I've heard people referencing that it is possible to save 100%   in cascade. How? PM me if you want me to keep it a secret. :D

I've actually asked Conway this, on a different topic
http://eng-forum.lemmingswelt.de/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1090592867;start=16#16

As for a 100% solution, I'm as baffled as you are.

Here is how I do it:

1.  Make the third and fourth lemmings float as soon as they appear from the entrance.  (I'm not sure this is completely necessary, but it gives the two front lemmings some extra breathing room.)
2.  Make the leader build just before he gets to the stairs.  He should turn around. Then make him build on the left edge of the platform.
3.  Make the first lemming on the stairs dig as soon as he reaches the third step from the top. After one swipe, make him build.
4.  If a lemming falls through the digger's hole, make him float.  If not, make somebody climb + float.  This lemming will be our hero.
5.  At some point the builder on the left will run out of bricks.  Make him build again as soon as he does.  Hopefully, he will reach the wall before the rest of the crowd reaches him.
6.  The hero, who should have floated to the bottom of the screen, must build across the gap just past the top of the stairs on the right, turn around, and build off the left side of the platform at the bottom of the stairs toward the first set of stairs (it takes 3-4 bridges).
7.  The hero should bash and build to complete the route to the exit.  Meanwhile, the front lemming from the crowd must mine through the stairs and land on the hero's bridge.  If you were very lucky (it usually takes me about 5 tries to get it right), you will save 100%.

I've never saved 100% on Cascade. I've saved no more than the amount you have to save.

91% is the most I've saved in Cascade...there are always too many lems that fall into the digger's hole (2 to 4 lems) and the stair to the left pillar isn't finished in time before the lems arive to it...

Someday I will make it all perfect and save 100% :)

Actually, if you do this correctly, I believe you shouldn't ever end up with a hole on the staircase at all.

I'm at work now, maybe I'll post a screenshot later tonight.  As for getting the stair to the left finished, you need to stretch your builds and also make sure to do the digging as late as possible (I think that means like LemSteven suggested, 3rd step from top).

I was just re-reading this again today.  I don't think I completely agree with what you said above.

If memory serves, you should always try to stretch your bridge at that point.  This will let him reach the wall sooner.  Of course, it depends on how you handle the digging.  If a few lemmings actually somehow fell out or go over the top of the stairs, then obviously you have more time to finish the build on the left.

Actually, maybe the difference is because you assign the 3rd and 4th lemmings as floaters.  Astounding as it would be for me now, I don't think I ever considered using the floaters back when I did the 100% on that level (that's over several years ago, before the millenium).

So maybe you don't have to stretch your build as I've thought.  Anyhow, the one clear thing is, my memory has been a bit rusty  ;).

I managed to get my builder finished in time,but it's very hard to dig and build above with releasing only 1 lem or no lems at all...the best I had was all but 2 lems saved (97%).

I kinda forgot about this.  I'll remember to make a screenshot again sometime later tonight.

The idea for digging and building is not to break and reseal the stairway.  The idea is that digging at the right place results in something that looks like this (note: this is just a rough sketch, don't take this to be pixel-accurate):


 XXXXX
 XXXXX
 XXXXX
...XX
...XX
...XX
XXXXX
XXXXX
XXXXX

Basically, you dig away one of the steps, so that the height from one step to the next is now doubled what it is originally, thereby turning the step from traversable into a short but effective wall.

The trickiness of course is to dig at the correct place, since I think if you're off by even 1 pixel it wouldn't work with the given terrain.

That's not to say breaking and resealing wouldn't work, but I certainly wouldn't count on it to work reliably, especially for 100%.

Well that's the was you're supposed to do it, just clever people find ways to save 100% on as many levels as possible. There's only a few it can't be done on I'm sure, usually they're ones where you don't have a way to free a blocker or you don't have a way to get through a surface without using a bomber. I saw a list of levels that it was impossible to save 100% on somewhere, can't remember where though. >_<

You can find one at this thread:
http://eng-forum.lemmingswelt.de/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=news;action=display;num=1117597280;start=15

Some of the numbers on that page are outdated (Look through more of the thread for more info). People (namely ccexplore) have been improving on these scores, in some cases by unbelievable amounts.

The list you're thinking of is probably [u]this one[/u].

Of course, that list came from over 7 years ago, so unsurprisingly it has become a little outdated (in particular, 100% solutions for Taxing 6 and 16 had been found, so it's only 18 "imperfect" levels or whatever they called it).  The information on the thread Shvegait linked to is more recent and updated.

I completed 100% Cascade for the first time this morning  :D

Only took two tries, as well; and the first time I tried I only failed because I got overenthusiastic when selecting the digger at the top of the stairs, and ended up with two diggers.

One tip, that hasn't been mentioned so far, though it's kind of obvious:

When bashing the pillar before the exit, to get around the hair-raising moment when you have to turn the basher to a builder at just the right place, make him dig as he breaks through to give you more breathing space.

Also, if when you dig and build on the stairs, you end up with one lemming trapped *in* the top of the stairs (which I did), keep pausing and unpausing until he is facing LEFT -- then when you unpause again and click on him with the miner tool he will mine to the right.

I'm jealous, having tried many times over in the past... to think that was only a few hours after I left as well...