Ron Stard's Rodents

[Ron_Stard]

Pack updated! Some backroutes fixed, and much more!

Changelog
2020/05/30 - Second version of the pack - 1.0.1
-Terrain changes in levels 2, 6, 7, 9 and 10 of Amusing rank
-Number of lemmings increased in level 10 of Amusing rank (from 20 to 24)
-Skillset changes in level 10 of Amusing rank
2020/05/23 - Initial release - 1.0.0

[kaywhyn]

Attached are all my replays for the pack. For the most part, these were super quick to solve, although some levels were a bit tougher than others. In particular, Amusing 6 - Marooned and to an extent Amusing 7 - The Freedom Man were the trickiest for me. However, I don't know if you intended for the lemmings to not get zapped when they land near the trigger area of the trap. Also, that's where there's a discrepancy between the Superlemmini version of the level and the NL version. In the former, they get zapped just before falling from the hole at the top, while in the latter they don't and so it's easy to avoid the trap thereafter with a digger. Other than that, the only one I'm not sure is intended is Amusing 9 - Honi Soit.

As I have mentioned in the Superlemmini thread, this is decent for a first pack. I, for one, love time limits. Both 7 and 8 time limits are the tightest, both being 1 minute levels and always leaving only a second left in the solution. Most of these levels are a bit more difficult in Superlemmini due to the lack of skill shadows, but I was able to solve the pack in both engines. I would consider the levels a huge relief from all the brutal United levels I've been playing the last several months.

Overall, nice job with the pack. Looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.

[ericderkovits]

Awesome, Thanks Kaywhyn, Now I can add this to my NL list for a pack I have replays for. I know Willlem gave up on some of these levels in his LP Playback so that's why I couldn't get the entire replays for Ron Stards Rodents. And as Far as Superlemmini's version I don't have it downloaded yet but I will. Hopefully the solutions are very similiar.

[kaywhyn]

You're welcome, eric. I remember you saying you didn't have all the replays for this pack, so I decided to fill that niche for you. Check the levels for other engines for my Superlemmini replays for the pack as well

[Ron_Stard]

Attached are all my replays for the pack. For the most part, these were super quick to solve, although some levels were a bit tougher than others. In particular, Amusing 6 - Marooned and to an extent Amusing 7 - The Freedom Man were the trickiest for me. However, I don't know if you intended for the lemmings to not get zapped when they land near the trigger area of the trap. Also, that's where there's a discrepancy between the Superlemmini version of the level and the NL version. In the former, they get zapped just before falling from the hole at the top, while in the latter they don't and so it's easy to avoid the trap thereafter with a digger. Other than that, the only one I'm not sure is intended is Amusing 9 - Honi Soit.

As I have mentioned in the Superlemmini thread, this is decent for a first pack. I, for one, love time limits. Both 7 and 8 time limits are the tightest, both being 1 minute levels and always leaving only a second left in the solution. Most of these levels are a bit more difficult in Superlemmini due to the lack of skill shadows, but I was able to solve the pack in both engines. I would consider the levels a huge relief from all the brutal United levels I've been playing the last several months.

Overall, nice job with the pack. Looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.

Attached are all my replays for the pack. For the most part, these were super quick to solve, although some levels were a bit tougher than others. In particular, Amusing 6 - Marooned and to an extent Amusing 7 - The Freedom Man were the trickiest for me. However, I don't know if you intended for the lemmings to not get zapped when they land near the trigger area of the trap. Also, that's where there's a discrepancy between the Superlemmini version of the level and the NL version. In the former, they get zapped just before falling from the hole at the top, while in the latter they don't and so it's easy to avoid the trap thereafter with a digger. Other than that, the only one I'm not sure is intended is Amusing 9 - Honi Soit.

As I have mentioned in the Superlemmini thread, this is decent for a first pack. I, for one, love time limits. Both 7 and 8 time limits are the tightest, both being 1 minute levels and always leaving only a second left in the solution. Most of these levels are a bit more difficult in Superlemmini due to the lack of skill shadows, but I was able to solve the pack in both engines. I would consider the levels a huge relief from all the brutal United levels I've been playing the last several months.

Overall, nice job with the pack. Looking forward to seeing more from you in the future.

Thank you for your feedback, it means a lot to me.

Now, about your solutions:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

1. Asphodel Meadows
At last one solution that allows 100% without pause! Not even myself had figured it out how to do it! Congratulations!

2. Toys in the Arctic
One of the solutions I have planned. Nothing to object.

3. Trekking foray
A valid solution. Not the one I planned, but a plausible one. Nothing to object, since the key is basically the same. With my solution, you can save the majority of the lemmings quickly if you explode the second climber.

4. Christmas at Damocles', 5. No time for a spa and 6. Marooned
The solutions are the expected ones. The one in level 5 is more enjoyable without the skill shadow (well, every solution in the pack is more enjoyable without it! )

7. The Freedom Man
Your solution is a backroute, and it's a pity (for me, as the designer, not for you). I really love this level and the intended solution, but the tiny trigger area of the trap ruins the solution. And if I fix it, it would ruin the scenario. That's one of the few things I really hate on NeoLemmix (which otherwise is a great engine, of course).

8. Workers of the World
Solution as expected, and precision required also as expected, like it or not

9. Honi Soit
Your solution is a backroute. Shame on me again. But this one, I really didn't see it coming. It's the most original of all the backroutes that plagued this level in the past (and still plagues it in the present).

10. End of quarantine
A partial backroute that, again, didn't see it coming. I'm very confused with the splat height in NeoLemmix.

Perhaps someday soon I'll attach in the main post what I consider the official solutions. I can pass it to you, if you want them.

[Ron_Stard]

Here are the "official" solutions. Or maybe I should say, the solutions I had in mind when I designed the levels. It's a pity they are plague-ridden with backroutes

Enjoy them!

[kaywhyn]

Oops, quoted my post twice, didn't you? Are you still going to fix the two levels up? Or are you just going to let them be? As I mentioned before, this is a decent first pack. Regarding level designing and eliminating backroutes, this is where playing multiple packs by various authors really helps in getting ideas for levels and learning some tricks that you probably want to incorporate in the levels you make or even help you learn how to block out backroutes from usage of the trick(s). The idea here is that "experience is the best teacher." The more you do something, the better you're get at it. Just don't feel too bad about the first pack not being as well as you wanted. The best you can do is simply learn from the feedback given, particular on things that can be improved. Heck, I'm not even sure if I can do a pack that is about the quality of this or even better. I have yet to make any levels, as I'm mostly a level solver, but after playing through the Bonus rank of United, many of the levels in there are really inspiring and motivating me to give it a try. I have said over and over that I'm no good when it comes to level designing, but the thing is I won't know if I truly am bad at it unless I try.

As usual, I'm still looking forward to future content from you. I'm quite positive that whatever you release next will be many times better than your attempts at a first pack.

[kaywhyn]

Ok, I watched your replays for Amusing 7, 9, and 10. Indeed, I can't believe that route escaped me for 7. In this case, I say the easiest thing to do is to simply move the trap so that the trigger area prevents any of them from being able to fall onto the piece of terrain where the trap is, just like in Superlemmini. For 9, the easiest fix would probably be to move the steel pieces where the top right entrance is up more so that one cannot build up to it anymore like I did with the given builders. A similar fix can apply to 10: Move up the steel blocks on each side so that lemmings will splat if they hit their head on the first builder brick and fall back down.

In regards to determining when climbers splat, I believe it's determined where the lemmings' feet is when they're turned around after hitting their head, not where the head is. I'm not quite certain, as I'm still a bit confused about the splat ruler myself.

edit: Ok, the easiest way for me to test when climbers splat was I used Havoc 7 - Creature Discomforts. On the right side, assign a climber to climb up the wall on the right and then a bomber when he's just about level with the grey block to his left. Send another climber up to build in such a way so that when you send another climber up it will hit his head and fall back down. It turns out that splatting for climbers is determined in exactly the same way as walkers who become fallers: Determined by the position of the lemming's foot and whether they fall within the red area at the bottom of the splat ruler. In order to be non-fatal, the lemming's foot needs to be below the top of the first color area below the yellow-orange part of the splat ruler, which means the fall will be safe. However, if the foot is inside the purple color area, the fall will be fatal. This therefore explains why climbers can go a little higher and don't splat as a result than walkers. Easiest way to get the one pixel difference is to use the skill shadow of the bomber on the wall on that level.

edit 2: I attached the two replays, one where a climber doesn't splat and another video where the climber splats even though I bombed the lemming 1 pixel higher (press N and you will see the skill shadow move up a pixel). In any case, I think what I said regarding a fix for 10 still applies, just move the steel blocks up about 3 or 4 pixels.