@NieSch

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Intended solution! nicely solved

@Armani

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Using the snakes nose to hold in the slider was a bit of an oversight on my part but it is pretty much the intended solution so certainly an acceptable variation

Would probably want to check to see if any train strikes are on those days nearer the time too, maybe have a backup day if it seems really bad? Can check dates here https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/travel-information/industrial-action/

I'm in the UK too, so depending on when & where I might be able to take a train and stop by too if it isn't too far north.

It is and it isn't. Ultimately when designing the level I usually want the player to have an "aha!" moment, or to feel like they have figured something out or discovered something - whether that's the thing I intended when I made the level or not.

As a solver, something that really takes me out of that experience is when multiple levels fall into what I feel like are an "overcentralised" area of the solutions. To me this is a set of particularly powerful skill interactions that levels (especially harder ones) can tend to gravitate towards that are typically most efficient. If you as the player know these, then a lot of easier levels can just be solved that way too without really engaging with the level. Some of the worst offenders of these are:

• Cancelling a basher or miner to sneak up/through a wall somewhere
• Using a digger on a hill to create an unclimbable wall
• Using some of the more 'obscure' blocker interactions
• Adjusing the RR to reverse a lemming with overlapping builders

As the quote goes "Given the opportunity, players will optimize the fun out of a game", and I think that when you know about those interactions it can be very hard to not just reach for the same interactions over and over. When designing levels I really try to create variety in the solutions which I need to rule out many of the most powerful interactions to give others room to shine - but this is really hard because alot of these interactions can just be used everywhere. I want each level to really feel different when solving it, which means the ways the skills interact in the level have to be unique. I will be much harder on a backroute to a level if it lets you solve a level in exactly the same way as a previous one, or in a way that I feel makes the level boring.

A last point on this is that I think there is a degree of trust that builds up between the player and designer as they play through the pack. If i've played a pack and reached the hardest levels, I get a feel for how those levels are put together and trust that the designer won't throw some really unfair/unfun solution at me to make the level harder (e.g. find the exact RR or try again after 5 minutes solving again) - this trust lets me instead focus on finding a 'logical path' to the solution. I want my levels to build up trust in that way too - I won't throw every evil trick I have at you in one level. If you get any particularly 'clever' interaction it WILL be the 'aha!' moment of the level, and I won't red-herring you away from it - Instead I'll try and give you every opportunity to find it, and streamline the level to make needing to save that crucial skill something you discover early.

At the end of the day, the level should make the player feel good for solving it.

Very nice find kaywhyn - I did wonder if it was possible when I saw how icho contained the left crowd but I couldn't spot the bit about grabbing the pickup skill.

I have put together a quick video with the inteded solutions for my R2 & R3 levels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0eo9cwJ55o

@kaywhyn - Great solutions to both my R2 & R3 levels - The R2 level uses the intended element in the solution and saving both the blocker & walker was nice. The R3 whilst not the intended path is certainly acceptable. The way you contained the crowds was very different to my solution, and I am pleasently surprised as to how many variations I have seen in solutions to this one.

@ichotolot - Great solves for both levels too . The R2 level uses the intended element - the way you used the blocker was very similar to the initial concept of the level but I ended up adding a different skill instead to make things easier to execute. The R3 solution again much like kaywhyn doesn't handle the crowds as intended but certainly uses the skills in an interesting way so is an acceptable alternative - the only part of this solution that I might have considered changing is how the platformer is used after the pickup-skill beyond the monitor - though I think it is too late in the contest now for me to want to make changes (and also I kinda like that this is a tricky level with a variety of different solutions).

@The Tomato Watcher

An intended solution to the level, nicely solved

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You can extend off of almost all of the towers in the level in a similar way to your solution. I think pretty much all of the solves so far that I've seen have used the towers slightly differently which is kinda interesting to me!

I've attached my rule 3 solutions. I found this quite a fun rule to design for - lots of creative looking levels on this one.

1-A Digital Switchover

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My level

This solution has a couple of leftover skills. There are quite a few ways you can swap skill placements and still find a solution that works out (though it may take an extra blocker or jumper). I do wonder if it is possible to save the other blocker given a more permissive exit. I couldn't find a solution that manages this though - otherwise it might have been a talisman.

The idea to do a computer themed level actually came from the music which I heard before designing anything. I thought the monitor shape would be an interesting challenge to try and make with the original styles, and i was pleasently surprised how useful the eraser peices were in making the shape - they usually are deliberately not visible!

2-Underwater Hijackers

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I found this surprisingly tricky & I ended up needing to come back to this one. I realised quite early on I needed to send at least one lemming down the left of the level, but assigning the laserers in the submarine had quite a few configurations. At the end of my first attempt I had a solution that was one short of the save requirement because I completely missed that I could clone the 2nd laserer - Fortunately I spotted my mistake quite quickly when revisiting!

Great job on the visuals for this one . The solution on the interior of the submare was fun to work out and the combination of laser, cloner and basher was fun to execute. In terms of other feedback, I do wonder if the long digger assignment could be adjusted somewhat into an alternative terrain configuration that is quicker to navigate.

3-Ancient Lemmarine

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Nice puzzle! The limited destructive skills really force you to be effecient with the path the crowd takes on this level. I completely overlooked bashing through the top of the submarine which meant a lot of my attempts were a skill short. I ended up trying to make continuing a basher through the bottom of the submarine work - though I probably should have realised this was not the inteded path as It avoided the big ramp in the middle of the level. From the updates topic I am guessing this was something that was fixed already, but it would be nice if some of the gaps were widened a bit more to make it extra clear you can't extend a basher with a single builder.

Great work with the visuals on this level

4-Starlight Pinball Zone

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Very nice looking level & idea for the object! I like how the skill assignments (in particular the glider) feel a bit like sending pin-balls through the machine too. The solution to this followed a clean logical path, where as soon as I realised I should drop the crowd through the pinball area the other overflowing lemmings could be assigned the necessary skills along the way to make sure they got to places in time to save the crowd. This was a very fun level to play and solve.

5-Mad Dads Chemical Research Dept.

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Excellent job with the bubble tileset - the preview image alone on this looks fantastic!

I think I probably found this the most difficult of the rule 3 levels - despite the large number of available skills they can very quickly run out. The area on this level that gave me by far the most trouble was getting past the clamp-stand effeciently.  I felt there had to be a reason the upper edge of the clamp-stand wasn't steel - though I do wonder if the steel could be raised a bit to make the jumper assignment more obvious that it could work - as spotting that you need to do this to let a slider past is already pretty well hidden!

6-The Treachery of Lemmings

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Nice job with the curves on the pipe shape - I imagine that took quite a while to eraser out!

My first attempts on this tried to wedge the neutrals & lemmings together within the hatch by immediately assigning a stoner and trying to stack on either side, but too many lemming snuck out for that to work. I then realised I could send the last half of the crowd over - but dismissed this approach for quite a while, as I didn't realise I could use the stackers to get back over the miner tunnel.

7-The Claaaaaw...

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I really like the choice of object(s) on this level. I thought it was really creative that machine claws were holding the pickup skills and that the item drop point was made functional by use of a teleporter

This was a fun level to solve, with the main difficulty for me being around when & how to get into the 2nd claw machine to collect the skills. There is a bit of subtlety to this, as the lemming still needs to be able to climb up afterwards to collect the digger!

8-Bosom Buddies

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I wasn't expecting this terrain layout!

I decided to go for the gold talisman on this one - I've probably said before in level feedback that its refreshing to see levels that offer multiple distinct interesting solutions.

9-The Lemming Calculator

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I know you've said before on discord that you are stronger in making level puzzles over the visuals, but I think this looks great

In terms of the solution, It really help to not overthink the start of this - instead I let the lemmings do what it felt they natural-ly needed to do. My first attempts tried to send the right crowd down the outside of the calculator, but this quickly got lost in something complex - and I figured the solution would be rational. It turns out the letters for the left crowd were integral to the solution, and it was important to differentiate where the platformers could be placed in order to effeciently solve for x allowing me to substitute in the spare skills elsewhere in equation.

Math puns aside, this was a satisfying level to solve and was a good challenge!

@Armani thanks for resolving multiple times - your solve is incredibly close to the solution I found and is certainly an acceptable variation - great solve !

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The jumper you had leftover allows sending a slider ahead to avoid needing to find the platformer timing with the monitor crowd. I think it is possible to complete this level with a slider and blocker leftover (If a backroute appears with that extra blocker I will probably re-add the gap under the plug again).

In general there are quite a few transpositions of skill assignments that work on this level, but it feels like any solution that does the following is acceptable:

• The sliders should handle the lower pillar area & cross-over the climber crowd to the computer when neither exit route is completed
• The climbers should solve the pillar using the constructive skill assignments you used
• The exits should be used in the order you used them

In the earlier iterations I was trying to avoid needing to assign a stacker at the climber pillar. However, I didn't realise a jumper covers the same vertical height as two stackers, which opened up ways to delay the crowds "switching over" and how that otherwise complicates grabbing the pickup skills.

@Armani That is much closer to the intended solution, and a clever solve. I was very tempted to keep this but it feels just far enough away that I have updated things again . I think this update makes things a bit harder so am thinking about dropping save requirement down to 54 + adding talisman for 55, will think about this.

Potential spoiler on intended solution (but pretty vague)

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The main thing I'm looking for in the intended solution or acceptable solution is how the two halfs impact eachother, I've felt the sliders haven't done quite enough yet.

Updated my R3 to V4 - this is a bit of bigger change and hopefully doesn't introduce a backroute.

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V4:
Adjusted height of starting area for the slider lemmings
Increased save requirement to 55
Removed a gap underneath one of the plug sockets

V3:
Increased spacing between 2nd hatch and computer pillar area

V2:
Added another pillar to the right exit to prevent a backroute.

I have decided to revisit quartet 16 and adjust the sign the other way after remembering some backroutes I found when making the level. I'm not sure if any could still be made to work given how the level has evolved since then, but I decided to be safe and fix that sign. Sadly this means the solution kaywhyn found for this level won't work anymore , but on the plus side, there is still another route to be found

As before, I will attach the previous version of the pack to this reply if you want to play the earlier version of the level - otherwise please grab the latest copy of the pack from the main post

@Armani - this is quite a nice solution but still avoids some of the things I ideally would like to see in a solution, so will probably be updating the level a little more.

I have attached my solutions to all of the rule 2 levels. This was quite a challenging rule to design a level around, yet all the levels here have been fun to play and solve.

1-Roiling Clouds (V1)

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Of of my levels
The laserer can be used from quite a few places & some leftover skills are to be expected - there are plenty to avoid other acceptable solves running into precision or timing issues.

2-Tightrope Planet (V1)

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I liked how this level uses both seperating a lemming from the back & front of the crowd in the solution. My first attempt just sent a climber ahead but the traps needed to be constructed over from the other direction which put a stop to that.

I had a builder leftover in my solution, so I hope this is acceptable.

3-Looks simple enough... (V1)

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Quite a tricky one - spotting how to contain the crowd effectively was the main challenge for me. I did like that the extra climber on this one is purely to release the lemming that frees the blocker, rather than a 2nd worker that turns the first around.

4-Steep Bee-scent (V1)

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Given the piece limit this is a surprisingly big level

I like the way the glider lemmings act as double-edged sword here, if you aren't careful about what path the crowd takes the gliders might just float on over the turning point (or the exit)!

5-Decent Default Design (V2)

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Very challenging level which I needed to come back to solve, but a very clever solution .  I have included an extra near-solve replay (saves all but one) which is roughly where I got to before coming back to this one.

Two areas in particular proved challenging on this level: (1) how to contain the crowd enough (2) how to rescue a lemming from the button area more than once (or at least once without the jumper). I was quite fortunate that I stumbled across the timing in my near-solve replay quite early on which showed that I could platform across to the middle area, whilst simulatenously continuing a digger underneath, but it took my quite a while to realise that I didn't need to assign the climbers immediately.

My only nitpick is that it isn't very clear that you can navigate the area under the steel without using a platformer. If this is the intended solution it would be clearer if the platform was thicker (or the steel a few pixels thinner) to give a few more pixels space to work with, though I appreciate the rulset restriction has an impact here.

6-Atmospheric Breach (V1)

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I like how the updraft was used as both a tool & obstacle simulatenously on this level I needed to work out how to sneak a glider through the updraft on the way forward, whilst allowing the rest through on the return trip.

7-Not much to work with... (V2)

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Nice 1 of everything level

The central terrain island gives a surprising amount of options to consider and work through. I did notice in one attempt that mining from the right to release the crowd would allow a glider into the other exit, but in the end I found a solution using exclusively the right exit without assigning the glider, so hopefully this is acceptable.

8-A Roundabout Trip (V2)

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This is a nice looking level even with the piece restrictions.

I solved this one by sending a worker over the steel to build the path for the rest of the crowd, I didn't end up using the blocker so managed to save all though it feels from the level name I still took a roundabout trip so maybe this is fine. I liked that the solution on this one requires that you partially construct the end area, but doesn't allow you to completely seal things up or platform from that island.

9-Minimalemism (V1)

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My first attempt here assigned the glider and cloned that lemming which meant it couldn't hit the button - holding the glider assignment and using a floater instead is a nice detail.
I managed to save 1 over the requirement here, but I'm guessing that was timing & the save requirement is a bit lenient here to allow using the bomber on the other ball if needed?

10-The 10 Piece Puzzle Rush (V3)

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1 second to spare

The climber assignments jumped out quite quickly - I liked slider+floater combo to switch directions. My first attempt fell short of the time limit as I did not spot that I needed to use the laserer to speed up the 2nd crowd as they don't have time to bounce off the 2nd forcefield. This is a good time-cruncher puzzle, very short and every second counts

I have re-solved your rule 1,  hopefully this one is acceptable

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A lot of the feedback from before still applies, though this time I used all the skills & the level involved using the shimmier in an interesting way to ascend up a ledge.