[✓][BUG][ED] Decrease minimum time limit

[chroda]

I've created - as a training exercise - a small elementary level which resolves perfectly in exactly 9.00 s (0:09. 00), with a Spawn Rate locked at 99, a Time Limit legitimately set at 9 s and 6 lemmings out of 6 saved successfully.

When I validate this level created in SLXEditor 2.8.8 (File/Validate Level), I get the following message: "Not enough time: Only 9seconds available".
If I set the Time Limit to 10 s, when I validate this level, I get the following message: "No issues found".

There seems to be a minimum duration (10 s) for the Time Limit below which you can't go without getting the error message indicated, although the level has been successfully solved.

Is this by design? If so, why? Or is it a bug?

[WillLem]

Pretty sure this one is by design; it was probably decided at some point that the Editor should have a minimum value, and that value should be 10 seconds.

What may be more appropriate is that there is some non-zero value for the time limit, be it infinite time or at least 1 second.

I'll get this sorted for the next update.

[Simon]

I don't remember a specific reason. (But I don't know all NL design history by heart either.)

Pre-placed lemmings will already start walking before the hatch opens. You can build a meaningful level with a 2-second time limit.

It's harder to make a 1-second level because lemmings take 9-10 physics updates to exit, and they'll score only at the end of exiting. But it's theoretically possible to have meaningful play in the remaining 7-8 updates. If you allow 2 seconds, you should allow 1 second.

-- Simon

[namida]

I remember making a (non-trivial) one-second level as a proof of concept once. It's probably still floating around in the older posts somewhere.

The minimum setting should either be one or zero (in the latter case, with zero being interpreted as "no time limit"). This is not a situation where you have to choose some arbitrary limit (unlike, say, maximum level size where there isn't - within reason - any specific exact cutoff point where it won't work beyond), there is a clear logical line here - we can't meaningfully have negatives, and we can't have literal zero (but can have infinite, and could treat zero as a shorthand for that). Thus, minimum of either 0 or 1. Whereas for upper limit, there's the consideration of "what actually fits on the in-game display" as a good reason for 99:59 being the maximum finite value.

[chroda]

OK! Thanks to all for your informations, comments and clarifications.
For me, this was more of a need-to-know question than a disturbing problem.

[WillLem]

Thanks to all for your informations, comments and clarifications.

No problem at all. Thank you for reporting the issues, this helps us to refine and maintain the program to be as usable as possible!

EDIT: And, minimum time limit set to 1 second in commit ce35e7b.