Lemmings Forums Level Contest #11 - Playing Phase (Discussion Topic)

[Colorful Arty]

The thing about Halifire peaks is that there are two main solutions. One (the one Nepster did) is easier to figure out but harder to execute. The other is harder to figure out but cooler and easier in execution. Try to find both!

[bulletride]

Wishing Well V9 + Future Temple attached.

[Crane]

Apologies.  There was a bug with my last update.  For those who have already downloaded V10 of The Wishing Well, please do so again.

[bulletride]

Definitely not intended sorry!

[Crane]

That's just embarrassing.

[bulletride]

2 more replays

[Crane]

That's weird... I have versions of V2 that have that steel block there and some that don't.  It shouldn't be there.  Will fix soon.

[Simon]

I have versions of V2

For those who have already downloaded V10 of The Wishing Well, please do so again.

Don't re-publish with the same version number. Always increase the number -- even for a miniscule fix. Even if this fix comes 5 minutes after the previous upload.

It's no slur upon a level to reach version 20. If the level begun with many backroutes, the high version number shows good care.

-- Simon

[IchoTolot]

I played through the new versions again. See attached replays.

Bulletride

"Complications": Much better now, even though the timing at the end is much stricter than it needs to be.

Colorful Arty

"Lego my lemmings!": Not sure this is completely intended, because I don't use the delay by the gray platforms at the top in any way. Moreover placing the blocker is really non-trivial, because one cannot place him onto the blue slope and the lemmings in the crowd tend to produce few groups of very close lemmings (so if one blocks the first lemming, the next still moves through). But a nice idea regardless.
"Hailfire Peaks": Very nice level. One minor complaint though: The blocker to turn the miner has to be placed very precisely.

Crane

"The Wishing Well": Still looks like a backroute, though it isn't as bad a backroute as the one for V1.

geoo

"Inseparables": Excellent level!
"The New Compression Method": Saving 7 lix is easy. I just don't know how to time it, so that the squisher doen't finish killing the last lix before all the other lix arrive.

IchoTolot

First fo all: The new trap is much better!
"The Machine": Very clever level. One minor complaint: Currently it is not obvious that gliders starting from the top platform will not reach the button on the other side, but hit the platform below and turn around.
"Harkonnen Force": The timing for the first two climbers who walk into the teleporters requires too much precision, because they must not be too far away (so that they use different teleporters), but cannot be too close together (otherwise the digger will be too fast). And the left third of the level isn't really used at all, apart from making the lemming walk a lot more at the beginning.

Simon

"Flying Squirrels": Nice visuals, but did you really want that precision-batting and tumbler-imploding?

zanzindorf

"Bird Knight": Very nice level!
In case you made the style yourself: Even though the level looks quite nice, I just would prefer a slightly darker background resp. lighter terrain pieces, especially as the background consists just of slightly darker versions of usual terrain pieces. With the current color choices, I had to concentrate too much on distinguishing stuff. And at first, I took the blocks hanging from the chains (e.g. directly left of the left hatch) to be steel.

The left third of the level is purely for the visuals. In fact the whole level is created because I had the specific visual idea in mind. The solution was secondary in this case. I created the landscape and carved out a solution afterwards.
Maybe if you watch my Dune 2000 let's play in the future you can understand the things I tried to represent there a bit better.
The precision with the 2 climbers was intended here and I thought it was alright because of the relatively long teleporter animation + with a savestate at the climber assignment another try is made in seconds. I will see when putting Reunion 2 together if I make some adjustments here and ease this (+ maybe making the gliding in The Machine a bit more obvious). Currently the precision can be avoided as well . Josh found a way to completely bypass the timing.

As we speak about visuals: Gronkling: What is your polar level trying to represent? It looks somewhat like a logo, but I don't know from what. Is it indeed a logo, maybe from a sports team I don't know?

[Crane]

I have versions of V2

For those who have already downloaded V10 of The Wishing Well, please do so again.

Don't re-publish with the same version number. Always increase the number -- even for a miniscule fix. Even if this fix comes 5 minutes after the previous upload.

It's no slur upon a level to reach version 20. If the level begun with many backroutes, the high version number shows good care.

-- Simon

I'm scared it represents inexperience and carelessness because you can't get it right the first time - I mean, Nepster tore into me because of my backroutes virtually turning it into a 1-lemming level.  It's either perfection or nothing with me - no in between.

As for Heaven and Earth's Version 2, I'm actually confused by the presence of the small steel block because I'm sure it wasn't there the first time, or I put it in without thinking.  Either way, I'll release version 3 soon where it won't be present at all.

[Nepster]

I'm scared it represents inexperience and carelessness because you can't get it right the first time - I mean, Nepster tore into me because of my backroutes virtually turning it into a 1-lemming level.  It's either perfection or nothing with me - no in between.

Don't take my comments too seriously, when my solution turns out to be a backroute. I can only comment on the level resp. solution I know of and am more than willing to revise my opinion when playing another new version of the level.

And having backroutes being sign of "inexperience and carelessness" is absolute nonsense, because almost all levels from any level creator has backroutes at first, regardless of how many hours the level designer has spent on the level. Even needing more than 10 versions isn't a sign of this: ccexplore's "Brickout", namida's "Forgotten Beauty", my "Deadly Rooms of Lems" and several other levels have gone through at least as many backroute-fixes. Some level ideas are simply prone to backroutes and there is nothing one can do against this, except letting people play the level and fix it, fix it and fix it again.

[bulletride]

Wishing Well v12 is much better! Think I probably have the intended route now.

Without the steel piece Heaven and Earth is much harder and has me a little stumped still.

[Crane]

Almost got The Wishing Well - easy enough to patch!

For Heaven and Earth, well, think like IchTolot!

[bulletride]

Still able to beat same way. 1 or 2 pixels more should do it.

[Crane]

Update may have to wait... my laptop's boot sector got corrupted, Windows won't start, and I don't have a usable recovery medium.