When I discovered NeoLemmix I was very happy about all the little helpers like the one screen back/forward button etc. It helped focus the levels more about finding the solution and not about getting the solution to work, even with very precise levels.
Also Bridge-stretching has become very easy for experienced players who know this little trick............
and here comes my concern:I and probably most of the
experienced NeoLemmix users use streching as a natural. I saw it by playing myself and from namida's videos that nearly all of our bridges aren't clean stairs anymore and turned into *oh how should I call it
* little levels of single stairs (all bridges streched out).
This would not be a big deal, but
for new players it is unnatural to strech bridges (even "Livin' On The Edge" just requires building one bridge at the edge and not stretching) and it is a big thing to puzzle through for them the first time.
Furthermore it adds under NeoLemmix just
very little but still some more
mostly unnessesary precision and fiddeling. Some levels make a good combo trick with this technique, but
most of the levels just have it there adding this precision/fiddeling and (this is my main point) to prevent backroutes from their levels, or out of consistency!
Let me explain this:1.)
Some gaps that need for example
3 builders to get over, can also be conquered with
2 steched ones. ->
one spare builder to backrouteSolution: Design little-medium gaps which make no difference in bridges needed with streched/unstreched builders.
2.)
There is a
critical builder lenght (from
7 to 8 builders as I remember it from one of my levels) in which
streching will always spare a builder which can be used for backroutes, unless you make the streching nesserary to have enough builders for this gap! (steched pixels = lenght of 1 builder)
For my NeoLemmix port of Lemmings Reunion I changed one of the big gaps from 8 unstreched builders in Lemmini (nobody sane steches so many builders there) to 8 streched ones in NeoLemmix to prevent backroutes. This gap needs this many builders to create a long task to complete before the horde comes.
I also thought about a
solution for this one: foe example
3+3+2 builder gaps on which steching will make no difference.
Another
solution would be to make the
height of the bridge the main criteria to get over the gap, because this connot be streched and normal steching would make the height worse.
So what's my appeal here in this post for all of the level designers?
Do not use bridge-streching as part of the intended solution, unless the level uses a trick centered around it! But don't punish players who use it as natural (me included)!
Make gaps on which streching makes no difference, so it doesn't get punished, but it also doesn't get rewarded with a spare builder!This will lead to less precision and fiddeling on your levels and make it a bit easier for new players!I don't say change all of your packs to this non-rewarding method! I myself let the consistent streching requirement to prevent backroutes in my pack and current single levels, too!
I appeal to use this method in your future stuff!
Don't reward or punish it! Make it nessesary only where it actually contributes to the solution!
