Okay, solved 37/40 of them now, my solutions are attached. Mostly backroutes I guess but still pretty enjoyable pack so far!
Also Fun 4: Slow Motion - I apparently saved my ordinary route replay solution at first without realizing that I killed the climber. The second (climberless) solution fails barely because everyone can't fall to the left from the digger pit.
Hard But Still Fun 3: My First Crush - No good idea on this one yet, I can't merge the left group effectively enough, will lose 10 too many or so.
Not Fun 9: Rock Climbers - I don't know how to save the climber miner guy, since both bashers go to releazing the blockers, otherwise the basher could save the climber guy in the green wall at the bottom.
Attached to the opening post you will find v2 of this pack.
For various reasons that I won't detail here, I had decided I wasn't going to finish this pack and fix all of the issues. However abandoning a pack after all of the levels have already been built and leaving the pack completely busted was lame, so instead I have decided to do all of the quick backroute fixes I had on my ToDo list and release a version 2.
There are still many levels that are extremely broken. I'm not sure what to do, I'm not willing to spend too much time on this pack any more. Perhaps for those levels I could release the official solutions and if anybody has any good ideas on how to fix those levels I will make those changes? Or just release as-is.
In the meantime, have these small changes:
v02 changelog:
Fun 4 Humiliated By Burgundy - Steel at top of drop.
Fun 7 Grasping at Straws - More traps and less terrain.
Fun 9 Just Dropping In - Lowered sand block in middle of level, and lowered wooden plank above exit.
Also Fun 4 Slow Motion - Fixed flipped hatch
Also Fun 6 The Burrowers - Added steel
Also Fun 7 Health and Safety Gone Mad - Removed terrain in top corner that was supposed to be purely decorative.
Also Fun 8 Humble Bundle - Extended wall spike trap downwards.
Also Fun 9 The Firing Squad - Flattened final pillar and slightly repositioned some others
Hard But Still Fun 1 Uphill Struggle - A bit of steel in the centre of the level.
Hard But Still Fun 2 Lemming BBQ - Steel under the fire pit.
Hard But Still Fun 4 Pillars of the Community - Cut out brick on eastern wall + added steel.
Hard But Still Fun 5 Master Exploder - Raised height of pillars.
Hard But Still Fun 7 How's It Hanging? - Steel just behind bottom trap.
Hard But Still Fun 9 Increasing Productivity - Changed floor under trap, added steel before exit.
Not Fun 3 Brickin' 'eck - Steeled up the entire top of the entrance platform.
Not Fun 5 Joint Construction - Lowered ceiling above in highest area above small water pit.
Not Fun 7 Offshore Rig - The lower of the two planks directly above exit split into two.
Not Fun 9 Rock Climbers - Steel below top hatch
List of still broken levels:
Fun 6 A Bridge To Far?
Fun 10 The Ultimate Quest
Also Fun 10 The Ultimate Quest, Take 2
Hard But Still Fun 10 The Ultimate Quest, Take 3
Not Fun 1 Mined Your Head
Not Fun 2 Organic Lemming
Not Fun 4 Down The Tubes
Not Fun 6 Toil
Not Fun 8 The High Ground
Not Fun 10 The Ultimate Quest, Take 4
Finally revisited this level pack, attached working replays for all the levels in the second version of the pack, QFK_v02. So most of the replays are same that I posted last time, but I also solved now the updated levels as well and three levels that I didn't solve the first time.
Comments on the levels that aren't in the "broken level list" (contain spoilers):
Fun 4: Humiliated by Burgundy, 7: Grasping at Straws and 9: Just Dropping In - These were updated from the first rating, and they're really solid easy-ish difficulty levels now.
Also Fun 4: Slow Motion - I didn't solve this last time. A tremendously fantastic level, simple layout but there's somehow quite a lot happening there. In my opinion this should be at least in the next rating, this is way too challenging for this place.
Also Fun 6: The Burrowers - Now a bit more reasonable solution in the updated version, this solution came to my mind at first but I think that the intended solutions works in a way that you dig few times with the hero climber lemming going that cycle from down to up again, so a shaft is created for builders to zig zag up it.
Also Fun 7: Health And Safety Gone Mad - This is an excellent level now! :thumbsup:
Also Fun 8: Humble Bundle and 9: The Firing Squad - Really nice. The latter might be a backroute, though.
Hard But Still Fun 1: Uphill Struggle, 2: Lemming BBQ, 4: Pillars of the Community and 9: Increasing Productivity - Really enjoyable and superb levels now! :thumbsup:
Hard But Still Fun 3: My First Crush - I didn't solve this the first time, got this now. :)
Hard But Still Fun 5: Master Exploder - A good level, could be a backroute though?
Hard But Still Fun 7: How's It Hanging? - This one I suspect backrouting almost in the same way as last time.
Hard But Still Fun 8: Tough Mudder - This level wasn't updated, and my solution feels ok even though it saves a skill. But you told me earlier that the only level I solved intendedly in this ranking was Spiral Staircase, so how it is?
Not Fun 3: Brickin' 'eck - Super awesome level, I'm really hyped about this pack! :thumbsup:
Not Fun 5: Joint Construction - Few diggers saved, I'm suspecting a backroute here.
Not Fun 7: Offshore Rig - I used now my spare builder from my last solution to most probably backroute this again.
Not Fun 9: Rock Climbers - I didn't solve this last time, now I got it! Updating the top left area with a steel floor helped me to find this solution, and fortunately I saved my attempt replay earlier that helped me to set that difficult miner-builder thing up with that quick 55-75-55 RR adjustment. A hard and great level!
I'm really loving this pack, and it's a bit shame that you don't have motivation to work on it anymore, but even if at least some not-that-broken levels will still get possible easy fixes, I'd appreciate it a lot! And if we don't count the recurring The Ultimate Quest level and most of the last rating because of the backroutes, I'd highly recommend this pack for everyone to play. Really people, there's no excuse not to play this pack, have a go at this level pack gem! :thumbsup:
It's been almost 4 years!!! Finally time to finish this pack off. More levels! More fixes! More ... Neolemmix version numbers!
I've upgraded the pack to the latest version of Neolemmix, 12.12.5, which is now required to play this. Please not you will also need to redownload the music, the tracks were renamed and also made much smaller in file size. (Delete the old ones from your music folder, they all used to be prefixed with jsmw_ but now it's qfk_ ).
Thanks you to Armani for another batch of demos, very helpful, got a lot of changes made based off of those.
I'm expecting more backroutes in my new levels, so please upload demos if you can. Please also let me know about the difficulty curve, it is extremely hard for me to gauge the difficulty of my own levels, and I'm worried the difficulty is all over the place here.
Download the latest version, and the updated music pack, from the opening post.
v07 changelog:
Fun
5 - So Close ... And Yet - Added steel
9 - Have a Bash at This - Minor changes to remove Blocker
10 - Well That's One Group Solved... - New level
13 (was 12) - Two's Company, Thirty's A Crowd - Minor terrain tweak
14 (was 13) - Just Dropping In - Terrain tweak
Also Fun
4 - Most Valuable Lemming - Terrain tweak
8 - Tree Top Trouble - Replaced with Rescue Rodents from Not Fun rank (Rescue Rodents unchanged, Tree Top Trouble deleted)
9 - Impact Zone - Replaced with new level, Crystal Cavern
11 - Temperature Drops - New level
12 (was 11) - Iron Awe - Terrain tweaks + major skill changes + lower save requirement
13 (was 12) - The Dire Docks - Major terrain changes
Hard But Still Fun
2 - Once You Pop You Can't Stop - Terrain tweaks + many less bombers + higher save requirement
5 - Recession Proof - Filled in terrain holes just in case you get unlucky with basher, no change to solution
8 - Pillars of the Community - Added steel
9 - Slow Motion - Redone top trapdoor area entirely
10 - Master Exploder - Remove a Bomber
14 - The Bridge Is Out - New level
15 (was 14) - The Ultimate Quest, Take 3 - Terrain change. This shouldn't impact the solutions of the other Ultimate Quest levels, although the same change has been made to them too.
Not Fun
3 - Mined Your Head - Replaced with new level, The Great Firewall
4 - Rising Condensation - Terrain tweak
5 - Rescue Rodents - Moved to 8 Also Fun position and replaced with new level, Crag David
7 - Down the Tubes - Major reworking
9 - The Firing Squad - Terrain changes
10 - Pain Factory - New level (I suspect if any of the new levels are riddled with backroutes, it'll be this one)
11 (was 10) - Offshore Rig - Minor terrain change
12 (was 11) - Toil - Major reworking
13 (was 12) - The High Ground - More steel and minor terrain tweaks
Thanks both for the replays and feedback.
Attached to the opening post is version 9 with some more changes.
v09 changelog:
Fun
5 - So Close... And Yet - Added steel
13 - Two's Company, Thirty's A Crowd - Skill and terrain changes
Also Fun
9 - Crystal Cavern - Steel and Terrain tweaks
13 - The Dire Docks - Terrain tweak
Hard But Still Fun
8 - Pillars of the Community - Terrain and skill changes
9 - Slow Motion - Terrain tweaks
14 - The Bridge is Out - Terrain changes
15 - The Ultimate Quest, Take 3 - Added Steel. This does not affect the solution of the other Ultimate Quest levels, but may disrupt their existing replays.
Not Fun
3 - The Great Firewall - Increased release rate
4 - Rising Condensation - Steel and terrain changes
There are some other levels not changed in this version that I'm still working on, or thinking of replacing. I'd like some easier levels and some of the really hard levels aren't cutting it for me anymore after looking back after 4 years, or they're broken in a way that I'm not prepared to fix.
Still working on things, but won't have time for a little while so posting the changes I have so far. Still need to do something about some late levels in the last rank, Down The Tubes and Pain Factory, probably replace them.
v10 available to download in the opening post.
v10 changelog:
Fun
2 - Trail Trial - New level
(was 13) - Two's Company, Thirty's A Crowd - Moved to Also Fun 3
Also Fun
5 - Pillar Pairs - New Level
(was 11) - Temperature Drops - Removed level
(was 13) - The Dire Docks - Moved to Hard But Still Fun 2
Hard But Still Fun
(was 13) - The Temple of Doom - Moved to Not Fun 1
14 - The Bridge is Out - Terrain tweaks and increased save requirement
Not Fun
(was 9) - The Firing Squad - Removed level
15 - The Ultimate Quest, Take 4 - Fix typo in music track name
Thanks again Armani. Your replays are very helpful. Might as well post what I have currently. I've finished cleaning up the first two ranks and replacing levels I wasn't super happy with. New levels in Fun rank are very easy but that's fine by me. I'm hoping the first two ranks are now considered done, barring any more backroutes and maybe some more levels I make might get moved into it if they are easy enough.
Levels I have my eye on replacing in the last two ranks are Slow Motion, The Dire Docks, Down the Tubes and Pain Factory.
v11 attached to the opening post as always.
v11 changelog
Fun
3 - Easy as 1 2 3 - Replaced with new level Oven-Ready Lemmings
4 - Diamond Tower - Replaced with new level Suds Law
9? - Humiliated By Burgundy - Removed Level
Reordered a lot of levels in this rank
Also Fun
3 - Two's Company, Thirty's a Crowd - Terrain changes (lol whoops) and moved back into Fun Rank
4 (was 5) - Pillar Pairs - Terrain tweak
5 - Blockers Go To Heaven - New level
11 - Crystal Cavern - Terrain change
Hard But Still Fun
15 - The Ultimate Quest, Take 3 - Added steel. Added to all ultimate quests, but shouldn't impact the replays of the other ones.
Not Fun
1 - Temple of Doom - Increased number of lemmings (and save requirement accordingly) and terrain tweak
resolved updated ones 8-)
Oven-Ready Lemmings: Simple but nice level. The top route looks like it's going to work but actually it isn't.
Suds Law: can be trick if you don't see the builder turn around to send the second worker lemming.
Two's Company, Thirty's a Crowd: attached two solutions. Both spare a basher and save some more lemmings than required.
Pillar Pairs: Now I used all every non-permanent skill. :laugh:
Blockers Go To Heaven: I think I backrouted it.
Crystal Cavern: attached two solutions. First one is just a slight tweak of my previous solution, and the second one is a good old ceiling route solution. :laugh:
The Ultimate Quest, Take 3: attached two solutions. The second one looks intended :laugh: Using the bottom of the starting platform requires outside the box thinking and I like it. :laugh:
Temple of Doom: It's trickier now. I used all the skills and managed to save few more.
Thanks once again Armani, getting very close to intended solutions on all levels now except for the 4 I still plan to replace. I'm good with solution 2 of The Ultimate Quest, Take 3, it's close enough, and besides these Ultimate quest levels are running out of ways to fix up issues without causing problems to the other Ultimate quest levels. After all these fixes I'm just happy finally someone went the right way :p
v12 changelog
Fun
14 - Two's Company, Thirty's A Crowd - Added Steel + widened final gap
Also Fun
4 - Pillar Pairs - Increased save requirement + Minor terrain change at start of level
5 - Blockers Go To Heaven - More Steel
11 - Crystal Cavern - Terrain changes + Extra Builder + Increased release rate (a set of risky changes, I hope it'll be fine?)
Hard But Still Fun
15 - The Ultimate Quest, Take 3 - Steel tweak
Not Fun
1 - The Temple of Doom - 1 less Builder + Terrain changes + slight Release Rate increase
Well that Blockers go to Heaven backroute was embarassing, I should have definitely caught that one myself.
Your solution to Pillar Pairs was so completely unintended in every way, I love it, I've decided to keep it in, so no changes.
Version 13 attached ti the opening post.
v13 changelog:
Fun
14 - Two's Company, Thirty's a Crowd - Terrain change (second miner will die now)
Also Fun
5 - Blockers go to Heaven - Added Steel
11 - Crystal Cavern - Terrain tweak
Not Fun
1 - Temple of Doom - Terrain change (I went nuclear on the backroutes here, didn't want to make this particular change but looks like I have little choice)
8 - Down The Tubes - Replaced by brand new level with the same name
Thanks again so much for all these replays and resolves, you're contributing so much to making this pack the best it can be, I can't thank you enough.
Over the last few days I did a deep review of the third rank like I had already done of the first two, and it turned out I'd forgotten about a bunch of backroutes you'd found in this rank, so here are many fixes, and a new level. There are still two levels left due a full replacement, The Dire Docks and Pain Factory.
v14 attached to the opening post.
v14 changelog:
Fun
10 - Wrong Tool for the Job - Made pillars shorter to make level a little less boring with lots of waiting for diggers and climbers. Removed Floaters. Fundamental solution is the same, but replays disrupted.
Also Fun
5 - Blockers Go To Heaven - More steel
Hard But Still Fun
6 - Recession-Proof - Purely cosmetic tweak, won't affect replays
7 - Grasping at Straws - Added skills and increased save requirement
8 - My First Crush - Terrain changes to make both more forgiving / less fiddly but also slightly more puzzley
10 - Slow Motion - Replaced with new level Drifting Away
11 - Master Exploder - Swapped positions in the rank with slot 2
12 - Spiral Staircase - Added second trapdoor to fix backroute
Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Terrain changes and steel added
Apologies to the one person that downloaded v14. In the shower I had an idea of how to backroute Down the Tubes, so I've released a v14a with a fix.
v14a changelog:
Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Terrain changes + added traps + made the trapdoor in the middle of the level the first one to release and changed start screen position
Thanks ericderkovits, this will be because originally I copied over the terrain by just resaving the level under a new file name, but that was years ago before you had the ability to random up a new level id. I've given all the repeat levels new ids. This will make existing replays think they're for the wrong level, but the levels are otherwise unchanged.
And thanks again Armani for more replays. Getting very close to finishing the pack now. Here's another new level, just one left to replace.
v15 changelog
Hard But Still Fun
7 - Grasping at Straws - Terrain changes
10 - Drifting Away - Terrain tweak
11 - The Dire Docks - Replaced with new level Boxed In
Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Terrain changes + more traps + less Lemmings + added Basher
That's it! It's done! Barring any more backroute fixes, the pack is now officially done. All 60 levels that I plan to keep. I felt in the end that the central premise of Pain Factory deserved a second chance, so I ended up reworking it rather than entirely replace it.
I much prefer the final release to be the moment I stop working on a pack, so I won't be releasing the pack just yet. I'll still wait for people to play and find backroutes, but eventually I'll decide it's time for release, and if there are any more backroutes after then, then oh well.
I also did the in-depth review of the final rank. Only one backroute I'd missed that needed fixing this time.
A huge thank you to everyone who's played so far, all feedback has helped immensely.
v16 attached to the opening post.
v16 changelog
Not Fun
6 - Crag David - Increase save requirement (Armani's replay still works)
9 - Joint Construction - Added traps
10 Pain Factory - Entirely reworked and moved to position 12
I think we are just before the finishing line :laugh:
Boxed In - attached two solutions(top route/bottom route) Each of them are equally difficult imo but one of them spares some skills.
Crag David - basically same solution, I just realize that one builder is enough to catch the crowd hence I was able to save one additional builder than before.
Down the tube - I bet this is intended... But I've been wrong so many times before.. :laugh:
Drigting Away - used all skills and save some more than required. The final digger trick right next to the blocker to avoid the blocker's trigger area is quite advanced trick.
Grasping at Straws - The first solution is painfully trivial. I have no idea why this is not the first solution I found. It seems like we both missed this obvious possibility :XD: Second solution is a lot better though.
Joint Construction - This also feels good. :laugh:
Pain Factory - A lot more challenging than before. My solution spares quite a lot of skills though.
Thanks once again. Boxed In bottom solution and Down the Tubes are so very close that honestly I'm happy with your solutions, but they could have minor tweaks that pull you towards the exact intended solution without many issues, so I made those changes anyway. And of course fixed the top route backroute in Boxed In.
Grasping at Straws, I went in to make the obvious backroute fix, but then I thought, I swear I was going to make this change before. An experience of deja vu. I'm thinking maybe that I had intended to fix it all those years ago, I think Akseli highlighted this but I just decided I would replace the level instead. Fixing the other solution is easy enough with a time limit, but I'm unhappy about it. Honestly not very happy about this level any more, putting in the strict time limit makes it a little annoying, precise and fiddly. Maybe I wasn't super happy with every level after all! I'll have a think over the weekend, I might replace this one, but in the meantime the level is fixed.
Crag David I was happy with. It's fine to save the builder here, actually I think it would be better to enforce this, so I did. Also, your solution was never actually fully intended but I liked it and it was close enough, I've decided to make it the official solution, and removed a Blocker too accordingly.
v17 changelog:
Hard But Still Fun
7 - Grasping at Straws - Extra steel + add a 2:30 time limit (NOTE: may simply replace this level later)
10 - Drifting Away - Moved the exit and removed now unnecessary terrain
11 - Boxed In - Terrain and steel tweaks
Not Fun
6 - Crag David - Removed a Builder and a Blocker
8 - Down The Tubes - Terrain change
9 - Joint Construction - Terrain and steel changes
12 - Pain Factory - Terrain and steel changes, 1 less Blocker, 1 more in save requirement
I had another idea for a level and so Grasping at Straws got replaced, solving that particular issue.
v18 changelog:
Hard But Still Fun
7 - Grasping at Straws - Replaced with new level Star Trek
Thanks once again.
I'm glad I kept trying to force more the intended solution from Down the Tubes as your latest solution was a backroute that's been available for a while. This level is increasingly looking like it's filled with backroute fixes, but at least with this change I think I've been able to back out the worst looking part, the bit at the trapdoor to the left. Now to be reminded the hard way why I need to put that back in ;)
Fixing Drifting Away is getting tough, as higher entropy was one of the core parts of this level, as it is disguising the primary puzzle of this level. So I'm hesitant to fix certain things. Having said that, your solution with that Blocker sure was cool, I have noted it down for a future level in another pack ;)
I went nuclear on the entropy on Joint Construction, oh well. I think the level will largely solve itself now, but we'll see.
There was a v19 uploaded, but while writing this I made a further change to Down the Tubes and somebody had downloaded v19 before I made my fix, so that's why there's now a v19a.
v19a changelog:
Hard But Still Fun
7 - Star Trek - Widened first gap, added a Builder, more lemmings, higher release rate
10 - Drifting Away - Steel and terrain changes
Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Steel and terrain changes, another trapdoor. Increased number of Lemmings and maxxed out release rate, removed a Basher
9 - Joint Construction - Terrain change + added trap
12 - Pain Factory - Removed both Blockers and a Climber, increased save requirement, some minor terrain tweaks
Thanks again.
I consider your solutions to Star Trek and Joint Construction to be acceptable, neither are exact but you hit the main points now and so I'm OK with them. Joint Construction, not my greatest work, I actually could make a change that forces something a little bit more intended but I don't think it's a level where trying to reach that solution would necessarily be more fun to solve so I'll leave it as is.
Down the Tubes, I'm beginning to think this particular level layout is not going to touch the main points I'm trying to enforce and all the fixes feel gimmicky and bad to me now, so this one's back to the drawing board, will find time to rework it over the coming week.
In the meantime, here's fixes for the other two levels. It's good that the list is shrinking at least. I was going to have trouble fixing Pain Factory but then discovered an optimization in my previous official solution that shaved off a builder and then my backroute fixing worked. Hooray. Oh yeah, I renamed this level too, not enough pain being produced to justify the name.
v20 changelog:
Hard But Still Fun
10 - Drifting away - Add terrain next to exit
Not Fun
12 - Pain Factory - Made level wider, added 2 Builders, terrain changes, and renamed to Lemming Sorting Factory
Alright Armani, you did it, you bested me on Drifting Away. There is one change I could make that would stop all those solutions, but I really don't want to do it, so I've jotted down a note to revisit the idea another day, and I'm just going to accept Drifting Away as a multi-solution level.
Getting even closer to the end now.
v21 changelog:
Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Completely new level
12 - Lemming Sorting Factory - Terrain changes near main trapdoor, reduced release rate
Great, down to one level now. Your solution to Lemming Sorting Factory is more similar to my original intended solution so I'm cool with it.
I suspected these kinds of routes would be tried first with Down the Tubes and I couldn't get it to work myself, so I had some fixes planned if needed. This is the one I prefer most, and maybe will need to resort to plan B, but will be a bit upset if it still gets backrouted after Plan B. Your solution 2 is very cool though.
v22 changelog:
Not Fun
8 - Down the Tubes - Spread out some terrain plus other very minor terrain tweaks