Lemmings Challenges

[ccexplore]

Challenge for ONML:

Wild 20: save 100% using no more than 3 builders in under a minute

I would argue this is glitch-free, although it's conceivably debatable.

[LemSteven]

Here's another Tame challenge:

Complete all of tame (with 100%) using a total of 40 skills (I forget the exact number, but I'm sure it was either 39 or 40). &#A0;That is an average of 2 skills per level.  Several levels require only one skill, while a few require three or even four.

Many of these "fewest skills" solutions are fairly straightforward, but there are some that require you to plan ahead, and there are a couple that require a small degree of precision.

[ccexplore]

Complete all of tame (with 100%) using a total of 40 skills (I forget the exact number, but I'm sure it was either 39 or 40).

Looks like it's 40, at least that's the best I could do for now.  Here's an aggregate breakdown of how many levels requires how many skills:

1 skill:  5 levels
2 skills: 11 levels
3 skills: 3 levels
4 skills: 1 level

An exact breakdown of which levels require how many skills is available upon request.

[Conway]

Not exactly a challenge, but I've just noticed (and proven) that all Tame levels except level 20 can be passed using just one type of skill per level.

[LemSteven]

I was busy working with Crazy 20 tonight, and here's what I came up with:

Crazy 20: &#A0;Save 100% using 15 builders.

This might sound like a lot, but remember that the 100% restriction means you can't control the crowd. &#A0;You can't use miners or diggers to slow down or hold the crowd, so I doubt that it is possible to reduce this number. &#A0;Feel free to try and prove me wrong, though.

Alternatively, save 50% (the minimum) using only 8 builders.

Both of these are glitch-free, but they require some precision.

[ccexplore]

I was busy working with Crazy 20 tonight, and here's what I came up with:

Crazy 20: &#A0;Save 100% using 15 builders.

This might sound like a lot, but remember that the 100% restriction means you can't control the crowd. &#A0;You can't use miners or diggers to slow down or hold the crowd because most of the level is steel, so I doubt that it is possible to reduce this number. &#A0;Feel free to try and prove me wrong, though.

Hmm, what about Tricky 9 though?

Still, a glitch-free solution is always interesting even if not minimal.

I'd take a look later this week.

[Proxima]

What's the minimum builders thus far for Mayhem 25, incidentally? I thought it was nine, but then when I went back and looked at the level yesterday I found a stupidly obvious way to beat it with six. Can our resident experts do better?

I'd also like to know the minimum builders for a solution without floaters; is this nine?

[ccexplore]

Is this for 100% or merely to pass the level?  just checking.

[Proxima]

It wasn't meant to be 100%, but knowing you, you will find a way to get 100% with only nine builders (or maybe one, or none at all)...........  

[ccexplore]

Well, when floaters are allowed, I can get 97% (78/80) with 5 builders on the PC.    I don't see any way to get fewer builders at this point.

The 97% 5-builder solution is glitch-free so it should work on the Mac...why don't I check it out now and see.

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As for adding in no floaters and/or 100%, I think I'll leave that for another day.  (The main issue in particular with minimizing builders while keeping 100% is that the level gives rather few non-builder skills, and much of the level is steel.)

[ccexplore]

The 97% 5-builder solution is glitch-free so it should work on the Mac...why don't I check it out now and see.

I finally have achieved it on the Mac also.

However, in the process I discovered a game-mechanical difference between the Mac and PC.  It's a glitch-free trick (well, it's certainly well known) which works pretty well on the PC, but doesn't seem to work at all on the Mac.  Fortunately, for this level I don't need that trick, and I haven't yet used that trick for any of my PC challenge solutions thus far.

[Proxima]

Ooh, interesting! What is the trick? (You can e-mail if you don't want to reveal the secret here.) Really, it's only fair to let me know since, not having a PC version, I'm unlikely to be able to work it out for myself

[ccexplore]

I'd also like to know the minimum builders for a solution without floaters; is this nine?

Nope, I just pass the level with 7 builders.  That attempt on the PC was 91% (73/80), although there were 2 avoidable losses so the maximum for that method should be 93% (75/80).

It is a glitch-free solution in a very pure sense, so I'm quite sure it will work on the Mac.  I can verify that later.

[ccexplore]

Ooh, interesting! What is the trick? (You can e-mail if you don't want to reveal the secret here.) Really, it's only fair to let me know since, not having a PC version, I'm unlikely to be able to work it out for myself

Well, it's fairly well known, so I think it'd be okay to talk about it right here.

On the PC, if you mine pretty close to a blocker while facing the blocker, after mining one stroke or so, the blocker will generally turn the miner around.  Basically a miner's analog to the Mayhem 5 trick.

I couldn't get that to work on the Mac though, at least not on flat ground.  My guess would be that the blocker's "field of influence" doesn't extend as far downwards as it does on the PC.  Or maybe the blocker really can never have any effect on miners on the Mac version, though for unmentionable reasons I would find that very surprising.

But in the end I don't really need it on Mayhem 25.  My thought on using it was to setup the terrain so that it's easier to free the blocker later, but it turns out even without the trick, the blocker can still be freed.

[ccexplore]

Hmm, what about Tricky 9 though?

Never mind, I look at the level at the Lemmings Solution and find that they don't even give you any diggers or miners, so forget about Tricky 9.