Level Review Topic

[Minim]

Genesis - Taxing 14 - Value each moment


Lemmings: 50
Save: 48 (96%)
Time: 4 minutes
Release rate: 80
Skills: 5 bombers, 2 builders

Good: Much more exciting than the Nessy with old-school bomber timing.

Bad: Too easy for Taxing, it should fit in perfectly with the modified training levels, 5 bombers is too much and is unnecessary.

[Minim]

I'm just bringing back the bad points for Taxing 13

Bad: The one-way wall bug wrecks a seemingly legitimate solution, which spoils this level IMO. Also it seems pointless to start you the wrong way, and then give you a blocker and allow you to lose one lemming.
And it's another long, drawn-out hero level.
And the steel area over the bear trap which is inconsistent with other levels and really gets in the way.
And the masses of roots which make things awkward.
And the excess bombers that you can't use.

On Lemmini, the one way bug is vacant, in other words you can mine right with right one-way arrows. There is another bad thing about this level (Only in this version), you can't climb over the first obstacle, forcing you to bash under it.

[Proxima]

I like the next unique level, so I'll be a hero and review it I suspect everyone is avoiding this one because they want to do the one after it....

Genesis - Taxing 17 - Lunch time


50 lemmings
Save 80% (40)
Release rate 1
4 minutes

1 climber, 10 floaters, 2 blockers, 4 builders, 2 bashers, 1 digger (and not a miner, pace Planet Lemmings)

Good: Another beautiful puzzle level, teaching a device well worth remembering, but one that also feels like a more "standard" Lemmings level with the building and having to avoid lemmings splatting. Better-placed here as a mid-Taxing level than it was in late Crazy.
Bad: Unlike Taxing 13 and 14, looks much worse in the marble style than it did in ONML. Would be more interesting without the floaters. Also, what's with the title?
Better than DOS Taxing 17? That would be "X marks the spot", so it would be hard not to be. Yes, by miles.

[Pooty]

Should we have reviewed Taxing 15? The layout of that level, and hence the solution, is very different to the original.

[Minim]

Should we have reviewed Taxing 15? The layout of that level, and hence the solution, is very different to the original.

Sorry, but the special levels have been excluded. I do appreciate the fact that the templates are modified and that there's a different method of solving it, but me, Clam Spammer and Proxima "somehow" agreed to do the exclusive levels. Pooty, you can do Taxing 29 if you want to, but we wouldn't.

I suspect everyone is avoiding this one because they want to do the one after it....

Well, not me, by any case. I would rather solve the level (Which is extremely difficult).

[chaos_defrost]

Genesis Taxing 20: Fall and no life

1 floater, 3 builders, 1 basher, 1 miner
Save 85/85, 3 minutes, RR 90

Good: This is one of the quintessential puzzles on the Genesis version. It's frantic, uses at least two tricks that are quite hard to figure out, and having to extricate yourself from this rather unique obstacle with so few skills seems quite daunting. There's a TON of things to try and the solution is very well hidden. Overall this is a very well-done level.
Bad: Perhaps too hard for its location. I beat part 2 before part 1 
Better than Walk the Web Rope?: Substantially. Walk is a fun level to chill out with, but has a lot of walking and a few spots where the puzzle is dealing with odd terrain. This level is a beautiful puzzle and has no real "tough" parts once you know the solution.

EDIT: So I just now, for the first time ever, beat Lemming's Ark. Such a good puzzle (though the precision is kind of bleh) -- what's the backroute in it?

[geoo]

I found a thread on 'Lemmings' Ark' on the Lemmings forum 2 incarnations back: http://camanis.net/lemmings/lemmingswelt/forums/?topic=1132693317
Sadly the screenshots there aren't existant anymore, but in essence it's this:

It is possible to place a miner from the top (1-pixel-precise) so that it barely misses the gap in the middle of the main block and the tunnel ends up being reachable from the main block using a single builder. So you can use a miner to turn the climber around at the top the first time, and then use a digger/builder to setup the turnaround for the normal lemmings.
If I recall correctly, tseug avoided that pixel precision making use of the bumpy end of the bashers mask in the Genesis version: That way it is possible to create a gap in the wall the digger/builder left which makes climbers turn around. Compared to the pixel-precise solution, one miner is saved, you can use both miners to get down to the crowd.

Genesis Taxing 24: Keep all enemies out.

20 lemmings
Save 100% (20)
RR: 1
Time: 3 minutes
Skillset: 2 climbers, 5 builders, 2 diggers

Good: Puzzle makes use of the digger in a non-canonical fashion; double use of climbers, taking away the need for some conventional means for crowd containment; easy to execute; the crystal structure at the right of the exit looks interesting.
Bad: Considering the skillset, the use of the diggers is very obvious; the second ball at the left ontop of another one looks a bit weird.
Better than 'Take a running jump.....'? Yes, even though neither is really difficult for its position, the Genesis level looks a lot nicer and contains less filler, solution-wise.

[Pooty]

Hmm, that skill set is definitely wrong. I seem to recall having a climber and a floater as well. I'll see if I can find the correct skill set.

[Edit: 1 climber, 1 floater, 1 bomber, 1 blocker, 9 builders and 1 basher. Release rate is 1, and time limit is 3 minutes. Everything else is correct.]

[Proxima]

Thanks. That is, then, the same as the corresponding Crazy level but with an extra builder to get past the trap. I'll write a new review of the level and delete the old one as that completely changes what I wanted to say

Genesis - Taxing 25 - Watch right and left!


80 lemmings
Save 98% (79)
Release rate 1
3 minutes

1 climber, 1 floater, 1 bomber, 1 blocker, 9 builders, 1 basher

Good: A gorgeous puzzle that looks impossible for a long time and then is very satisfying when you figure it out. A nice mixture of Genesis cunning and traditional Lemmings puzzle-elements (such as separating one lemming to get over the right-hand water).
Bad: Awful and dull title, although at least having the right skill set I can see how it relates to the level. The placement of the trap, slightly overlapping the rock behind it but without being attached to it, just looks weird.
Better than DOS Taxing 25? Wow, what a joke. We're comparing one of the best levels in the game to one of the worst.

[Minim]

Genesis - Taxing 27 - Watch your fingertip!


Lemmings: 50
Save 98% (49)
Release rate: 1
Time: 4 minutes

Skills: 1 blocker, 4 builders, 4 bashers, 1 miner

Good: A big sheer drop which forces you to do something, another well intended solution. Better than "Call in the bomb squad".
Bad: The bridge is a bit too long and it's unnecessary, 4 minutes is a little bit too much time.

[Minim]

Argh! this is falling off the first page, I'm bringing this back to the top.

Genesis - Taxing 28 - Watch right or left!


Lemmings: 30
Save 93% (28)
Release rate: 50
Time: 5 minutes

Skills: 2 bombers, 13 builders, 3 miners

Good: Nice symmetrical level which fits the title, interesting solution.
Bad: 5 minutes for this level is too much time, could make the floor smaller, One way arrows on the top platform are unnecessary and they look unfinished. Possibly too many builders.

[Proxima]

Well, it seems Planet Lemmings doesn't have the correct stats for Taxing 29 either, so let's omit it. There's not really much to say about it -- it's much better than DOS Taxing 29 but still way too easy for its position (something, by the way, you could have said about Taxing 28 too).

Genesis - Mayhem 1 - Let's get together


50 lemmings
Save 100%
Release rate 60
2 minutes

2 builders, 2 bashers, 1 digger

Good: A beautiful puzzle with a very well-concealed solution. No leftover skills for crowd control means you have to find a way to make maximally efficient use of what you've got. Lovely atmospheric use of decorative terrain.
Bad: Not much!
Better than DOS Mayhem 1? Wow, this is hard to call, as both are among my top favourite levels. I'll say this one is better as the right-hand part of Steel Works gets tiring when you know how to do it and are just trying out some new challenge where, nearly always, only the way of doing the left will be different.

[chaos_defrost]

Genesis Mayhem 6 - Over the Wall

2 blockers, 2 bombers, 3 builders, 5 bashers (stats on PL are wrong)
Save 47/50 (94%), RR 20, 5 minutes

Good: Another nice puzzle level which forces you to do a lot with few skills. The route I found for this uses a pretty cooler bomber trick. There's likely a few possible routes but all of them are well hidden.
Bad: The terrain makes some of the building in this level harder than it should be (the main reason I almost never use the dirt set for my custom levels).
Better than One Way or Another?: This is close. I like DOS Mayhem 6 for the use of skills for crowd control and the open endedness of the level design, but this is a clever puzzle. I honestly can't pick one of these two.

[Proxima]

I much prefer "One way or another", Genesis Mayhem 6 always struck me as too easy.

Genesis - Mayhem 9 - Twins


2 lemmings
Save 100%
Release rate 30
2 minutes

7 builders, 3 bashers

Good: An elegant level with just two lemmings, so instead of normal crowd control you have to think about delaying one lemming so the other can get ahead -- or making them go different routes.
Bad: A lot of potential in this idea goes unused because there are too many routes that work and it isn't too hard to find one.
Better than DOS Mayhem 9? Nah, I love "Curse of the Pharaohs" and was really pleased with myself when I finally beat it (the last of the string of levels, Mayhem 2-9, that I beat in one night!)

[Minim]

Genesis - Mayhem 10 - Dangerous balcony


Lemmings: 80
Save 100%
Release rate: 99
Time: 4 minutes
Skills: 1 climber, 10 builders, 2 diggers

Good: Pretty challenging with a good intended solution, Nice scenery, slightly better than the DOS version (still not sure about it though)
Bad: A few backroutes are mentioned, one which doesn't use the climber (I think), why 2 entrances?