Thanks for the reviews everyone so far! It is very exceptional to receive this many in such a short time! :]
Chaffinch
Capture the flag, by Superjazz,
requires 
The Secret Files, with JJ2+
Description
Greetings!
Here’s an end-of-September greeting from me, with some late Summer vibes in the form of a(nother) forest-themed level, inspired by cooba’s way to name a level Starling. This one is dedicated to the common Eurasian bird called Chaffinch, featuring a background sound sample from Wikimedia.
This time I decided to release the level in its raw form, without prior multiplayer testing rounds. We’ll see how that goes!
The level should be well suited for games of all sizes, especially duels and 2v2 games. The level features a full energy carrot and 2 normal carrots, plus Bouncer/RF/Roller powerups, from which the Roller weapon comes with an ammo limit of 20.
Without further talk, enjoy the level and good luck & have fun!
EDIT: Fixed a few one way areas with possibility to get stuck inside the solid wall, tilebug fixes and other visual updates.
EDIT 2: A second fix attempt on the one way areas with improved masking of certain corner platform tiles and a few tilebug fixes.
EDIT 3: Attempt 3
EDIT 4: Attempt 4 – Detached platforms!
EDIT 5: Edit boss dog – Replaced Bouncer PU with Fireball PU and enabled blastable pickups! Now you can play around more tactically by moving pickups with bullets!
Credits & Acknowledgements
Original tileset & music authors
Contains 21 Files
 xlmchaff.j2l |
Chaffinch | 46.70 kB |
 Aztec2.j2t |
Aztec 2 | 401.51 kB |
| BRWinter.j2t |
BR Winter | 254.83 kB |
| CarrFix.j2t |
Carrotus 1.5 Day | 230.61 kB |
| CarrFixDay.j2t |
Carrotus Fix Day | 228.87 kB |
| Diam1TreesDownScaled.j2t |
Diam1TreesDownScaled | 27.69 kB |
| DiambDay.j2t |
Diamondus ? Day | 247.22 kB |
| DiamUlt-Day.j2t |
Diamondus Ultimate (Day) | 921.27 kB |
| Lomat.j2t |
Scorpio Key | 269.49 kB |
| RollercoasterPark.j2t |
Rollercoaster Park | 92.31 kB |
 SEroller.j2a |
7.81 kB | |
 forest_walk.xm |
Forest Walk | 285.08 kB |
| Chaffinch.ogg |
1807.61 kB | |
 xlmchaff.j2as |
1.50 kB | |
| SEroller-mlle.asc |
1.01 kB | |
| SEroller.asc |
9.71 kB | |
| SEweapon.asc |
14.07 kB | |
| SEroller.wav |
98.96 kB | |
| MLLE-Include-1.8w.asc |
28.95 kB | |
| xlmchaff-MLLE-Data-1.j2l |
MLLE Extra Data | 6.90 kB |
| xlmchaff-MLLE-Data-2.j2l |
MLLE Extra Data | 5.97 kB |
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Reviews and comments
Superjazz 6 Oct 2026, 18:58
FawFul 2 Oct 2026, 11:57 (edited 2 Oct 26, 13:22)
8
Fun level without any glaring issues, albeit not particulairly refreshing. It is a small size without any camp spots, so this fits perfectly in the modern CTF era where it is easy to learn and play in for all skill levels. And due to the player base size being small and skill gaps being big, appealing to the audience is probably for the best. However it does start to feel like some levels tend to follow the same formula and lose a bit of identity. It feels very similar to Erathia and Land of the Snooze in gameplay style, but smaller. Visually, it feels very similar to other xlm products that use carrotus, such as levels by Dragusela and Loon. Personally, I like levels where it is a bit more difficult to hunt and tries new things, but it is still a nice level.
This level has pu bouncer and the roller, two very potent weapons from high ground. In my experience playing this in the tournament, the lower area in this level never ever feels safe against those weapons. On top of this, the carrots are locked in place and pretty high up in the level, which makes taking high ground even more favorable. Especially in this level I would have liked seeing shootable carrots to create some more dynamic staying below. The weapon choices and fixated carrots make this level a bit too top-area focused and in the open. It feels difficult to ever feel an ounce of control in this level.
A final thing I noticed is the amount of tiny masks get in the way of those powerful weapon choices, sometimes bouncers and rollers just hit the most awkward masks, making their trajectory quite unreliable when a player tries to climb back to the high ground.
However this critisicm does not take away that this is a well produced level and overall still better than most CTF levels out there. And it definitely deserves to be played from time to time.
Lark 3 Oct 2026, 16:39
7.5
Pretty cool level. So you have your main path. Boom. You can go to and from each flag in a matter of seconds. But that's going to be guarded with the conveniently placed ammo that forces you to explore the map. So, explore time. Here we go.
The springs/one-ways are placed very effectively, creating great overall flow. No annoying spring tricks here, just bouncing around like Jazz should. Ammo is nice, and the level is not over-reliant on custom weapons. I don't like when there are too many custom weapons because then it gets confusing.
One thing I'd love to see in the level is some exits from bases on the sides of the level, to sort of sneak out. Right now, you only have limited ways out of each base, making it pretty easy to get shot at least once sneaking out when you capture the flag. Other than that…
The level in general and the background is gorgeous. I can tell you spent a lot of time. Also, no tilebugs on Carrotus is an amazing feat. :)
Great level! Recommended. I'll probably host this at one point.
Dragusela 4 Oct 2026, 10:20
8
It's a simple, yet fun level to play. Personally I like simple things, even though sometimes may feel a bit repetitive but nonetheless I think this level has its charm. The layout and flow is excellent, one thing that I like about the SJ style of level making is the attention in flow, you can go from point A to point B without bumping into anything, the ammo and PU placement is alright. The general style of the level is simple and, like how FawFul's revew said, reminds of other levels that use the Carrotus tileset, especially Land of the Snooze, but i don't really see this as a flaw. The eyecandy is nothing particularly impressive but it's pleasent to look at, I like the bright colors and the "late summer vibes" that gives. I really appreciate the details such as the chaffinch sound and the clever use of the HH98 tiles in the background.
Overall it's a well-crafted level that i recommend to play, and it can be an example that sometimes less is more.