Lix Community Level Set

[Proxima]

I don't really care for those poles though. It just doesn't seem to go with the terrain but that's just me. I don't see why the cut outs don't look right.

I think it looks fine with the cut-out bricks.

Both your solutions were good, try it now, minus two skills. I intended on having to using the blocker. Unless you think this solution is easier.

I haven't played it through, but it looks to me like it will just be geoo's solution, but using the blocker instead of other skills for crowd control? If so, then that's definitely easier. Consider putting it back as it was but removing the blocker.

I'm kinda thinking this level should be kept open for multiple solutions but see what you think. I found the video of Pieuw's here. Looking at it now, I see his is probably tougher. tell me what you think/which version/solution is best.

I've found two more solutions. The first is a simple variant of my "two bombers for crowd control" method that, unfortunately, does rather take the "niceness" out of it. The second is a very simple solution, inspired by the video but doing without crowd control altogether. With a few more seconds, this would be 100% saved. Since this is the simplest method and I don't see how you can remove it without spoiling the others as well, I suppose it may be best to leave the level as it is. Which is too bad for me, since it means I won't be able to include my level "Just a Minute (part four)" as it's too similar to this -- the only real innovation is that it includes a different and rather neat means of crowd control.

Definitely don't imitate the level in the video by adding blockers, though. That would make it much too simple, and take away the real charm of the level -- the fact that you're not given an easy way to control the crowd, and you either have to find a cunning way to do so, or break through fast enough that you don't need crowd control, and it's not obvious at the start which of those methods is better.

I got the idea behind 1 silvere etc, after Insane Steve's Razor's Edge. I expect backroutes. I always try to test out backroutes myself but I'm too impatient.

A very easy backroute, I'm afraid.

Also attached, solution to Insane Steve's 3.1.1.1. I'm slowly, when I can grab a few moments in between all the new levels that are coming out, trying to solve all the old ones, of difficulty less than 4. With this solved, I'm down to just two at last -- "Buy one get one free (part 2)" and the fifth version of "Get Hype" (...and "Well OK Then" I suppose, but really I gave up on that a long time ago).

[chaos_defrost]

Here are revised versions of A Matter of Perspective and a very slight change to No More Heroes.

And one new one, a bit of a spiritual successor to Well OK Then.

[ccexplore]

Sweet, a third climber, time for new (or revived old) backroutes!

Wow, once again an awesome solution that pretty much upstaged mine.   Once again, no complains from me if you decide to feature that version with that solution.

It almost seems a little pointless now, but being the glutton for punishment that I am, I nevertheless made a change to the level anyway.  If this still doesn't work out, the next version will have a pretty dramatic change.

[edit: guess what? ]

[Clam]

Clam: I'd be interested to see your solution to Waltz in C Sharp Miner, particularly if it uses fewer skills and is different from geoo's third solution (his other three should be blocked by the extra steel).

Sure (attached). I haven't seen geoo's solution(s), but I did have a miner and a couple of climbers spare.

Since Clam has a level titled "Bridge Burnout" I should change my level; 'Bridges Burning' to... "Catch Me When I Fall".

There's no need to change it, those titles are different enough I think. Nice level btw, I like the trick, and the lack of crowd control makes it exciting to play. Love the Conundrum level too, it took me a few tries ending up a builder short before I found the trick, and I think it looks fine as it is.

[geoo]

Ok, I should probably keep distance from this thread for the next two days (I'll probably fail at that though) as I got an exam coming up...
So I'll respond to everything later, sorry.

Anyway, one thing I couldn't resist trying though is brickout-B, solution attached.

[Clam]

I just got a friendly nudge from geoo to post my solution to Proxima's 'Behind Bars', so here it is (attached). This method needed some extreme timing, so I'm wondering if it differs from the intended solution.

[ccexplore]

Anyway, one thing I couldn't resist trying though is brickout-B, solution attached.

Hmm, should've seen this old one coming back.  Well, at least this one is easy to address.  No dramatic changes needed, yet.

[edit: upgraded to "B5", see here]

[ccexplore]

Tried "Conundrum" since it got kinda popular.  Did I backroute this? [attached replay is with geoo's version of the level; same solution works in original version as well]

[Proxima]

Sorry to disappoint you, that's the intended solution, you just found it more easily than geoo and I did 

Clam: Ingenious solution to "Behind Bars" Same general route as the intended solution, but I do something different instead of tightly grouping the climbers from the right half.

For "Waltz", you have geoo's third solution, except that he starts the landing platform from the steel block just right of the third trapdoor, and so needs the last miner to cut the bridge. At the moment I'm inclining towards leaving these in, since (1) having already cut off one possible escape route for the top group, cutting off a second would make the intended route easier to see; (2) your solution is probably harder to see anyway because it's not obvious that you can use miners like that to get through the top-left block; (3) I want to leave that route open to add to the variety of solutions of the easier version. But let me know if either of you disagree -- I can easily close it.

Here's my third solution to "Too Far to Walk" adapted to save 99. It's nice that what could be considered a "challenge" solution (since it avoids the bombers) does indeed save more than any other. (It isn't the solution that uses fewest skills -- that's still my first solution, with 6.) However, I'm annoyed that I haven't been able to save 100 -- I'm sure ccexplore will be able to do so with some of his trademark release-rate jiggery-pokery.

[geoo]

Hmm, should've seen this old one coming back.  Well, at least this one is easy to address.  No dramatic changes needed, yet.

Can't resist, this is just too entertaining. Something relatively new this time.

[Proxima]

One for the easy set, plus an edit to the decorative terrain of Compression Method 2.

[ccexplore]

Hmm, should've seen this old one coming back.  Well, at least this one is easy to address.  No dramatic changes needed, yet.

Can't resist, this is just too entertaining. Something relatively new this time.

Hmm, getting warmer at least.  Hope this isn't too distracting for you--should I wait after Tues to post B5?

In some ways, that solution could work well as a part1/part2 thing like L1 did with "Just a Minute".

[mobius]

Proxima, your latest solution to Too far to walk was good. I'm sure your right, there's probably a way for 100%. I'm gonna try later but someone will probably beat me to it. Anyway, I agree & think this level should be left pretty much they way it is (apart from some finishing touches), the fact that it has so many solutions is pretty interesting in itself.
For Babylon Fading, I will adjust it to make your/and or geo's solution the intended. and remove the blocker

also, nobody found a back route for conundrum? I thought that level would turn out to be a dud so 

[Clam]

Proxima, your latest solution to Too far to walk was good. I'm sure your right, there's probably a way for 100%. I'm gonna try later but someone will probably beat me to it.

All right, I just had to go and try this...

... and I did it. It didn't even take too much spawn-interval jiggery-pokery (gotta get the terminology right here folks ), just a couple of changes to min SI and back.

edit: Tried some more to optimise the timing, it seems Proxima's method is better for this. I've refined it to work with a 2-minute timer (note that it actually takes slightly more than 2 minutes, but due to the nature of the nuke you can sneak in a few after time-up )

[ccexplore]

Okay, two more levels for you.  "Won't Get Fooled Again" is actually something I started before "Brickout", but abandoned for a time because of backroute issues (haha, yes, go ahead and laugh at the irony).  But I think I have fixed them now (at least until geoo gets his hand on the level ).  Note that for no particular reason I made the save requirement match the spawn rate, so as long as you used up all skills, saving more than required is not a backroute per se.  And if anyone has a better idea for a title I'm all ears.

"100% built by Lixes" is a somewhat easier level featuring techniques that are familiar to at least a few people here, and in fact you may even easily recognize the origins of this level.  Still, to a wider audience I think it will make a pretty good puzzle, a good education on some well-known advanced builder techniques.  The decorations are obviously unfinished, I wanted to do some stuff with them fire-related objects, but can't find any good pieces of decorative terrain to stick them into!  Suggestions are certainly welcome (I'm open to remaking it in different styles too).

[edit: fixed a backroute in "fooled" by changing to save 92 out of 100, everything else unchanged.  Updated level here.]