New updated levels (see attached)I didn't realize that in
Path to Mahiman you could just follow the trail; I thought it involved finding a good spot to clip through the ceiling. Now with that idea in mind, but considering that clipping through ceilings is ugly, I made a new version that instead gives you a basher. I think this version is much more interesting, while rather short once you know the solution.
I update
The Pit to eliminate Nepster's simple solution, in addition to Simon's already existing changes.
I changed
It Takes Time to Build to address Nepster's and my issues with it. In the new version, there is a lot of leeway, it's back to platformers to bridge the gap while at the same time you still have to release the top lixes facing left otherwise they drown. Unless the leeway allows for some strange backroutes, I think this version should work very nicely.
Issues with proposed levels.Duality: that pointed area left of the upper hatch must be this way; it forces you to use at least two skills there (digger and miner) to hold back the crowd.
I don't get this. If it were simply flat (and maybe a bit widened to ease execution), it'd still force you to use at least two skills.
Btw I just realized that the level can be solved with a builder to spare. If you look at my solution, it'll be obvious how considering your comment.
Ascension has a few different solutions; all acceptable. @ geoo's comment in IRC: is it really that precise? I specifically modified the edge of the pillars to avoid precision. Actually the level doesn't seem to work without this modification. I told Simon this; digging next to a straight wall makes odd behavior (easily makes notches in the wall). The walls could be modified even further I guess.
You don't need to be able to dig there at all, watch e.g. mine and Proxima's solutions. But it should either be easily possible, or impossible altogether. Right now, it's four pixel-precise diggers, two of which are also frame-precise, and as the terrain is misaligned (odd coordinate) on the left, it even looks like there's a tiny overhang after you dig, but the climbers can still scale it.
If you want to make it impossible, just make parts of the top platforms steel. If you want to make it easy, put some steel halfway down the pillar so you can just dig down in one go without much precision, until you hit steel.
Similarly, there's this horizontal overlap between the climbers' platform and the top platform (allowing the climbers to walk from the climbers' platform to the top platform). I think this overlap should either be much wider, or the platforms should align exactly so that even if you place a blocker at the very edge of the top platform, the climbers will turn around and not go to the exit. As it is right now, there are some solutions that require more precision than really necessary, e.g. one that saves two extra lix (see attached), but also variations thereof.
My previous solution to
Five Easy Pieces still works in Nepster's fix, see attached.
Cold Iron's Bound has another solution different from the ones we had so far, see attached.
Exit Stage Right looks backroute free as far as I can tell now. Only minor complaint is that the one-way gadget above the platformer gap doesn't allow for jumping over the gap now which always used to be possible (thus reducing options to think about), but I think in the current version that actually prevents a backroute exploiting this.
ReorderingsI think Icho's suggestions should be taken with a grain of salt if they actually pertain to NeoLemmix versions of levels. As far as I know, some levels have changed quite notably.
I remember when I proposed Recycling Plant, Steve (and Proxima too if I remember?) though the level might be too
hard for the opener of Hopeless. I can't really tell how hard it is, but I like it as an opener to Hopeless.
Bashing and Building I remember having trouble with, but based on someone's feedback (I don't remember) I put it in Vicious in the end. The solution is quite simple, but I don't object to moving it to Hopeless if we have another level to move down. I think it's a similar story to Oh No Not Again, once you know the solution it's quite simple, but it's hard to come up with it. I think the only level where there's some consensus that it could be moved down from Hopeless is
Broadway Tinker Tailor.
I'd be ok with moving Parking Garage past One Step Off as Nepster brought up. I was musing about that back in the day actually.
Regarding the other ranks, I think Conundrum and Death or Glory are fine where they are. I don't have strong opinions on any of the other ones.
CullingsI think the levels with consensus are Digging the air, Babylon Fading, When the Levee Breaks (and maybe Path to Mahiman if you think my remake sucks).
But that might already be enough if we don't want to swap in too many new levels.
There is still One-Lix Showdown that was proposed to go in? To replace one of these levels, or to replace Make You Mine?
Simple (Lovely) levelsSome thought I had, which isn't urgent and could be discussed and implemented later:
With the new tile sets, I think it'd be great to have a few prettier levels early in the game. For instance, Building Block Maze is rather plain and could be replaced by a level that maintains the spirit and looks pretty.
I was also a bit afraid players might be bored by the slog of lots-of-everything levels, and maybe things could be mixed up a little early on with some simple 2 or 3 skill puzzles, where there's not much to try (and you only need to understand 2 or 3 skills which doesn't take much time experimenting). In particular, I think some of the repeats (i.e. levels reused from harder ranks with a more generous skill set slapped onto them) could be replaced by something more interesting. One proposition I have, see attached is
Beneath the Lab. It could go instead of a level like Four Corners, Let's All Go Down the Strand, The Road Not Taken or Alternative Route Recommended (possibly with some minor re-orderings to ensure variety), or possibly even Four Color Circus or Blocked by a Snowball (which is very close to Hrududu, two levels which are "place a blocker, build a path, release the crowd").