[NL] Gronkling's Animal Pack: #1 RODENTS [difficulty: Easy & Hard]

[Gronkling]

Crap! I forgot to take the test lemming out of Level 9, soooooo stupid of me haha, I was even thinking that I needed to make sure to remember to take that out! I'll definitely have to release an emergency patch to fix that horrible mistake
Level 10 is a backroute again

[Armani]

Resolved updated levels.

Spoiler

I know attached solutions for Hard7 Viscacha and Hard15 Coypu are intended. Latest update broke their replays, so I just adjusted them a little bit.

Hard9 Chinchilla : This feels intended now

And my previous backroutes still work with some minor tweaks for following levels :
Hard11 Capybara, Hard19 Mole Rat and Hard20 Rat

And I think I found new backroutes for following levels :
Hard13 Beaver : I got no blocker solution.
Hard16 Cloud Rat : I still think my first solution is closest to intended so far(connecting basher with 2 builders.)
Hard17 Hamster : several leftover skills

[IchoTolot]

Here are my solutions!

I think I've got mostly intended ones, but a few backroutes as well.

[Gronkling]

@Armani
1 new intended, but 6 more backroutes

Spoiler

9 - Intended
11 - Still a backroute
13 - Backroute
16 - Backroute
17 - Cool trick, but still a backroute (i think this is the most backroute-able level in the entire pack)
19 - Backroute
20 - Backroute! Pretty much the same as what Icho found

@IchoTolot
Yep loads of backroutes 10, thats half the pack!

Spoiler

Easy ones are of course all fine

1 - Intended
2 - Intended
3 - Cool backroute, but still a backroute
4 - Intended
5 - Intended
6 - Pretty much intended
7 - Intended
8 - Intended
9 - Backroute!
10 - Pretty much intended
11 - Backroute
12 - Intended
13 - Backroute
14 - Backroute! Thought this level was pretty secure but apparently not
15 - Back to backroutes for this one
16 - Horrid backroute
17 - Backroute as usual for this level
18 - Intended
19 - Backroute
20 - Horrible backroute. Pretty much the same as what Armani found

Update for all these coming some time soon! (There's a lot to fix)

[Gronkling]

Pack updated and attached to the first post

[Armani]

Resolved updated levels

Spoiler

Hard11 Capybara : Finally I used every single skill. I hope this is at least closer to intended.
Hard13 Beaver : Very similar to my previous solution.
Hard16 Cloud Rat : Seems better than before but I still have 1 climber left.
Hard17 Hamster : No swimmer solution
Hard19 Mole Rat : One of my yesterday solution still works in current version I just re-attached it.
Hard20 Rat : One basher left. Similar to my very first solution to this level.

[Gronkling]

1 new (sort of ) intended solution!

Spoiler

11 - Nope still a backroute
13 - I had a feeling this would happen
16 - This is the intended solution but better, so now this is the intended solution (you were supposed to do the dig-sacrifice thing twice, but you did it once, keeping the trick intact, then did a clever thing on the bridge which improves the solution). I'll remove the extra climber and up the requirement by 1 + give you an extra credit in the roller text thing
17 - Yet another backroute for this cursed level
19 - Haha, biggest fix fail yet, I was too focused on the other two backroutes that I didn't properly check that fix
20 - I like this backroute, but it must be fixed

Updated version being added to OP

[Armani]

At least one intended solution everytime. Not bad

Spoiler

Hard11 Capybara : This feels intended for me, but lets see..
Hard13 Beaver : The most satisfactory solution to this level so far. I have a blocker left though.
Hard17 Hamster : I attached two different solutions. First one is a backroute with no doubt. Second one is much better and I think it's a nice solution but I have a basher left.
Hard19 Mole Rat : My solution to this level still works on V6!! See the attachment
Hard20 Rat : I did use every skill this time! Not sure if this is intended or not.

[Gronkling]

Continuing with the trend with 1 new intended per attempt

Spoiler

11 - Intended!
13 - Still a backroute
17 - 1) Sneaky, I like it (backroute obviously), 2) just another backroute I wonder how long this level will take to actually work
19 - Dammit Curse of lumpy terrain
20 - Cool, but still a backroute

New version added to OP

[Armani]

I hope the trend with at least one intended solution keeps going.
But I doubt any of my solution is intended today.
I found very similar solutions overall.

Spoiler

Hard13 Beaver : Nothing change except for two digger placements.
Hard17 Hamster : I still don't see what swimmer is for.
Hard19 Mole Rat : Again, almost nothing change and my backroute survived again. I think you can't block this backroute only with minor terrain changes unless you make them completely flat. I also tried to find different solution and got another backroute.
Hard20 Rat : Totally new solution here. I have some leftover skills though.

[Gronkling]

Yeah all four are backroutes this time around, attaching updated version

Spoiler

13 - Blocked the whole 3-digger thing everyone was doing, wanted that as a last resort since it would be a good distraction but can't see any other way to block this one
17 - More STEEL
19 - I'll try a more aggressive approach this time. And another backroute. For some reason I was pretty confident in this level being secure but I was obviously wrong
20 - Very odd and interesting solution. It's not one I'd ever use as an intended solution though due to the amount of waiting and sort of having to guess on blocker placement.

[Armani]

It's been a while since I last solved this pack. Here're my replays for remaining 4 levels
Three replays for Hard17 and one for Hard13,19,20 respectively.

[kaywhyn]

Hi Gronkling,

I have finished the pack. I have attached my replays for both the Easy and Hard ranks.

I also have a complete LP of your pack for your viewing pleasure

Link to my LP of the pack: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbp2m4KlFpJvFaH8nIk2mH7x0HbXtrHrE. Enjoy!

Although I've solved the Easy rank after finishing the Hard rank, I must say the corresponding easy levels still aren't that much easier. Indeed, they may be more open-ended, but some of them are still just as tricky/challenging Anyway, those replays aren't really of interest other than I say level 7

Spoiler

It's interesting that you don't even have to do anything on the easy version, as the nuke solution works

Instead, it's the replays for the hard levels that are of interest.

General Remarks on the Pack

A lot of these were very nicely designed. I like how on almost every level the rodent is on the sides. Some of these are ones I've never heard of. The defining characteristic of your levels is that they're quite small with very minimal skillsets, but that doesn't mean they're easy. Indeed, these were quite difficult, and I ended up solving most of them after a lot of struggling. The hardest levels for me were Hard 16 and Hard 20. For the former, a lot of the things I tried would had worked had I had 1 more skill.

Spoiler

I spotted the basher trick with using builders to keep it going very quick, but there were plenty of things that I couldn't wrap my head around that ended up causing me to struggle a lot with it.

For the latter, I don't know if the solution is supposed to be very precise, as I use 4 pixel perfect assignments.

Hard 9 and 12 - Gerbil: Derelict Obstacle Course were also difficult for me, although I don't know if the super precise basher/stacker is intended at the end for the former, while the latter was an extremely difficult one to figure out, especially since a lot of the things I tried kept failing by a pixel or so. I did learn something new in this level, though.

Spoiler

Bombing a basher midstroke and using a nearby lemming to use the basher staircase to bash more of the terrain away so as to be able to build to connect with the ceiling.

My favorites were Hard 1, 4, 5, 11 and 18 - Groundhog: Sport Pod. For the last one, I recall using this trick a lot when I was attempting to solve Niesch's level from the previous contest, and when I remembered this, that was the clicking moment. Had I not seen it before, I likely would had been stuck here for far longer.

Levels that I think I backrouted: Hard 13, 14, 15, 17, and 19.

Now some feedback on some levels themselves.

Spoiler

Hard 1 - Chipmunks: Bridge Building Cheerleaders Nice level to start off the rank/pack. Easy one. I especially love the trick of using a jumper on a climber so that he goes back to the left to be able to mine out the crowd.

Hard 2 - Guinea Pig: Abstract Sculpture Not a hard one, although there is quite a precise basher/bomber assignment here.

Hard 3 - Pacarana: Crystallisers First level of the LP to require more than one video. In my early attempts, I was close, as the only problem I had left was to platform across the flamethrower before anyone else dies to it. The problem was sending someone there early enough to do so. However, it turns out that I was platforming the wrong way the entire time from the stoner. Instead of going to the left, the correct way is to platform to the right after platforming over the top and stoning. Everything else I managed to figure out quickly. Still, this was a nice level

Hard 4 - Squirrel: Cross the Creek I definitely know the trick of using a builder to leave a step past the wall. I simply failed to spot that for a while here. One of my favorite levels of the pack. That's clever to combine that with bombing later to release the crowd.

Hard 5 - Lemming: Sticky Situation Another favorite of mine. Before, I kept trying the wrong idea of building over the exit, when in fact you're supposed to use a builder bridge to help the shimmier get past the exit. Not a difficult solution at all. The only hard part is knowing when to make the climber/floater a shimmier, but it seems that you made the setup quite easy here.

Hard 6 - Springhare: Cya(n) later I don't know if the timing is supposed to be super tight or if I overcomplicated my solution.

Hard 7 - Viscacha: - The Thin Line Nothing hard here at all. The only new part for me here is bashing the stoner terrain away with a basher and interrupting him midstroke so that the others can step up on it.

Hard 8 - Mara: Molten Steel Works Nice level. Nothing too difficult here either. I simply went about bombing the climber wrong for a while, as this would end up blocking the other climbers due to the builder bridge being in the way.

Hard 9 - Chinchilla: Fireworks over the Moor Difficult one, although I'm not sure if the very precise basher/stacker near the right exit is intended.

Hard 10 - Mouse: Tricklayers Nice level that ended up stumping me. Before my successful attempt, the closest I got was a lemming short, as what I tried before ended up getting a few lemmings trapped at the bottom. Instead, nice trick of digging and then building to leave a step so that a climber from the pit can use to dig down into the bottom pit. The only difficult part is timing this so that the crowd makes it past the worker lemming before he digs to allow him and the other climber to climb out of the bottom pit.

Hard 11 - Capybara: Glide Through the Valley Another favorite of mine. I love that trick of building, using a blocker to turn him around, then quickly digging to release the blocker and to be able to glide to land on the top to allow him to build across the gap. It's also used to keep the miner going. The only precise part is the bomber on the right.

Hard 13 - Beaver: Dam the Flood Another difficult one. In some of my early attempts, I was quite close, but the problem I ran into was turning the blocker back to the right towards the exit after releasing him. I definitely noticed that turning around can be a huge problem depending on the level and generally what makes me have trouble with them. This solution I found might be a slight backroute, though.

Hard 14 - Porcupine: Sharp Ice This might be a backroute as well, as I ended up having a blocker leftover and saving 1 over the requirement.

Hard 15 - Coypu: Hold It Together! Should be a backroute as well, since I have several skills leftover. I do like that trick of bombing a faller as that swimmers can fall into the water, as there are no floaters and you can't get to the right side otherwise. I also checked the level later on with CPM after solving, and indeed it seems that it's supposed to happen with swimmers falling off the bottom of the screen. This is the result of the swimmer physics change, as before swimmers didn't fall off the screen.

Hard 16 - Cloud Rat: The Underpass As punishment for backrouting the past 3 levels, I get badly stumped here. This is the first level that I needed to spend time off camera to solve, as I felt 2 videos being stuck on the same level was a bit too much. Normally, I would do 3 videos before resorting to solving off camera, but I had a feeling I was going to be stuck here for a while. Indeed, a lot of things I tried would had worked if I had had 1 more skill. Turns out the only difficult part is timing the first two lemmings so that when cancelling the first digger you dig with the second in such as way so that the first lemming turns back to the left to set up the bridges for a basher to keep going. Before, I kept trying to go over the top, but that always ends up failing no matter what. I guess the level title should had been a big hint that the route is to go below the steel, hence "underpass."   

These aren't the only levels of yours that I have played. I've also played your Gronkling6 and Gronkling7 Lemmini packs. For the former, there's only 1 level I haven't solved yet, which is the final one, Bring It Together. There was one other level that for a long time I couldn't solve, The Mystery Machine, but I finally solved that a couple of weeks ago after being stuck on it for a little over 3 years. Indeed, I never would had figured that glitch out on my own had it not been for the Lemmini glitch topic, as that is a result I would not expect at all with the floater skill. Not to mention I had never ever seen it before even though I have played so many levels on Lemmini long before reaching that level of yours in the Bonus rank of RotL.

For the latter, I think I solved all of them. So yes, your levels are definitely quite challenging, but I eventually am able to figure them out. The biggest exception was The Mystery Machine, but again that was all due to not knowing about the glitch that's needed to solve it

Overall, nice job with this small Animal pack of yours. Looking forward to more content from you in the future and am glad to see you back around here in the Forums after your long extended absence