Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

The tables have turned, it seems. The biased one is now the one who is being reviewed by US. ;-P

Anyways, this is a pretty creative single player level featuring some pretty cool gameplay. While I do want to see that last J2S poll result, I’ll still review this because…well…I have no will whatsoever. Now for the review!

TILESET/TILESET USE: Tileset use looked pretty cool. Indeed, in fact, it was quite enjoyable. The only real problem I had was the arches within the level, which were quite annoying and got in the way a lot. Other than that, gameplay was pretty enjoyable.
Pros: Looks very nice.
Cons: The annoying arches can get in the way.
Rating: 8.5

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Weapon placement was pretty good, though in general you won’t need to much weapons in this level. It is more of a puzzle level than anything else, and makes this quite clear. While you will fight plenty of enemies, the fights are mainly strategic and you have to know where to land in order to avoid being damaged while still able to kill the enemies. Placement is good.
Pros: Nice placement.
Cons: Maybe a little too little ammo.
Rating: 8.2

ORIGINALITY: This level is pretty original and features some cool effects.
Rating: 8.2

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Gameplay was not the level’s strongest point. It was often confusing and hard to tell what direction to go in and the player would wind up running around, falling into pits, and trying to avoid dying. Which is not easy. This level, in fact, is not easy at all. But after some practice, it gets easier to understand this level. Still, at the beginning, it can be a bit confusing.
Pros: Good gameplay.
Cons: Confusing.
Rating: 7.0

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This is the sort of level which you can play a lot since it has so many eyecandy details and secrets.
Pros: A lot of secrets and cool eyecandy.
Cons: None.
Rating: 8.5

OVERALL (not an average): “Contention”, which uses Claw Set 1, is a prime example of a creative and well-done single player level. While it may be confusing at first to players, it’s not that hard to adapt to its unique style of play, which makes this an enjoyable and unique single player experience. The only problem I had was the arches, which get in the way. Enabling low detail helps a bit, but not enough to make up for the fact it removes some other eyecandy. This is a solid and skillfully crafted level that deserves your download not only because it’s good but, heck, because it’s Wakeman!
Rating: 7.5 and Download Recommendation

GAMEPLAY: B+
Layout: B-
Creativity: A -
Bugs: B+

EYECANDY: A
Tileset use: A
Eyecandy look: A
Creativity: A -
Bugs: B+

PLACEMENT: B+
Weapons: B+
Enemies: B+
Carrots: A -

THE FINAL GRADE: A -

THE FINAL RATING: 7.5

+ PROS: Good gameplay, good replay value.
- CONS: Annoying foreground layer, last J2S poll is STILL unanswered. ;-P

- Trafton

EDIT: Oh, yes, it includes the new Claw Set, which is quite spiffy.

EDIT AGAIN: Wakeman, the level is quite good. Really, 7.5 is not a bad grade whatsoever. You shouldn’t be disappointed at all. While it is true that hard levels are good, there is a certain limit to difficulty. This is definitely a good level and the arches don’t detract too much. No level is perfect, but you should focus on the positive. The level is definitely very good, and the tileset is really outstanding and I am sure that it will be used quite a bit. Sorry to sound discouraging – it was not what I was trying to sound like.

- Trafton[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

“Planet of Battle” is a battle level using ET’s excellent ET Planet v2. Well, that is, if you can call it using. I find that it is a bit more close to abusing. Anyway, the level is pretty plain. It features some badly placed platforms, springs, and ammo and absolutely no background (happily, no SP blurring problem). The lack of a background makes this level look really desolate, which is accurate, since it is.

TILESET/TILESET USE: Again, it’s more like “abused” than “used”. The entire level features many attempts at eyecandy, none of which are all together that sucessful. They all end up looking cheesy, badly-done, and really messed up. This level is simply ugly in many ways. The tileset use is subpar, and there’s little more to it.
Pros: No.
Cons: Yes.
Rating: 2.7

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Item placement was not as atrocious as eyecandy was, but it still was not much good. Weapon placement was more or less where the average player would go, and it showed a bit of though, but not enough to make it a saving grace for this otherwise ill thought-out level.
Pros: It’s not as bad as it could have been.
Cons: It’s still pretty bad.
Rating: 3.7

ORIGINALITY: This level is about as original as Diet Pepsi.
Rating: 1.7

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: “Gameplay? Gameplay? We don’t need no stinkin’ gameplay.” At least that’s what the author must have been thinking when he made the level. There is absolutely no thought put into gameplay. For instance, there is a frog morph and Eva, which doesn’t work in multiplayer, where the level must be hosted. Oopsie. The rest of it was no better.
Pros: Not really.
Cons: Too many to mention.
Rating: 2.0

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: I attempted to make an analogy to how fun this level is but failed. Just pretend there is something clever here regarding the guy at the fair who guesses your age for a prize.
Pros: None.
Cons: Not fun to replay.
Rating: 2.0

OVERALL (not an average): I think I have made my point. Avoid this level.
Rating: 2.5

GAMEPLAY: D-
Flow: D
Layout: D
Creativity: E
Bugs: D

EYECANDY: E
Tileset use: E
Eyecandy look: E
Creativity: D-
Bugs: D-

PLACEMENT: D
Weapons: D
Bases: N/A
Carrots: N/A

THE FINAL GRADE: D-

THE FINAL RATING: 2.5

+ PROS: The level did not explode and damage my furniture.
- CONS: It did, however, force me to play it.

Keep on working on levels but spend more time on them next time.

- Trafton

Well, this is a tileset. Which consists of pigs. Made for ElectroPiZZa. Shall I go on? Simply put, this really isn’t much of anything to crow about. In fact, it is not very good at all. The tileset is small, done in a rush, and looks like a fourth grader drew it. I know that Wisety did this very quickly in a short period of time, but still, I was expecting more. This really should not have been uploaded. Still, it’d be funny to see a level made out of it and that could happen some day. My rating is 3 and a download recommendation because, well, you don’t see this sort of tileset every day. Or ever for that matter. Just download it.

The only thing, of course, that this tileset is missing as ElectroPiZZa kindly informed me is bacon latters. I have to agree. There is a great lack of bacon within this tileset that severely undermines the overall quality of the piece. Regardless, this is possibly the best pig-themed tileset to come along within the past ten minutes that caused me to randomly insert bold HTML tags into the middle of my review. So, get out there and download it. The porkers are waiting. Or something like that.

Hey, YOU try and give this a senseful review. It is not as easy as it sounds.[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Well, what do we have here? Another level by Wisety Face, it appears. And not a bad one to boot. The whole thing got off to a bad start, as the upload lacks a tileset (it uses Disguise’s own tileset, which he apparently considers common enough to not upload). Anyway, the tileset that this DOES use is “Space Warbase”. And the level uses it pretty well. Let’s go to the review.

TILESET/TILESET USE: Well, the tileset use is actually pretty good in general. The only problem I really have with it is that some parts of the level seem a bit blank. Most of the level is quite full, but just a few areas seem blank. Still, tileset use was good enough (after all, who better to use a tilest than the tileset maker?). I didn’t see any tileset errors at all, which is not that surprising, and everything that was there looked good.
Pros: Looks pretty nice.
Cons: A few empty sections.
Rating: 7.5

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Item and weapon placement were both pretty well-done. Weapons were placed with lots of consideration in a way so that they are in places many people would go. There is also a seeker powerup in the middle. This level is well-banalanced and placement is well-done.
Pros: Nice placement.
Cons: None to mention.
Rating: 8.0

ORIGINALITY: If this level lacks one thing, it is probably originality. It is not that this level is really flawed in anyway or boring, it’s just that there is nothing to differentiate it from other levels. This is easily the level’s weakest area, but it isn’t bad.
Rating: 7.0

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Gameplay was definitely the strongesst point of this levels, namely flow. There are many different preset paths to take, and the level is dynamic. The flow is easily the best part of this level, in that one rarely has to turn around to get from base to base and can just run without hitting anything for quite a while. This is probably the best CTF level flow that I have seen in a while. Nicely done.
Pros: Great flow.
Cons: None to mention.
Rating: 8.5

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: This level gets boring after a while, but not extremely quickly. It’s solid, but its lack of originality is disappointing.
Pros: Good level.
Cons: Not all that original.
Rating: 7.5

OVERALL (not an average): All things considered, this is quite a good level. There is nothing really all that disappointing about it. It’s solid and features a good flow and layout, though not an extremely original one. Flow, item placement, and the like is well-done and obviously showed thought. It was apparently rushed, and this shows some, in that there is not much eyecandy (especially surprising coming from an eyecandy master like Disguise). Still, its a solid play, though there are a few reasons why it probably lost BlurredD’s contest. Still, “Intergalactic Isometry” is a great play that I’m sure will be hosted quite extensively.
Pros: A solid level in every way…
Cons: …except possibly originality.
Rating: 7.7

GAMEPLAY: A -
Flow: A
Layout: A
Creativity: B
Bugs: B+

EYECANDY: B+
Tileset use: B+
Eyecandy look: B+
Creativity: B-
Bugs: A -

PLACEMENT: A -
Weapons: A
Bases: A -
Carrots: A -

THE FINAL GRADE: B+

THE FINAL RATING: 7.5

+ PROS: As said before, this is a solid and enjoyable Capture the Flag level, which has excellent flow.
- CONS: Nothing much new here, though it still is solid.

- Trafton[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Well, the level does work, and a few of the bugs that were reported were removed. Still, I am not convinced that this is a good level. Most of this review is identical to the last review, and for good reason. Simply put, this does not deserve a seperate file. REUPLOAD NEXT TIME.

TILESET/TILESET USE: At least I know that GenEX has been listening to some suggestions, albeit not the ones that were extremely important. More eyecandy has been added in this version, definitely. But it still is not very good at all. Simply put, this level still remains ugly and plain.
Pros: It looks better than it did last time, sort of.
Cons: This tileset has just used up all of its worth, GenEX. Not anything new. At all.
Rating: 3.7

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Not much to say here other than that there is nothing new and nothing astounding.
Rating: 3.7

ORIGINALITY: The level is original. The idea behind it is interesting. Still, there is nothing that was not in the last level. It’s getting old.
Pros: It’s quite original.
Cons: It is original because no one else wants to do it, for it is not a good idea in the first place.
Rating: 3.0

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Gameplay and design is unacceptable. Now that the level works, one can finally actually test this level. Still, there is nothing better. In many respects, I liked this level more when it did not work. Gameplay remains uninteresting and mainly focused on sucker kills. This level bares far too much simularity to “Rat Race,” an Onag level which was released ages ago, and is still better than GenEX’s level, despite its age.
Pros: New gameplay, kind of.
Cons: It is not a very good gameplay.
Rating: 3.7

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: Replay is…well…just as interesting as first play. This level might be striking at first, but it does not improve with time.
Pros: None.
Cons: Nothing interesting here, other than the new gametype (sort of kind of new).
Rating: 3.0

OVERALL (not an average). Sure, it’s original. And sure it has improved in some ways. But regardless, this is not a good level. For all of the effort that the author took to make it work, this is not a good level at all. Next time, put a lot more time and a lot more effort into levelmaking. And use the reupload function.
Pros: It’s original.
Cons: It’s bad.
Rating: 4.0

GAMEPLAY: D
Flow: D
Layout: D+
Creativity: C-
Bugs: C

EYECANDY: D+
Tileset use: C-
Eyecandy look: D+
Creativity: D
Bugs: C-

PLACEMENT: C
Weapons: C+
Bases: C
Carrots: C

THE FINAL GRADE: D+

THE FINAL RATING: 4.0

+ PROS: Interesting idea.
- CONS: It may be an interesting idea, but any interestingness in this bad level was worn out by the second upload, if not a lot earlier.

- Trafton

EDIT: He has uploaded a non-working version. Sigh. Rating lowered to 2.2, accordingly.

EDIT: New, still subpar version reuploaded. This one works – unfortunately.
[This review has been edited by Trafton AT][This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

I have three complaints about this level that are quite major. The first is that it should have naturally been simply reuploaded as opposed to posting it again – it will only lower your average score. The second? The second is that this level was not improved at all. And the third, perhaps most major of all, is that this level does not function. This is absolutely unexcusable and it is obvious this went through no testing at all. So here we go.

This is one of those really insane levels using Dimensions1/Sirius by Agama (tileset not included, but downloadable elsewherre on J2O). The level is interesting, and fairly good, though there are a few eyecandy concerns that drive me crazy. Eccentric is good, but the background layer use in this level eventually gets a little tiny bit annoying, or at lot annoying, depending on your playing style.

You see, the background has a lot of ghost ehoes of tiles in the back that you would expect to be…tiles that there is a good chance one would miss when jumping around the level. Aerial players may not like this.

Still, this is a pretty good level. I like it, and I think it is definitely worth a play. As for the specifics, here is the report card.

GAMEPLAY: B
Flow: B-
Layout: B+
Creativity: B
Bugs: A-

EYECANDY: B
Tileset use: B
Eyecandy look: B+
Creativity: A-
Bugs: B-

PLACEMENT: B+
Weapons: B+
Bases: B
Carrots: B+

THE FINAL GRADE: B

THE FINAL RATING: 6.5

+ PROS: Cool looking.
- CONS: Bases are kind of hard to get to. A few empty areas.

-Trafton[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

OK then…well, this is an interesting idea, but I can not say that it comes out very well during play. Why? Beacuse, first of all: this level shows very little effort. Secondly, this level just is not very good. Why? There is not much eyecandy to look at. A lack of effort shows strongly. And much, much more. This level uses “fantasy world” by The Killer. It’s an OK tileset, though nothing superamazingfantasticilicious. Namely, it’s not the world’s best tileset, but not much is needed for a level like this. The tileset may be limited, but the eyecandy in the level is little more than a few pipes and some ground tile. Snore.

Other than the bleak eyecandy, there were also a few other problems. The gameplay, while certainally novel, is not anything to write home about. The idea of warping from one room or another is one of those ideas that has never been tried before because it is not that interesting.

Gameplay is hard to rate in a level like this, because of the newness. Then again, there is not much talent involved when there is such a small space. Much of it is hoping for not having a warp kill. Since many tiles only have one path to them, there are a lot of stalemates.

Aside from the warping around, there is very little to gameplay. Sure, you can get powerups using coins, but that’s not anything out of the ordinary. Put simply, this really is not a valid gametype, though it is a new idea. Worst of all, it has flag bug.

This just not is a good example of a level. It needed more time, more though, and most of all more “goodness” in order to become a nice level. Sorry GenEX, but this just is not good.

GAMEPLAY: D+
Flow: D
Layout: D+
Creativity: B+
Bugs: A-

EYECANDY: D+
Tileset use: D
Eyecandy look: D+
Creativity: D-
Bugs: B

PLACEMENT: C
Weapons: C
Bases: C
Carrots: C-

THE FINAL GRADE: D+

THE FINAL RATING: 3.7

+ PROS: Interesting idea.
- CONS: Badly done.

- Trafton

EDIT: No, I’m not. There is not enough of a tile surrounding. One is never enough. Try three. I triggered flg bug once, though I must admit it was not easy.
[This review has been edited by Trafton AT][This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

This level has changed a lot since I originally beta tested it, for better or for worse. I am not exactly sure. However, this level does just feel a tad unfinished. Still, it is an OK Capture the Flag level and not bad for a first CTF level. It just needs some polishing.

EYECANDY
Tileset Use: The tilset used in this level was “Lava Lamp” by Skulgh. It’s a good tileset. In this level, the tileset was used questionably in some areas. In a few places, the mountains did not look quite right. Also, the background looks a bit strange. It’s weird walking across spikes. Also, this level seems to suffer somewhat from blockiness – a lot of the used tiles are just blocks.

+ PROS: Does not look horrible.
- CONS: Blocky. Odd background.
VERDICT: 5.0

Creativity in Tileset Use: There is not much creativity in tileset use here. Frankly, there is very little to speak of. The background looks unusual, but that’s a bad thing in this case. There are some interesting window use, but there is not anything ultra-amazing there.

+ PROS: Nothing that looks awful.
- CONS: Nothing very interesting, for that matter.
VERIDCT: 5.0

Tile Errors: It is often hard to decide whether something is a tile error or is just questionable tile use. In this case, I will have to say that there are a lot of questionable tile uses. Other than that, I suppose this measure is alright.

+ PROS: Not a huge amount of obvious tile errors.
- CONS: Questionable tile use in many places.
RATING: 5.0

PLACEMENT OF STUFF
Carrots: There are a few carrots scattered around in the level. They are placed more or less OK, but they seem to be scattered in a fashion that did not have much thought put into it.
+ PROS: Placement was OK.
- CONS: Still seemed a bit random.
VERDICT: 6.0

Powerups: Powerups were generally scattered randomly in plain sight. Not very good.
PROS: N/A
CONS: N/A
VERDICT: 4.5

Basic Weapons: Basic weapon placement was not bad, actually. In fact, I thought it was rather well-done. There was a little bit of randomness to it, but not much. Well done.

EVERYTHING ELSE BECAUSE I AM LAZY: This level is pretty good for a first level. I do not think that there is much to entice players to host it a lot, but it’s still OK. It needs some polishing, but is generally not bad. Well done. My final rating is 5.2.[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

NOTE BEFORE REVIEWING: I would like to note that I like the new rules added to the top of the reviewing thingy. However, I feel the sudden urge to add both “yay this sucks” and “whee argh” into every review.

yay this sucks.
whee argh.

Now that I have that out of my system, the reviews of these two fantastic levels by FireSworD:

“TERMITE HAVEN”
TILESET/TILESET USE: The first level in this pack, FireSworD’s entry to BlurredD’s contest, uses the Beach tileset in very creative ways. Instead of the usual beach look, FireSworD instead used mainly only the wooden tiles. While one might think that this would turn out looking really bland, it does not. The level’s name describes the level very well. It contains a lot of wood that a termite might want to eat, which I assume is the inspiration for the naming. For a level only using a very select collection of tiles from a tileset, it looks quite good. The level’s background sort of makes the level perspective strange. The background of the level in proportion to the level makes it seem as if the area you are in is either quite big or you are quite small. If this was done in an attempt to make you feel as if you had the perspective of the termite, it was very well accomplished. A few of the “regular” Beach tiles such as the spikey creatures were used a few times, but it mostly is just the wooden planks. There were a few areas where the eyecandy felt kind of strange to me, but they were not significant. One thing I notice while playing is that there are a few areas where there is no boardwalk (no pun intended) above the tiles (hard to explain – go to POS 91,9). It looks strange touching the “inner” tile bug this is not a huge deal. A warning to players with older and slower computers: this level does not play nice with low detail, nor most other effects that one would turn off to conserve speed. 8-bit is fine, though. This level also uses ambient lighting, though I have found turning it off does not make the player miss all that much. Still, for best experience, I recommend low detail off, ambient lighting on, and textured backgrounds on. Good use of layers were made throughout this level and I could not spot any noticable tile bugs.
Pros: Really creatively done tileset usage. This level has fantastic eyecandy all around.
Cons: The “exposed” part is a bit weird, but that is not much of a big deal at all.
Rating: 8.7

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Item placement was unsurprisingly well done. While there were a few areas where I found more ammo than others, item placement was well-balanced and overall very well done. Basic ammo was not given an inferior treatment and was placed both strategically and in areas players are likely to pass through. There are a few secrets in this level which contain ammo, but you will have to find those for yourself – it is part of the fun playing this. While the carrot is out in the open, it was well-placed. Weapon and item placement was overall quite impressive.
Pros: Everything was placed quite well.
Cons: Very minute amounts of ammunition clumping.
Rating: 8.5

ORIGINALITY: This is truly where this level shines. The level is not so original that it contains “never done before because it sucks” things but contains a lot of really great ideas. The level reminds me in some ways of Stripe’s better levels with the secrets and creative tileset use. Creativity in tileset use, as opposed to that in gameplay, is really this level’s forte. I am not aware of any instance where the Beach tileset has been used like this in the past, and would be surprised if there was any instance where it was used in that way, let alone used this well. The layering features in JCS were heavily used and, of course, used quite well. This level strikes the perfect balance – a lot of originality, but nothing that has never been done before just because no one likes it.
Pros: Extremely original tileset use.
Cons: Gameplay isn’t that original.
Rating: 8.7

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN:
Pros: Gameplay in this level was pretty good, though it did not live up to the same standards as its tileset use originality did. The level features a layout mixing a fairly standard placement of bases, etcetera, with a few secrets that keep the level new and interesting and provide alternative routes to those who are creative in play. While at first this level’s interesting approach may be overwhelming, after you get the hang of this level, playing in it is very enjoyable. Because of the used tileset, there are a few masking things that get annoying, but in general getting stuck was not a major problem (though it is pretty easy to do so if you really try.) Flow was good, though there were a few areas in which springs did not always line up as they should and did not produce the desired effect. Still, both layout and flow were well-done.
Pros: Good gameplay, layout.
Cons: A few masking issues.
Rating: 8.2

REPLAY VALUE: This level actually improves with play. At first glance, this level was a bit confusing, but after I got the hang of it, it was very fun to play. There are many routes that one can take to get from base to base so gameplay does not get stale. Also, the creative tileset use adds a lot to the replay value of the level as a whole. The use of the tileset, which I have never seen before, adds an interseting aspect to gameplay. No matter how many times I play the level, the look of it still does not get old. This is an excellent level to play many times, though any level can get boring after a while. This certainally is a fun, enjoyable level which can be played over and over without becoming old.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: 8.5

OVERALL: As always, FireSworD has created a great level that is original but not in such a way that no one wants to play it. The creative use of the Beach tileset is something that I have never seen before, but I must say that I like it a lot. Tileset use and originality are not the only thing this level has going for it. The layout of it, gameplay, flow, and everything like that was also very, very nice. This is a fun level that will definitely not get old any time soon. Very good job.
Pros: Original and well-done.
Cons: There are no really overall complaints. That is, I have nothing that is so important it should be listed as an overall con. Look at the individual sections for an idea of the really small problems I encountered, none of which are very significant at all.
Rating: 8.7

I will review the other level shortly. My temporary rating DOES include the other level, which I have played but just need to write the review for.

I have learned many very important things while reviewing this tileset, which happens to be my six hundereth review. The first and most important thing that I learned was that Violet is a codfish. The second and slightly less important thing is that Violet does, in fact, make great Jazz 1 conversions, and it was not JUST Nippius. From what I can see, this is a more or less flawless conversion.

The conversion quality was very good. After a quick lookover, I was simply unable to find anything that differentiated that much from the original, if anything at all. The colors looked right, the conversion seemed to be spiffy, and the masking was all in check – very well done, Violet.

Added tiles were also very good. The textured background and the like all look very good in the example level and with the tileset in general and add to the quality of the tileset. Unlike many conversion tilesets, the added tiles do NOT make the level look cheesy or make the conversion look questionable. If I did not know better, I could have sworn that the background came with the tileset in Jazz 1. Also, it is always great to have a fresh reminder of the Doofusness of Craig. Very well done again.

Masking was good, as I did not get stuck. It’s a basic “regular” mask, featuring a minimum of jaggies and the like. Not much to say here other than that I had no quips with the mask as usual. Well done.

There are a lot of JJ1 tileset conversions out there, but this one is by far one of the best. Keep making conversions like these, Violet. Soon, we will have great versions of all of the Jazz 1 sets…if you can survive through converting them all. ;-P

+ PROS: Spiffy all around.

- CONS: None.

VERDICT: Overall, an 8.7 and download recommendation for this. Very well done. I am proud to have this as my 600th review.

EvilMike is beginning to scare me. If I do not rate this, I will be banned from something and I have no idea why. Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys, this is a more or less good Quake III conversion by PsyBlast, who is “Username”‘s brother. I can not be a judge to how good of a port this is, as I have never played this type of Quake, but I will do my best to rate this as a tileset. All in all, this is a standard conversion. It features many of the tiles one would need to create a basic level and does look like what I would imagine this incarnation of Quake looks like. Much of this import tileset consists of tiles that serve as background eyecandy in Quake. This is okay, and common when there is a port from a game such as this, but it can translate badly when you have no foreground eyecandy in Jazz 2. It is hard for me to give this a full review, so I suppose I will leave it at that or something. I can not lend this a rating, since the person who uploaded it is not who made it (in fact, the person who uploaded it uploaded it from someone who exported it from a game that used someone else’s art…phew). I need more information to give this an actual solid rating of any type, so I will leave this as a N/A both as my official rating and text rating. Still, from what I have seen, it looks good. That is all I have to say for now; I will update this review after extended testing. If everything works as it appears to, nice job. You did a good conversion from what I can see…then again, I have never played the game you converted. Oh well.

Well, this is an interesting new gametype. I will not rate it since the levels are not exactly designed great, and I really would rather not rate it by the gamemode it used. For those who can not download it, the documentation file’s contents (I will edit this and link instead once I can get this uploaded somewhere):

How to Play Domination

Setup

(Server)
Playing Domination is relatively easy, actually. It’s only that you must understand how to play it first. First off, you need at least 6 players and a good server to play on. Two of these people will be scorekeepers, and the others will be players. Also, you will want to set the game type as CTF (one point to win), as there will be two teams (at least two players on each).
(Scorekeepers)
Once you get into the level, the two scorekeepers will rename themselves according to where the domination points are (Left Corner, for example. It’s recommended, but isn’t required). Furthermore, there will be an area where the scorekeepers will warp into, right beside the normal players (see picture).
After teams and scorekeepers are set up just right, the server will start the game!

This is where the players will all start off, including the server and the scorekeepers.
This is the scorekeeper’s box. To get in here, go through the warp, which is just above it in this level. If you can’t find it in other levels, ask the server.
This is the crate that locks the server in the crate area. Simple enough.
This crate is what lets the scorekeepers through first. Make sure, scorekeepers, that you fall on your designated point or you won’t end up where you should be. (Below, there are different coloured blocks that have a warp just above. No two scorekeepers should have the same warp!)
Lastly, this is what lets all the players (and server) through to start the game. Note that this crate is not Jazz-friendly. Get a Spaz to do crate duty if the server is Jazz.

In the Game

Once you have started the game, your objective is to find the domination points and guard it against the other team. The way you achieve points is to be on that point by yourself or with a team member. For every 5 seconds since you made the claim, you receive 1 point (Scorekeepers record both teams’ points for that one area). If the other team comes, blows you off and claims it for them, then they are getting the points instead. The first team to come up with exactly 60 points on one domination point wins the game (if the server/players wish to set the score number differently, it is up to them).
(Or, as another option, you could keep adding up both scorekeepers’ points and play until they equal 60. This is the way we did it while beta-testing, but it took too long to do so.)

Rules

If a player gets stuck, the game is paused, and (s)he is freed. Then, the player(s) who freed the stuckie goes back to their spot(s), and the game resumes. Other players, during this time, MUST NOT MOVE, GET WEAPONS, OR HEALTH. It is unfair to everyone else if you do. (The same goes for when a person times out or is disconnected)
You must be in/on the domination point in order to acquire points.
If a tie is declared, the first team to get a +3 streak in kills, wins. Or, you can play a next-game tiebreaker.
If you win, you have full rights to celebrate. If not, don’t be a sore loser. Practice more. Take revenge later.
Only the server may go in the crate area – anyone else who goes in there will have consequences (up to the server to decide). Or, if the server wants, (s)he may have another person do crate duty.
It is more convenient to make this a passworded game.
No killing/hurting others pre-game time.
Scorekeepers must know how to count. Well. (Count and type simultaneously).
(When counting, go “1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand, …”)
Part seconds DON’T count.
Scorekeepers must say the scores every few minutes, more often towards the end of the game (say in colours, or “R(#), B(#)”).
When at least one player from both teams is in one domination point, counting stops and no points are awarded until only one team remains there once again.
Scorekeepers may NOT tell a team anything about the other team (stats, etc).
When a different team dominates a point, the scorekeeper is obligated to say which team currently has that position (type R or red, or B or blue). If no team occupies a point, it is considered “open” (neither team gets points for an open point).

Codes for Domination

Code Meaning
Stats? What’s your status? (Reply H/D or A/1 or 2/[GR]) (Health/Defend or Attack/Which Point/GR if you are)
D1/D2? Which are you attacking/defending? (assign numbers beforehand)
-> Domination 1 or 2 (usually two points in one level – may be more)
BU! I need backup!
GD Gonna die
GR Weapon/Health gathering (Gaining Resources) —> Any others from CTF or whatever may be used as well, such as “h” for health.

Finishing the Game

One or both of the scorekeepers will get a gold coin in the starting box. In the area they warp to first (when the game actually starts), there will be a coin warp. This warp is only to be taken when the game ends. The warp will take him/her to a little area where they will score a point in CTF and start the level switch. The next level starts, and you start all over again (if you want to, that is).

Notes

The final CTF point doesn’t count towards anything – the team who won the domination march beforehand has already finished the game. This is merely a way to switch levels.
It doesn’t matter what team the scorekeepers are on – just as long as the players are happy with team-mates and opponents.
To make it easier on scorekeepers, man made writing utensils and paper for them to use in the game. (Ticks or numbers – take your pick. While you add up ticks, you can write the number; cross it out, write the next one, etc, and when the time comes to read off the scores,
It is important that the scorekeeper is worthy of everyone’s trust, as he/she will be the only one keeping track of points for that specific domination point.
The difference between “defending” and “attacking”: when you are defending, you are currently on a domination point; when you are attacking, you are going to go blast the other team off one of the points, and claiming it for your own team.
It is helpful for Team Chat to actually be working – otherwise your opponents know what you’re doing and how you are as far as health and weaponry go. That’s not very fun, now is it?
There may be more than 4 players in a server; the above was used as a minimum.
In every level, the domination points are made like a “room”. A player must be in this “room” to be able to get points.
Ex. In “Darkest Hour”, the domination point consists of the entire top platform. There are two exits for each. The little “bump” just identifies the main spot of the domination point.
You may not edit this document without my permission. (Aside from erasing the purple.)
Contacts: MSN Messenger, Email: Fire_Pokemon__@hotmail.com (I’ve had this mail since I first started playing JJ2 – in ’98. Stop laughing.)

When It Comes Time To Rate…
You can’t fully rate this, really, until you’ve played it for yourself.
Feel free to create your own Domination levels. Including this document is also allowed, so that others may know how to play if they don’t. I don’t own this gameplay, so don’t sue me.
The levels are cheesy – I KNOW. They were made in 3 days. Better ones will be made later, so go easy on these ones! Rate on how well you think the gameplay goes in JJ2. It does take a while to set up (gathering ppl, server, etc), so don’t flame me there.
When putting this document into another level zip file thingy, erase the stuff in purple. You may leave some of it if you like, like the first couple points.
———————————————————
The concept itself is fairly complicated compared to many other gamemodes. Also, it’s hard to get enough people who know how to play in order to play. I can see that this gameplay could cause certain “OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG THAT WAS NOT A SECOND YOU ARE A LYING LIAR FACE AND YOUR FACE IS LYING AND FACE-LIKE” disputes, and it would be a good idea to find a group of patient people who are able to work with eachother. Beyond that, this gameplay requires little more than a good method for keeping time and patience – lots of it. The playing manual is frankly a bit confusing if you have not first seen the level, and judging how to play entirely on it can really mess up a game. Try playing the level a few times yourself and getting used to it before playing it online. The rules are a bit too strict to be a viable gametype for JDC, but I can see this being a good game when a lot of capable players are together in one server. As challenging as it is to set up, it is also pretty fun to play (this is based on playing with only a few others, not a full roster of players). I can not lend a rating to this, nor a standard review, but the bottom line is that it is fun but challenging to organize. If you are able to organize it, however, this is great fun.

EDIT: I do not think making the rules more vague is ever a good idea… ;-P

[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

This is really an interesting level. It is not a traditional treasure level. You go collecting tems throughout a wind tunnel. In the wind tunnel, the level slowly scrolls and you can not go back if you miss gems. The only problem I see is if no one makes the gem amount, well…the level is stuck. Also, the regenerator on the gems is thirty seconds, which is way too long. Depending on how fast you go, you could end up with all of the gems or none of the gems. It is in some ways the luck of the draw. This sort of treasure hunt mode shows promise, though it would be better if there was a warp after the exit that went back to the start in case the player did not get all of the gems. Also, faster regen times would have been nice. This level suffers from first-generationalism and the author probably did not think a huge amount about how the level would function. Regardless, this level shows a good degree of promise. I definitely mean this. This level shows a great though process that takes most JCS users quite a while to format. Making a new, viable gamemode on your second level and a level that looks good and does not play bad is quite an accomplishment. You should definitely continue to make levels, as this, despite its buginess, is quite good.

TILESET/TILESET USE: This level uses Disguise’s “Spacey Universe” tileset (the same one that Zaitox CTF uses) though in a different than usual way. This level only uses the metallic parts of the tileset and foregoes the crater tiles. Still, it does not look bad. I like the scrolling belt and background effect and the colors on the left. This level’s eyecandy reminds me a lot of eyecandy one would find in Survivor. It’s quite good, and creatively done. The layer four eyecandy is nothing interstesting, though, and is just the metallic tiles. The level does not look boring at all and eyecandy was done quite well.
Pros: Looks good. Creative eyecandy use.
Cons: The layer four metallic tiles do not look increadibly interesting.
Rating: 7.7

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Since this level is a treasure hunt level, I will talk about gem placement instead. Gem placement is, well, everywhere. The level’s flow is very well matched with the gem placement, and players are offered choices to get a greeen gem or a gem ring. That sort of stuff shows great knowledge of how players play the game and is neat to see. Since this level is so linear (not necessarily a bad thing) and gem placement is set, I can not give this a rating.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

ORIGINALITY: This level is probably one of the more original things I have seen in quite a while. While the level does not function as well as it could, the gameplay idea itself is quite viable and creative. The eyecandy also shows great creativity. The level is not very big at all and is completely linear, but it is still definitely fresh and new.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: 8.7

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Gameplay is new. A non-traditional treasure level, it is centered mainly upon the fact that you can not return to get most gems if you miss them. I like this idea, but there are a few problems, namely if no one gets 100 the level will not cycle to the next. Still, the design is quite good. Since the gameplay is not fully functional, I will not rate this aspect.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

REPLAY VALUE: After a while of playing this level, it gets old. This is similar to Survivor in that while playing each level many times is not very fun, playing a lot (20 or so) of these levels consecutively is enjoyable. More creatively and well-made levels for this gamemode could result in it becoming pretty popular. The level alone is not fun to play over and over (which is reflected in my replay score) but many of these levels together would be enjoyable.
Pros: If there were more of these levels, playing them over and over again would be fun.
Cons: Alone, the level does not have a very high replay value.
Rating: 6.2

COMPATIBILITY: Not applicable for this gameplay mode.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

OVERALL: This level definitely shows a lot of promise. Both the gamemode and the author could be very good one day. It is rare to get a level author who demonstrates such creativity on their second creation, let alone their tenth. Simply put, this is a fun and enjoyable level. Still, it is buggy and I will not rate it because it often does not function properly. I would like to see the author persue and improve this gamemode so it becomes very playable. I enjoyed playing this level a lot. Keep making levels, as this shows a lot of promise, especially for only a second level.
Pros: Creative, well-done, and playable. Not bad at all for a first level.
Cons: Buggy.
Rating: Not applicable.

OVERALL RATING (Not an average): Not applicable. I will not rate this as it does not function properly. Still, it is very good.

-Broken Record Player

EDIT: Heh. I am glad you tried to do that. Anyway, I have decided to give it a rating. Even though it does not work, I think this is very underrated so I will give it 7.7.[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

I can not review this level since the author did not include the tileset in the upload. Please upload it with the tileset.

TILESET/TILESET USE: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

ORIGINALITY: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

REPLAY VALUE: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

COMPATIBILITY: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

OVERALL: Not applicable.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable

OVERALL RATING (Not an average): Not applicable. Reupload this with the tileset included, please.

EDIT: Reuploaded a fixed version. Final rating 7.[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

At first blush, this level looked like it could become a classic. The grey-metal Wasteland eyecandy was good-looking and gameplay was fun. That is, for the first ten minutes of play or so. After that, problems in the general structure of the level became quite apparent and the level lost some of it’s enjoyablility (is that a word?). Wasteland is probably a bit overused, and the eyecandy in this level was odd. Also, it quickly became apparent that this was the layout from the underworld. Still, it’s a solid Capture the Flag level. Let’s review, shall we?

TILESET/TILESET USE: The level’s author decided to use Blade’s “Wasteland” tileset. While “Wasteland” is a very good tileset, the grey-ness of it is a bit overwhelming. The monotone color scheme of this level was not exactly interesting. Instead, it made everything feel a little bland. I was expecting more, but maybe I should not have. Wasteland does look fairly spiffy, but it does also have its limits. I liked the detail the author put into the pipes in this level, but I still think that the eyecandy was a bit bland.
Pros: I did not see any tile bugs. The little individual pipes were well-done and it showed effort.
Cons: The color of cement is only so interesting. Nothing creative, new, or interesting.
Rating: 7.5

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: Weapon placement is definitely the strongest point of this level. Some may consider this too many powerups, but I myself think that this is a fairly good balance for the amount of carrots there are. The basic ammo was well-placed. The basic ammo was not clumped as it often is in levels such as this, but it was also not so sporatic that ammo drain occured. The balance was very good. As with many levels these days, electroblasters come in handy for getting powerups that are in walls. Ammo placement was well-done. Good job.
Pros: Everything was placed pretty well.
Cons: Some might consider the amount of powerups there are to be a little bit too many.
Rating: 8.5

ORIGINALITY: If ammo placement was this level’s best side, this is definitely its dark side. Simply put, while this level is quite solid, there is not anything original in it. The eyecandy is not original, nor is gameplay. While the float up use towards the bottom of the level is not often seen, it has been done plenty of times before and has by this point became uninteresting. Originality is easily this level’s worst part, and that drags down the level’s quality and makes it a tad less fun to play. Something a little more creative would have been nice.
Pros: This level does not take chances with things that could have turned out awful.
Cons: This level takes way too few chances. Nothing that has not been done before is in it.
Rating: 6.7

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: The level’s layout (which is quite evil) consists of four gigantic platforms and smaller platforms coming out from the walls. While playing is fairly fluid (it did not take that long to get from base to base), playing it over and over is not very enjoyable. The level is by nature fairly linear: one or two routes are by far the fastest while others are too slow to be usable. The flow is still more or less good. The problem with this level is that you can not play it over and over again without becoming bored. The only thing I really hated was where the springs next to the bases were. They can be used to get to the above platform, but they confuse me into thinking there is something in the little compartment that the springs are located in other than basic bouncy ammo. Other than that, gameplay was solid, but linear.
Pros: The flow was more or less good.
Cons: Layout gets old quick, and is sometimes a bit annoying.
Rating: 7.5

REPLAY VALUE: I can not say that I like the replay value of this level as much as a lot of other reviewers. Simply, this level seemed to get old after about ten minutes of play. There are not many alternative routes, and eyecandy was nothing spectacular. Also, the music got really, really annoying. I had to test it on a computer with speakers to make sure the music was good, and it was just not worth the effort. I suggest that those who wish to play this level a lot turn off the music and turn on something more interesting.
Pros: The level was OK.
Cons: Got old really quick. Background music is annoying.
Rating: 6.7

COMPATIBILITY: This level really looks as if it would cause flag bug, but fortunately does not, at least during testing. Still, the places where there was not a sufficient mask make me nervous.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: Not applicable.
Rating: Not applicable.

OVERALL: This is a solid Capture the Flag level, more or less. While this review does sound very negative, it is because I am comparing it to CelL’s other works. The flow of this level is more or less OK. Still, I was just expecting more from CelL and was a little bit disappointed by what I got. This level does not show much room for improvement beyond improving the eyecandy slightly and maybe tweaking the flow a bit. This would not improve my score much, but it would be nice. Not a bad level, but it has some problems that make it not so interesting to play. A download recommendation for Capture the Flag players.
Pros: Weapon placement was pretty good. There were no tile bugs.
Cons: Gets tedious fairly quickly. Music was annoying. Low replay value. Ho-hum eyecandy.
Rating: 8.2

OVERALL RATING (Not an average): 7.7

Official N/A review reply thingy:

KJAZZ: The music has been uploaded and is fixed now. As I explained via MSN, there simply is no way to make a SP start position without complex trigger work that would delay starting the whole thing, since the single player start position functions the same in multiplayer. Regardless, thanks for your input…if only I can make a level that is better than 1.0 and stop relying on it being a chicken forest. ;-P

KJAZZ Again: …Or make that above 0.1. I’m glad you like the name, though. I guess. ;P

Violet: Thank you for your feedback. I generally avoid storylines on multiplayer works, because they just are fairly pointless (no one actually reads them mainly). I agree about the general boringness of eyecandy; I should have worked on the walls a bit more like they were in EvilMike’s “Cavern CTF.” In this form, the level does feel very flat and stuff. I will probably work on the emptiness of this level and make it feel more personal for the final version, which I probably will not upload unless I really need to. This level should not have been uploaded in this state. Since my computer was down for two week, I had forgotten everything I was going to work on. I will make it less linear and less flat in the final release, and take out some of the pits.

spazz: Thanks for your feedback as well. The chicken insignia is only viewable in JCS and is more of a trademark than anything. I have to agree that the level felt flat; I will definitely improve on that before final release.

I feel as if this level needs work but could be salvaged. I will try to make it more interesting, as it is not very much so right now. Thanks for your feedback.

[This review has been edited by Trafton AT][This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Bjarni, I am afraid you will have to work on your levels a lot longer if you want to improve. Still, this is a good effort and I’m sure that you worked pretty hard on it. It may get a low rating, but if you spend more time on levels you can get higher ratings!

STORY: Unlike Bjarni’s previous levels, there was no storyline. It would have been nice if there was. Next time include another one of your creative storylines. Some of them are pretty good! :)
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: This category was entirely missing.
Rating: N/A

TILESET/TILESET USE: There is not much in this level, being that it is little more than a small introduction area and then a boss, but what is there is OK. I say “OK” as in that it was not riddled with tile errors and could easily have been much, much worse. This level does need more eyecandy, but it is more or less solid for what is there.
Pros: Not too many tile errors.
Cons: Not much eyecandy.
Rating: 2.0

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: There is very little to say here due to the sheer miniture size of this level. There is an introduction area and then a boss place, featuring the weird boss bug that happens when you combine the Devan (Robot boss) boss with another boss, as Violet mentioned.

Pros: Good boss placement.
Cons: There is not much placement of anything to speak of.
Rating: 1.7

ORIGINALITY: There is not much originality in a level such as this, since it features little more than a platform and then the boss area. I guess this is original in one way or another but…eh…well, it is not very original at all.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: There is absolutely nothing new here. Look elsewhere for new things.
Rating: 1.2

DIFFICULTY: There is only a boss, and very little more than that. In fact, this could pretty much just be considered a boss level. It is as difficult as moving and fighting a bot is. That’s all. Snore.
Pros: None that I can think of.
Cons: It is only a boss. Not really applicable for a score.
Rating: N/A

REPLAY VALUE: Since this is only a boss and a platform, there is really no replay at all.
Pros: None that I can think of.
Cons: Just a boss. Nothing else. Not creative at all. Tedious.
Rating: 1.0

OVERALL (not an average): Overall, this level is pretty plain and simple. There is only a strange and buggy boss. There is not much more to this level. That is pretty much all it is. Eyecandy is good, though the level is wayyyyyyyy too small.

Pros: Shows promise.

Cons: Just not a good level by any measure.

VERDICT: Overall, I give this a 1.7 and no download recommendation.

Rating: 1.7 (Not an average)

Yet another fun game of Let’s Steal Another Reviewer’s Rating System. Anyway, this is a pretty good level for a first level. Read on.

STORY: There was no story for this. That is OK, since this is a first level and all. For future reference, make sure to make a story in all of your single player levels. It gives atmosphere to the levels and gives a reason for players to finish it (albeit a mythical reason.)
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: This category was entirely missing.
Rating: N/A

TILESET/TILESET USE: The tileset use was…uh…missing, sort of. There were a lot of blank patches which made the level look pretty strange. Diamondus was used fairly well (that is, where it was used). Tile bugs? There were a few. The trees were very mangled. Had more time been spent on making the tileset use look better, the rating would have been higher. Overall, tileset use was alright…stil, not anything special, and way too barren.
Pros: Not too many tile errors.
Cons: Tile errors in the trees. Barren. Nothing interesting eyecandy-wise. Suffers from a lack of creative tile use.
Rating: 5.7

WEAPON/ITEM/ENEMY PLACEMENT: Woah. I have to say that the enemy placement was a little overboard. First of all, most players are not skilled enough to be able to battle 40 BeeBoys as a frog. Also, the generating piranahs were extremely evil and hard to defend against. Tone down your enemy amount, since at this rate the level is pretty hard. Item placement and weapon placement, however, were good.
Pros: Weapons and items were placed more or less well.
Cons: Too many enemies at times. Regenerating fish are overwhelming. Enemies while as a frog are impossible to kill.
Rating: 6.0

ORIGINALITY: Generally, for first levels, this category often has two results: either the level is so strange it is bad and nearly unplayable or the level suffers from a complete and total lack of any creativity. This level falls into the second category. Diamondus, a fairly common tileset, is not used in any amazing way. Simply, it is a boring level in both gameplay and eyecandy. There is nothing ingenious here and nothing that no one has seen before. If you are looking for creativity, look elsewhere. It just is not here.
Pros: Not applicable.
Cons: There is absolutely nothing new here. Look elsewhere for new things.
Rating: 2.0

DIFFICULTY: Mainly due to the test warp being left in, this level is way too short. However, if you play the entire length, it is a tad longer – but not all that much. It was probably a bug. The level is generally more or less easy, though all of that enemy clustering was more or less aggrevating. I will treat this level as if the warp does not exist and assign it a verdict for being far too difficult at some points and far too easy at others.
Pros: None that I can think of.
Cons: Erratic difficulty. Warp at beginning (considered a bug in final rating.)
Rating: 4.5

REPLAY VALUE: This meter is in many ways derrived from a combonation of overall quality with more emphasis on creativity and gameplay, with (at the higher end of level quality) a moderate degree of emphasis on eyecandy (only if it is interesting). Let’s just say that this level is not fun to play again at all. There is nothing creative here, nor is there anything to keep players interested the FIRST time, let alone the second.
Pros: None that I can think of.
Cons: Not creative at all. Tedious.
Rating: 2.0

OVERALL (not an average): This is a fairly good first level. Do not feel discouraged by the final rating, as everyone’s first level usually is not all that good. It does definitely show some effort, though that bug involving the test warp is fairly major and you may want to remove it and reupload this. Regardless, this level suffers from a lack of creativity. I am not sure whether this was a lack of inspiration or just the fact that this was a first level, but this level is too much like most other levels. Still, it is a fun play and worth a download if you really like seeing first levels. For everyone else, this is not a necessary download. Keep working on levels, however – this shows definite talent.

Pros: Definitely shows some talent.

Cons: Nothing really outstanding about this level in general. The bug with the warp makes it too easy for cheaters.

VERDICT: Overall, I give this a 4.5 since it is slightly above average and a download recommendation for those who like seeing promising newcomers.

Rating: 4.5 (Not an average)

The first thing I noticed while downloading was that this file was embedded within the ZIP in /WINDOWS/DESKTOP. Please make it the root of the folder, since this caused it to unzip to C:\Games\Jazz2\Windows\Desktop, which is strange to say the least.

Now on to the level: Simply put, this is the best Treasure Hunt level to come around in a long, long time. Then again, that is saying very, very, very little since, after all, this is probably the only Treasure Hunt level that has came along in a long time. However, this is certainally a fantastic level. It reminds me greatly of “Sandstrand O’Hazes” in the eyecandy used. That is not a bad thing at all, but there are other similiarities. Dig:

- The passages are fairly narrow and cramped. This is not a terrible thing and probably is pretty good for a water level.

- A diverse selection of ammo is used.

- It is set underwater (well, of course!)

- The pretty bubbler event is used well in both levels, and quite a lot. There is no steam coming up from it, and it is only decoration, but it sure looks purdy.

- The eyecandy is somewhat close. You will know what I mean after playing both of these levels a few times.

It is nice to see people still making Treasure Hunt levels. I have not seen one in eons, especially not a creative and well-done one like this. A quick query to Telnet (telnet:jazz.logicware.com:10055) on the ever-useful port 10055 of the server lists reveals that only 24,903 of the 301,080 servers (as of last update, which was a while ago) were Treasure Hunt servers, or eight percent. Taking in account that many of these servers are probably Survivor or hotel levels, treasure hunt seems to be the least liked of all the gametypes. But this level is one reason to start liking treasure more.

PICKUPS AND STUFF
GEMS: Gem placement, probably the biggest indicator of quality of a level, was quite spifftacular. Gems were placed well, and while there were not too many, it was still not that hard to get to the maximum. The level recommends only 2-10 players (I think) which is a good estimation, though it may be a bit high. Once you get past seven or eight active players, a bit of a gem drain will occur. Nevertheless, the gem placement is good enough to facilitate enough players for the game to be fun. There is a eensy bit of crowding, but that should not be a big problem.

WEAPON: Weapon placement is not very important in treasure. The only thing I really looked for was to make sure that there were absolutely no ice events. Why? Because there were gem rings in this level. A little-known but highly dangerous bug occurs when ice meets gem rings. Since there is no frozen gem ring animation, Jazz will simply konk out and crash. Everyone in the server will also crash with an access violation. Fortunately, the author had the foresight not to place any ice in this level. Good job. You have saved some level hosters trouble.

FOOD: Food also is not important in a treasure level. In this case, it is simply used as decoration. Sugar rushes are more or less useless and near impossible to attain. Go for the gems instead.

LEVEL LOOKS
EYECANDY: This level contains plenty of eyecandy to keep even the most obsessive of observers happy. As with most levels using default tilesets, it does not go hyperoverboard with “gee-whiz” effects such as Elevator backgrounds or ultra-neat warp backgrounds. Still, for your basic beach level, this has good eyecandy and it definitely shows that plenty of effort was put into the creation and tweaking of this level.

TILE BUGS: Beach is not an easy tileset to master but Electric pretty much has the entire thing down. There are no tile errors that I could see, which is not surprising after seeing Sandstrand O’Hazes. This is the easiest sort of eyecandy to really mess up, but this looks great. Exceptional job.

LEVEL MECHANICS
LAYOUT: Since there are not a huge amount of Treasure Hunt levels out there, it is hard to compare the size of this level. It is more or less a medium size level tilting very slightly towards small. As with many other Beach levels that are underwater, the layout mostly consists of a lot of small passages with no center of the level to speak of. There are some areas that are more wide open to help the layout, but not much more than that. It is difficult to rate the layout of this kind of level, but by the standards of an underwater level, it is quite good.

FLOW: Flow is not as important in Treasure Hunt as it is in either Battle or Capture the Flag. Again, the underwater aspect of the level completely distorts how the level functions. There is no concrete way to measure flow quality in water levels since it is so different than flow quality of ground-based levels. While the passages in this level are small, that does not present a huge problem. After all, it is in the water. Since this is underwater and a Treasure Hunt level, this aspect means almost nothing.

MISC.
EXIT PLACEMENT: The exit is placed towards the right of the level, near the bottom. You will need to first stomp a crate to access it. This can be done any time during the game. Yay for trigger crates!

SECRETS: This level is literally packed with secrets, most of them containing gems but nothing ultra-huge. It comes with an image documenting where the hidden areas are, and I will not spoil them for you. I just hope you find them yourself instead of looking in the picture. If you don’t, may a giant sea monkey eat you. Or something.

TEXT SIGNS: This is the sort of level that makes me write an infinite amount of “Misc.” values that have no point. This level contains some text signs which feature either copyrights or funny quotes like Moonblaze’s “You are a stupid person who is stupid.” There are not too many of them, but they are fun to read. The others are not exactly funny quotes, but are still humerous.

EFFORT: This level definitely had a good deal of effort put into it. If you believe the text sign, the level was apparently made from 2001 to 2003. I doubt that Electric slaved away on it during this entire time, but that still is a significant amount of effort put in. I like to see people put effort into their creations.

HOSTING: No maintence is really required. I hope that people will occasionally host this. Unfortunately, there still are a lot of people who absolutely can not stand playing Treasure Hunt. Some have never played a real Treasure Hunt game.

COMPATABILITY: No crashes or anything. The only thing I would like to see changed is that there is a lot of useless tiles horizontally. While the level is physically only about 100 tiles, there is about 126 tiles worth of solid wall and copyright sign. Even if the copyright sign was kept, removing the excess tiles would be nice, so that it would keep file size down (if by a very miniscule amount) for downloaders.

CONCLUSION
This is a very spiffy Treasure Hunt level. The gametype really does need more levels. Maybe if there were more works such as this, it would be hosted often. This is a quality level that shows effort and knowledge of JCS. There is not much more to say that I have not said above. It truly is a shame that Treasure Hunt is not hosted often. If there were idle dedicated Treasure Hunt servers, I am sure that this level would be hosted by all of them. This simply is the best Treasure Hunt level that I have seen in ages, if not ever. Worth a download for anyone, even if you dislike Treasure Hunt. Maybe this will change your mind. My score is 8.2 and a download recommendation. Very nice job, Electric. Truly a Treasure Hunt classic if there ever was one.