[Neolemmix] Quest From Kieran Development Thread

[Armani]

Here're my resolves

[kieranmillar]

Well that Blockers go to Heaven backroute was embarassing, I should have definitely caught that one myself.

Your solution to Pillar Pairs was so completely unintended in every way, I love it, I've decided to keep it in, so no changes.

Version 13 attached ti the opening post.

v13 changelog:

Spoiler

Fun
14 - Two's Company, Thirty's a Crowd - Terrain change (second miner will die now)

Also Fun
5 - Blockers go to Heaven - Added Steel
11 - Crystal Cavern - Terrain tweak

Not Fun
1 - Temple of Doom - Terrain change (I went nuclear on the backroutes here, didn't want to make this particular change but looks like I have little choice)
8 - Down The Tubes - Replaced by brand new level with the same name

[Armani]

My solution spares a skill in the new level but other than that, it feels good

[kieranmillar]

Thanks again so much for all these replays and resolves, you're contributing so much to making this pack the best it can be, I can't thank you enough.

Over the last few days I did a deep review of the third rank like I had already done of the first two, and it turned out I'd forgotten about a bunch of backroutes you'd found in this rank, so here are many fixes, and a new level. There are still two levels left due a full replacement, The Dire Docks and Pain Factory.

v14 attached to the opening post.

v14 changelog:

Spoiler

Fun
10 - Wrong Tool for the Job - Made pillars shorter to make level a little less boring with lots of waiting for diggers and climbers. Removed Floaters. Fundamental solution is the same, but replays disrupted.

Also Fun
5 - Blockers Go To Heaven - More steel

Hard But Still Fun
6 - Recession-Proof - Purely cosmetic tweak, won't affect replays
7 - Grasping at Straws - Added skills and increased save requirement
8 - My First Crush - Terrain changes to make both more forgiving / less fiddly but also slightly more puzzley
10 - Slow Motion - Replaced with new level Drifting Away
11 - Master Exploder - Swapped positions in the rank with slot 2
12 - Spiral Staircase - Added second trapdoor to fix backroute

Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Terrain changes and steel added

[kieranmillar]

Apologies to the one person that downloaded v14. In the shower I had an idea of how to backroute Down the Tubes, so I've released a v14a with a fix.

v14a changelog:

Spoiler

Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Terrain changes + added traps + made the trapdoor in the middle of the level the first one to release and changed start screen position

[Armani]

More replays incoming!

[ericderkovits]

I noticed Fun 3 The Tree of Life and Also Fun 2 The Tree of Death have the same level ID as well as all level 15s Rank finishers. Each level should have a unique level ID.

[kieranmillar]

Thanks ericderkovits, this will be because originally I copied over the terrain by just resaving the level under a new file name, but that was years ago before you had the ability to random up a new level id. I've given all the repeat levels new ids. This will make existing replays think they're for the wrong level, but the levels are otherwise unchanged.

And thanks again Armani for more replays. Getting very close to finishing the pack now. Here's another new level, just one left to replace.

v15 changelog

Spoiler

Hard But Still Fun
7 - Grasping at Straws - Terrain changes
10 - Drifting Away - Terrain tweak
11 - The Dire Docks - Replaced with new level Boxed In

Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Terrain changes + more traps + less Lemmings + added Basher

[kieranmillar]

That's it! It's done! Barring any more backroute fixes, the pack is now officially done. All 60 levels that I plan to keep. I felt in the end that the central premise of Pain Factory deserved a second chance, so I ended up reworking it rather than entirely replace it.

I much prefer the final release to be the moment I stop working on a pack, so I won't be releasing the pack just yet. I'll still wait for people to play and find backroutes, but eventually I'll decide it's time for release, and if there are any more backroutes after then, then oh well.

I also did the in-depth review of the final rank. Only one backroute I'd missed that needed fixing this time.

A huge thank you to everyone who's played so far, all feedback has helped immensely.

v16 attached to the opening post.

v16 changelog

Spoiler

Not Fun
6 - Crag David - Increase save requirement (Armani's replay still works)
9 - Joint Construction - Added traps
10 Pain Factory - Entirely reworked and moved to position 12

[Armani]

I think we are just before the finishing line

Spoiler

Boxed In - attached two solutions(top route/bottom route) Each of them are equally difficult imo but one of them spares some skills.
Crag David - basically same solution, I just realize that one builder is enough to catch the crowd hence I was able to save one additional builder than before.
Down the tube - I bet this is intended... But I've been wrong so many times before..
Drigting Away - used all skills and save some more than required. The final digger trick right next to the blocker to avoid the blocker's trigger area is quite advanced trick.
Grasping at Straws -  The first solution is painfully trivial. I have no idea why this is not the first solution I found. It seems like we both missed this obvious possibility Second solution is a lot better though.
Joint Construction - This also feels good.
Pain Factory - A lot more challenging than before. My solution spares quite a lot of skills though.

[kieranmillar]

Thanks once again. Boxed In bottom solution and Down the Tubes are so very close that honestly I'm happy with your solutions, but they could have minor tweaks that pull you towards the exact intended solution without many issues, so I made those changes anyway. And of course fixed the top route backroute in Boxed In.

Grasping at Straws, I went in to make the obvious backroute fix, but then I thought, I swear I was going to make this change before. An experience of deja vu. I'm thinking maybe that I had intended to fix it all those years ago, I think Akseli highlighted this but I just decided I would replace the level instead. Fixing the other solution is easy enough with a time limit, but I'm unhappy about it. Honestly not very happy about this level any more, putting in the strict time limit makes it a little annoying, precise and fiddly. Maybe I wasn't super happy with every level after all! I'll have a think over the weekend, I might replace this one, but in the meantime the level is fixed.

Crag David I was happy with. It's fine to save the builder here, actually I think it would be better to enforce this, so I did. Also, your solution was never actually fully intended but I liked it and it was close enough, I've decided to make it the official solution, and removed a Blocker too accordingly.

v17 changelog:

Spoiler

Hard But Still Fun
7 - Grasping at Straws - Extra steel + add a 2:30 time limit (NOTE: may simply replace this level later)
10 - Drifting Away - Moved the exit and removed now unnecessary terrain
11 - Boxed In - Terrain and steel tweaks

Not Fun
6 - Crag David - Removed a Builder and a Blocker
8 - Down The Tubes - Terrain change
9 - Joint Construction - Terrain and steel changes
12 - Pain Factory - Terrain and steel changes, 1 less Blocker, 1 more in save requirement

[kieranmillar]

I had another idea for a level and so Grasping at Straws got replaced, solving that particular issue.

v18 changelog:

Spoiler

Hard But Still Fun
7 - Grasping at Straws - Replaced with new level Star Trek

[Armani]

Here're my new replays for updated levels and the new level.
Probably Down the Tubes and Pain Factory are not still intended.
All other levels look okay at least

[kieranmillar]

Thanks once again.

I'm glad I kept trying to force more the intended solution from Down the Tubes as your latest solution was a backroute that's been available for a while. This level is increasingly looking like it's filled with backroute fixes, but at least with this change I think I've been able to back out the worst looking part, the bit at the trapdoor to the left. Now to be reminded the hard way why I need to put that back in

Fixing Drifting Away is getting tough, as higher entropy was one of the core parts of this level, as it is disguising the primary puzzle of this level. So I'm hesitant to fix certain things. Having said that, your solution with that Blocker sure was cool, I have noted it down for a future level in another pack

I went nuclear on the entropy on Joint Construction, oh well. I think the level will largely solve itself now, but we'll see.

There was a v19 uploaded, but while writing this I made a further change to Down the Tubes and somebody had downloaded v19 before I made my fix, so that's why there's now a v19a.

v19a changelog:

Spoiler

Hard But Still Fun
7 - Star Trek - Widened first gap, added a Builder, more lemmings, higher release rate
10 - Drifting Away - Steel and terrain changes

Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Steel and terrain changes, another trapdoor. Increased number of Lemmings and maxxed out release rate, removed a Basher
9 - Joint Construction - Terrain change + added trap
12 - Pain Factory - Removed both Blockers and a Climber, increased save requirement, some minor terrain tweaks

[Armani]

More replays