Hi Duuddu,
I have solved all of the pack, so here are my replays. Also, I did an LP of the pack:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbp2m4KlFpJtqh8xRVPUf5sfNRt6v8pgm. Enjoy!
General FeedbackUnusual Lemmings is the newest level pack by Duuddu and follows the exact same format as his two previous level packs Surge Lemmings and Godlems: 3 ranks called Easy, Normal, and Hard, with 5 levels each. If any of his previous work is any indication, the Easy rank certainly is more misnamed with every subsequent pack. I found them to be anything but easy except for Easy 1.
Other than Hard 1, the Normal rank actually took me the longest due to Normal 1, Normal 2, and Normal 4. These 3 pretty much all use a similar concept so that by the time you get to Hard 1 IMHO this was overdone to death. As I recall, this isn't a very well-liked trick due to how very fiddly and the extreme precision needed to pull it off. So, my advice would be to avoid making levels requiring this in future packs, especially since this has already been done with Surge Lemmings with Hard 1, and Icho and I called it out for the precision harming the level. There are definitely far better level ideas than that!
The fiddly trick I'm calling out is making turnaround points with just builders and diggers and rescuing blockers who have seemingly no way to turn back around again later. These were really overdone to death in this pack, and I don't recall levels in any packs requiring them other than Duuddu's packs. Hence my suggestion to avoid making levels requiring them in the future
Even then, I would still give this pack a go, after Duuddu takes onboard the feedback and suggestions to make any necessary updates to fix backroutes and possibly also to reduce the precision on some levels, such as the ones mentioned.
Easy Rank FeedbackSupposedly the easiest rank due to being the first rank, this still isn't a complete pushover, as has been the case of the Easy ranks in Duuddu's previous level packs as well. Easy 1, along with Normal 3, were pretty much the quickest solves of the pack. Easy 2 took me the longest and definitely far longer than it should had. I would consider this one a bit too hard for its position. Yes, it might be a 1-of-everything and really short, but figuring out the solution is still challenging.
For example, I fell for thinking the builder was used to turn around the climber to mine through the OWW for a really long time. It was very hard to see that the digger/basher is used to hit steel to turn around and the builder to turn the miner back around after freeing the blocker. It's not easy to see that you need to be a bit away from the OWW in order to be able to use the builder to turn around. Still a nice level, but yea it's challenging!
The rest of the levels in the rank weren't too bad, although the next hardest for me was Easy 4. Despite being a builders only level, it's quite hard despite being allowed 2 losses. There's 8 builders, and they're all required to get up to the wall where the exit is. So, it's a matter of fiddling with the RR until you get the solution to work, and this took a lot of tweaking before it worked!
For Easy 3, not as hard as the previous level, but this can still be challenging.
Easy 3 - Issue With Pickups I was somewhat of a dummy here and kept thinking the swimmer needed to be the one to get the pickup, when in fact a platformer and builder are enough to get past the trap via a jumper. Then a simple platformer to allow the glider to come on back.
Finally, Easy 5 is very obvious what needs to be done, but if you're not aware of the idea required then it can be a roadblock.
Have the 99RR crowd sync up with the basher when he finishes getting through so that no one turns around.
As mentioned, other than Hard 1, this rank took me the longest to complete due to Normal 1, Normal 2, and Normal 4. Still some decent puzzles here!
Normal 1 -
We can all help each other Took me far longer than it should had. I really like how all the teleporters lead to a trap and that there's one more "trap" than you're required losses and hence you need to overcome one of them. Took me a while to see that the builder needs to be used to get past the ketchup wheel instead of the first teleporter to avoid that extra loss. Also took a while to figure out how to get everyone to sync up properly and with how to deal with the releasing of everyone after bashing through the wall. The correct RR took a while to figure out.
Normal 2 -
Building Gap It's all about spamming builders to keep everyone safe, most notably the top entrance, while making builder walls and turnaround points with as little skills as possible. Figuring out how to get the top entrance down safely was the hardest. I can see this one not being to people's liking as a result of the spamming and the fiddliness of the solution.
Normal 3 -
The NOT Boiler Room Essentially the reverse edition of Mayhem 2, where the exit and entrance swap places. I don't know if Colorful Arty's skillset is the same as this one, I'll have to check. The quickest solve in the entire pack along with Easy 1.
Normal 4 -
How to Build and Dig (Tutorial) The most frustrating part was figuring out how to make the turnaround point on the far bottom right while not using that many skills. This took a while before I was successful and still had enough builders to get back up to the exit. I was able to avoid having any lemmings get past the builder wall by digging away the staircase and then releasing everyone by patching it up again in the end.
Normal 5 -
Just Bash! Only 1 bash at it!
Shouldn't take too long to get solved even if you didn't place the basher correctly in the first attempts.
Hard Rank FeedbackHard 1 is the hardest level of the rank, not unlike the other Hard 1's from Duuddu's other level packs. The extreme precision is what really harms Hard 1 here as well, to the point that I raged at the level during the time I solved the level off-camera.
My advice would be to just avoid making levels that require this in the future. As far as I understand, the trick needed isn't very well-liked, and I haven't seen any other custom levels require it other than Duuddu's packs. The thing I find very confusing is if you been told by both Icho and me that the trick isn't well-liked and the resulting frustration in our experience of solving the Hard 1's, then why keep making levels like them
Hard 1 -
Cidade de Deus The most frustrating was figuring out how to rescue both the blocker and the one who frees him in the starting area while not using too many builders. This took a really long time before I finally got it to work. Similar to what Icho criticized about Hard 1 in Surge Lemmings, I will echo that in that the precision really harms this level. I'm sorry, but this was not to my liking at all. It was also hard to figure out the exit area with saving the blocker too, but luckily it's just a simple miner/builder combo so that you just need a builder to turn the freed blocker back around, with a miner if necessary. However, it took me a while to figure out as well.
Hard 2 -
Unusual Lemmings The only other hard level of the rank, but this one was a bit fun to figure out. I really love the builder and then stacking to climb and jump back the other way to get on top of the builder staircase to make the splatform in the exit area, and then making the splatform again in the area before that. The only part I criticize is the timing of the release of the climbers to make it up on time before they get blocked by the staircase. I would advise to reduce the precision with that too, like maybe providing a miner instead of a basher. I think it might even eliminate the need for any timing whatsoever.
Hard 3 -
No Dig Down Town Should be a backroute, sorry Duuddu
Hard 4 -
The Lemmings are FREAKING OUT! The only hard part was the final area of the level, and I suspect it might be possible with just one builder, but I would still leave the extra builders in so as to eliminate the frustration in case the timing doesn't work out.
Hard 5 -
Save the Best for Last Great level to finish off the pack, even if it's not anywhere near the hardest. The solution is obvious for the most part, you just need to figure out when to start assigning skills so as to get them to sync up to go through the traps to allow one through and finally allow the lucky one to collect the pickups so that you can get the lemming at the very top to exit. Nicely done here!
As usual, it may be a short pack but don't expect it to be a quick solve, if any of Duuddu's packs is any indication to go by. Even then, I would still give this pack a go, especially after a patch is released to fix backroutes and maybe to reduce precision on the levels I mentioned or possibly replace if they feel needed.
Thanks for the pack Duuddu! Don't take my rage at Hard 1 personally, those are really my honest feelings on the level, as I be lying if I said it didn't make me rage. You have great level ideas, but the one needed on Hard 1 and in the previous Hard 1 in Surge Lemmings isn't one of them. There's far better level ideas than that
