yay I'm not the only one who likes this idea.
While I haven't toyed with L3 very much yet (or Lemmings 3D at all) I'm sure they're not excellent examples of this, but have some interesting insight on the topic and the idea seems really good to me on paper.
mobius likes L3's block-based physics. Lemmings can only do things at multiples of 8 pixels, far coarser than the single-pixel granularity of L1 and L2. When you play L3, you must assign at seemingly unnatural times and often fail good-looking assignments, but I'm not sure if this is typical for block-based Lemmings or a failure of L3's user interface.
I say failure of L3's user interface. An option to solve this is a question of how much or little you want to allow the game to help you. Many games (Lemmings is not one of them to my knowledge) have a system where if you're close to something that is going to be activated or acted upon the player character or cursor or whatever is moved to that place.
Not sure this is the best solution but having an assignment simply fail due to the Lemmings being in between blocks I would not be a fan of in the slightest.
Another example is Lemmings Revolution. I'm not certain if it qualifies as an actual 'block based' gameplay (the blocks which are digged and built were not the size of actual gameplay blocks, those were smaller) yet still blocks as they're quite larger than pixels.
But what I found more useful about Revolution was how the skills functioned in terms of blocks. For example;
The basher removes a two-high block wall as it bashes (one at a time).
Digger removes one wide but short block at a time.
Miner removes an L shaped block
The quick karate nature makes it almost discrete and removes a lot of precision in that regard.
The builder adds large bricks which, by simply being larger makes it easier to tell where they're going to lead and where they need to be placed. The builder had other problems like hitting terrain and not being able to climb up it but this is another issue with Lemmings not being able to walk up heights they could in L1. As far as judging distances, I found it slightly easier than L1
Attached are some (
very impressive and detailed) pictures to demonstrates some things.
In figure 1.0 assume you simply want to dig downward through a narrow area like this. I feel like the lower example is what is more often desirable then the upper but I could be wrong. In either case achieving either scenario exactly on purpose is more difficult without frame stepping. With a theoretical system that makes this easier; frame stepping becomes less necessary. But it's not just about frame stepping being necessary or not. With a simpler system you have less precision=less opportunity. This might sound like a bad thing at first, maybe to some people it is; but as I've stated before I prefer puzzles based on larger concepts than rehashing same gameplay elements over again in new ways by enforcing more precision.
In figure 2.0 you can create very thin terrain (and by extension you can create unusually shaped terrain). Something which honestly has always annoyed me a little. Again, yes interesting things can be done with it but it also has lead so some many annoyances and debates. In Block mechanics you never have this.
How many times has the community debated on technical issues of how a X skill should behave when doing this or that because the pixels force you to do this or it looks like this should be possible when this means that etc... This could be way off, obviously needs to be tested in practice, but I just feel like this wouldn't be as big of an issue without direct or close pixel control.
Now there is a major downside to block style... At least in the way I'm thinking; you could no longer have graphics like the dirt style; with fancy roots and trees and little pieces like that. Which is a big letdown. Also you're always stuck with rigidity to some degree; slopes are always appearing like steps rather than smooth slopes. But I honestly think I could live with that if it meant getting completely rid of all the annoying things I dislike about L1: checkerboard mechanics, lemmings walking through terrain, intense precision demanding gameplay