ClamLix

Started by Clam, May 07, 2011, 10:48:19 AM

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ccexplore

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=493.msg19518#msg19518">Quote from: Clam Spammer on 2014-02-27 01:42:38
(I intend to introduce all new levels in this way)

What, by playing an Adele song? http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/winktounge.gif" alt=";P" title="Wink-Tongue" class="smiley" />

One of these days I'd have to re-download Lix and try some of this stuff out, or failing that, at least watch someone else's replay of levels like this.

Having an entire rating devoted to flinging is an interesting risk.  Hopefully Simon won't need to tweak the mechanical details of that in the future.  Keep in mind that if there ever arises a strong need to do so for multiplayer reasons, it will most likely be done trumping any compatibility concerns for existing singleplayer levels.

Clam

It was fun and annoying at the same time.   
A good concept

Annoying is unacceptable. I'll change it. Both you and geoo went for a solution that demands extra precision with the bombers, but the level shouldn't lead the player into this. I can't do this level without pausing - that in itself is a red flag.

This level got overcomplicated rather quickly while I was building it. I have an idea to undo this though http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />



http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=493.msg19521#msg19521">Quote from: ccexplore on 2014-02-27 14:08:32
Having an entire rating devoted to flinging is an interesting risk.  Hopefully Simon won't need to tweak the mechanical details of that in the future.  Keep in mind that if there ever arises a strong need to do so for multiplayer reasons, it will most likely be done trumping any compatibility concerns for existing singleplayer levels.

I know this already, http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=493.msg13227#msg13227" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">having been burned early on. Besides the two deleted levels mentioned there, I don't believe the levels depend too much on the details of flinging (blast radius, direction and speed). I don't consider it any more 'risky' than other skills - consider the recent work done to make Lemmini levels work in Lix, effectively due to physics changes to the original 8 skills. And other designers (most notably Rubix) have made fling-bomber levels too.


Quote from: ccexplore
What, by playing an Adele song? http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/winktounge.gif" alt=";P" title="Wink-Tongue" class="smiley" />

Coming soon: the blocker tutorial level "Turning Tables" and the L2 Classic remake "Don't You Remember" http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/laugh.gif" alt=":D" title="Laugh" class="smiley" />

Clam

Due to a combination of http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=81.msg19421#msg19421" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">this, http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=968.msg19924#msg19924" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">this, http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=670.msg19790#msg19790" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">this and probably some of http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=751.msg16162#msg16162" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">this, ClamLix hasn't gone anywhere in the last month and a half, and likely won't for a while either. Consider it on hiatus. http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" class="smiley" />

However... before the move, I made a few Mundane levels with the intention of hosting a race when the rating was done. You can have them now instead http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />. Four are single-skill tutorials (making a non-trivial tutorial for runners is hard by the way!), and the other is an upsized version of my section of the Collaborative Puzzle.

RubiX

good little tutorial style maps  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/thumbsup.gif" alt=":thumbsup:" title="Thumbs Up" class="smiley" />

NaOH

Yes! These are exactly perfect. Although the first umpteen Lemmings levels get a bad rep for being tedious, they do a very good job of introducing the player to the game. We shouldn't expect everybody who loads up Lix for the first time to be a Lemmings expert, so I really quite like these levels for introducing the basic concepts with minimal extraneous distractions.

What's especially cool is that these tutorial levels don't say they're tutorials. You can just load it up and figure it out without having read an instruction manual. I think I mentioned "hidden tutorials" in irc. This is that.

My favourites are the bang levels and the climber level. The climber one not only teaches what a climber does, but also where it fails (at an overhang). Maybe you could have another tutorial level just for the fling aspect of bombers? Since I know that's up your alley http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/laugh.gif" alt=":D" title="Laugh" class="smiley" />. A clarification between how small bombs don't fling and big bombs do would be nice -- that confused the heck out of me when I first played Lix.

The Diagonal dig/construction level has an overwhelming amount of stuff on it for an early tutorial level. But I get the sense that it's in a different tier...?

Too Long; Downward Reduction (edit: TLDR): awesome job,  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/thumbsup.gif" alt=":thumbsup:" title="Thumbs Up" class="smiley" /> The whole set of skills would be awesome squee!

Clam

Thanks NaOH for the vote of confidence! I had a feeling I was on to something good here, but now I'm certain.

My line of thinking was, Simon and geoo are building explicit tutorials, so I should approach it from a different angle. These levels also gradually introduce - again, without saying so - other elements like splat falls, traps and time limits (which the other levels won't have http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" class="smiley" />, but you can't really make a runners-only level without).

New players will probably discover flinging on Big Bang, because if you don't get the solution straight away you'll more than likely fling someone by accident. Here (as in other levels like Wall Crawler) flinging is something to be avoided, in contrast to the Flingsane levels where you exploit it to your advantage.

And the construction level is a bit much, but it's a fine line between that and not enough! Needs a rethink...

mobius

Yes! These are exactly perfect. Although the first umpteen Lemmings levels get a bad rep for being tedious, they do a very good job of introducing the player to the game. We shouldn't expect everybody who loads up Lix for the first time to be a Lemmings expert, so I really quite like these levels for introducing the basic concepts with minimal extraneous distractions.

What's especially cool is that these tutorial levels don't say they're tutorials. You can just load it up and figure it out without having read an instruction manual. I think I mentioned "hidden tutorials" in irc. This is that.

that's a good summation. I must agree. Clam seems very good at making levels like lhis.  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/thumbsup.gif" alt=":thumbsup:" title="Thumbs Up" class="smiley" />
and levels that do not rely on tough precision. Unfortunately many that I've played  look like they do at first or have such backroutes. But oh well--they're still good
everything by me: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5982.msg96035#msg96035

"Not knowing how near the truth is, we seek it far away."
-Hakuin Ekaku

"I have seen a heap of trouble in my life, and most of it has never come to pass" - Mark Twain


Clam

Update for inclusion in the next Lix release.

Changes:
- Beach objects (3 levels affected)
- Added in levels that weren't included in the previous Lix releases (doesn't include the one I made from part of the Collaborative puzzle, but I do have plans for that http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />)
- Lots of minor changes to levels
- Changed the description textfile (_english.X)
- Removed numbers from folder names and used _order.X instead
- Updated _order.X within ratings
- Updated author's name in all levels 8()

Notes:
- http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=493.msg19318#msg19318" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">The Plan still stands, whether or not I have time/motivation in the near future to implement it http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />
- I've found a couple of backroutes but haven't fixed them yet.

Clam

Update for the next Lix release.

Two new levels:
Pillarity Ensues (Mundane) - nothing but pillars!
Over and Under and Out (Arcane) - small but tough builder puzzle.

Clam

Major update for the new version of Lix! :lix-laugh:


New level: Nested Loops

The updated pack is included in the main Lix download – without which the levels don't all work, so there's no point in me providing a download here :lix-smile:

The Plan is still an aspirational goal, but for now I want to have a pack that "looks finished" at each release (though I'm still not quite there yet!) and has a consistently high quality of levels.

Changes:

  • Levels are now in four ratings of 25*: Humane, Arcane, Insane and Flingsane. Keen observers will note that I had more than 100 levels before – see below...
    (*Flingsane isn't up to 25 yet.)
  • The 10-of-each-skill "flower" levels have been rolled into Humane for now. These levels now give 10 of all 14 skill types, with fling-exploders instead of regular exploders. The only two brand-new levels in this update fall into this category: Nested Loops and Shelf Life.
  • Levels have been fixed to account for physics changes (instant bombers, no ramps from interrupting digging skills). Unfortunately the changes have decisively killed off one of my favourite levels:
    Spoiler
    From the Brink
    On the other hand, bombing is an absolute breeze, making Flingsane 100x more fun! If you were afraid to try this rating before, it's definitely worth another look now!
  • General small changes to the levels. Always trying to make them better, little by little :lix-smile:


TODO (for my own reference as much as anything):

Short term: Build Flingsane up to 25 levels so the pack actually "looks finished"! :lix-laugh:
Mid-long term: Build more levels, improve the existing levels, remake more of my Lemmix levels... generally make this pack even better!

Clam

And another thing:

I've pulled together an "outtakes" pack (attached) of levels that I've culled. Not just recent ones – I've scoured the archives for old stuff too!

Just because a level is in here, doesn't mean it won't make it into the main pack eventually. They just don't make the cut for now, or otherwise don't fit.

I'm maintaining these along with the main set. This means broken/unsolvable levels are excluded, and levels are subject to change over time.

Clam

Quote from: #lix, December 9
[09:09:57]   <Clam> I cracked open the Lix editor this week for the first time in ages, and to my amazement, levels dropped out
[09:10:27]   <SimonN> great
[09:10:39]   <Clam> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57182300/Lix/levels/easy-five-step-plan.txt
[09:10:46]   <Clam> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/57182300/Lix/levels/sandy-knolls.txt

Nepster

I finally got around trying Flingsane without this annoying timing of bombers. Here are the replays (together with a few other replays I found in the replay folder). Especially "From the Void" was great.

EDIT: And now with attachment.

Clam

Thanks for the replays! :lix-smile:

Notes on individual levels (other solutions are as intended or near enough):

A Step Two Far - Impressive solution! :o I never considered that route. I'll leave this in as a legitimate alternate solution.
Dig Deep - Somehow (!) digger cancelling didn't occur to me while testing this, despite being quite possible with the old shovel physics. Can't be fixed. That's slightly embarrassing. :lix-ashamed:
Fire up the bomb squad - some steel on the right wall will fix that.
From the Void - not the solution I had in mind, but interesting enough that I might keep it. Notably this solution doesn't involve damaging the bricks at all. (This level has been through many iterations and I'm still not sure the best way to use the 'trick' of saving lix that would fall off the level.)
I've got the world on a string - I didn't know the basher looked at that row of pixels for terrain to continue bashing... will see if I can fix the level to account for that.
Learn to Fly - spamming floaters at the end isn't intended; maybe fixing the SI will prevent this method?
Set fire to the rain - making a holding cell at the top is not intended; this can be fixed.

Simon

Digger cancelling: Would like to discuss this in IRC with you sometime, in case any similar problem comes up with with pneumatic-hammer digging.

-- Simon