new Level design jam ideas!

[mobius]

a new poll is up again-- this time for a new contest idea--

see http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=863.msg19253#msg19253" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=863.msg19253#msg19253


I've been wanting to start a new level jam/contest for a while and decided to poll once again to see what everybody would be interested in. Please note: The jam is not starting now and will be in a different topic if/when it happens.

Would you be interested in a level-solving phase as well, with backroute testing, or a backroute contest.
Should it be like the first contest? I think everybody was pretty happy with how that went (and some amazing levels came about because of it) http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />

-challenge theme:
the challenge theme is this: design a level based around a challenge; for example: only 1 skill can be assigned per Lemming. The problem with this, which I think some dislike, is that these rules must be enforced on our own. The program itself doesn't allow for these restrictions. Personally I don't see why this is a problem.
If we agree on this, I think we should agree to everybody designing their level to the same challenge, not separate challenges.
Please offer opinions, questions, tirades etc...

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I realize that the second contest never actually ended, and I know nothing about it/cannot answer questions about it. But I don't think that we should necessarily post-pone another contest just because of that.

[namida]

I say come up with some difficult criteria the level has to match.
I remember there was once a challenge - I think it was just a one-off "can anyone do this", not an actual competition - to create a level that's possible to beat only using one type of skill - no matter which type of skill is chosen (ie: it must be beatable using only climbers, must be beatable using only floaters, etc). Additionally, it also had to be beatable with 1 of each skill.

[geoo]

Just a suggestion: How about you take over the organization for the level jam that has been in limbo for a long time now, and bring it to a conclusion (i.e. commence the voting, posting results, etc; I mean the levels have all been posted there already iirc).

I'm not sure I'd have enough time to design another level before March, as I'm about to graduate and then spend some time off in Mexico.

[namida]

I wouldn't count on me entering at the moment either; for the simple fact that any level designing I do at the moment is for LP5. Unless of course, you don't mind me using a level from that as my entry - if it turns out a good level, I don't mind re-using my contest entries.

Of course, that's if you're okay with the fact that LP5 solely uses custom graphic sets (or rather; with having a contest entry that uses one).

[Clam]

I say come up with some difficult criteria the level has to match.
I remember there was once a challenge - I think it was just a one-off "can anyone do this", not an actual competition - to create a level that's possible to beat only using one type of skill - no matter which type of skill is chosen (ie: it must be beatable using only climbers, must be beatable using only floaters, etc). Additionally, it also had to be beatable with 1 of each skill.

Sounds like the old Level Design Game (good times...)


I'm feeling fresh enough to take on another contest. If others are too busy though, then there's always my Lix set to get back to http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />

Also, I just voted with the majority on the poll http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/tongue.gif" alt=":P" title="Tongue" class="smiley" />. Looks like that's your theme if we do start a contest.

[namida]

I'd like to suggest taking that a step further: How about a contest to create the best one-lemming level? "Mind The Step" was one of the levels I really liked from the original, and to be honest, I think a huge part of that was the novelty of it having only a single lemming. I remember that throughout playing the original game the first time, I wondered if there would ever be such a level (even more so after running into some levels with two lemmings), I even asked my uncle who introduced me to the game who said there wasn't any levels with only one lemming (when I showed him Mind The Step later, he explained that he hadn't gotten that far in Mayhem). Needless to say, when I encountered such a level - and only three levels from the end of the game - I was pretty amused. (Which turned to huge frustration upon completing that level and thus having that f***ing bitch of a level Save Me to do next... in fact, while I had completed every other level (including Mayhem 30, by looking up the code) at that point; it wasn't until nearly 10 years later that I finally managed to beat Save Me for the first time - I had even managed to beat all of ONML *and* L3D before finally getting that goddamn level!)

[mobius]

didn't see these posts until now. thanks for voting  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />

@geoo: good idea. Maybe I'l do just that. It might be a little while with the community pack and some other things (voting in the Chips challenge levelset, playing Marble Drop which I got hooked on suddenly, and playing the Stanley Parable, another great game  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/XD.gif" alt=":XD:" title="XD" class="smiley" /> )

@others: 5 or less lemmings was suggested to me by Pieuw (so I hope he joins the next one  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/tongue.gif" alt=":P" title="Tongue" class="smiley" /> )
If I host a contest, you can submit levels that were created previously (BUT they must not have been released anywhere) So if somebody isn't going to be around, if you'd like you have that option.

the 1 lemming idea sounds interesting; if people can create a sufficiently difficult level with the idea. Granted, I like easy levels too but having just one lemming lowers the difficulty significantly I think (edit: *remembers "take care sweetie* being very difficult when I was young)

[mobius]

theme part 1: the theme for this new contest will be: 5 or less lemmings. (won almost unanimously)
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Look at the poll again; it has changed

Now what I'd like to poll is: should there be any more restrictions? Regarding terrain specifically. We had the idea of "least favorite terrain"
which I believe Clam and others meant that everybody would be making a level with the same (least favorite) terrain?
Personally I don't want to see this contest with all the same terrain again. Plus everybody's favorites and least favorites don't match.
Only other way is to have everybody make a level in their own personal least favorite. Of course it's kind of hard to be honest in that vain, (although I think this community is pretty honest personally). We already know ISteve's will be rock.
If I had to be honest I think I would say snow. (it's hard because I really like all of them) I would personally rate them based on "how good am I at making levels in them, rather than what I like visually" For me that would be.... rock? (I'm really not sure  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/embarrassed.gif" alt=":-[" title="Embarrassed" class="smiley" /> )

No all crystal contest since we just had one. http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/tongue.gif" alt=":P" title="Tongue" class="smiley" />

[Clam]

What about the Holiday tileset? It is December after all (at least in my timezone at time of post http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" class="smiley" />)

[Pieuw]

Oh, I checked "pillar" without thinking, the "no terrain restrictions" would have been better. Well, I love this style anyway. I just hope the winner won't be the least favorite style, since I know mine is Snow and it's hard for me to do something even okay with it. But I'm very happy with the 5 or less Lemmings theme. I love to design levels with few lemmings, it's perfect to make puzzles.

I'll gladly join the contest http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/thumbsup.gif" alt=":thumbsup:" title="Thumbs Up" class="smiley" />

I don't know if it's the right place for this, but if you need ideas for other contests :
- One minute levels
- RR99 with Lemmings walking to their death as the level starts
- Any skill can be the theme, but there can't be more than 1 of each other skills
- The entrance has to be high enough for Lemmings to splat, and only 1 floater is available
- One entrance, two or more exits, all the exits have to be used
- Two or three skills are chosen by the participants and only them can be used
- Making a level with a creative way to bring Lemmings down a splat-high fall without any floater
- It can also be a theme that imposes a creative use of any skill, but this could be difficult I guess

Well, it's just what came to my mind right now. I bet we can find a lot of interesting and thrilling ideas and joyfully contest until the world's end http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" class="smiley" />

[Proxima]

I voted for no terrain restrictions. My least favourite is also Snow, so if we end up doing personal least favourites, expect to see an awful lot of the white stuff  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/tongue.gif" alt=":P" title="Tongue" class="smiley" />

[mobius]

I can't seem to figure out how to enable being able to change your votes. I was able to have this on the old poll.  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/undecided.gif" alt=":-\" title="Undecided" class="smiley" />

[grams88]

Welldone to yourself Pieuw for winning the last contest. http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/thumbsup.gif" alt=":thumbsup:" title="Thumbs Up" class="smiley" />

I would like it to be the bubble tile set as that would make it interesting as well as being one of my favourite ones. One of my bubble levels actually looks not too bad to be honest, sort of puzzle type one.

I don't think I have any marble levels at all.

[geoo]

I can't seem to figure out how to enable being able to change your votes. I was able to have this on the old poll.  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/undecided.gif" alt=":-\" title="Undecided" class="smiley" />

I edited the poll to allow that users change their vote if they want.

I'm fine with no terrain restriction or personal least favourite (mine would be dirt), I wouldn't want to have all levels in the same style again though. Another option would be that the contest organizer rolls a die for each participant that decides on the style they have to use...not sure how fond I am of that idea though.

[Gronkling]

I'm not a fan of tileset restrictions, as it doesn't really add anything. It just makes level designing annoying if your using one you don't like and will produce less varied results and we already just had one. I voted for none. (My least favourite is also snow, everything else is about at the same level and dirt at the top)

I'll definately be entering this contest though, I've just started to get back into this game. I don't think I'll have that much trouble designing a 5 or less level seeing as how most of my levels already have only a few lemmings.  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/tongue.gif" alt=":P" title="Tongue" class="smiley" /> An idea I thought of was that you could provide rewards for using less lemmings (E.g using 1 would add 5 to your score, using 2 will add 4 and so on).