[NeoLemmix] Save-'em-up Contest #1 (Lemmings Redux)

[namida]

EDIT: There is a topic on the Challenges board with an aim to try and find a 1025/1025 set of solutions that fits within this contest's rules.

Entries are now closed.
Skill selection is now closed.

Alright, time for a (surprise) new contest of a unique kind! This is inspired by ideas thrown around on Discord earlier today.

To begin, each contestant may pick up to three levels from Lemmings Redux. Include your level selections in your "I'm entering" post. The same level cannot be picked by more than one person; and a level that has/is a repeat can only be picked if its other version has not yet been picked. For the purpose of this contest, "Just A Minute (Part 2)" is considered a repeat of "Just A Minute", and likewise for "Fall And No Life (Part 2)", even though they technically are not exact repeats.

Once entries are closed, I will compile the final list of levels for this contest by selecting 20 levels at random from the levels that entrants have picked. If there are less than 20 selected levels, the remaining levels will be selected via Random.org's randomizers, with all levels (except those disqualified under the repeats rule) being candidates.

Entrants must then each select a skillset. This skillset should be submitted via PM, not posted publicly. You must select your skillset based on the following guidelines:
- One of: Shimmier, Jumper
- One of: Climber, Floater, Swimmer, Glider, Disarmer
- One of: Bomber, Stoner
- One of: Platformer, Builder, Stacker
- One of: Basher, Fencer, Miner, Digger
- One more of: Platformer, Builder, Stacker, Basher, Fencer, Miner, Digger - you cannot select the same skill twice, it must be one you have not selected yet
- Cloner
- And the 8th skill can be anything you like (as long as it exists in NL V12.10) - again, can't be the same one twice

To clarify here, the timing for selecting your skillset will be "after entries close, but before the final level list is revealed". So, you will know what the candidate levels are, but not exactly which ones are going to be selected.

Once I have received skillsets from all entrants, I will reveal the list of levels, and this is where the competition really begins! Your goal will be to play through the levels, using the set of skills you have selected, and try to save as many lemmings as possible. Across the entire set (NOT per-level), you may use up to 25 of each skill; and you do not need to meet each level's save requirement for your result on the level to count. In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be fewest total skills used. Aside from the skillset there is one other change: Each level will give you exactly 50 lemmings.

If you submit a result, but then (while playing phase is still open) find a way to improve it, you will be permitted to resubmit. Replay submissions should of course be done privately, to avoid giving other players ideas.

To state that you wish to enter, reply to this topic clearly stating that you wish to enter, and with your level picks.

Entry will remain open until midday UTC on the 14th of January. This may be shortened if there's a huge rush of entries up front, then few / no further entries for a while afterwards. There will then be 7 days for entrants to select their skillsets - any who do not will be considered to have dropped out. If you may need longer, let me know in advance so I can extend this deadline.
The playing phase will close at whichever comes first - (a) midday UTC on 12th 26th February, or (b) when all entrants have submitted their replays and 72 hours have passed without any players re-submitting.

In any case where the version of NeoLemmix used makes a difference to the result, V12.10.3 will be considered the "authoritative" version for this contest. A copy of the correct versions of the levels is attached - these have the lemming count set to 50, save requirement set to 1, and skillset and talismans stripped. You can use NL QuickMod to quickly add your custom skillset to all levels.



Entries so far
- Gronkling
- mantha16
- Minim
- namida
- Pooty
- Proxima
- Silken Healer
- WillLem

Levels selected (20)
- Gentle 6 "A Task For Bombers"
- Gentle 11 "Keep Your Hair On Mr Lemming"
- Gentle 12 "A Block From Home"
- Gentle 13 "Let's Go To The Moon"
- Gentle 19 "Where do you see Lemmings?"
- Quirky 1 "PoP YoR ToP"
- Quirky 22 "The Far Side"
- Quirky 29 "Tension Sheet, Good Idea"
- Quirky 31 "Cascade"
- Quirky 32 "And Then There Were Four..."
- Zany 6 "Compression Method 1"
- Zany 11 "LemMing ToMato KetchUp fAcilitY"
- Zany 17 "Lemming Lament"
- Zany 23 "ONWARD AND UPWARD"
- Zany 25 "Have a nice day!"
- Lunatic 7 "Down, along, up, in that order"
- Lunatic 9 "Evacuating a coal mine"
- Lunatic 12 "Water processing plant"
- Lunatic 16 "Sega FOUR"
- Lunatic 22 "Hello John! Got A New Lemming?"

[namida]

Regarding Cloner being outright a "must include this": It quickly occurred to me that anyone who picks Cloner has an extra 25 lemmings available to them, thus giving them a huge advantage over other players. I thought about whether to offset this in some way, with the possibilities including that one lemming is deducted from your result for each Cloner you use, or an outright "skillsets including Cloners are penalized 25 lemmings" (or the inverse, "skillsets without them are given 25 bonus lemmings"), or scaling the scores proportionally (based on total lemming count with / without cloners) - but ultimately decided the simplest way was to either require or forbid Cloners altogether, and I chose to go with "require" completely arbitrarily.

[Gronkling]

Personally I think it'd be more interesting and easier if we had no idea what's coming, rather than selecting possible choices beforehand.
I'd like to join, but just RNG my 3 choices.

[namida]

Updates to the first post (re: how to enter; and allowing entrants to not choose any levels).

...
To begin, each contestant must may pick three levels from Lemmings Redux. This is all or nothing; you must either pick all three or not make any selections. Include your level selections in your "I'm entering" post. The same level ...

... entrants have picked. If there are less than 7 entrants who picked levels, the remaining levels will be selected via Random.org's randomizers, with all levels (except those disqualified under the repeats rule) being candidates.

...

To state that you wish to enter, reply to this topic clearly stating that you wish to enter, and with your level picks.

...

[namida]

Another thing I thought about was to give an incentive to try and spread out the success rather than concentrate it on a few levels. One possibility is to give a small number (perhaps two or three) "bonus lemmings" for every level on which at least 50% is saved. However, I didn't go ahead with this in the initial ruleset because I wasn't sure exactly what the best criteria to use here is, nor whether it's worthwhile to have at all. An alternative possibility is a penalty for each level where entrants fail to save at least one lemming. Maybe it's just preferable to outright allow a strategy of "maximize a few levels rather than spreading things out".

[mantha16]

im entering

My First choice is PoPYourTop (quirky 1)
Tension Sheet, Good idea (quirky 29)
and Then there were four (quirky 32)

I'll edit this post to add my other choices

[Proxima]

Sounds like this will be fun. I'll give it a try

My level choices are:

Gentle 19 "Where do you see Lemmings?"
Gentle 32 "Going Their Separate Ways"
Zany 17 "Lemming Lament"

[WillLem]

Great idea

I'd like to enter this. My choices are:

Gentle 13 Let's Go To The Moon
Quirky 31 Cascade
Zany 11 LemMing ToMato KetchUp fAcilitY

Quick question: will this be done on percentages or actual number of Lems saved?

[Minim]

This is really just a variant of LSC, but has a group of levels and choice of different skills. Still sounds interesting, so I'll enter!

Personally I think it'd be more interesting and easier if we had no idea what's coming, rather than selecting possible choices beforehand.

I agree. Levels in particular should be a mystery to everyone, but anyway, here are my recommendations. (All Lunatic levels, because none of those have been chosen so far )

Lunatic 9: Evacuating a coal mine
Lunatic 12: Water processing plant
Lunatic 16: Sega FOUR

[namida]

Great idea

I'd like to enter this. My choices are:

Gentle 13 Let's Go To The Moon
Quirky 31 Cascade
Zany 11 LemMing ToMato KetchUp fAcilitY

Quick question: will this be done on percentages or actual number of Lems saved?

Number of lemmings. Perhaps it's worth discussing if the lemming count should also be a certain amount for each level rather than the original (as otherwise levels like Great Lemming Caper would become low priority to solve).

[Proxima]

How about doing it L2 style? Start with 50 lemmings and adjust the number of lemmings on each level to the number you managed to save on the one before

[WillLem]

How about doing it L2 style? Start with 50 lemmings and adjust the number of lemmings on each level to the number you managed to save on the one before

This is a good idea; either that or have the same number for every level. It seems the only fair way of doing it if it's lem count rather than %.

[namida]

A L2-style lemming carry-over from level to level would make the contest order-sensitive, which in turn affects the ability to strategically pick which levels the player wants to focus on. While I want to encourage spreading over the whole pack, I don't expect it's too likely that everyone will solve every level.

A fixed number of lemmings on each level, on the other hand, seems a lot more feasible. 20, 25 or 50 all seem like good amounts to use (20 or 50 due to being not-too-large "nice" numbers; 25 due to that also being used for the skill count).

[namida]

Some edits to the first post again:

...
- And the 8th skill can be anything you like (as long as it exists in NL V12.10)

To clarify here, the timing for selecting your skillset will be "after entries close, but before the final level list is revealed". So, you will know what the candidate levels are, but not exactly which ones are going to be selected.

...

Entry will remain open until midday UTC on the 21st of January. This may be shortened if there's a huge rush of entries up front, then few / no further entries for a while afterwards. There will then be ...

[Proxima]

Honestly it's a bit of a relief to have that shot down, since I had the idea of recording my playthrough, and having to edit the levels mid-run would interfere with that a bit.

If we're doing a fixed number of lemmings per level, I'd say go with 50, since Redux reduces original counts of 100 to 50 except in a very small number of cases where there was a particular reason for keeping the original count.

PS. Don't forget to update the list of entrants in the first post!