[NeoLemmix] PimoLems [Difficulty: Medium]

[Proxima]

Finished the Stormy rank. Replays attached.

Replays Icho might particularly want to look at are Stormy 3 and 18. Mostly it's namida who's finding the really unexpected solutions, so his solutions attached here and in the next two posts are also (even more) worth taking a look.

[IchoTolot]

V 3.2 is out!

With a ton of backroute fixes thanks to Challenge replays and Swerdis:

- 1 14 (extended the OWWs)

- 2 01 (Parts of the glass sides are now steel)
- 2 09 (Extended a trap, exits are now limited to 1 lemming)
- 2 11 (A bomber is now a pick-up skill)
- 2 12 (Added a OWW + ice blowers)
- 2 14 (some minor terrain changes)

- 3 03 (added steel)
- 3 04 (4 builders are now pick-ups)
- 3 08 (added steel, extended traps)
- 3 17 (added a 3 min timer + steel)
- 3 18 (added steel)

- 4 01 (added steel)
- 4 02 (added fire)
- 4 03 (added steel, removed a OWW)
- 4 04 (a digger is now a pick-up skill)
- 4 09 (added a trap)
- 4 11 (Moved the entire level to the edge and reduced level size)
- 4 13 (narrowed the gaps, 2 builders are now pick-ups)
- 4 15 (added steel, added OWW)
- 4 17 (added more traps)
- 4 18 (added steel and extrended traps)
- 4 19 (added trap)

- 5 02 (added steel)
- 5 12 (removed some chain terrain)
- 5 16 (added some terrain)
- 5 17 (added a OWW)
- 5 18 (added steel, added a trap)
- 5 20 (terrain changes, there are now 2 exits with save requirement-1 capacity)

- 6 05 (added steel)
- 6 10 (a builder is now a pick-up skill)
- 6 11 (added a OWW)
- 6 13 (some terrain changes)
- 6 14 (some terrain changes)
- 6 16 (added steel)
- 6 17 (a basher and a builder are now a pick-up skill)
- 6 18 (some terrain changes)
- 6 19 (added steel)

- 7 02 (2 builders are now pick-up skills)

- 8 10 (removed the blockers+bombers)
- 8 14 (added fire)
- 8 15 (the blockers are now pick-up skills)
- 8 16 (added steel)

[Shmoley]

Here's a backroute that needs a bit of fixing on Stormy 5

[ericderkovits]

how clever shmolem, yes this is a backroute that needs fixing. Definitely not intended. doesn't even get either bomber pickup.

[IchoTolot]

V 3.3 is out!

Backroute fix thanks to the replays of Shmolem:

- 3 05 (-10 climbers)

[Shmoley]

I finished Pimolems! The only level I didn't beat was A Brick in the Wall in the Special rank because I learned that that level is in Lemmings Reunion which is the pack I'll be beating next anyway. (Same with Castle Rush but I didn't know that at the time.) Anyway here are my replays, hopefully there aren't too many backroutes but I feel like I'm pretty prone to finding them.

[IchoTolot]

Thanks for the replays, Shmolem!

I will look through them soon and see if you found some backroutes.

[IchoTolot]

It seems you played on an older version Shmolem as some of your replays were not working as things were already patched out. The following replays are affected:

2 01, 214
3 05, 3 18
4 03, 4 09, 4 17, 4 18
5 02, 5 16, 5 18
6 05, 6 13, 6 14, 6 18
8 16

The rest still revealed a few backroutes though.

V 3.4 is out!

Visual fix:

- 1 14 (preemptively removed the decorative "only on terrain" fire hydrants)

Backroute fixes based on Shmolem's replays:

- 4 02 (added steel)
- 4 04 (2 builders are now pick-ups)
- 4 15 (extended a OWW)

- 5 06 (added a trap)
- 5 17 (added steel)

- 7 04 (2 builders are now pick-ups)  --> fixed in Reunion as well

- 8 19 (removed some terrain)

[kaywhyn]

I'm finally doing it, playing through your conversion of Pieuw's Pimolems pack for New Formats NL. Completed both the Calm and Windy ranks. Replays attached.

General Feedback

Pimolems is a custom level pack by Pieuw and was originally for Lemmini. It is the second custom level pack for Lemmini that I played and solved, after Dovelems. I think I played through this pack on Lemmini starting either in 2013 or 2014. Though, it's technically the third custom level pack I completed, as Mazulems was actually my very first custom level pack, although I played it all on Dos back in the high school days, years before I discovered the Forums and Lemmini. Later on, Icho converted the pack over to NL, and is available for both Old Formats and New Formats NL. As NL eliminated all glitches, there are several levels that originally relied on a Lemmini glitch to be solved, and so they had to be adapted to work in NL.

For the first 4 ranks, the rank names here are pretty much in order according to intensity of wind storms, starting with the least intense with Calm, going all the way up to the name of Hurricane for the 4th and final main rank of the pack, the name being a very intense storm with strong and high speed winds. The remaining 3 ranks of the pack are special ranks of some kind, with Pickaxe focusing on the miner skill, the One rank having all levels with a 1 minute time limit, the Special rank consisting of levels in the Castle tileset, and an Extra rank consisting of levels that don't fit anywhere else in the pack. For the Special rank, exclusively for the NL version, Icho took two Castle levels from his Reunion rank and added it to the rank so that it has 5 levels total instead of 3 like in the Lemmini version. 

I guess Dovelems did give me some training for Pimolems, though both Dodochacalo and Pieuw have designs that differ in many ways despite many of them getting inspiration from one another. However, I remember rage quitting on Hurricane 3 and not coming back to the pack for years, though to be fair it was when I played the pack on Lemmini all those years ago. Once I did come back around 2017 or so and got past Hurricane 3, I went on to solve the rest of the pack, although with plenty of struggling through the rest of the rank, as I remember plenty of levels in the rank being quite tough. Not only that, there were also some levels that I couldn't get solved in my first pass and so I did a lot of jumping around the pack too. This is probably the only pack in which I have done so. Since then, I have gone back to play and solve Pimolems on Lemmini a few times, as I remember it being a great pack. In addition, Pimolems increases in difficulty much faster than Dovelems, though to be fair there are less levels per rank and so the difficulty climbing faster is justified. Nevertheless, Dovelems is meant to be more gentle on the difficulty than Pimolems. However, Dodochacalo's mini level packs are also worth checking out and are also fairly harder.

It is important to note that when Icho converted the pack to NL, that despite some levels seemingly out of place due to difficulty, the level order was preserved as intended by Pieuw, since the latter is the author of the pack, not the former. So, keep that in mind when I'm giving feedback on levels I feel are difficult for their positions. 

Calm Rank Feedback

Not much to say here other than the levels are fairly open-ended for the most part and generally won't give players problems, especially given that a lot of levels have very lenient save requirements, often being only to save half the number of lemmings, along with very generous skillsets. However, on most of them I challenged myself to go for a save all if possible. The rank doesn't disappoint at all and has plenty of variety and diversity to make for very interesting levels

Regarding Calm 5, is the right side supposed to be blocked off completely by steel? I pretty much brute forced my way through that side. Other than this level, I don't think I backrouted anything in this rank.

The only level in this rank that was changed significantly from the Lemmini version is Calm 19 - Iron Industry. On Lemmini, the level is a guess the path through the steel, as there is some fake steel that can be destroyed. I believe Pieuw said there's some indications as to where they are in the level, although what that is I haven't figured it out even after all these years. In NL, however, all the fake steel got replaced with solid terrain and hence the guesswork is completely eliminated in order to conform to NL standards. Not only that, steel is steel in NL, meaning it can never be destroyed, though back in the very early days of NL there was an autosteel option.

I think the hardest levels in the rank are Calm 18 - Clumps and Calm 20 - Spring Break !. It doesn't mean they're hard levels themselves, but rather what I mean here is they're the hardest levels relative to all the other ones in the rank. The saving grace in the former is pretty much the lenient save requirement despite the somewhat high RR, while in the latter the builders might seem plentiful but they run out super fast. You're also very limited in the digging destructive skills, and so it's not easy at all to figure out how to use them effectively on the level.

Other levels that IMO can be considered a big jump in difficulty are Calm 2 - Training Day and Calm 7 - Lemstones. For the former, this is a bit harsh in that it's only the second level of the pack. The builder is pretty much the only obvious skill placement, while the others aren't as clear. In the latter, getting the crowd down safely with the limited skillset can be the most challenging for new players, though technically due to the lenient save requirement you don't have to hold the crowd back at the top of the level, but is an absolute must if you want to go for saving as many as possible on that level.


Windy Rank Feedback

Levels are a tad bit harder than the ones in the previous rank. At least at first, the levels aren't hard, but the jump in difficulty occurs just a bit before the midpoint of the rank and stays high until the end of the rank, therefore signaling that this pack already stops playing around long before the end of the pack. I don't think I backrouted anything here as well.

Spoiler

Windy 1 - Have A Lem Soda Nice somewhat challenging level to start off the rank, with the lack of floaters increasing the difficulty significantly. Nice non-trivial save all. Love the depiction of the drink in a cup with a straw here!

Windy 2 - Return to the Fold I believe this is similar to Classic 2 of Lemmings 2? Nice level here!

Windy 3 - You Lempty-Headed Creatures ! The only hard part is making a turn around point on the left side with the bombers while the miner carves the path to the exit, but other than that nice level.

Windy 4 - Sandcastles in the Sand Daunting level due to the huge width and size, along with a very limited skillset. Probably a bit difficult for its posiiton and can probably work as a level later on in the rank. I remember this one taking me some time on Lemmini back in the days.

Windy 5 - How Do I Turn Back? Players must discover the builder wall trick here! Very good one, and unless I'm forgetting some level in Dovelems, it might even be the very first custom level where I discovered this trick which is pretty much now taken for granted by most players.

Windy 6 - Diggers Mania Due to the skillset, the solution is obvious, but executing it can be somewhat frustrating. I like the level's concept here of repeatedly digging and then assigning a blocker to the first lemming to get released by the second digger and inching closer and closer to the right side of the wall, but at the same time, I'm generally not a fan of levels where you have to repeatedly assign the same skill(s), and here it's a bit too excessive on that side IMO. Just me personally, though. However, I understand that this is supposed to show players that you can horizontally bash if you're given enough diggers to do so. This level I consider the point where the pack stops playing around!

Windy 7 - Take on the World ! Somewhat a step up in difficulty, especially if you go for a save all. The fact you're not given any other digging destructive skill except for diggers to access the exit increases the challenge significantly here.

Windy 8 - Step by Step Digger basher staircase which is also pretty common knowledge by most players these days, along with lemmings stepping up to a maximum of 6 pixels.

Windy 9 - The Hiking Tour Probably the best level in the rank! I especially love how the lemmings from either side must go to the exit on the opposite end. I don't think the exit limits are necessary, though, but I could be wrong

Windy 10 - Me sorry, me lost... If I'm not mistaken, this was originally a level that had the Superlemming gimmick on Lemmini. Of course, one could simulate that by playing the entire level with FF on on both Old Formats and New Formats NL. I'm not sure if that hole in the terrain is a mistake or if that's the way it was on Lemmini.

Windy 11 - From Pillar to Post Nice level involving bombers on the edges to make turn around points. The hardest part is knowing when to assign the skills in order to give the lead lemming enough time to build over the gap before anyone slips through to the bottomless pit.

Windy 12 - Break the Ice Another nice 2-lemming level where you need to manage the both of them carefully so that you finish the gaps on time before the other gets into danger. I wonder if I somehow overcomplicated the solution here

Windy 13 - Up the Abacus I remember this being a significant challenge on Lemmini when I first played it. Due to the terrain of the abacus, it's not easy finding the most effective way to go up it. However, you have more than enough skills to get the level solved. Also fairly easy to save everyone.

Windy 14 - The Landing Strip Probably the level with the biggest spike in difficulty in the rank, I also remember this one being a hard on Lemmini. I think I remember using a completely different solution there too, though what it is I can't remember ATM. You would think you need two miners for near the exit area, but that seems to be a red herring. Nice level with a great solution if mine is the intended way!

Windy 15 - For the Greater Good Compression FTW! Again, not sure if I overcomplicated the solution here.

Windy 16 - Try to Compromise Before You Cue Nice level involving bashing inside the digger pit while the digger's going. I think I remember this one giving me a bit of trouble when I first played it on Lemmini.

Windy 17 - X Marks Nothing Extending a basher with builders level here. It is significantly more difficult if going for the save all, though I only realized now that I could had sealed off the gap on the far left instead of used a builder wall so as to make the bashing easier

Windy 18 - Underground Water Storage Hmm, hidden water behind terrain Though, if it's already like this on Lemmini, then perhaps this can be excused. Due to that, the solution was hard to figure out here. I thought I be able to mine to get to the exit, but nope, the hidden water makes it not possible.

Windy 19 - Mizmaze Level that looks intimidating and difficult, but really once you manage to find the correct path through the maze then it's not so bad. Even then, it still took me a while, as it's been a while since I played the level and hence I couldn't remember the solution here. This took the longest in the rank to figure out again. The basher was probably the hardest to see here!

Windy 20 - Nick of Time ! A very nice rank finisher where it's great seeing the solution all come together in the end! This was one of the levels I couldn't solve when I first played the pack on Lemmini all those years ago and hence I skipped around in the pack. When I did later come back to it much later, I remember being very amazed at the solution and how very appropriate the title is. The time limit is a bit tight here, but it is part of the main challenge here. 

I will continue with the rest of the pack soon, and I think I will post again as I complete each rank! I'm definitely remembering how great this pack is playing through the levels again. I've forgotten a lot of the levels here!       

[Swerdis]

Wow, that's great news. I will watch this for sure, especially since I completed this pack already. Normally it's the other way round :-)

[IchoTolot]

Thanks for the replays - will look through them when I find the time.

(Also I need to find some time to look through Swerdis's Reunion vids at some point. )

[Swerdis]

I'll give my detailed feedback when I made my way through. I really, really enjoy this pack and I must say, while its definitely a pack for advanced players, it's not quite as hard as expected so far. Maybe that will change in the later parts of the Nightmare! rank. (yeah, wrong thread, actually )

[kaywhyn]

Stormy rank completed. Replays attached and more feedback. There are two replays for Stormy 5, and they should be backroutes. I'm not sure if they're the same backroute that Shmoley found, but as they avoid the pickups some more fixing is needed here. I have a feeling that maybe 2 of the builders will be pickups now

Stormy Rank Feedback

Harder levels here still, but they aren't anywhere near as nasty as many of the levels of the next rank, which is where the hardest levels of the main part of the pack are. I might have also found some backroutes starting in this rank, of which Stormy 5 should be one of them Stormy 7 and 8 might be ones as well, but I'm not certain. Latter is probably very likely, as I do have some skills left.

Spoiler

Stormy 1 - Pop' n' top Nice rank starter! I especially like the building to the thin diagonal terrain to turn the worker around to bash through the OWW and mine the crowd out

Stormy 2 - Bibbledi-Bobbledi-Boo Nice trick of mining and then bashing once low enough to delay everyone to give the worker enough time to build over the gap and bombing another lemming further out to the right to stop the basher.

Stormy 3 - Diamond Ribs Easy level, although the multitasking required increases the challenge somewhat but is absolutely necessary so that you don't run out of time

Stormy 4 - Rule of Three One of my favorites! I like how one of them needs to go back to the left to do the rest of the building to the exit while the other one is delayed going to the right to give him enough time. How to achieve this can be a bit tricky to figure out.

Stormy 5 - Timing and Space Backroute as mentioned as both replays avoid the pickups. I also remember struggling with this a bit when I first played it on Lemmini all those years ago.

Stormy 6 - A Breezy Breeze ! I definitely remember this one being a struggle when I first played it on Lemmini. Uses the trick of getting a lemming ahead to build and then the basher breaks away the staircase so no one else can follow him. Nice level! A Tension and Genocide level of United require this.

Stormy 7 - Diving Area Harder than I remember, but that's because I used a completely different solution and one that is very timing heavy. If this is considered a backroute, then one easy fix is to apply exit limits

Stormy 8 - Broad Pit This might still be a backroute as well despite the extended traps. Or, at least I don't ever recall solving the level this way on Lemmini, meaning the solution I used here is different.

Stormy 9 - A Matter of Pragmatism Nice level where a blocker is used to turn lemming on both sides! I think I vaguely recall this level.

Stormy 10 - Erbalunga Not sure what the level title is. Nice level of making separate digger shafts and bashing to delay the crowd long enough to give the worker enough time to build across the gap.

Stormy 11 - Two Stragglers Another favorite! I like how when you bash the blocker free it's high enough so that the freed blocker gets on ahead to build over the gaps before the basher arrives and falls to the bottomless pit.

Stormy 12 - High Jump I remember this one, although I think the solution is slightly different? It's possible I might be remembering wrong. Level is pretty much placed well in the rank.

Stormy 13 - Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobiacs I have absolutely no clue what the level title is, let alone how to say it. Probably something to do with 6, as indicated with the 6's in the level. Not a hard level as well, though probably the hardest part is the falling bomber for the final wall to the exit. Certainly more challenging on Lemmini due to timed bombers.

Stormy 14 - Lemesis Another great level. I think I remember the solution being a bit different on Lemmini, although again it's possible I'm remembering wrong. I really like how the climbers take the top exit, while the floaters take the bottom. How to achieve this can be difficult to figure out.

Stormy 15 - So Logical Ah, yes, this level. I remember struggling here when I first played it on Lemmini. It did take some time, but I eventually was able to figure out the solution again after having not played this level in a long time. Very nice solution! Perhaps the hardest part is figuring out the top part of the level, but once you realize how to contain them, the rest of the solution kind of falls into place.

Stormy 16 - Be Lem-Minded The hardest part is figuring out how to contain the crowd at the top without using builders, but once you're successful the rest is somewhat easy. Another nice level here.

Stormy 17 - Leavin' on the Edge Originally a glitch level on Lemmini, with the difference being the terrain on the far right that's required on the NL version isn't there on Lemmini but the solution is the same. I love the use of the miner to delay the second lemming to give the first one enough time to build to the exit.

Stormy 18 - Merchant Ship This level's harder than I remembered, as I think I remember this one not being as difficult on Lemmini. It's possible that the skillset might had changed during versions when it was patched up here, and that might be why? Can't remember ATM. Seems I might had made the part on the other side of the steel wall at the top harder than it needed to be.

Stormy 19 - Tree-Athlon Much easier due to untimed bombers. Along with the frustration of timed bombers on Lemmini, you also cannot see the bomber countdown as the lemmings are so high up that the countdown is off screen. Nice solution of getting the miners to cross so that the crowd can get into the one coming from the left in order to bash to the exit.

Stormy 20 - Let Them Eat Cake Another glitch level originally for Lemmini which doesn't work on NL, and hence why there's a preplaced lemming. I was a big dummy here in that I didn't realize to build to turn the athlete around until after he climbs the thin pole. Before, I kept thinking to build on the far right and then on the other diagonal pole to connect to the thin floor, but you need two builders there. Also kept running up a builder short.

Along with Windy 20, this was one of the levels I couldn't solve at first when I played the Lemmini version all those years ago and hence I did some more skipping around the pack. So, it makes me wonder if I at some point encountered the glitch on another level that made me realize that was the key here, or if I eventually discovered it here. Something tells me that I might had simply discovered it here, as the glitch is also present on the Dos version, which is the version of the game I grew up with.

All rightie, just the Hurricane rank left for the main part of the pack. Looking forward to seeing how much they will challenge me from the lapse of time but will likely enjoy them better since execution isn't as big of a problem on NL as it is on Lemmini. Still enjoying the pack as usual!

Wow, that's great news. I will watch this for sure, especially since I completed this pack already. Normally it's the other way round :-)

You will have to wait about another week or so, as for this pack I've decided to do post-commentary rather than an actual playthrough in real time. Since I've solved the pack a few times already on Lemmini, I decided it's better to do post-commentary. I just don't have the time and energy like I used to for LPing every level pack that exists

Thanks for the replays - will look through them when I find the time.

(Also I need to find some time to look through Swerdis's Reunion vids at some point. )

Yea, some of the solutions that Swerdis found for your Reunion pack are quite interesting and very different from either of our solutions. However, check mine out for another severe backroute I unfortunately found for Nightmare 21

[kaywhyn]

4th and final main rank of Hurricane completed. Replays attached and of course more feedback

Hurricane Rank Feedback

The hardest levels of the main part of the pack are in this rank. I definitely remember this rank taking me a while back when I first played the Lemmini version. In particular, Hurricane 3 was where I rage quit the pack and didn't come back to it for a few years. I returned in 2017, got myself unstuck after a bit more struggling, and proceeded to smash the rest of the rank and the remaining 3 ranks. Shortly after, I played through Icho's Reunion pack for Lemmini and after a few months of on and off due to work/school, I completed it.

I also remember getting stuck on Hurricane 10 back in the days and I remember feeling super satisfied when I figured it out. I don't remember if I first learned that trick here or on one of Insane Steve's Dos packs.

Other levels I remember being hard were Hurricane 9, Hurricane 12, Hurricane 15, Hurricane 17, and Hurricane 19. Granted, some of these are still hard on NL due to being patched up more but is luckily not as frustrating on the execution as it is on Lemmini, let alone backroute prone on that engine.

I have also succeeded in finding some backroutes in this rank

Spoiler

Hurricane 1 - No Justice for Heroes Nice level to start off the rank. I like how you need multiple lemmings in different areas to make the path for the others. I don't remember the solution resembling it on Lemmini, but it has been a long time since I last played it on that engine.

Hurricane 2 - Come Hell or High Water... Another nice 2-lemming level. Once again, I don't remember if this is the solution on Lemmini as well.

Hurricane 3 - The Warehouse Ah, the level that I couldn't solve back in the days and got me to rage quit the pack on Lemmini for a few years. Now that I think about it, I gave up too quickly after somewhat too many restarts. That's an extremely nice red herring of the obstacle on the bottom far right in thinking you need to bash through it but you actually don't. The only frustrating part is getting the miner and basher timing correct so that you the gap is wide enough in order to successfully get up the miner tunnel with just one builder. You have to make sure the miner cancels out but the basher keeps continuing. Otherwise, quite a nice level and puzzle.

Hurricane 4 - Alea lacta Est I definitely remember this level but couldn't remember how to solve it for a time. I eventually figured it out. Certainly the 99RR increases the difficulty significantly and the fact you can only lose 2 max. I used a builder as a delay, which I'm not sure if that's intended. Don't remember the solution on Lemmini as well, though the solution is clearly different since there are pickups in the NL version.

Hurricane 5 - Candelabrum Great level that looks impossible on first glance, but it's really just get the digger and basher to cross without either one cancelling so that the basher removes the bit of terrain to release the bottom right entrance. Easier said than done, as this took several attempts.

Hurricane 6 - Condemned to Die Nice level that involves stalling the others to give the lead lemming enough time to build the long staircase to the exit at the bottom. I'm sure this can be timed so that I didn't need to build to get on the left side of the bomber hole with some appropriate RR tweaking, but I didn't bother to check there.

Hurricane 7 - Stargazers I couldn't remember how to solve this one as well, though I certainly remember coming from the right side to get to the exit. I think I remember swapping a couple of skills in the Lemmini solution, such as using a bomber to release the crowd rather than a basher, but I could very well be remembering wrong.

Hurricane 8 - Logs and Lag Lems I love how the solution all comes together when you figure it out, although finishing on time is difficult. For sure I remember using a very different solution on Lemmini, and due to the pickups I definitely had to think long and hard about how to go about solving the level. I like how the climber first goes out to the left and then must come back to climb out to the right to go over the top. I also used a builder to save time, as without doing so the last lemming doesn't exit on time.

Hurricane 9 - Blue Monday One of the levels I remember being hard back in the days. The amount you can lose might seem very generous and lenient, but they add up very quickly, especially with forging some of the path ahead and then coming back to mine out the crowd before you lose too many. I think I remember using the bottom right on Lemmini, but once again not sure if I'm recalling correctly here. Not sure if this is a backroute due to the skills I had left.

Hurricane 10 -How to Prevent a Mass Suicide Ah, this is such an iconic level that stumped me good back in the days but was super satisfying to figure out! Once again, I don't know if I learned the builder step past a thin wall first here or from an Insane Steve level from one of his Dos packs. Nice job here Pieuw!

Hurricane 11 - The Great Breakout I think this is more or less the same solution I used on Lemmini. It's clear that one needs to get up higher in order to mine to reach the exit and then have a lemming that turns around far enough to mine to the left and then bash the lower entrance free. Time is tighter than I remembered, but then again I did delay the builder assignment at the top where you need to block to turn him to reach the higher floor. Nice puzzle that can definitely make you wonder how the level is possible with just two builders and the other skills provided in very limited amounts.

Hurricane 12 - Rod Island Another level I remember was hard for me back in the days. The intricate and tricky design certainly makes it so but in reach the blocker fields still work in holding lemmings back despite not being on the same level as the others. I'm sure I remember using a very fiddly and different solution on Lemmini, but fortunately it's a clean one for NL. This still took me a while to figure out, though! I kept thinking to build coming from the right to seal off the gap on the far left rather than the other way around. Also figuring out how to get everyone down safely, though now that I have solved the level again after so long I think I remember needing to land on the thin pole at the bottom on Lemmini too.

Hurricane 13 - The Barbarous Bars I honestly don't remember how I solved this on Lemmini, though if the skillset is the same it's definitely a bit easier due to the solid ceiling. In particular, I don't recall ever collecting everyone on the bottom, that's how long it's been since I last played it on Lemmini. However, this solution is likely another backroute?

Hurricane 14 - Droll Drill Really just a level showcasing extending a basher with builders. Of course I could had made it easier by putting more staircases at the bottom near the right wall. Here I built over the firebox trap for two of the athletes.

Hurricane 15 - Stony Parkour Ouch, major backroute here! Certainly not the way I remember solving on Lemmini. I do remember there being a lot of super tight skill assignments so that it often was very frustrating to do on that engine. I know most of my previous attempts were correct, but I couldn't figure out how to get the timing correct so that the building to the exit is finished on time before the others arrive. So, instead we have this hackish solution. More steel or OWAs ought to do it

Hurricane 16 - Craving to Burrow The hardest part here is the timing and spacing so that you can reach the exit with the builder without the climbers or you need them due to being lower. Certainly took me a few tries. Here, I achieved a no climbers solution, but I don't think it's a backroute!

Hurricane 17 - Prisoners of the Pun Another one I remember being very hard for me. I'm sure I went out to the left on Lemmini but it was very frustrating to get correct as often the masher trap would kill one too many. Then again, trap trigger checks are different so that avoiding them is far harder on Lemmini when building over them. Took me some time to figure out the solution, particularly as there's a lot of appealing red herrings. Nice trick of trapping the climbers with a builder at the start. I could had sworn the right exit is possible on Lemmini, but again I might be remembering wrong. Here in the NL version, I think it's out of the question and hence just a distraction.

Hurricane 18 - A-maze-ing Factory Once again, I don't remember solving it this way on Lemmini. I do like separating the climbers from the others by having him drop out to the right when coming back into the very long basher tunnel at the top while everyone else falls through the bombing hole going out to the left so that they're infinitely trapped and can just be released with a basher later.

Hurricane 19 - Balance Strategy Another level that was very hard for me back in the days, though I remember it using a trick for the right entrance, but what it is I can't remember right now. It'll come back to me when I later go through the Lemmini version again after finishing the New Formats NL version. At least I don't remember using the blocker turns a digger trick there. Definitely far easier on NL since bombers are untimed. Otherwise I remember there being a lot of pixel precision on the Lemmini version so that it often was more frustrating than it needed to be.

Hurricane 20 - Cuba Libra Another very iconic level to round off the rank where two bashers cross one another. They must be placed at about the same spots in order to accomplish this. In addition, I especially love the bomber to separate the two crowds and they make their way to the exit on the other end.       

All rightie, as was confirmed, I definitely remember a lot of the levels in the rank being hard but they certainly took nowhere near as long as it did when I first played them on Lemmini, where some had me stuck for a while. It's mostly due to somewhat remembering the solutions even after all these years, but the important thing is even if I don't remember the solution, I eventually figure them out again on my own after some time. That's one of the major reasons why I generally don't run a replay that I have, as it's good exercising of brain power to hash out the solution manually again.

I will continue with the 4 special ranks later on!

[kaywhyn]

Pickaxe rank completed. More replays and feedback, of course

Pickaxe Rank Feedback

Being a special rank, the difficulty essentially resets completely here, where you start off easy but the levels progress in difficulty as you move along in the rank. The levels here all feature the miner as the main and essential skill, showing off various tricks you can do with it. I certainly learned a lot of valuable ones here back in the Lemmini days of playing through this pack! No backroutes here, I think

Spoiler

Pickaxe 1 - Zigzag World Nice level to start off the rank, although I think this might be a bit hard for its position despite the open-ended nature of the level. Then again, there isn't any complicated synergies with the miner skill required in this level, unlike some of the next few which do increase the difficulty a bit.

Pickaxe 2 - Thunderclap Ah, another Patience/From the Boundary Line remake. Seen too many of these, though it's amazing how so many solution variations to this level exist! Perhaps it's just an iconic level in so many ways, being the second level from OL to feature a 99RR, for example. Similar to the previous level in that zigzagging miner tunnels are needed to get the crowd down safely without splatting. Solution won't work with a 99RR, though with a blocker it will be possible. I also like that you don't mind low enough to release the crowd but you later build to release them. Somewhat obscure but it can be very useful to keep in mind!

Pickaxe 3 - Out of Salt Ok, I was a very big dummy here in that I kept thinking to use the builder to stop miners going to the left when I kept overlooking the whole use a builder at the top of the steel to stop climbers going out to their doom. It's actually much simpler than that, though here one must use miner tunnels in progress to turn around climbers so that you once again alternate miner tunnels in both directions until you get low enough to mine the crowd out. I can still see this one catching less experienced players off guard.

Pickaxe 4 - The Escape Artists Once again, I was a big dummy here for a while in that I kept doing the miner in the wrong spot so that I can release the blocker with a digger shortly after using it to turn the miner but then the miner won't stop because he's too low. I definitely owe this to the huge lapse of time since I last played the pack on Lemmini and hence I can't quite recall all the solutions detail for detail. Of course, doesn't matter as I can still figure these out again on my own.

Pickaxe 5 - Triumph For Their Magic Picks I believe this is the first custom level where I learned the whole miner can cancel out another miner on Lemmini. Nice level but can otherwise be frustrating to pull off since it requires very good timing. Also I believe the solution works out a little differently due to how you can backwards mine on Lemmini to stop climbers going out to their doom, but that was eliminated from NL, which therefore makes it a bit harder to stop them from getting into danger. However, I don't use the other climbers anyway, so doesn't matter. In addition, lemmings on Lemmini still go out in the same direction rather than turning around when hitting steel, so one could use the hitting steel to turn on NL, though one still needs to stop him from going out to the left in the area to the right. Nice red herring exits!

Pickaxe 6 - Evil Sandglass Almost a complete breather, though the thing that took me a while was to stop the non-climber from the bottom left entrance from getting into danger. I overlooked the bashing and then building to stop for a time. Otherwise, I like how you have to beat the top lemming and save him with a splatform while he takes an extremely long detour with multiple twists and turns in the little maze.

Pickaxe 7 - Have Skills, Will Travel Ah, I remember this one and it's one of my favorites of the rank! Again, miners won't turn on steel on Lemmini, but the solution is still more or less the same as here, just need to delay them on the second builder staircase. I remember the satisfying feeling of first figuring out that stall tactic with the miner/builder staircase. I do recall this coming in handy with some levels from ssam1221 for Dos/Lemmix.

Pickaxe 8 - Miner Under Control Simple one, though it's a bit hard to see that the worker who builds to the exit must turn around to bash at the bottom rather than make the miner do the bashing, as you'll actually run out of time if you do the latter! Hence why you're allowed to lose 3 rather than 2. Thus a case of an absolutely necessary timer, almost similar to my R2 of the previous LDC.

Pickaxe 9 - Hugs & Kisses Solution is obvious, but getting the execution down is extremely frustrating, as the two miners must cross each other without either one cancelling successfully. Fortunately, this is the only thing required in the level.

Pickaxe 10 - At Least I can Count to 10 I remember this one stumping me for a while, especially with the very tight time limit. Also the solution isn't easy to figure out. In particular, the little ledge to land on on the very far right is quite sneaky. I remember all of a sudden discovering it when I just let a lemming drop and saw that there's a brief moment when the lemming is walking more to the right.

Pickaxe 11 - Descent into Hell Another one where I was a big dummy, where I kept thinking to have the miner and digger go at about the same time, when in fact you're supposed to block almost before the miner breaks through the left side and then dig all the blockers free except for the one on the far right. Quite a nice level here when I got the solution down!

Pickaxe 12 - Bricky Madness Another iconic level where the central Lemmini mechanic here doesn't work (blocking on one side of a tiny gap so that the climber will hoist and turn around and reach the platform on the other side). Because of this, the hardest part here was figuring out how to get the climber to go out to the left side to get the bottom crowd to the left exit. Here, I actually don't use the blocker pickup, though I don't think this is a backroute, as it's simply to avoid any timing whatsoever. Still a nice level and adaptation to make the solution work! Nice job, Icho

Pickaxe 13 - The Drowning Walk All about getting everyone to turn back to the left except for one. Easier said than done. I have to suspect it's actually possible to save everyone here by successfully getting both miners going in opposite directions to cancel out, like I did with one of your War levels from United, but I couldn't bother myself to get this to work, as this is extremely difficult to pull off and just not worth the time and effort. Should also be possible on Lemmini as well, though the miner is very wonky and weird due to floating in the air for a brief second or so after taking a swinging stroke.

Pickaxe 14 - A Neat Climb-Down Another iconic level on Lemmini, where I do believe it involved a climber infinitely climbing a miner tunnel in progress. No such thing here for NL, therefore the solution is completely different. Took me a while to figure out how to get everyone down safely. I kept thinking to get into the middle pillar to drop down past the exit to build to make the path for the floater down the far right side, but this turns out to be completely wrong. Nice, decent level even with the solution adaptation!

Pickaxe 15 - Unwilling Funambulist Nothing too hard here either than you need to rescue the hatch quickly before you lose too many. I definitely remember this one.

Pickaxe 16 - The Oblique Conundrum Solution can be somewhat difficult to pull off, though it's necessary to get 2 to go on ahead, one to climber bomb the pillar, the other to mine and then build to the exit, without the second one turning around before bombing through. I think one will run out of time otherwise. Nice level though!

Pickaxe 17 - Fish Fry Ah, I had a lot of the solution down and then missed the hole to turn around the worker lemming in on the bottom left. Originally required the odd miner mechanic on Lemmini where you can cancel one by assigning it a blocker due to how it's hovering in the air on that engine. However, the closest you can simulate that on NL is by cancelling with the walker skill instead. I wonder if the solution can still work without them by providing 1 more builder skill just so only the original 8 classic skills are used rather than a NL exclusive skill, though if I'm not mistaken isn't this skill also found in Lemmings 3? I've never played the game, so I don't know.

Pickaxe 18 - Lemmings on the Road to Ruin Another iconic level where a digger and miner must cross without either one cancelling successfully. Pretty much the level that I discovered it's possible, similar to the earlier level of two miners crossing each other without cancelling in the rank where I first discovered this. Here, I got to say it was super frustrating, as I kept needing to readjust the positions of the miner and digger until neither one stopped. I like the solution overall, just the one part with the miner and digger not working when you want it to can be frustrating.

Pickaxe 19 - Topsy-Turvy Another iconic Lemmini level that relied on the solid level sides which behaved very peculiarly. However, as level sides are deadly in versions of NL after very old formats, the level needed some adaptations. Of course, one could just use one-way force fields to simulate the Lemmini behavior, but I think it would require grabbing it from another tileset, as the Marble one doesn't have them. It's also harder to pull off on Lemmini, as it can be hard to assign the builders right on top of the other to make an impassable wall to prevent the others from walking and dropping to their doom.

Pickaxe 20 - Eye of Rambaldi Another level where you need to get two miners to cross each other without either one cancelling successfully, though it goes a bit further than that in that you also need to turn the miner with a blocker and use builder staircases to extend the miners. Here, I was stupid in that I kept thinking to assign the blockers at a much later time, but what kept happening was that the miners would turn and one of them kept making a hole in the floor and the others would drop to their doom to the bottomless pit while the other one is successful in getting the others to the exit. Instead, the answer is to use the last one to block while everyone is still past the blocker long before the miner reaches them to turn. Even then, it can be super frustrating to get the miner placements correctly on either engine. Nevertheless a nice level to finish off the rank!   

2 full ranks of 20 levels and one rank of 5 levels remaining! Looking forward to the next rank, as I love 1-minute levels and time limits!