Ok I'm trying my best to keep up here, sorry for the delay in replying.
With regards to Training Zone Alpha/Omega, which would be recommended to keep? Or are we keeping both with Alpha as Crane suggested (100% and 10 of everything).
Similarly with Rounds and Swingabouts, I assume we are using the version which Crane posted as (Crane fix) and that will keep it where it currently is in Picnic?
I found "The Final Countdown" frustratingly difficult, it's just the kind of level where the most useful skills, you are always one skills short. No matter what plan I came up with, there was always a skill shortage somewhere. I did give it a good try but sadly I couldn't do it.
I'm with Proxima, we should keep away from the latter ranks for now, it's hard enough keeping track of 2 ranks without considering the whole pack.
I'm sorry if I'm very slow to reply and not saying much helpful stuff, feels like I'm really falling behind.
I'm purely acting as an adjudicator at this point because I don't feel like much help since I can't solve much past the 2nd and 3rd rank in this pack.
Would you like me to come up with a proposal for re-ordering the levels and post it here in the topic, based on all of the feedback by myself, Proxima and WillLem? I will obviously only do the first 2 ranks for now. Then at least we can work from there.
EDIT: This is all of the feedback I have collected which hints at movement or complete removal
PROXIMA
6. Play Bridge - WTF. Sure, it concentrates on builders, but this is NOT a builder tutorial level, it's about trapping
the crowd and it's not easy (especially with the tight save requirement). Move later.
11. Through Fire and Flames - Same level as in old version. I picked this out as one of the easiest levels, so this is a
good place for it. Fire pits need some decorative terrain as the gaps (due to the object's reduction in size) look odd.
13. It's a long, long way to fall! - This is "The Chopping Block" given the name of its repeat. Given how easy the early
levels of the new pack are, it feels less out of place, but it can definitely go if there's a better level to include.
If kept, rename to "Crystal Clear" (the name I gave it in GemLems).
17. Let's get to the bottom of this! - This is "Somewhere Under the Rainbow". I don't know why the title was changed
(because Nortaneous has a Lix level with the same title?) It belongs later (assuming a backroute-fixed version will be
used); getting down and building a landing platform is tougher than anything the player has had to do yet. I just noticed
that the terrain on the lower-left looks like it's covered by the water but isn't; I'll fix this.
2. Lemming in a Cone - Good level, but way too hard for 2-02. The correct route is not easy to spot without experience,
and builders need to be placed precisely. Maybe belongs later in rank 2, maybe higher.
3. Kung-Fu Bashing - This is all about the trick near the beginning; the rest is easy once that is done correctly. But
the trick makes this inappropriate for such an early placement.
4. Bat Country - The compilers really struggled with "What is a good early rank 2 level?", huh. Tight resources and
misdirection as to the correct route... it's a good level for later, but not here.
15. A step too far? - I think this is meant to be a tutorial on the digger-basher staircase, but as Flopsy pointed out,
it can be solved just by building up the side. Also, I don't think tutorials on tricks are appropriate for this pack,
which is meant to be a selection of the best of the community's work. (The Lix equivalent has cubers instead of blockers;
we could remove the blockers to prevent the up-the-side solution.)
17. The endless steps - Since this got repurposed as a miner tutorial (1-07), I would suggest removing the bomber version.
As Flopsy said, this is much easier with untimed bombers, but we don't want two versions of the level in the same rank.
18. Out on a Lem - This is very easy. Could be moved down to rank 1.
19. The Quiet Place - Nice minimalist puzzle. Pretty easy to spot the solution because there is not much available to
try; could fill one of the early slots in the rank if 2-02 to 2-05 move up.
22. A Long, Long Way to Fall - Remove "part 2" from the title. Tutorial on one miner releasing another. I don't like this.
(Could we maybe include this level's repeat from the Lix set, "Close to the Edge", in the pack? It dates from after RotL,
but it would allow this level's terrain to be used, since I am suggesting removing both existing repeats.)
24. Works on so many levels... - Neat study in the interplay between diggers and builders. Could be earlier in the rank
as it's fairly easy to solve. I would not increase the save requirement, as it's good that there is leeway to take
alternative routes or in case some lemmings slip by.
27. Crossing Paths - Great concept but it is not easy to spot the right places to bash and build. Move this one up.
28. Altitude Training - Nice use of multiple workers and making the player think about the limitations of having miners
but no bashers. It could come a bit earlier in the rank but I wouldn't move it down to rank 1.
WILLLEM
Level 7 Ups and Downs: Possibly a bit too difficult for the first rank as it requires keeping track of several miners at once across a large landscape. A good level though.