Ok, V8 solved and here is some feedback regardless of not confirming to any one of the rules:
This has to be the intended solution as there's nothing else left that you even can do and here begin the problems on why I think V7 was the way superior version:
- The entropy of the level is extremely low. If you don't assign a skill on a designated spot you will be roasted, so the solution is served to you on a silver plate and it makes the level extremely easy.
This leads to the next problem:
- Getting roasted if you do nearly anything is not very fun to play. Lemmings and Lix I would say is also for a bigger part trying out different approaches even if they fail. Here you get immidiatly roasted and that really sucks out the fun of trying out different things.
- The level feels cramped together. Miniatures in general have this problem, but here it is more severe. Everything is in such a tight space covered in fire that is not really that good looking and you've got no room to do anything (related to the problems before).
- The looks of the level went from beautiful to meh. In the V7 version we had a nice looking landscape with water and plants, now we've got a tiny cramped together structure with tons of fire on it.
The most important point:- The backroutes were often similar to the intended way I must say and I think getting the crowd contained in general made the level interesting and was the heart of the level (not the exact intended way). The different ways you could approach and accomplish the problem made this a good level. Now you can't do anything and it feels empty and boring.
Scrap the exact intended way and keep the alternatives! This is a case where the intended way holds back the level big time and only causes horrible overfixing, minimising of entropy and a cramped together design, while trowing away the approach and fun side of the level with the alternatives.
That's why I think V7 was by far the superior version and I would keep that a million times over V8.
