Level Design Contest #28 - Playing Phase (Discussion Topic)

[Simon]

Icho's solutions to both of my levels (Xi and Gentle Slope) are intended. Thanks!

-- Simon

[kaywhyn]

And here are my replays to all the Lix entries and NL entries. I think I have backroutes for two NL levels and either 1 or 2 Lix entries, while the rest seem intended or acceptable In particular, I'm not sure how Armani, Icho, and Simon all missed a very easy backroute to geoo's R3 Also, I completely agree with Simon that geoo's R1 is very tough! It took me a very long time before I finally got it solved! As a result, it was the very last level that I got solved

[Kingshadow3]

And here are my replays to all the Lix entries and NL entries. I think I have backroutes for two NL levels and either 1 or 2 Lix entries, while the rest seem intended or acceptable In particular, I'm not sure how Armani, Icho, and Simon all missed a very easy backroute to geoo's R3 Also, I completely agree with Simon that geoo's R1 is very tough! It took me a very long time before I finally got it solved! As a result, it was the very last level that I got solved

The solutions for my R1 and R3 are intended.

I've updated my Rule 2 level.

[NieSch]

And here are my replays to all the Lix entries and NL entries. I think I have backroutes for two NL levels and either 1 or 2 Lix entries, while the rest seem intended or acceptable

Well done! One of the levels you backrouted is my R1 one. I updated it to V7.

[kaywhyn]

I have resolves for both Niesch's R1 and Kingshadow's R2, though sadly the former is still a backroute and I just needed to tweak my previous solution a bit (seems the terrain overhang where the needles trap is was a mistake?), while the latter seems closer to intended due to not having as many skills left as last time but still looks to be a backroute nonetheless

[NieSch]

I have resolves for both Niesch's R1 and Kingshadow's R2, though sadly the former is still a backroute and I just needed to tweak my previous solution a bit (seems the terrain overhang where the needles trap is was a mistake?)

Oh, dang. I made the trap white with a piece of terrain because I thought it looked nice. But I forgot that it was terrain...

I removed the piece in my V8.

[Kingshadow3]

I've added more steel onto the whale. Unfortunately, this change has made it so that IchoTolot's solution is no longer possible.

[IchoTolot]

Here are my updated replays.

[kaywhyn]

More resolves for Niesch and Kingshadow. Sorry Niesch, another backroute I'm afraid, as it's once again just tweaking a previous solution of mine. For the latter, I have a few skills left, but this does at least looks very close to intended and maybe acceptable?

I've added more steel onto the whale. Unfortunately, this change has made it so that IchoTolot's solution is no longer possible.

@Icho

Sorry!

[Kingshadow3]

2 of the builders are now pickup skills.

[kaywhyn]

Resolved and I think we finally got it, so I have a good feeling about this

[Kingshadow3]

Resolved and I think we finally got it, so I have a good feeling about this

Intended solution.

And just in time too as the final day to update levels is approaching. Anymore backroutes found won't be patched out during the contest. If I were to finish a level pack with these levels in, I will have further backroutes patched out when I release it.

[kaywhyn]

And just in time too as the final day to update levels is approaching. Anymore backroutes found won't be patched out during the contest. If I were to finish a level pack with these levels in, I will have further backroutes patched out when I release it.

My hope was to leave ample time to play through and solve these levels earlier than I did the previous contest. Seems I've somewhat succeeded there, as I started at least 1.5 weeks before the deadline, though admittedly I still cut it pretty close to the update deadline. In contrast, I started going through the previous LDC's entries less than a week before the end of the playing phase!

Even if the deadline did pass, sometimes backroutes can still remain if the intended solution was found. Some good examples was a few levels in the Bonus rank of United. Almost all the levels in the rank are contest entries of Icho's. The ones I managed to backroute were very old contest levels of his. At the time when I backrouted them, I think except for one which was in the LDC before it was included in the pack, they were from at least 4 or 5 LDC's ago. This thus proves that even long after the LDC has ended, contest entries from where they came from sometimes still need backroute fixes. Not just the Bonus rank, either. United still needed so many updates long after its release

In hindsight, I probably could had posted my replays a few days earlier than I did even if it meant leaving one or two levels unsolved, but as I was so close to getting everything solved, I decided to wait until I did. I'm not completely opposed to posting an incomplete set of replays, though! If it really came down to it, I can always post much earlier before the deadline and post the remaining replays for the unsolved ones later. Let's say sometimes things don't always work out the way you want them to I really needed all that time away from Lemmings this time, as I didn't get much of the break I wanted during the previous LDC, particularly since I was very late with one entry of mine that time. So, even if it meant getting back late to those who posted replays to my levels, I mostly wanted to avoid the disappointment and stress from seeing them still being backrouted that usually results after I've released a few updates. I think that really helped this time around, as I was able to fix them with a clear conscience and therefore avoid the many updates my levels usually need because of backroutes

Anyway, glad I could help catch the last few backroutes to your R2!  

[NieSch]

Here are my updated replays.

Intended!

Sorry Niesch, another backroute I'm afraid, as it's once again just tweaking a previous solution of mine.

No problem at all! I made your solution into a gold talisman for V9: don't use shimmiers. Thanks!

[kaywhyn]

No problem at all! I made your solution into a gold talisman for V9: don't use shimmiers. Thanks!

Ah, excellent!