Level design contest #1!

[ccexplore]

Also, @ccx and Akseli: I get the following error when loading your replays, and I can't watch them. Note that it's not the error you get when you play in the wrong mode (that one is "invalid replay header different mechanics"). Any idea what's going on here? I notice you both used speedyshare whereas the other senders didn't, could that be corrupting the file somehow?

Did you actually click on the link to go to the webpage?  If you just try to right-click and "Save As" it won't work as it's not a direct download link.  AFAIK you need to visit the link as a webpage and then use the download link from within the site.  I just tried that and the file I got is identical to the original when I checked with a binary compare program, so it should work.

If it still doesn't work for you, I'll try to work out an alternate way to get the replay to you.  Or maybe I'll just describe the solution in words over PM.

[ccexplore]

In the end I decided to take the nuclear option to avoid winning the Brickout Memorial Trophy 

Sorry Steve, I'm afraid your nuke has just blown you one step closer to Brickout Memorial Trophy.   Speeyshare link PM'd.

[ccexplore]

Sorry for triple post, I just have to say that geoo's backroute fix deserves an award for least impact to the level.  It literally looks like nothing's changed.   [Granted, most backroutes are a lot harder to fix than that, I should know...... ]

[Pooty]

Note to Pooty: Just in case you haven't noticed, many of your OWW trigger areas don't work; you can turn on the trigger area viewer in Lemmix to see them. Only trigger areas for the first 16 objects will work. You could move the hatch further to the back in the object list, as well as some of the water at the bottom (one bit of water actually prevented another backroute of mine).

Yeah, I hadn't played DOS Lemmings in a while before I designed my level, and I forgot about the item limit. I had to rearrange the objects to make them work well enough to prevent backrouted solutions, although I had no idea about the hatch still working after the 16th object in the list.

Edit: geoo has also backrouted my level using the same method. Meanwhile, lyygak provided me with two solutions to the level: one of them is an alternative route that I actually liked a lot, and the other is the intended solution.

[chaos_defrost]

yea, ccexplore basically did the exact same thing as the v1 only using the skills not used in v1 to bypass the other stuff in v2.

v3 coming up after work, or something

EDIT: Akseli just sent the same route ccexplore did, so yea I have to go to work so I won't have a new version up for a few hours

[Pooty]

I have solved three levels so far (four if you count my own). I have yet to complete geoo's, Clam Spammer's and Insane Steve's levels.

[chaos_defrost]

I've only gotten Crane's so far, so you're well ahead of me 

Anyways, have a v3. At the risk of agitating the backroute gods further I have also made a change that causes geoo's route to no longer work, so I guess you win a backroute award for the v2 of the level now as well.

I'm actually kind of angry (not hahaha angry but serious angry) about managing to come up with an "infallable" backroute fix that could be solved in EXACTLY the same way as the original level. I mean, what the everloving crap is wrong with you, Steve?

EDIT: Akseli found a solution that's pretty similar to geoo's v2 solution. So, again not really tempted to make any more revisions unless someone finds something glaringly different.

[Crane]

Well, v4 was backrouted by Akseli, admittedly quite ingeniously.  Pooty ALMOST has an 'acceptable variant' of the intended solution, but backrouted on the use of the last skill!  Hopefully v5 here is the last revision I will need to post... but who knows!

[chaos_defrost]

geoo found a backroute to v3 which I can only really describe as "real cute good1 hahahahahahaha  "

So here's v4. I made a few changes to the terrain to make the level a better reflection of my state of mind right now.

[Crane]

There's hope that I can be a better designer yet, having so many élite players around to tear the level apart with tips and tricks!  Still haven't had much luck solving the other levels yet unfortunately, but stand by.

[mobius]

wow, all of these levels look amazing! 

is it a total coincidence that clam and geoo made a level with retirement in the title 

don't feel discouraged Crane, your level looks great! It's generally more difficult to see backroutes in your own level because you have your own solution fore front in your mind.

[chaos_defrost]

wow, all of these levels look amazing! 

I take it you didn't download the latest version of my level then 

Also every time it gets backrouted from here on I'm adding more and more out of place junk terrain in each revision. If it gets to v5 I kind of want to unofficially re-title the level "Nanashi no Level" (one internet to anyone who gets the reference)

[Clam]

@möbius: It's no coincidence at all

Here's my entry (attached). I may have borrowed the theme from geoo - there aren't points for originality, are there?

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I got those speedyshare replays working now. The filenames looked right (ending with .lrb) so I figured they were direct downloads.

I've received 4 solutions so far, and only geoo has backrouted it. There was one minor variant, but I won't consider it a backroute because it's close enough to the intended method.

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Also... here's v3 of my level. geoo again.

[geoo]

wow, all of these levels look amazing! 

is it a total coincidence that clam and geoo made a level with retirement in the title 

don't feel discouraged Crane, your level looks great! It's generally more difficult to see backroutes in your own level because you have your own solution fore front in your mind.

Hey möbius, are you going to join the level solving, or even make a late submission for a level?

Yeah, some of us have a long experience with backroutes, and as you can see we still need multiple attempts before our levels are (seemingly) backroute-free. Making a backroute-free level is a lot harder than solving a level, as it means basically finding all possible solutions.

I managed to find the intended routes to Steve's and Clam's levels today. And yeah, both solutions are pretty neat. I'm really looking forward to the backroute-fixes of the other levels. I feel distributing the votes for 'most fun level' will become a hard decision for me.

Akseli: just curious, is your level of the kind "any solution is fine", or do you have a specific solution in mind and we should expect backroute-fixes?

[Clam]

Solved all v1's . As mentioned, the visual designs are great across the board. Judgement on fun-ness will have to wait for later versions though

There's a great variety of levels here, which is great because I actually thought the "1 of each" concept was a bit tired. (Especially since the one-of-each-skill challenge topic ) But having every skill type available lends itself to so many tricks and combinations. This might explain the abundance of backroutes too of course