When you don't know what the solution looks like, there will be times where you can get stuck not knowing whether this solution idea that just doesn't quite seem to work out is perhaps failing merely due to imprecision, versus just the wrong idea altogether.
This is a very fair point, and I'd have to agree.
As someone who appreciates and enjoys the execution difficulty of certain Lemmings levels, even I'd have to say that it's
less enjoyable when the solution isn't known to me already, or obvious by virtue of the level's design.
If, however, the solution is right there in front of you and the challenge is clearly "get this just right!", I'm game!
The tools may make violations and the occasional necessary precision less painful than otherwise, but that's quite different from saying the philosophy no longer matters (for the people who believe in it).
No irony, just being consequential with the philosophy.
That's fair, I guess hadn't thought of it that way: the tools aren't there to
make execution difficulty/hidden objects or whatever easier to deal with, they're there
because such things are seen as unfavourable. That's quite clear to me now.
As for hidden objects, let's just turn things around and ask, if nothing's truly hidden anyway given clear physics mode exist, what's the point of still insisting on hiding it?
I can think of two positive reasons to hide objects in levels:
1) It encourages exploration and, ideally, the joy of discovery (if it's a desirable object like a pickup, teleporter or exit).
2) It reminds the player not to take anything for granted (if it's an undesirable object like a trap or flamethrower).
EDIT:
I also think it's possible to do these things tastefully and not in a lazy, trollish sort of way.
However, I do want to make it quite clear that I wouldn't enjoy hidden objects in
every level: it would start to become a bit predictable if that were the case. But, I do enjoy occasionally encountering these elements, and I see them as being an acceptable part of the game.
Ultimately, I guess I just appreciate variety. If a level pack is just level after level of hidden objects, then I'm going to get bored of it quite quickly. The same is also true if every level is breezy and open-ended, never presenting a decent challenge. The same is
also true if every level is just difficult 1-of-each puzzles which demand the unlocking of a very specific solution.
It's been suggested recently that if I want to design levels with hidden elements, that they should be kept to a single rank or pack. I agree to some extent, because then players know what to expect from the getgo. However, I also think that this may detract from the potential variety that a pack with a mixture of levels can provide. It's a thought process that I'm only just beginning with really, I'm still formulating my thoughts on this.
(Ironically, this level also gives an example of bad use of hidden objects which is preserved for historical reasons - it contains a hidden teleporter, hinted at only by the existance of a not-hidden-but-VERY-hard-to-spot receiver).
It's interesting that you were once happy to design levels with such elements (and so you understand the impulse to do so), but are now firmly against them. I'm curious to know what made you change your mind so conclusively?