NotaLems Level pack

[Nota_Steve]

Hi everyone.
I've been using NeoLemmix for a good while now, very much still enjoying it with all the map packs that are out there.

A while ago, approx. 6 or 7 years ago, I decided to try get my friends (most of them American) to play Lemmings as many of them had never even heard of it, no less understood it. So I created a map pack for them.
This map pack is designed to help explain the original skills and how they can be used in many different situations, then moving up in rank to more difficult levels (difficult for a non Lemmings Veteran).
I have since revisited the level pack and ironed out some of the kinks.

The reason I am posting this is because I would love for some of you to try out my level pack and offer me some feedback (good or bad), find unintended solutions and generally give it a go, as I intend on creating a new one with the newer skills soon. I would love to hear from an experienced Lemmings player how they found it and also from newer players to contrast.

In my humble opinion, I think this level pack is slightly builder heavy in a couple of cases (I was not as creative 7 years ago), but it did it's job as a few of my friends now enjoy Lemmings.

Please let me know! If you have a favourite or a least favourite level, I would love to hear any feedback.

Quick edit: Tough 20 - The Arches has a backroute that I discovered, I have recently fixed it, please replace Tough 20 with the re-edited version located below.

mod edit: Download the Lemmings Reunion music pack from here:

https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=2175.0

Many thanks,
Steve
x

[kaywhyn]

Hello Nota_Steve,

I've moved this to the NeoLemmix Levels board, as from the looks of things this is a complete level pack. A couple of things I've noticed:

For the levels document that tells you the order of the ranks, you have the wrong extension. It should be named levels.nxmi, not levels.txt. I have fixed that for you and I reattached your level pack with the correct filename

Also, I took a quick glance and haven't checked all the levels, but I've noticed a lot of the levels have preassigned Lemmings Reunion music tracks. So, you might want to put the Lemmings Reunion music pack in the OP alongside the pack download. Or, at least put a link where users can download the Reunion music tracks, which would be from here:

https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=2175.0

I've also put the link for the music pack in the OP.

Anyway, I'll give your pack a look whenever I'm able to!  

[Proxima]

Replays for the Easy rank attached.

For the most part, I enjoyed this and it seems suitable to newer players. A couple of points, though:

Some levels are slightly above 160 pixels tall, meaning they scroll vertically at default zoom. There's nothing wrong with tall levels when the concept needs the level to be tall, but if it's just above 160 then the level probably doesn't need the extra height, so it would be player-friendly to keep it to 160.

Starting with Builders is an unusual choice because it's the most complicated skill. The Level 1 introduction text suggests it's aimed at players completely new to Lemmings, but doesn't tell the player what the objective is or how to assign skills.

Level 4: The background could be confused with terrain. It would be helpful for the introduction text to mention skill shadows.

Level 9: One-way walls and mining into steel appear with no introduction.

Level 10: This is one of a few levels that have an unnecessary number of lemmings -- and you haven't introduced release rate yet, so a new player will be waiting a long time.

Level 11: Clicking on 99 lemmings is really tedious. "Traps only kill one lemming at a time" could be shown with a much smaller number. (Easily the worst level in the rank.)

Level 12: Since climb-bombing is explicitly taught later, I guess you wanted the player to figure out reverse mining here. In the original game, this is first seen in "Postcard from Lemmingland", the 49th level, and is usually considered a difficulty spike even that late in!

Level 21: "These are neutral lemmings" is not very helpful; how does the player know what "these" refers to? Better to say that grey lemmings are neutral, and the diamond shows a neutral trapdoor. The solution is not very interesting.

Level 23: Typo in level title. This is indeed tough, partly because of figuring out the use of a basher to break ceilings, but the placement of the bottom basher is unnecessarily tight (you have to avoid splatting and have a lemming far enough in front to build over the gap).

Level 25: Once the route is complete, the player has to mindlessly click floaters for a while longer. Locked release rate appears without being explained. Finally, this isn't even a good illustration of "pause can be helpful" because the level is quite easy to complete without pausing!

Level 27: This has a problem spot in that if you are not careful, lemmings will turn around during the climb-bomb. This feels a bit too tough for beginners, but then, so do the levels that come after it.

Level 30: Given the title, I was expecting the right side to have to help out the left and was a little disappointed when it didn't happen.

[Nota_Steve]

Hello Nota_Steve,

I've moved this to the NeoLemmix Levels board, as from the looks of things this is a complete level pack. A couple of things I've noticed:

For the levels document that tells you the order of the ranks, you have the wrong extension. It should be named levels.nxmi, not levels.txt. I have fixed that for you and I reattached your level pack with the correct filename

Also, I took a quick glance and haven't checked all the levels, but I've noticed a lot of the levels have preassigned Lemmings Reunion music tracks. So, you might want to put the Lemmings Reunion music pack in the OP alongside the pack download. Or, at least put a link where users can download the Reunion music tracks, which would be from here:

https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=2175.0

I've also put the link for the music pack in the OP.

Anyway, I'll give your pack a look whenever I'm able to!  

Hi Kay,

You are an icon, thank you very much!

[Nota_Steve]

Replays for the Easy rank attached.

For the most part, I enjoyed this and it seems suitable to newer players. A couple of points, though:

Some levels are slightly above 160 pixels tall, meaning they scroll vertically at default zoom. There's nothing wrong with tall levels when the concept needs the level to be tall, but if it's just above 160 then the level probably doesn't need the extra height, so it would be player-friendly to keep it to 160.

Starting with Builders is an unusual choice because it's the most complicated skill. The Level 1 introduction text suggests it's aimed at players completely new to Lemmings, but doesn't tell the player what the objective is or how to assign skills.

Level 4: The background could be confused with terrain. It would be helpful for the introduction text to mention skill shadows.

Level 9: One-way walls and mining into steel appear with no introduction.

Level 10: This is one of a few levels that have an unnecessary number of lemmings -- and you haven't introduced release rate yet, so a new player will be waiting a long time.

Level 11: Clicking on 99 lemmings is really tedious. "Traps only kill one lemming at a time" could be shown with a much smaller number. (Easily the worst level in the rank.)

Level 12: Since climb-bombing is explicitly taught later, I guess you wanted the player to figure out reverse mining here. In the original game, this is first seen in "Postcard from Lemmingland", the 49th level, and is usually considered a difficulty spike even that late in!

Level 21: "These are neutral lemmings" is not very helpful; how does the player know what "these" refers to? Better to say that grey lemmings are neutral, and the diamond shows a neutral trapdoor. The solution is not very interesting.

Level 23: Typo in level title. This is indeed tough, partly because of figuring out the use of a basher to break ceilings, but the placement of the bottom basher is unnecessarily tight (you have to avoid splatting and have a lemming far enough in front to build over the gap).

Level 25: Once the route is complete, the player has to mindlessly click floaters for a while longer. Locked release rate appears without being explained. Finally, this isn't even a good illustration of "pause can be helpful" because the level is quite easy to complete without pausing!

Level 27: This has a problem spot in that if you are not careful, lemmings will turn around during the climb-bomb. This feels a bit too tough for beginners, but then, so do the levels that come after it.

Level 30: Given the title, I was expecting the right side to have to help out the left and was a little disappointed when it didn't happen.

This is really good and helpful feedback Proxima. Thank you for taking the time and trying out!

[JawaJuice]

Hi Steve,

Thanks very much for this pack - it's always great to have a new one to play!

I've enjoyed the first rank (Easy) and attach replays, talisman solutions also included. I won't give feedback on every level, as I'd just be re-iterating the useful feedback Proxima has already provided for the most part. Overall, I think it's a good introductory rank, with good bits of info for a new player, although perhaps sometimes the intro text is a little vague. Anyway, I'll give you the notes I had:

Level 4 - Already quite a tricky level compared with the others around it, if a player's goal is to save 100% (mine usually is). That's on the player though I guess, since the actual save requirement is only 50%.

Level 11 - As Proxima said above, very tireseome to have do so much assignment clicking. Of course, it's limited somewhat by the fact that you only need to assign to lemmings who have passed through the traps. It could be made more interesting by having a high entrance and using floater compression to get more lemmings through traps but I guess that's something else entirely and not the point of this level. I would just reduce the number of lemmings to avoid so much clicking!

Level 13 - Most of my solutions in this rank I don't think would be considered backroutes as levels are generally open-ended with x-of-everything skill sets but I suspect this one might be. I'm guessing with the low save requirement, you're expecting a lot of lemmings to die in the suction traps up top, but they're easily avoided altogether.

Level 23 - Comfortably the hardest of the rank for my money, and the only one that gave me significant pause for thought. I'm not sure if it's just down to how I went about it, but I got the talisman first go without even checking what the requirement was! Still, I'd say this level is pretty hard for beginners - the thing about 'exploiting' bashers is a bit vague for new players to get your gist, I think.

Level 30 - Again, to echo Proxima, the title implied co-operation on each side to me, but none is required.

Anyway, I really enjoyed playing through this rank and look forward to tackling Medium next, and Tough if I can make it that far!