NotaLems Level pack

[kaywhyn]

Tough 11 resolved. My solution looks less backroutish but it probably still is just slightly

[JawaJuice]

Et voila. You'll have to let me know if it's still a backroute Don't worry about it though, it's pretty normal for levels to have several revisions in my experience. I guess a lot of this can be caught in pre-release testing.

[IchoTolot]

Here are my solutions! 

A really good first pack!

Although I must say you do enjoy torturing your friends for sure! 

This is not a pack I would advise beginners to start with! Especially the last rank is quite tough.

I would say it is "Medium" to even "Medium-Hard" as a few levels were quite the difficulty spikes!

My favorites were "Medium 26", Medium 27", Medium 29", "Tough 18", "Tough 9" and "Tough 3". These I really liked and "Tough 3" being the hardest level of the pack for me! 

"Tough 19" is on the verge of greatness but some things were a bit fiddly, the timer is not needed in my opinion and the level looks a bit messy.

There are a few levels I don't like and the prime example is "Tough 30" - It just feels like a few levels duct-taped together and quite a lot of the things I already saw before and it felt a bit like a chore.
Yeah, that should be the theme of the level, but it's just really exhausting and not that interesting
I enjoy seing different, new and interesting things and not just the difficulty coming from more and more stuff being tagged on.

A few unnecesary timers here and there, but that's a minor thing.

I still really enjoyed the pack! 

[Nota_Steve]

Here are my solutions! 

A really good first pack!

Although I must say you do enjoy torturing your friends for sure! 

This is not a pack I would advise beginners to start with! Especially the last rank is quite tough.

I would say it is "Medium" to even "Medium-Hard" as a few levels were quite the difficulty spikes!

My favorites were "Medium 26", Medium 27", Medium 29", "Tough 18", "Tough 9" and "Tough 3". These I really liked and "Tough 3" being the hardest level of the pack for me! 

"Tough 19" is on the verge of greatness but some things were a bit fiddly, the timer is not needed in my opinion and the level looks a bit messy.

There are a few levels I don't like and the prime example is "Tough 30" - It just feels like a few levels duct-taped together and quite a lot of the things I already saw before and it felt a bit like a chore.
Yeah, that should be the theme of the level, but it's just really exhausting and not that interesting
I enjoy seing different, new and interesting things and not just the difficulty coming from more and more stuff being tagged on.

A few unnecesary timers here and there, but that's a minor thing.

I still really enjoyed the pack! 

Hey, thanks for playing, and GG! Well played. I'm glad you enjoyed for the most part and I apologise of any of the levels weren't your cup of tea so to speak. My intent originally was for beginners to play through the Easy and Medium ranks with Medium to be a real sense of accomplishment, I think Medium 29 is quite the difficulty spike and I wanted players to feel the same way I did when I eventually beat "Postcard from Lemmingland" for the first time after weeks of trying when I was younger haha. I have chopped and changed this pack many times from the first version I uploaded, and I think there is still room for improvement. My friends who I introduced Lemmings with the first rendition of this pack to really liked to highlight they believed this to be one of the easier puzzle games out there and that "it can't be that hard" , so I deliberately made the tough rank challenging. But as time went on and so many kind souls from this community played through it, I wanted to make it so as it was a challenge for them too.

Thank you for sharing which your favourites were and the critique on Tough 30, it has been noted and taken well as I think it's fair. I'm trying to take as much info as possible as when I get some extra time I pplan on continuing with the second pack I wish to release.

I'm intrigued by your take on Tough 19... Tough 19 is actually my 2nd favourite and I would like to know your input on what you think could be done to make it "greatness".

Thank you again.

Steve x

[IchoTolot]

No worries, can't please everyone with every level! 

Still a really good pack! 

In "Though 19", while the solution is great the level layout itself was a bit too cluttered with traps, One-way-Walls and fireblowers for my taste.
I think with a different design approach in a few places/areas one could make it look and feel a bit cleaner.
It is still not totally over the top though and it's just a small thing.
I know things like this happen during fixing and level creation and I myself have created levels like these after a few iterations of fixes, but then I am always finding myself sad that I did not find a cleaner way.
Still a very good level! 

[MASTER-88]

Quite interested try that your pack, because i am very tired make any levels myself rightnow. But have to ask few questions about it. Did i am allowed post videos my completion solutions in youtube or not? If not its very okay.

Did we use newest neolemmings version? Fencer/Slider changes other solutions older versions. Otherwise no different IMO.

HEH. This your first level was fun. If i´ll towards hard solution i´ll be quite good about it. Let see did this pack contains.

[Nota_Steve]

Hi Master...
I don't mind people making videos with this level pack, I have really enjoyed watching people destroy my levels, it's helping me become better at designing levels. All feedback is good feedback.
This level pack is the original 8 skills.

I do intend on doing one more patch on this level pack when life calms down a little bit, I hope you enjoy.

[Nota_Steve]

Hi everyone.
It has been a while, life has been a bit chaotic with family illness, but I did intend on doing a final patch for this level pack, before I fully concentrate on the next one I'm currently working on whenever I get chance.

I'm pleased to present NotaLems V2.2, with a few changes to some levels in the Tough Rank. As well as some small changes to make it a bit more complete. Please find the download in the original message.

Patch Notes

General

Removed the "Rank graphics" from Folders in order for the actual name of the rank to be present on the main screen.
Given new level ID's to Tough 2, Tough 4, Tough 8, Tough 11, Tough 17 and Tough 19.
Renamed Tough 2, Tough 4, Tough 8, Tough 11, Tough 17 and Tough 19 .nxlv names also updated in the levels document.

Tough Rank

Tough 2 -
. Removed 2 Builder Skills
(Catacombs is a level from the upcoming pack, after watching multiple solutions to this level I feel the challenge is slightly improved when only 1 builder is available).

Tough 4 -
. Added Terrain to aid intended solution
(While the solutions used are skillful, the added terrain hopefully helps identify the intended solution)

Tough 8 -
. Updated the Steel in the middle
(No change to the level other than aesthetically pleasing myself the make the level look cleaner and more symmetical)

Tough 11 -
. Reduced Lemming Count to 6
. Added a third trapdoor
. Removed steel near the start
. Removed Saw trap, replaced with Ice blaster trap
. Removed Ice Blaster near exit
. Reduced Climbers to 4, Reduced Miners to 2
. Rearranged terrain near the top
. Added terrain to aid intended solution
(Mogok Stone Tract, similar to Calacatta Monument were designed for Pack 2 I am working on, I brought them to NotaLems to make it a more complete pack and replace some of the more tedious endurance levels in V1. Mogok Stone Tract's puzzle is improved with these changes. While the solutions again, are skillful, hopefully these updates can challenge you to find the intended solution.)

Tough 17 -
. Removed the top and bottom exits
. Added terrain to the middle pillar the exit stands on
. Updated skills, removed 2 Diggers, Added 4 more bombers
. Reduced save requirement to 55
(Derelict Staircase has proven difficult to get right. Whilst it challenged my friends who played the pack, a more experienced player has been able to backroute it with great ease. I have been unsure how to fix this, but I am attached to this level as it's one of the first one's I made :p, so I have changed it's design slightly to add a different challenge whilst trying to push towards the solution I originally had in mind.)

Tough 19 -
. Redesigned the terrain at the bottom of the entry point
. Removed 2 flame throwers near the start
(The Chains That Bind is my favourite level in the pack. I have been satisfied with the solutions I have seen and all are fair. It's important for me to note that this redesign is more of a test to see how my level design has improved based of feedback received. I would love feedback on this.)

As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated. Unless there are any glaring issues, this will likely be the last patch I will do for this level pack, accept that it is the first I have done and it was never going to the perfect.

Thank you for all your time and effort in helping me with this level pack. It's greatly appreciated, I look forward to hopefully becoming more regular in this amazing community.

Steve x

[kaywhyn]

Hello @Nota_Steve,

Thank you so much for sending your condolences to me during my NepsterLix streams both last week and this week when I had a rough time last week after I found out about the passing of my 8th grade science teacher! You and your family are also in my thoughts and I hope things look up for you in the future Anyway, I've resolved all the Tough levels that changed in V2.2 and I've attached my entire replay collection.

Some remarks:

- The file listing the ranks in the zip still shows the incorrect extension of .txt. I've fixed it for my copy, but it should be levels.nxmi, not levels.txt

- You don't need to change the IDs of the levels you updated due to backroutes. Instead, you need to give the repeats of the pack a different ID from the original, easier level. Any level that isn't repeated later in the pack doesn't need its ID changed. For example, in my MRC (mass replay check), Easy 17 passes with my Tough 21 replay. In this case, you want to make sure Tough 21 has a different ID from Easy 17's so that it doesn't confuse the MRC. There's still several cases of matching ID's for the pack, but it's fine, I have 90 replays, one for each level of the pack

The updated Tough 11 and Tough 19 are much harder than ever before and took me a while to resolve. For the former, the new ice steamer blower trap makes it much harder to save the right entrances. My solution still seems to be a backroute though.

For the latter, builders were the biggest problem for me. Not sure the way I made a turnaround point for the neutrals is intended though. I also managed to have a blocker to spare, though my new solution doesn't seem any more cheesy than my old one and hence is likely still fine

Tough 17 sadly should be another bad backroute

I'm still curious as to what you intended for Tough 3 When Icho's video for that got published a couple of days ago, I checked and saw that he pretty much solved it the exact same way as I did. However, in my LP, you commented that my solution isn't intended but acceptable, meaning Icho's solution would be acceptable as well. Any chance you might pass your replay along for Tough 3? 

[Nota_Steve]

Firstly, no problem at all, and thanks for the well wishes, they are really appreciated right now.

Tough 17 is just an all around bad design haha, I've tried to make it work but I'm come to the conclusion it's just not going to work how I expect it to, so I will just leave it as a precious memory as to what it could have been.

Mogok Stone Tract is a work in progress, it is in the next level pack I'm making and it's nice to have references in order to make it a better more complete level, so again, thank you and everybody for that. I'm glad you enjoyed the 2 reworked levels.

The note on the ID's has been noted and taken.

Tough 3 is an interesting one isn't it, I watched Ichos solution and was amazed how you both come to the same solution I've attached the replay for Tough 3: No justice in this reply but please be assured, your solution is fantastic.
I do intend to do a video with the intended solutions for the pack now I'm finished with it and will continue on with pack number 2.
Thanks Kaywhyn, you're a real one.