some new levels (and some old ones)
I miss the days when people made small 10 level packs and shared them quickly back and forth. So I decided to start doing something similar again.
"leftovers" are some levels that I made for the community pack which didn't make it in or may not make it in for various reasons.
"non-tutorials" are 7 brand new levels loosely based off of the L1 tutorial levels.
They probably need a lot of work. The new ones are easy to moderate difficulty.
Solved all of your new "non-tutorials" and attached replays.
They were quite interesting and I generally liked them but they felt sometimes quite finicky. (Maybe I was backrouting I don't know). Thanks for making these.
It's only a personal thing but for me it's helpful if it's stated that all levels are solvable or similiar. It's generally clear that the levels are tested before published but having the definite information helps me in solving levels.
Some remarks
You surely showed your like for runners. They were often in the levels.
"Builder's won't help you here" hit my weakness to imagine a level in advance.
"Now Use Builders and Blockers" was interesting but seemed very precise concerning builder placement.
"A Task for Batters" was rather rough and special if what I did was intended.
I looked in the first level ("Take a giant nose dive") of the "leftovers" but this seems basically like your Cunning level: 37 - "As Good as Dead". The only difference I could see: The exploder is an imploder there. So it actually made it in.
thank you!
yes the leftovers; some are present in my version of the community pack but I don't know if I have the current one or if they will remain there. Some are not present. These are all old ideas anyway.
Non-Tutorials:
I forgot to mention these levels are intended to have multiple solutions. Your solution to Task for Batters was very close to mine. Some interesting solutions there!
Spoiler
the bomber/imploder should not effect the intended solution to Take A Giant Nose Dive at all.
Solved your "leftovers" as well. These seemed rather hard levels to the most part but were interesting as well.
Some remarks
Quote from: mobius on November 24, 2017, 12:45:56 AM
the bomber/imploder should not effect the intended solution to Take A Giant Nose Dive at all.
Yeah, I solved it basically the same way as I did when I played the Cunning levels. It was one of the rougher ones for me in the Cunning rank.
I think I backrouted "Get Behind Me, Satan" but I'm mad at me that I haven't tried what I did earlier. It seems to work in the Vicious variant: 2 - "Conundrum" as well.
"Ascension" reminded me of one of Clam's levels although it's quite different as well.
"Oblique Strategy" had clever puzzles; it really fits its name.
In the "The Whispering Wind" the builder placement was a bit mean.
My solution to "Five Easy Steps" shouldn't work anymore in the Vicious variant: 33 - "Theresa Falls Up the Stairs" since the stairs aren't there steel anymore.
thanks again! most of them were intended :thumbsup:
Spoiler
interesting way to beat eye of the needle to save a climber. IT's basically intended but it doesn't need to be that precise; hence the extra climber and lower save requirement.
get behind me Satan; that is intended; the extra skills are a red herring. I'm not sure why I included this one as I forgot this was staying in the big pack, I think.
ascension has several different ways to solve; they are all similar.
short hand; same thing.
Pinnacle was a major backroute. Without one way walls it's hard to fix.
Interesting alternate solution to whispering wind! I'll let this one as-is; I'm not sure how to fix it. Maybe I'll try.
ON the last one; but I'm pretty certain that terrain platforms have backroutes too. I wish I could just let this level go; it's a mess.
I solved the non-toturials (quite hard and sometimes rather finicky), and the two leftover levels that I haven't seen variations of before.
Spoiler
Oblique: Amazing level, love the tricks the solution employs.
Pinnacle: Saved an extra lix with a couple skills to spare.
Just dig: I didn't really get this level, but solved it somehow in the end.
Builders won't help: Probably even 100%-able, but lose-1 is a lot less precision. Nice rather easy one.
Cubers: Bashing mid-cube to get this efficient solution.
Builders and Blockers: This is actually very interesting, but also annoying in a way. First, you need to figure out that it takes 8 builders to the top. You could indicate that with some zig-zag staircase decoration. Then you need to place a brick by the first lix from the left, and hope they are clustered nicely, and the bridge from the right pit needs to be placed very precisely. Could avoid all this precision with an extra runner (or jumper).
Task for Batters: This one was tough, but somehow fun at the same time. I ended up saving some skills, though the timing for the clustering takes some trial and error.
thanks for playing!
Spoiler
builders and blockers was a slight backroute; you don't need to hope they cluster nicley
;)
Pinnacle was another backroute; not sure how to fix atm.
Other than that the solutions were acceptable and interesting.
Solved all the "leftovers" levels.
Comments
Take A Giant Nose Dive - Most likely got the intended solution... very nice level but I solved it quickly because I used the same trick in one of my levels :lix-wink:
Eye Of The Needle - Intended. Good level! It took me a long while to figure out what to do and it was a creative use of skills to turn that lix around.
Get Behind Me, Satan - Intended? (I have a lot of skills left over). Excellent level! I figured out what you had to quickly but it isn't obvious at all and a pretty cool strategy.
Ascension - This one was my favorite :lix-grin: and one of the toughest in my opinion.
Oblique Strategy - Excellent puzzle! This was the second toughest, as even when I figured out the trick with the builders on the left what you had to do on the right side took me even longer to figure out despite being so simple.
Short Hand Operation - Maybe intended. Regardless it was another excellent and tough level!
Pinnacle Of Defeat - Another good one but not sure if I did it intentional.
The Whispering Wind - I may have backrouted this one because I went back and found what I think is the intended solution (that one is the one dated 2017-12-05), but a good level.
Five Easy Steps - Another tough one and took me a long while to figure out how to release the blocker at the end and save both lix. Excellent level!
mobius, did you ever publish "Oblique Strategy" elsewhere?
Quote from: Forestidia86 on January 20, 2018, 11:56:32 PM
mobius, did you ever publish "Oblique Strategy" elsewhere?
It was in Mobilems II, titled Obstacle One. I also have a chips challenge 1 & 2 levels titled Oblique Strategy.
I'd like to include these levels in the Lix main download. mobius:
Okay? Are you okay to have these levels in the Lix main download?
Duplicates: Some of these levels are in
lemforum/, the flagship pack. I'd keep those in
lemforum/ and exclude the duplicates from your small pack here, then. If you'd like, we can go over the list and decide for each level.
Folder: Three possibilities come to mind:
- levels/single/mobius/{leftovers, nontutorials}
But then your 16 levels would sit alongside other large packs with over 100 levels. I'd prefer something else instead:
- levels/single/misc/mobius/{leftovers, nontutorials}
That seems more fitting for a small pack. xmas2018 is also a small pack, it has 24 levels, and it sits in misc/. You'll have two subfolders in your pack then. Or:
- levels/single/misc/mobius/
No subfolders. Your 16 levels would sit in mobius/ directly. This feels best to me, especially if we already exclude some levels from leftovers. But it's your call.
No matter how we decide, we can move the levels again if you make more levels.
Replays: I'll need a solution replay for every level. Forestidia and geoo have posted solutions that you commented. I can take all their solutions that you judged close enough to the intended solution. I'll let you know if I need more replays.
CC0: All levels in Lix have been released as CC0 so far. CC0 gives up copyright, it's essentially public domain, with a very permissible fallback license for jurisdictions lacking public domain. This means that random people from the internet could sell Lix without giving us credit. Are you okay with releasing these levels under CC0? I'll be happy to discuss here or in IRC.
-- Simon
Sure! Whatever seems best to you is fine. Remove the duplicates.
Replays: Sorry but I'm on an older computer right now that doesn't have any of these files. I really don't have the time to look into it.
CC0: Yes I don't need or want any credit for my work. I'm new wave and I don't believe in ownership or possession :P
Thanks for the reply! :lix-grin:
I'm busy for the next days with other things, too. But once I get around to your levels, if I need help, I'll let you know.
-- Simon
mobius: Please send me the intended solution to Pinnacle of Defeat. (I could cover Pinnacle of Defeat with any of the backroutes that were posted here, but it's better style to cover with the intended solution.)
That's it, everything else is covered. :lix-grin:
I've removed the following 3 levels because they're already in lemforum:
Take a Giant Nose Dive (= As Good as Dead)
Get Behind Me, Satan (= Conundrum)
Five Easy Steps (= Theresa Falls up the Stairs)
The Whispering Wind, apparently, is not Five for Fighting, but it looks like it. I feel that different levels should look different. Would you be up for redecoration of The Whispering Wind?
Your Eye of the Needle looks different than lemforum's Eye of the Needle. The main trick is identical (?), the supplement ideas are different. If the supplement is interesting by itself, let's definitely keep your version, but let's rename the level then. What would you suggest? Eye of the Short Needle? :lix-blush:
That leaves 11-13 levels and I'll put them all in a single directory levels/single/misc/mobius/. No subfolders. The leftovers will be sorted first, ordered like you had ordered them, followed by the nontutorials, ordered like you had ordered them. I've renamed the files according to the level titles without spaces.
I've covered all levels with Forestidia's replays. You judged those good except for the backroute of Pinnacle of Defeat, but Pinnacle of Defeat had only backroutes posted.
-- Simon
I'm sorry but I cannot work on this at all right now--way too much going on.
On Pinnacle of Defeat;
Spoiler
the intended solution is to have a digger from the top merge with a basher (so they both continue).
Then trap the crowd in the digger pit but the basher becomes the worker.
edit:
Quote
I've removed the following 3 levels because they're already in lemforum:
Take a Giant Nose Dive (= As Good as Dead)
Get Behind Me, Satan (= Conundrum)
Five Easy Steps (= Theresa Falls up the Stairs)
The Whispering Wind, apparently, is not Five for Fighting, but it looks like it. I feel that different levels should look different. Would you be up for redecoration of The Whispering Wind?
Your Eye of the Needle looks different than lemforum's Eye of the Needle. The main trick is identical (?), the supplement ideas are different. If the supplement is interesting by itself, let's definitely keep your version, but let's rename the level then. What would you suggest? Eye of the Short Needle? :lix-blush:
That leaves 11-13 levels and I'll put them all in a single directory levels/single/misc/mobius/. No subfolders. The leftovers will be sorted first, ordered like you had ordered them, followed by the nontutorials, ordered like you had ordered them. I've renamed the files according to the level titles without spaces.
I've covered all levels with Forestidia's replays. You judged those good except for the backroute of Pinnacle of Defeat, but Pinnacle of Defeat had only backroutes posted.
The Whispering Wind; I feel differently; :P It's designed to be a repeat level, why must repeats be *exactly* the same?
To this and the rest of these levels: The reason I made these levels/this pack is because when working on the forum pack way back; I disagreed with the others on some matters of my own levels then decided to let everyone else do whatever they wanted to them and I stopped working on them. Later I remade many of these levels my way in Lemmini (and subsequently in NeoLemmix) and copied some of these to this small pack. So this was basically a feeble attempt to do them the quote unquote 'right way'.
Since I really don't feel like working with Lix much anymore (apart from multiplayer) it's up to you. Just don't ask me for help because my 'vision' (to sound grandiose) is quite different in some respect and I'm stubborn and don't like to compromise :P I force myself to let others decide and make decisions but I'll always have that voice in my head saying "grrrrrrrr... this is not how it's supposed to be! this is wrong!"
It's a gift/curse :-\
I have a rough adaptation to Pinnacle of Defeat. It should cull some backroutes but still can have some.
The "intended" solution in this version is in the spirit of mobius' idea but very finnicky to perform.
Pinnacle of Defeat: Sadly no fix yet. I've tried with Forestidia several iterations of reply #15, and all have backroutes. I conjecture that Pinnacle of Defeat relies heavily on NL/Lemmini physics details.
Quote from: mobiusSince I really don't feel like working with Lix much anymore (apart from multiplayer) it's up to you. Just don't ask me for help because my 'vision' (to sound grandiose) is quite different in some respect and I'm stubborn and don't like to compromise :P
Sorry, I didn't read this edit sooner.
Has the level designer culture put you off? Was I too ignorant myself? Or is Lix too different from the other Lemmings-likes and it's too hard to realize your level ideas in Lix?
It's all fine, and you've done much good already for the culture. The levels wouldn't have been the same without you.
Quote from: mobiusThe Whispering Wind; I feel differently; :P It's designed to be a repeat level, why must repeats be *exactly* the same?
I feel that repeats are a problem, they lead to confusion,
especially if they look exactly the same.
When I looked through your leftovers, I thought that Whispering Wind is merely an old version of Five for Fighting, and discarded Whispering Wind immediately. Only when I found your explanation from 2017-12 that WW and FfF are different levels (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=3474.msg68198#msg68198), I reconsidered WW for keeping.
To clarify that both levels (WW and FfF) are keepers, different looks would have helped. For now, I'll keep WW as it is, and it's all good.
Happy that you've allowed to include all these levels in Lix!
-- Simon
Yes; Pinnacle of Defeats solution is finicky and as such; sub-par on the enjoyment scale. It's up to you(s) what to do with it; whether to change solution or include/not include at all.
Don't worry; nothing put me off.
Culture in general puts me off. I've always been a contrarian and I have a short attention span. I've just realized better of late that I'm not particularly good at working with others. And I've just lost interest in Lix for now. Maybe I will gain it back one day; but I may never.
But I'm saying 100%: you may do what you feel best with these levels; since I'm not active in it anymore; I shouldn't have much of a say into the matter; those who play/are active should decide.
Quote from: Simon on January 31, 2019, 07:24:35 PM
Quote from: mobiusThe Whispering Wind; I feel differently; :P It's designed to be a repeat level, why must repeats be *exactly* the same?
I feel that repeats are a problem, they lead to confusion, especially if they look exactly the same.
When I looked through your leftovers, I thought that Whispering Wind is merely an old version of Five for Fighting, and discarded Whispering Wind immediately. Only when I found your explanation from 2017-12 that WW and FfF are different levels (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=3474.msg68198#msg68198), I reconsidered WW for keeping.
To clarify that both levels (WW and FfF) are keepers, different looks would have helped. For now, I'll keep WW as it is, and it's all good.
Happy that you've allowed to include all these levels in Lix!
-- Simon
Here's where we disagree: I really like repeats. The repeats of the original game never gave me this problem. It's one of the (at least to my knowledge) unique things about L1 that I always liked and stood out to me. You revisit an old level except must do things differently now; so there's some nostalgia but also an added challenge.
Whispering Wind actually enforces my original solution to that level when made way back. Clam actually found the solution to (present day) five for fighting; which I liked so I kept that as it is/was. But still liked my solution (and at the very least RTW also liked it, evident in his video) so I made it into this 'repeat'.
I have weird ideas. The layout for five for fighting came to me in a dream and I feel like it (and maybe all levels) are real in some strange sense, tangible like a place or maybe living entities. I make best work I think when I just create these things as they were observed. Whenever I try to just force myself to 'make a level' out of nothing it always sucks. But I'm not really explaining this very well...
I digress; that is just in reference to the structural outline. If you want to change the decoration that's fine. Like I said; while I'm not active it isn't up to me. I don't believe I ever owned my levels even when they were just ideas before they were put down into the computer anyway.
All right, cool that there are no hard feelings. Yeah, I acknowledge the like for repeats, and especially in your folder, the levels should keep your style. They're good, and they're well-covered with replays.
Move on to other projects or life, and tackle exciting problems. If you'd ever like to come back, the door will always be open for you. :lix-smile:
-- Simon