Level Design Contest #20 - Playing Phase (Discussion Topic)

[JRT]

Ha Dullstar I thought the racket was key to the level and was part of every one of my solutions. This explains why I couldn't for the life of me figure out the intended!

[IchoTolot]

Nope, still got the bashers left on Dullstar's R2.

[JRT]

I attach my replay for V7.

[Dullstar]

The tennis racket actually was part of the intended solution in an earlier version of the level. It was first added as decoration, but when it wasn't burrowed into the terrain, a shimmier assigned from the intended location would get stopped by it. Rather than burrow it into the terrain initially, I simply added an additional miner to the skillset, which was used to cut through the tip of the racket and allow the shimmier to continue uninterrupted. This was changed in v4 when the miners were made into pickup skills to clean up the intended solution a little. It also makes it so that getting the shimmier started from the racket wouldn't also grant an extra miner, but that's not why that change was made.



To be honest, I may soon have to choose if I'm going to ask for help to fix the level, or if I need to choose a backroute to convert into a new intended solution, as I'm starting to wonder if there's no way to enforce the correct stacker placements (I actually expected people to try to backroute the level with the stackers, which is why the level's height is what it is, but certainly not in the manner they're actually being used. I guess once I know where the skills are supposed to be used I start becoming blind to other possible areas to use them).

If anyone has any thoughts on what I should do with this level going forward, I'd like to hear them.

(The post about the racket from JRT was the most recent post when I started typing this; looks like some more replays were submitted while I was typing)

[JRT]

Right yeah, so when i first played the level I was toying with shimmier stoppage at the racket, Also playing around with stackers was something I was thinking about a lot.

[Dullstar]

Icho's actually getting pretty close (JRT's is similar, but Icho's is a little closer), but I'm unsure of any way to remove his current backroute. Adjusting the pickup skills is probably the only way, but I'm not sure of a combination that would really work. I'll put this in a spoiler tag since it might imply some details of the solution, though it should still be vague enough not to give it away.

Why does Icho have extra bashers?

Icho skips a small portion of the level which uses two bashers (skipping this portion of the level also frees up a stacker to be used in an unintended area) and has a flow-control related skill placement optimization that allows a third to be saved (I have no plans to enforce this particular optimization, so the extra basher stays, but also don't consider it worth trying to remove).

In any case from the parts of Icho's replay that are acceptable I'm able to add a talisman for max 4 bashers, even if he saved that one in a different area than the one I was expecting.

[WillLem]

@Dullstar, I think I may have backrouted the level as well: (link to correct part of video) - bear in mind that this is an early version of the levelpack, but the footage may be helpful anyway.

[IchoTolot]

I feel this could be the intended solution now! @Dullstar

[Dullstar]

@Dullstar, I think I may have backrouted the level as well: (link to correct part of video) - bear in mind that this is an early version of the levelpack, but the footage may be helpful anyway.

I believe the fixes in recent versions likely address that backroute even if they weren't designed for it. In the event that you can still get it to work in the latest version, I'd like to know about it.



@Icho: That's pretty much it. That's certainly one way to turn the climber around, but it's certainly acceptable, since

Spoiler

using the stacker to turn the climber around is intended, though I used two stackers in the same location positioned such that the climber can't climb the stack instead of the football after the stack.

I see no need to further enforce the exact position I'd intended since the purpose was the same.

[WillLem]

I believe the fixes in recent versions likely address that backroute even if they weren't designed for it. In the event that you can still get it to work in the latest version, I'd like to know about it.

I can confirm that my solution doesn't work in V7. And, I now have no idea how to solve it!

[JRT]

My solution to V8 of Athletic Rescue, plus a fun but pointless variation.

[IchoTolot]

I've played through all updated levels again and showed my solutions:

Part 1 (All NL levels except mine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwB9fDulb30
Part 2 (My levels): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6MKR1P1bYI
Part 3 (The Lix entry): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deX3GNbpl_4

[Proxima]

Here's my own solution to "Thirteen Little Skills".

[mantha16]

When is voting going to start on this?

[IchoTolot]

When is voting going to start on this?

Playing Phase will be closed on 30th of June!
Updates will close on 27th of June!

After that I will set up the voting.