stages, however Quickz designed the level to near perfection. The thing that possessed me the most was the theme; creative tileset usage made the level appear to be on a quiet shoreline. I consider it genious how the layout fits in perfectly with the theme; it moves up in layers from the bottom right, rising out of the sea onto sand until reaching tall cliffs. Caves reach inside the sandbar in a complex network, containing nice touches such as the waterfalls representing condensation. The music makes the level feel so epic. In fact, this level feels so magnificant that this even inspired me to take a trip to a beach myself, although the weather sucked. D=

Aside from looking great, it plays amazingly too. The positions of the two CPs were no doubt the best; the level would not work anywhere near as well if they had been placed elsewhere. The rest of the pickups are placed with thought, there is only one PU (Seeker), although in the DOM game mode spending time camping a PU rather than a CP would be utter stupidity. The fact that there are no Full NRGs make staying alive harder, but that could be seen as a good thing. The level feels cramped, however not so cramped in a way that makes movement slow, and the cramped feeling in the caves is part of the theme. The thing which I like the most about the gameplay is the fact this level can work with pretty much any number of players; not too big for smaller games like 2vs2s or not too small for larger games like 5vs5s. Pretty much everyone will enjoy this level, and for the moment it plays much better than all of the other released DOM levels.

This level inspired me to work on a DOM level, and I’ve been having great fun experimenting with the concept. In general, this level is pretty damn amazing, I don’t really think there will be any people who won’t enjoy this level. However, what stops me giving higer than 8.5 is that I’ve still yet to see what Domination is truly capable of.

As this won Rag’s Domination level making contest, I couldn’t wait to review this.

EYECANDY

The first thing I notice is the unusual mix of pink and yellow in the Layer 8 Background. I really like this and think that this goes really well with the tileset that has been used. Quickz has made extensive use of all the Beach and sand tiles in this set. The water background in Layer 7 looks very nice. The waterfalls don’t look like they are pouring down from nowhere but really look as if they are coming from the ceiling itself and they stop at the water like real waterfalls should do.
Quickz has made excellent use of Layers 3-8. Layers 1 & 2 aren’t used but you don’t need to use every layer to make a good level.
Everything here makes this look like a Shore as intended by the level name.

9/10

GAMEPLAY & FLOW

This level has very good layout, is easy to navigate and doesn’t feel cramped. The top right is empty but I don’t think that is an issue in this level. You can choose to do two things. You can either capture the Control Points located on the left and defend them or you can go for the Seeker Power-Up, the only PU that can be found in this level located on the right by going for a swim through an underwater tunnel on the far right.
If you decide to go for some ammo or the PU you can be sure that the CP you were defending is going to get recaptured.
The flow here is excellent, there are no annoying dead ends that you will bump into. There are also no warps so there is no way to escape from attackers by warping to other places.

9/10

EVENTS & PICKUP PLACEMENT

There is a nice amount of ammo to be found in this level. All the ammo for each weapon grouped up very nicely. There is neither too much or too little of every weapon.
As I mentioned in Gameplay, there is just one Power-Up and that is the Seeker and the placement is not campy. Spaz players can kick the PU for 50 ammo but since most people use Spaz I do not find this a serious issue in the level. Jazz players can still uppercut the PU by pushing it a bit to the left. There are three “+1 Carrots” to be found here. No Full NRGs so that players cannot regain full health to easily. The Carrots are spread out nicely so you shouldn’t have a problem gaining 1 or 2 Hearts back. One Carrot is placed by the Seeker PU so that you can get some ammo and regain 1 Heart back. Only one Carrot can be found nearest to the CPs so defenders shouldn’t regain any health too easily.
There are two Control Points (CPs) here. One CP can be found in the top left so it’s possible that you might get surrounded and get Seekers and other weapons fired at you from all directions. The other CP can be found at the bottom left in the middle of two pools of water. The two pools can be used as protection from ammo that may be fired at you while protecting the CP. Seekers may still hit you.
Five different weapons can be found here, these are: Bouncer (Gun2), Seeker (Gun4), RFs (Gun5), Toaster (Gun6) and Pepper Spray (Gun8).
Most of the ammo can be found on the right side of the level so if you are defending any of the CPs you will have to go some distance away from the CPs to regain some ammo.
All the platforms can be accessed easily with all the available Springs.

9/10

OVERALL IMPRESSION

Pearl-Shell Shore is very fun and has excellent placement of pickups and has impressive eyecandy. I love the mix of the pink and yellow in the background.
This is a level I would definitely play online and host.

EXTRAS

The Artificial Sun (artsun.it) music used is a perfect fit in this level. +0.1

TOTAL SCORE = 27/30

OVERALL MARK = (27 / 3) + 0.1 = 9.1

SHOULD YOU DOWNLOAD?

Since this won Rag’s Domination level making contest and has been awarded the Featured Download of October 2008, you REALLY MUST DOWNLOAD THIS!

Hmm… I think I saw this in a pack once upon a time…
Nice, nice, nice! Fields of Gold [by Quickz] is a nifty little battle level, with good eye candy, better tileset, hardly buggy, and yet with a strange shortcoming. That shortcoming would be “what’s with the out-of-place music?” I know, it almost sorta fits. But not snugly. The haunted track doesn’t really fit with the heaven tileset. I would instead recommend “hgwill.xm” as a music, as it fits a bit better.
The tileset has enormous possibilities, and sure enough, is used to a good extent. The clouds in the background [forgot which layer…:(] give it a lofty, other-world-above-ours feel. The rest of the level used the flamingoes, the statues, the pictures, the whole lot of it is coordinated pretty well.
FoG didn’t have really any shortcuts, like hidden passages or sucker tubes, which I feel increases appeal to most stages. Level sizing was excellent. Buggage wasn’t really there.
So in short, this level is sweet, though not perfect. Give it a dl, and see for yourselfs!

Great theme. At first I thought the top right being empty was a bad idea, but the layout seems complex enough to make up for it. So it’s a unique layout that just barely accomplishes the feel of being on a shore, which is amazing. Other theme-related stuff was cool, like the condensation. The level plays good. This level is all-around good.

After reading Rag’s mini-review in the contest results, I couldn’t help but download this right away. After a quick game, I’m ready for my review.

Gameplay: Clean
After playing this for five minutes, I couldn’t help but notice that this level actually is fairly small. Though it measures 120×58, it feels denser than the numbers may suggest. This may be because of the large open airspace. The level consists of platforms connected through caves or water.

The control points are both placed on the left half of the level, while most of the ammo and carrots are placed far from the CPs. In fact, the only PU in the level, good ol’ Seeker PU, is hidden far away from the battlefield in an underwater tunnel. This setting makes the player choose between defending a CP with little or no ammo or going out there to get some protection, leaving base unguarded. Controlling the lower base isn’t exactly hard, since the use of Seekers when down in the water makes for a perfect defence. You can hardly be hit down there, and once the player decided to run for a spree of Seekers, the CP is easily recovered. The upper base, however, placed the player with his back to the wall, cornered and outnumbers against the possibility to be killed from below or from the right. Bouncers will easily kill a target at a large distance.

Healing shouldn’t be a problem in this map, in which three carrots are scattered across the caves. Only one is near the CPs, though, so the defence will have a hard time on this match, whereas the offence can hit and run and easily heal.

Atmosphere: Amazing
Pearl-Shell Shore uses a tileset that is somewhat overused, but at the same time, totally unseen. Quickz utilizes the tileset’s beach tiles to the fullest extend of it’s possibilities, and it surely shows. The level has a serene beach-feeling painted all over it. Among the sand, one can find a few rocks and even bits of the rocky grass tiles. The background is oddly two-toned in pink and yellow, yet strangely doesn’t seem bad at all. A quiet lake sits comfortably in the background, surrounded by a few mountains.

The beach tiles and the shallow water make for a comfy feel for the whole level. The music only adds up to the Relaxation-bar. Some may say that it’s bad for the gameplay, but I find a relaxing game more worthy than a rushy game. Points to YOU, Quickz!

Eventing: lame Quite good
The level contains a wide array of ammo and a Seeker PU. The PU is harder to get, but it surely does make your team the winning one. The use of bouncers can be fully utilized with the upper CP, which will surely come in handy.

The carrots are nicely spread out over the map, with only one being near the CPs, which are, by the way, very nicely placed as well.

Springs are placed all over, for easier access to the platforms. The only spring I didn’t like was the rightmost green spring, which kind of killed the flow because you will always bump in the ceiling when running into it.

There is little more for me to say on the event front. Nothing too special here, but it all works properly.

Overall: It works
This level is very fun to play and certainly put a smile on my face. The well-chosen winner for Rag’s DOM contest stands before you.

Download Recommendation: NOW
I didn’t say no, I said NOW!

Score: 8.4 8.9
This level deserves a way above average score, and with respect should it be called the best Domination level so far.

Quickz seems to be getting into a phase of making battle levels lately, with Fields of Gold and this level here. For a relatively small size as 127×68, you might think this is one of those extremely fast paced and chaotic levels, but the layout makes good use of the size, and you aren’t forced into single paths like normal slow paced levels (battle1 as an example), and you are allowed a few choices in some areas. A negative side effect of that is it’s harder to predict players in exchange for more options on defense. Since the layout isn’t built to be fast paced, yet it still retains more ‘choice’, which you might think is a common attribute to fast paced levels, this level, in my opinion, is amazing in that aspect. The game-play seems to have a personality, and the aspect of ambushing seems to shine the most here. Ambushing encourages hit and run, which is a like it or dislike it aspect of game-play.

Another cool thing is the theme of this level seems to fit perfectly with the ambush style game-play, I can imagine running around sand dunes, being sly and jumping out at my opponents. In my opinion, I didn’t think the theme was enough to support the rather bland looking eyecandy though.

I thought it was really cool how the right side of the level had tricky areas that seemed to merely be walls, but they were climbable; A skilled player can climb up the sand to a considerable height, and hide up there to frustrate a rushed opponent in a timed match.

Please download this level, host it often. I hope to have fun here next bash.

-fs

Running is hard…

Sandstone Ruins

Sandstone Ruins, made by Qz for Pj’s battle contest. It uses Evilmikes Temple tileset. Since this tileset is underused and I have only seen one level besides this, I shall do my best. This is a review exchage by the way.

Gameplay: The gameplay in this level. It runs smoothly on the ground, BUT, I must point out the dunes get very annoying, or sand you could call it. The masking is very bad, so it is a chance willing to take using the tileset. Anyway, the level, around position 50,23 you can get stuck very, VERY easily. I would recommend not having a dead end there but that is in my opinion. Overall the level runs smoothly except for the walls, and spot 50,23.(annoying)
7.5/10

Eyecandy: Lets see, in this level the eyecandy isn’t exploding, but it also has more than average. I like how you use the dunes all around the level, in layers 3 perhaps. It makes the level fit, I guess you could say. I also think, in this tileset there isn’t much eyecandy but I must also say that Qz did a very good job using it. All the tiles fit, seems good.
8/10

Ammo/Carrot/Powerup placement: Let’s start off with ammo. The placement of ammo is pretty good, but I am seeing in yours that in the underground part(Left) it gets empty. Also near the bottom right(By the Rf pu) it is also very empty. This can be an issue, having no ammo. And it can slow down the pace of the level. Carrots.. There are 3 +1 carrots, and they are also placed in I guess okay spots, in the corners and on a specific platform, so the carrot has it’s own spots. And the powerups.. The Rf powerup at times can be hard to reach. The bouncy powerup I have no opinions about. As for the toaster, it can get a bit buggy getting up to there but it is placed well.
7.5/10

Positives: Good eyecandy, placement of carrots

Negitives: Tends to be a bad flow

Overall this level is well built and it deserves to be played a few times. As there aren’t many battle like this, I think I will host this often when doing battle.

Score: 7.5/10+8/10+7.5/10+.3=8

~HïTçH

[Edit: Added more ammo, fixed spot 50,23. +.3 added.

The eyecandy is really nice and original. You have used all kind of tiles for making good eyecandy. I don’t like the yellow colour in layer 8. I didn’t notice any tilebugs which is a good thing (of course)

The gameplay is really nice too. Platforms looks nice and the springs are well placed. The game had a good flow. There are tubes and warps also, but the level is not very strategical after all.
Ammo placement is ok and PU’s are well placed. There are 3 carrots in this level and i think that it’s too much.
Level’s size is normal.

Overall this is really nice battle level with good gameplay and original eyecandy. Not very strategical, but it’s still fun to play.

Rating: 8.2
Download Recommendation: Yes

-TripleJ

Let me take the task of common reviewer on myself while other don’t. :P

This level is very well comprimised if you take a look at the weapons. There are just enough weapons for its size.I liked the doghouses at the 2 bottom-sides, where you could warp with. The eyecandy of the background is very good, but I missed some foreground eyecandy. The flow was good over the entire level, execpt for the middle top, where there is open space.
Also, the music doesn’t really fit the level.

Gameplay: 8,5
Eyecandy: 7,5
Originality: 8

Final Grade: 8

Good job, I think you can do even better.

Very Good level :P

[Unsupported rating (10.0) clearance. Please provide more support for your rating. For more information on writing a proper review, see the \Review Rules\. – Cooba]

I’ll start with the eyecandy. I saw that you used almost all aspects of this tileset(which is a very good tileset for the level) and thus you used this tileset very well. Another thing I noticed is that the layer5 had very good eyecandy , I like the variety you used in this layer. As you can see , I haven’t really something bad to say about the eyecandy. Next , the gameplay. This level aint 100% symmetrical and that absolutely improves the gameplay a lot. And it’s still not biased ,good job there. The flow in this level is good too , I can see you’ve been working on this. There’s one bad thing I’d like to say : the seeker PU is placed on a tiny floor , this floor should have one-way IMO. But that’s only a detail. Let’s continue with the placement. The carrot might be a bit campy , but the tubes in the middle can make you cross the level without your opponent knowing it. The Seek Pu is placed in the middle of the level so that’s fair , the bouncy and toaster PU aren’t paced symmetrical , but that’s fine as it’s still well placed , just like the other ammo : not too much , neither too less. Perhaps the 2 toaster boxes at the left side of the level will make this floor be full of toaster ammo as people will shot the boxes without taking the ammo. Again , this is only a detail.
Good job , Quickz , I really like this one;)

Rating : 7.5 (+0.2 for the music which fits this level well)

You won’t know that Hidden Savanna is a very small level when you first play in it, but you’ll certainly feel cramped the moment you set foot in it. There is virtually not a single place where you can’t see a wall or a ceiling in this 105×80 CTF level.

I’ve played a little 1v1, some 2v1, and a 2v2 game to 4 points here…excluding the 2v1 game, I think it’s easy to camp at the carrot and the seeker PU in duels, since you have no team mate to attack the camper in your place. You’re a bit more at danger if you camp with just one or two hearts, but as long as you’ve got the ammunition (and the gung-ho attitude), you’ll give your opponent a hard time.

The flow is fast and smooth, which is fun, although the symmetry, size, and tileset choice of the level leans too heavily towards gameplay. There hasn’t been much attempt at breaking new ground anywhere, and there’s not much eyecandy either. It’s as simple as the level.

One thing worth mentioning about Hidden Savanna is its predictability. This level doesn’t require you to memorise much. It’s got a basic platform layout, and the suckertubes and warps are all easily accessible. The flag arrows really do count here, and you can deduce where your opponent is going just by the direction he’s heading for (honestly, many levels aren’t like this at all!). Tensions can run high when two or more players stalk each other, trying to guess where the other is going and getting there before them.

Long story short: Nice, small CTF level.

Rating: 7.2, and a download recommendation.

Oh, and Unknownfile betatested too (but he won’t mind).

Visual Appeal – 3 out of 5

First of all, I never liked this tileset too much. Mainly because it’s nearly the least flexible set in existance, since it’s so heavily based on style rather on functionality, which roughly translates to “every level using this tileset will look the same”. And this level is no exception to this non-written rule: it looks exactly the same as the whole buckets of Swamps levels. There’s nothing original about the eyecandy, and after having seen so many of visually the same Swamps levels, it just stopped being anyhow appealing to me. There are no annoying tile errors in this level at least. Overall, use a different tileset next time.

Playability – 4 out of 5

For starters, I’m not too fond of the layout. Some places were clearly inspired by other Swamps levels, and while it’s not a bad thing, it can get annoying sometimes. For example, the two tubes in the middle of the level placed JUST by the FastFires can get really annoying, and the Seeker powerup box just encourages camping, since it’s so close to the bases. There are also Bouncer and Toaster powerups, which make up a fairly good balance, seeing as this level is mostly enclosed. The Toaster powerup has to be accessed by passing through a hole in a tree, which makes it a dead end, unless one uses logic and shoots it with an Electroblaster, avoiding being trapped in the cramped room. It doesn’t seem to fair seeing as the Bouncer PU is just placed between two vines, which doesn’t create a situation seen in the Toaster PU.

Summary

• Well balanced
• Flows decent

• The overused and boring tileset
• Some of the layout is.. questionable

Overall
A decent level by Quickz. Doesn’t have anything original nor outstanding, but still should play well in an occasional 2on2. Definitely Qz’s best level, but also definitely not an 8.

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!

A small, symmetrical but nice level by Quickz.

Gameplay: This is nice. A Good flow and no deads ends. The level is very open and allows a lot of room for movement and if you fall down somewhere, you can just continue running to where you have to go because all the paths go to the same place. The springs are placed well and prevents dead-ends. The only thing that irks me are the walls to the right of the blue base, and same for the red base, that lead to that wooden bridge. It kinda disrupts the flow. Maybe you could have used diagonal tiles instead, or floatups.

Ammo placement: Good! They’re all placed in shapes and in big amounts, which is enough for 3vs3’s. You have to jump to get them though, theres nothing you can just run by to pick them up (except for the springs, where you just fall down/go up :P) Good PU choices, and no Seek PU :D The warps to the RF PU’s are very close to the other 2 PU’s though, so you could first get the other one, run back a little and get the RF PU.

Eyecandy: Not the strongest part of the level, but the gameplay makes up for it. For some reason I do like it, because the level is easy to navigate because of the eyecandy. It’s very easy on the eyes, but some parts are just empty and the layer 5 usage is basic. The trees and stuff atleast fill the level up.

Buggys: Couldn’t find anything like tilebugs, but it’s kinda Spaz biased. Jazz CAN reach everything, but it’s easier for Spaz.

Download Recommendation: Yes!
It’s nice to play in and the gameplay, flow and ammo placement make up for the eyecandy.