Last night I upgraded the JMMB from version 5.19 to 5.20. I think that this has fixed the problems that we were having with the light bulbs. If you happen to notice anything that this may have broke, or other general problems, just get ahold of me by e-mail. In case you didn't know, my email address is: bam3079@rit.edu

- Brian

HiDDeN's Hideaway is currently up and running. You can access the server at this address: 24.3.219.117

- Steven

Hi, This is Roaster, I'm helping with Jazz2City now. I'll be updating the links, Posting News, And Level Pack Announcements. Just thought you wanted to know..

- Roaster

Just thought you guys might like to know... Project 2 is only publishing in Europe and South Africa. They won't be accepting any mail orders from the U.S., so we'll have to wait and see what Epic does about the U.S. publisher.

- DethMan

This is the official Project 2 press release for Jazz 2: The Secret Files. Read this carefully, as there are tons of awesome facts in there!

*** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE *** PRESS RELEASE ***

Project Two Interactive proudly presents:

Jazz Jackrabbit 2
The Secret Files

Because the consumer asked for it, he's at it again!

Many players around the globe are eagerly looking forward to the new sequel to one of the most popular arcade games ever. And here it is! Jazz Jackrabbit 2 The Secret Files has the same old magnificent gameplay and special features players know from Jazz 2. With the addition of a brand new third playable character, Jazz & Spaz's "athletic" sister Lori, The Secret Files looks set to stun gamers around the world.

With Easter drawing near, the release of The Secret Files will be celebrated with the inclusion of a spectacular Easter Episode. Next to Easter levels the adventure also sees Jazz, Spaz and Lori visiting haunted houses, skyscrapers and underground sewers, where new and unknown adversaries await our beloved trio. And that's not all...

Like Jazz 2, gameplay in The Secret Files is incredibly fast paced. Players can also create their own levels with the user-friendly Jazz 2 Creation Station. An internet contest gives really addicted level designers the chance to win 500 Euro for creating the most beautiful and daring Easter levels! All Easter levels that have been submitted will be downloadable from several official and unofficial Jazz Jackrabbit 2 fan sites afterwards...

And don't take the multiplayer Party Mode for granted: up to four players on one screen, up to eight players on 8 screens via modem; up to 32 players on 8 screens via LAN or 32 computers on the internet! During an internet competition to be held at Easter, the best Secret Files player will be rewarded with another big reward.

- Release date: 15-3-99, just a few weeks before Easter.
- Full version of Jazz Jackrabbit 2 included for FREE!
- Value for money: Only GBP 14.99!

- Steven

Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (for Mac) has shipped! Coolio. Click here to read the press release.

- DethMan

Brian saw from Adrenaline Vault that Epic Megagames has changed their name to.... Epic Games. Brilliant idea I'm sure ;-) They've also moved their headquarters to Cary, North Carolina, from Rockville, Maryland. Mark Rein (Vice Pres of Epic) was quoted saying,


"Unreal was first created by developers who were scattered across the world. Eventually, the team came together to finish the game and that's when the real magic started. The move to North Carolina centralizes Epic, bringing all of the company’s talented developers under one roof. By industry standards, Unreal was a huge hit for us and Unreal Tournament is turning into a great product. We fully expect our future work -- developed by a complete team working together in one place from beginning to end -- will more than exceed expectations."

Personally I liked the Mega part.. but oh well, I always call em Epic anyway =)

- DethMan

I was curious as to why the MMB was majorly down... (that's the official Epic board btw). I emailed a couple of people, and then.. whaddya know, it was sitting in front of my face =)) Here's a news bit taken from www.planetunreal.com.


Megaboard Down But Not Out

I personally received an email from Mark Rein explaining the reason for the Epic MegaBoard's sudden disappearance from the online world: :p

With the move from Maryland to North Carolina some of our email and web servers have been relocated and may have been or will be temporarily be down or unavailble. Right now we're awaiting installation of a T1 line in Raleigh late this week. The Megaboard is currently down and will be back up soon. We expect everything to slowly return to normal over the next week or so. Some people are getting their email and some are not. If anyone has any urgent emails for Epic people who do not appear to be responding please send them to me (mrein@epicgames.com) and I will relay the message to the appropriate person.

So, there you have it :)


I think the MMB downtime has a direct relation to the JJ2 server lists downtime... so I expect them to be up around the time the official MMB is up. But we'll see...

- DethMan

The old Epic message boards don't have a DNS entry anymore. That means that they are officially shut down. This also means that the JMMB is pretty much the official Jazz 2 message board now. =)

- Steven

We got these two pictures exclusively... no one else has em... yet =) One is a blown up version of the picture on Orange Games, the other is, I quote "...the same picture with a different composition." Translation? Something that looks even better =) Below are thumbnails of both pictures. Click on either thumbnail to view its larger counterpart in a new window. Both images are made by the famed Dean Dodrill.



Be warned... the images are VERY LARGE.

- DethMan

If you're drooling for more info on the add-on pack, then you've come to the right place! First, I'd like to really thank the producer of The Secret Files, Robert Allen, for taking some time out to answer my questions... he's a really busy guy, and the time he took was priceless.. thanks! Here's what he told me..

DM: How many music mod files are there?

Robert: Three.

DM: Is there an estimated cost on the MSRP?

Robert: I have no idea what Project 2 intends to sell them for in Europe.

DM: Is there a publisher in the U.S. yet, or still undecided?

Robert: No US publisher yet.

DM: Do you know if we can mail order it from Epic?

Robert: Well, we're looking into that, but so far I can't reveal anything. As you may or may not know, Epic has discontinued direct sales. Details of who might pick up our direct sales are as yet, undecided.

DM: Is it possible it will be delayed after Easter, or is that the deadline?

Robert: The Eurpoean version will definitely be on the shelves before Easter. I really can't comment on whether or not we will be able to finalize a deal with a US publisher in time for Easter.

DM: Is it true that JCS has double the tile capacity?

Robert: Yes. Our artists have made tons of new level graphics so the tile limit had to be increased dramatically. Because of this, larger features are available, and the "world" seems to fit better in higher resolutions.

There you have it... this should answer most of your questions. StevenT also had an interview with Arjan Brussee, the director of Orange Games. You can click here to see it. Along with the interview, StevenT posted a preliminary Lori drawing; this picture is older... you'll notice that Lori has longer hare now, and has better shading =)

Okay, now to sum it up... here's the lowdown:

3 new music files
3 new tilesets
Double tile capacity for JCS, possibly new events also.
New charactor: Lori

??Rumor?? Two special moves for Lori, observation of screenshots tells us that one is hovering ears ??Rumor??

Everything else is basicly rumors, unless you hear it from an official channel. And of course, in that case, be sure to email us :-)

- DethMan

2/1/99 - 9:08 - JJ2 Add-On Announced!!

Orange Games and Epic Megagames officially announced the add-on pack last night. The add-on pack, previously known as *it*, is now officially called, "Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files" and will currently be published by Project 2.

Check out the pics below, including the exclusive shot of Lori, the new charactor in the add-on made by Dean Dodrill... the main animator in The Secret Files. Also expect a possible full screen background shot of Lori coming soon.

This news was also announced on Adrenaline Vault (minus the pic of Lori =)

The cool animation was taken from Orange Games; and then this awesome pic... click here to see it.
See? I told you *it* was real =)

- DethMan

1/31/99 - 19:15 - JJ2 Servers Down

The Epic JJ2 servers have been down a while... as a result, no one can play JJ2 until they're back up. However, IP games still work, as do network games (duh) =)If you're looking for a JJ2 game, try asking someone on ICQ. I personally expect them to be back up in a day or two, but we'll see.

- DethMan

1/31/99 - 18:05 - jeh moderates!

Evil_Bill, aka jeh, or Jon Maclellan was pronounced the moderator of the JCS forum in the JMMB! Evil_Bill is a serious JCS guru... he's worked on both Jazz 2 and Holiday Hare 98. He knows everything about JCS... of course, that doesn't mean he'll tell you everything... but you get the drift =)

Since jeh is quite busy, I'll try to moderate while he's afk.

Also, the JMMB is closing in fast on the 3000 message mark... and it's only been up since the middle of december! Check it out.

- DethMan

1/31/99 - 18:05 - New Poll

Well, here's the last poll's results...

Did Spaz Eat The Dopefish?

Definately. He's crazy enough. (Yes) (107) -77%-
CONSPIRACY! (No) (13) -9%-
And I ate cheese. Whatever. (19) -14%-

Well, I guess he did... ;-) Now on to this week's poll, suggested by Steven. What's it about? Well, it has to do with Jazz 3... (keep in mind IF there is a JJ3... we figure there is)

- DethMan