[SUGGESTION] [TOOLKIT] [ADDED] Remove Timed Bombers option

[namida]

Status: Seeking input on whether or not to make this change.

[namida]

Currently, whether or not bombers are timed is an option left to the developer of a pack.

Discussions in the old NL2 forum, I don't think ever arrived at a final decision, but definitely leant towards removing this option (as well as the "Disable Direct Drop" option, in favor of always disabling it). The Direct Drop needs alternative solutions to be implemented for packs / levels that rely on it; but removing timed bombers even as an option can be done now.

Is there any strong feeling that the option should remain, or is it time to make untimed bombers the only NeoLemmix behaviour, rather than simply the standard one?

(For the record, the option applies to Stoners as well, but I've never seen a pack that both uses Stoners and has timed bombers/stoners.)

[Wafflem]

Yes, timed bombers should be removed. A majority of the timed vs. untimed bomber discussions lean more on untimed bombers than timed bombers. Timed bombers make the level more frustrating as there would be too much trial and error, a level design that is frowned upon by many. Rvery NeoLemmix pack so far except for GeoffLems does not use timed bombers (not counting radiation).

It should also be noted that IchoTolot removed timed bombers in his conversion of PimoLems and Lemmings Reunion, both of which had timed bombers in Lemmini.

[namida]

Lemmini doesn't provide the option of untimed bombers to the player though. I believe NeoLemmix is the only engine that does - all others either have timed bombers only (Lemmix, Lemmini, Cheapo, SuperLemmini) or instant bombers only (Lix).

However, the fact that in these conversions, it was specifically chosen not to use timed bombers, gives weight to that perhaps they should be removed altogether. Another consideration is that Lix recently went from timed-only to untimed-only, and it seems to have been widely appreciated.

Indeed, GeoffLems is the only NeoLemmix pack I can think of that uses timed bombers, and this too was a conversion from another engine (Lemmix). Even packs from authors who have generally shown a preference for traditional features (eg. GigaLems) have tended to use instant bombers.

[Simon]

Hnn, remove.

Consistency is valuable. You focus almost exclusively on puzzle solving than on execution and trial-error, and offer error-correcting control features. Timed bombers make things hard solely by execution. If Geofflems is the only pack affected, you can ask the autor for his reason -- may well be "I figured that timed is the standard."

You will lose minor mechanics: A few levels have relied on can't-bomb-during-fall-from-hatch without knowing it, and needed straightforward backroute fixes. Can't set the timer on a lem, then have him become zombie, then have him bomb amongst a zombie horde.

Yeah, people were happy in Lix, no timed skills in singleplayer. This again was inspired by NL having untimed, and recognizing that as a good idea.

-- Simon

[namida]

Timed bombers option will be removed from the next release onwards. The flag will also be ignored in the case of older packs that have this option turned on (ie: bombers and stoners will always be instant, except in the case of nuke / radiation / slowfreeze).