This has been one of the best packs I have ever played. You demonstrate a lot of variety in the levels (as well as LPDOS). The difficulty curve is just at the right pace too.
Some general comments:
- Instant bombers – I agree very much that bomber timing is pointlessly annoying. Why can’t all Lemmings games be like that? (although, admittedly, the 5-second bombers were fun in Mild 22 and Medi 5 of LPDOS).
- My favorite styles are Tree and Purple. I chose Tree because it may seem similar to the Dirt and Rock style at first, but is more lush and much closer to the style of “A Beast of a Level.” Purple is one of the most original ideas for a custom Lemmings style. I love the tentacle traps and jelly structures. The others are just as great!
- I like how you implement the element of 250 lemmings in the levels in very clever ways. One thing that bothers me is the inaccuracy of percentage of lemmings that get saved. For example, when one lemming enter it says 0%, and when I hit Esc it still says “You couldn’t even save one lemming” when I did save at least one. It’s more of a technical thing, though.
- Thank you very much for including the current level’s password when you fail/quit the level, it makes things very convenient for those who forget to write the password down. Thank you also for having the ability to select skills with the mouse when pausing instead of using the function keys!
- Some things that you could add to the trivia:
- Nice 21 also has 240 skills total.
- The ninth level of every difficulty has exactly one of each style, and also has at least one of both the gimmick level and the Floater Frenzy level.
Some LPII level comments:
Note: The bolded ones means they’re my favorite.
Nice:
Nice 6 – Capsule Run – I felt that a better way to showcase the one-way fields would be to put a piece of terrain on the bottom-right of the one-way field of the right side. This is so that the lemming will be able to walk back and hit the one way field. Then you can add a digger or miner. (Though you did showcase them more in Nice 11.)
Nice 9 – Something’s Not Right Here… – uses the infamous Karoshi gimmick. This is an excellent way to showcase the uniqueness of the whole pack. The level is so much fun too, finding multiple ways to massacre lemmings
even though the level is easy, which is why I agree that there is a lot of potential in creating levels with the Karoshi Gimmick.
Nice 12 – Cactus Island – an excellent way to make things slightly more challenging, especially if there are newcomers.
Nice 13 – Watch Your Lemmings… – good that you provided a hint in the title, the level’s sole trap is very evil (and creative, too).
I’m very curious as to how the repeat will be like in your bonus pack (as well as Nice 11).
Nice 16 – These Lasers Aren’t So Fun... – I knew there was a reason the level was overly complex! (view spoilers to see why) The level is tricky and intimidating enough when I first previewed it, and the fact that you have no diggers, miners and bashers and only bombers makes this level indeed not so fun, in addition to the lasers. I didn’t even know you could save the level with 100%, and I still haven’t figured it out yet. I thought you’d use this level as a Trial level…
It’s an excellent choice for hiding the secret level!
Nice 17 – Lemmings Gettin’ Down – by making this level more difficult than before, you actually also make it very hard to save 100%. Well done!
Nice 18 – MEGALEMMINGS! – you actually were able to accurately imitate the lemmings! This level effectively showcases another unique aspect of the Psychedelic level. I felt that this level would have also worked as a Trial level, though.
- A small and random challenge to this level would be to get three of the lemmings to copy the poses of the MEGALEMMINGS at the same time. It’s trickier than you think!
Nice 20 – Dungeon of Despair – a very great way to wrap up the Nice difficulty with tricky navigation.
Cheeky:
Cheeky 4 – Island Hopping – this one’s interesting. I can see why you said this was your very last level made for this pack – it’s merely building across the islands. Still, I like the twist you add to the level that you have to save 100%.
Cheeky 5 – A Violation of Lemming Rights – a very well-designed and original level structure that serves as an excellent step-up in challenge from the previous levels (though I’m not sure what the one-way wall on the right is for aside from turning lemmings around).
Cheeky 6 – Raindrop Lemming – a 250-lemming level that’s quite fun and a little evil (in the sense that the release rate is very high). If this were a no-pause level, oh boy…
Cheeky 8 – The Haunted House – one of the oddest gimmicks ever used. It threw me off the first time I played this level. Solving it is particularly hard, especially for newcomers of Lemmings, as the level uses a not-so-well-known trick.
Cheeky 11 – One-Lem Wonder – a fun one-lemming level, though could have used a little more challenge.
Cheeky 13 – Above the Forests – this level is an excellent demonstration of the reason instant bombers are far better than timed bombers and allow for more puzzle potential.
Cheeky 15 – To the Treehouse! – a very good use of miner tricks here to climb up the tree. An overall excellent puzzle.
Cheeky 17 – Heads Up! – the solution to the level is simple and nothing new, but quite fun at the same time.
Cheeky 19 – The Long Road to Nowhere – this level (along with Cheeky 20) is an excellent way to show that the upcoming levels will become harder. Navigating around the one-way walls is very tricky, and the time limit really doesn’t help much either. I thought you’d make this a Challenge level, though…
Cheeky 20 – Kickback Scheme – Yikes. The first time I played this level, it was quite difficult. It may be close to Oddstack-difficult, with a very tricky level structure, limited skills, and its position in the difficulty, though you get a larger time limit.
Sneaky
Sneaky 4 – Overflow Zone – even once I figure out the gimmick, it’s still a very fun level because it has so many solutions. One of my solutions involves using builders only.
Sneaky 5 – Misfortune of the Masses – an excellent puzzle level with a lot of thinking and a lot of multitasking.
Sneaky 8 – Lemming Surge – another cool and well-designed 250-Lemming level.
Sneaky 13 – When Only a Lemming Will Do – by shortening this level to one minute and removing backroutes, you have given this level a real challenge that I really enjoyed.
Sneaky 16 – Dive From the Dunes – a really fun and adventurous level that is indeed reminiscent of Tricky 25 (Cascade).
Sneaky 20 – The Impossible Level – impossible indeed. I like that it involves using a not-so-well-known trick to solve this level, and even if you know it, it can still be very difficult.
Sneaky 21 – Camp of Curses – it’s good that you switched this with “O RLY?” because I found this level to be easy.
Cunning (I haven’t solved them all yet, so not all my favorites are here yet.)
Cunning 3 – Just Some Leftovers – I had a lot of fun solving this level. It’s one of those levels where you have to do things in a particular order.
Cunning 4 – Droppin’ Bombs – well, even with instant bombers, the level can still be very annoying had there not also been the feature of lemmings moving one step when clicking during pause mode as well as save states.
Cunning 8 – 404: Exit Not Found – the title of the level makes me laugh! I also like how harder it is than Tricky 28 in that you only get 5 of each skill and that you have to save 100%.
Cunning 19 – Who Turned the Gravity Off? – this level is another very good reason for me that adding a gimmick to a level adds a whole new level of strategy. Getting the lemmings down can be quite annoying.
Cunning 21 – Floater Frenzy – it was a good idea to make this Floater Frenzy the secret level. It is the hardest Floater Frenzy in my opinion
, and I haven’t even beaten it yet. There’s got to be some sort of strategy involved here. EDIT: Beaten.
Levels I haven’t solved yet: 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18
Genius (haven’t solved them all either)
Genius 1 – Emergency Rescue Procedure – a truly challenging level that is a very great way to begin the Genius rating.
Genius 4 – Diet Control – backrouted, based on other replays. See attached.
Genius 5 – Illusionary World – in my opinion, this level is harder than Panic Attack. Maybe because of how big the level is and the sequence in which you have to do it, as well as the one-way fields. I haven’t really solved it either, only saw the replay.
Genius 8 – Panic Attack – definitely one of the best levels, and it really does give you a Panic Attack!
It’s weird how I was able to solve a very hard level like this, but not most of the Cunning levels and Genius 5 and 6.
Genius 9 – Floater Frenzy – Gosh…this one was indeed evil. It’s an excellent way to relieve that thinking tension you had to go through in the past 88 levels (or 93 levels if you did the secret levels before this). When I first played the level and the gimmick kicked in, I laughed. I thought the level was going to imitate Danger 27 of LPDOS.
Genius 11 – Dungeon of Death – heh, this one’s really odd (in a good way). Even with just a very tiny percentage, you also have to use a couple of not-so-well-known tricks to make it through the dungeon. A very tough challenge indeed.
Genius 13 – Only a Lemming Away – now this level is really in line with challenging my thinking skills! I had a lot of fun with this level, timing the placement of skills of lemmings.
Genius 14 – Minimalistic Approach – the level has a unique solution, but I felt that it would have worked as a late Cunning level.
Genius 16 – Not Your Garden-Variety Lemming – a very cool use of the endless builder and basher gimmicks, although the level could have been better structured. I think there is a lot of potential in creating good levels with this gimmick.
Genius 21 – O RLY? – I’d say that I enjoyed this secret level the most. It has a nice challenge and a not-so-obvious route. My solution stayed the same no matter how many times you updated the level, though…
I’m not sure with you, but it seems that a couple of the Genius levels are hard, but not as hard as most of the Cunning levels.
Levels I haven’t solved yet: 5, 6, 19, 20
Overall, this has been a truly excellent and challenging pack. It’s very innovative and really changes how we normally play lemmings. I am very much looking forward to your bonus pack! Well done!
