Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

And Mad Teenager : Your rating is unfounded. This TST does not deserve a 2.7! And you gave no comment.

Thanks for telling us – indeed, it appears that two people cheating on ratings. Disappointing indeed.

The levels that come with these tilesets are suitable demo levels – small, not very good, but OK. The tilesets are fairly good, though not amazing. Waz11 is a mix of a castle and factory, which is interesting. I’m not sure I can think of a situation in which a level would contain both a castle and a factory, but I suppose it could happen. Only the sprite colors have been used it appears, and there is a lot of purple – unusual for this sort of tileset. The other tilesets are fairly standard, and I don’t have much to say about them. Overall, I would recommend this for tileset collectors, but they aren’t really worthy of using to make levels.

+ PROS: If you need a castle/factory tileset, this is your lucky day.

- CONS: Strange use of colors. Just doesn’t fit.

VERDICT: Overall, I give this a 6.2 and no download recommendation unless you are a tileset collector. There are a few interesting features of these tilesets, but not enough to make them worth using. Sorry. No download recommendation for anyone who is not a tileset collector and has no need for a tileset that is a combonation of a castle and a factory.

EDIT: I’m no math whiz, but I’m pretty sure the average of 6.2, 6.5, and 6.7 is not 7…Could someone please fix this somehow?[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Since this is listed as “tileset,” I am only rating the tileset and consider the level a demo level. You better be thankful for it, too. The tileset is really interesting. The tileset reminds me of Noraa’s 3dBattle series, and actually is pretty high-quality. I’m not disappointed. The masking is good, though there were a few small jagged edges that could and probably should have been fixed. The demolevel, which I’m not rating though the author seems to have uploaded this mainly for the level, is not very good at all. The author posted saying the tileset and level sucks, which isn’t true. The tileset, in fact, is quite good. The level does, however, lack anything interesting in it. The tileset, which is quite green yet reminds me of “Blue World” by Disguise does not suck at all. In fact, all tileset collectors should download this tileset. It may not be amazing, but it is really good. Keep making tilesets and upload more of your current ones. However, work on your levels. They aren’t bad, it’s just that they aren’t very interesting.

+ PROS: The tileset is rux0r. Well done.

- CONS: The demo level is awful. Slight masking problems.

VERDICT: Overall, I give this a 7.5 and a download recommendation. This is only for the tileset, though, as the demolevel really isn’t that good at all. Still, for tileset afficianados, this is a must-have. Those who like the color green also will love this tileset. And for that alone I recommend download. Excuse my rambling speech today – I can’t write worth beans for some reason.

OVERALL: Some nice levels in there. Not to good of a pack, but an improvement. Keep trying!

I have to agree with Blackraptor’s review, but I liked it slightly more. As he said, the eyecandy is lacking quite a bit, but this is standard among new levelmakers. While I do not adjust my ratings per the experience of the levelmaker, this is still quite impressive. Since I am both lazy, tired, and plagued by Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, I’ll leave it at that.

+ PROS: Solid. Good gameplay.

- CONS: The eyecandy definitely needs work. Many tile bugs.

VERDICT: Overall, I give it a 6.5 and download recommendation. It’s good, but not anything amazing. Keep making levels. While this may not seem like a great rating, you’re new and this is a good rating for someone who is new to levelmaking. A download recommendation for those who like to see new levelmaker’s creations, but those who don’t care probably, well, won’t care. ;-P

I have to say that I despise the event pinball, but this level makes pretty good use of it. I was surpised to hear that this is your first level. It is really good, and you should definitely keep making levels. Congratulations, you’re talented. ;-P

Anyway, this is a moderately-sized battle level with a creative title. Flow, which isn’t as important in battle as it is in capture the flag, is good, but nothing amazing. The layout of the level is unusual but definitely intersesting. I like it. I like it when people ask what they can improve. I don’t really think that ten pinball rooms is appropriate. The eyecandy is, as you said, good, and I don’t think you have much to worry about there. The only thing I would do is think about how you could make a really creative level that is unusual but good. You might have to seek out a specific tileset for this, but it is fun, and I think you’re good enough for it. Simply put, this is really an amazing level, especially considering it is your first one. Keep on making levels. You’re really good at it. This is a solid battle level, and worth a download by anyone who plays battle even occasionally.

+ PROS: A great, solid level. Creative pinball and sucker tube use.

- CONS: The pinballs can get very slightly annoying. Nothing ultra-creative. Not many cons, though.

VERDICT: Overall, I give this an eight and a download recommendation. While it is nothing ultra-creative or new, it is still one of the best battle levels that has been creative in quite a while. Especially for a first level, this is amazing. Definitely a download recommendation for anyone who plays JJ2 often. Very good job. Keep up the great work.

First of all, this is a TSF level. Kindly stop labeling 1.24 levels as 1.23. It causes confusion. Bjarni: You can’t open it because it is a 1.24 level, and not a 1.23 one.

This is another long-ish level with very little to distinguish it from other levels. There are quite a few tile bugs which severely damage the overall quality of the eyecandy, but gameplay is OK. The problem with this level is that there just is not anything that makes me want to play it again. It’s much like the levels the author has previously uploaded in that it is a longish but solid level using a common tileset. Snore. It’s the same formula here, except with somewhat weak use of eyecandy. This level is a tad fatiguing in that it just doesn’t offer much interesting. There isn’t much more to add, so I’ll let off with what is by my standards a very short review. Overall a seven and no download recommendation unless you really, really, really want a single player level and don’t care how interesting it is.

+ PROS: Solid level. Was interesting enough that I almost mislabeled “pros” and “cons.”

- CONS: Not interesting at all. Nothing new. Same old, same old. Tile errors.

VERDICT: A 7 and no download recommendation except for those who are desperately searching for a new single player level to play. There just isn’t anything new here to keep anyone interested. Start using some more unique ideas in your levels and I’m sure you can get very good scores. Until then, I have to say that this just is like every other level you’ve uploaded so far. Longish, good, but not new enough.

EDIT: And, by the way, I suppose that the author summarized this level perfectly: “Kind of interesting.” Cheer up, though, you’re good – you just need to make something a little more different than your current creations.

[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

First, I want to echo a few points Violet said.

>>First, don’t use such generic
>>filenames. Both the level and
>>the .zip overwrote earlier files. And
>>don’t say it’s 1.23.
I agree. I’ve had countless really good old and impossible to find tilesets overwritten by new common ones (same goes for levels) because the author did not go to the trouble of choosing a creative filename. I hate when people do this.

>>One of the things that strikes me
>>about this level is that it’s kind of
>>a remake of Colon1, in that several
>>areas in the level are directly from
>>it, and others look based. (The coin
>>warp is even for 50 coins)
While playing, I did notice this. It seems that some of this level was directly stolen from Colon1 while other parts took great influence from it. I don’t know exactly what to make of it. While Colon is a hard tileset to use, I dislike when people rip off of levels. But you don’t often see a case where someone takes such great influence from a level outside of a direct edit. I’m still not sure what to think about this, but I would have preferred to have an original level.

So, on to the level. This reminds me a lot of what the author has previously made – especially his Colon level. That’s because there really isn’t a huge amount that is new from them. Sure, the level is different, but there isn’t anything to distinguish this level from any of the other levels that he has so far made. An improvement I did notice, however, was that the eyecandy was better than in the last one, so there’s certainally improvement. It’s just another somewhat long level using Colonm though. While I’m not sure if “a start, an exit, and stuff inbetween” does justice to some of the interesting features of the level, it is unfortunately true. There isn’t much here to differentiate it from all of the other levels the author has made, which is disappointing. Still, this level does show improvements over the previous level, and improvements are always good. There were a few areas where layer 3 was used badly, notably in a section where it concealed an enemy, but that’s not a terrible thing.

In summary, this is an OK but uninteresting and long-ish Colon level. Very little more. If you liked the first level and don’t mind repetition, you’ll like this, as well. But don’t expect anything new.

+ PROS: It’s a solid level and shows improvement.

- CONS: Parts are ripped, and the level just isn’t anything new. Annoying layer 3 use.

VERDICT: If you have nothing better to do, play this level. You probably won’t find much new from the past level, other than that it has improved somewhat. It’s a solid level, that much is true, but it’s just nothing new – and that’s the level’s weakest point. Other than that, it’s a good level. If you didn’t see the first, download this one instead. Overall, a 7.2 and download recommendation for those who haven’t seen the first. Those who have, however, probably won’t find much new in what could be very accurately summerized as “just another solid Colon level consisting of a start, an end, and some stuff inbetween.”

This is a fairly old gameplay, but it hasn’t exactly gained wide acceptance within the community, namely because there aren’t many really good levels using it. Judging by the first few ratings, one would think that this was finally the level that would make the gametype popular, but I doubt it. Simply put, while the gameplay is interesting, this level just does not show much effort beyond the technical parts of the gametype. While the gameplay is fairly addictive and enjoyable, the server does require a certain amount of “maintnence” and you’ll have to bare with a morass of players complaining about not knowing how the gameplay works. That’s what you get for hosting a fairly unknown gametype, though. Once you get beyond that, the level is fun…but not extremely well-made. The tileset does have the bare necessities, but just looks sketchy and ugly. As with many CraccoBoy tilesets, masking problems abound. I accidentally became stuck several times, which is unacceptable, especially in a level which relies on the players finishing the game. There are a few small bugs such as misplaced text signs and incorrect text events, but not much. Still, the biggest fault of this level is that it seems to be thrown together fairly quickly. While it isn’t a bad level by any definition, it just lacks any factor that would make people want to play it. When you remove the gametype, you find little but a very small and uninteresting place to play a quick battle game. Not much more than that.

+ PROS: The gameplay is interesting…

- CONS: …But not widely played nor known. Also, the level isn’t very well-done and shows little creativity. The tileset is badly masked and looks sketchy.

VERDICT: My rating is a seven. I can’t figure out which group I would recommend this download to. Those who are interested in new gametypes already know about this, and it requires several people to play. It’s not yet very popular, so you’ll end up explaining how it plays over and over. The level isn’t extremely creative, but I suppose is “OK” for the game mode. Still, I can’t recommend this for download except to people who are interested in new gametypes but have never played this one and people who already really like this gametype and don’t mind if they aren’t seeing much that is new.

This is, in fact, a 1.24 level. Please change the label.

First levels are, as Violet said, generally not the best of levels. It’s a good time for experimentation and to learn how to use JCS, but rarely do you see a really good level come out of it. This was a surprise, though it is nothing ultra-amazing. A fairly simple single player level, Toxic Evil (toxic evil.j2l) has some very interesting aspects. Still, there are a few common mistakes in first levels that are here in abundance. I like how Violet calls the overuse of pickups “pickup overdose.” It fits perfectly. There is no need for this extreme amount of pickups, notably food, and causes players to get sugar rushes constantly. It’s a fairly long level compared to many, and uses the fully masked (I believe) version of the fairly good tileset “Deckstar.” There are a lot of secrets contained within the level, and it’s good to remain alert for subtle clues to where the secrets are. Gameplay is definitely the best part of the level. When you look at eyecandy, you start to notice some problems. There are quite a few small to moderate tile errors that could have been fixed if more time and energy was put in the level. Still, it looks OK, but the gameplay is much better than the eyecandy. For a first level, this is pretty good and I recommend you keep working on levels. Still, with the “overdose” of pickups and the not-so-good eyecandy, there is some work to be done here before the level is ready for prime time.

+ PROS: Pretty good gameplay, very good for a first level.

- CONS: Bad eyecandy, and a completely overboard amount of pickups, especially food.

VERDICT: A 6.5 and a download recommendation for those who enjoy seeing good first works. All in all, this level falls into the “above average” category but isn’t exactly up to the “good” mark. Still, it’s surprisingly well-done for a first work. Keep on working on levels, but make sure to spend more time on them, especially on the eyecandy parts. Also, you don’t need as many pickups as this level has. Still, this looks promising. Good job.

Wow. I have to say that this is not worth a ten, but it certainally is a very good remix. I recommend that the author countinues to make them. This is a fairly catchy tune, with a start that (like Blackraptor said) is very abstract but not so abstract that it becomes annoying. The rest of the song has a good beat and is catchy. It shows effort, which many remixes these days do not. Definitely worth a look – err listen – especially if you are looking for a good selection of space music. There were only a few things that sort of bugged me. The first thing is the highly audible screech, which is very annoying. Still, it isn’t enough to detract from the overall quality of this work much. The background sounds add in an interesting mix to the music and prevent the music from sounding flat and dull like many remixes do. Getting a good score on music from Moonblaze is an accomplishment (he rates fairly low. Not a bad thing, but he’s very picky about what kind of music he likes) and getting an overall eight or above is also an honor. There are a few parts of this track that I do not like, but it’s catchy and addictive and definitely deserves a download recommendation.

+ PROS: If you need space music for a level or just to listen to, you can’t go wrong with this. The background sounds stop the music from sounding annoyingly bland and flat.

- CONS: The screech is annoying.

VERDICT: An 8.2 and download recommendation. Probably the best JJ1 space-themed remix out there. Keep making remixes and maybe even levels; this is quite good. Download recommendation? Definitely, especially for levelmakers who need more music that is space-related. Even casual listeners who aren’t using it for levels would probably enjoy giving this remix a spin.

Wow…it seems that this level contains an entire spectrum of reviews from “this is really good for a first level” to “I would rate this 2.7 if I could.” So I suppose I’ll find out what I would rate it.

This level shows a decent ability to create a level, especially since it is your father’s first level on Jazz Jackrabbit 2. Despite the acceptable gameplay, though, this level’s eyecandy leaves a lot to be desired. There are many tile bugs, which I suppose is acceptable enough when you are a new player, but there’s still a lot. Since I don’t rate based upon how much experience someone has in levelbuilding, I can’t increase my rating just because they are new. Even though the eyecandy looks very messed up, the gameplay shows some promise. It’s good to master gameplay before eyecandy, since gameplay is often more important than gameplay (I personally would rather have a bad-looking but very good to play level than a great-looking but unplayable level.) Still, the gameplay is a tad linear. Regardless, this work shows promise. Tell your dad to keep working on levels and make some of your own, too! No rating since this is not by the actual uploader.

+ PROS: The gameplay is not the worst I’ve ever seen, though it definitely is no where near the best. Shows promise.

- CONS: Bad eyecandy, barely OK level design. Still needs work, but not bad for a first level.

VERDICT: I can’t rate this since it is not your’s, but I’m not sure what I would rate it if it wasn’t. Nothing above 5, nothing below 3.7, though. Probably around 4.5. So, out of confusion, HTML tags:

EDIT: Please do not rate this. It is not his level. You can not rate it, since it is not his level. ;-P[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

When someone puts in their download description “Just download it, it can’t do any harm,” I get slightly scared. Still, this is a useful tool (I guess) for anyone who is German and doesn’t know enough English to operate in a normal JCS environment. There isn’t really that much more to add other than please do not rate this. It’s not his creation originally, and it should not be rated as so. Still, if you really really need a German JCS.INI (I suppose for a few people, it could be a good thing), this is it. I can’t verify how well the German was translated since I go not know German, but I’m sure that it was at least decent.

Oh, and as a note: I’m not sure whether this fits into the category of Commercial Software for Download. It is a support file, but I know uploading JCS.EXE is illegal. Just keep a watch out.

+ PROS: If you’re new to JCS and German, I suppose this could be useful.

- CONS: It could be illegal. And ALWAYS BACK UP JCS.INI FIRST, regardless of what the level descriptor says.

VERDICT: Since it is not his creation, I can not rate this. Still, assuming it is legal, I guess German JCSers who are new to JCS“ing” and can’t understand what the English JCS text says could find some benefit in this. Still, I have a sneaking feeling that this has been done before. Hmm.

Eeeeeeeeeek…I was fine with the description of “plain and simple lvl,” but I have to say that the part about warps freaked me out. Honestly, I’ve came to the conclusion that warps just don’t work wonders in CTF. They’re kind of cheap excuses for not having a real flow. Still, this level is not as bad as it could have been. Then again, it’s not as good either. It’s an OK capture the flag level, but probably not anything I could recommend someone play.

GAMEPLAY
Flow: Flow was not anything special. I bumped into things a lot, and became aggrevated quickly. This level features nearly impossible to manuver around eyecandy. The flow of this level just is not good at all.
Layout: Layout is uh…bad. This includes base placement, which was horrible. Honestly, this would be better as a battle level by quite a bit. I’m not sure if it is the strangest level ever, but it certainally is weird. It plays like a somewhat decent battle level with a few bases stuck into it randomly just so it could be labled as a Capture the Flag level. It really isn’t.

EYECANDY
Tileset use: Well, the tileset used is Cheq. Need I say more? Frankly, the eyecandy is bland. I know that it’s hard to use Cheq to make good eyecandy, but that’s no excuse for having bad eyecandy. The author should have simply chosen another tileset. Block tilesets really just look cheap. Especially black and white ones. Considering the tileset that was used, I suppose this measure is OK. Still, it’s not good enough.
Tile bugs: It’s not easy to make tile bugs with Cheq, so there isn’t much to say here.

CONCLUSION
Honestly, this level would have been an OK battle level. But it simply is not a good Capture the Flag level. The bases seem randomly inserted, and the rest of the level is pretty much only slightly above average. Considering the tileset used, the eyecandy is OK. Unfortunately for the level’s author, I don’t rate only by considering the tileset used, so eyecandy was more than subpar. All things considered, this is a far below-average CTF level and a average level overall. There really isn’t more to say.

+ PROS: There aren’t any really outstandingly positive features of this level. It’s almost decent.

- CONS: Looks bland and bleached, doesn’t play well, bad base placement, I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on…

VERDICT: A 5.0 because it is so average and no download recommendation. I actually recommend this level more (though that isn’t much at all) to battle affecinatos, since it is slightly above average for a battle level if you were to remove the bases. As a CTF level, though, I can’t recommend this to anyone at all. I’m sorry, but this level is plainly average.

I had a big, long review written for this and my computer, as it often does when I am writing reviews, crashed. So I’ll have to write a semi-short review on this level. This is a very good capture the flag level by FireSworD. It uses the fairly often used tileset Tube Electric Night in a way that you would not expect to see it used. It is hard to describe in just a review, so I won’t. You’ll have to play the level for yourself to get what I’m trying to say. Level flow and navigation is one of the absolute best aspects of this level. The level’s flow is outstanding. I rarely found myself bumping in to anything and nearly never wished that something was located elsewhere. There were a few minor qualms I had, but none were major enough to deserve mention.

GAMEPLAY
Flow: Flow was, as I mentioned, excellent. The springs were used very well in conjunction with the natural ground-based navigation and flow, and everything was very good here.
Layout: Layout was fairly standard with bases at opposite diagnol ends of the level and a warp at each end. The layout served the level well.

EYECANDY
Tileset use: Tileset use was good. There wasn’t a huge amount of “new” uses, but it was different enough to hold my attention.
Tile errors: I did not notice any plain tile errors. There were a few things that looked slightly off, but again, there weren’t enough to make much difference at all.

CTF ONLY
Balance: Balance was very good. Neither team had any unfair advantage that I could tell.
Flag Bug: The level sort of looks like it could have flag bug, but I could not cause it in testing.

CONCLUSION
This is an excellent level with great flow and good eyecandy. This level should be hosted often and probably will be. I can see that it will become a “classic” level of sorts.

+ PROS: Excellent flow, good eyecandy, all-around a great level.

- CONS: The eyecandy wasn’t ultra-amazing or new, but there isn’t any major con to speak of.

VERDICT: An 8.7 and download recommendation. This is simply one of the best Capture the Flag levels out there. I recommend everyone download this immediately. A fantastic level that is sure to become a classic.

Since I’m short on time, I will use BlurredD’s reviewing method.

This pack suffers from not having any standout interesting aspects. Sure, overall, it’s a solid pack, but there just is not anything to keep me playing it. Play gets tedious quick, which is unfortunate, but these levels all do give me a nice dose of nostolgia. On to the review.

Just Your Typical Level

GAMEPLAY: First of all, this level has no border at the top, which is flag bug waiting to happen. Overall, the flow of this level is not anything special. The use of springs was interesting but overall not very well done. I can’t say that this is exactly as good as I remembered it.
EYE CANDY: Eyecandy was pretty well-done. This tileset does not allow for much in the way of ultra-amazing eyecandy, but what is there is well-done.
CARROT PLACEMENT: I could not find any carrots.
AMMO PLACEMENT: There wasn’t all that much ammo, but what was there was still placed. Still, I can’t believe that people still release levels containing TNT. IT DOESN’T WORK. INCLUDING IT A LOT WILL NOT MAKE IT WORK. ;P
HOST THIS OFTEN? Maybe once or twice. It just doesn’t have anything to keep me interested more than five minutes.

Non-Union Computer Store

GAMEPLAY: Above average. The balance between the two teams was alright, as well, and flow wasn’t bad indeed. In fact, this was a low better flow-wise than the previous.
EYE CANDY: Interesting use of lighting, which comes out as too dark for this level. Otherwise, eyecandy wasn’t that bad.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Unlike the previous level, this level has way too many carrots, and they are not placed very well, in addition.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Yet again, decent, but this level also has TNT.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Yet again, maybe once or twice. There simply are not many reasons to host this level, though. It is not interesting enough.

LabLocked

GAMEPLAY: Flow is alright, but the balance between the two teams is too slanted. Could use work.
EYE CANDY: Nothing much interesting. Some of the level looked off, which is disappointing, but it reminded me of the eyecandy of the day. Still, during these days, this eyecandy just doesn’t cut it.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Yet again, there are too many carrots in this level, all of which seem to be placed at random.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Fair enough. Probably the best part of this level.
HOST THIS OFTEN? No. This is probably by far my least level in the pack. Unlike the other levels, this not only does not provide any interesting reason to host it, this level just is flawed in many ways. I might host it once, for nostolgia purposes.

Stupid CTF

GAMEPLAY: Gameplay on this level is more or less simplistic. Still, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Flow was generally good, but there was nothing amazing.
EYE CANDY: Definitely different than the other levels here, possibly because of the moving layer. Still, there wasn’t anything extremely amazing in this level.
CARROT PLACEMENT: I could not find any carrots.
AMMO PLACEMENT: This level lacks powerups that I can see, but basic ammo placement is very well done.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Occasionally. This is probably my favorite level in the pack, but it still is not anything amazing.

Conclusion
This pack is alright. It does not provide any levels that are interesting or notable in any way, but it is a good one-time play to remind you of Capture the Flag levels of yesteryear. Don’t expect, however, to stay interested for more than ten minutes, as this level pack provides no reason to be so. Still, it is overall not a bad pack and worth a download for CTF freaks like me.

Wow. I completely missed this when I was looking through the downloads this other day. I must say that a program rated 9.7 is quite amazing, and while I can’t say I think this download deserves that high of a score, what I can say is that this is a necessary tool for anyone who has Jazz Jackrabbit 2 and plays frequently. This program, using a fairly common and easy-to-manipulate gamehacking trick, bleaches all names so you can easily tell who is on what team during a game of Capture the Flag. I’m amazed that this has not been thought of before, since this is a common frustration and anyone who has ever played Capture the Flag heavily has always wished for a program like this. During testing, I found absolutely no glitches. This program does what it does quite well. While it is true that this program is flawless by every definition, its also a bit simple. Still, I think that this is a tool that no self-respecting CTF freak should be caught without. The interface is great, it has no bugs, and its absolutely great at what it does. For this, I give it a download recommendation and an overall 9.5, though I may raise or lower this after extended use.

EDIT: Rating upgraded to 9.6.

[Rating fix – No One]
[No One fix – Rating]
[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]
[This review has been edited by No One][This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Actually, I find that the eyecandy is well-done, but there is wayyyyyyy too much of it. This is, quite simply, a prime example of a level that contains way too much eyecandy for its own good. How is this possible? Just take a look at this level. Vines are everywhere. It is nearly impossible to see where you are going in some places, but there is no denying that the eyecandy is well-done. As most know by now, eyecandy is not as important to me as gameplay is. And this level does not do wonders in gameplay. Flow would have been pretty good if it wasn’t for the extremely excessive eyecandy. It’s simply very hard to see through the tangle of vines, etcetera, and it quickly becomes annoying. I’m not a fan of when people who label their levels “classics,” and I can’t say that this deserves the title. I can see that a lot of effort was put into this level, but it lacks in gameplay and goes far too overboard in eyecandy. Well-done…too well-done, in fact. I will rate this level in more detail when I get enough time. For now, I give this a seven point five and download recommendation, unless you absolutely despise layer 1-3 eyecandy being everywhere. In that case, avoid at all costs.

NOTE: After extended play, I have upgraded this rating from a 7.5 to a 7.7 as of January 17th, 2003.
________________________________________
As I hear, this level is my fault. But I do not say that in a negative way. Simply put, I was wrong. And this level proves it. Judging by the ratings, it seems that this sort of eyecandy was a little too new for the general masses. While I think I like it more than the previous reviewers (with the possible exception of Fighter II aka Mazinkaiser, who seems to be hooked), I am not sure that I am completely ready for this new type of eyecandy either. Some parts I like, some I had trouble getting used to. A lot of it brought me back to some really bad levels circa 1999, which was the major reason I had trouble accepting this kind of eyecandy. Regardless, this level is different, and proves that, in fact, you can make Carrotus look new – though maybe a bit too new for some reviewers’ tastes.

EYECANDY
Tileset Use: Eyecandy is the first thing that you notice in this level, and it can be hard to get past the eyecandy. Simply put, this level is like nothing that you have ever seen before. It uses tiles that you never would have thought could be used in the foreground and uses tiles for purposes that they were never meant to be used for. Sometimes it goes a little bit overboard, but for the most part it stays within the boundries of reason. The carrot sucker tubes, while good-looking allow for buttstomping within them, letting a player stay in there as long as they can buttstomp. Transparency effects are used heavily in this level, and there were parts where my Jazz 2 literally became extremely slow. Extremely bright ambient lightning is used in the sucker tubes. If such things annoy you, disable ambient lighting and turn on low detail. However, if you do this, the level turns into a merely “O.K.”-looking level with transparancy effects and some creative tile use. Unless it would really kill you, I recommend at least attempting to get used to the refreshingly new and unique graphics instead of taking this way out. The effects looked cool. However, in some cases, they reminded me wayyyyyyyy too much of bad tile use from old levels. For instance, the use of the white box-shape dot outline (the stencil leftover) is common in some low-quality levels. While it is used creatively here, it does still remind me of these terrible levels. It just looks off to me. Overall, tileset use was highly creative, and I myself have no complaints here.
Tile Errors: One man’s tile error is another man’s creative use of a tileset. This could never be more true than in this level. If you keep a closed mind, the look of this level will quickly become annoying as Mosquitoes in July. However, if you take an open-minded approach to it all, you might enjoy the eyecandy quite a bit. It will take some getting used to, but when you get used to it, it is not that bad. I could not find any pure tile errors, though some of the ground was thin and looked a tad questionable. Still, this level does not have any obvious errors that detract from eyecandy quality in my opinion.
Creativity: There is no denying that this level is creative in the field of eyecandy. After all, if you have ever seen a level like this before…well…you just haven’t. There are so many novel ideas in here, it could be mistooken for a different tileset entirely. Whether you agree or disagree with the eyecandy use in this tileset, you must admit that it certainally is unique, and for that Violet deserves a lot of credit. This is the area that this level excels in most.

PLACEMENT OF STUFF
Carrots: Carrot placement was good, but nothing surprising. The carrots that there were were mostly out in the open. Surprisingly, Violet elected to use normal plain carrots instead of full heals. This is an interesting choice, but deserves mention. Overall, carrot placement is very good, though it takes too long to restore to full health.
Powerups: The blaster powerup, the only powerup that I could find with a quick look-through, is endlessly useful during play. It is stationed right next to fast-fires, allowing for quick access to the deadly combonation. It is good to see levels that use the blaster as the primary weapon, as opposed to seekers.
Basic Weapons: Basic weapon placement is actually quite well-done. While there is not much of powerup ammunition, there certainally is plenty of base ammo. Most of it is along the slanted ground, so a lot of ammo will be gotten by simply running around the level. Sometimes I thought that there was not enough ammo, but it turned out to be pretty well-balanced.

GAMEPLAY AND FLOW
Flow/Navigation: Eyecandy is really and truly this level’s main focus. However, fortunately, that does not mean that it lacks in the area of flow and navigation. Flow was generally good, though there were a few quirks that should have been worked out. Because of how the level is layed out, the flow is not extremely fluid. Not much can be done to improve this, other than entirely redoing the level. Still, the flow of it is not bad at all. Navigation was fairly easy and I did not run into walls too much.
Layout: The layout for this level is fine. There is not too much to say here. This level does not add anything to the layout that you have not seen in other levels. Eyecandy is really the main focus of this level creativity-wise. While the layout is fine, again, it is nothing to write home about. The bases are placed in predictable areas with equally preditable sucker tubes near them. Its quickest to just run from base to base, and I was slightly disappointed that there was one route that was much faster than any of the others, but it was still good in this area.

CTF SPECIFICS
Compatibility: The original version of this level was affected by flag bug, but it appears the area that caused it has been patched (under the bridges). I did not get a chance to do extensive testing, but I could not cause it in a quick time. The level was fairly stable, though it did severely slow down my poor old TNT2 graphics card at points with its cool but impractical ambient lighting effects. I got stuck once, but this was a masking error. Still, it seems to be slightly easier to get stuck in this level than other Carrotus levels. Not much to worry about, though.
Balance: I do not have much to say about balance. It was good. Nothing that particurally piqued my interest. There were a few things that could have been centralized, but good otherwise.

SUMMARY
If you are looking for a good ol’ home-style classic Carrotus romp, I would advise you to look elsewhere. This just isn’t it. If you are interested in a level with great gameplay or revolutionary game styles, you just aren’t going to find it here. What you will find is some of the strangest most interesting eyecandy that you ever will see. And to think that this is using Carrotus. My statement that you could not make anything interesting except with one eyecandy style in Carrotus has been proved wrong. Still, I stand by my belief that most Carrotus levels use the same formula – this one does not. Even if you are only looking for amazing levels to download and are dismayed by the fairly low raiting of this level, download it. The graphics are simply fascinating, regardless of whether you love them or loathe them. It is worth a download just for that, though, when it all comes down to it, it is not a bad Capture the Flag level gameplay-wise either.

+ PROS: It’s not a bad level at all. Everything was fairly well done. And, oh yes, the eyecandy is extremely creative.

- CONS: What is positive for some is the kiss of death in the eyes of others. The eyecandy may be too new age for some classic Jazz 2ers who pine for the good ol’ days. If you do not keep an open mind when playing this level, you will hate it. If you do, you might like it.

VERDICT: I am starting to wonder whether I should ever make stereotypes of tilesets again, as they are usually proved incorrect within two weeks. ;P
This level definitely proves my theory wrong. And I’m glad it did. Sometimes, I just say such things so someone will prove me wrong. I love to be proved wrong about things being bland. These sort of exciting new levels are what will keep Jazz 2 alive. Even if you absoluetly hate the idea of using Carrotus in this way, as I’ve said a million and six times before in this review – keep an open mind. If you do not, I can guarantee that this level will quickly become your worst enemy. Still, this is just a good level. The gameplay is solid. But it is nothing more than solid. Without its spiffular effects, this level would be nothing more than a good, but slightly uninteresting, Capture the Flag level. I would have liked it if Violet had spent more attention to level flow. It is not bad, but it is not as revolutionary as the eyecandy. Eyecandy is important, but it is not a huge chunk of my rating. Gameplay is. I give this level a seven point seven and download recommendation. Some of that score is for the gameplay, but without the eyecandy, I would probably give this level a seven or so. It is not amazing gameplay-wise, but it is still enough for a good game. This level is primarily notable for the advances in eyecandy, and is definitely worth a download for that. I hope to soon see a really good level that matches revolutionary eyecandy with revolutionary gameplay – wouldn’t that be great? And, yes, I will probably regret saying that. At least I hope I will. Great job, Violet. Keep up the excellent work. While it seems that this level has not exactly received universal rave reviews, I like the style. It is nice to see some orignality in the levels of today. Keep up the great work! :)

-Trafton

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

For such a relatively new levelmaker, Blackraptor is quite good. This level is very good, though there are a few somewhat large things that effected my rating some. The first complaint is that this level may cause flag bug. The second lies within the music choice. The third is how the springs are used. Other than that, this is a really good level and I hope to see more CTF levels by Blackraptor. This is quite good.

EYECANDY
Tileset Use: “Mirrow’s Kingdom” by Disguise is not an easy tileset to use at all. It may look really easy to use but the fact is that it is not as easy as you would think to get really good looking eyecandy using this tileset. Still, this level manages to use the eyecandy in this tileset pretty well. The eyecandy is not anything extra-special but still looks “good enough.” The tileset which is used has some masking bugs, but this is not the fault of the author.
Tile Errors: There are not really any tileset errors in this level to speak of. I do, however, have a few complaints about the tileset itself. While “Mirrow’s Kingdom” is indeed a good tileset, it does have a few masking problems. Most notably, it’s very easy to get stuck on the slanted cieling tiles. This happened several times when I was testing this level (luckily, Controller’s self destruct got me unstuck.) This can not really be fixed by the levelmaker, but it is still a problem and is worth noting.
Creativity: The tileset was not used extremely creatively. It’s not easy to make a huge creative tileset expedition with this tileset. It just does not allow for it. Maybe a little too flatteringly, Blackraptor put in a heck of a lot of pro-Mirrow tiles. It made me wonder for an instant if Mirrow was secretly Blackraptor’s evil doppleganger, but I doubt it. Still, this does add a certain varying to the level’s eyecandy. Regardless, there is not much to complain about or go on and on about regarding the creativity of the eyecandy. However, I will use this time to talk about the music (I don’t have a music section.) While I will not downgrade for this, the music had nothing to do with the level and seemed out of place and wrong. This doesn’t have anything to do with eyecandy at all, but I thought I would talk about it here anyway.

PLACEMENT OF STUFF
Carrots: Carrot placement really needs work. There are two carrots in the entire level, both of them full heals. They are placed in adjacent terraces that are only accessable via sucker tubes on the opposite ends of a large platform. They are way, way too close together and a player could easily grab both. There was little more than one carrot needed in this level since it does not go nuts with powerups. Or at least a little distance between the carrots would have been nice.
Powerups: The level, as far as I could tell, contains two powerups. The first of which is an RF in the coin warp and the other a bouncy powerup which happens to be fairly hard-to-get but not hard to find. Both of these are placed fairly well and I can not complain. It does take a while to find a powerup in intense large battles, making this level more suited for smaller, less roast-intensive battles, that will probably be 0wned by whoever happens to posess a powerup.
Basic Weapons: Basic weapons were very well placed and just the right amount was used. The overall amount of ammunition seemed a bit low, but this could be attributed to the abscence of easy-to-get powerups. The basic weapondry was well distributed accross the play area.

GAMEPLAY AND FLOW
Flow/Navigation: Flow was good, though not as good as the layout would make you expect. It was not that hard to get around the level, but it did certainally take some play to get used to. Flow was alright, though there was nothing extraspecial about it. The springs were well-placed but apparently Blackraptor tested in single player and did not take into account that the flow of which directions you are sent by spring changes from single player to multiplayer. This showed. It was obvious what Blackraptor was trying to do, but in some cases it did not work. Still, flow was pretty good overall.
Layout: Layout was outstanding. This was probably the area that the level excelled in most. On paper, you would expect that this would be a really, really good level. The bases were well-positioned. In fact, everything except the carrot were nearly perfect layout-wise. This is not common in levels these days, but it does show that a great deal of planning went into the layout of this level, and it definitely slows. Layout is probably the level’s strongest point. It takes some degree of getting used to, but once you do, you will love the layout of this level.

CTF SPECIFICS
Balance: This level is pretty much just a flip of itself. There is not much difference between one side and the other, though red was a tad closer to the coin warp. Overall, balance was good, but the two carrots just felt “wrong.”
Compatibility: I am worried about whether this level has flag bug or not. In my testing with FireSworD, I was unable to cause flag bug. Then again, I’m really, really, really, really, really, really bad at causing flag bug. I can not say whether or not this level is prone to it or not, but it sure looks like it is (half-masked one tile wide walls…eurgh.) Until I cause it, I can not knock the level for flag bug. Still, I would seriously recommend making the walls in the level much more thick, just in case. This level did not cause my Jazz 2 to crash, though I did get stuck several times. This getting stuck was, however, the fault of the tileset’s mask, not the levelmaker.

SUMMARY
Blackraptor is getting really good. For a level by a semi-new levelmaker, this is outstanding work. There are a few bugs that make this level annoying such as the repetitive and ill-fitted trance music and the carrots being so close together, but overall this is a very high-quality work. The best aspect of this level, layout, is even better than a lot of the layouts you see in levels today made by much more “famous” levelmakers. This is definitely a good level, though it does have some annoying bugs that may deter some.

+ PROS: Layout is great. This level is pretty good overall. Looks good and plays good, too.

- CONS: Annoying music. Possible flag bug. Carrots wayyyyyyyyy too close together.

VERDICT: I’m not a huge fan of flipped levels, but this one is quite good. The layout is the best part of this level by far, as I have stated many times before in this review. The level does take some getting used to however. You can’t just start playing and automatically grasp how to move around in the level. It takes practice. This is not necessarily a bad thing – luck is not what Capture the Flag is about. Still, the learning curve may be steep, but this level is quite good. There were a few bugs that really bugged me (no pun intended.) The music was out of place, the carrots were far too near to eachother, the springs were a bit glitchy, and there was possible flag bug. Still, these problems could be fairly easily fixed. This level is not anything mega-extrodinary, but it is a very good and solid Capture the Flag level, especially for someone who is relatively new to levelmaking. Overall, I give this level a seven point five and download recommendation. You may want to play some other music while playing this level, but it still is great fun. Great job, Blackraptor.

Here is my original re-review re-reviewed or something like that. I will give this a level rating of 3. I am tired of seeing you post new versions. Please reupload them instead. Better yet, just give up on this project – it does not really show much promise to speak of.
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This was my original review. The sparce fixes have prompted me to upgrade my rating from 2.2 to 2.7. Next time just reupload, please.
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Well, Nickadot, I have to say I am disappointed. Almost all of your uploads have either been 5 minute levels, rips of other levels, or just blalant theft of another’s work. And this Battle2 edit is not exactly reassuring. First of all, this .ZIP file unzips to /jj1diam/ or something like that, which is really annoying. Make your ZIP files unzip to the default directory, PLEASE. And now for the review.

EYECANDY
Tileset Use: If you are going to make a completely ripped edit, you should at least put some effort in it. And this obivously lacks effort. There is nothing but the basic ground tiles in this level. Not only does it look way too simplistic, it is downright ugly. The only redeeming quality to the eyecandy is that the author at least did not use the same ground tile over and over, but the level still looks ugly. The eyecandy in this level just is not good at all.
Tile Errors: Tile errors abound in this level. There are plenty of questionable uses for tiles (such as using the same tile for destruct scenery as the wall.) but then there are just plenty of downright errors. Blocks placed incorrectly, gem patterns only half completed, missing tiles – you name it, this level messed it up. There were plenty of oppertunities for interesting tile use in JJ1: Diamondus, none of which the author elected to use.
Creativity: Creativity is in the eye of the beholder. Sure, edits may have some creative spark to them, but this edit is not creative by any definition. This level is about as creative as a bar of soap, and about as enjoyable as well. There is no background where there should be one, and the default layer eight background is about as interesting as dirt. The level in general shows no creativity eyecandy-wise, nor gameplay-wise. Oh, yes, and the springs are floating in mid-air in some cases.

PLACEMENT OF STUFF
Carrots: One carrot. Yes, one carrot. And in the same place it always is in – the room with the springs. There is not much to say about this, since nothing was changed about it. So I will leave it with that.
Powerups: This level completely lacks powerups, just as the original Battle2 did. Not much to say there.

Basic Weapons: Well, there has not been anything changed since the original Battle2. Basically the weapon placement is the same as in Battle2 – nothing more, nothing less.

GAMEPLAY AND FLOW
Flow/Navigation: This version really messes up several crucial parts of the level flow. All instances of One Ways have been completely removed, and the springs that occupy the upper right of the level are just floating in mid-air. Not only does this look strange, but they are quite easy to get stuck in. It does not completely ruin the original flow and navigation of this level, but it definitely hurts it. This just is not a good edit.
Layout: Layout is, again, the same as Battle2. Not much to say here either. Everything is where it used to be, though there are problems caused by the conversion that hurt the layout. Nothing much to say here other than just look at Battle2 if you want an idea of what the layout of this level is.

BATTLE SPECIFICS
Compatibility: The level did not crash my computer, nor did it cause any problems. Yay. I guess.

SUMMARY
I’ve never been particurally fond of edits of Battle levels. I have really never been fond of conversions into different tilesets. And I’m not fond at all of this level. Not only is it a conversion of a level that really did not need conversion, it hurts the level. I do not mind conversions as much if they improve eyecandy and even maybe level flow, but this one worsens both of the forementioned areas. Unless you are really and truly desperate for a JJ1: Diamondus version of Battle2, I suggest you stick to the original. Then again, if you are desperate for a JJ1: Diamondus version of Battle2, personally, I would wait for a better one to come along.

+ PROS: This level has a next level setting, so you will not have to play it in a loop.

- CONS: Ooh…Where to start. There are many tile errors, flow problems, and problems that could have easily been avoided if any time was put into this level. It probably just took about ten minutes, and that was it. No effort whatsoever. Shame.

VERDICT: Again, I despise edits of levels and I also despise conversions. This level does not do anything to lessen my hate of this genre. In fact, if anything, it just strengthens it. This level really messes up the original and makes it more tedious than it originally was. With an uninspired background and equally as uninteresting idea behind it, this level is definitely one to avoid. You can find much better conversions than this one, which is saying a whole heck of a lot. For this, I give a 2.2 rating and no download recommendation. Put more effort into your levels or you will likely see more ratings along this line.

EDIT: This is not TSF. I recommend you do not label it as so.

When I downloaded this, I was not expecting much. After all, the above reviews are a bit short of glowing to say the least. I was disappointed by this tileset greatly, but it still shows some promise. The tileset conists of only two types of tiles. The first is the background, which is black with small white stars. The second is the apparently frozen ground, which consists of somewhat nicely textured blue tiles that sort of look like a stirofoam (sic) cup. These ice tiles, when used, did not actually look half-bad. In fact, I would not have objected to this tileset at all if there was just a lot more eyecandy. However, with this tileset, that is all you get. There is not any background or foreground eyecandy at all. There are just stars and then ice. Nothing more. This tileset does not show very much effort to speak of. Aside of the high-qualityness of the tiles, there is not much to be surprised about. The tileset is way too small, though it looks OK. Overall, I can not say that I hate this tileset as much as the other reviewers. Still, it is really, really bad and there is no way I could possibly recommend download.

+ PROS: Hey, the ice actually did not look bad. The tileset included wallside tiles.

- CONS: There is not much here. It’s really small, and there isn’t any eyecandy.

VERDICT: This is not a notable tileset. It’s small, eyecandy-lacking, and really not that good at all. Some of the design techniques show promise, but overall this tileset is nothing but a large disappointment. If you are really set on making a tileset, try to spend more time on it. You might not be half-bad some day if you just make larger, more effort-based tilesets. Sometimes a bad start can mean a good end, especially in tileset making. I give this a 1.7 and no download recommendation, but keep trying. You could be quite good someday.[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]