Levels by Crane

[Crane]

I probably should do, yeah.  I didn't think I had enough levels this year to justify it - sorry for flooding the board!

[kaywhyn]

I probably should do, yeah.  I didn't think I had enough levels this year to justify it - sorry for flooding the board!

No worries! I've went ahead and done that now. Looks much better and tidier now! Feel free to edit the topic title in the OP by the way, this is just merely a suggestion

[JawaJuice]

This seems like a good idea, cheers @kaywhyn!

@Crane I'll have a look at your latest Sphinx. I'm happy to playtest your levels, but as we saw with The Oubliette, it may reach the point where I can no longer backroute a level but neither can I find your intended solution. That's when someone else needs to pick up the baton!

Out of interest, do authors generally not accept alternative solutions they hadn't thought of, or does that depend on the author? By alternative solutions, I mean ones that are technically backroutes but don't seem that backroute-y.

Where can I find this Level Design Contest topic? I don't see it pinned in either the Levels or the In Development sub-forums. I'd like to contribute with playtesting there as well, if I can.

[JawaJuice]

You're not going to like this, @Crane, but your latest Sphinx fix was easy to circumvent I'm afraid

Spoiler

It was just a case of starting the second miner a bit further on to finish the bridge across the gap higher up and still be able to bash through to a survivable height.

[kaywhyn]

Where can I find this Level Design Contest topic? I don't see it pinned in either the Levels or the In Development sub-forums. I'd like to contribute with playtesting there as well, if I can.

You can find it on the Contest board here: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?board=16.0. The current one is LDC #33 Discussion Topic. At the same time, you could also just play the compilation pack Armani put together:

https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6138.0

He updates it after the end of each contest, and so the LDC #33 levels will be included after both the playing phase and voting ends whenever he gets around to it.

[Crane]

You're not going to like this, @Crane, but your latest Sphinx fix was easy to circumvent I'm afraid

Spoiler

It was just a case of starting the second miner a bit further on to finish the bridge across the gap higher up and still be able to bash through to a survivable height.

I knew I was being too clever.  Should have just increased the overhang all the way!

[JawaJuice]

Yeah, that fixed the backroute, but sadly this is now another level I can't do. I came up with a solution using the two floaters but it only saves 98, not 99.

[JawaJuice]

I tell a lie... 

Spoiler

Uses your favourite basher/blocker trick again to turn around the climber. Near enough this time?

[JawaJuice]

Outside the box...

[Crane]

Outside the box is close enough - well done.

I was afraid you'd find something like that for The Sphinx' Riddle - there is another backroute I know of that uses a Basher/Blocker cancellation trick and it's pretty much impossible to patch, and this one is the same in that I can't patch it without fundamentally changing the solution.  It's kind of one of those tricks that I really wish wasn't in the game because it doesn't make logical sense to me... i.e. you bash, you remove terrain that undermines the blocker, but the blocker turns you around anyway (I feel like either the terrain doesn't get removed, or rather, it's removed behind the basher, or the terrain is removed and the Blocker falls, but the Basher continues going).  Oh well, can't win them all!

[JawaJuice]

Cheers! Outside the Box Part 2 has me completely stumped for the moment though! Obviously you're a builder down from Part 1, but I can't figure out how to use the extra basher to my advantage. If the idea was to make Part 2 harder than Part 1, I think you've succeeded!

RE: The Sphinx, would you be kind enough to provide a replay of your intended solution? It'd be good to know if I got vaguely close to what you intended.

[Crane]

Sure - will send you by PM, and yes, Part Two is meant to be harder!

[JawaJuice]

Yes, that's what I meant - cheers! I'll move onto Tower Block next I think, and circle back to Box Part 2; that's clearly not going to be anything like a quick solve.

[JawaJuice]

OK, Tower solved!

[Crane]

Acceptable solution - well done!