Conversion of existing level packs
1) Download the newest new-formats version: You get it from the links in the post above. And of course install them... Check that the file "NXPConverter.exe" is present in the same folder than the "NeoLemmix.exe" file.
2) Check for converted graphic sets:Before you can even start converting your pack,
all used graphic styles have to be present, including the ones that are contained in your level pack (and this includes any VGASpecs!). If even one of these styles is missing, then the NXPConverter will silently crash!
So what to do, if some style is missing?
- If it is one of standard styles released here on the forums (probably creates by someone else), then you cannot do anything at the moment. Please wait until an official conversion of the style is available, i.e. one that I post in this thread.
- If it is one specifically made for your pack, then convert the style yourself, see the
graphic set conversion topic for instructions. However please make sure to rename your style to "special" and rename all of your pieces to "[nickname]_[piece name]". The reason for this is, that the "special" style is there to collect all single graphics that are not part of a big style, as we don't want to get thousands of almost empty style folders each containing a few VGASpecs. So the "special" style is a free-for-all folder, where we should try to avoid naming collisions, which is most easily done by adding nicknames to every piece.
3) Use the NXPConverter.exe:If you are sure that you have all graphic styles, then drag your level pack file (the one ending with ".nxp") onto the file "NXPConverter.exe". Due to recent problems of Flopsy, I recommend first copying the pack file to the same folder where the converter is, and then dragging it from there onto the converter file.
This should start a console window and some general info should be displayed. Press enter here, and the conversion process will start. The console window will list all already converted levels while working. When it is finished, a success message should appear. Press enter again and the console window will close.
You will now find your converted level pack in the subfolder "levels" in a subsubfolder having the same name as your level pack.
4) Check whether all levels look correctly:Although all style designers and I myself have been careful with the conversion process, some bugs might have been introduced in the translation tables. Usually this takes the form of one specific piece always being shifted by a few pixels or it being replaced by a completely different piece. In that case, please notify me of this bug and I will post a fix.
Depending on the severeness of the problem, it might be wise to wait for the fix and then reconvert the whole pack.
5) Check all levels with radiation, slowfreeze or anti-splat pad objects:In the first two cases, you will probably have to modify the level in order to keep it solvable or backroute-free. In the case of anti-splat pads you just have to check that the updraft replacing this object works as intended.
6) Check for missing custom sprites:The pack converter will handle the most frequent custom sprites automatically, including the logo and the rank sprites. But it most likely will not handle custom lemmings sprites. There is an easy way to fix this: Look whether the new pack toolkit already supports these custom sprites, and bug me if they are missing.
7) Check for missing background images:There have been problems with converting background images (not moving background objects), so please check whether they are still set in your levels. If not, you have to set them again with the level editor.
8) Check talisman descriptions:The new-formats version automatically creates the talisman descriptions for you, so you don't have to type in "Solve MadRank 42 with only 3 fencers". It still supports titles for talismans, in case you want to give them unique names like "Award bee!".
As the pack converter cannot distinguish between these two types of names, it will simply use the exiting description as a title, which may not be what you actually want. So better check this. Btw. it is totally fine to keep the title empty; the NeoLemmix player will then simply ignore this line.
9) Check music files:As the new-formats now drops the support for music packs completely, all your music files have to be placed in the folder "music" and have to be in one of the supported music formats (.ogg, .mp3, .it and others). As with pieces in the style folder "special", this has the potential problem of multiple packs using different tunes of the same name. We should try to avoid this, so please use descirptive names! "Nepster_Final.ogg" is fine, "Beethoven_Symph7_2.mp3" is fine, but just "final.ogg" or "fire.mp3" are better to be avoided.
Conversion of single levels
While the NeoLemmix player and the NL Editor can still read old level files, this is only a good method if you have only a few levels to update.
If you have several dozens of levels (probably due to a yet unfinished pack), then I would suggest creating a pack with just one rank containing all your levels, using the old Flexi Toolkit. As this pack is just for conversion purposes, you won't have to set any of the other pack options. Then apply the conversion process as described above and you'll get all your levels in the proper new text-based file format.