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Messages - Swerdis

#61
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: Integral Lemmings
March 20, 2022, 08:13:39 AM
Quote8 Equivalent Exchange - Tricky level, the platformers really run out quickly on this one too. Working out how to get to the bottom left exit is a challenging part given the laserer skill is all you have. I wasn't able to find a solution that preserved enough platformers that had the two sides of the map cross over, but I did find one where each side solved on their own. I'm guessing this is probably not fully intended, given the title hints at at least some interaction between the two crowds.

That's really interesting. I tried, but couldn't find a way to treat the crowds independent from each other. But I found a cross-over-solution. There is more than one, for Kaywhyn found a completely different way. He used a bottom route while I went over the top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2HXekZehlo&t=2s
#63
Yeah, I will check these new versions out. Don't know if I'm gonna upload them, but I will send you my solutions.
#64
Hello WillLem,

I solved the last six levels of the final rank today which means I completed Lemminas II. It was a much quicker solve than your first Lemminas pack as far as I remember. So either this pack is easier or I am a better Lemmings player nowadays. Maybe it's because the difficulty comes from the talismans here - and I don't go for them intentionally. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this pack very much. As I already mentioned, I like the theming of the individual ranks and I like the tunes. I don't wanna hide the information that I got one copyright infringement complaint when I uploaded Level 3 of the final rank.

Teal: I'd say the first level here sets the standard of difficulty in this rank. It's a challenging one for a first level, but it doesn't get much harder later. The trickiest level for me here was probably Teal 5 because I ran out of builders/platformers several times. Teal 7 was also no cakewalk, but that's mainly since I miscalculated the distances due to the special circumstances in this level. Teal 10 was a bit annoying (lots of buttons to press), but not really difficult. Favourite one: Probably Teal 8.

Honey: This was my favourite rank. I like honey, I like yellow which is my favourite colour. But the levels have been pretty good, too though I think I backrouted some. My hardest one was Honey 6, but only because I wanted to solve it over the left side only. And it wasn't easy to climb up these honeycombs. The last one here is the one I like least since I think it plays a bit by itself, like if "on rails". It's always immediately clear what to do next.

Slush: That's probably the rank I had the most problems with. Slush 5 was a hard level and a real time-cruncher. The following one was difficult too, especially since there were no downward terrain-removing skills. This made it hard to reach some of the buttons. Slush 8 was another demanding one. 

Crystal: A surprisingly easy rank. There was no level here I really struggled with. If any, Crystal 8, is a candidate for it's not easy to trap the crowd here. And it introduced a new concept for me. I never played a level like this before. 

Classic: Though a familiar environment, this was my least favourite rank. There were hardly any puzzles here, the difficulty came from the execution in most cases. The hardest level was Classic 5, it was a real challenge to solve it within the time-limit. The by far easiest one was Classic 7. Maybe because I saw this concept elsewhere, but I think it's a bit like Honey 10. It plays almost automatically, there are no real decisions which must be made. My favourite level in the final rank and probably in the entire pack was Classic 4. A very good puzzle which uses up all the available skills (at least in my solution).

All in all, a very good and quite relaxing experience. Thank you for this pack and I am waiting for new material :-)
#65
Yeah, definitely. No problem with that at all.
#66
Thanks! Yeah, Level 1 in the first rank is not the typical cakewalk-start. But here's some good news: It won't get much harder in the first rank :-) Being in the third rank right now, I feel some real progress in terms of difficulty, even without talismans.
#67
I solved the first two ranks. The pack clearly lives from its visuals so far, I really like the differently-themed ranks. I also dig the music, even though there are only 5 tunes. My favourite is tune 4. I hope the difficulty-curve will gather a little pace soon :-) My solutions can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOahFY7zAWCoGpKOQdUf7mw
#68
Pioneer, usually. As a synonym, sometimes, Worker.
#69
Lemmings Main / Re: Secret exits (Amiga)
January 08, 2022, 11:06:57 AM
I never played the DOS-version, but if they don't exist there anymore, this would have been an understandable decision. From today's perspective, I consider them rather glitches than "secret exits". As a child/teenager, I solved the levels I mentioned exactly this way. Which means, I didn't recognize the beauty of these two levels at all - both of them belong to the best in the game in my opinion. "This Corrosion" even established an entire type of levels -  most people in the community know what a This-Corrosion-style-level looks like.
#70
Lemmings Main / Re: Secret exits (Amiga)
January 06, 2022, 08:36:37 PM
I remember two in ONML, both in "Wicked". In "This Corrosion" you could let the Lemmings just walk. And in "Chill out", the secret exit was in the gap between the pile of snow with the real exit above it and the snow-stalagmite left of it. (or left of this stalagmite, I'm not quite sure anymore)
#71
An IQ of 135 is not "above average". A score of 100 is considered an average IQ, so if yours is higher than that, you are already above average. 135 is classified as "Very Superior Intelligence", so you probably belong to the 1 percent of humanity who are blessed with this. And if you got 170 you would rank among the Top 30 of the most intelligent people worldwide - even Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking "only" had 160.
#72
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: Integral Lemmings
December 06, 2021, 08:21:54 AM
Hi tan x,

thank you so much for your feedback. One word about laserers. I wasn't so convinced about this skill at first - but that was because I thought the Laserer would shoot upwards, vertically, just as in Lemmings 2 The Tribes. I didn't follow the entire discussion, so I was very pleasantly surprised that this is obviously not the case. The angled laser opens many more possibilities and your two levels already prove that.
#73
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: Integral Lemmings
December 01, 2021, 01:43:45 PM
Hi tan x,

having finished "Integral Lemmings" today, I want to write down some notes. First thing I want to say is, it's a magnificent pack. Almost all of the levels are of a high standard and absolutely well-thought. I didn't see many differences in terms of difficulty throughout the ranks, though. I like "Delta" and "Epsilon" a bit better than "Alpha", but that's mainly because I prefer the original eight skills over the new ones.

Some thoughts about the individual levels:

Epsilon:

Unconventional Techniques: It's always a good thing when a level pack starts with an outstanding level and this here surely is one. Maybe it's even the best level of the rank. The key trick is well-hidden and, at least in my opinion, can not be bypassed - which makes the level even better. To be honest, while doing this level, I didnt think that I could ever solve the pack.
What Lems beneath: Also a hard one. I tried to build from the bottom but it didn't come to a good end. Not sure if the bomber in the middle is needed there, but if so, it's an amazing little trick.
A different kind of problem: I agree with Icho here - this exits here are obstacles and goals in one which is a great idea. For me, this was the hardest level in the epsilon rank. For a long time, I was always one builder short.
Send only the finest Lemmings: This level reminded me a little  of "Circular Wavelength" from Lemmings Plus I. It's fun to play though not on the very hard side. Most difficult part is the beginning. Overall, one of my favourites.
Precission engineered Lemming: I knew immediately what do here, so that only the execution was the problem, especially with the hatch at the right side. Having solved the level, I looked what Icho and Kaywhyn had done here, and that's when I realised that my solution is probably a backroute.
Round the bend: A breather for many, that's why you moved it back to position 3. For me, this level was not THAT easy.
Don't forget the builders... Probably my least favourite level of the rank. Having played so many levels pack, I've seen everything here too often. Which does not mean it's a bad level. I see big problems here for novice players (but they wouldn't even reach this level)
Tarry not!: Another favourite of mine and a real time-cruncher. Took me a while to bring things in the right order here.
What have we learned so far: A fantastic closer of the first rank. Surprisingly it was a quick solve for me. Figuring out the left side was hardest for me. A very good level title, too!

Delta:

Entrapment: Entirely trick based. Stunned me at first, but when I found out what to do with the stoner, the rest was a  walk in the park.
Panic room: One of the best. Many different solution, but none of these is trivial to figure out  - although this level looks so simple. This is really great art.
Any suggestions: Icho considered this one the weakest in the pack, but I like it. I had no idea how to stop the platformer at the top, so I used a builders there and had to spare one later. So I backrouted this level.
A Humdrum Conundrum: This was a quick solve, but only since I knew this trick from a level in "Art Lems". (which wasn't required there, but I found it out by myself)
Oh, those talented Lemmings: Along with Panic room the best level in "Delta" for me. I love how everything falls into line here. and there is still variety. For example, Icho, Kaywhyn and I used the blocker at three different spots. 
12 Steps to Success: Solving this was hard work! I'm not good with stackers, so maybe that's why its not among my favourites levels here, but I can definitely see why it is for others.
The Incredible Squashing Machine: Easy one which is nice from time to time. It's also a good one and I thin I found the intended solution here.
Make the most of your Lemmings: This was the easiest levels of the entire pack for me (including Alpha). Like others, I love 1-of-everything-levels and this one is no exception.
DEAR LITTLE BEASTIES: A lot of precision is required here. I exhausted everything to the max to save this dearly needed Extra-Lemming and it finally worked.
Curse of the Lemmings: This one was easier than I thought. I found a relatively clean solution, so I could spare some skills in the end.

Alpha:

The Locked Room Mysteries: It was pretty clear what to do here. I must say I don't like this digger-trick that much, I think it's pretty repetitive. Easy level, though.
Unfriendly Neighbours: This really caused me some trouble. In lots of Zombie-based levels it's easy to find way to get rid of these beasties, but this was not the case here. So my solution is completely timing-based which makes this level - if it's intended - absolutely great!
These Lemmings and those Lemmings: I bombed through the block and used the lower part of the level in the end only. So I probably missed something - it felt like a backroute.
Crowd Control: I didnt' find this level easy at all and had a hard time to squeeze the Lemmings. Since it turned out to be impossible with the skills available, I played with the Release-rate a lot. But this was not necessary as I found out eventually.
Thick and thin: Phew, this was a mess. To be honest, I still don't know how to get all these Lemmings up to the exit. What saved me was the fact that I could lose some. The hardest level in the Alpha rank, at least for me.
A Sorting problem: My favourite level from the Alpha rank. I was clear from the beginning which exit the swimmers had to use, but I could isolate them in the beginning - everyhting else fell in line then.
The Big Dig: I feel that I backrouted this one since I just made it right on time and with a totally direct approach.
Equivalent Exchange: They first level I EVER played with laserers. I really wonder how Armani solved this with both sides not interacting with each other. It was a difficult one, especially with the "new" skill for me, but I found a quite elegant solution. I like this one!
Fun with Lasers: Compared with the level beforce, I made a big mess out of this. I don't know if my solution has something to do with what you had in your mind, but at least, it worked.
Escape from Zombie Island: A worthy conclusion of great pack. I was familiar with this basher-trick and used the digger-trick form Alpha 1 again, but at the wrong side of the level, at first.

All my solutions can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Vidusaka/playlists
#74
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: Lemmings All The Styles
November 10, 2021, 08:21:04 PM
Hi Mantha,

Yeah, I've done it today and completed Lemmings All The Styles, the second-largest pack I ever played. Much shorter than Lemmings World Tour, slightly longer than SEB Lems when I didn't miscalculate. Your pack was a much quicker solve though, since it's far easier, which is not automatically a bad thing. Moderate packs are needed, this seems to be common sense here and I agree with it.

So, how would I rate your pack? It's not among my favourites, that's for sure, but it's a decent one. At the beginning I had my problems with the missing level names, but in retrospect I think this was the right decision - because this way, the focus is more on the style itself. The constant difficulty curve was another thing. I found the first levels to be pretty hard and I think I could never make it to the end, but then things went easier and easier. I would go as far to say that the final rank is the easiest. But maybe that's because I realized that you got some  trademark-tricks that you use over and over again - which makes things a bit repetitive from time to time. These are almost always connected with the new skills, such as filling small gaps with stoners or reducing splat height with stoners as well. As you've already seen (and commented) I found tons of backroutes which made some levels ridiculously easy. A good example for this is End 46 (Dr Who). I also don't understand the purpose of cloners in your pack. I almost always used them in the end to maximize the number of saved Lemmings or to fill up the losses.  But there was never a necessity to duplicate a basher, miner or builder.

I also found some mistakes:

- at least one style is missing. There was no Lemmings 2 Medieval level

-I couldn't find a difference between Middle 12 (Death Egg) and Middle 18 and between Middle 17 (Lego) and Middle 19. These seem to be duplicates, so I omitted the latter two.

-Some later levels have no author names, but I don't know if that's intended. The first one is End 24 (Bassett Temple). Others are End 45 (Electric) and End 53 (Official Special).

-Strato Incentus is spelled wrong, as well as "Lemminas"

Despite my critical notes that are many good and some really great levels in this pack.

Here are my comments for the three ranks:

Start:

Start 3 (Marble): This deserves mention because it is, in my opinion, the first good level of the pack. I normally don't like floating exits, but here it's part of a really decent puzzle.

Start 25 (Shadow): A tricky one and one of the best levels in the rank, too. Took me while to bring things into the right order.

Start 32 (Purple): For me, the hardest level in the first rank. Took me almost forever because nothing worked.

Start 34 (Clockwork): Not that difficult, but I like how the Lemmings almost automatically distribute into the three exist. Good level design here.

Start 51 (Garden): A typical example of a level that looks easy, but was the opposite. A roadblock, for me.

Middle:

Middle 6 (Agony): Nice symmetrical level design. Also on the harder side of the rank, it provided me some headache.

Middle 8 (Starlight): If my solution is the intended one, this would probably be my favourite level of the entire  pack.

Middle 16 (Honeycomb Addon): Sparse design, still surprisingly difficult.

Middle 24 (Cyberspace): This is a tough one! For novice players things could well be over here.

Middle 26 (Gore): Was a roadblock for me too, but mainly because I followed the wrong idea for a much too long time. Still not sure if I found a backroute.

Middle 29 (Toys): Hard and annoying. Doesn't give much leeway, too.

Middle 38 (Dread): Nice visuals here. Finding the right spots to bomb can be hard, too.

Middle 41 (Hideout): One of the most annoying levels of the pack. The solution is quite obvious, but the execution leaves almost no room for mistakes.

Middle 45 (Starport): A massive level which looks intimidating - but wasn't THAT bad in the end

Middle 53 (Tundra): Easy, but very nice concept. I dig this one.

End:

End 1 (Xmas Bubble): Good one, though I think the skillset could really be limited here to make the puzzle even better.

End 9: (Factory): By far the hardest level of the final rank. To get the distance between the Lemmings right took me ages. Maybe I missed something important here to make things easier.

End 14: (House): Looks peaceful, is a nice puzzle. I got nothing to criticize here.

End 15 (Fantasy): Using stackers to reach a higher plattform seems to be another key trick of you :-) This level makes excessive use of this. I like how the snail and the car are embedded between the bars and help the Lemmings to spare stackers. Apart from that, this tileset was unknown for me and is now among my favourites. I love the theme and the colours.

End 18: (Brick Droidlings): Is easy only if one has played other packs that make use of this trick. The floaters could well be omitted to make the puzzle better.

End 19 (Circuit Droidlings): The four Droidling levels are all good, but this is the best one. Especially because the solution is well-hidden and other ways (which are not possible) seem to be more promising at first.

End 21 (ISWorld): A mediocre level, but: My favourite tileset from my favourite level pack. End of the story.

End 32 (Angel Island): I love Two-Lemmings-Levels and this one is a fantastic example. Beautiful!

End 33: (Chaos Island): The name is program here. Horrible.

End 45 (Electric): Very nice concept here. Took me a while to figure out.

End 47 (Tech): Micro management at it's best. But in contrast to End 33, this is a GOOD level because it's not just pure randomness, but designed with some thought behind it.

End 49 (Instruments): Took me longer than I thought, mainly because I didn't take the long way around for serious for a very long time.

Thanks for reading this and I think I will play Samming on day, too. Normally I play the older packs of a specific designer first, but in your case, it's the other way round.

Have a nice evening, Swerdis.
#75
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: Lemmings All The Styles
September 29, 2021, 04:08:08 PM
And that's just the beginning :-) Most of them are pretty difficult considering that it's just the first rank. But I will bite my way through.