Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

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.

A clan level… Sounds good already. Let me praise the level in my review:

GAMEPLAY:

Not good at all… It isn’t too balanced and even if it was, the bad flow alone could just kill the level. It’s too cramped in many places and it occasionally frustrated me. I hope when you said “a plain, simple CTF warping lvl” doesn’t mean you’re ever going to make another one again, because excessive warps can be annoying in a CTF level or most levels for that matter. If you’re going to use warps, I suggest using them with better ideas for strategy. Like in Diamondus Warzone for example, there are two warps to a carrot in a box. Something like that would be better for CTF.

EYE CANDY:

As far as I know, there is none. The level is black and off-white with an annoying flashing background. I’m hoping in the future you use better tilesets; ones with actually usable eye candy.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

Add a carrot so I can criticize the placement. As for ammo placement, it’s sadly one of the better features of this level. It seems to appear in small groups of clumps throughout the level. In the future, try using a full energy carrot and some power ups.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

Nope. You’re going to have to stick to the basics before you can get higher ratings. 5.2 unless if I find my rating index card and it tells me different.

cough not 1.23 cough

Can you even make 1.23 tilesets? I would be willing to help…

It’s a nice tileset, but why TSF?

Probably FS’s best level so far. I’ll explain:

GAMEPLAY:

Even though this level has bases at opposite corners, it’s balanced for the most part. The warp near each base helps balance it. The layout is simple and easy enough to get from base to base. It almost reminds me of Happy Semiconductor CTF, which is a little strange since FS doesn’t like that level a whole lot (though IMO it still owns). Nevertheless, I’m not going to go into much more detail, but the gameplay’s good and that’s all that really counts.

EYE CANDY:

Definitely above average. I liked this feature the most in this level. The 3rd and 4th layers looked good, but the BG layers were a break from the ordinary. You can definitely tell some effort was put into the eye candy.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

There’s a full energy carrot placed somewhat between the two bases—nothing wrong with this. And for some added strategy, you could jump down to get it from above, or swipe it from beneath with a copter. There’s also some good ammo and powerup placement, not to mention TNT for a little bblair feel. Everything is good here.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

I would say so. I enjoyed the brief time I played this level online (even though I was losing the whole time). 8.2 is my rating.

FYI: 404 error.

You might want to fix that…

Hmmm… Overrated. The average rating of 8.9 is a little deceptive. The level honestly is short, boring, lacks eye candy, and isn’t too original. As for difficulty, the level wasn’t too hard (just a lot of baddies). Just because it’s the intro isn’t an excuse to make a level as bad as this one. I’m hoping that in the full version you make major improvements and you add some new ideas (the story might need some work, too, but it isn’t too bad). If this was as good as I thought it was, I wouldn’t have bothered rating this. But it isn’t, so I’m giving a 6.2 for this level. I’ll expect something much better from the full version.

Too bad that last obstacle won’t work online…

One Silver Penny? What an evil idea…

GAMEPLAY:

I can’t find anything horribly wrong with this. I can get around easily. It looks balanced for the most part. I don’t think I can get stuck anywhere. And one coin for the coin warp sorta adds a little originality. I barely played it online, but everything seems alright; No real complaints here.

EYE CANDY:

The eye candy is pretty good. It looks a little bland with all of the purple on purple on purple, but that’s just the tileset. Other than that, it’s definitely above average.

CARROT AND AMMO PLACEMENT:

And here is the evilest part of the level: a full energy carrot only accessible with a coin. Nice idea, maybe too evil since you could hog the coin and keep anyone else from getting it. I like it; it adds some strategy. I have nothing bad to say about where the ammo and powerups have been placed.

HOST THIS OFTEN?

If you suddenly get the urge for a duel or a 2vs2, consider this evil level. I’m giving this an 8 just because.

I’ll just write a short review, assuming that you won’t make any more CTF levels in the near future:

Just Your Typical Level

GAMEPLAY: Semi-cramped with bad spring usage. No borders at the top?
EYE CANDY: Not bad.
CARROT PLACEMENT: I’ll tell you when I find one.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Alright, but TNT?
HOST THIS OFTEN? Nah.

Non-Union Computer Store

GAMEPLAY: Kinda balanced, alright flow.
EYE CANDY: Almost slightly above average. Lighting at top might be too dark.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Probably too many carrots.
AMMO PLACEMENT: TNT again! Why? Else generally decent.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Nope, but I almost like it.

LabLocked

GAMEPLAY: Not too balanced at all.
EYE CANDY: Average.
CARROT PLACEMENT: A bunch of them thown around once again.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Almost alright.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Much less often than the last level.

Stupid CTF

GAMEPLAY: Simple.
EYE CANDY: A change of pace with a moving layer. Nifty.
CARROT PLACEMENT: None that I know of.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Simple with no powerups.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Still no, but I somehow like this one the most.

Overall review: Some of these levels use shields and they all aren’t too spectacular. It may have been accepted back then, but these levels are outdated. They don’t even loop completely, but I suppose you wouldn’t care too much since you didn’t update them in years. I’m not even sure if you care about this review. Anyway, I’ll be nice and make 6.7 my rating. I would say play this mainly for nostalgic purposes.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]