Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

And still another compacted contest level review:

Intergalactic Isometry

GAMEPLAY: Balanced. Good flow and layout.
EYE CANDY: Good. A little different.
CARROT PLACEMENT: I like it.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Alright.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Every now and then.

Overall review: This is definitely on of the better levels in my contest. It’s balanced and has nice flow. And best of all, it uses mostly slopes so it can make the weaker bouncers (compared to the RFs) slightly more useful. I don’t know about the ice in the level… Although it can be useful at times, like when you don’t have any powerups at hand, it makes me skeptical. There are 3 powerups total, and even though the ice is close to the base, there’s a powerup nearby, too. And all of the inclines may make it harder to use. Other than that (it’s nothing big anyway), it’s a good level and I liked it when I first saw it. A 7.7 is what I’ll rate this.

To be honest, The Warp Z0ne was better…

GAMEPLAY:

Not too different from that other level, just no warps. It is easier to get around, but it looks more dull than before. The worst thing in this version is the “secret” area with all of the food. It’s too easy to access, it’s annoying to go through (especially with the poles), and it’s not even needed. And better yet, the warp target is near some vines; if a player gets shot onto the vines, he/she will be stuck there. Also, it’s slightly harder to get into the bases. One tile wide paths are usually a bad idea to use.

EYE CANDY:

I suppose it’s better than before, but it’s still not that good. You might as well use a different tileset (and please don’t upload another version of this level again).

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

Carrots in barrels? Carrots in barrels are the worst thing to use. Not only can a player hit the barrel so that several carrots appear, only works for the server can truly get them (other players can get 3 heart killed or whatnot). Ammo placement could be better, but at least the powerup placement is good.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Less often than Battle3. I’m giving this a 4, and please make bigger levels.

The Edit: Another victim of the edit. A 3 sounds more suitable. Sorry.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

I think I would have enjoyed rating this if I could have actually seen it.

In that case… read my review my review for “Auqa Zone 2.1”.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

Ummm… interesting…

GAMEPLAY:

Let me just say this: it’s like one of those levels where you use tubes to go room to room but much worse. The idea in and by itself isn’t bad; it just wasn’t made too well. You could have placed the warp targets. What makes this worse than a sucker tube version is being able to shoot someone while warping, which renders that player incapable of moving and much easier to kill (ultimately a cheap move to use). So the layout lacks flow and is a little annoying trying to get around. The best part of this level has to be the balance, but that’s just because of its small size and simplicity.

EYE CANDY:

Not so good. Probably a bad choice for a tileset since you said you had trouble creating a better background. If you can’t make good eye candy with a certain tileset, you might as well use another one. Even so, I bet the eye candy could be better with that tileset.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

There are two +1 carrots in the middle and one in each coin warp. You might as well used a full energy carrot, although two +1 carrots right next to each other isn’t the worse thing that could have been done. The ammo placement isn’t much. The powerups are placed alright, but I don’t recommend putting powerups in a coin warp, especially one requiring as much coins.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

If you do, you must be really bored. I may have liked that other level I saw online more. I’m rating 4.7 just because.

The Edit: It’s more like a 3.5 on second thought. Feel free to blame my rating system.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

First CTF level? This should be good…

GAMEPLAY:

There isn’t much balance just from base placement (blue base – bottom right; red base – top right). For one thing, less poles (like zero or one pole) would be better at the top right, especially since that area isn’t worth going to too often. There is no flow and the layout needs major improvements. Also, the tubes in the level are too slow. Set them to 20 or something.

EYE CANDY:

Not that good eye candy. Either it looks average or much worse. I never really like background tiles being lined up with layer 4. The textured background looks bad in 16-bit and worse in 8-bit. And the spikes aren’t needed in the level. I find naming a level “Burnin lava” would mean the level has actually lava in it. Of course there isn’t any—just some boring lava lamps. Another tileset, like Skulg’s Where Bad Rabbits Go, would fit the title much better.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

It only uses +1 carrots—need I say more? A full energy carrot placed in between the bases would be better (or two full energy carrots). Ammo placement needs work; though, the powerup placement is slightly better. But there is TNT and that is if I had to guess, all of the generating events respawn too fast. Set the generator somewhere between 15 and 25.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Nope. I’ll make 5.2 my rating.

Once again a compacted contest level review:

Dimension CTF

GAMEPLAY: Almost balanced. Alright flow. Layout needs work.
EYE CANDY: Somewhat average. Good in some places. Needs work in others.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Alright.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Not bad.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Nah.

Overall review: This level needs some amending in several places. It looks like you were trying to make the level symmetrical. So why didn’t you use the same type of springs at 45,50 and 78,50? The level seems too open with all of the platforms it uses. The level looks rather empty; it might be better if something else was placed at the top of the level, even if it’s just another border. The base placement is a little different (I almost like it), but someone can get stuck around there. In fact, someone can get stuck in several places. I’m not going to mention everywhere exactly, but you should beta test more before uploading. The eye candy was… a little innovative in several places but overall not too good. The trasparent tiles in the background either didn’t look good or they were confusing and annoying. And I saw a few tiling errors. Everything else in this level is generally decent. 6.5 is what this level gets.

Blackraptor made another CTF level.

GAMEPLAY:

Well, you happened to place the bases in what could be my least favorite positions: one base somewhat in the middle of the level and the other in a corner. A layout like this could be hard to trully balance. As for the flow, it’s almost alright. The idea with the different tube route depending on where you enter is a nice change from the ordinary (may be the best feature of this level). However, there are several places where you can get stuck because of one ways. And you probably should have used some faster method for setting the triggers at the start. It takes too much away from gameplay (the tube doesn’t have to make players wait that long).

EYE CANDY:

Good, but average, in a sense. It’s a little new in several places but overall done before. The background is somewhat different, but just a slight variation of what FireSword did in High Volume CTF. I think it would be hard to squeeze much more original eye candy, but since you haven’t used this set too often (most likely), be my guest and try.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

There’s a full energy carrot between the two bases. And then there’s a warp at the top right to a +1 carrot, and a tube to +1 carrot on the right side of the level. All carrots are pretty much easily accessible from the top half of the level and would be harder from the bottom half. This could complicate gameplay, and you only really need one extra +1 carrot if any. Ammo placement seems a little scarce but alright and the powerups are placed well enough (from a glipse at least).

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Not too often. The level is alright, but I liked the Starlight level more. 7.2 is the rating.

The level revised: The start now takes less time so that’s good. And there’s now a spring at 25,25 so that’s also good. There were some other fixes along with improved eye candy (as Blackraptor claims), but I can’t really find that so I’ll just take his word for it. Anyway, while I’m in the mood for generosity, I’ll give this a 7.7 just because (but that’s as high as I’ll go).[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

Yet another compacted contest level review:

Rather useless CTF

GAMEPLAY: Pretty much balanced. Alright flow. Good layout.
EYE CANDY: Somewhat above average.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Good.
AMMO PLACEMENT: No complaints.
HOST THIS OFTEN? More likely than not.

Overall review: At first, playing this level may be tough and confusing. It’s not easy to get used to right away. But after a while, it does become more fun to play (like Flash and Unhit mentioned in the readme). The flow in the level could be a little better and less narrow in places, but it’s otherwise good. This level reminds me of JAIL and my first impressions of it. It’s a nice level and you shouldn’t turn it down just because you don’t find it too easy to get around at first. 8.2 is my rating for this level. It’s another good level to own newbies in.

BTW, flag bug with one tile borders generally only happens when there is a lot of lag.

This level is alright.

GAMEPLAY:

The layout is good, but I question it. I can get around the level alright, but I’m not for the platforms in it. The wall jumping thing is nice, but I suppose someone could get stuck in it. It’s not that big a deal though, and I haven’t got stuck yet. What I’m really wondering about is the balance. The bases are placed in opposite cornors of the level. I guess this is alright since there is a warp near the blue base at the bottom which could occasionally take a player very close to the red base at the top (or some other random spot in the level or a +1 carrot). I can live with this (maybe).

EYE CANDY:

It’s good, just not too spectacular. But in reality, the branches are being held up by nothing and defy the laws of gravity. But that’s ok since you need those platforms and the whole game doesn’t make much sense anyway.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

Well, there are +1 carrots placed throughout the level. That’s not my favorite way to use carrots and it makes the level slightly more suited for battle mode (I more often than not end up using one or two full energy carrots). It’s not the worse thing, but you have to get used to it. Anyway, the ammo placement is alright, along with the powerups.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Once or twice. Not too addictive. Though I definitely like this level more than your past levels. I’m thinking 7.5 as my rating.

Another compacted contest level review:

The Marshes of Twilight

GAMEPLAY: Probably balanced. Alright flow and layout.
EYE CANDY: Good.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Nice. I like it a lot.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Nothing bad here.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Host this a lot.

Overall review: I can’t find anything wrong with this. This might even be the first level I ever saw with vertical rain using this tileset. I was going to give this an 8.2 until I noticed something interesting with the carrot. This might as well be my favorite entry in the contest (too bad I couldn’t choose this as the winning level). 8.5 is my rating.

The Edit: I went a little overboard with the rating when I first reviewed this. This is really an 8.2 at best, but it’s still my favorite level out of the contest I held.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

A Two Level CTF Pack review:

Jungle’s Edge

GAMEPLAY: Balanced. Nice flow. But 3rd layer tree area in middle not too favored.
EYE CANDY: Good and a little innovative.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Full energy carrot at top. Good enough.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Alright.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Somewhat often.

Termite Haven

GAMEPLAY: Pretty much balanced. Alright flow and layout. Got stuck once.
EYE CANDY: Above average. Maybe confusing, but not really.
CARROT PLACEMENT: No complaints.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Good enough for me.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Probably.

Overall review: I liked these two levels for the most part. The only thing is, Jungle’s Edge has that tree area in the center of the level that I didn’t like mainly because of all of the 3rd layer in it. And in Termite Haven, I liked it more when you were able to get the carrot easily from the right side (unless if there’s another route I haven’t noticed). This pack is almost an 8.5 except for the few flaws I saw. So 8.2 will be my rating.

BTW, if I were you, I would have moved the bases in Termite Haven back to where they were before I asked you to fix their positions for the contest. It seemed to work out better before.

You can rate this if you want. It’s still a little glitched though…

I can’t just say exactly. You should test it online and see for yourself.

BTW, I’m not going to review this since this is assault more than anything and I’m only obligated to review CTF levels.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

Hmm… Looks like someone has been taking my advice…

GAMEPLAY:

Unlike some levels made before this one, I can actually get used to it. I’m a little skeptical about balance, though the layout is good. It could be a bit wider on the right side of the level. The flow needs some fixing in a few places. Like near the fast fires, you should modify it so that the spring keeps the x-value and players don’t bump up against the ceiling. And you should be careful with the types of springs you used and where you placed them. If jump on a spring and hit a ceiling, consider a weaker spring. And avoid unnecessary springs. Also, something I should mention I rather disliked: to the right of the red base there are some sucker tubes that I think are a bad idea. They’re too slow to be much of an escape route. It’s more of a potential death trap if you ask me (since someone could wait at the other end and shoot you). Except it’s not something you would accidentally go into very often. My suggestion would be change the speed of the tubes so it’s faster or change it to something entirely different.

EYE CANDY:

Above average and some of the best I’ve with this tileset (could even compete with some of Cell’s work). The only thing is, it’s a little confusing in several places (like around 68,30), but otherwise it’s good.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

There is a full energy carrot and two +1 carrots in this level. The full energy carrot is somewhat closer to the red base than the blue base which may be a slight problem. The placement of the +1 carrots are a little better. On the left side it’s easier to get the carrot then the blue flag. On the right side, you can get the red flag and then the +1 carrot. Not how I would have done it, with it different on each side, but it’s ok. Ammo placement and powerups are placed alright, though you might want to put a generator on the RF powerup.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

More often than his previous levels. This is a 7.5, but could easily be rated higher if those problems I mentioned were solved.

Looks like Cell made another semi-laggy level. But what do I think?

GAMEPLAY:

It’s a little orignal and symmetrical from what I can tell. It’s easy enough to get from base to base; nothing wrong with the flow. The only thing I didn’t like about the layout was at the bottom middle where there is the bouncer and toaster ammo. You could have done something more than just make straight paths from one side to another. That’s the only thing I found wrong.

EYE CANDY:

This level has some of the best eye candy that I’ve seen with this tileset. The background makes the level a little laggy and can be a little confusing, but that isn’t that much of a problem since Hardware Acceleration and/or Low detail can be used. It’s also a shame that the level can’t really live up to the name in 8-bit as it does in 16-bit.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

The full energy carrots in this level were placed slightly differently from what I normally would see. One is placed at the bottom left and the other bottom right. Near each carrot, there are springs that lead to a warp to the top middle of the level. On top of that, there’s a seeker powerup near that warp target. This could lead to some interesting gameplay. Anyway, ammo placement was overall alright and no complaints with the placing of the powerup.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Maybe. Decide for yourself. I’ll rate this a 7.7 since it’s a nice level but could be a little better.

Heh, nice! Thanks a lot!

To be honest, I was expecting something much better…

GAMEPLAY:

I wish I could say it was almost balanced, but it’s not even close. On the left side, there’s the blue base near the top of the level with lots of ammo and a carrot. While on the other side, theres the red base close to the bottom with almost nothing there except for a blaster powerup and some fast fire. If games could be played fairly every time this level was hosted, it would be a miracle. And I don’t really understand that huge hole at the bottom of the level. I think it’s too deep, but I suppose it could be used strategically (maybe, if anyone is willing to play the level that is). Also, I found a slight tiling error to the right of the red base. It’s small, but you can tell by the masking of the wall that different tiles should have been used.

EYE CANDY:

It’s average.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

The full energy carrot is placed too far to the left and too close to the blue base (I’m assuming there’s only one carrot so please correct me if I’m wrong). This makes the gameplay even more unbalanced. The ammo is also not placed well at all. It’s in a few clumps in a few places, but not spread thoughout the level. If I knew any better, I would say that this level isn’t even finished yet (which wasn’t mention in the Author’s description). Please fix this, please.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

I advise that you don’t. I’m kinda hoping Trafton wasn’t trying too hard when he made this level. 6.5 is my rating.

This is a symmetrical CTF level. And this is my review:

GAMEPLAY:

It isn’t bad, but I don’t like it much at all. It’s not too easy to get around, and the layout looks plain and boring. I can’t say making the level symmetrical was a bad idea. It’s definitely more balanced as your other levels, but I still feel the gameplay and the layout could be much better. It seems squared off in many places and very little choice of routes in others (like at the bottom near where the carrot is). I also advise not to use destruct scenary too often since it’s nearly pointless and slows players down. And the best way to avoid the spring glitch is to not use horizontal springs at all. Most levels don’t need them for good gameplay so yours shouldn’t either. Also, at the bottom left and right, there shouldn’t be those springs and pole where there is pepper spray. It impedes gameplay and it isn’t worth going out of the way.

EYE CANDY:

It’s nothing special, nor is it that good. The eye candy is basic, but the foreground is a little nuisance and the background could have been designed better (unless if the tileset is more limiting than I thought). When I make my levels, I always choose a good tileset where making good eye candy won’t be too hard. The tileset you used definitely isn’t one of Disguise’s best, so my best advice is to use more popular tilesets (even if you’re against that). This can help you get higher ratings with your levels.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

I would guess there are two +1 carrots and one full energy carrot. Not bad, except you can get both +1 carrots easily, though that’s not that big a deal. Ammo placement could use some work, but the powerups aren’t placed badly. You should spread +3 ammo more throughout the level and seldomly use crates and/or barrels.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

I’m thinking no. A 6.7 is what I’m going to rate this. This level is not even set to loop. I do like this level more than the prior ones, though.

Blackraptor made another CTF level…

GAMEPLAY:

In three words: unbalanced, confusing, annoying. It doesn’t look like there was much effort put into giving this level good flow and balance. Some of the same tiles in the sprite layer were used in the background which is usually a bad idea. And the warps to the right of the blue base are annoying. Here’s some advice: try to avoid placing one base much higher than the other one; it makes the level harder to balance. And don’t use so many poles.

EYE CANDY:

The eye candy isn’t that bad except for the same tiles used in the BG and layer 4. The level doesn’t look bad, but I would probably like it more if it used another tileset.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

There is a full energy carrot which can only be reached through a 10 coin warp. And on top of that, it’s much closer to the blue base than the red base. That further unbalances the gameplay. You shouldn’t be putting full energy carrots in a coin warp (unless if you do something like what Cell did in “One Silver Penny”). And even worse… there’s also a +1 carrot near the blue base. Let me move on to ammo placement. It’s not so good and I think it’s been placed just so that the level has some ammo in it. I’m not sure of what you planned on using the ice for. The powerups are, well, repetitive (at least with the bouncers). 3 bouncer powerups total (and one of them is in the coin warp).

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Probably not. 6.5 because this level needs a lot of improvement.

I don’t really feel like reviewing this right now, but I’m just going to get it over with.

GAMEPLAY:

A small level with a semi-cramped layout. I guess it’s almost balanced. It’s not bad for a first CTF level. The flow is alright, but why the stump with the float ups around it? It’s like ever since EvilMike used it in that one level, everyone wants to copy it. I can’t say that it kills the gameplay, but just find it a little annoying sometimes. Also, there are some useless areas throughout the level that should have been fixed before (I say don’t bother and move on to a new level).

EYE CANDY:

The eye candy is a little different for a swamp level. I kinda like the feel, but it could be much better. I was a little annoyed with the unnecessary usage of the 3rd layer and the trees placed in the foreground. In the level, I also found some tiling errors like with the abrupt change from light colored grass to darker grass.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

I almost like the carrot placement. I think (due to the fact Ninja doesn’t even know for sure) there are only 2 carrots: one full energy and one +1. The full energy carrot, located in the bottom middle and only accessible with a warp, is placed alright. But the +1 carrot is on the right side of the level which could unbalance the gameplay a bit. There could be another carrot on the other side, but even if there was, that wouldn’t change my rating too much. And I almost forgot about ammo: I can live with it, but it doesn’t help the level much. Similar applies to the powerups.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Maybe host it if you get really bored. 6.7 is the rating. (and yes, I reviewed this after d/l’ing your “Last update”)

Edit: My review is slightly upgraded to a 7.0 because of better eye candy. If you update this again, I’m not changing my rating. BTW, this makes you a liar. What happened to your “Last update”?[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

Not a bad level. A little simple, but ok.

GAMEPLAY:

I can’t say I hate it. It’s a little simplistic and balanced for the most part, but the flow could use some work. There’s nothing horribly wrong with the layout except for a few empty spaces around the level. Like in the top corners, I know you were probably just using that area for eye candy but you could have put some ammo there, too. The gameplay is nothing extraordinary, but decent nonetheless.

EYE CANDY:

I would say it’s alright. A little innovative but not too spectacular. It’s a tad plain in some places, but that just might be the tileset. Let me just say I’m glad that the clouds aren’t transparent, because it sometimes creates lag when played online, especially with the lighting (yeah, I know I could just turn it off, but I generally play with Hardware Acceleration off).

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

The full energy carrot is placed in the bottom middle of the level and there’s nothing wrong with that. The ammo, on the otherhandm is placed scarcely around the level; it could be placed in some other places. As for the powerup placement, I can’t say there’s anything wrong with it, but I probably would have made two warps to the seeker powerup on each side and the toaster powerup somewhat in the middle or something like that. Overall, the placement of everything isn’t bad.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

I wouldn’t say so, but you can host it once in a while. A 7.2 is what I’ll give this.