Level Design Contest #23 - Playing Phase (Discussion Topic)

[IchoTolot]

All zips only need to be unzipped inside the main folder of your NeoLemmix Player!

NeoLemmix Level Pack: https://www.dropbox.com/s/pn7lzbqf4kuq2ja/Contest_23.zip?dl=1

Music: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6kai36r33yrf0px/Contest_23_Music.zip?dl=1

Rule 1 Levels

Armani's "Cactus Valley" (V1)
IchoTolot's "Craze Or Crazy?" (V1)
Kaywhyn's "Everything Comes in Twos?" (V10)
Kingshadow3's "The Monkey Cave" (V4)


Rule 2 Levels

Armani's "Brakes Failed" (V2)
IchoTolot's "Retspen's Tomb" (V1)
Kaywhyn's "30 Seconds Before the Final Curtain Call" (V8)
Kingshadow3's "Master Of The Minute" (V6)


Rule 3 Levels

Armani's "The Age of Affluence" (V1)
IchoTolot's "Countdown To Meltdown" (V1)
Kaywhyn's "Cross Over Into the Light, My Lems!" (V5)
Kingshadow3's "Straight And Curved" (V3)


You can check the rules details again here: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5599.0

Playing Phase will be closed on 20th of August!
Updates will close on 17th of August!

Note: This topic is for posting your comments, replays, etc for the levels. If you wish to post an update to your level, or enter a late submission, please do so in the Updates Topic instead.

Link to update topic

[Kingshadow3]

Solved Kaywhyn's "30 Seconds Before the Final Curtain Call". Just completed it in time. @Kaywhyn I need to verify if this is the intended solution.

EDIT: Also solved Kaywhyn's "Cross Over Into the Light, My Lems!". This seems like the intended solution but I'm not sure.

EDIT2: Armani's "Cactus Valley" is another one I've solved. I really like the solution I found for this one.

[kaywhyn]

@Kingshadow3 Thanks for playing my R2 and R3! Your solutions to them are backroutes and hence not intended. R3 was easy enough to fix. I needed to think for a bit for my R2. Both V2's have been uploaded. Let's see how they hold up and if they block your backroutes now!

Again, thanks for playing. Now just need to see my R1, but I'm guessing you need more time to think about it?

[ericderkovits]

ok, solved Kaywhyn's Rule 1 level.

Saved 1 over the minimum since I had a stoner left. Most likely a backroute.

[kaywhyn]

@eric That is a very bad backroute to my R1! I have uploaded V2 of my R1. The change there are some pickup skills. Let's see if it stops your backrouting to it now!

I have solved both Armani's R1 and KingShadow3's R1. My replays are attached. Also, I started an LP of the contest levels. Here are the links to them. Enjoy!

Part 1: https://youtu.be/rjmqT2GodEU

Part 2: https://youtu.be/ootqJnIsVKY

Armani's Cactus Valley R1V1

Wow, this was a difficult but really good level! Lots of red herrings here that will cause you to be a skill short. In particular, timing the basher so that a climber can use the cactus at the top to shimmy over to the right side is quite clever! That was the part that took me a while to figure out, while I had everything else all figured out.

KingShadow3's The Monkey Cave R1V!

I don't think this is intended, as I have a few skills leftover. Not as difficult as Armani's R1 IMO, but still very challenging!

The rest of my LP of the contest levels will follow as soon as I can get to them!

[Kingshadow3]

Thank you for finding this backroute kaywhyn. I've modified the terrain near the hatch to fix this. Check the update topic.

[Armani]

Both of you found exactly the intended solution! Well done

[Armani]

Solved rule1 levels.
There only 3 levels to solve per rank, so I might try to solve rule2 and rule3 levels today as well.

Craze Or Crazy

I'm quite sure that this is intended. The only suspicious thing is that I didn't take advantage of the updraft. Nice cute level though! Making a long path for a lemming to shimmy is always fun

Everything Comes in Twos?

Probably I backrouted the level since I have some leftover skills. I do have a feeling that the intended solution requires cooperation between two worker lemmings.

The Monkey Cave

I bet this is intended. Very clever level! I like the solution a lot.

[kaywhyn]

Solved the remaining R2 and R3 levels which I haven't seen/played yet. My replays for Armani's R2 and R3, as well as KingShadow3's R2 and R3, are attached. I smell backroutes for KingShadow3's R2 and Armani's R3 Maybe KingShadow3's R3 as well, but it might be acceptable?

Also links to the remaining LP videos. Enjoy!

Part 3: https://youtu.be/mh6Jio1y4UE

Part 4: https://youtu.be/8QeaQglTJPY

Part 5: https://youtu.be/m142MH8wx5E
   

Armani's Brakes Failed R2V1

I was a dummy here and it took me far longer than it needed to. In contrast to a few of your previous R2 levels, no advanced/fancy trick needed here! Hence, this is quite easy for an R2 from you. Then again, you did acknowledge that given the ruleset for R2, it's quite difficult to make a level that fits the description AND is also very hard. Still a challenging level even for such a small and short level. Also very nice level here too! Out of all the R2 levels, I feel Icho's is the hardest. And I'm not saying that because of how I pre-tested his levels

Armani's The Age of Affluence R3V1

I think this might be a slight backroute since I have a couple of skills leftover This one was a difficult one for me. I think you're going to enjoy hearing me talk my way through solving this one in my LP, though

KingShadow3's Master of the Minute R2V1

I'm sure this is a backroute since I have two builders leftover?

 KingShadow3's Straight and Curved R3V1

This might be a backroute as well, although maybe acceptable? Here, I can adapt my solution so that I don't collect the fencer pickup and simply can use the two remaining builders to release the crowd

All rightie, since I have solved every contest level at least once, Part 5 will be the last video in the LP series for a while. When I return to record in maybe a few weeks or possibly closer to the closing date of the playing phase, I will simply be showing off the intended solutions to the contest levels once I resolve all updated levels and all solutions are acceptable. I will also show off my solutions to Icho's contest levels, as well as the intended solutions to my own contest levels, next time! I pretested Icho's contest levels once again, and so along with my own contest levels, there were only 2 levels per rule I needed to play and solve in my LP

I will include my entire replay collection for the LDC #23 levels at a later time!

[kaywhyn]

@Armani - V3 of my R1 uploaded! Slight terrain shift to block your backroute. Let's see how this holds up now

[Armani]

@kaywhyn

You ended up breaking my r2. It's definitely easier than my average r2s, but not like this.

My rule3 is intended to be an open-ended level. But surprisingly you found almost same solution as mine! The main idea of the level is that you can make a lemming tri-athlete and give rest of the lemmings one permanent skill each.(5+5+5+1=16)
So any solutions that send a worker lemming(tri-athlete) from top hatch(which is the only hatch that spawn 6 lemmings) and prepare safe falls for the 3 athletes groups, I would consider acceptable.

Well done! I think my r2 is easier than r3, so it's won't be a problem to you.

[Kingshadow3]

@Armani That was the intended solution to my R1. Congrats!

@Kaywhyn For R2, I've encountered multiple backroutes with this level playtesting myself before I submitted it (A lot of them involved the stacker to the point to that I had to make it a pickup skill). I didn't expect to see another one. I actually thought the small holes in the terrain would prevent such a thing from happening. Looks like I was mistaken.
For R3, sequence breaking the order of which balls you build/plaform to has been patched out. This level is pretty open. The intended solutions (There are multiple intended ways to free the lems) can spare 1 builder or platformer.

[Armani]

Solved rest of the levels.

Everything Comes in Twos(V3)

Only one stoner left this time. Hope we are getting closer to intended!

Retspen's Tomb(V1)

It seems like you're master at making small level too! Everything falls into place perfectly in such a tiny level. Very impressive level!

30 Seconds Before the Final Curtain Call(V2)

I think the my solution is intended. Using two walkers to cancel two miners in order to save last one second!

Master Of The Minute(V2)

Attached two solutions. Both have leftover skills, so I doubt they are intended. By the way, this level is really really small! The smallest level I've ever seen

Countdown To Meltdown(V1)

I suspect I've solved all of your levels in intended ways in V1! This level was quite difficult. It took me a while to realize that I had to send a climber to the left side of the level and let him start bashing from there. I also attached a solution that saves a walker with some precise timing.

Cross Over into the Light My Lems!(V2)

This seems intended. I like the contrast between the darkness of L2 shadow and bright colors of L2 beach! And also the evil moon vs the sun

Straight And Curved(V2)

This could be intended. not 100% sure though.

[Kingshadow3]

Updated my Rule 2 again. This one is a pain to backroute fix. I had to make the builders pickup skills and lock the release rate. See the update topic for R2V3.

@Armani Your solution to my Rule 3 is an intended one. There are multiple ways to free the crowd (One of which spares a constructive skill). My R3 is pretty open.

[kaywhyn]

@Armani Your solution to my R1 is about 95% intended. I have uploaded V4 of my R1 by making a stacker a pickup. This should be it with V4!

Spoiler

The only unintended parts was how you used the second builder, as well as a sacrifice to the acid.

Your solution to my R2 is 100% intended. Well done!

For R3, your solution is 99% intended! I added OWAs, so all you need to do is tweak one skill assignment and then you'll have the intended solution

Finally, for your solutions to Icho's levels, by my pre-testing, I can confirm that they're all 100% intended. Well done! For the second solution to his R3, I say that's an acceptable alternative that spares a skill and definitely one that I could had found as well in my pre-testing. However, it's Icho's call, as I didn't make his levels