cLemmings

[exit]

The save requirement is too high, so I've lowered it.
That should help.

[Proxima]

Yes, it's solvable now (I saved 45% and the new requirement is 43%). I'd suggest lowering it still further, as you want the player to have some margin for error in Tricky.

Similar remarks go for several of these levels, and (especially since I'm playing on a laptop where keyboard controls are not so easy) this is becoming a real playability issue. For example, Tricky 18. Holding the crowd with a single blocker is easy, so all the lose-1 requirement does is enforce fast pausing, which is not an interesting puzzle. And then you have to start again because of the hidden trap; if the save requirement were more lenient this would be less of an issue. (In the original Lemmings that trap only occurs in Rendezvous at the Mountain, which allows you to lose twenty.)

Tricky 13 is a good puzzle, but I think my solution is unintended. I made a blocker, sent up a climber, made him build two bricks then mine to turn around when he hits steel, then bashed to free the crowd. (I think this is unintended because exactly the same solution solves Tricky 16 and, substituting a miner for the final crowd release, Taxing 1.)

Tricky 14 is an okay "hold-the-crowd-without-blockers" level. Tricky 15 is nasty -- the fireblower is positioned so it looks like it will kill the lemmings, but it doesn't. Sure, it's easy to guess since the limited skills make the route apparent, but it's still not exactly treating the player fairly. Then Tricky 17 -- I won't complain about the traps; it's easy to guess they are there when the level would be trivial without them; but with such limited skills to get past them, this is much too hard for Tricky.

I've had a look through the rest of the set, and I have to echo namida's criticism -- too many hidden traps and levels that are just building. But not bad at all for your first levelset, so don't be disheartened   http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/laugh.gif" alt=":D" title="Laugh" class="smiley" />

[exit]

Tricky isn't meant to fully imitate the original game's difficulty, so tightness, like that, increases.

Try keeping one finger on F11 always, because then you can pause quickly when needed. This, for example, really helps in "The Prison"(I forgot the number offhand), from Taxing.

The solution is simply there for people that want to do it that way. You can do it in a few different ways. Tricky 16 is when you need to do it, and Taxing one is similar, but you need to mine correctly.

That's meant to be sort of a challenge to figure out for inexperienced players. It should be obvious that they can go through, though, because there aren't any other solutions. Tricky 17 is meant to teach the player the Compression Method 1 technique, so it should be hard.

You're going to hate Oh No More cLemmings even more because of an extensive overuse on hidden traps. But Holiday cLemmings doesn't have any, obviously.

[ccexplore]

and (especially since I'm playing on a laptop where keyboard controls are not so easy)

I'm curious whether you are just talking about smaller keys than on a normal keyboard, or whether you have one of those unfortunate laptop keyboards where they default to having F1-F12 take on the Fn functions (typically things like volume up/down or wireless on/off, and on other laptop keyboards normally require holding down fn modifier key to access but not these laptops) instead of the normal F1-F12?

[Proxima]

Yeah, the F keys do things like volume up/down, so to use them for skill assignment (or pausing, in the case of F11) I have to hit the "fn" key followed by whichever F key. So I can't just "pause quickly when needed".

exit, I assure you, I don't hate your levels. I just, at the moment, being in a busy and stressful period of my life, find them a bit too frustrating to persevere with them right now. I'm sure I will enjoy them when I get back to them.

You are quite right about Tricky 17, with the "Compression Method" solution it is not too difficult. I just overlooked that   http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" class="smiley" />

[exit]

I did a bit of touch-up on the website, just wanted to let you know.  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" class="smiley" />

[chaos_defrost]

Easy way to deal with hidden traps, if you want to put out a revision of this set that doesn't have this problem: Put a "terrain clue" for all of the traps you have. Like, a pretty visually out-of-place terrain bit directly under the trigger to show the player there's a hidden trap there. Makes later levels a lot less frustrating once people get to know your level design style.

[Zaphod77]

The  ONLY hidden type of trap in the original game is the crusher trap. Easy when you know how is the introduction to the hidden trap.

I believe that if the traps are really supposed to be hidden, it's okay to make them hidden, but there should be at least SOME clue.  for example if a level is called "Watch out, there's traps about" but you don't see the traps, you can conclude they are hidden, and make educated guesses about where they probably are. And if the level seems like it's way too easy for its' position in the difficulty curve, you can reasonably expect a hidden trap, and guess their placements pretty well.

[exit]

Note that the masher trap isn't the only trap that was hidden in the original game; the rock trap was hidden as well.

As for giving a clue, you'll notice that I don't make as many hidden traps without trying to make that a bit visible anymore.

[namida]

Yeah, the F keys do things like volume up/down, so to use them for skill assignment (or pausing, in the case of F11) I have to hit the "fn" key followed by whichever F key. So I can't just "pause quickly when needed".

exit, I assure you, I don't hate your levels. I just, at the moment, being in a busy and stressful period of my life, find them a bit too frustrating to persevere with them right now. I'm sure I will enjoy them when I get back to them.

You are quite right about Tricky 17, with the "Compression Method" solution it is not too difficult. I just overlooked that   http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/sad.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" class="smiley" />

If you use the latest update I've made to the traditional Lemmix players (which will work fine, gameplay-wise the mechanics are identical except for proper emulation of the pause-for-time glitch instead of a rough approximation), you can now use P for pause, and Z/X for skill selection. The F keys still work too.

[exit]

Well I've finished all of the levels for cLUE(cLemmings Ultimate Edition). I'm going to put the player together soon.
Info on cLUE:
-It comprises of 32 levels seperated into 2 difficulty ranks(the names haven't been decided yet)
-It uses all 9 of the Orig/OhNo graphic sets
-The difficulty doesn't start easily, it just sort of stays level throughout the pack
-The title is cLemmings Ultimate Edition, which means that this will be the last official cLemmings pack
-In the planning stage, cLUE was planned to be comprised of 210 levels seperated into 3 difficulty ranks, this changed about halfway through the level making process
-The musics will be all 17 of the original ones

There might be a levelpack called "The best of cLemmings"(or something like that), but it will not be an "official" one, and no promises!

[namida]

Overall, your packs keep getting better. I'm looking forward to it. http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />