Quote from: Armani on May 04, 2021, 05:37:10 AM
I solved the level but spared some skills, so it's probably a backroute.

Spoiler

I liked the original idea of the floater having to build a half-length bridge and then land on that small platform, but after analyzing your solution I think the original route looks more and more like an unnecessary detour

In the (currently) intended solution the glider must land on the bridge while it is still being built. The floater completes one stretch of bridge and builds the stack, then immediately builds another bridge to turn him around and prevent him from climbing over the stack. This way the glider, who is already right-bound, gets a considerable head start. I think it makes better sense for the glider to dig down next to the entrance, as there is no risk that the floater will fly straight past the exit. Also, building that stack prior to the glider's arrival on that bridge should no longer be possible, due to the lower platform and fire trap.

Quote from: kaywhyn on May 03, 2021, 02:00:24 AMLevel 9 solved. Replay attached. Should be intended, as it uses all the skills except for the clearly red herring bombers I definitely say this is a medium difficulty level, as it's clear for the most part where everything goes except for one somewhat obscure trick that might escape the more casual players.

Quote from: kaywhyn on May 03, 2021, 02:00:24 AMHaha, well the advice I always give players is to just solve more and more packs so that over time their solving abilities improve. In this way, tricks are picked up along the way, and when it comes time to using them to solve a particular level they can come in very handy. At the same time, I think I've always had the puzzle instinct/mentality and hence I generally have an easier time than most when it comes to solving Lemmings levels. Of course, this doesn't mean that no levels ever stump me. I get stump more often than you think, but I think the characteristic that sets me apart from most other Lemmings players is that I constantly keep coming back to the roadblocks until I finally succeed in solving the level. United is a very good example. I got stuck often and usually for weeks/months. I also mentioned before that I'm willing to sit through and get stuck for however long it takes until I finally get a level solved.

Quote from: kaywhyn on May 03, 2021, 02:00:24 AMFeel free to release a set of multiple levels at a time, as well as take your time on your pack. There's absolutely no pressure or rush to finish, so you can take however long you need. You could even wait on releasing more levels to play until you have a fair idea of how big you want the eventual pack to be. It's your project, after all, so even if it ends up taking a while, your levels will likely be much higher quality as a result as opposed to those that are rushed and released in short order.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 29, 2021, 07:19:22 PMThat seems to be the trend with the New Formats NL level packs, where they are often very difficult packs. There are some easy packs, but there aren't as many, and most of them tend to be for Old Formats NL. Even then, they're still no slouch or complete pushovers. Because the easy and medium packs seem to be lacking, there seems to be community agreement that there needs to be more easy packs, especially for those who might not be as experienced. That being said, your levels still pack some punch, although to be fair this is only an 8 level demo. However, if your levels are already this difficult, I can't imagine how difficult the eventual pack will be as a whole. At the same time, you might be right about your levels so far being much tamer compared to some of the most difficult levels currently found in very high difficulty packs. It's likely also due to how you're mostly restricting yourself to the classic 8 skills, although as I have seen even levels that make use of just those skills can be quite difficult. Nepsterlems is a very good example of that, and one which I haven't quite completely solved yet.

Quote from: ericderkovits on April 29, 2021, 10:10:22 AM
here's my solution to level 6. Even had 1 builder left. Maybe a Talisman.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 29, 2021, 08:48:35 AM
Level 7 resolved. Maybe a slight backroute?

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 29, 2021, 08:48:35 AMMy pleasure. I try to be helpful wherever I can. You will come to know me as someone who gives very detailed feedback on practically any level pack I solve. It mostly stems from how I'm a very detailed person myself

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AM
Resolved the levels that have changed. For future reference, make sure to make a new post anytime there's an update, because if you just edit the OP, there's a very good chance that people won't know that an update dropped. On the homepage, the site does not notify that a post has been modified, only if there's a new post. I just happened to check the topic and noticed the last edit that was made to the OP a few hours ago.

Also, while not required, a changelog of what actually changed in the levels would be great as well. This can be great for bookkeepping, especially for the designer so that he/she can see how many versions a particular level has gone through, as well as provide some guidance in helping a level maker improve with future levels I've only made 3 levels myself so far, particularly since I prefer to solve rather than make levels, but I find changelogs very helpful for every update I released for my levels, and will definitely be using/providing them if I ever end up making a level pack in the future.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AMLevel 1 & 2 - These should be intended now.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AMLevel 6 - How's this solution?

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AMLevel 7 - Still remains the hardest of these 8 levels. This one took a while. Even then, this solution feels somehow not intended.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AMLevel 8 - It's pretty much the exact same solution, except one really needs to send out the climbers very closely spaced to one another. Definitely don't feel that levels always have to finish with just a second left.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AMI would still ease the precision and provide more leeway, as even with skill shadows it's still quite difficult to tell at a glance whether one has placed the builders correctly until you let the lemming fall. Or at least provide floaters so that you don't have to widen the gaps.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 28, 2021, 04:27:54 AMAgain, these are great puzzle ideas and not a bad attempt at a first pack/demo, but there's certainly some room for improvement. I definitely can see that the eventual pack has great potential! Enjoy your stay here and feel free to ask for some assistance should you ever require it. Thanks again for sharing your short demo

Quote from: ericderkovits on April 27, 2021, 08:53:44 PM
ok, I solved the levels. Pretty tricky levels.
a few of the levels I had barely finished on time due to time limits.

Quote from: Proxima on April 27, 2021, 07:17:24 PMThis is because, in all levels of this pack, the "THEME" line is blank instead of having a theme selected.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PM
Hi Dr. Slater

Welcome to the forums! I finished solving your demo pack. Here are my replays. This is not a bad attempt at a first pack so far.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMHowever, there are some peculiarities that I've noticed. For example, the color of the builder bricks don't match what they're normally for a tileset. On all levels, they all default to a dark brown-greyish color and anytime a lemming lays down a brick it's a purple-pinkish kind of color.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMWhereas for the 8 levels you currently have, definitely some great ideas/puzzles here. This demo seems to indicate that you are aware of the standard of not having time limits on levels unless they're to block backroutes. I certainly don't mind time limits, as I'm kind of a traditionalist when it comes to the game, as well as how I love numbers/math. However, there's absolutely no reason for them on the first 3 levels, especially since the RRs are locked and you're always guaranteed to finish on time.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMIn my opinion, level 5 was the hardest due to the very strict time limit. I kept running out of time on several earlier attempts that would had worked but they unfortunately take several seconds too long.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMInterestingly, I thought level 2 was impossible, but turns out that I didn't go about the level correctly. It's extremely tight on the timing

Spoiler

With the RR being locked, the challenge is just to delay the very first lemming out of the entrance, and to save the pre-placed one. The original purpuse of the miner is actually to make the pre-placed lemming survive the fall by shaving off a few pixels, thus slightly shortening the fall, while the floater is intended to delay the first lemming

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMI like the concept in level 3, but the execution is very annoying, particularly since the builders have to be pixel precise and on the dot. I would advise widening the spacing between the bars to make it clearer and also to provide some leeway in the skill assignments.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMAmong the non-timed levels, level 7 was my favorite It was also a difficult level, and somehow I feel my solution isn't intended, especially since I have a builder leftover.

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMFinally, I'm almost certain that my solution to level 6 is a backroute, and somehow I feel my solution isn't quite intended in level 8 as well.

Spoiler

Level 6 is definitely a backroute, yes. Clever (and unintended) use of that platformer! Somehow those lemmings feel no pain while bathing their feet in magma... (Should've checked the trigger-zones more carefully)...

Your solution to level 8 is actually basically as intended. I just send two climbers immediately, and the third one shortly thereafter. My method is just more heavy on simultaneous action, that's all

Quote from: kaywhyn on April 27, 2021, 07:04:17 PMOnce again, not a bad attempt at a first level pack and I look forward to seeing the full release of the entire pack in the future This does raise a few questions, though.

How many ranks and how many levels per difficulty are you planning?

What exactly is this pack about? I know you already described a bit of it, but a more detailed description would be nice. It's great that you provided some pics of some levels that are/will be in the pack These certainly help in possibly getting more people to play the pack. For examples, you can look at the level pack release topics on the NL levels board.