Level pack: LemRunner (2021)

Started by 92Dexter11, April 09, 2021, 06:56:59 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

kaywhyn

All rightie, I have finally made my glorious return to LPing the pack after almost two months of not seriously playing Lemmings, and just like that I killed off the remaining 4 levels of the Gear World rank in my first LP video in several weeks. So, the Gear World rank has finally fallen, and so I'm back with replays and feedback. I'm aware that some levels have changed from V2 to V3 and hence my replay collection has some broken replays. In particular, it appears that Gear World 2, 5 and 6 need to be resolved. If I do resolve the changed levels later, I'll likely just tack those replays on at the very end of the LP.

Spoiler

Gear World 1 - Welcome to Gear World Hehe, this level is very similar to Jungle World 1 in terms of the layout and solution, and the concept needed to solve it.

Gear World 2 - Trial By Fire This one was an unusually difficult one for me. In particular, figuring out how to get the two buttons on either side at the bottom was quite difficult to figure out, especially when combined with the splitters.

Gear World 3 - Lefty loosey righty flighty Another difficult one. Nice level with two separate group of specialists, swimmers and gliders, as the title somewhat suggests. I do have two bashers leftover, yet going to V3 didn't show this level as breaking, so it appears that my replay from a few months ago still works. Indeed, I just checked it still passes. Acceptable solution? Mine came really close to not working anyway. Had I done the bashing timing differently, I think the gliders would had taken the swimmer route and similarly the swimmers take the glider route.

Gear World 4 - Measure once, build twice Somewhat easy. Nice idea of using stackers to release the crowd, and the final one with a climber since he can get out himself after the stack is complete.

Gear World 5 - Switching Gears This one was an unusually difficult one even with just two skill types. In particular, the hardest part was making sure no one walks out to the left at the bottom since everyone needs to be saved, including the neutral. See my LP of the pack, as my replay no longer works for V3.

Gear World 6 - Like Clockwork Another very hard one. I likely used an extremely fiddly and very messy way to solve it in my LP. See that, since my replay doesn't work in V3 either. That was a very nice concept of constantly keeping the zombie trapped behind the splitter as the neutrals kept flipping it off. Earlier attempts that failed had me going, I wish they had made the entrance spawn more neutrals to keep the zombie at bay :laugh: There definitely must had been a very good reason for keeping the neutral count as it is, as it might had made the level way too easy otherwise.

Gear World 7 - Authorised Lemmings Only! As mentioned before, I was stuck on this level for almost 2 months before I finally had a brilliant idea that came to me during my lunch break last week. I honestly have no idea why it took me so long to see that the RR needs to be manipulated several times in this level. Very nice level! :thumbsup: Often times, you only need to do it once and that's that, but here it requires twinkling a few times. As you have seen in my LP and correctly stated, I nearly had the solution this entire time, was just missing the RR manipulation :forehead: Well, glad that I finally figured it out on my own ;)

Gear World 8 - Smoke Stacks Thought I was going to be stuck here for a while. This one wasn't as bad as I thought. Still a challenging one. I have a jumper and a basher leftover, so backroute maybe?

Gear World 9 - Just another cog in the machine That's a nice level concept of using stackers next to one another to bridge a gap, but honestly I'm not a huge fan of that. Way too much precise timing needed to pull it off. Another one that I figured out somewhat quickly. Fencing the trapped lemmings out to either side was quite interesting.

Gear World 10 - Two by four Difficult but nice level to close off the rank. Nice idea of bashing a stack in progress to make it stepable from the left but still saving the neutrals from splatting! :thumbsup: Also nice idea of building over a button and then bashing with the final preassigned glider to collect it before you lose too many.

Part 10 of my LP is currently being uploaded, so be on the lookout for that when it becomes available soon! ;)

I will continue with the Mona rank soon! For now, very satisfied to have finally solved the first two ranks completely :)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMqwuqZ206rBWJrUC6wkrA - My YouTube channel and you can also find my playlists of Lemmings level packs that I have LPed
kaywhyn's blog: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5363.0

kaywhyn

#31
Hi Dexter/tan x,

Mona World rank finished, so I'm back with replays and feedback!

Mona World Rank Feedback

Overall, the rank felt much easier than either of the first two ranks. I feel Jungle World and Gear World are both harder than Mona World. The Mona World rank was still no pushover, but the levels in this rank didn't take me anywhere near as long as most levels in either the Jungle World or the Gear World rank.

Spoiler

Mona World 1 - Welcome to Mona World! Different level from either of the first levels of the previous two ranks, but also very easy compared to them :P

Mona World 2 - Catch my drift This was a really interesting puzzle of using the preplaced gliders to collect the gold, as well as figuring out how to do so with the skillset. There was only one gold button that I collected with a floater, and there's one that appears that it can be collected with a floater but cannot, and so has to be collected by a glider. It definitely got me wondering how to get those two, particularly since some platformers need to be used to collect the others with gliders. Then I found a way to spare a platformer so that I can collect the two gold buttons that can only be collected with a glider and a floater. A couple of skills leftover, but I'm guessing this is fine?

Mona World 3 - Sync or swim One of my favorites! :thumbsup: This was definitely an easy one to figure out. I was simply a dummy with where I was trying to achieve compression. Took me a while to spot that I'm supposed to do it at the bottom when they all float down :XD: I think this is similar to a previous level earlier in the pack that used a similar concept? It's possible I might be confusing it with another pack, but I'm sure it might be the LemRunner pack.

Mona World 4 - Draft dodgers Difficult one, although knowing myself I likely overcomplicated the solution considerably. It was quite difficult figuring out how to get the gold button on the very far left, as well as how to make sure no one gets lost except for the bomber if it's used. Seems like it's intended to be used to get rid of the zombie. Making sure no one is near the zombie when he falls off the screen was difficult to achieve. Seems like the key was giving a glider to the shimmier and realizing that the two right-most gold buttons can be collected but he needs to be able to just miss the one before them in order to do so. Also I believe one of the gliders almost kept going to the right and would had gotten infected but fortunately he bounced back to the left. It was definitely annoying making sure no one gets trapped underneath the platformer bridge gliding in an infinite loop. I simply was trying to save a builder to turn the lemming that collects the gold at the far left around back to the right.

Mona World 5 - Tightrope Citadel Nice rehash of Tightrope City from the original Lemmings. In my LP, I criticized the extreme pixel precision, but as it turns out I brought it on myself. I checked the intended solution after I solved the level, and yea I got to say your solution is easier than mine :XD: My solution is just very messy and fiddly in order to make sure no one bounced off the left blocker and goes out to the right, and the blockers had to be placed pixel perfect, and possibly the first builder over the left blocker so that he could still be released with a digger. The solution also involved some RR fiddling.

Mona World 6 - Ad astra per aspera I'm almost certain this is a backroute. I don't think it's supposed to be this easy for the second half of the rank :P

Mona World 7 - Hallowed ground Interesting puzzle. It wasn't necessarily a hard level. It was annoying more than anything IMO. In particular, the lemmings getting infected at the stacks took me by surprise. I must say digging and then platforming with the lemming behind him to seal off the gap after maxing the RR is quite clever! :thumbsup:

Mona World 8 - A caelo usque ad centrum Another Latin title, I think? Yet another level that I ended up overcomplicating and hence this was another hard one for me. I checked your intended solution after I solved the level, and I never realized there's a ledge after the floater falls off the left at the top that he can land on :forehead: This definitely explains why I struggled so much with this level :XD: In particular, the part that gave me the most problems was two lemmings being too close to each other so that even when stacking the second one just slips out. I kind of figured that the floater and the climber would be lost no matter what, thus why I have a bomber leftover, as if I use it, then I'll be one short of the requirement.

Mona World 9 - Any way the wind blows This level is too easy for its position this late in the rank. The timing was just right to get the gaps at the bottom sealed up before any of the others arrived.

Mona World 10 - Ascending and descending Somewhat a difficult level, although the hardest part for me was getting the crowds down safely while making sure a worker lemming can climb back up the digger shaft later to collect the gold in the starting area. I got to say using stacks to make splatforms for the crowd and climbing back up the digger shaft were clever! :thumbsup: I didn't use the basher, although I'm guessing it's simply to make it easier to get the climber/glider home?

Mona World 11 - Guardian Angels Wow, this is a really good, hard level that was satisfying to figure out! :thumbsup: Probably the hardest level in the entire rank despite it being a secret, bonus level. I really like this one too. Certainly a lot of things that can catch you off guard here. In particular, getting the neutral lemming up was hard to figure out, especially since he's not a climber like the lemmings from the presassigned hatch. Seems like the only feasible way to get him up is to use the updrafts near the exit. The timing here can be quite tricky and difficult, especially since the builder needs to finish sealing off the gap before the disarmer arrives. Once again, knowing myself I likely overcomplicated the solution here too.   

So far, I've only taken a look at the first two levels of Wacky World, and already Wacky World 2 has me stumped despite it just being a 1 lemming level. So, it appears that the difficulty has picked up again with Wacky World after what I thought was an unusually easy third rank of the pack in Mona World. Needless to say, both Jungle World and Gear World felt quite difficult to me, Mona World was easier than either of the first two ranks, and now the difficulty is picking up again with Wacky World.

I definitely seem to have hit my stride now that I'm making very decent and great progress through the pack after my long, extended absence from the game/level pack. It was definitely a very much needed break, because it seemed to have helped a great deal. Time away can really help. As a result, I'm really enjoying this pack! :thumbsup: Looking forward to the rest of the levels if I'm able to get to them. Seems like you both are enjoying my LP videos very much :)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMqwuqZ206rBWJrUC6wkrA - My YouTube channel and you can also find my playlists of Lemmings level packs that I have LPed
kaywhyn's blog: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5363.0

kaywhyn

Hello tan x/Dexter,

I have solved all levels of the LemRunner pack. Here is my complete set of LemRunner replays. I have also attached my resolved solutions to some changed Jungle World and Gear World levels for V3. Now some feedback.

Regarding resolved levels:

Jungle World 3 - Ziggurat It was one of my favorite levels of the Jungle World, and now it's my favorite even more now that the intended solution seems to be enforced. That trick with trapping the neutral between a blocker and wall is very clever! Well done! :thumbsup:

Jungle World 4 - What Goes Up Other than not digging through the starting platform, my solution is more or less the same as last time. Still uses all the skills, and different from the intended solution which I checked after resolving the level.

Jungle World 8 - Waste Not, Want Not Once again, my solution seems to be a slight variant from the intended, at least in the main area before the exit. My solution requires really good timing, especially with collecting the gold button before the trap and finishing the splatform in time before the crowd arrives.

Jungle World 9 - Entrapment My solution should still be acceptable, particularly since the only difference from the intended solution is with how the second shimmier is used, as well as how I released the blocker with a walker instead of with a falling bomber.

Jungle World 10 - Lemdiana Jones Likely a slight backroute, especially since mine can either be a glider leftover or a jumper leftover. This one is with a jumper leftover, so it can definitely be a no glider solution just like Armani's. I have to suspect that mine is the exact same as his. I haven't watched his solution yet.

Jungle World 11 - Riddle of the Ancients Once again, my solution is very different from the intended one. Mine is a bit timing heavy in one place. Since I still end up using all of the skills, I'm guessing this is still acceptable?

Gear World 2 - Trial by fire This seems intended now. Very nice trick of using fallers to activate splitters, despite it being very pixel precise! :thumbsup:

Gear World 5 - Switching gears Not sure why I struggled with this level despite there only being two skill types. It mostly has to do with how I tried avoiding releasing both zombies and I freed only one of them. Still, nice level, and one that will likely not take very long, especially with only 7 skills and a very small level.

Gear World 6 - Like clockwork Another favorite of mine in the rank despite this one taking me a while to resolve. That's really neat with infinitely keeping the zombie trapped on the other side of the splitter as long as you have walkers available! :thumbsup: Not sure why it took me a long time to see that, though. I kept trying to have the lemming over the top go back to the right with walkers to finish off the gaps before the basher releases the neutrals. Turns out they will always slip into the water before the gaps are sealed and hence it's simply going about the level the wrong way.

Now feedback on the Wacky World and Industry World ranks, since I've already given feedback on the first three ranks last time.

Wacky World Feedback

I mentioned that I felt the Mona World rank was slightly easier than either of the Jungle World and Gear World ranks. I felt the first two ranks were harder. With Wacky World, however, this one felt about the same difficulty as the first two ranks or just slightly harder. The hardest levels for me in the rank were Wacky World 2 - Full circle, Wacky World 3 - Non sequitur, Wacky World 5 - Pole to pole, and Wacky World 10 - Know when to hold 'em.

My favorites in the Wacky World rank were Wacky World 2, 3, Wacky World 7 - The Gibbering Cliffs, Wacky World 8 - Neurosis is no excuse for bad manners, and Wacky World 9 - When Life Gives You Lemmings

Feedback on Wacky World Levels

Wacky World 1 - Welcome to Wacky World Nice, somewhat easy level to start off the rank. I say slightly harder than Mona World 1, but probably just a bit easier than either Jungle World 1 and Gear World 1.

Wacky World 2 - This one is still quite challenging even though it's a 1 lemming level! Indeed, it managed to stump me. Turns out that I went about the level wrong and had some conceptual errors. It didn't occur to me to platform lower coming from the right on the top than the platformers coming from the left so that he can still drop down to the anti-splat pads around the same height where the exit is located. Also, I did the right side wrong which caused me to be a skill short, and that needs to be done with proper skill sequencing so that the level can be solved.

Just as a side note: When I opened this level in the editor, you have the sketches left in when the level was saved. You might want to consider removing them just in case of "accidentally" opening it in the editor. Here, I simply wanted to check something with mining through on the left side just past the exit. I almost noticed the platformer sketches, but luckily it was a blur and therefore nothing was spoiled. Even then, I still managed to figure out and solve the level on my own :P

Wacky World 3 - As mentioned in the second LP video with this level, I take back my criticism of the unfair, precise timing that I thought the solution uses. The level title is indeed appropriate, as if you take the obvious way, you will not solve the level, no matter how much you adjust the skill assignments of the basher/stacker. Despite this one stumping me for a while, this is one of my favorite levels of the rank! :thumbsup: Bashing and using the raised pixel to platform to the left to the steel block so that the crowd can step out and take a detour to give the basher enough time to get to where he needs to stack is genius. Also, realizing that you need to stack when going to the left, not to the right, or they won't be able to get onto the exit platform later. This would also prevent being able to collect the gold on top of the blocks later.

Wacky World 4 - Mr Magoo I'm pretty sure this is a backroute. Even then, this was an easy level.

Wacky World 5 - This was a hard one for me. Still, nice splat pad puzzle. I must say that's clever with using stackers to jump on to avoid the splat pad trigger areas and playing leap frog :laugh:

Wacky World 6 - Loony bin Somewhat easy. I somehow have a feeling that my solution isn't quite intended. It felt cheesy to me :laugh: In particular, that first digger surviving the fall when it looks like he should splat instead.

Wacky World 7 - This one was somewhat difficult. It definitely did the job of making me wonder how in the world you can get through the gaps when you only have two builders but one won't be enough to get to the exit coming from the left. Once again, I feel my solution isn't quite intended. Here, I simply used the cloners to exceed the save requirement. This is one of my favorite levels design-wise, especially since green is my favorite color :P

Wacky World 8 - Another of my favorite levels in the rank! :thumbsup: Very nice 1-of-everything level. My solution is probably not intended, since I do have some leftover skills. Also, I'm very confused why the lemming exit limit on the upper exit is very high. Perhaps you intended that to be part of the puzzle of figuring out a lemming needs to use it?

Wacky World 9 - Yet another favorite level of mine in the rank! :thumbsup: Somewhat easy. That's clever to use a platformer to catch the digger to collect the gold button in midair.

Wacky World 10 - Difficult level for me to finish off the rank. Mine solution is quite timing heavy, particularly since it involves bombing the blockers at the right time. Pretty interesting level that provides an infinite amount of three skill types, though. I definitely like the intended solution here better than my solution, as it's not as fiddly and messy.



Industry World Feedback

The Industry World was definitely a really difficult rank, so I think it being the final rank is very appropriate. It's definitely harder than any of the previous individual ranks. In contrast to Wacky World, where 3 levels managed to stump me, 4 Industry World levels managed to stump me badly. However, the roadblocks here took me longer than the Wacky World roadblocks. Only Wacky World 3 took me the longest to get unstuck out of the other two roadblocks, but Industry World 3 - Revenge of the dead, Industry World 8 - The night shift, and Industry World 10 - Dead weight took me the longest to solve, since these all required off-camera time to solve after two failed recorded video attempts to get them solved. The three levels mentioned were definitely the hardest for me, although except for Industry World 10, the solutions themselves aren't too difficult to execute. Industry World 7 - Storage facility 22-A was another hard one for me.

My favorite levels in this rank are Industry World 2 - Bait and switchboard, Industry World 3, Industry World 4 - Livewire lemmings, and Industry World 8

Feedback on Industry World Levels

Industry World 1 - Welcome to Industry World Nice two skill types level (only bombers and stoners) to start off the rank. Not too difficult, but at the same time not a complete walk in the park.

Industry World 2 - Difficult one for me. Very nice puzzle involving figuring out how to time lemmings to go into the teleporter so that they go out in the correction direction to collect the gold. I kept thinking that a lemming needs to turn around to the left at the top to get the two gold buttons at the top. Turns out this is wrong. Instead, we need to use the fact that the direction lemmings come out of the receiver depend on the direction they entered the teleporter. It also took me a while to see platforming the small gap to the left of the entrance. One of my favorites of the rank! :thumbsup:

Industry World 3 - Once again, there were a lot of conceptual errors I made that prevented from solving the level. A lot of attempts had me one lemming short of the requirement. I kept thinking the climber that uses the teleporter was going to be lost no matter what. I also kept thinking to build and then platform over the zombies to collect the gold, but this requires bombing two of the zombies free and I would lose the climber no matter what. I also kept trying to get the lemmings compressed so that I could block in front of the locked exit while everyone else was trapped on the other side. The moment of feeling proud of using a builder to seal off the basher tunnel at the bottom was definitely short-lived, as that was another conceptual mistake. I don't know why it took me so long to see the solution here. I remember it all of a sudden came to me after eventually staring at the level long enough.

Despite this being one of the levels I stumped me badly, this is another favorite level of mine in the rank! :thumbsup:

Industry World 4 - Much easier than the previous level, although it took me longer than it needed to. Containing the crowd inside the fencer tunnel is very clever! :) Yet another favorite level of mine in the rank! :thumbsup:

Industry World 5 - Lemming on high Difficult one. I say the hardest part was holding back the crowd and also releasing the blocker if used. It's clear that it needs to be on top of a stack so that it can get released later. My solution here definitely feels very hackish. The part where I used a jumper to time the stacking and blocking on top of it seems unintended. It also has to be done at a specific time so that no lemming from either side can get over the stack. I almost thought I had to do a complete restart when releasing the blocker, but I was able to quickly realize that the part of the stack that remained to turn the blocker around could be used to my advantage to solve the level.

Industry World 6 - Retrograde My solution also feels a bit hackish here, especially with getting the spacing between the lemmings right so that no one slips past the teleporter. This one wasn't as bad as I thought, but it's still challenging IMO. I don't know if it's intended for the crowd to use the teleporter. The hardest part here is certainly keeping the worker alive after he releases the zombies and forges a path for them to walk into the mine traps. That's quite clever to use them for that purpose so the others can exit safely! :thumbsup: I'm going to guess my solution isn't 100% intended, especially since I have a jumper left, although it might still be acceptable?

Industry World 7 - As mentioned before, this level was a hard one for me. I thought using fallers from high places to stone to make a bridge to the exit is clever! :thumbsup: My solution definitely is hackish here, especially since I use a stacker to turn a lemming around and I platformed above to get over the stack. I checked the intended solution after I solved the level, and I'm definitely aware of lemmings turning around inside the stoner terrain mechanic. I definitely thought about using it here on this level, but as it turns out I simply was doing so in the wrong place. Because I used the cloners differently, this was what allowed me to spare a platformer for the gap in the middle.

Industry World 8 - Yet another level that managed to stump me for a long time. I think I ended up solving this level just slightly a bit faster than Industry World 3 even though they both took me 1.5-2 days. Once again, conceptual errors on my part that prevented me from solving this level. I tried other ways to solve it, including using a floater to bridge the gap and make a splatform for the neutrals, but I would always be a builder short. I also tried to get the glider to turn around to do the same, but turns out you cannot build into terrain to turn him around for that. My biggest mistake here was thinking a basher is always used to free the neutrals in the area where you need to send a climber up the crates to get the gold buttons. I also tried to bash through the long section and get the gap bridged before the neutrals arrive, but they always come before that can be done, if you don't hold them back. I also ran into problems with using builders to turn the climber around to prevent him from going over the crate on the left. Turns out that I never thought to not assign the floater a climber so that the builders wouldn't be wasted for that. So really, it was due to incorrect builder placements, along with conceptual errors, that prevented me from solving the level.

The key here is realizing how the building needs to be done so that everyone can still go out to the right later on. This I got down somewhat quick, but it took me a long time to see the builder wall is needed to free the neutrals and floater later. I think it was simply due to me thinking that this would just use up too many builders. Of course, I'm well aware of the builder wall trick (I have solved plenty of custom level packs that require it) :P

Shortly after getting the level solved, I realized that the level can be solved with a builder left to spare. That is the replay solution of mine I have attached. Still, amazing that a level with a very minimal skillset but plenty of builders could be a big problem, like it was for me :XD:

Industry World 9 - The specialist Somewhat difficult, although a bit easier than the previous level. I think it's quite easy to tell that the neutral is our allowed casualty, especially since he is a climber and therefore will climb into the fire trap after disarming the trap and collecting the gold. My solution is most definitely not intended, since I do have a couple of skills leftover, and I did check the intended solution after solving, and once again very different from mine :P

Industry World 10 - As seen in the final LP video, mine is very fiddly and quite timing heavy. My solution has several pixel precise skill assignments. All this time, I incorrectly raced a normal lemming to beat the neutral to the walker pickup before the final gold button is collected. Immediately after letting the intended solution play, it was clear that my solution is very different due to the start being completely different. This also told me that there's no racing of a normal lemming to beat the neutral lemming to the bottom. It still took me a while to determine that you used the zombie to infect the neutral so that it's no longer for him to collect the gold and pickups at the bottom. That's really clever! :thumbsup:

Since my solution is just as difficult or slightly harder than the intended, I still think it's too awesome to break, although I will understand if you want to break my solution, which misses the zombie infecting the neutral trick completely anyway. 



This thus concludes an excellent pack by the both of you! It was a long and very difficult journey, but I'm so relieved to finally be done with the pack so that I can move on to other level packs I would like to LP. I also managed to solve the entire pack without hints on any of the levels, too! :laugh: In case that hasn't been clear, I'm one of those Lemmings players that prefers the satisfaction of figuring out and solving levels on my own without help/hints. I only watch solutions after I have solved the level for the first time on my own.

I can definitely recommend this pack to others thinking of playing it, although I will also warn that it's a very hard pack and to not expect it to be a quick solve. The only reason it took me 2 months to solve all of the pack is due to taking an extended break from it and the game Lemmings in general. I got to say all that time away really helped me to get my motivation for anything Lemmings-related back. It was definitely worth it.

I will get to the Integral Lemmings and All Hallow's Eve packs sometime! I have plans to LP them eventually, but it's not going to be for a while. As usual, I will link you to the LP once I get to them! ;)

Glad to hear you both have been enjoying my videos of me solving your guys' levels! :)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMqwuqZ206rBWJrUC6wkrA - My YouTube channel and you can also find my playlists of Lemmings level packs that I have LPed
kaywhyn's blog: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5363.0

92Dexter11

#33
Hi Kaywhyn!
Congratulations on making it through our entire level pack, we really loved your letsplay!
Below are responses to each of your comments, made by tan x and myself.

We're working on a new version of the level pack, which will be coming soon.

Gear World and Jungle Resolves:
Spoiler

Ziggurat - This is the intended solution, well done!
What goes up - The intended solution criteria is that the rightmost forcefield must be used to turn a lemming around, so that it builds a bridge to catch the other lemmings. Your solution accomplishes this, so I consider this to be a valid solution, great work!
Waste Not, Want Not - Looks like another unintended solution! The main challenge that the level should pose is the exit being unlocked before the first lemming arrives there. Any solution which circumvents this is unfortunately classified as a backroute in my books. I know how to fix this one though.
Entrapment - The intended solution is that a shimmier is supposed to be trapped between the two forcefields on the underside of a platform bridge, however, like you said in your summary video, I don't think this is possible to enforce. Your solution seems a little trickier to pull off, since it requires timing, so I feel no need to modify this level further. Great work!
Lemdiana Jones - Once again, a solution that does not require all skill pickups is classed as a backroute.
Riddle of the Ancients - An acceptable solution! Not exactly what I had in mind but it does use all skills. :)

Welcome to Gear World - Yeah, the similarities to Jungle world aren't lost on me. I made this one to be quite easy, since originally Gear World came before jungle, but both of these intro worlds are designed to be easy.
Trial by fire - You are correct - this is intended! :thumbsup:
Lefty loosey righty flighty - Your solution here is intended; the leftover skills are only there to make the level more lenient, since it's very early on in the pack. :thumbsup:
Measure once, build twice - Hmm... I thought I'd already fixed a very similar backroute to this one. Look's like I'll need to make some more drastic changes! :devil:
Switching gears - Another intended solution, nice one!
Like clockwork - Thank you! I am also quite proud of this level. You figured out the solution - you need to use walkers so that the "clock" keeps "ticking", great work! :thumbsup:
Authorised Lemmings Only! - You got it in the end! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I love levels that use the Flow Control mechanic of fiddling with the release rate!
Smoke Stacks - This level is far too easy to be at position 8 in the rank; I'll have to move it up in the level order. Your solution isn't intended, but it actually seems to make more sense than the intended one, so well done!
Just another cog in the machine - A nice solution! Good work!
Two by Four - Your solution deviates slightly from the intended solution, but is more or less correct. I may adjust the save requirement to make it slightly more challenging.

Mona World:
Spoiler

Welcome to Mona World - Well done on getting the intended solution on your first try! There are several other solutions to this level, but I don't consider them to be backroutes since this is only an introductory level.
Catch my drift - Great solution! The intended solution is slightly trickier, however, so this level is planned to be updated. Since the intended solution is somewhat counter-intuitive, and this is only the second level of the rank, the updated version will feature pickups in specific locations as a hint.
Sync or swim - Thank you, this level is one of my favourites too. However, your solution is actually a backroute! The updraft to the right of the level is supposed to be integral to the solution, so the updated level will be tweaked slightly.
Draft dodgers - Another unintended solution, however I expect this level probably has quite a few backroutes (it was made very late into development and I didn't have very much time to playtest it). Climbing over the metal on the left hand side is definitely unintended, however, so that will be tweaked.
Tightrope Citadel - A nice solution! Good work! :thumbsup:
Ad astra per aspera - Definitely a backroute. It would seem I'll have to get out the chisel again. Those columns are a little too pristine...
A caelo usque ad centrum - I've made a change to the level that will disrupt your solution. Yours is very close to intended, however.
Hallowed ground - Thanks! I have different criteria for what I consider to be a "backroute" based on each individual level. This level's criteria is "release rate must be altered at least once" and "all skills must be used", which I think is impossible to do otherwise, meaning any solution to this level is valid. Great job!
Any way the wind blows - Great catch! This is definitely a backroute, this level is supposed to be trickier. That being said, I don't know if the intended solution is still somewhat easy, so I may bump its positioning up to be earlier in the rank.
Ascending and descending - An excellent solution! This level came about after I realised that a digger tunnel was nine pixels wide, and stacker blocks were three pixels wide. The puzzle developed after that!
Guardian angels - Thank you! This level was originally not going to be a secret level, however I thought its solution was too vague and ill-defined, so we instead decided it would make a good secret level, rather than deleting it altogether. It has no set solution, since I found it had too many backroutes while playtesting. Still, it's quite a tricky puzzle either way. :thumbsup:

Wacky World:
Spoiler

Welcome to Wacky World - Nice work!
Full circle - This was a great level to watch you solve - I had no idea it would be so challenging, I definitely misjudged how hard this level is. It will probably be moved down in the level order. Thanks for letting me know about the sketches, I was sure I removed them all, but apparently this one slipped under the radar. They will be removed in the next patch.
Non Sequitur - This is one of my favourite levels! I really enjoyed watching you solve it. ;P Excellent work on catching the misdirection! I must say that I grinned devilishly when I heard you say that a stacker wouldn't work at the right side. :devil:
Mr Magoo - A similar solution to this has already been uncovered by Armani, so I made it into a talisman. It's not a huge departure from the intended solution, so I don't consider it to be a backroute.
Pole to pole - Thank you! Another favourite of mine. "Leap frog" was actually this level's name at one point, but I decided that "Pole to pole" fit better and sounded more unique.
Loony bin - This level, (along with Retrograde later on), is a level that I've now come to realise has too many backroutes. Rather than trying to hopelessly patch up every backroute, I think it would probably be easier to just bump it up in the level order, and have it as an open-ended early level.
The Gibbering Cliffs - Oof! This was a nasty backroute. I've taken the liberty of jamming more random bits of metal into the side of the cliff. Hopefully that will block this solution.
Neurosis Is No Excuse For Bad Manners - Still a backroute! I've tweaked the level slightly to stop this from happening.
When Life Gives You Lemmings - Hmm. Looks like a particular piece of citrus fruit is causing yet more issues. I've had problems with that trouble maker before! Fear not, for it shall be removed in the next patch! :P
Know when to hold 'em - This is one of the most evil levels I've ever made. :devil: I'm proud of how nasty this level is, and I loved watching you solve it in your LP, very well done!

Industry World:
Spoiler

Welcome to Industry World - Your solution is quite unique, well done!
Bait and switchboard - Another level which I seriously misjudged the difficulty on, this will definitely be moved up in the level order. Your solution is also a slight backroute, however. Luckily it's a simple fix. :thumbsup:
Revenge of the dead - Thank you, another level that I loved to watch you solve! I was honestly quite surprised that this had no backroutes, since it had quite a lot when I was playtesting it.
Livewire Lemmings - This level is really easy, it definitely needs to be at position #2 in the rank. No idea why I let it be this high.
Lemming on high - Your solution differs slightly from the intended one, but I don't consider it to be a backroute, since your solution fills both my criteria (1: Lemming must block on top of a stacker. 2: A lemming must go via the top of the level.) Since your solution meets both of these criteria, I consider it to be valid, nice one!
Retrograde - Like I mentioned earlier, this one has a ton of alt solutions, so I plan on moving this up in the level order. Any solution here is valid, so long as all three zombies destroy the mines.
StorageFacility 22-A - A good use of skills to solve the level. Nice work! :thumbsup: I've updated the level to enforce the solution I had in mind.
The Night Shift - Excellent work! The "builder cage" was the trick I had in mind for this level. Nice work on saving a builder too! I think I'll leave this level as it is. Solution accepted!
The Specialist - A definite backroute here! I've amended this level to avoid such eventualities.
Dead Weight - Your solution was brilliant, but alas! It was a backroute! I've changed the level subtly to prevent your solution from being valid. Excellent work though! :thumbsup:

Once again, thank you so much for playing through our pack! We really loved watching your series, and your solutions gave both of us valuable insight into improving and balancing our levels.

We'll be updating the level pack soon, with a few fixes and tweaks, as well as a reshuffling for the level order.

92Dexter11

Version 4 of lemrunner has been released! The original post has been modified to contain the newest version of Lemrunner.

Special thanks to Kaywhyn and Armani for play-testing our levels; their solutions provided us with valuable insight and plenty of enjoyment. :thumbsup:

Changelog:
Spoiler

Waste not, want not - Removed the upper pillars.
Lemdiana Jones - More changes to terrain to prevent certain jumper positions from being able to reach the pillar.
Measure once, build twice - Added a dip and removed some pipe braces.
Catch my drift - The four blockers now must be acquired as pickups.
Sync or swim - Moved one piece of gold, ruined a balustrade to discourage digging.
Any way the wind blows - Repositioned the terrain to the left of the entrance, closed the gap between the two mines slightly.
Ad astra per aspera - Chiseled more chunks away from the columns.
Draft dodger - Added cracks to a metal block to prevent climbers from going over it.
A caelo usque ad centrum - Raised one gold on top of a pillar. Added a time limit of 4:00 mins.
Full circle - Removed sketches that were mistakenly included in the level editor (level otherwise remains unchanged).
The Gibbering Cliffs - Stuck more random bits of metal into the cliffside.
Neurosis is no excuse for bad manners - Changed a jumper to a shimmier. Rearranged cheese. Added mangos.
When Life Gives You Lemmings - Removed a Very Naughty lemon.
Bait and switchboard - Removed a terrain piece from the left of the map.
Retrograde - Raised the electricity trap slightly.
Storage facility 22-A - Added an extra piece of gold above the exit.
The specialist - Reworked various platforms and hazards.
Dead weight - Removed pipes and a crate at the very top right of the level. Lowered the small platforms above the skill pickups/gold by a few pixels. Lowered the structure at the right by one pixel to make platforming more forgiving. NOTE: Although this shouldn't change the overall solution, it has the potential to break replays.

Additionally, we've re-organised the level order for each world. We did this because we felt that some levels were harder or easier than others, and we wanted the level order to more accurately reflect difficulty.
This may mean that some of your replays for certain levels may correspond to incorrect levels, sorry for this inconvenience!

kaywhyn

#35
Hi Dexter/tan x,

Thank you for the detailed feedback/comments on my solutions! :thumbsup: I absolutely love reading feedback from pack authors. I do need to point out something, and that is I got feedback on Tightrope Citadel twice.

Also regarding Non-sequitur, yea, that's an instance of me coming to an incorrect conclusion too hastily :XD: I tend to be very bad with stackers when it comes to solving levels that provide them.

Quote from: 92Dexter11 on July 03, 2021, 01:52:35 PM
Once again, thank you so much for playing through our pack! We really loved watching your series, and your solutions gave both of us valuable insight into improving and balancing our levels.

Yea, it was a long and very difficult journey, filled with perhaps a lot of very amusing roadblocks, but I persevered and made it to the very end of this mind-busting pack. You both have a knack for making very difficult levels! :thumbsup: I don't mind difficult levels, though. They're my type of levels/challenge. Especially if they're the good kind of challenging and are extremely satisfying to solve (most of the LemRunner levels are, btw! ;)), and I definitely got that satisfying feeling from figuring out many of the really difficult levels in this pack. Perhaps if you're both daring enough, you guys can take on Icho's United pack :laugh: Or maybe you both have seen enough of the pack and thought, "Uh, no, it's just way too hard for either of us." To be fair, it does have a very high difficulty tag, and I'm only the second of three currently to have solved all of the pack, after a lot of struggling for months/weeks that it took me 1 whole year to beat all of it.

Admittedly, not being able to solve Gear World 7 was what unmotivated me to do anything Lemmings-related, and as a result I ended up taking an extensive break from the LP and the game Lemmings in general. The time away definitely helped, though, as when I made my glorious return I was able to knock out the remaining Gear World levels in one single LP video :P

For future reference, don't worry about me starting something and not coming back to finish. As a personal rule, I always finish what I start, so the LP was going to be finished at some point once I returned and can get myself unstuck on that level. And yes, this applies to Nepsterlems as well, since I've been stuck on the first level of the final rank for about a year now! I'm quite determined to finish solving the pack, particularly since I'm about 20 levels away from finishing.

That makes me very happy to hear that the both of you enjoyed my LP immensely. As I have seen, pack authors especially love hearing commentary on their work, as well as hear how the LPer approaches level solving. It also makes me happy to hear how my solutions can inspire future levels from pack authors. I know a few authors/designers who have been kind enough to tell me that my level solution has inspired a level of their own.

Once again, great job to the both of you on a well-done, very challenging pack! :thumbsup: To think I'm only the second person to have solved all of the LemRunner pack as well :laugh: Be on the lookout for when I take on Integral Lemmings and All Hallow's Eve. They're not going to be a while, but when I do get to them, you both know where to find my videos :P
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMqwuqZ206rBWJrUC6wkrA - My YouTube channel and you can also find my playlists of Lemmings level packs that I have LPed
kaywhyn's blog: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5363.0

∫tan x dx

Hi kaywhyn,

Quote from: kaywhyn on July 03, 2021, 05:36:53 PMBe on the lookout for when I take on Integral Lemmings and All Hallow's Eve.
We'll keep our eyes peeled!

Spoiler

Quote from: kaywhyn on July 03, 2021, 05:36:53 PMI got feedback on Tightrope Citadel twice
Hehe, oops! We'll fix that... :P


Armani

I think there're only 3 or 4 backroutes remaining :D

These replays are basically same solutions but I had to adjust a little bit since the lastest update broke them :
  Gear5, Mona3,6, Wacky8, Industry10

Now these are new replays you might want to check :
  Jungle09 Waste not, want not
  Jungle10 Lemdiana Jones
  Mona02 Catch my drift
  Mona07 Ad astra per aspera
  Wacky09 When Life Gives You Lemmings
  Industry07 Storage facility 22-A
  Industry09 The specialist


Comments on individual levels

Jungle09 Waste not, want not : Almost same solution as before which means I still have 2 leftover builders. ;P
Jungle10 Lemdiana Jones : I bet this is intended now. :thumbsup: It use all the given skills and pick-ups.
Mona02 Catch my drift : Now the solution seems somewhat obvious due to position of the blocker pick-ups. It's a very nice level though. ;)
Mona07 Ad astra per aspera : The latest update enforce me save a basher by extending the basher with platformers so I can remove two pillars with one basher. I think I almost got the intended solution but I still have two jumpers left.
Wacky09 When Life Gives You Lemmings : This must be intended. Very nice level! :thumbsup: I quickly found out that I had to extend the basher but how to do that was quite hard to see.
Industry07 Storage facility 22-A : Almost same solution. I still don't use a bomber.
Industry09 The specialist : This is certainly a backroute ;P
My newest NeoLemmix level pack : Lemmings Halloween 2023 8-)

My NeoLemmix level packs(in chronological order):
  Lemmings Uncharted [Medium~Extreme]
  Xmas Lemmings 2021 [Easy~Very Hard]
  Lemmings Halloween 2023 [Easy-Very Hard]

IchoTolot

Just sarted and got through Jungle World. :)

Feedback:

The visuals and level are really impressive! :thumbsup:

I especially liked 4,6,11 and 7 (even if 7 has a part I would make clearer:
Spoiler
Realising that the force field indeed reaches over the 2 pixel overhang is not totally clear without peeking into true physics. Maybe make the overhang like 3-4 pixels. Let's say that cost me like 30mins ;)
)

Let's say just 1 level just left a bit of a sour mark due to connected pixel-precise assignments that lead to the otherwise working solution fail because of 1 pixel in different locations.

It's level 10 "Lemdiana Jones":

After a bit of time I saw the needed trick and method, but needed quite a lot of time to get it to work and it always failed because of single pixels!

But let's move to the spoiler tag for a more detailed discussion and how to maybe ease this up a bit:

Spoiler

The starting digger needs to be placed exactly so that after the digger+stacker shinanigangs the platform reaches through the low hanging wall and you are indeeed able to build.
This leads to the platform being too far away from the left wall so that the glider is JUST short.
But you got a stacker for an extension - which then usually leads to you jumping OVER the glider pick-up skill by a single pixel.

That leads up to 3 connected pixel-precise assignments.

So you need to be twaeking every single precise assignment around until it finally works which is really frustraiting when you know it must be the solution.

This could be solved:

Method 1:

- Remove a stacker, Make the left ceiling a little bit higher so that the glider lands on the platformer bridge without the extra stacker.

Method 2:

- Try moving the glider pick-up skill c.a 2 pixels higher so that the jumper almost always gets it.

The general level idea is great, but having multiple pixel-precise assignments directly depending on each other resulting in endless pixel tweaking of the otherwise correct solution is not fun.

Replays attached and I'll see when I have time to go through the next rank. :)

IchoTolot

And here are my solutions for Gear World!

A lot of great levels there! :thumbsup:

My favorites were: 3, 5 and 9. :)

8 wasn't really my type though. ;)

IchoTolot

Was on a roll lately and I completed the pack. I have my backroute sense tingling on a few levels though.

I attached my solutions.

My favorites were:

3 08, 3 09, 4 02, 4 08, 5 01, 5 03, 5 06, 5 08

While 5 10 was very creative, let's just say it was a nightmare to execute and more importantly to redo. I've had so many attempts where I was 1 skill or so short and needed to redo the whole thing again and again which wasn't that fun.

This is a very great pack though and I really like the new tilesets as well! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

92Dexter11

Hi IchoTolot!
Thank you so much for your replays and feedback. We're very sorry for the late response, we've been quite busy lately, so we weren't able to respond to you quickly.

Jungle world responses:
Spoiler

Welcome to Jungle World - Perfect solution!
Encore - Great work!
Ziggurat - Wow! This solution is completely unexpected. I'd hesitate to even call it a backroute because it seems so intriguing, well done!
What goes up - The intended solution.
The two towers - Good solution.
Shibboleth - This solution is very similar to the intended one, the skills are just used in a slightly different order. Great work!
Excavation - Thank you for the feedback for this level. I think it may need tweaking like you said. The level "what goes up" was made to introduce this puzzle, since that level contains a similar puzzle, except more forgiving, but it seems this level's terrain is too ambiguous.
Entrapment - This is a backroute, but as I've already mentioned, the intended solution to this level may be impossible to enforce. Oh well. Well done for solving it, though!
Waste not, want not - This is another backroute! This level seems to be tricky to balance around what I had intended.
Lemdiana Jones - Perfect solution! This level may see some tweaks in the future to reduce annoying pixel precision.
Riddle of the Ancients - A good solution.

Gear world responses:
Spoiler

Welcome to Gear World - Great solution!
Trial by Fire - Exactly as intended, great job!
Lefty loosey righty flighty - This is a backroute; may have to tweak this level.
Smoke stacks - I love seeing solutions to this level, since they're always so varied, well done!
Measure once, build twice - Perfect solution!
Switching Gears - Another perfect solution!
Like Clockwork - Perfect solution. Great job on saving a walker!
Just another cog in the machine - An interesting solution, especially since you walked straight through the grinder trap. Nicely done! :thumbsup:
Authorised Lemmings Only - Perfect solution!
Two By Four - Another perfect solution. Excellent work.

Mona world responses:
Spoiler

Welcome to Mona World - Solution is different from what I intended, but since it's just an intro level, any solution here is valid.
Catch my drift - Another very impressive solution, you somehow managed to save two blockers, which I thought would be impossible, great job!
Sync or Swim - The replay for this level is surprisingly long! I thought for sure you sent a bad replay! It's a correct solution, though! :thumbsup:
Hallowed Ground - This level is impossible to backroute, since all skills are required to complete the level. That being said, your solution is quite original and very impressive. Well done!
Tightrope Citadel - Perfect solution!
Any way the wind blows - Another backroute. I have no idea how to fix this one, unfortunately. Great job on managing to stump me! :thumbsup:
Ad astra per aspera - I would classify this as a backroute, unfortunately. I will have to chisel away at those pillars some more...
Draft Dodgers - I thought for certain that this level would have a ton of backroutes, but apparently not. This is the intended solution, great job!
A caelo usque ad centrum - Perfect solution!
Ascending and descending - Perfect solution!
Guardian angels - Another perfect solution!

Wacky world responses:
Spoiler

Welcome to Wacky World - Perfect solution!
Full Circle - This level differs slightly from intended, but the spirit of the replay is the same (the level's entire gimmick is using the central anti-splat pad multiple times, requirng the player to bash lower than expected). You did this in your solution, so I consider it to be valid. Great work!
Mr Magoo - Great talisman solution!
Loony Bin - This level unfortunately has a ton of backroutes, but you managed to get the solution which I had intended, so great job!
Pole to Pole - The fruits on this level are placed in such a way as to provide a clue to the player (the dead centre of each orange points to where you should build each stacker). You managed to beat this level without using that guideline, it must've taken a while to line everything up, very well done! :thumbsup:
Non sequitur - Perfect solution!
The Gibbering Cliffs - A very nice solution! A little different than what I intended, but still good :)
Neurosis is no excuse for bad manners - Very creative, but I count this as a backroute. Looks like that purple goop will have to become a lot more dangerous... :evil:
When Life Gives You Lemmings - Oh dear! A nasty backroute. These accursed citrus fruits...
Know when to hold em - Very impressive solution, great work!

Industry world responses:
Spoiler

Welcome to Industry World - Great job on getting the talisman here!
Livewire Lemmings - This solution is exactly correct, great work!
Bait and Switchboard - A backroute, which seems tricky to fix. The intended solution is to build just before the slope, to put all the lemmings out of sync with each other, but this seems very hard to enforce. Great work here!
Retrograde - This level has no set solution, so everything here is valid. Great job!
Lemming on High - Technically a backroute, but the timing on this replay is so impressive! Well done.
Revenge of the Dead - This is the intended solution, with one slight exception. You used a builder/jumper at the wrong locations, which my brother once joked was technically a backroute. I thought the timing required to pull it off would be too fiddly, but you've accomplished it here! Great work! :thumbsup:
Storage facility 22-A - Perfect solution!
The night shift - Perfect solution!
The specialist - :lem-mindblown: The climber doesn't even get killed at that patch of electricity?! :forehead:
Dead weight - Perfect solution!

kaywhyn

Oh wow, I totally forgot that there's also a level in LemRunner called "Entrapment." I brought this up, because I just recently played a level called "Entrapment" from your brother's Integral Lemmings pack :laugh: Obviously, the LemRunner one came long after, since that pack was released years after Integral Lemmings, yet the level concepts in either one are quite different
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPMqwuqZ206rBWJrUC6wkrA - My YouTube channel and you can also find my playlists of Lemmings level packs that I have LPed
kaywhyn's blog: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5363.0

92Dexter11

Quote from: kaywhyn on September 07, 2021, 07:54:50 PM
Oh wow, I totally forgot that there's also a level in LemRunner called "Entrapment." I brought this up, because I just recently played a level called "Entrapment" from your brother's Integral Lemmings pack :laugh: Obviously, the LemRunner one came long after, since that pack was released years after Integral Lemmings, yet the level concepts in either one are quite different

Yeah, my brother and I both realised this when we were watching your let's play of Integral Lemmings. :forehead: Had I known that tan had already named one of his levels that, I would have called my level something else. Oh well, it's a bit too late now! :P

IchoTolot

Thanks for the response. :)

I am looking forward to resolving the backrouted stuff when the patch hits and you hopefully find ways to patch them all. :thumbsup: