Jazz2 Sprite Editor
 

Foreword: I don't often start threads; in fact I'm sure have never created a new thread in this forum, so I'm going to attempt my best to make sure this one is as exciting as possible.

Story: Having been around the JazzJackrabbit Community Forums for a while, I notice that sprite rips are a very popular phenomenon. I myself have no use for these rips because I lack the time and motivation to make my own fangame. Anyway, the sprite rips also commonly spawn the discussion of another important issue, a sprite editor. Using the Search function, I found that there was no mention of such a program on the JazzJackrabbit Community Forums. So I thought, if there exists sprites, there must have existed sprite editors in the first place. In the spirit of discovery, I decided to do my own digging. Since the level editor was called Jazz Creation Station, I decided to do a google search for "Jazz Destruction Station". To my surprise, it returned exactly one result. But since the server was no longer available, I turned to an alternative. I copied the address into the Wayback Machine, and surprise, it returned exactly one result. To my dismay, the site was empty except for a few keywords. Digging around, I found that this site actually had exactly one link. So I clicked on it. It brought me to this wonderful website which downloaded candy and lollipops into my CD tray. I clicked on every single link. One of them even printed money from my 3.25" floppy disk slot. I became a very happy man. Eventually I grew up and became a successful billionaire. I hired a team of geniuses to work on a sprite editor and a time machine. So I sent the sprite editor back to my younger self in 2006. Eveything was perfect until I finally convinced myself that this story was fake. Ouch.

Anyway, so where was I? Oh right, the sprite editor. Even though I can't draw very well, I used the sprite editor to alter a few images, and ended up with stuff that looked like this:

[IMG]http://www.files.bz/files/5589/JSDth1.png[/IMG] Exporting Tweedle to GIF	[IMG]http://www.files.bz/files/5589/JSDth3.png[/IMG] Spaz vs CrimiClown
[IMG]http://www.files.bz/files/5589/JSDth4.png[/IMG] Spaz vs Green Weasel	[IMG]http://www.files.bz/files/5589/JSDth2.png[/IMG] Redrawing 1up sprite

As an experiment, I ran the first level (Dungeon Dilemma, castle1.j2l) using the modified sprites. Some of these sprites were inspired by currently active members in the community. There are also other modified sprites you might notice.
The result, recorded with FRAPS, looked something like this (9.95 MB). For a 2m21s video compressed under XviD, 10MB was the best compromise I could get between size and quality. The video is meant to be a benchmark of the sprite editor's ability. Do note however that the animations were done by hand, and therefore look ugly.

I hope I made you very confused. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing/hearing your comments.

I have to admit, I'm actually impressed by this.

I'm confused. Is it a hoax or not? =P

It isn't! But is a shame that you can't import, swap or set coldpoints, hotpoints and gunpoints.

........for a lack of a better word I am confused now.

I can't edit anything at all. Just view and export.

Go to "File" and unmark the "Read Only" option ;)

Hmm. With some editing, Devan's sprites could easily be put in the place of Jazz or Spaz's sprites. =P

EDIT: Bah, I edited Jazz's standing sprite into a floating Jonny head and now it says Anims.j2a is corrupt.

Unless a version capable of copying and pasting frames will surface, I'm afraid replacing sprites like that will be far from easy.

But still possible.
This is just awesome.
Really.

... Allright, this *is* a revolution. Very impressive, and somewhat a major step in JJ2 modding.

'And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes - a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees...had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.'

3rd March, 2006, 12.30 GMT. This date will go down in the history books. Or at least ERE.

Looks good. it seems every time I look on here, our team of hackers seem to dismantle the game even more. :D

Tools -> Jazz2 Patcher

That's what you have to use first, before playing.

Or not.

It's interesting to look through and see what got cut out. Amongst other stuff, I've found animations that look like part of the old 3D bonus levels in JJ1.

Nice, although I can't see how it's useful.

Holy crap, this is awesome. Could you send me a beta (or alpha, depending on the status of the editor thus far) version? This opens the door to many new level packs. Now all we need to do is learn how to edit the AI.

gRY, nEOBEO WAS ONLY KIDDING... iT JUST SHOWS YOU HAVE LITTLE FAITH. :p

oops caps lock on

Anyway, I've edited the big rock, and here are the results:
[img]http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3424/jazz00011tq.png[/img]

EDIT: Odin, here: http://www.jazz2online.com/J2Ov2/dow...p?levelID=4041

I wouldn't edit the whole sprites of the game just for a single level pack :roll:

Edit the sprites for a whole character frame by frame, pixel by pixel? Heck no. But with the 'import gif' function coming up, everything will become so much easier.

Jazz X *hint*... ;)

Well, I wouldn't like the whole sprites of the game to be changed just because I downloaded a level pack. This is why I can't see how this program is useful.

...unless you could actually CREATE sprites.

OMG. This is the most fantaboulus Thing ever.
Hey is it possible to change the height/width?

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

The best way to do it would be to have the player back up their Anims.j2a version, then put the old one back after playing the level pack.

Holy (-) it's real.

Too much effort :p

Maybe some weird Robotnik/Eggman-like robot called BOLLY?

That was my quote, and notice I deleted it after I realised that.

But, where are all the food stuffs?

Could you possibly make it so you could import gif images as frames so you dont have to use this to edit the sprites?
oh also GG!

SetID 68 for v1.23

Anyway, a v1.01 quick-update will be released, hopefully sometime today :). At a quick glance, it will hopefully at least support export/import PNGs.

This is probably the greatest thing ever. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before people start submitting their own custom .j2a's. I'm not exactly sure if that's a good thing or not...

Though, the idea of switching Devan with Jazz fills me with much pleasure. *gets to work*

:D iam now asking that no one submit crappy J2A's :D

apparently i'm the first to report a bug in my own program (v1.00):

#1) "File --> Exit" has no code (does absolutely nothing) :D

well, lots of people wouldn't even use that.

I haven't pressed File-> Exit since I was like 12.

Also, wow. Just wow. Neobeo, you are awesome. Later I have to screw up my J2A, but for now I'll just sit here and be amazed.

a TOU J2A would be nice ;)

I'm going to work on a Tron Styled J2a.

http://img349.imageshack.us/my.php?i...eedit012mj.jpg

+9000 respect points for Neobeo.

Waiting for later versions would make it easier to make mods...