Level of the Year: 2017!

[IchoTolot]

For a list of nominated levels so far, please see the nominated levels topic.

And it's this time of the year again!

This is a bit different from the usual contests. You don't create a new level for this one; instead, levels released during 2017(ish) get nominated and a winner picked from them. To be precise, the eligible dates are from 1st December 2016 to 30th November 2017.

The following conditions must be met in order for a level to be eligible:
1. The level must have either been part of a large pack released during the eligible timeframe (1st Dec 2016 to 30th Nov 2017), or in some other way had its first public release during the timeframe. Private releases (such as sending to prerelease testers) do not affect eligibility either way. *
2. The level must be available for an engine that is usually eligible for the contests. Or in other words: NeoLemmix (must be compatible with at least one version from V1.47n onwards), or single-player Lix, or SuperLemmini.
3. The level must be designed by a single author; collaboration levels are not eligible.
4. The creator of the level must not have specifically requested it be excluded.
5. The level must not have been nominated for LOTY2015/2016.

* To clarify here: If it was released publicly prior to Dec 1st 2016 as part of a demo or preview, but the full pack was released during the eligible period, the level is fine (as long as it wasn't nominated for LOTY2015/2016).

Being a derivative of an ineligible level (as long as it's from the same author) does not disqualify a level; as long as the level in question is clearly intended to stand as a seperate-but-related level rather than a newer version of the same level.



To nominate a level, please PM me with your list of nominations. If you wish to modify your nominations at a later date, please resend the whole list of levels you wish to nominate, not just the changes.

Each user may nominate up to eight levels from authors other than themself, up to a maximum of three levels per author. Anyone who nominates at least three levels by other authors may also nominate one of their own levels; anyone who nominates at least seven levels by other authors may also nominate two of their own levels. (These self-nominations do not count towards the eight nomination limit.)

So the maximum nomination value is: 8 levels from other users and 2 levels of your own.

Note that levels that won a level design contest during the eligible timeframe get an automatic nomination, unless their author requests otherwise.

Nominations will be open until the beginning of Janurary 31st 2018 (UTC). No additions / changes to nominations will be permitted after this date, with one exception: If a level someone has nominated is found to be ineligible for any reason and this is not discovered until after the deadline, they will be offered a chance to nominate a different level in its place.

Similar to last year, the voteoff will occur in three stages:

Stage 1
This will be done similar to how the first rounds of the voteoffs for the official games were. The levels will be put into random brackets, and the top ~50% from each bracket will qualify for Stage 2.

Stage 2
This will also be done in regular voteoff style. The aim here will be to get down to around 4~6 remaining levels, so exact details will depend on how many levels are entered.

Stage 3
This will be done in an elimination format over multiple rounds; each round, one level gets knocked out, and the others continue onto the next round, until we have a winner.



As with last year, the prizes on offer will be US $15.00 for first place, and US $7.50 for second place.

There are a couple of special cases that may apply:
1st and 2nd place are won by the same user - The 2nd place prize is passed down to 3rd, 4th, or whatever the highest place that was won by someone else was.
A prize is won by a user who cannot be contacted - They will be assumed to have chosen the monetary prize, and it will be donated to a charity of the other winner's choice (within reason).
Both prizes are won by users who cannot be contacted - Very unlikely, we will discuss what to do in this case if/when it happens.

Also note that, in the interest of being reasonable, the "don't discuss levels involved in contests anywhere on the site during the voting period" rule does not fully apply to this contest; instead, it will be "do not discuss them at all within the LOTY2017 topics during voting, and don't discuss them in relation to the contest anywhere on the site".

So, that's about it! Any questions, ask here; and feel free to start nominating levels!

[IchoTolot]

Eligible Level Packs

This is simply a list of levels that are eligible. They have not nessecerially been nominated, and the majority probably won't be. Please note that this is probably not a complete list, especially in regard to Lix levels; if you can think of anything that should be added, let me know!

Level Design Contests: Autumn 2016 LD Contest, Lemmings Forums Level Contest #12, Lemmings Forums Level Contest #13

Namida: Lemmings Plus Omega II

Zanzindorf: Zemmings Vol. 2

GigaLem: Holiday GigaLems 2016, Millas Demo levels

Crane: Holiday Lemmings '16

Nin10doadict: Lemmings Squared, Casualemmings

Yung Gotenks: Yung's First Level Pack

Bulletride: Lemmings Stampede

Strato Incendus: Paralems, Pit Lems

Raymanni: Raylems, Lemmings Halloween 2017

Flopsy: SEB Lems

Nessy: Lemmings Migration, Nessy's Lix Levels

SQron188: Snack Pack

Simon/Geoo: Miniatures

Mobius: Mobius' Lix Levels

Calamity: GrentLems

Kieranmillar: NeoClassic Pack

Excluded Levels

From Flopsy's SEB Lems:

Apart from the Wafflem collaborations, these levels are not viable as well:
"Tell Me The Way To DMA" (Contest #9 Winner/LOTY 2016 nominee)
"13 Little Skulls" (Contest #10 entry)
"Synchonised" (Contest #10 entry)
I will allow the Lucia collaborations though!

Namida:

Any NeoLemmix Community Set submissions that were not also submitted in a Contest. Also recently changed Lemmings Plus levels that were not in Omega II. Basically only Omega II and contest entries are viable.

Wafflem:

Every level by Wafflem, due to personal request by him.

[namida]

Please exclude any of my NeoLemmix Community Pack submissions that are otherwise eligible, unless they were contest entries (eg. The Longest Minute); as well as the changed / new levels for older Lemmings Plus packs as part of the new formats conversion. (So basically - from me, only contest entries and Lemmings Plus Omega II levels should be eligible.)

[IchoTolot]

Some adjustments were made to the Eligible Packs List.

For example the Millas Demo levels, GrentLems and the NeoClassic Pack were added. You can count in the additional Packs into your nomination lists.

[SQron188]

Are people allowed to vote for their own levels (during the vote-off)?

[IchoTolot]

Are people allowed to vote for their own levels (during the vote-off)?

During the vote-off you are allowed to do that just like in the normal contests.

[namida]

Given that you're allowing it in level design contest #14, why was SuperLemmini excluded here? Is it just a case of no known levels were released for it?

[IchoTolot]

Given that you're allowing it in level design contest #14, why was SuperLemmini excluded here? Is it just a case of no known levels were released for it?

Contest 14 counts towards next year, as it will be Dec 01 2017-Nov 30 2018 for LOTY 2018.

To be honest I totally forgot to mention SuperLemmini, but I don't remember levels released for it on top of that. Maybe as Contest entries for it are a very rare exception nowadays it could be best to narrow down the engines to just NeoLemmix and Lix, but that would be another discussion topic. (also my motivation to play on SuperLemmini these days is rather low)
I will add it here for now.

[Forestidia86]

One question about eligibility of a level:

If a level was published within the eligibility period but backroute fixed and/or renamed after the end of the period is it then still eligibile?

[IchoTolot]

One question about eligibility of a level:

If a level was published within the eligibility period but backroute fixed and/or renamed after the end of the period is it then still eligibile?

The point of the first publishing of the level counts.  If a level pack was released in the time period, but got another fix in the new year, it is still viable.

[IchoTolot]

The last few days to get the rest of your nominations in! Don't forget to submit them!

[IchoTolot]

Ok, nomination phase has closed and I will begin gathering the levels for a LOTY collection this weekend. When I got all or most of the stuff together the playing phase will begin -- this can take a bit, but we are not in a hurry as the normal contests are still running in the meantime.

[IchoTolot]

Ok, I will probably begin to make the nxp collection this week so that we can soon start the playing phase.

Had to have a little breather after my exams, but now I will start and get into buisness here again 

[IchoTolot]

Sorry for the delays on the level collection and the beginning of the playing phase. Sickness , a university course, the regular design contest and exams came in the way, but as things go now I should be ready to start the next phase on Wensday or Thursday this week.

Again sorry for the delays here.