Brainstorming from level names! =)

[Ron_Stard]

Hi!

With this humble thread, I would like to help all the level designers who want new ideas for making their new levels: why don't build a level inspired from a good/suggestive phrase or quote? The development and/or the solution of the screen could be taken literally from the level name http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" /> .

Let's start suggesting names! Like "Up The Hill Backwards" *

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* This is the name of an optimistic David Bowie's song. I love that song! =)

[ccexplore]

It's not a bad idea, but I think level designers tend to go the other way around, starting from a level idea and then come up with a good/suggestive title based on the level idea (or in some cases, just stick a random title to the level).  While I've only made only one or two levels, I can definitely say that on all of them, it was idea first, title second.

It's no different from, say, writing a novel.  It's hard to imagine how many good novels were written starting from a given title.  Far more likely that you'd have some general plot and concept for the novel, and only then (and possibly much much later) would you work out a fitting title for it.

But I guess as a brainstorming tool to jog one's mind into coming up with something they might not have thought of before, it could work for some people.

[ccexplore]

Not sure how useful this is, but if nothing else, someone could use this list as a start-off for creating interesting titles for your next level, even if you don't choose to actually use the title to inspire your next level:

• "if only they could <insert action here>"
• "hungry for more lemmings"
  (I kinda want to keep this one for myself, but whatever)
• "elevator out of service"
• "catch-22"
• "teach an old <insert name of skill here, or maybe just "lemming"> new tricks"
• "nowhere to go but <insert direction here> <insert optional question mark here, if you're thinking of having a misleading title>"
• "bizarro world of lemmings"
  (another one I'm likely to use myself in the future)
• "after the rainstorm"
  (I already used this one in a Cheapo level, but feel free to adapt it in your own)
• "hidden in plain sight"
• "boom or bust"
• "broken symmetry"
• "it's raining cats and lemmings" (or something like that)
• "the void"
• "a clockwork lemming"
• "lembusters"
• "the lemsons"
• "L.E.M.M.I.N.G.S"
  (meant to be a generic title conveying nothing about the level itself)

(list to be expanded...)

I predict this thread is simply not going to get a lot of contributions.  As I've demonstrated within the span of like 15-20 minutes, titles are ridiculously cheap to come up with.  Despite our seemingly single-minded involvement with Lemmings sometimes, the fact is, our non-Lemmings life, society and culture is sufficiently rich and interesting that there are endless sources to draw level titles from.

I think the only worthwhile takeaway from this is, if you really do find yourself having a "writer's block" over a level, you could try this approach of first coming up with a title (or borrow one from real life) and see if you can manage to create a decent level out of it.  Since coming up with title is so easy, eventually you're bound to come up with something that manages to spark your brain enough to get out of the rut.

[namida]

Someone already did Catch-22. IIRC, it was a level where in order to get down to where you have to build a safe landing area from on a long drop, you have to already have a safe landing area, and there was some genius trick to get one lemming down there.

Anyway, there is the odd time when I've come up with the name then built a level to suit. A level I'm still working on the exact design of, titled "Express Lane", is one example of this. I have most of the general idea for it, but I'm still working on exactly how to pull it off. "No Time To Die" and "Death Row" (levels from Lemmings Plus 4, which seems to be lost now as I can't find the disc I have it backed up on - although Death Row is in the released demo) are also examples of levels built from a name.

[ccexplore]

Anyway, there is the odd time when I've come up with the name then built a level to suit. A level I'm still working on the exact design of, titled "Express Lane", is one example of this. I have most of the general idea for it, but I'm still working on exactly how to pull it off. "No Time To Die" and "Death Row" (levels from Lemmings Plus 4, which seems to be lost now as I can't find the disc I have it backed up on - although Death Row is in the released demo) are also examples of levels built from a name.

But wouldn't it be fair to say that you got those titles starting from the general idea for the level?  So it was more like:

vague level idea => title => more concrete implementation of idea in level

So the title just kinda facilitates things.  I think Ron was thinking more along the lines of

you're not thinking at all about levels => some title, phrase, or quote from real life => eureka! level idea born!

And to encourage some creativity, remember that you don't have to interpret the titles in my list the same way as in real life.  For example "Catch-22" may not be referring to an impossible situation in the course of solving the level, but perhaps that you're required to save literally 22 lemmings on a level, and it's not obvious how. http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" class="smiley" />

[Minim]

Here is one link with a user thinking of all sorts of level ideas. I can't be bothered to put them down here I'm afraid.

http://www.varley9.freeserve.co.uk/lemmings/levels.htm" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">http://www.varley9.freeserve.co.uk/lemmings/levels.htm

[Proxima]

With all respect to ccexplore, I have to disagree. I don't know, I guess different minds work differently, and mine collects quotations voraciously, and often I'll be able to think of some Lemmings-related variant on a quotation or title that just screams out to be used. And it is different from writing a novel, because it's small and if your idea turns out not to lead to a great level, all you have is one level that's less than awesome. Several of my Cheapo levels originated this way. (And that, I'm afraid, is why I'm not going to be contributing much to this thread -- any titles I've still got that I haven't used, and I have a fair few, I want to keep for myself.)

A few of mine that I've used:

"On the Lemdon Underground" -- entrance and exit on the same platform, you had to go under to get there
"Night of the Lemming Dead" -- a level where bombers were the only terrain-destruction skill available, like Genesis Tricky 21
"We're off to see the Lizard" -- a rock terrain level with lizards, obviously
"Through the Lemming Glass" -- a mirror-image level in the style of Upside-down World
"The Lemming, the Witch and the Wardrobe" -- a vast snowy landscape

[ccexplore]

Interesting; seems like my mindset reflects my engineering background as your mindset reflects your humanities background.

If I think of any particularly neat titles I'll add them to the list.  I'll still say though that titles are the one part of level designing that people need the least help on.

[namida]

I don't know. At least one level I've made recently, I had a lot of trouble coming up with a name for, and still don't know if I like the name it has... ("A Perfect Nightmare")

[Joemon]

These are names I've used for my levels and a description of the level which helps describe the level, which should be uploaded sometime today.

Wire combining (A level with the crystal set and thin blue lines of terrain with ghost buster traps on each end)
The Dark Side of Lemmingland (The hell background with lava everywhere and fire where neccessary)
Squeeze Me! (Red brick set and traps at the bottom of the level that crush lemmings)
Unearthed (Underground set where you need to break through terrain to find the exit)

[Joemon]

I have so far got these ideas implemented in my third levelpak which is almost finished

To get through a ceiling... (A level where you need to use bombers to get through terrain upwards to the exit)
No looking down (Only 2 floaters, one lemming has to build a bridge to ensure the survival of the other lemmings)
Dead in a few seconds (Lemmings fall several feet after hatching then die, a bridge needs to be built to save the remaining lemmings)

More to think of but there's some ideas http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/laugh.gif" alt=":D" title="Laugh" class="smiley" />

EDIT: Here's two more ideas that I've inserted

Irritable Lemming Syndrome (Release Rate at 99 meaning you have to be carefully clicking on a blocker, during this test I accidentally did the third lemming in the line, but you need to save all but one lemming on the level
Optimism is your answer (A bit tricky, several lemmings die with you needing to build a platform to save them, also to build over a blocker to get to the exit who you made to get the second floater to build)

[namida]

Still trying to think of a level to suit it (or maybe I'll just use it for a random title), but a nice name I thought of lately is "Dying Not Reccomended".

[Joemon]

I've already made 'Mission Lempossible' for my 4th levelpak http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/laugh.gif" alt=":D" title="Laugh" class="smiley" />

EDIT: I made a level idea and the level is going in my 4th pack

Artwork gone wrong: An upside down trap, trapdoor and exit with some upside down terrain pieces while others are the right way up

This level will be in the works for my next pack too

Boom Boom Pow: Bombers required to pass level.

[ccexplore]

I could actually use some help with something title-related.  Specifically, I'm trying to figure out whether there's a particular English word that means something like "a tower of a castle where somebody's imprisoned in".  Kinda like the concept of "dungeon" except it's not underground but rather high above ground.  Think Rapunzel.  It's possible no such English words exist (ie. you can't get any closer than just "tower"), but if you know of one, let me know.

[Joemon]

I've thought of a level name that I'm using in my 4th pack. It's called 'Eater of Luck'. This level will use rock set and the lemmings will be getting eaten by a lizard as they are falling from a trapdoor. This level name comes from the bounty hunter 'Dannik Jerriko' in Star Wars: A New Hope.