CCLP2 Lynx Project - A Mission Statement
#1
Towards the end of 2011, a team of Chipsters formed to assess the need and plausibility of creating a new edition of CCLP2 for Lynx mode. We want to now issue an update on what has been slowly going on and some of the motivation for this project.

Chip's Challenge Level Pack 2 was the first collaborative production of the Chip's Challenge community, collecting the favorite custom levels made by players for all to enjoy all in one package. Many of the levels utilized behavior of the game that were not possible in the original levels, most notably the use of layered tiles to hide objects beneath others. A scoreboard was (and is) kept and the levels are currently highly optimized. As a collaborative effort of the whole community, it is considered perhaps the most official custom set to be collected, and was followed up by CCLP3 and the forthcoming CCLP1.

At the same time some ten years ago, the first version of Tile World was released, allowing players to emulate the Microsoft rules or, for the first time on PC, the Atari Lynx rules. The MS rules were the default that players were used to and the Lynx rules remained mostly a curiosity. However, somewhere along the way it was suggested and accepted that the next set after CCLP2 should also be made compatible with Lynx rules, slowly leading to more levels that were compatible in both modes of play. Over the years Lynx mode has gathered more and more fans, many of whom prefer the Lynx rules for their smooth animation and lack of MS glitches. For these players, it has been natural that some of them also want to take a look at CCLP2 and see how it plays in Lynx. The answer is that it plays poorly, which comes as no surprise since the levels for CCLP2 predate the option of playing in Lynx, or even knowledge of how those rules work.

About half the levels in CCLP2 are not solvable in Lynx. Fortunately Tile World can recognize that a level with so called "invalid tiles" is not playable in Lynx and does not allow those levels to be attempted, but there are still over twenty levels that masquerade as playable levels that ultimately are not solvable. It is frustrating to attempt a level without knowing if it is solvable, so at the very least this information should be easily available to players. In addition, some of the unsolvable levels are frustratingly close to being fine and need only slight tweaks to be solvable. Some levels can even be "fixed" in ways that are indistinguishable to the MS player, while others would require more work. This has lead to some players making their own unofficial changes to the set. Releasing such a self-modified set brings forth both the question of ethics and creates confusion about which set to actually play. We feel that this process can be done better with input from more than one person and an agreeable version of the set can be released that addresses these concerns.

Here follows some principles that guide our motivation for this project.

1)
Admitting that there is a need to address this lynx-playability of CCLP2.
Some of this reasoning is listed above, but forming a team and acting on the idea still needs this step to be taken mentally. This point gives purpose to the project and show others that we want to do something about the situation.


2)
Honoring the past.
We never wished to head into this project lightly or to offend anybody for changing part of the community's history. CCLP2 in its original form is a precious part of our past, and we wish to honor the set rather than supplant it.


3)
Keep this a collaborative community effort.
Part of honoring what has come before and part of allowing this project to be accepted, is to have input from many members of the community. And of course, it is more fun to build something together than alone.


4)
Document the process and keep it transperant
to help others see why things were done the way they were. This aspect is perhaps more important in a project like this that builds upon something that has been made by others, than something completely new, like CCLP1 for example. We wish to show our reasoning behind the decisions that lead to whatever it is we are making.


5)
Release something in reasonable time.
One could keep honing a project like this forever, always making small tweaks that make the final product just a bit better. We have already been discussing the levels for over a year, and while that is not unreasonable in itself, nobody wishes to see this drag on indefinitely.


Now we are at the point where we haven't released anything but want to start more discussions with the rest of the community about this project. Please feel free to post your comments, concerns, and wishes below. This mission statement is the first explanation of what type of things we want to accomplish with this project, as well as an announcement of our continued existence. Next, we will discuss more about the practical goals we have considered to achieve, and then give an update on what has already been done and what still needs work. Anyone willing can still help us out in realizing this project, and more information on how to exactly do that will be coming shortly!

Thanks for your time, and may the paramecia never clone when you feel Trapped!

On behalf of the CCLP2 Lynx Team,

-Miika Toukola
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CCLP2 Lynx Project - A Mission Statement - by M11k4 - 20-Sep-2013, 7:02 AM

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