Hi SQron188,
I solved this entire pack. My replays are attached. I also LPed the pack. Here's the link to it:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbp2m4KlFpJu8ulC_xvbZG7cTGkLLokCo. Enjoy!
General Remarks on the PackWow, this pack is a step up in both quality and difficulty from your Snack Pack for Old Formats. I played the latter from a while back, and I remember liking it a lot. In particular, the pack is far easier than some of the packs that I was going through at the time. That reminds me, one of these days I need to post my replays for the pack in the level pack topic. IIRC, Snack Pack is a small pack of levels all in the ONML tilesets and just utilizing the classic skills? It's been a while, so I don't remember
In contrast, your Assorted Gubbins pack utilizes a lot of custom tilesets, and a lot of the levels have great designs
It is also much harder than your first pack Snack Pack. However, I feel the Compilation rank is much harder than the Assorted Gubbins rank, the main part of the pack. I struggled with way more levels of the Compilation rank than I did with the Assorted Gubbins rank. In addition, I feel as if the difficulty of the Assorted Gubbins rank is reversed, where I felt the first half of the rank is harder than the second half, as I ended up breezing through the second half (the final 7 levels of the rank) far faster. At the same time, the pack has not received any updates/patches for backroutes since release, and based on my playthrough there seems to still be a lot of backroutes.
I've also noticed that a lot of the custom soundtracks are louder than usual as compared to some tracks. The custom music is great, by the way!
It's been a while since I've LPed any packs that completely uses custom soundtracks as opposed to the standard music rotation. While I'm certainly not opposed to the standard music, I do realize how very quickly they get boring, especially on really difficult levels where you'll often hear it on repeat several times.
Compilation Rank FeedbackThere were plenty of tough nuts in this rank, but there's a lot of favorites of mine in here!
The hardest levels for me were Compilation 15 -
Powerplant Faceplant and Compilation 16 -
Runnin' Through Castles. I do like how the latter starts coming together slowly piece by piece as I figured out more and more of the level, though.
I also found Compilation 5 -
Danger Ahead, Compilation 6 -
Sewer Crawl, Compilation 11 -
The Lapse Rate, and Compilation 12 -
Mr. Walker and His Factory difficult, although I didn't find them as hard as the final two levels of the rank. So, the last two levels of the Compilation rank are definitely worthy of the final two positions. 6 wasn't as bad as I thought it would.
To start off the pack, Compilation 1 -
CAUTION Open Pit isn't a very hard level, but it's not a complete walk in the park either despite only two skill types in the level, bombers and builders. At the same time, the leninent save requirement is what makes the level easy. Even then, the hard part is finding the most efficient route through the level while making sure you don't run out of builders.
My favorites were Compilation 2 -
Minifigure Multi Pack, Compilation 4 -
Blue Thermite, Compilation 5, Compilation 8 -
Desert Dream, Compilation 11, Compilation 12, Compilation 13 -
Forest Stroll, and Compilation 14 -
Overarmed and Undermined. The final one in this list is a level that Icho put in the Bonus rank of his Lemmings United pack, and so because I already know the solution, this one was a very fast solve. It's so awesome that you included this excellent collaboration level in your Assorted Gubbins pack
This was also the level that made me want to get into level designing myself. While that didn't come to fruition during the LDC #21 that was going on at the time, it finally happened with the following one, LDC #22, where the playing phase is almost done.
Compilation 12 is one of those levels that looks extremely daunting and overwhelming due to the huge tall size of the level, as well as how there's just so much on the screen, but in actuality isn't very hard. It is difficult, but it isn't as hard as it might suggest despite how there's so much in the level. That's really awesome how the diggers are the most prominent destructive digging skill, while there's only 2 bashers.
Compilation 2 - Using a stacker to extend the digger is clever, and it's also used in Compilation 16
Compilation 4 - I like how the stoner is used to fill in the remainder of the width so that you can platform the entire water pit at the bottom with just 1 platformer
Compilation 5 - I like how one of the two lemmings from the left entrance is delayed with a glider in the huge pit where they climbed over to give the other one enough time to set up the builders for a long miner.
Compilation 11 - I like how you need to send in another lemming while the first fencer tunnel is in progress so that he turns around and can make the splatform for the crowd. Also the trick of using a glider to get over the stack in order to isolate another lemming
Compilation 12 - I like the platforming over the one-way force field at the top and using a stacker underneath the bridge so that the lemmings can step up onto it later
I really like the designs of Compilation 2 (I generally like seeing levels in the Lego tileset), Compilation 7 -
Less Than Ten Pints (nice use of the Beast II of a level tileset), and Compilation 13 (the Outdoor tileset is a favorite of mine from L2).
Levels that I backrouted: Compilation 6 (minor one?) and Compilation 9 -
The Wall (I don't collect the stoner pickup).
Assorted Gubbins Rank FeedbackIn contrast, I felt the Assorted Gubbins rank is far easier than the Compilation rank. I also felt the first half of the rank is harder than the second half, as I ended up solving the second half really fast for the most part. So, it seems as if the difficulty was reversed, where you put the harder levels of the rank first and the easier levels next.
The only levels that were hard for me in the Assorted Gubbins rank were Assorted Gubbins 3 -
The Greyed-Out Fields, Assorted Gubbins 6 -
Orion Barricade, and Assorted Gubbins 7 -
Of Steamworks And Magick Obscura, with the final one being the hardest of the rank IMO. I thought the hardest part of 6 was getting the climber hatch down safely. I like what you did with the design in 6, though. The blue fire in the level is really interesting looking, and it's also the level that you previewed in the OP.
Assorted Gubbins 12 -
One-L and Assorted Gubbins 13 -
Morpheus Rooftops can also be difficult, although the former I was a dummy and kept using two of the skills incorrectly (glider and bomber), while in the latter it's another one of those levels that appears to be a difficult one but it's really not that hard. The latter can probably fit in the late Taxing difficulty. I do like how you did the skyscrapers in that level. It is difficult to tell what's steel and what's non-steel, but to be fair this is the first time I've played levels in this tileset. Really the only one where it's a problem is the middle one. It's interesting how you did the fire traps in the middle skyscraper.
Assorted Gubbins 14 -
gasp CAKE! can also be difficult, although it is certainly nowhere near the hardest of the rank or of the entire pack (I feel this goes to both Compilation 15 and 16). I generally like the levels in the Candy tileset, as they tend to be quite nice to look at.
I also thought Assorted Gubbins 1 -
Of Cords And Twines was going to be hard, but that's only because levels that give a lot of stackers generally tend to be difficult for me. You can pretty much say these levels are hard-for-kaywhyn levels
It wasn't that bad, and was far easier than I thought.
My favorites in the rank were Assorted Gubbins 2 -
Aztech - Long Forgotten and Assorted Gubbins 12.
Assorted Gubbins 2 - That's really clever with using a miner from below to chop off the builder staircase from above to allow the crowd to use the bottom right of the level
I don't think I've ever seen this used in any level. Also, normally you go through a OWW from the other side, but here you instead release the crowd from the side going the wrong way.
I really like the design of Assorted Gubbins 8 -
Another Day in the Corundum Mine, especially the huge blue crystals in the middle of the level
Levels that I backrouted: Assorted Gubbins 5 -
Purple Me This (I think?), Assorted Gubbins 6 (several skills leftover, so maybe?), and Assorted Gubbins 11 -
Skyward Fire (some skills leftover, so maybe a minor one?)
Overall, excellent job with this pack, and I especially enjoyed LPing the pack
It felt extremely satisfying figuring out the really hard levels, especially the ones from the Compilation rank
It may be slightly longer than Snack Pack, but it's not an easy pack at all. I definitely look forward to more content from you in the future if you're thinking of making more levels.
