Minimum skills with maximum % Challenge

[LemSteven]

Mayhem 8, I can't even reproduce Minim's result, let alone beat it. The best I can manage is 10 skills - three to contain + release the crowd, three builders to cross the gap. It seems you then need at least four to get past the wall without losing any lemmings (the easiest way being 2 climbers + 2 diggers).

I don't have time at the moment to try this out, but it seems to me that you should be able to get past the wall with just 1 climber + 2 diggers.  There should be plenty of time for the one climber to climb up, dig down, and repeat.

[namida]

Mayhem 8, I can't even reproduce Minim's result, let alone beat it. The best I can manage is 10 skills - three to contain + release the crowd, three builders to cross the gap. It seems you then need at least four to get past the wall without losing any lemmings (the easiest way being 2 climbers + 2 diggers).

I don't have time at the moment to try this out, but it seems to me that you should be able to get past the wall with just 1 climber + 2 diggers.  There should be plenty of time for the one climber to climb up, dig down, and repeat.

Ah yep - I overlooked this, because I couldn't figure out how you'd get the lemming back to mine out the crowd.

Spoiler

...completely overlooking that you can just build out of the digger pit, which uses the same number of skills.

[Minim]

Here is my 9-skill 100% solution to Mayhem 8 if anyone needs it.

[MASTER-88]

More Taxing:

13: 10, two extra skills are needed to free the blocker, and no-blocker approaches aren't efficient enough.

Just quickly look DOS 10 skills solution replay first time. Okay thats look DOS will requires use blocker and SNES could make this starting different skills using miner, digger and builder. However its still take same amount skills as DOS blocker strat. I pick up one thing about DOS which is used my SNES solution and if this might work you might can make 9 skills solution also DOS version. Im not are test out this on DOS yet,  but i might test later if someone else didn´t.

Spoiler

Did you can start last miner to metal "which released crow other lemmings" little bit higher and avoid use basher cancel it, like you did your replay? This make my 9 skills possible on SNES version. I know this DOS miner is different and its probably won´t work, but cannot know without testing, you can try command this miner even higher than i did my SNES solution. I quickly look this miner cancel using basher might be possible avoid even with different miner mechanism compared SNES.

You can see this strategy also my SNES video strat clok 3:19..  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqiZxfJsSfs&list=PL-Cn2MW-VOj136snR0XiQSGv4jxL4135B&index=14&t=0s

About SNES version this climber will turn around automatically when it reach right corner (because its use different starting strategy, i used basher through first metal), but if you can´t make it on DOS this climber lemmings might be lemming which release last blocker and t at least then you can turn it and break and turn both: blocker & climber safety back.

Im not are very experied DOS version, but this strategy skip basher at cancel miner might be working, only thing you really need is command miner higher than you did your replay or even higer than i did my SNES video, because this miner make mine much more deeper corridors on DOS than SNES.

EDIT:
Okay i just see this is tested and mention my SNES topic and its seems its won´t work

13: 10 (DOS) vs 9 (SNES).  Expected:  due to a bug in DOS, you cannot mine left-to-right the one-way wall just before the exit (miner will stop even though it's in same direction as the arrows), instead you have to mine down starting further left to get below it, then bash.  Hence the extra skill usage.

[LemSteven]

Crazy 8 improved to 11 skills.  This is the 4-builder solution that ccexplore found waaaaay back in 2005.

Besides the four builders, the solution also uses a blocker, 3 bashers, 2 miners, and a digger.

[ccexplore]

I had another look at Minim's post (and the three posts following it) listing levels that had not been looked at at the time. It seems that nearly all the Original levels from that post have since been looked at, the only exceptions being Mayhem 8 and 15. So it would be good to get a confirmed result for those two.

Those two match MASTER-88's current records for SNES, which have proven to be very good effort.  So while it's always possible something might be overlooked and we end up finding some better way, for now those records for DOS will likely stay.

[edit: sorry for delayed reply.  I've basically ignored all challenge threads for past 2 weeks since the computer I play the games on is out of action waiting for a replacement part to arrive.  That has finally been sorted out today.]

[LemSteven]

A couple more improvements in Crazy:

Crazy 12: 6 skills - See this post from Clam
Crazy 19: 7 skills - This is the ceiling route, using the release rate and the long basher tunnel to create a large gap in the crowd, allowing the basher to finish the bridge over the OWW before anyone overtakes him.

[LemSteven]

Wicked 13 is now down to 16 skills.  See attached screenshot.

[LemSteven]

I looked over the rest of Minim's ONML results, and came up with the following improvements:

Wicked 15: 16 skills - I haven't viewed ccexplore's replay, but the 8-builder solution I worked out also required 3 bashers, 2 miners, 2 blockers, and a floater, for a total of 16.

Wicked 18: 9 skills - see attached screenshot.  This one required some clever skill placement; see details below.

Wicked 18 Solution Details

The first two lemmings build so as to trap the crowd between the steel on the left and a stalagmite on the right.  Set the RR to 99 and make the last lemming a climber.  He builds to the floating island, climbs up and eventually turns around.  Make him mine left to make a suitable path for the crowd.  When he returns to the crowd, make him build in a pixel-precise location such that (1) he frees the crowd, and (2) he turns around.  Make this climber mine in the place shown, and the rest of the crowd will turn around in his tunnel and walk back to the start, giving the leader just enough time to complete the last two bridges.

Havoc 1: 12 skills - The ceiling route.  See attached screenshot.

[Minim]

Nicely done on Wicked 18! Looking at the image and trying to copy your solution, I struggled pulling this off, because I used your three leftmost builder placements first with the two lemmings. They kept ending up in the cave on the right. That tiny builder you made into the stalagmite I thought was a right builder but it turns out it wasn't. I did get there in the end. This does look like a fun solution, and closer to the intended one too! I did some RR adjustments to make the execution easier, but this replay still works.

Also, looking at my improved attempts to Havoc 15 I made earlier on, the 13 builder solution carries over here too. The result is 16 skills.

And yes, I checked ccexplore's replay too and that is correct.

[LemSteven]

Wicked 4 is now reduced to 20 skills.  The improvement I found on the right side of the level for the What Skills Do You Need For Max % thread applies here, as well.  This solution does the left side completely differently, using an extra builder and floater, but saving three climbers.