Lix Community Level Set - First complete Beta!

[Akseli]

My solution for the updated "Yuki, Muon, Madobe Nite".



Edit by Simon: All level updates up to this post have been collected by geoo and me. They are in the main download of Lix 2015-04-25. -- Simon

[geoo]

I've made some more progress on organizing the pack and fixing backroutes, here's the latest version: https://github.com/geoo89/lixlfpack/zipball/gh-pages
Place everything in this archive in levels/single/lixlfpack, so the folder contains the subfolders for the individual ratings. This is necessary for the replays to work.

This version includes valid replays for all levels, 777 in total. This should help you check you levels for backroutes. The following are some levels that have backroutes or at least alernative solution that are worth checking, but there are more:
Akseli: Feel the Pressure
Nepster: Heed the Traffic Light, Devil's Right Hand
Proxima: Ascending and Descending? (Clam's soln saves 5 builder skills), Come on down to my place?, Go West, Buridan?, The Crimson Room, Dream the Impossible Dream
mobius: The lix lies down on broadway, Division of labour, The Last Laugh (which of these is intended?), Cold Iron's Bound?
Steve: 3.1.1.1, A matter of perspective, Off the Rails, To Destroy is to Construct, Well OK Then, Impetus?
tseug: The gr8 Escape
geoo: Buy on get one free 1,
Nort: This is a stickup

Then there are the two versions of Slipping, the first of which I think Proxima said he might have a look at?
Then there are levels we need to have a look at once bombers are instant, for backroute checks: Bottomless closet (geoo), Empty Space (geoo), Won't get fooled again (ccx), The Hotel in Hell (Proxima).

Then, with the removal of esoteric skills and the option to have both bombers in a level, these need adjustment:
Halfway down the stairs: There's a variety of solutions that works with just 1 bomber, so just stripping it of one kind of bomber would still keep the level interesting.
Skulls, Sludge and Steel can be adapted to use bombers instead of burners.
Panic Attack can be adapted to use only 1 kind of bomber, I'm pretty sure, someone just has to do it.

Below are the recent changes:
Cunning/elixir.txt
Cunning/erbalunga.txt
Cunning/someliketorun.txt (eliminated one of Clam's solutions)
Daunting/alieninvasion.txt (former solution of Ramon's removed)
Daunting/backslash.txt
Daunting/buyonegetonefree1.txt
Daunting/buyonegetonefree2.txt
Daunting/cornerstone.txt
Daunting/littleminerpuzz3.txt
Daunting/narbaculardrop.txt
Hopeless/ohnonotagain.txt
Hopeless/themon0lith.txt
Hopeless/trading.txt
Hopeless/wereinthisonetog.txt
Vicious/bulldozer.txt
Vicious/changing.txt (time limit removed)
Vicious/lixesinarms.txt
Vicious/spingeometry.txt (time limit removed)
Vicious/triangleineq.txt

Attached are most the backroutes that I eliminated with the most recent update, listed below:
backslash-Akseli.txt
backslash-Clam.txt
bulldozer-Ramon.txt
buyonegetonefree2-Ramon.txt
cornerstone-Clam.txt
elixir-Akseli.txt
erbalunga-Clam.txt
erbalunga-Nepster.txt
littleminerpuzz3-Clam.txt
lixesinarms-Clam.txt
narbaculardrop-Clam.txt
ohnonotagain-Ramon.txt
spingeometry-Ramon.txt
themon0lith-Ramon.txt
trading-Ramon.txt
wereinthisonetog-Ramon.txt

[Proxima]

I checked the replays for my levels on your list. Mostly these were meant to have multiple solutions (not necessarily "anything goes", I sometimes have a level that deliberately has two distinct intended solutions).

Ascending and Descending is an "anything goes" level, but Clam's solution takes advantage of an oversight in the level design, which I'm inclined to fix. Thus, the block at the bottom-right of the large wall should be replaced by a square block, so his builder can't hit its head there. No, it would still be possible for the builder to hit his head under the block. So I would just leave this as-is.

Dream the Impossible Dream was originally meant to have a particular solution, but I'd already decided it is not worth enforcing this. The replays use nearly all skills and are not trivial, so I'm inclined to leave this level as-is.

* * *

I did look at the two Slipping levels -- my comments are on page 5 of this topic. In summary: both levels are fine as-is, but ideally should be moved at least one ranking earlier, if suitable levels can be found to move up in their place. Whether moved or not, Slipping Again could be tightened by removing some skills, but keeping these skills makes execution easier. I hope we will keep both levels (and especially Slipping Again) in the set, but in the end it's your call.

As for Halfway Down the Stairs, it does reduce the variety of interesting challenge solutions, but if it's for the best overall, I'm okay with removing the fling-bomber (in which case the jumper should be kept).

* * *

One last thing. In the main list of level authors (in the text that displays when you navigate into the lemforum pack in-game), if it's not too much to ask, could I be listed as "Michael S. Repton" instead of just "Michael"?

[mobius]

I can't fix any backroutes but I can at least leave some comments:

The Gr8 Escape; I haven't looked at the replays (I don't have lix installed right now) but this level may need a change; if there is any steel in the level remove it. t3tesla [or someone...] found a backroute utilizing the steel in Lemmini. Not as interesting as ccx's solution imo.
Makes me wonder though... why the steel is there, since ccx's solution avoids the steel altogether [wait that doesn't mean anything..]

Broadway;

Spoiler

as long as the solution involves using the extended basher trick it's ok.

Division of Labor; I thought this one was okay with at least 2 solutions. If there are more that's ok unless one is way easier.

The Last Laugh -- isn't this the level which was an adaptation of a level by Pieuw? If it is I don't care about this level at all; it's up to you or somebody else. I just didn't like this one anymore.

Cold Iron's Bound

Spoiler

should involve having a builder build, whilst a walker mines through the icicle to prevent him from building into it and continue. Anything else is a backroute. It's not a terribly hard level.
EDIT: I forgot at some point I allowed you to make a major change to this level I think? Isn't it up to you then? Or I might be thinking of the wrong thing. I know I toyed with different solutions but in my own pack I ultimately went with the easier one [what I described above] mostly because it was easier to enforce

how nice is it to have spoiler tags now?

[geoo]

There are at least two more level replacements scheduled:
Three Days of the Condor will be replaced by Lixes in Motion. (There are a bunch of levels using the main trick of the former, which is all it is about really.)
You'll be happy to hear that I plan to replace Soaring with Ramon's new level 'The Mile High Club', provided someone can solve it (attached) -- Soaring ironically becomes more difficult to execute with the instant bomber change.
If new/old levels come up that warrant inclusion, I'd be willing to swap out maybe Excavation or Stickup, though I'm mostly happy with the levels we got.


@mobius: For the Gr8 Escape, the solution is very close to the intended one (or what I think to be intended) and certainly doesn't involve any steel, so I'm quite happy to leave the level as it.
Broadway: Ramon's solution uses some obscure behaviour, but it certainly doesn't use the main trick. Not sure if it can be eliminated easily, unless you replace the walkers for something else fulfilling their purpose.
Division of Labor: Most solutions are similar and use the same main trick, but one uses a basher/miner cancel which could be easily eliminated though by moving one platform a little. I can do that if you want.
Cold Iron's bound: Right now it has a few different solutions, I think it had those from the beginning. Some of them are interesting in their own right, but could be eliminated by cutting the basher I think.

The Last Laugh is a level I'm quite happy with, it's interesting. It has a multitude of solutions, I'm just wondering if the level should be tightened a bit to cut some of them, and what the actual intended solution is.

I did look at the two Slipping levels -- my comments are on page 5 of this topic. In summary: both levels are fine as-is, but ideally should be moved at least one ranking earlier, if suitable levels can be found to move up in their place. Whether moved or not, Slipping Again could be tightened by removing some skills, but keeping these skills makes execution easier. I hope we will keep both levels (and especially Slipping Again) in the set, but in the end it's your call.

I think I'll keep both levels as they are, and bump them down a rating. I'm happy to implement any specific changes to the levels, but will leave them as is if there are no suggestions.

As for Halfway Down the Stairs, it does reduce the variety of interesting challenge solutions, but if it's for the best overall, I'm okay with removing the fling-bomber (in which case the jumper should be kept).

There's one fling solution, but apart from that the uses of the two kinds of bombers are interchangeable in all solutions. So leaving the L1 bomber cuts one more solution than leaving the L2 bomber. But I can cut out the L2 bomber, whichever you prefer. It's necessitated via one of Simon's design changes. At least with regard to using a jumper and a climber bomb to get up 2 levels, cutting a bomber instead of the jumper achieves the same.

One last thing. In the main list of level authors (in the text that displays when you navigate into the lemforum pack in-game), if it's not too much to ask, could I be listed as "Michael S. Repton" instead of just "Michael"?

Can do that, no problem.

As for the other levels, I assumed some might be ones deliberately allowing for multiple solutions, that's why I put the question mark. Thanks for the feedback!


Regarding hints, below are the levels that don't have hints written for them yet. I don't require having hints for every single level, but it'd be nice to have some more at least. I'm also alright with delegating the hint writing to other people if you want to write hints for  someone busy or for authors who aren't active here anymore.

Akseli: Feel the Pressure
Amanda: Skulls, Sludge, and Steel
Ben Bryant: Leap of Faith, Lix Cannon
ccx: 100% Built by Lixes, Brickout, Won't Get Fooled Again
finlay: It's a Long Way Up
geoo: Spin Geometry, Alien Abduction, Alien Invasion, Cornerstone, Every Lix for Herself!, Setting a Fundament, The Bottomless Closet, Time to Change the Road, Trading and Cooperating, Breackout, Dances With Lixes, Elixir
I.S./geoo: Alternative Methods Required, Derailed Level, Empty Space is Hardly a Waste
I.S./Michael: The Road Goes Ever On
Insane Steve: Betcha Can't Save Just One!, Declination Innovation Station, Detour, Don't Look Back, Endeavor, Four Color Circus, Four Corners, Get Down from There!, Get Hype, Impetus, Infrastructure Budget Cut, Just Stop the Bleeding, Low Clearance, Mental Process, Need a Boost?, No More Heroes, Off the Rails, Pitfall, Rhapsody--, Round Trip, Segmentation Fault, Snowjump, Snow Really, The Mon0lith, The Rainbow Road, The Runaround, Think Fast!, Trapeze of Weird Blue Blocks, Tribute to Flagpole Sitting, Wait Why is There a Tree, Waste Not, Want Not, Watch Ye Step!, Well OK Then
Isu: Cry for Me
M. Zurlinden: Lixes in Arms
Michael: Brute Fours, Finale, Metal City Mayhem, Seven Pillars of Lixdom, Survival of the Craftiest, The Crimson Room, Labyrinth of Despair
minimac: All Over the Place, Blocked by a Snowball, Some Like to Run
mobius: Another Funeral, Climb to Freedom!, Fear of Heights, Passing Engagement, That Pesky Gap, Three Days of the Condor, When the Levee Breaks
mobius/Nepster: Escape the Pit
mobius/Nort.: Slipping, Slipping Again
mobius/Pieuw: Erbalunga, Division of Labor, The Last Laugh
namida: Hellfire, Panic Attack, Variety Day
Nortaneous: A Completely Ridiculous Level, Another Lix in the Wall, Excavation, Lix Ferenda, Lix Lata, Now This is Fun, The Abominable Snowlix, The Pit, The Ring of Fnargl, This is a Stickup, Under the Rainbow, Wreck of the Hesperus
Prob Lem: Hrududu
Rubix: Low Profile, Systematic Separation, Tick Toxic
Simon: Ferry Tale, Logging Your Progress, Mice in the Pipeline, Tapestry
tseug: Oh No, Not Again!
weirdybeardy: Death or Glory

[Proxima]

On second thoughts, one possibility for Ascending and Descending would be to add a sawblade at (542,434) so that its deadly zone just fails to protrude beyond the wall. That shouldn't hurt the other solutions.

I'll do some hints as soon as I can 

[mobius]

Division of Labor: the basher/miner cancel is ok with me. That's a difficult trick in it's own right.

If memory serves, the original solution to LAst Laugh was to have 2 lemmings delay themselves by climbing and jumping around the same small area [the middle wall] while the builder gets to the exit.

It should be possible to remove the walkers in Broadway since they don't exist in the Lemmini/Lemmix version of this level. I believe that version is a bit simpler but basically, If I remember in Lix; there is no wall on the lower left? It could be added here to get rid of the walkers. There may be more to it than that though...
I can send you a pic and stats of the Lemmini version if you'd like. It has arrow walls but I don't think they're necessary.

The other levels, I'm fine with as is, having more than one solution.

-----

on another note: I pose a challenge to anyone:

try solving Death or Glory in under 1 minute (or close). Weirdybeardy made a second level titled Death or Glory part 2 which is identical except a 1 time limit. I don't know if this is actually possible, but I'm really curious if it is. I have not been able to do so myself. Since this level is remade from a Lemmix the timing may not be exact [hence I said "or close"]
(the normal solution should not be possible)

[Proxima]

try solving Death or Glory in under 1 minute (or close). Weirdybeardy made a second level titled Death or Glory part 2 which is identical except a 1 time limit. I don't know if this is actually possible, but I'm really curious if it is. I have not been able to do so myself. Since this level is remade from a Lemmix the timing may not be exact [hence I said "or close"]
(the normal solution should not be possible)

I suspect this is no longer possible on the Lix version, which has a fixed spawn interval of 50

[chaos_defrost]

I've gotten to work writing hints. I do want hints for all the levels I have in this set, even the early Simple ones.

EDIT: And, on working on the hints, I want a 59 second time limit for Just Stop the Bleeding. (This is definitely not an increase in challenge, but one in aesthetic. Probably harder to find a working solution that times out, than one that doesn't. really.)

[geoo]

I added 80 more replays, mostly Akseli's, and that means a few more backroutes:
Bashing and building, Bulldozer, From the Other Side, Lixes in Arms.
Survival of the Craftiest has a route using a batter to create a safe fall, I forgot to mention, if I recall correctly.

I changed the name from Michael to Michael S. Repton in all the levels.

[Nepster]

Here are updates for Bashing & Building, Heed the Traffic Light and Devil's Right Hand (including replays of the intended solutions).
I thought long about accepting Ramon's clever alternative solution to Devil's Right Hand, but in the end decided to remove it due to

Spoiler

1) ... the long waiting period in the middle, which likely annoys players.
2) ... trapping the lemmings on the right-hand side between two blockers.

[geoo]

I was pretty sick today (still am), so I didn't get to update the pack before leaving to Ethiopia tomorrow.

I might have the chance to update, or maybe not, at some point there. Either way, you can still work on backroute testing, backroute fixing and hint writing.

[Proxima]

Some thoughts on the first half of Simple, replaying the levels after a long absence:

The new level ordering is very good -- it feels like a natural progression both in terms of difficulty and concept. There's only one really out of place level, which is Blocked by a Snowball (16); this is similar to and easier than Building Block Maze (3)!

Blocked by a Snowball should have skill numbers changed to restore the 1-2-3 etc pattern in the new skill ordering.

Every Lix for Herself! and Blocked by a Snowball both have 0 fling-exploders. To avoid confusing new players, levels with 0 exploders should use non-fling until the fling exploder is introduced in Minimalism Part 1 (18).

Level 1 is trivial; then Levels 2-6 require the player to become familiar with other skills, a few at a time. This is good. At the moment, 2 includes builder, platformer, basher, miner (but is easily solved with just bashers); 3 includes the same four skills plus exploder, blocker, digger; 4 has exactly the same skills as 3; 5 requires exploder and blocker (3 and 4 do not really require them); and 6 introduces walker, jumper, climber, floater, batter. The biggest problem with this is that it's irksome to be without floaters in 3.

For a while I was considering more radical changes, but now I think all that's needed is a simple change: remove the small block above the hatch (which was also removed in the repeat, Path of Wickedness, so the two levels would be identical again). This would make it much easier to get up, and it would be less likely the player would create a splat fall.

[Proxima]

Also, the following levels should probably be modified now that a level can contain all 14 skills:

Any Way You Want
Four Color Circus
Alternative Methods Recommended
The Borderland
Lix Potion Number Nine
Four Corners
Snow Really
The Lion, Lix and the Wardrobe
The Road Goes Ever On
The Adventure Playground

[geoo]

Thanks a lot for your feedback. I implemented all the suggested changes, except for one thing:

Levels with 0 imploders displaying the exploder symbol: This is currently a limitation of the Lix symbol. Will change that if the level format gets updated to allow for that.

Moved 'Blocked by a Snowball' to position 7. I guess it fits quite well there, featuring all skills after the previous levels only featured a selection of skills each.