Dear GOG,

The holiday hare episode provided with the game does not load up the corresponding level. It's supposed to be a set of holiday theme levels, instead it first loads up a multiplayer level. Skipping the level through a cheat does not help either. Please select and name the correct .j2l levels for this episode.

Thanks

They should be, but the wrong level corresponds with the episode. When the episode is selected it goes straight to an christmas themed multiplayer battle map. I made a support ticket on this.

Thanks for pointing that out. But you are misunderstanding me. In this case the holiday hare episode should be removed from the base game. Christmas chronicles and holiday hare were essentially 1.23 and 1.24 (TSF) releases with the same set of levels. It appears this episode is selectable in the base game in it's bugged state as described above.

I doesn't know what is the case in the GOG version, but Japiepatatzakie is right. Holiday Hare is the same as the once separate Christmas Chronicles except updated to run on the newer version of the engine (the same version as The Secret Files) and was included in the full release as an episode later.

Correct, there should be no need for a separate installation as The Secret Files can be played with all the JJ2 + Secret files + Christmas Chronicles episodes all in one package: https://i.imgur.com/4xgnoJO.png

Not a huge deal, it's just more convenient that way (and the current bugged episode is confusing).

The christmas multiplayer level-episode was a part of The Secret Files release by LK Avalon. I never understood why they included it, neither all the years ago when I bought the CD version nor today with the GOG release. It's just not playable single player.

LK Avalon also did release JJ2 Christmas Chronicles as a separate game at the same time as TSF though, so this might be somewhat connected.

Another thing that could be fixed is to get The Secret Files as not the 1st episode in the list (Formerly a Prince is the proper 1st episode), but make it separate and force a clean (no weapons) start (or at least put it after all the main game episodes), same with Shareware episode - those are meant to be played separate from the rest of the game.

That might be the case here.

Anyway no matter how I install and patch the games The Secret Files are always at the top of the episodes.

Problem is simple, a shared filename: LK avalon ships a home cooked level with the filename xmas1.j2l, but this is also the filename for the starting level for holiday hare and christmas chronicles. Merging content creates the problem. It can only have one of those two levels in the folder but it does have the holiday hare episode.

In the another topic about the original episodes and The Secret Files it was said the JJ2+ version have to be installed over the non JJ2+ game. Shouldn't it work the same way here (as far as the comments sounds the Christmas Chronicles is also a separate installer)?

Install the standard JJ2 then install Christmas Chronicles in the very same folder, and finally install the JJ2+ version over the whole "mess" you created now.

So how does one correct this issue and play the Holiday Hare episode? Which files need renaming?

Either the episode gets removed and GOG counts on players to install and play the christmas chronicles for the levels

Or they keep the episode, given that the battle level xmas1.j2l shipped as home cooked has to be renamed and the set of levels (xmas1.j2l, xmas2.j2l and xmas3.j2l) have to be added for the instlalation.

Christmas Chronicles should have the xmas1, xmas2, and xmas3 files, It should work if you install everything in the same folder and then lastly install the JJ2+ version over that. Of course the GOG version may differ from the CD release but for me it worked back then. However I can't install the game from the CD so I really should buy it here.