I won't make this too complicated. Just a few things to keep this board tidy. Note that if a topic doesn't comply with all of these, it may be because it was created (and moved from another board to this one) before this board existed, so don't worry too much about reporting older topics, though if you have any of your own, I encourage you to fix them up to comply.

1. The main board is for released packs only. Any in-development packs should go into the "In Development" subforum. A demo does not count as "released"; only the full game does. (However, it doesn't have to be finalized - if the full game is released, but you suspect an update might occur, that's okay.)

2. Don't prefix with [NeoLemmix] anymore because all packs on this board are NeoLemmix.

3. Strictly one topic per pack, per board (ie: one topic on the In Development board, and one topic for the release on the main board). Multiple packs in one topic is allowed, and encouraged (but not required) in the case of a series or otherwise strongly-related packs once they've been out for a while.

4. When a release topic in the main forum is created, please close the development topic (if any) in the In Development subforum.

5. This subforum is not for mere ideas. If you aren't seriously working on a pack (or making a serious proposal that you genuinely expect will go somewhere, in the case of eg. community packs), don't create the topic here.

6. Generally, you should not post content created by other people. The exceptions are (a) if you are converting / updating / maintaining a pack by an author who is no longer active - this is somewhat subjective but as a rough guideline I would suggest "hasn't materially participated in the forums in over a year" AND they have not explicitly stated they do not want people doing this, (b) if you are posting content made by someone who is not a member of the community (and in this case, if at all possible, link to where the author has posted it rather than reuploading), or of course (c) if you have the author's permission.

7. You may not create more than two total topics, in both the Release and In Development boards combined, in any 60 day period, without prior approval from the site staff. Note that this approval will never be given simply on the grounds of "I can create packs faster than this rule allows" - however, it is perfectly acceptable to work around this limit by using a single topic to release multiple packs.

8. Please provide a content warning if your pack contains NSFW material (including *realistic* gore).

---

And for people who are posting replays, just one rule to keep in mind - if you aren't using the latest stable version of NL at the time, please specify which version you are using; whether that be an older version, or an experimental / RC build.

This pack is on hold indefinitely and may end up being cancelled altogether. The topic is closed until if/when I decide to resume it.

I've mentioned it around the place a couple of times, but I feel it's time for an official announcement of the latest Lemmings Plus side project, Lemmings Plus Twists!

So, what is Lemmings Plus Twists? Well, you might remember the old Lemmings Plus II and Lemmings Plus III bonus packs - these contained many levels focusing on the gimmicks used in the corresponding main games. Of course, NeoLemmix doesn't have gimmicks anymore... but that's not the only thing the bonus packs contained. They also contained several levels which were repeats of levels in the main games - harder repeats, and in the case of the LPIII Bonus Pack, easier repeats. This is what Lemmings Plus Twists is going to focus on - re-using Lemmings Plus levels to provide new challenges.

We aren't going to be seeing any of the easier repeats like LPIII Bonus Pack's "Breather" rank had. Rather, there are going to be two main kind of repeats focused on here:

1. General harder repeats of levels
Here, we'll see repeats of some of the easier levels in Lemmings Plus II and Lemmings Plus III. The repeats that were in the former bonus packs, and haven't been integrated into the main games, will come up here. Note that in particular, these repeats will stick to the traditional 8 skills.

2. Repeats using the new skills
This one will look at these levels from a different angle - repeats of levels from Lemmings Plus I, II and III, also making use of the new NeoLemmix skills. These may not nessecerially always be harder, just different (of course, some will indeed be harder).

3. Unusual level concepts (note: I haven't decided for sure if I'm going to do this one)
Remember the unique kinds of levels that pop up from time to time in the Lemmings Plus packs - one particularly notable example being Lemmings Plus Omega's Perplexing 30, "Drop Them Lems"? I haven't decided for sure, but I'm considering also doing a rank of these kind of levels - brand new ones!

4. A bonus rank
This will be for levels from the former bonus packs that don't fit any of the above categories, but are completely compatible with new NeoLemmix versions. Or in other words, pretty much just "Gotcha Again" and "The Strange Construct" from the old LPIII Bonus Pack.

I'm not setting a specific target for how many levels this will contain. Rather, it'll be based on how many I can come up with good ideas from. This pack won't be using any content from Lemmings Plus IV or Lemmings Plus V, but I might consider using some Lemmings Plus Omega content.

( See also: Side poll for best Lix level )

Okay, so, by now most of you know how voting works.

Just as a quick guide for those who are new to the contests - the voting is broken into rounds, and each round you're allowed to vote for up to a certain number of levels. Votes are for the levels that you want to stay in the contest, not for levels you want to be removed. Just to be clear, you are allowed to vote for fewer levels than the permitted amount, and you are allowed to vote for your own levels. Generally, the number of levels that qualify for the next round will be the same as the number of levels that each user is allowed to vote for. The results so far are only visible once either the voting closes or you've already voted.

Please remember that discussing the levels anywhere on the forums (except private message) is not allowed while the voting phase is in progress, even if the level in question is not in the current round, even between rounds. However, it is okay to discuss levels that have already been eliminated. This rule does not extend to anything off-site, so you can eg. continue posting Youtube videos of your playthroughs, just don't draw attention to them on the forums.

There'll be one voteoff for each rule, to get down to two remaining levels each. After this, all qualifying levels will go into a mixed voteoff.

As a reminder, there's two prizes in this contest:
The first prize is for whichever level wins overall.
The second prize is for whichever Lix level does the best, on the condition that it must at least reach the semifinal (even if it loses in the very first round of the semifinal, that's good enough).

The winner of the "overall winner" prize gets priority in the event that both winners want the same prize.

So... let the voting begin! Each round will be open for voting for 72 hours, except the final which will be 96.

It appears that in V1.47n, the talisman conditions "One skill per lemming" or "Assign skills only to a single lemming" are not working, and NeoLemmix is counting these goals as met even when they aren't.

To reproduce:
1. Do some stuff while playing a level (anything that gets recorded in a replay will suffice - so, assign skills, change the release rate, or nuke).
2. Restart the level or backwards timeskip to before this stuff was done.
3. Highlight a lemming.
4. Assign a skill to the highlit lemming via right-clicking the skill panel.

Expected behaviour:
If explicit replay cancel is on, nothing happens (except perhaps that the clicked skill becomes selected).
If explicit replay cancel is off, the skill is assigned to the highlit lemming, the assignment is recorded in the replay,  and the replay is interrupted.

Actual behaviour:
Regardless of explicit replay cancel setting, the skill is assigned to the lemming, but the assignment is NOT recorded in the replay, nor is the replay interrupted; also giving rise to a desync.


I have already fixed this in the source code, but Nepster may wish to look over this to ensure I haven't broken anything else that he's done for a reason I wasn't aware of.

Although not too complicated, some work may be needed when upgrading content to V1.47n. This topic will explain what's nessecary for levels / levelpacks and graphic sets; all other content should be possible to use as-is (including VGASPECs).

Graphic Sets

For optimal results, follow this procedure:
1. Get GSTool V1.47n.
2. Open your graphic set. It's probably best to open it from a DAT file rather than an INI / PNG collection when upgrading, but either way will work.
3. If you have any objects that are of now-removed types (secret level trigger, single-object teleporters, two-way teleporters), or more than one background replace them with dummy objects (no-effect objects that have a blank graphic). Don't remove them altogether, as this would screw up the ordering and cause errors on levels that use that object (or objects that are later in the list).
4. If you have an object that's meant to be used as a static background image (not moving backgrounds), other than a single solid color, change its object type from "No Effect" to "Image Background". No other changes are nessecary, but note that only one of these per set is supported (if you have more than one, all but the last one will be ignored).
5. In the case of solid-color backgrounds, you should also dummy-out the object (like in step 3), and instead, in the Colors box in the bottom-right corner, select "Background" from the dropdown and enter the color's RGB values here.

You can now save your graphic set and it'll be fully V1.47n-ready. Note that you don't need to set names for your pieces even though the option is there; you can do if you like, but currently the only thing these names are used for is displaying in the list inside GSTool itself (the player ignores them currently, and still uses the numbers).

Individual levels

Generally, most level files should work as is. Obviously, levels that use now-removed features (gimmicks other than zombies, for example) are not upgradeable unless you completely turn them into something else.

You should also remove all static background image objects from your level. NeoLemmix V1.47n no longer requires these to be placed; simply using a graphic set that contains them is enough (provided that the graphic set has been updated too).

One special case to be aware of is if the level in question uses oddtabling. V1.47n does not properly support oddtabling - it might work some of the time, or partially, I don't know, I haven't tested this and don't intend to, as it's not a supported feature anymore. However, since oddtabling doesn't inherently result in a level with any non-supported feature (rather, it's just a no-longer-supported way of generating the level), the level can be salvaged.

For these levels, there are two ways you can convert them to a level that doesn't use oddtabling:

A) Open them in the V1.43n-C editor. Turn oddtabling off, then in the menu bar, choose "Edit" -> "Import Layout". An open file dialog will pop up; select the LVL file of the level that should be copied from. This will import the selected level's layout (but not its stats / skillset) to the currently opened level. Save it, and it's ready to use.

B) Using NeoLemmix V1.43n-F and an NXP that contains both the source and target levels (generally this would just be an NXP of your actual pack), run a mass level dump. The dumped LVL files will not use oddtabling; they'll hard-copy the layout.

Level packs

The first thing you'll want to do is switch to the Flexi Toolkit V1.47n. In many cases, simply opening the pack with the new version and rebuilding the NXP will be enough to get the pack functioning properly in V1.47n (without warnings). If your pack is also still V1.43n-F compatible, be sure to check the "V1.43n-F Compatible" option on the Settings tab.

The biggest thing to be aware of on the technical side is if you have custom lemming sprites. Be sure to closely examine these sprites in-game to see if there are any oddities; in particular with floaters, gliders, stackers and miners.

Also, be aware that since V1.47n no longer supports secret levels, all levels will be treated as normal levels. You might want to consider (a) whether or not you want to keep these, and (b) if so, how you want to integrate them with the rest of your pack as regular levels.

However, by far the most important thing to be aware of is that physics have significantly changed. Before releasing and claiming it's an updated, V1.47n-compatible version, test every level and talisman to ensure they're still possible. You can use the mass replay checker to significantly reduce the effort needed here, if you have a collection of replays for your pack (which you should) - on that note, the new Flexi Toolkit contains a fairly powerful Replay Manager, accessible from the menu bar, which you can use to maintain your replay collection for the pack. The other reason is that, if there's anything you overlooked during the upgrade process, you'll very quickly discover it here.

Finally, when posting your upgraded version, take note that the forum has some special "smileys" used to indicate version compatibility. Even if you aren't upgrading your pack, I strongly advise adding the appropriate one to your existing topics. You can find these icons under the "More" link by the smiley buttons when posting.


This indicates that the pack is only compatible with V1.43n-F (or at least, has only been properly tested with V1.43n-F). This can be used for packs that you haven't got around to upgrading yet, or packs that need V1.43n-F because they use older features that have been removed.


This indicates that the pack is only compatible with V1.47n (or at least, has only been properly tested with V1.47n). This can be used for packs that use new V1.47n-exclusive features, or that may theoretically work with V1.43n-F but you didn't bother to test with older versions (and I suspect that most people won't; there isn't much reason to do so now that V1.47n is officially released).


This indicates that the pack is compatible with (and ideally, properly tested with) both V1.43n-F and V1.47n. This is most likely to be the case for packs that were released shortly before V1.47n was released. This does mean extra effort, so I don't strongly advise making future packs this way - V1.47n-only is generally fine.

Replays

This is kind of a bonus section, since LRB replays work fine with V1.47n (assuming that physics changes don't break them). But, you might still want to update to NXRP files just to be consistent with any new replays you make, or to edit broken replays by hand to try and fix them (which although technically possible with LRBs via a hex editor, is MUCH simpler with the text-based NXRP files).

You can go to the level in question and load the LRB replay, and then re-save it as an NXRP. And then repeat for every level. Tedious, no?

Fortunately there's a faster way. If you run a mass replay check, and any LRB files are included in the check, NeoLemmix will automatically save a NXRP copy of the replay in the same folder.

Now that V1.47n has been out for a bit (and even longer for those who used it when it was in the experimental stage), I'd like to start this discussion - how do people feel about the colors of the shadows? (the guidelines that appear for constructive / destructive skills and gliders)

Nepster mentioned prior to V1.47n's release that he wasn't too fond of the color, and that it should be more subtle. I disagreed, on the grounds that if you've got a shadow up it's because you want the information it gives, so it should be as visible as possible; if one wanted to hide the shadows, it's as simple as moving your mouse off the lemming. In the end, we agreed to leave things as is for V1.47n, then ask how the userbase feels about it (once a stable release had been made, and thus usage was more widespread than during the experimental phase) and possibly change in later versions.

So yeah - any comments on them? Should they be more subtle? Are there cases where they aren't visible enough? Etc.

Current Sub-versions
Player: V1.47n-D
Editor: V1.47n
Flexi: V1.47n-C
GSTool: V1.47n

(Note that the NL website's Flexi tutorial doesn't yet contain any info on the new Replay Manager. Aside from that, it's updated to reflect the new version.)

If you need help with upgrading existing content to V1.47n, please see this topic, and if you have any questions, post 'em there.

---

Features, Changes, Etc

After one of the longest time periods between stable versions in NeoLemmix history, we finally have a new update. As you'd expect from the time between V1.43n-F and this version (and the fact that a few numbers have been skipped; these numbers were used for development / experimental releases only), this is also one of the largest updates in a long time. It'd be simply impossible (and by "impossible", I mean "would take a huge amount of effort") to list everything that's changed, so I'll just list some of the more interesting points:

Less variation between packs
Previous versions were already heading strongly in the direction of "the same set of rules for every pack", but V1.47n goes even further. In every pack you play, all levels will be unlocked from the start. In every pack you play, you'll get warned about replays that may be for a different level. You only need to know the rules of NeoLemmix; not the rules of the individual pack.

Most elements outside of the core concept removed
Remember those gimmick levels, the hunt for secret levels, and so on? They're mostly a thing of the past - Zombies have been made into a core feature rather than a gimmick (although it's still expected that the majority of levels won't use them - but they're there for those levels that do want to), but the rest of the gimmicks have been stripped out. Secret levels are also a thing of the past. Talismans are still there, but the only purpose they serve is to give extra challenges to the player; you no longer need to think "If I don't unlock this talisman, I might miss out on some of the content".

A level selection menu
Since there's no secret levels, and all normal levels are unlocked from the beginning, there's no real need for level codes anymore, right? Indeed. And as such, the level code menu has been replaced with a level select menu that actually lists the levels and you can pick which one you want to play. On top of that, this menu will also show you which levels you have or haven't beaten, by putting a tick next to those you've completed.

Perfomance improvements
V1.43n-F's performance often suffered on levels that had a high number of objects. Changes in the rendering for V1.47n have greatly improved this - of course, if you have a weak machine you might still get sluggish framerates especially in fast forward, but it's a huge improvement over before. This isn't just limited to gameplay; as an example, the mass replay checker is a lot faster now too (although it's still a snail compared to Lix's...).

Support for custom backgrounds
In V1.43n-F, people often achieved custom backgrounds by making a huge object to be used as the background. While this worked, this tended to cause extreme performance issues - even if the background was as simple as a solid color other than the usual black. That's no longer an issue; as V1.47n has proper support for backgrounds - whether full-blown images, or just a color. This improves performance on such levels even beyond what's simply achieved with the new way object rendering is handled.

Skill shadows
You know how it is - you're about to use a builder, but you aren't sure exactly where to place him to get where you need to go. In the past, you'd try repeatedly until you got it right. Of course if you were one pixel off, you'd know "I just need to go back, and assign him one frame later"; but this could still be frustrating. That's where the new shadows come in - select the builder skill, mouseover a lemming, and you'll see a shadow of where the builder bridge will go. Similar shadows also exist for other constructive skills, destructive skills, and gliders. While these are not nessecerially always perfect (eg. they don't take into account some of the less-common edge cases, such as bouncing off blockers), they're a huge help nonetheless!

Attention-grabbing lemming recoloring
Don't you wish there was a way to identify athletes apart from regular lemmings at a glance? Now there is; lemmings with permanent skills will change color so that they stand out. And if you're mousing over a lemming, the moused-over lemming will also change to a different color again, so you know exactly which lemming you're selecting.

Object information
Are you wondering "which receiver does this teleporter link to"? Just hover your mouse over a teleporter or receiver, and a letter will display above it; find the teleporter / receiver with the matching letter, and you've found the connected pair! Similarly, if you want to know if an entrance spawns permanent skill lemmings, or which direction the lemmings come out of it, just mouseover it and popup icons will tell you what you want to know.

Text-based replay format
The old binary blob LRB files are a thing of the past; this update uses the new NXRP replay format (one of the new formats to be introduced in the major format overhaul; this one was ready to go now, so it's being introduced early). For some people, this won't make any difference at all. For more advanced users, this could be a huge help - a text-based format means you can manually edit it to correct errors, you can easily analyze a replay or a replay collection for whatever data you might want to pull out of it, and so on. (Don't worry, you can still watch your old LRB replays on this new version!)

Mixing graphic sets
Yes, that's right! You no longer need to make custom merged sets or use an all-in-one set like Epic when you want to use multiple sets in one level; you can now simply mix-and-match pieces from different sets together at will!

Physics fixes
It'd probably be possible to write an entire book on this section alone, if I were so inclined. There's been too many improvements to physics to count, thanks to Nepster's work.



There's more too; so the best way is to simply try out the new version and see for yourself.

---

Compatibility of existing content

The majority of existing content will work on NeoLemmix V1.47n, although there may be cases where physics changes render levels / talisman challenges impossible. Any content that hasn't been rebuilt with the new Flexi Toolkit version will display a compatibility warning, but if all else is fine, it will still allow you to play.

Note that in some cases, old content might not work properly. This would generally be because it uses either gimmicks, no-longer-supported object types (such as two-way teleporters), or oddtabling.

You can identify content that has been specifically updated to work with V1.47n (or at least, its author claims that it has been) by the lack of a compatibility warning when starting up the NXP. Note that some NXPs, for example Lemmings Plus V, are "dual-compatible" - that is, they've been marked as compatible with both V1.43n-F and V1.47n and (at least hopefully) properly tested against both. Others (for example, the updated NeoLemmix Introduction Pack) are only compatible with V1.47n; these will give a compatibility warning when attempted to load on V1.43n-F.

I fully encourage content creators to, for the near future, identify when posting packs which NeoLemmix versions it's compatible with. To help with this, I've added these new "emoticons" which can be used to quickly identify in a way that's universal and stands out in a post. The codes to type for them are listed here; they also appear under the "More" link next to the quick-insert.


Write: :compat-143:
Indicates: This pack is only guaranteed compatible with V1.43n-F.


Write: :compat-147:
Indicates: This pack is only guaranteed compatible with V1.47n.


Write: :compat-dual:
Indicates: This pack is compatible with both V1.43n-F and V1.47n.

If you need a copy of V1.43n-F, check its release topic.

---

Download Links

Editor, Flexi and GSTool removed due to V1.48 update.

If you need a copy of the V1.47n-D player for content that hasn't yet been upgraded, you can download it here: http://neolemmix.com/old/NeoLemmix147D.exe

Please note: Player V1.47n CANNOT be used for playtest mode with an older editor version. You'll need the new editor version to playtest with V1.47n. The reverse is also true - V1.47n editor cannot use V1.43n-F player for playtest mode.

Upgrading from an older editor version?
There's a bit more to it than just replacing the EXE. Follow these steps:
1. Delete everything in the "styles" folder, except for the NeoLemmix subfolder. If you have any NeoLemmix graphic sets in other folders, move them into the "NeoLemmix" folder first.
2. Move everything from the "NeoLemmix" subfolder to the main "styles" folder.
3. Delete the "NeoLemmix" subfolder.
4. Extract the entire contents of the new version's ZIP, not just the EXE. You don't need to replace the settings INI file, but be sure to replace the copies of the default graphic sets; a few of the older versions have issues with the new editor version.

https://blog.avast.com/2012-dropbox-breach-strikes-again-dumps-68-million-passwords-online

You may want to consider changing your Dropbox password and any other sites you've used the same one on. It appears this isn't a new hack; rather it's more information being leaked from the old one (so I'd think most security-concious people would already have taken action a long time ago if potentially affected), but thought I'd bring it up just in case since a lot of people here use Dropbox.

In order to best support NeoLemmix, I have decided it is nessecary to remove support for other engines from the NeoLemmix Editor and Graphic Set Tool; so in future, SuperLemmini will no longer be supported.

This does create a difficult situation for SuperLemmini users, as there is no other editor that supports SuperLemmini (whereas Lemmix and Lemmini users have other options); graphic sets are easy enough to edit by hand of course, mind you. The old versions thay do support SuperLemmini can still be used, of course; and will remain available for download - the following links will permanently link to the last stable versions that do support SuperLemmini:

Editor: http://www.neolemmix.com/old/neolemmixeditor143nc.zip
GSTool: http://www.neolemmix.com/old/gstoolold.zip

Although obviously this won't update to keep up with new additions to SuperLemmini, it's probably the best that's available for the moment.

The new versions of the NeoLemmix Editor will remain able to load SuperLemmini levels, but it will only be possible to edit and save them as NeoLemmix levels. The same is true for GSTool and SuperLemmini graphic sets.


If any Delphi 7 coders want to have a go at making a SuperLemmini-friendly editor based on NeoLemmix Editor's source code, here's the source code for Editor V1.43n-C:
BitBucket repo: https://bitbucket.org/namida42/neolemmixeditor-old/
Look for the branch "1.43n-C".

It took much longer than expected but Lemmings Plus V is finally here!

75 levels across 5 ranks. Four new graphic sets. 15 talismans to collect.

If you're interested, chances are you already know more or less what to expect from the development topic, so let's skip over all that (at least until I can be bothered making a proper writeup about it) and just give you the download link:

Download: http://www.neolemmix.com/?page=lemmingsplus






Good luck, and have fun!

In regards to the graphic sets, see the 2nd post for details on how I'll release them.

Note: This topic is ONLY for posting updates to your levels, or making late submissions. All other posts will be deleted. If you want to discuss the levels, post replays, etc, please do so in the Discussion Topic.

Please follow these rules for updates:
1. When posting a new updated version of a level, remove any old updated versions of that level. (I won't enforce this too strongly, but be aware that I probably will delete such posts myself if the author doesn't; so don't store any important information in them.)
2. Make a new post for a new update; do not edit your most recent post. You may, however, post updates to multiple entries (if you have more than one) in the same post.
3. Use the same filename as found in the ZIP of the entered levels, with "V2" "V3" etc added at the end. No matter how minor an update is, give it a new number.
4. Do not post in this topic, unless it's to post an update to your levels. Use the discussion topic instead for anything else.


For late submissions also, please use the same kind of filename as is used in the main levels download - ie: your username, and "R1" "R2" or "R3" to mark which rule the level is for. Remember that the maximum-of-two-levels-per-user rule still applies, even for late submissions. Please be sure to check the original contest announcement topic for the rules; as the notes in the discussion topic are simply meant as reminders, not full explanations of the rules.

Note: This topic is for posting your comments, replays, etc for the levels. If you wish to post an update to your level, or enter a late submission, please do so in the Updates Topic instead.

Rule 1 Levels (Two lemmings, at least one permanent skill, no more than one of each permanent skill)
[V6] BulletRide's "Complications" (NeoLemmix)
[V16] Crane's "The Wishing Well" (NeoLemmix)
[V2] geoo's "Inseparables" (Lix)
[V1] Gronkling's "Future Temple" (NeoLemmix)
[V3] IchoTolot's "The Machine" (NeoLemmix)


Rule 2 Levels (One of each skill)
[V3] Colorful Arty's "Lego my lemmings!" (NeoLemmix)
[V3] Crane's "Heaven and Earth" (NeoLemmix)
[V3] Nepster's "Oh Yes, Here Again!" (Lix)


Rule 3 Levels (No constructive skills)
[V5] Colorful Arty's "Hailfire Peaks" (NeoLemmix)
[V3] geoo's "The New Compression Method" (Lix)
[V1] Gronkling's "Ursa Miner? Ursa MAJOR!" (NeoLemmix)
[V2] IchoTolot's "Harkonnen Force" (NeoLemmix)
[V2] Simon's "Flying Squirrels" (Lix)
[V3] zanzindorf's "Bird Knight" (NeoLemmix*)

* This entry was initially submitted as a SuperLemmini level but was later switched to NeoLemmix.

---

I assume by now everyone knows how to play these levels, but if you don't, just ask and someone will help you.

EDIT: If someone posts a replay for your level with an "nxrp" extension rather than "lrb", you need the V1.47n experimental version of NeoLemmix to view it. Please be aware (for late submissions / future contests) that at the moment, the contest rules still state that levels should be designed for V1.43n-F - so while it's fine if they work on V1.47n, or to post solutions that were achieved on V1.47n, it is not currently permitted to submit levels that only work on V1.47n.

Two of the levels use custom graphic sets that aren't auto-downloadable, you can download these here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/i3w9qcpye1vz1al/Contest11_Styles.zip?dl=0
Additionally, several of the levels have custom music. You can download these here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/y4m2nmuaitzzgsk/Contest11_Music.zip?dl=0
If you're playing via the NXP, put the music files in a "music" subfolder of your NeoLemmix folder.

The update phase will remain open until 00:00 on 13 September 2016 (UTC), subject to the usual extension rule. Late submissions are also allowed until the update phase ends.

Levels ZIP/ NXP last updated: 16/09/06 19:28 UTC. See above list for which versions are included in the download; there may be newer versions available in the update topic.
If updating from a version prior to 16/09/05 12:49 UTC and using the ZIP of individual level files, you'll need to redownload the styles too. This is not nessecary if using the NXP, as the updated NXP contains the updated style.

Bitbucket: https://bitbucket.org/namida42/neolemmixplayer/issues/73/seemingly-identical-lemmings-can-be-split

Suppose we have two identical lemmings - same action, same permanent skills, same position, even same animation frame. This could be achieved by placing two pre-placed lemmings in the same spot; unless one is given a skill that the other isn't, or encounters an object that only affects one lemming at a time, these two lemmings will be identical at all times. Or, so you'd expect.

But let's suppose these lemmings aren't just placed two in a row like this. Suppose that you place the first one, place a second lemming somewhere else, then place a third one in exactly the same position as the first. So we now have lemming 1 and 3 (the two "identical" lemmings), and lemming 2 (the odd one out).

Can you seperate lemming 1 and 3 without making use of a trap / teleporter / etc or assigning any skill to either of them?

You probably shouldn't be able to. But in fact, you can. If lemming 2 uses a constructive or destructive skill, and lemmings 1 and 3 are in the right position at the right time, they may end up seperated.

Why does this happen? To help illustrate this, I've attached a sample level. The solution is extremely obvious - having lemming 2 build right at the edge.

The interesting part here is not the level itself, but the behaviour you'll see during it. Why does this happen?

Explanation

We only need to look at the frame where the split happens.

NL handles the lemmings one at a time. So, the following occurs:

1. Lemming 1 checks for terrain in front of him. He sees something to stand on, but nothing to step up onto, so he steps forward.
2. Lemming 2 is on the frame at which he places the next builder brick. So, at this point, the brick is placed.
3. Lemming 3 performs the same check as Lemming 1. However, he's seeing different terrain because of the brick just placed by Lemming 2; there is something to step up onto, so he steps up.

This would be almost unnoticable; in many situations, Lemming 1 would rejoin with Lemming 3 on the next frame. However, in this case, it is visible because of what happens on the following frame - Lemming 1, currently one pixel lower than Lemming 3, has nothing in front of him to stand on, so he begins falling. Lemming 3 on the other hand does have something to stand on, so continues walking.

This will probably be quite tricky to fix, so is much more of a long-term thing.

So, the decision has been made that a NeoLemmix update will be made, even though the overall new format setup is not ready yet. Instead, this update will for the most part use the older formats, but include all the newer performance improvements, bugfixes and features.

There's honestly too much stuff for me to list it all, without going through the commit history with a fine-toothed comb, so I'll just go over some of the main points.

An entirely new replay format
Instead of the old LRB format, the new version will use the NXRP format, which is one of the few new formats that is going to make it into this release. The main advantage is that this is a text-based format, meaning it can be manually modified or analyzed. It's also easier to expand in the future, if a need arises.

Lemming Highlighting
Need a better way to tell which lemming will be selected when you click? In this version, the prioritized lemming will change to a red color so that he stands out. How about keeping track of lemmings with permanent skills? These lemmings will swap their hair and clothes colors, making them stand out too.

Skill shadows
When you have a destructive or constructive skill selected, and you mouseover a lemming, shadows will appear of what area the skill will cover. While these are not always 100% accurate, they are good enough for most cases and can help aim that miner, or see if that builder will reach.

Graphic set mixing and other new design features
Pending a compatible editor update, it'll be possible to mix and match graphic sets in a single level. In addition to that, objects can now be rotated.

Panning sounds
Sound effects will now pan to the left or right, depending on where in the level they occur relative to the screen position.

Physics bug fixes
There have been far too many fixes to physics bugs - from the glaring well-known ones, to some so obscure they probably would never have been found if the code hadn't been closely analyzed - to even begin listing them.


This release will be compatible with existing content (though re-testing is recommended), as long as it doesn't use any of the features that are being removed. A rebuilding of NXP files with the updated Flexi Toolkit version will be highly recommended, but apart from re-testing levels, no other action should be nessecary. (Based on a quick test, using Lemmings Plus Omega and Lemmings Plus V, it would appear that about 20% to 30% of replays will need redoing for this update. Of course, it depends on the exact nature of your levels and replays.)

Of course I can't give an exact date for the release, but it shouldn't be too far off. If you want, you can turn the "Check for updates" option on in NeoLemmix, then you'll get a notification the next time you run NeoLemmix after the update is released.

To keep things simpler, I'm also going to re-version the Flexi Toolkit and Graphic Set Tool to be in line with the corresponding NeoLemmix versions, similar to how the editor is. So, the next updates for these will also be V1.47n rather than V1.19 and V1.04 respectively.

---

Experimental version download links
Editor*: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ditkyiemhm93ss7/NeoLemmixEditor.exe?dl=1

The player and the other tools have now had stable V1.47n releases.

* See this post for info on how to set up the editor experimental version

NOTE: In order to use playtest mode with the experimental editor version, you must also use the experimental player version (and vice versa). Playtest mode will not work properly with stable editor + experimental player, or experimental editor + stable player.

Time for another contest, and once again we have the "pick up to two of three rules" format!

For those of you who are new to the contests (and if you haven't entered before, I strongly encourage you to try - even if you don't win, it's fun to participate; and we have had cases where first-time entrants have won before!) or haven't participated in a while; there are three choices of rules given, you may enter one level each for up to two of the rules. You may use Lemmix, Lemmini, NeoLemmix, SuperLemmini or single-player Lix.

Note that there have been some changes in the general rules since the last contest, specifically relating to which versions of engines should be used:
Lix - From this contest onwards, the D version should be used. This is to reflect that this is now considered the primary version of Lix for single-player. (Previously, the rules explicitly stated the C++ version should be used.)
NeoLemmix - From this contest onwards, it is explicitly stated that levels should be made with the latest stable version (ie: V1.43n-F) in mind. Of course it's great if they work on the experimental version too (it is not required that they do, though), but if the level is ONLY compatible with / possible on the experimental version, it does not meet the criteria for entering into the contest. (Previously, the rules did not specify any particular version of NeoLemmix.)

There's also been some changes to the submission deadline rules:
- The initial submission deadline no longer extends if there are already at least 6 entries. (The update phase still extends as normal.)
- New levels may now be submitted during the update phase. (There is no penalty for doing this, aside from that people will have less time to play your level than if it was there from the start.)

These new rules are somewhat experimental, and depending on how they work, I might keep them or change them again.


So, without further ado, here are the rules! These were chosen by BulletRide as his prize for winning the previous contest, so if you need clarification on a rule, you'll need to wait for his answer.
All three rules are engine-independant this time.

Rule 1
Create a level that has:
- Exactly two lemmings / lixes, both of which must be saved
- At least one of the following skills in the skillset: Climber, Floater, (NeoLemmix) Swimmer, Glider, Disarmer, (Lix) Runner
- No more than one use each of the skills listed in the previous point, even if it's via pickup skills or being pre-assigned
- No Cloners

Rule 2
Create a level where all skills that are provided have exactly 1 use. There is no requirement as to how many different skills, or which skills, you provide.
Pickup skills and pre-assigned skills are not allowed for this rule.

Rule 3
Create a level with no constructive skills (ie: Builder, (NeoLemmix / Lix) Platformer, (NeoLemmix) Stoner, Stacker, (Lix) Cuber).

---

The deadline for submissions is August 23rd at 00:00 (UTC).

The prize selection is the usual.
- US $5.00
- One month's advertising on the forum's news ticker
- Your choice for the next contest's rules

Instead of offering a prize for 2nd place as I sometimes do, I'd like to offer a different special prize to encourage the Lix community's participation: The highest-placed Lix level (excluding 1st place, if a Lix level gets that) will also get to choose a prize provided that it qualified at least as far as the semifinals, subject to the same conditions that usually apply to a 2nd-place prize (ie: they can't choose the same prize as the 1st place winner).
EDIT: To clarify, if a Lix level does come 1st overall, then this special prize is still available to whichever the next best Lix level is (provided they at least reach the semifinal).

Current entries: 11
BulletRide (1)
Colorful Arty (2)
Crane (2)
geoo (2)
Gronkling (2)
IchoTolot (2)
Nepster (1)
Simon (1)

We have a few players (including myself) who are quite into Poker, so I thought I'd set up a club on PokerStars so we can play!

Because I want this to be for forum members only, I'm not going to post the invitation code here. PM me if you want it; I also give full permission for members who already have the code to tell other members what it is via private means (note: mentioning it in the #neolemmix or #lix channels does NOT count as private because the logs from these are publicly viewable; but private message on IRC is acceptable), so that there's no need to wait for me to be online if someone wants to join (although note that I still have to approve the joining, even with the code; this just means we don't need to be online at the same time). Those who aren't members of the forum itself but are established as part of the community elsewhere (for example, #lix members who aren't registered here) are welcome too.

All forum staff can also give you the invitation code even if they aren't in the club themself, as I posted it in the private staff board for exactly that purpose.

To join the club, open PokerStars, go to Home Games (under "More" on the right of the main lobby), click "Join a Poker Club", and enter the club ID (2071858) and the invitation code (you'll need to get this privately from me or someone else who has it). EDIT: I've attached an image that should help show what to click.

See the second post for information on the currently-available tables / tournaments within the club.

According to PokerStars support, even US-based players should be able to join, but they will only be able to participate in play money games (with the exception of New Jersey residents, who can also join the real money games).

(Don't forget - you'll need PokerStars play money chips to play. Don't ever buy them (unless you want to, I guess); every four hours you can get 12.5k chips for free by clicking the "Free Play Chips" in the Cashier. Since the lowest buyin a tournament can have is 20k chips, I recommend doing this from time to time even when we're not playing, just so you're ready for when we are.)

Congratulations to the winners!

1st place: BulletRide's "Precision" (Choice of rules for next contest)
2nd place: Apjjm's "Live And Let Diode" (Advertising)

As a reminder, the choice of prizes available are (with 1st place getting priority if both winners want the same prize):
- $5.00 USD
- A month advertising on the forum's news ticker for a project you're involved with (Lemmings-related or not)
- Your choice for the next contest's rules


An honorable mention also goes to Proxima's "A Necklace of Raindrops", who achieved by far the best result we've seen yet from a Lix level (and was the highest-achieving Rule 2 level; with 1st and 2nd being from Rule 1 and Rule 3 respectively).

A new contest will be up when a winner chooses to pick the rules and tells me what their choice is, or if neither winner picks that prize, within a few days of them both picking their prizes.


Also, as usual, if you entered NeoLemmix level(s) and aren't planning to use them in any of your own packs, consider donating them to the NeoLemmix Community Pack.

Currently, NL always saves skill selection (but no other purely-UI actions) to the replay, but nothing else. There is a user-side option as to whether or not to actually show these when playing back a replay.

Let's compare this to other engines:
> Lemmix: Works the same way as NL does, minus the option to hide skill selections when viewing a replay.
> Lemmini / SuperLemmini: These save all UI actions in the replay. For example, the replay includes screen scrolling. I think SuperLemmini now has an option to not display these things when playing it back, however (Lemmini does not).
> Lix: No UI stuff is saved, as far as I'm aware. If it is, it doesn't get played back.

In the past, requests to go more towards the Lix route have lead to the introduction of a user-side option for showing these; the replay file always includes the data on them. But do we need to keep this?

If we are going to keep this - I think it should be expanded so that all UI actions are saved to the replay file and can be played back. The other option is to only record the actual gameplay, and discard purely-UI actions when saving a replay. I don't want to keep the current middle ground either way; I want to go with one or the other. If we do include all UI stuff in the replay, the option to not show it when replaying will remain available. If we discard it, of course, there won't be any need for an option, as we can't replay something we don't have information on.

Even though I was one of the people who wanted to keep the UI stuff, over time I've found myself leaning more towards that it doesn't need to be replayed. And, of course, it's easier to code this way.

The reason I ask is because I'm working on the new replay format (and associated code) at the moment.

On that note, here's an example of a new replay file. Note that the extra info like lemming position and direction isn't currently used; it's just saved so that in future, code can be added to try and recover replays that have been broken by physics changes etc.

Spoiler

# NeoLemmix Replay File
# Saved from NeoLemmix VExNF 1.45n-C
# Assignments: 5
# RR Changes: 0

TITLE    Compression Method 1         
GAME Untitled Level Pack
RANK TEST MODE
LEVEL 1
ID 9FEA9A63

ACTIONS

ASSIGNMENT
  FRAME 84
  LEM_INDEX 3
  LEM_X 133
  LEM_Y 90
  LEM_DIR RIGHT
  ACTION BASHER

ASSIGNMENT
  FRAME 96
  LEM_INDEX 6
  LEM_X 197
  LEM_Y 90
  LEM_DIR RIGHT
  ACTION BASHER

ASSIGNMENT
  FRAME 109
  LEM_INDEX 9
  LEM_X 262
  LEM_Y 90
  LEM_DIR RIGHT
  ACTION BASHER

ASSIGNMENT
  FRAME 167
  LEM_INDEX 7
  LEM_X 98
  LEM_Y 117
  LEM_DIR LEFT
  ACTION BLOCKER

ASSIGNMENT
  FRAME 697
  LEM_INDEX 7
  LEM_X 98
  LEM_Y 117
  LEM_DIR LEFT
  ACTION BOMBER

I've floated this in discussions a few times, thought about it a lot, and come to the conclusion - if there's anything that's justified in being added as a 17th skill, it's a Fencer - I'm not sure where I got that name from (L2? Hamsters? Clones? Not really sure), but it would basically be a destructive skill that creates a tunnel at an upwards angle - essentially a miner, but in reverse.

What I'd like to discuss on this (and it may be a while - possibly including later than just at the big update - before it actually gets implemented, so there is plenty of time to discuss these things) is:

1. Do we want to (without considering what they may be) add any further skills at all? We don't want to end up like L2, but on the other hand, while some of the first 8 new skills might not be too useful *coughstackercough*, in future any new additions would be much less rushed - as can be seen from that this is the first time since V1.16n that I've proposed adding anything more.

2. Assuming we do want to leave open the possibility of more skills, is Fencer a good choice? Keep in mind that essentially, it would be like a miner that starts from the bottom instead of the top. However, this alone may be worthwhile because while we currently have horizontal, diagonal-down and vertical-down skills, we don't have any destructive skill that goes upwards (unless you count the bomber).

3. And finally, if we do implement it, how exactly should it work? For example - how many "slashes" can he take without moving upwards before he gives up, or should he be able to keep going (essentially acting like a basher) even without upwards movement, just as long as he destroys something and hasn't hit steel? Should we introduce one-way up arrows that are only destroyable by the fencer (and perhaps any future skill that also destroys in an upwards direction, though I don't see a very high likelihood of introducing any others)? Even the finer details of the masks - should the terrain removal be from bottom to top unlike other skills (which also gives Fencer another unique property compared to miner or basher, in that it can't be used to create staircases by interrupting mid-stroke)?

I want to stress again that this is not a gateway to suddenly exploding to L2-like quantities of skills. Like this one has been (and will continue to be, via your input now rather than just mostly my own thoughts), any additions will be carefully considered, and quite possibly even trialled before officially introducing them into the game; and I don't expect them to become a very regular thing - as I mentioned, this is the first new skill I've considered in a long time. I know I've repeated this point many times, but I feel it's important to do so, as I don't want a potentially useful skill to be rejected just because people are afraid it will open the gate to an influx of relatively useless ones like L2.