Apologies for the delay, I had other things on my plate. Here are the results!
Best Battle Level of 2024
Titan Armory - PurpleJazz [4]
Mt. Gongga - Loon [3.75]
Astral Witchcraft - minmay [3.75]
Blood Libel - Violet CLM [2.5]
Best CTF Level of 2024
Copper web - Lynx & Naps [3.25]
Saline Shores - PurpleJazz [3.25]
Indigo Falls - FawFuL [2.75]
Falkenstein: The New Order - cooba [2.5]
Astral Witchcraft - minmay [2.5]
Best Single Player Release of 2024
Diamondus Ultimate - DoubleGJ [8]
Find It Out (Single Player) - Superjazz [6]
Marbel Prize - Violet CLM [4.75]
Best AngelScript of 2024
Astral Witchcraft - minmay [8.5]
Spherical Coalescence - Warren [4.9]
Show Player Gems V - Violet CLM [3.8]
Best Eyecandy of 2024
Astral Witchcraft - minmay [3.9]
Saline Shores - PurpleJazz [3.5]
Indigo Falls - FawFuL [3.4]
Best JCSer of 2024
Dragusela [6]
cooba [3]
Warren [2]
Congratulations to all of the award winners! And thank you so much for voting for Titan Armory and Saline Shores, I honestly didn't expect to win either category but I'm truly thunderstruck by the reception these have received. Very well done to the other award winners! It was a very close finish - special shout out to Loon for Mt Gongga for narrowly coming 2nd place in Best Battle, which was one of the best new party-sized Battle levels of the year, perfectly suited for events such as JDC and the Anniversary Bash.
Props to minmay for creating Astral Witchcraft which was arguably the most technically impressive level of the year - really showing off the power of modern AngelScript while offering some delightfully energetic gameplay. It's no wonder it's been such a prominent feature of the awards this year! Definitely worth giving it a spin, but be sure to bring your friends! I can't wait to see what minmay has in store for us in 2025 and beyond.
We've seen plenty of other of cool things done with AngelScript this year. Copper web has one of the most unique level themes of the year and introduces a titular web launcher gun that shakes up the usual CTF gameplay by giving players a useful utility weapon for area denial. Very well done to Lynx and her script writer Naps! Meanwhile Warren has brought in some jaw-dropping visual effects and some seriously strong weaponry in his new CTF level Spherical Coalesence. Talk about power creep!
On the Single Player side of things, Diamondus Ultimate amps up the flexibility of its namesake tileset up to 11 and offers a captivating mix of old-school gameplay while simultaneously deploying AngelScript for some fun custom gameplay elements and storytelling. Find It Out is the long-awaited and highly anticipated follow up to SJ's multiplayer pack of the same name, and the wait was well worth it! It offers plenty of nostalgic gameplay while having a emphasis on story, taking full advantage of scripting for some more engaging dialogue than your typical single player episode. There's also a fun new JJ1 level to try in Marbel Prize, if you'd like to mix things up a bit. You can even play it in your browser!
There were also plenty of levels that broke new ground purely through exceptional level design alone. Shout out to cooba for making Falkenstein: The New Order, which bridges the gap between oldschool and newschool gameplay in a way not done with as much style and flair in a long time. It's reminiscent of classic OLC CTF levels in some respect but also feels like a fresh experience. Meanwhile Violet continues to do Violet things and defies conventions, this time by making a predominately vertical level that's actually a joy to play in Blood Libel, proving that there's still heaps of potential to discover if you're willing to think outside the box! I also can't go without mentioning Indigo Falls by FawFuL, which does some wonderful things with JJ2+ layer modes and feels very much like it's own environment rather than just another Carrotus level. It also offers fantastic gameplay too, check it out!
Lastly, I cannot close without giving a special congratulations to Dragusela, your JCSer of the year for 2024! You have gone from strength to strength, starting from relatively humble beginnings just a few years ago to one of the most prominent level creators in the modern day. It's safe to say that if you played JJ2 Multiplayer in 2024, you almost certainly played a Dragusela level at some point. A very well deserved win, and I eagerly await new levels from you this year! cooba also definitely deserves to be commended this year for being a creative tour-de-force, bringing out a plethora of highly innovative levels during the year that offer a diverse range of gameplay for all occasions. Props to Warren as well, hopefully we see some more explosive levels from you in 2025!
Thanks to everyone who made 2024 such a fantastic year in the JCS scene, and here's to an even greater 2025!