[NeoLemmix] Casualemmings

[nin10doadict]

Version 1.2 is now out!

This forum is frequented by experts at Lemmings, who love to make really hard levels.
I am not one of them, and cannot conquer some of their devilish creations.
Perhaps you're in my boat? Or maybe you're just like Lemmings but are new to NeoLemmix?
In that case, this pack could be the one for you!

Featuring 100 levels across five ratings, this pack contains many easier levels for the casual player to enjoy, but also a few tough ones as well.
(Yeah, I know I said that about my first pack but bear with me here )

Calm - 30 levels
A relaxing romp that introduces many of the new skills and objects in NeoLemmix, and doesn't have too many difficult challenges. Puzzles are fairly simple, and many levels give you significantly more than you need to win.

Perky - 25 levels
This rating introduces a few more NeoLemmix mechanics. Puzzles are a bit tougher. Levels still often give you more than you need, but the wiggle room is a bit less than in Calm.

Twitchy - 20 levels
The puzzles start getting hard here. You'll have to use skills in some odd ways and manage your Lemmings carefully so they don't meet with terrible fates. Though many of them will be doomed anyway... Still, expect wiggle room on at least a few levels.

Hyper - 15 levels
If you're looking for some puzzles that are a real challenge, you may just find them here. Don't expect anything Spiky or Sharp (except perhaps a few traps here and there, ho ho), but these aren't a cakewalk either. Wiggle room is sparse, but still existent on some levels.

- 10 levels
QUARANTINE. NO ENTRY WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION

Oh, and oftentimes the last few levels in a rating are harder than the starting levels in the next rating. My reasoning is as follows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3GzZtx2xes

As for talismans, we've got those too! 12 talisman challenges for you to try out. 2 of them don't tell you directly what to do either, but rather present a riddle...
Of course, if that isn't your thing, you can just check here to see what those riddles are asking.

Spoiler

All must scale the mountain! -Save all Lemmings in Twitchy 11
Walk through the LKG! -Clear Perky 9 with only Walkers

Download the custom music here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gmbtedsac54nx27/CasualemmingsMusic.zip?dl=1
If upgrading from version 1.1, you need only download this new music: https://www.dropbox.com/s/u3khzg6ux6kdyeu/CasualemmingsMusic2.zip?dl=1
The level pack is attached to the post.

[GigaLem]

For some odd reason, I have the songs in the music folder but THEY WONT PLAY
I double checked to make sure of it

[GigaLem]

As for any levels I deemed "Impossible" so far
"Look at them shimmy"
The level is literally to hard for it position let alone solvable.
You 3 bashers for it as I tried everything on that level an not a single idea worked

[Ryemanni]

You 3 bashers for it as I tried everything on that level an not a single idea worked

Challenge accepted.

[Nessy]

I have played through the first rank and a little bit of the second rank and I'm loving these levels . I love the puzzles in the first rank levels as they are not trivial, but not difficult. I will make another post with my replays when I'm finished so that you can have everything at once.

This forum is frequented by experts at Lemmings, who love to make really hard levels.
I am not one of them, and cannot conquer some of their devilish creations.
Perhaps you're in my boat? Or maybe you're just like Lemmings but are new to NeoLemmix?
In that case, this pack could be the one for you!

I am a firm believer that great levels and hard levels are not correlated. Are there very hard levels that are great? Yes. Are there easy or simple levels that are also great. Of course! It is true that a lot of people like to create challenge levels. I'm one of those people because I personally love playing and creating challenging levels, but that doesn't make me any better or worst than another creator. Everybody brings their own flavor to the table.

As for any levels I deemed "Impossible" so far
"Look at them shimmy"
The level is literally to hard for it position let alone solvable.
You 3 bashers for it as I tried everything on that level an not a single idea worked

"Look At That Shimmy" is not impossible, but it is the the hardest level in Calm. It's my favorite level so far by the way . I found the solution to be very clever. Trust me... it is 100% possible.

[Ryemanni]

I downloaded the pack and I'm having a blast with it (I also completed Look at the Shimmy.)

I didn't even know that it's possible to change the level completed jingle! That's pretty great!

[Nessy]

I was able to play the first three ranks (I wanted to try the last one but I'm starting to get an actual headache so I'll do it tomorrow if I have time).

First off, your levels are the perfect example of what I was talking about in my previous post: I may not get stuck on them for days, but WOW the puzzles are really good! My favorites so far are "Look at that Shimmy!", "Hither and Tither", "Lem isn't Fair", "A Touch Too Much", and "Operation: Super Rescue" as well (I hope I did that one intended). Great job!

I attached my replies below. Hopefully, I didn't break any levels .

[nin10doadict]

To Nessy:

Spoiler

I've noticed a few things you did that were unintended and that I'll have to fix, and a couple of things that were unintended but cool enough that I'll just let them slide (such as clearing 'Don't get greedy' without blockers or the interesting trick you pulled off in 'Operation: Super Rescue' to get the super lemming separated from the group. There's an easier way to do that ).

I'm pretty happy with the reception so far, and it's a lot less broken than Lemmings Squared was from the looks of it.

I think I'll work on cleaning up the small problems/backroutes that people find, adjust the placement of some levels (I'm thinking that 'Look at them shimmy!' probably needs to move up a bit) and perhaps add a few more levels for the next update.

I also never knew a blocker that is standing on a locked exit will escape when the exit opens.

[Nepster]

You have a lot of very nice levels there , though I probably backrouted a few.

Some comments on specific levels

Look at them shimmy (Calm 18): Very nice level, but far harder than its position, because there are a lot of wrong approaches: Bash to the left and then platform to the left to free the right lemming. Or turning the wrong lemming into a climber. Or...
Pickup sticks (Calm 19): Excellent pick-up skill level . But it uses a swimmer, before their intro level comes around...
A chillling breeze (Perky 2): Very nice level idea, but if one bashes one or two pixels too early, the lemming gets stoned too high.
Freeze Frame (Perky 7): Nice idea, but at first I wondered why no other lemming appears in the hatch and then feared that you set the number of lemming incorrectly and the level is impossible. Perhaps start the level at the bottom, so that the player sees the preplaced lemmings vanishing?
Express air-evator (Perky 8): Nice idea, but the digger position is rather precise. If one digs too early or too late the lemmings walk back towards the left again.
Two for the price of one (Perky 11): Good use of the radiation object, even though I only used one side of the level.
Gone for a dip (Perky 12): One of the harder Perky levels, because there are a lot of possibilities to contain the crowd, some only fail by a few frames.
To those who wait (Perky 13): I am not a fan of this one, as the solution is way too fiddly.
Don't get greedy (Perky 14): I got greedy and saved all lemmings.
If only they could dig (Twitchy 5): One has to be somewhat lucky, because on my first try noone entered the hatch. Only after I placed a blocker within the containment gap, I was able to succeed.
To each his own... (Twitchy 10): ...or all together in the same exit.
Do you feel a draft? (Twitchy 11): Amazing idea!
Operation: Super Rescue (Twitchy 18): Not my favorite, because the skills don't fit at their positions, which makes the level rather fiddly and unsatisfactory.
Dangit Harold (Hyper 1): If this is intended, then this is a rather huge trolling level.
The joke is on you (Hyper 2): Very nice level, that has a lot of possible approaches.
Thou dost ask too much! (Hyper 4): Excellent level!
United we stand (Hyper 5): One of the hardest levels in the pack.
Catch 22 (Hyper 6): I would like to have one more cloner. Currently using only two cloners to catch all four lemming paths is possible, but requires precision.
Diving for treasure (Hyper 7): ...and then being killed by hidden traps! Not nice.
Palace of winds (Hyper 10): Nice level, but getting a gap to the updrafts below the exit small enough, so that the gliders don't exit right away was the main problem.

[Nessy]

Finally got around to completing the Hyper rank . My replies for that rank only are attached below.

Here are my comments

"Dangit Harold!" - Nice level, but there's a backroute in it where you can build a little bit at the beginning, mine, and that will cause the lemming to turn around to the exit after hitting the metal floor with his pickax. I attached that replay along with the intended solution.

"The Joke's On You" - Nice level with many different solutions.

"Hero's Sidekick" - This one was tough, but once you figured out what had to be used where the solution became clear.

"Thou Dost Ask Too Much" - Another tough one where not a lot of beginners would immediately know to use the blocker to block the trigger area of the radiation object so the crowd and climber wouldn't get hit.

"United We Stand" - Very good level! This is another one that was tough until I figured out that trick at the beginning with the cloner and stacker.

"Catch 22" - A bit precise, but still a good puzzle as not many beginners would know to stretch that one builder to make four splatforms with cloners (and I like how earlier levels taught you that you can do that).

"Diving For Treasure" - Excellent level (I saved 100% ). I disagree about the traps being hidden. You can see the pink tentacles on top of the narrow cave the swimmer goes through after collecting the digger pickup. It may not be obvious but I don't think it's a big deal.

"Waterlogged Woods" - This is the hardest level of the pack in my personal opinion. Took me the longest to solve . I just couldn't for the life of me figure out what had to be done, but once I did figure it out the solution made perfect sense. Excellent level!

"Timed Triangle Trial" - Not as tough as the previous level but still another tough and good level.

"Palace Of Winds" - Loved this Minish Cap temple themed level. I rank this one the second hardest level as figuring out the solution took multiple attempts at all types of crazy solutions until the intended one emerged, especially figuring out how to get the gliders to glide up to the exit instead of coming back into the tunnel I created into the updrafts.

[nin10doadict]

People keep telling me that Hyper 2 has many different solutions, but both Nessy and Nepster (and me for that matter) have done pretty much the same thing solving it... If you're referring to how you don't have to be super precise about it, then I agree and I think the level is better for it.
There are definitely some things I'm seeing here that were a bit unintended... I've got some work to do, but I've already fixed a few. Look forward to an update that may feature a few new levels to boot!
Thanks to all with the help playtesting!

[Strato Incendus]

May I ask where you got that Kitty trap from? Did you create it yourself, and if so, would you offer it as a download somewhere? As you may have figured out already, I'm a huge fan of animal-like traps!

[nin10doadict]

I did create it myself using sprites from Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap as a baseline. The sound is a combination of two sounds from the Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions.
I'll attach the custom tileset to the next update (which contains the pieces used in Perky 20 as well), which should be soon. I believe I've ironed out all backroutes at this point and have made 2 of the 5 new levels, so it shouldn't be too long in coming.

[nin10doadict]

Version 1.1 is just about ready to go. I've fixed the backroutes and adjusted levels according to feedback that I've received, and added five more levels to boot. However, since one of said levels was my submission to the design contest #13, I'm debating on holding off the release of the new version until the voting session for the contest begins.

[Strato Incendus]

Will you simply exchange the file in the starting post once you upload the next version? I'm currently thinking about how to do this with PARALEMS myself. Afaik some people are still playing the old version, so I feel like I should wait for their feedback; yet, just like you, I believe I've fixed most of the backroutes and would like to give the pack another shot .