Lemmings Forums Level Design Contest #10

[namida]

Alright, time for a new contest! We're going to be using the three-choices structure again.

Note that there is one change from the previous contest (and this change is going to apply to all future contests in this format too): While three options will be provided, a single user may only enter up to two of them (it is still perfectly acceptable to only enter one if you like; you just can't enter all three).

So - pick one or two of the following rules, design one level per chosen rule, and submit them. Remember that all levels will be voted on together, and there will only be one winner (not one winner per rule).

When submitting a level, be sure to state which rule you're submitting it for, especially if the level fits more than one of the rules. Also - just to clarify, if you're submitting two levels, it is entirely up to you whether they're for the same engine or for two different ones.

Rule 1 (Any engine)
Create a level that does not use any permanent skills, whether directly (ie: as part of the skillset) or indirectly (ie: pre-assigned to a lemming, or available as a pickup skill).
For reference, these skills are:
- Global skills: Climbers, Floaters
- NeoLemmix exclusive skills: Swimmers, Gliders, Disarmers
- Lix exclusive skills: Runners

Clarification: Blockers are allowed, whether it's possible to free them or not. Unless I've somehow missed another new permanent skill in Lix (I don't think I have though; I specifically checked the available skills in the editor), only the skills listed above are forbidden.

Rule 2 (Any engine)
Create a "Fun / early-Tricky / Tame" type level. The exact criteria are:
> No more than four entrances (in the case of NeoLemmix levels, pre-placed lemmings also count towards this limit)
> A skillset where at least six skills have 10 or more uses
> A save requirement of no more than 80% of the number of lemmings (rounded down), unless the level has three lemmings or less
> No time limit, or a time limit much higher than any reasonable solution to the level would take
> Possible to save every lemming
> The level should not be harder than Tricky 13 of Orig *

* This only applies to completing the level. There is no requirement as to how easy or hard it is to save 100%, apart from that it must be possible. And I realise this is very subjective; I'll be fairly lenient on it, but if it's clearly far too hard to be considered a "Fun / early-Tricky / Tame" type, it does not meet the criteria for this rule. Basically - don't aim to create the hardest level you can while staying within the rules here; try to create a level that's easy and fun to play.

Clarification: The skillset requirement is just how many skills the level gives you. It is not nessecary that all of them are required in the solution (indeed, that would very much make it not a Fun / Tricky / Tame type level if they were).

Rule 3 (NeoLemmix only)
Create a level that contains at least two of the following object types / sets of object types:
> One-way down arrows
> One-way left fields and/or one-way right fields
> Teleporters AND receivers
> Locked exits AND unlock buttons
> Radiation and/or slowfreeze
> Splitters
> Splatpads and/or antisplat pads and/or updrafts
> Single-use traps

Some in-depth clarifications for this (click to show/hide)

- If a set says "AND", then both object types together count as one. For example, a teleporter alone does not count; a teleporter and a receiver together count as one object type.
- If a set says "and/or", then any one of them alone is enough, but the other ones on the same line won't count as a second object type. For example, a splatpad alone can count as one type, but a splatpad and an antisplat pad in the same level don't count as two types.
- Fake objects, whether explicit (by setting them to fake) or implicit (for example, by having a teleporter and a receiver, but setting their S values such that the teleporter can't actually be used), do not count.
- Other NeoLemmix-exclusive object types do not count; only the ones explicitly listed do.
- The object does not nessecerially have to be involved in the solution, although it's probably best if it's either involved in the solution or exists to distract the player from the solution.

Please ask if you're still not clear on what's being said here.

The deadline for entries will be the 26th of May 15:37 on the 27th of May 13:55 on the 30th of May 21:17 on the 1st of June, subject to the usual extension rule.

If you win, your choices for prizes are:
- $5.00 USD
- A month advertising on the forum's news ticker for a project you're involved with (Lemmings-related or not)
- Your choice for the next contest's rules

If we reach 16 entries, I will offer two prizes for this contest. The selection will remain as above and the "each prize can only be picked once" rule will be in effect, but 2nd place (or 3rd place, if the same person gets both 1st and 2nd) will also get to pick one.


Entries so far: 21

Apjjm (1)
BulletRide (2)
Colorful Arty (2)
Dullstar (2)
Flopsy (2)
geoo (1)
Gronkling (2)
IchoTolot (2)
Minim (2)
mobius (1)
Nepster (1)
Proxima (2)
Simon (1)

[Gronkling]

"A skillset where at least six skills have 10 or more uses"

Could you describe what you mean by this? Does it mean the level forces you to use 6 different skills at least 10 times, meaning a minimum of 60 assignments? That's a lot more than would be in a fun level so I'm probably misinterpreting it.

[namida]

"A skillset where at least six skills have 10 or more uses"

Could you describe what you mean by this? Does it mean the level forces you to use 6 different skills at least 10 times, meaning a minimum of 60 assignments? That's a lot more than would be in a fun level so I'm probably misinterpreting it.

It means the skillset must provide those skills. They don't have to be required for the solution.

A 20 of everything skillset (or any X-of-everything, where X is at least 10) would meet this rule, for example (as long as there's at least 6 different skills in the skillset).

[Colorful Arty]

Regarding Rule 1, if in a given level a lemming is assigned a blocker with no way of "unblocking" him, would that count as a permanent skill?

[Wafflem]

I think I see a loophole in the "submit only two levels per rule" rule:

What if, say, a person creates a level that contains two rules in one, and a second level that contains the third rule? For example, the first level uses both Rule 2 and 3 (e.g. a 20-of-everything level that has unlock/locked exit buttons and one-way fields), while the second level uses Rule 1.

[IchoTolot]

I think I see a loophole in the "submit only two levels per rule" rule:

What if, say, a person creates a level that contains two rules in one, and a second level that contains the third rule? For example, the first level uses both Rule 2 and 3 (e.g. a 20-of-everything level that has unlock/locked exit buttons and one-way fields), while the second level uses Rule 1.

Let's simply say: Maximum of 2 levels to submit then

[Flopsy]

Regarding Rule 1, if in a given level a lemming is assigned a blocker with no way of "unblocking" him, would that count as a permanent skill?

A Blocker is not classed as a permanent skill because it is possible for a Blocker to not be a Blocker afterwards whereas you cannot make a Climber lemming a non Climber lemming ever for example.

Even though you say it is not possible in your case to free the Blocker, it is still not classed as a permanent skill in this case.

[Colorful Arty]

Can custom tilesets be used, or should we stick to the ones that come with NeoLemmix?

[namida]

Can custom tilesets be used, or should we stick to the ones that come with NeoLemmix?

You are more than welcome to use custom tilesets (including, but not limited to, modified versions of the default ones).

However, unless your custom tileset is one that can be auto-downloaded by NeoLemmix, please make sure to include a copy of it (or a link to where it can be downloaded) with your submission.

What if, say, a person creates a level that contains two rules in one, and a second level that contains the third rule? For example, the first level uses both Rule 2 and 3 (e.g. a 20-of-everything level that has unlock/locked exit buttons and one-way fields), while the second level uses Rule 1.

Doing so still wouldn't allow the user to exceed the maximum number of submissions, so it's not really a loophole.

[Minim]

"A skillset where at least six skills have 10 or more uses"

Could you describe what you mean by this? Does it mean the level forces you to use 6 different skills at least 10 times, meaning a minimum of 60 assignments? That's a lot more than would be in a fun level so I'm probably misinterpreting it.

It means the skillset must provide those skills. They don't have to be required for the solution.

A 20 of everything skillset (or any X-of-everything, where X is at least 10) would meet this rule, for example (as long as there's at least 6 different skills in the skillset).

Referring to the one of the rules in the opening post, a slightly better way to word it would be ">The supply of at least six skills should be 10 or more" rather than "> A skillset where at least six skills have 10 or more uses" because my initial thought was exactly the same as that of Gronkling's. Thanks, namida. No more scratching heads then.

[Colorful Arty]

If we submit a level for Rule 2 that is deemed "too hard" to qualify, are we allowed to submit a different level for that rule, or have we wasted our opportunity?

[Proxima]

You can resubmit a modified version of the same level or a different level. This is stated in the general contest rules (1f) which apply to all contests.

[Colorful Arty]

Thanks! I have a level teetering on the edge of being harder than Tricky 13. The execution is easier, but it is more puzzling.

[namida]

If we submit a level for Rule 2 that is deemed "too hard" to qualify, are we allowed to submit a different level for that rule, or have we wasted our opportunity?

As Proxima said - if your level doesn't qualify, you're allowed to submit a modified (or different) level. You could also, if it qualifies, submit the level under a different rule. Pretty much, you could think of it as if an entry that doesn't qualify is treated as if it was never submitted. And like I said, I'll be fairly lenient on this rule, as long as it's clearly not a really hard level that just happens to have a generous skillset (if you've played Lemmings Plus II, Cunning 12 would be an example of the kind of level that most certianly doesn't qualify, even though (apart from the save requirement) it meets all the other criteria).

By extension this would also mean that, if you submitted a level that doesn't qualify, then re-submitted a fixed version within the last 72 hours before the deadline, it would cause the deadline to extend.

[Minim]

As you can see in the OP I submitted both of my levels to the Contest. However, I discovered a bug whilst playing one of my two levels. When a Glider falls down a 1-pixel wide pit they apparently glide through floors that are three pixels or less (And in my case, as it's the bottom floor they fall to their death ). I've remedied this by stretching the walls out a bit. Still worth mentioning though.