Speaking of playing, perhaps experimental validation is in order: [...]
I could use sed to replace all L1 bombers with fling bombers, though I'm not happy to manually adapt all of the levels to work just for an experiment...
Instead, I've had a look at all the Hopeless levels in the community pack to see how they'd be affect if we replaced L1 bombers with fling bombers:
These are the levels providing L1 bombers without requiring 100% to save:
The hotel in Hell: Would allow for a cheap backroute. I have two different solutions, one would break.
Close to the Edge: Allows for trival backroute. Player might have to restart level if placing blockers too close (and lix spill).
Empty Space: Becomes impossible, could maybe be salvaged with a miner.
Hellfire: unaffected
Yuki Muon: unaffected
Bipolar Maniac: Makes level easier to execute while leaving solution similar.
Feel the Pressure: Makes level impossible or at least extremely fiddly.
From the other Side: unaffected
Trading and Cooperating: Breaks level but it could be salvaged with minor modifications
We're in this one together: unaffected (barely, there's a bomber going off close to another worker)
Behind Bars: unaffected
Devil's right hand: I believe most solutions are unaffected
Rhapsody in Blue: Might require restart due to lix spill unless blocker carefully placed
The Continuum Hypothesis: Proxima's solution breaks or at least becomes extremely fiddly. My solution is unaffected.
Won't get fooled again: I think my solution would be affected but might be salvageable, don't know about ccx'
Absolute Zero: becomes impossible
Labyrinth of Despair: unaffected
Brickout: My solution is unaffected, don't know about ccx'
Striking News: Makes level extremely fiddly or maybe even impossible.
Levels with fling bombers:
Panic Attack currently provides both types of bombers, one of each; the L1 one is used to avoid knockback (which would kick one lix into the abyss), and the L2 one is used due to the bigger radius. Level could probably be adapted to use just one type of bombers of either kind.
Merde provides fling bombers, but they are not used in the solution, could easily be interchanged for L1 bombers or removed.
No More Heroes has a fling bomber, replacing it with a normal bomber would ease timing I think.
Hellfire, Behind Bars and one solution to Labyrinth of Despair require the player to be aware not to send the second climber too close to the climber bomb if we gave L2 bombers.