Level Review Topic

[Minim]

DOS - Taxing 21 - Feel the heat


Lemmings: 20
Save: 20 (100%)
Release Rate: 70
Time: 2 minutes
Skills: 4 builders, 3 of the rest.

Good: Good name.

Bad: Quite short, and the easy solution can be frustrating.

[Proxima]

Yay, I get to review one of my favourite levels!

Taxing 22 - Come on over to my place


50 lemmings
Save 80% or 100% depending on version
Release rate 1
3 minutes

2 floaters, 1 blocker, 10 builders, 1 basher, 1 miner, 2 diggers

Good: Several different solutions, and the backroute is certainly one of the most elegant solutions in the game. (I guess part of the reason I like the level so much is that for a long time I thought that was the solution).
Bad: Requires 100% on some versions but not others, and I'm torn as to which makes it a better level. Requiring 100% eliminates the main solution so that more people will find the backroute; on the other hand, it also means more people will find one of the releasing-blocker solutions, which spoils Mayhem 20.

[Minim]

DOS - Taxing 23 - King of the castle


Lemmings: 80
Save: 76 (95%)
Release Rate: 40
Time: 5 minutes
Skills: 20 builders.

Good: Has a new challenge with the builders (I think).
Bad: Blockers missing, making the level more boring. Steel isn't necessary in this level. Too difficult for Taxing.

[Proxima]

Proxima, Adam the mod said we would do DOS, so that means 80% is the answer.

I wasn't asking a question. For this level in particular, it would be hard to discuss without mentioning other versions, since it makes such a large difference to the solution and to how the level comes across.

[ccexplore]

Requiring 100% eliminates the main solution so that more people will find the backroute

If you're talking about the upper route, 100% is definitely possible with that route.  I can only imagine there's something you're overlooking.

Bad: Blockers missing, making the level more boring.

I'd think most people would find that more interesting, not more boring.  After all, if the blockers were there, how would this level be different from Tricky 8?

Just out of curiosity, have you solved this level?  I don't know what rules we posited here, but I think it'd be reasonable to demand that you need to be able to solve a level yourself first before eligible to review the level.

[Proxima]

Requiring 100% eliminates the main solution so that more people will find the backroute

If you're talking about the upper route, 100% is definitely possible with that route.  I can only imagine there's something you're overlooking.

I wasn't talking about what's possible but about what solutions people are likely to find (which I could easily be wrong about, as it's both speculative and subjective). I'm sure you can get 100% by the upper route without releasing a blocker, but I don't think it's easy to find a way to do that.

[Fernito]

DOS - Taxing 24 - Take a running jump.....


Lemmings: 80
Save: 79 (98%)
Release Rate: 50
Time: 3 minutes
Skills: 30 builders and that's it.

Good: Despite being an only-builder level, it's not boring at all because the use of builds isn't just for "creating bridges". Several ways to finish it makes it an interesting level, very suitable for challenges.
Bad: The rightmost part of it is a bit annoying once lemmings go in. You can't make them go back, which is a unpleasant surprise the first time you play it. Time could be a problem, though I guess it's part of the challenge. Oh, and cryptic messages written on the level are scary haha (j/k).

[Minim]

In that level you did, the builder has three purposes: Slowing down other lemmings, creating safety bridges and also bridging gaps.

DOS - Taxing 25 - Follow the leader.


Lemmings: 80
Save: 72 (90%)
Release Rate: 20
Time: 4 minutes
Skills: 10 bombers, 7 builders, 5 bashers.

Good: Good title.
Bad: A bit too much walking; Boring bomber timing again. Another shallow "Worker lemming" level.

[ccexplore]

I'm sure you can get 100% by the upper route without releasing a blocker, but I don't think it's easy to find a way to do that.

But you can release the blocker, that's my point!  You have 1 basher, 1 miner, 2 diggers, and a surplus of builders.  Oh, and conveniently, 2 floaters.  How many skills are you spending on setting up the main path anyway?

[Proxima]

I didn't want to start an argument, but since you don't seem to have understood what I was saying, I'll try spelling it out once more. Requiring 100% prevents the "upper route without releasing blocker" solution. Since you're not expected to know about releasing blockers yet, more people will find the backroute if they play a version where 100% is required, which is good. But also, if 100% is required, more people will discover about releasing blockers on this level, which spoils Mayhem 20 and is therefore bad.

Moving on...

Taxing 26 - Triple Trouble


80 lemmings
Save 98% (79)
Release rate 80
5 minutes

10 of each skill

Good: Unique and difficult solution where you have to make lemmings from different entrances co-operate with each other.
Bad: Exasperating when you get a wrong-facing lemming for the final bridge to release the crowd once too often.

[ccexplore]

I didn't want to start an argument, but since you don't seem to have understood what I was saying, I'll try spelling it out once more.

Thanks, that clears up what you were saying, not trying to start an argument.  You did say "eliminates" the upper route so it sounded like you were saying it's impossible, rather than that it makes the upper route solution a lot more difficult to find for new players.

Taxing 27 - Call in the bomb squad


80 lemmings
Save 60% (48)
Release rate 10
5 minutes

10 bombers, 10 blockers, 10 builders

Good:  Teaches you on using bombers to blaze a path going up, rather than just across or down an obstacle as in previous easier bomber levels.  Also a good effort on all the elaborate decorative terrain left and right of the level's main area.
Bad:  Could be a bit annoying to execute, perhaps more bombers and builders should've been given, since the level lets you lose up to 32 lemmings anyway.  It would have also been nicer if the raised portion of the platform you start building from is moved a little more to the left, so that you don't run the risk of your builder building past the right blocker (but I guess you can argue it makes the level harder to better justify its position as a late Taxing).

Also, making the player aware of using bombers this way may cause Mayhem 2 to become easier to figure out.

Finally, it would be nice if the DOS version keeps some more of the water objects that the Amiga version have, especially the ones contained in the steel work overhead.

[Proxima]

Taxing 28 - POOR WEE CREATURES!


80 lemmings
Save 70% (56)
Release rate 1
5 minutes

1 climber, 1 floater, 4 bombers, 4 blockers, 8 builders, 3 bashers, 1 miner

Good: A level that (aside from its large left-right extent) wouldn't have been out of place in the Genesis Sunsoft levels, with very efficient use of skills to create a puzzle involving using parts of terrain that look like mere decoration to your benefit.
Bad: Not efficient enough: it's perfectly possible to complete the level the boring way by building up from the very bottom. (In fact, that's how I originally solved it.)

[Clam]

DOS - Taxing 29 - How do I dig up the way?


Lemmings: 80
Save: 76 (95%)
RR: 80
Time: 4
Skills: 5 builders, 10 everything else

Good: High RR means you have to act quickly to keep the lemmings from falling off the cliff. Nice clean visual design (not easy to do with the dirt set) and you can't just build to the top this time.

Bad: Too easy for this point in the game, for a few reasons:
- too many skills, especially builders (really, this level only needs one)
- too easy to contain the lemmings - it would be tougher if they didn't survive the fall from the left side.
- percentage requirement and release rate are low enough that you can just use a miner at the start and not lose too many lemmings.

[Minim]

DOS - Taxing 30 - We all fall down


Lemmings: 60
Save: 60 (100%)
Release Rate: 1
Time: 3 minutes
Skills: 60 diggers.

Good: At least this is the last level, this level challenges the lack of time with a low release rate and more lemmings.
Okay: A little terrain change on the far right hand side
Bad: Still boring and too long, still too much walking with the inclusion of repetitive action.

[Proxima]

What terrain change do you see? I can't see any. (Though it's true that the We All Fall Down levels are stored as two complete levels, with repeat level data for the other two, so there could be one....)

Mayhem 1 - Steel Works


80 lemmings
Save 90% (72)
Release rate 15
8 minutes

5 floaters, 10 bombers, 5 blockers, 30 builders, 5 diggers

Good: An awe-inspiring start to the last category; building the landing stage is not easy with the save percentage so high, and getting up the final cliff without running out of builders requires a good ability to estimate. An excellent level, and one of my top five
Bad: The middle part (getting over the water) could have been removed without detracting much from the level (with the number of builders correspondingly reduced, of course).