Jazz Jackrabbit 2 Online

Violet: what’s so boring about using my own sets? It’s far more original than always seeing those official sets.
And about the masking of the used tilesets: that masking is perfect, exactly the way I wanted it to be. I don’t get what you meant with the problems on the pillars(which has nothing to do with the level, but with the tilesets, and shouldn’t influence the rating).

Edit: ah, ok.

Dx Dc: I’m very happy to get a 10. But, most people here would apreciate an english review instead of a dutch one. And if you give such a high rating, it would mostly be nececary to give a few arguments. [This review has been edited by Waz][This review has been edited by Waz]

Waits for the above review to go away

TILESET/TILESET USE: All four of these levels use the author’s own Waz15, and yes, that does get boring. Each of the levels uses a different version of the tileset (Normal, Green, Night, Ice), but the tileset use is so very similar in all of them (basically just how they’re supposed to be used) that it comes out feeling very repetitive… repetitive… repetitive. Still, everything fits together, though I can’t say I like how the masking on the pillars effects gameplay.
Pros: Everything works.
Cons: Used the same way in all the levels, nothing paticularly interesting about the tileset use, pillars have problems.
Rating: 7.0

WEAPON/ITEM PLACEMENT: I guess these were placed ok. There were a decent amount of weapons, but not too many, and carrots seem ok. I’m not quite sure an RF Powerup is a good idea in one of these levels, as they’re so very cramped it’s more likely to get you in trouble then the other people, but Oh well! the rest is ok. Except in Waz38, where you can get the bouncy powerup by just shooting through the sucker tube.
Pros: Decent placement.
Cons: A few flaws.
Rating: 7.2

ORIGINALITY: There’s not very much that is original in these levels. The Toaster Powerup Poles are kind of new, though they take a bit too long for my tastes, and a few of the structures are different, but for the most part, be it design or tileset use, the originality factor is not high. Which is not too surprising, as it seems to be Waz’s weak point.
Pros: A few dashes.
Cons: Just not very much.
Rating: 6.2

GAMEPLAY/DESIGN: Four cramped little levels with nothing much to speak of in the way of flow, which while not as important as in CTF, is still rather handy in Battle. Gameplay’s ok, but you spend too much time crashing into walls and falling down for my liking, or getting attached to a vertical pillar when you expected to fall down. Not too much in the way of strategy is evident in these levels, either.
Pros: Believable battles.
Cons: Cramped, low flow, low strategy.
Rating: 6.5

REPLAY VALUE/FUN FACTOR: Hmmmmm. Well, these levels are mildly entertaining, but if I were to host them, I would take advantage of the fact they all lead to each other and give the server a low roast count, as the levels get old kind of quickly.
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Rating: 6.2

OVERALL (not an average): These are four medium small battles of ok quality, but really nothing special. They don’t show all that much work, and the originality factor is low. I think we can conclude a 10 (with no english explanation) is too high for these levels.
Pros: They’re ok.
Cons: A few bad spots.
Rating: 6.5

Edit: Rating fix (miscalculated previously)
Edit in response to Waz: I am not saying it is necessarily boring to use any given set. However, four small battle levels, all using the same tileset, ARE going to get boring to look at. As for the pillars, their masking is normally fine, except for the way that they are used which makes them seem messed up. As it is, you can get attached to the sides of walls when you don’t want to.[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

ik vind ze te GEK!

(This site is for reviewing levels in English and giving good reasons, neither of which this review does. Rating removal / making review “go away”. -Trafton)[This review has been edited by Trafton AT]

Well, it’s a good gameplay, but it’s to small. Good use of eyecandy, but this is a tileset I’v never seen before. Enough weapons and stuff, but it just needs some more.

Try to make your levels longer, put more action in it, it will realy make your levels better. Pratice much!

Download reccomend, well see for yourself.

Well, what have we here ?

Nice tileset. Natural, which isn’t always easy. But I believe Waz made it fine. Nice tieset. (very) good eyecandy.
Some tiles are missing though(hurt for example, or hooks) but all that is necessary is available. The ground has very good grfx, but the plants are +-average. But, weird as it may seem, I really(really) like this set.

Nice Job! Hope u’ll do even better nxt time…

Thx for the reviews. I was hoping better ratings, though… I’ll try harder next time.

About the grey blocks and the space ship: First, I don’t understand why you say the ship is crashed. It’s not. It’s actually there for a SP story I wanted to make. It was also there in al the previous versions, I couldn’t just let it out. It wouldn’t be Hustar without the spaceship. The blocks were meant for some sort of abandond base.

Violet: this is not a multiplayer tileset. I just forgot the hurt stuff. I might edit the tileset once…

And a big question: WHEN DO WE USE 1.23 OR 1.24? Explain it! Evryone says different stuff. Who’s right?![This review has been edited by Waz]

I’m feeling a little lazy about reviewing this since I just want to review the CTF levels. But I will try to write as much as possible:

Battle Field 1-5

The first level is a little cramp but with typical gameplay. The 2nd one is a more open version of Battle Field 1 and uses a slightly better looking tileset. The next level is also open but with a slightly different layout compared to the other two. The 4th level might as well be a hybrid of the first two levels. And the last one is like the 2nd one, although I don’t like the tileset as much IMO. I don’t know if that make any sense at all but that’s what I think. But they seem to be somewhat decent so that’s what counts.

Capture Zone 1-3

It seems that the first two levels have similar layouts to the Battle Field 1. I must say the 3rd level has to be the most unique, but that might be because it uses a non-custom tileset. All three levels don’t strive to be too difference from one another or have anything in them that makes you want to play them again. They all seem to be slightly below average CTF levels. I might also want to add placing carrots so close to the bases might be a bad idea. Likewise to hidden powerups.

Race Track 1-2

Two basic race levels. Nothing extraodinanary. I’m not sure if players will run the course like you expected them to. But it’s not the worse thing if players find short cuts so that won’t count against you whether you intended to have them there or not. Anyway, the levels seem to both be little too cramp for my tastes and I’m not to fond of either of them.

Treasure Area 1-2

Last, but not least, the treasure section. I would have to say Treasure Area 1 is my favorite of the pack, but that might just be because of my low standards for treasure levels. I would add it to my Treasure Server if it was 1.23 instead of TSF, but that’s a shame. The second level isn’t too much like the first one. I reminded me of one of the default treasure levels that came with JJ2. I don’t really like it as much as the first (must be the tileset). Still, it’s alright.

I think I violated a few of my ethics with this review. All of the eyecandy is somewhere between below average and average. The pack is alright. I’ll just stop writing now and leave you with your rating. 7.2 just because.

Well, this is another TSF-based tileset by Waz. I really wish Waz would begin making his tilesets in 1.23, as it is much more convinient and would likely fetch many more reviews than in 1.24. Still, this is a solid nature tileset and, although it has plenty of good competition, it is still worthy of making levels with. Unfortunately, the likelihood it will be used is diminished by the fact that it is TSF. Well, anyway, on to the review.

THEME: The theme is nature, although there are a few blocks that are sort of out of place. Perhaps it is some nature near Roswell, New Mexico. What I am referring to is a crashed space ship which can be used for eyecandy. This seems a bit out of place, but does not blend all that badly into the eyecandy of this level. There are some grey blocks used for supports, and of course there are the normal ground and nature tiles. It feels like a nature tileset, and is therefore well-done themewise.
Pros: It feels, tastes, and looks like a nature tileset.
Cons: The spaceship is way too cartoony.
Rating: 7.5

GRAPHICS: The graphics in this tileset really do look fantastic. The shading of everything, along with the tile quality, looks fantastic. Again, the only part in which graphics quality is compromised is definitely the space ship. It looks out of place and seems to have been put in at the last minute – it looks bad and is badly drawn. Still, this tileset features outstanding graphics quality.
Pros: Graphics are very, very well done.
Cons: The space ship not only looks out of place in the level, but it looks badly drawn. There are a few other graphics inconsistincies, but not too many.
Rating: 8.5

INVENTORY: There are a few things that are missing here. Spikes, hooks, and (eep) sucker tubes are all missing from the tileset. The rest of the stuff is here, but this area still needs work.
Pros: Most stuff is here.
Cons: A few things are missing, such as sucker tubes, hooks, spikes, and the like.
Rating: 7.2

ORIGINALITY: There is not much originality going on here. Plenty of other tilesets in this realm exist, and that is bad for the overall originality. There are some interesting parts of this tileset that do consititute some originality, but most of it is badly done. For instance, the spaceship is indeed original and not something you would often see in a nature-themed tileset. This could be attributed to one reason: it just does not fit, and besides, it looks pretty bad. Aside of a few minor blemishes, this tileset is good, but not original.

COMPETITION: There are plenty of nature tilesets out there that compete with this tileset, but there are plenty of nice things about this tileset that keep it in the running. Most of the tilesets in the nature area are probably inferior to this one, but there are still some great tilesets in this category that definitely beat this one (“Nature” by Disguise, for instance.) Still, it’s enjoyable and a good tileset.
(No pros given)
(No cons given)
(No rating given)

EASE OF USE: Tileset ease of use may look fairly easy at first, but it is not as easy as one would think from a quick glance at it. Namely, the tileset lacks some tiles that are more or less requirements in such tilesets. Still, if the tile that you need is there, this tileset is fairly easy-to-use.
Pros: The tileset layout is good, and most things are there.
Cons: A few tileset tiles that you would probably need are simply missing.
Rating: 7.2

MASKING: Yet again, the spaceship is badly masked. The vines and slopes also look a bit questionable, and the former seems to be automasked. Other than that, masking looks alright.
Pros: For the most part, masking is good.
Cons: Spaceship, vines, and slopes need some work.
Rating: 7.5

OVERALL: This is a great tileset, at least by appearance. However, once you get down into the technical parts of the tileset, there are a few problems. Graphics are great, but the other categories are mostly in the 7 range. This is by no means a bad tileset, but it just does not live up to its graphics, especially the spaceship, which should have been dropped completely. Good quality, but needs some work before it can live up to the quality of its graphics. And please, PLEASE, make 1.23 tilesets instead.
Pros: Looks fantastic.
Cons: Some of the “technical” aspects of the tileset need work. Spaceship. It’s TSF.
Rating: 7.7

EYECANDY
Eyecandy Look: A -
Usability: B+
Tiles Available: B+
Foreground: A -
Background: B+

TECHNICAL
Tiles Available: B+
Masking: B+
Tile Fitting: B+

OVERALL: B+

OVERALL RATING: 7.7

This is a nice tileset by Waz, although there are several things I don’t like about it. Well, it’s probably only one thing, and that’s just because it’s in TSF when it doesn’t have to be. I would consider using it if it was in 1.23 instead, but that’s just me. If you can’t do it yourself, I could be willing to help. In the long run, if you make tilesets in 1.23, it will get more people to use them in their levels. Just something to think about…

Anyway, my rating is a 7.7 only because it’s a good tileset (it’s better than the other ones you’ve made before), but doesn’t go too far with originality. But still, I like it so keep up the good work.[This review has been edited by BlurredD]

Ah! Something of good quality (I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m assuming) that is actually the author’s original work. About time.

THEME: The theme is.. well, it’s a nature tileset. There are also a bunch of grey blocks for structures not supported by the ground ground, and of course a big crashed spaceship or something.
Pros: Feels like a nature tileset, though I’ll admit that’s not paticularly hard.
Cons: The spaceship just does not fit in. It is of much lower quality then the rest of the tileset as well.
Rating: 7.5

GRAPHICS: The tileset Looks great. Textures, shading, abstractness.. you get the idea.
Pros: Almost everything has great graphics.
Cons: I do not care for any of the destructable blocks, the brown tree could use a little work, and the spaceship should be thrown out entirely.
Rating: 8.7

INVENTORY: H/V poles, vines, signs, and various block types.
Pros: The more common stuff is there.
Cons: No hook, spikes (I suppose it does seem to be an exclusively multiplayer tileset, but still), sucker tubes…
Rating: 7.5

ORIGINALITY: No matter how hard they try, nature tilesets always seem to end up being not paticularly original. The ground feels like (though it isn’t) Easter Island, the layer 4 background Carrotus, a good deal of the tileset Forest, much of the foliage Oasis, etc. I suppose seeing as it makes no attempt to be original I shall make no attempt to rate this factor.

COMPETITION: Any nature tileset has tons of competition. This one looks great, but the fact is there are better ones out there, which are actually 1.23. Nature’s Ruins, for example.
(No pros given)
(No cons given)
(No rating given)

EASE OF USE: This tileset is fairly easy to use, though you may spend a few seconds now and then hunting for just the right tile. However, sometimes, the right tile will simply not be there. Several things are missing from this tileset, such as some cage-edges on slopes.
Pros: Most things are where you’d expect them.
Cons: Some tiles are hard to find or just don’t exist.
Rating: 7.2

MASKING: The masking is mostly good, sensible solid/unsolid stuff.
Pros: Mostly good.
Cons: The spaceship is masked badly, some of the vine-attached-to-wall tiles are left automasked, and the slopes are a bit too bumpy for my tastes.
Rating: 7.2

OVERALL: This is a great looking tileset which suffers from a slight lack of much to back up the graphics. There is really nothing new or exciting about this tileset, and there’s no textured background. This is most certainly a multiplayer tileset.
Pros: Looks great, decent masking, useful stuff included.
Cons: Not paticularly new, some masking problems, spaceship still looks horrible.
Rating: 8.2

Edit: Waz, ok, here is what I can tell you about the 1.23/1.24 thing.
1.24 is the TSF version of JJ2, costing money. 1.23 is the “normal” version. 1.24 can run anything 1.23 can, but not vice versa, so it’s best to make things 1.23 whenever possible (I.E. if the tileset is less then 1030 tiles, or if the level uses a 1.23 tileset). You, however, ONLY have TSF, so you can not compile your tilesets in 1.23, but it Is possible for you to send the normal file and the mask file to someone who does have 1.23 to compile it for you, which is what people would appreciate if you did.[This review has been edited by Violet CLM]

This is…small. It’s a small level. Though I kinda like it, one level is not much…

Layout : Not bad, Actually almost good
Weapon placement : Average
Eyecandy : Average, but seeing the used tileset, Good
Tileset use : It’s his own tileset…

Download recommandation

I won’t give any comment about the tileset…[This review has been edited by Thrifty]

About that mask layer around the whole level thing: it doesn’t work when I play ctf. How come?[This review has been edited by Waz]

Would have been better to release it near Christmas, but whatever…

Cold Capture 1

GAMEPLAY: Needs a better layout and maybe more balance. Alright flow.
EYE CANDY: More or less average.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Decent, though the carrots may be too close.
AMMO PLACEMENT: Alright, but hidden powerups?
HOST THIS OFTEN? Msybe once or twice.

Cold Capture 2

GAMEPLAY: Same as above, but a little more cramped.
EYE CANDY: Also average.
CARROT PLACEMENT: Two carrots again.
AMMO PLACEMENT: I can live with it.
HOST THIS OFTEN? Not too often.

Overall review: These two levels could be much better. The first thing you should remember to do is put borders along the top of the level (unless you want players to get the infamous flag bug). The eye candy could be more original (by theory), but it’s alright. These levels are an improvement from the other pack you made, though they both need better flow and less objects that get in the way when players are running from base to base. And carrot placement is generally alright, but the carrots may be too close in the first level. In all, these two levels are average but flawed. My rating will be a 7.2 just because.