[NeoLemmix] NeoLemmix Introduction Pack

[kaywhyn]

Resolved the pack. My replays for 2 15, 4 06, and 5 14 still work, so I didn't include those. Everything else I needed to resolve.

Skills 5: Block and Blow in the Snow Now a blocker use is enforced, although only on the second snow platform. I don't use it in my replay, but you can still bomb on the left on ground level to prevent lemmings from walking into the water. So, the solution now requires a minimum of 2 blockers to be solved

Objects & Functions 11: Gravity Lab Due to the acid pit, only the second builder assignment needed to be adjusted and assigned at the bottom. Nice job! The only thing I'm iffy about in the pre-text is that it mentions that "updrafts prevent lemmings from splatting." This is true only to a certain extent. If the fall is greater than 64 pixels below the updrafts, then they splat as usual. Just me being nitpicky again, and this is a very minor detail that's not worth mentioning anyway, so no changes are needed to the pre-text.

Basic Training 1 06: Central Fear Not sure why my replay broke, but in any case it was a very easy fix, where I just needed to assign a walker to the lemming that finished bashing to the left. At least it's not possible to hold the crowd back in the middle area anymore just like in uber's feedback.

Basic Training 1 16: Scrap the Buttons! With the change, the level's a more decent challenge. Still not that much harder. Nice level.

Advanced Training 7: Checkerboard's Crossing Not sure what changes in the solution, but I believe one change is a glider now comes from the bottom crowd due to it now being a pickup. I don't remember what I had leftover in the old version, but here I have a jumper leftover.

Advanced Training 14: A Different Kind of Space Since my replay for this level still works, I'm wondering if you intended both of uber's and my replay for this level with the changes. We literally have the same solution, and I thought you were trying to prevent our backroute? It hasn't in this case.

Advanced Training 16: Just As He Was About to Fall Not sure why my replay broke here, but easy fix.

Advanced Training 21: Victory Lap I don't recall releasing the blocker while keeping the basher staircase intact being frustrating in that it also took the ceiling above with it, but that's exactly what I experienced while trying to resolve the level. Solution is the same, just needed to readjust the bomber in the first wall, as well as the blocker and the first miner assignments.

Regarding the pre-texts, a lot of them are so much better now, although changes are still needed on some to improve them even more. I'll provide my feedback for that next time.

[IchoTolot]

V 0.20 is out!

Backroute fixes based on the replays by kaywhyn:

- 4 06 (-1 jumper)

- 5 14 (+1 save req, +1 walker as a pick-up, some terrain changes)
- 5 21 (moved a miner pick-up, added steel, minor terrain changes)

Comments:

Advanced Training 7: Checkerboard's Crossing

Let's just say you did the precise route where theplatformer turns around.   Otherwise it's fine as I don't want to enforce that detail.

Advanced Training 14: A Different Kind of Space

Yeah, my fix was just crap.    This should be better now.

Advanced Training 21: Victory Lap

Your way is asking for frustraition, so I need to clearly block it. Steel should do it! That will hopefully now enforce the other digger as well as a result.

[kaywhyn]

Replay still works for 4 06, and I was able to resolve everything except for 5 14. Before I post my replays for 5 14 and 5 21, I want to get confirmation from you that 5 14 is either possible and I'm a dummy or it's impossible. Given the skillset at the very start (no walkers, 2 shimmiers, 1 climber, 1 blocker, 2 platformers, 1 basher, and no miners) and the starting situation with the max RR and how you have to save everyone, I'm inclined to say that it's impossible As you need to block with the second lemming at the bottom in front of the teleporter, and the only ways to save a third lemming at the bottom is to waste two platformers so that one of them turns around back to the teleporter, or bash so that the other one turns around during the in-progress basher tunnel. Either way, I won't have enough skills to finish the rest of the level, and the shimmiers certainly won't help to save a lemming.

As for 5 21, yes, I now use all skills. With the steel, it makes it much easier to know where to start bashing.

[kaywhyn]

I still haven't received a report from you as to whether AT 14 is possible or impossible. I'm still convinced that it's currently impossible, given the starting situation players find themselves in at the very start and the save requirement. Can you confirm solvability or lack of for the level? No matter what you do to save both lemmings at the bottom, you won't have enough skills to complete the level. I think here the issue might be incorrect placements for some of the pickup skills.

As for pre-text feedback, I'll do that next time when I send working replays for AT 14 and AT 21.

[IchoTolot]

Totally missed that post.

My replay is still totally fine and works for 5 14. I can 100% confirm solvability!

No matter what you do to save both lemmings at the bottom, you won't have enough skills to complete the level.

Distance yourself from your previous backroute a bit and take a look what the 3 levels before wanted to teach you.    It's really not much more here, I promise.

[kaywhyn]

All rightie, thanks. I will send my replays your way after I resolve the new 5 14 then.

[kaywhyn]

And, 5 14 resolved. I have attached my updated replay collection set with the new 5 14 and 5 21 resolved. Yup, I was a complete dummy this whole time. 5 14 is a very nice level now! I wonder if the level might be a little too hard, though.

Spoiler

In particular, the trick with blocking on a steep slope completely escaped me and I was constantly stuck on how to get the lemmings up if you have to waste two platformers at the bottom to turn one of them around. Funny really, because this blocker trick also escaped me on that one polar level, Scorched Meltdown, in the Genocide rank in United. Of course, I eventually figured it out, but it took a while. Similar situation/context, where I constantly kept thinking I was a constructive skill short. I apparently didn't learn this lesson/trick well To be fair, I think this blocker trick is very easily overlooked by anyone and hence it can be quite difficult to spot and apply.

Especially for less experienced players, I'm thinking that these players will also be stuck for a long time like I was in wondering how to get the lemmings up to the exit area. Then again, that's exactly what the prior training levels are for, just with AT 14 there's no prior announcement of what prior levels can be helpful here to solve the level. With the way the pack has been so far, you generally have only needed to look at the level immediately before. AT 14 is a big exception, where you need to look at what the previous 3 levels taught. So I'm thinking the way to rectify this is to simply announce in the pretext for the level exactly what you told me in your previous post. The only problem, of course, is that it might make the level much easier than is intended.

The remaining feedback will be on the cleaning up of some pre-texts. Many of them are huge improvements over the last time, so I'm glad to see most of the suggestions implemented However, there's still some that can be improved further, mostly just comma issues.

Skills 1 - Just a comma is needed after "breath." Otherwise, looks great!

Skills 2 - Great, but unless you already addressed this and I missed it, should it also be mentioned that the grey shadow shows up when the skill in the panel is selected in addition to mousing over a lemming?

Skills 4 - Just a comma is needed after "head." Otherwise, it's good!

Skills 8 - Looks great. I wonder if it should be mentioned that assigning stoners in midair can be used to break falls as well. Then again, you did mention in the pretext a couple of levels before that lemmings die if they fall 64 or more pixels, so it might not be necessary.

Skills 9 - Just a comma is needed after "levels."

Skills 13 - Commas needed after "last," "0," and "button." Also, "assings" is a typo, where it should be "assigns."

Objects and Functions 1 - Just a comma is needed after "area."

Objects and Functions 3 - Instead of a semicolon ( ; ), that should be a colon ( : ). Also, comma after "left."

Objects and Functions 5 - Comma after "activation." Perhaps instead of "with," "through" is probably a better word to use.

Objects and Functions 6 - Commas needed after "fencers" and "miners" in the left/right facing OWWs and downwards OWWs sentences, respectively.

Objects and Functions 7 - Comma needed after "pit."

Objects and Functions 8 - Commas needed after "sometimes," "locked," and "deviate."

Objects and Functions 9 - Commas needed after "sometimes" and "now."

Objects and Functions 10 - Commas needed after "time," the first "receiver" in the second paragraph, after the second "mode," and after "traps."

Objects and Functions 11 - Commas needed after the second "pads" and after the second "which" in the second paragraph. Also, instead of "by contrast," "in contrast" sounds better.

Objects and Functions 12 - Comma after "made," take out the comma after "again." "Frame-stepping" should be capitalized.

Objects and Functions 14 - Comma after "case."

Objects and Functions 16 - Text cuts out at the end. Not sure what should be removed here to cut out the fluff.

Objects and Functions 17 - Comma needed after "otherwise."

BT 1 01 - Comma needed after "first."

BT 1 02 - Comma needed after "steel."

BT 1 04 - Comma needed after "trick." For the last sentence in the second paragraph, perhaps add "can work" after "even diggers" so the beginning reads "Even diggers can work" and the rest of the sentence is fine as is.

BT 1 08 - Comma needed after second "wall."

BT 1 10 - Comma needed after the first "jump" in the third paragraph.

BT 1 15 - "Ammount" is a typo. Should be "amount."

BT 1 19 - Commas needed after "level" and after "also."

BT 1 20 - Commas needed after "sometimes" and after "miner."

BT 1 21 - Comma needed after "time."

BT 2 02 - Comma needed after "also."

BT 2 03 - Very nice pre-text. I wonder if it should be mentioned to stop the digger after at least 9 or 10 strokes (I'm not sure how many pixels the builder adds and the crowd will still be contained). Then again, the player is taught that lemmings cannot get over 7 or more pixel high walls later on, so it might not be necessary to mention when to stop a digger with a builder after a certain number of strokes.

BT 2 09 - Add the word "to" after "latter."

BT 2 16 - Comma needed after second "blocker."

BT 2 20 - Instead of "hole" put "tunnel" since it's technically a tunnel miners make.

BT 2 21 - Comma needed after "bashers."

AT 1 - Remove "to" in the third paragraph.

AT 3 - I feel like "create" sounds better than "form." "Form" works too, just the other one sounds better to me.

AT 4 - Comma needed after "bricks."

AT 9 - Not sure how I missed it the first time, but "under" should really be "above." When you're platforming in the level, the bricks are above the shimmier when he jumps, not under him.

AT 11 - Comma needed after "here."

AT 15 - Remove "in."

AT 18 - Maybe instead of "removed" perhaps "released" is a better word to use here, since we technically want to release the blocker, not remove him by bombing him, for example.

AT 19 - Comma is needed after "way" in the third paragraph.

AT 20 - Add "very" after "are."

AT 21 - Just need to fix the comma being by itself, as it should really be next to "diggers."

With these pre-text changes for the next update, we got one very awesome and excellent NL Tutorial pack which I approve and will highly recommend to anyone! Once again, nice job with the levels themselves. Perhaps when the v1.0 of the pack comes NL should definitely ship with this pack along with Redux

[IchoTolot]

Will look through these soon + apply fixes.

I really tend to a short reminder pre-text in 5 14 towards the last 3 levels.

[kaywhyn]

If you like, I'll be more than happy to take a look at your pre-text for 5 14 when you have it. That way, we can simply fix and tidy it up before you release the final version of 5 14's pre-text along with the next version of the pack

[IchoTolot]

V 0.21 is out!

Menu + rank graphics have been adjusted for the new release. Please delete your old version of the pack before updating!


When no more feedback is coming in, I will then prepare the V 1.0 release of the pack with kaywhyns feedback.  No worries though, as even after V 1.0 feedback will always be welcome and will be accounted for in future updates.
I just think that the pack is developed enough for a stable release now.

There will be switch ups in the level order in the future though as new skills will be introduced. Therefore I recommend saving replays through the level name and not rank+position.