These are my solutions... the only levels I haven't yet beaten are, unsurprisingly, Armani's!

Totally agree here! 

A confirmation from the author that the level is indeed solvable, or a replay checker result file would be enough for me as a confirmation, but yeah level and replay should always come together in pairs!

Yea, I feel the need to make this, especially as it's pretty long overdue. I think I remember Icho wanted to make a topic on this from a while back as well. It's going to be a rant of sorts, so make of it what you will!

Before I go on this rant, do note that I have yet to make and release a level pack of my own (it's currently a WIP), but I've been making levels for NL for the past 4, almost 5, years. This is long enough that I can offer this sound advice for any NL level/pack creator, and that is always make a solving replay for any completed levels you make and keep a master replay set for your levels/pack! In this way, in case a player who plays your level/pack has doubts on its solvability, which is really easy to do especially on really difficult levels as a lot of the time they give the appearance of an "impossible" level, you at least have proof that the level is 100% possible and that you the author didn't make a mistake when you made the level. You would also be able to send a replay of the level if requested by the player. This practice of always making a solving replay for completed levels is one that I've been doing right from the start of my level designing career, ever since I got into level making all those 4 years ago. Yes, I know that testing your own levels can sometimes be a lot of work, but it's a really good habit! We fortunately also have the mass replay check tool, and it's always a good idea to run replays of your levels/pack through it to make sure that everything is fine on your end!

All rightie, now starts my rant. Nothing irritates me more than when I'm playing levels made by someone else that turned out to be impossible after all, especially as I have wasted a lot of time in the past playing such levels that turned out to not be solvable! Icho can also tell you from his experiences, and he can sing you a song about playing impossible levels, asking the author for a replay, only to not get one because he/she didn't have one for the level saved.

Recently, I privately pre-tested a pack that's now cancelled and encountered a level that, while it was solvable via the normal solution, it had an impossible talisman! => I wasted about an hour trying to obtain something that was made impossible by the level design. This makes me wonder if the creator somehow didn't test the level properly for the talisman and/or put that talisman by mistake, as it was the only one for the pack. At the same time, the only way I saw that the talisman would be possible is if the Lemmings were able to step up into the containment area and hence be safe as they would no longer be in danger, but instead the Lemmings turn around because the wall is too high for them to be able to ascend it, and you can't afford to let that happen since they would walk out the level side and die.

So yes, this advice extends to and includes making a solving replay for talismans as well should you include any for your level/pack! I even asked if Armani was able to obtain the talisman, and when I was supplied his replay for the level, he didn't as well. The reason for this is I know he always goes for them, so the fact that he didn't obtain the talisman either supports that the talisman is indeed impossible to obtain.

Another thing that recently occurred last week that finally got me to make this topic was when a recently registered member who had been lurking silently on the Forums for the past several years posted and inquired about two levels in another user's level packs topic that they couldn't solve because the levels seem to not provide enough skills in order to make them solvable. While I haven't yet posted in the topic that the user posted in, I silently took a look at the levels they mentioned and I too couldn't solve them => I wasted a lot of time on two levels that don't seem to be solvable at all! Once again, another case of an author not properly testing the levels!

I definitely can't emphasize enough the importance of making a solving replay for levels you make and then keeping a master replay set for your levels/pack safe somewhere on your machine. Heck, make a backup of your replays/master replay set so that in case you accidentally delete it you at least still have a copy! I can honestly say that for many of my levels that I made all those years ago that I have begun to forget some of the details of my intended solutions, and this makes me very glad that I have made solving replays for them! I myself have yet to encounter someone who has played my levels and asking me for a solving replay because they're not sure about their solvability. 

Hey LemFan, good to hear from you! I did actually start playing Lemmingshades but as you say, the difficulty ramps up quickly and became too much for my level-solving skills, unfortunately! I cleared the first two ranks but had to give up towards the end of Yellow (third rank). I'll hopefully return to it at some point but for now, I'm playing your Lemmings Rundown pack. Almost done the first two ranks of that one. I really do like a lot of your level design, but I'm actually not that keen on Very Hard/Extreme packs; you might find that's one reason a lot of people don't seem to have played them - I suspect there're only a handful of folks on this forum capable of solving stuff at that degree of difficulty.

RE: LemFanLems I, are you able to confirm that my modifications to your Brutal 18 and Chaos 3 levels are necessary, or do you have some solution for those that I missed?

I agree, BadLems and Pack 1 is very easy, but Lemmingshades (which is not included in this topic), is a very difficult pack. You should go and check the pack out!

Back in the days I would have answered Crystal without even thinking about it, but now I'm more of a Pillar guy. I love the contrast between yellow terrain and blue water! It's probably the most classic tileset but there are still fresh designs to make out of it for sure.

I've added a poll

There're currently five L1 tribes: Brick, Bubble, Dirt, Fire, Rock.

I'd like to add one more tribe with one of the remaining L1 tilesets.

Which L1 tileset do you prefer to see in my in-dev pack?
I'm tossing up between crystal and pillar...

crystal - artistically beautiful and versatile, visually stand out
pillar - least used tileset in my levels - can explore new possibilities

Your vote will be appreciated

Would you believe I have an update even before people started playtesting?

Reverse the Polarity - V2:

Changelog

- Moved pickups on bottom platform slightly to prevent backroute

Note: This topic is ONLY for posting updates to your levels, or making late submissions. All other posts will be deleted. If you want to discuss the levels, post replays, etc, please do so in the Discussion Topic.

Please follow these rules for updates:
1. When posting a new updated version of a level, remove any old updated versions of that level --> Have all your recent updates stored in 1 post! I will delete such old posts eventually if the author doesn't; so don't store any important information in them.
2. Make a new post for a new update; do not edit your most recent post. You may, however, post updates to multiple entries (if you have more than one) in the same post.
3. Use the same filename as found in the ZIP of the entered levels, with "V2" "V3" etc added at the end. No matter how minor an update is, give it a new number.
4. Do not post in this topic, unless it's to post an update to your levels. Use the discussion topic instead for anything else.

Please use the same naming format as in the zip file:  User1_Levelname_R3V5.lvl ---> Level "Levelname" by User1  for Rule 3  Version 5 of the level 

For late submissions also, please use the same kind of filename as is used in the main levels download - ie: your username, and "R1" "R2" or "R3" to mark which rule the level is for. Please be sure to check the original contest announcement topic for the rules; as the notes in the discussion topic are simply meant as reminders, not full explanations of the rules.

Please use the right naming format when posting updates! That would lead to less confusions and less work for everyone.

Link to discussion topic

All zips only need to be unzipped inside the main folder of your NeoLemmix Player!

NeoLemmix Level Pack: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7p8vsruzai9fvpvlcob7s/Contest_33_NL.zip?rlkey=92qpukw8cz6udyvmi7xhxn0kw&st=uyc6stqb&dl=1

Music (NeoLemmix): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/diknladgcw0tsm2lp6eak/Contest_33_Music.zip?rlkey=9k8sm2frsr0r38wl3mio9x02a&st=cjwy514y&dl=1


Rule 1 Levels

Armani's "Underroot" (V1)
Crane's "Lemming Ledger" (V1)
IchoTolot's "No Way In Hell!" (V1)
kaywhyn's "It's Crazy Sports Day!" (V3)


Rule 2 Levels

Armani's "Rusty Ruin Zone" (V1)
Crane's "Redneck Redemption" (V1)
IchoTolot's "Social Distancing" (V1)
kaywhyn's "Help Me, Help Dune" (V2)


Rule 3 Levels

Armani's "Benzene" (V1)
Crane's "Reverse the Polarity" (V2)
IchoTolot's "Lem In The Box" (V1)
kaywhyn's "We Got Mad Lemmings 3 Lab Skills!" (V2)


You can check the rules details again here: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=7212.0

Playing Phase will be closed on 16th of Janurary!
Updates will close on 13th of Janurary!

Note: This topic is for posting your comments, replays, etc for the levels. If you wish to post an update to your level, or enter a late submission, please do so in the Updates Topic instead.

Link to update topic