Okay so, it didn't take long for this to get out of control - to the point where the SAME person posted three different L1 conversions, simply to reflect the slight differences between three official ports.
Not to say "I told you so", but I pretty much
predicted this! (
"Some "version" or other needs to be accepted as official, otherwise you'll end up with multiple, unchecked versions from various sources")
As you've said, it's only likely to continue to happen in the absence of a pack that's accepted as the "official" conversion.
I totally agree that NeoLemmix is not the ideal place for the original levels, and I'd further suggest that its status as a host for custom packs is the very thing that keeps its community vibrant (it's one of the reasons I think the menu should be different from the DOS and Amiga versions). I can also sympathise with your frustration here.
However, as I've said somewhere else in another post, the best way to promote "the NeoLemmix way" is to do exactly that -
promote the NeoLemmix way - rather than bad-mouthing the original games and their various flaws. That's just a way to lose potential converts.
2. Declaring one particular conversion of each pack (or in some cases, collections of packs) to be "official".
+1 for this. Don't stop people from sharing their own conversions, but make it clear that there is an accepted standard, point to it clearly, and let
that be the end of the debate.
Incidentally, as much as I originally expressed enthusiasm with being the person to manage such conversions, in hindsight it's probably a much bigger task than I'd actually want to take on, and so I'd wholeheartedly nominate
Proxima's currently-in-progress conversion for this purpose.
The unique levels are available for Lemmix...I believe the majority are available for Lemmini and SuperLemmini too, which are both still closer than NL is
People love NeoLemmix, though. It's a great platform, and it's only natural that Lemmings fans will want the experience of playing the original levels in NeoLemmix.
Yes, it's frustrating that
some of those people may then complain that the experience is too different from what they're used to, but that's the nature of basing a new game directly on an old game - you'll obviously inherit a lot of the old game's fanbase, and everything that goes with that for better or worse.
finally putting an end to this mentality that NL is, or could be, or should be, a suitable platform for playing the games "as they originally were"
I just want to make it clear that this has never been the reason I've focused on original levels in NeoLemmix. Take a look at my packs: the vast majority of them are remix packs; I have no issue with playing these levels
not as intended!
Also, as I've stated elsewhere, part of the fun of porting levels is getting the experience of playing the same, familiar levels in a new platform with different features.
Any sense of "authenticity" or "preservation" I've ever wanted has been more to do with how the levels are presented visually rather than how they actually play.NeoLemmix is its own game and needs to start being treated and promoted as such - agreed. An updated menu,
Redux being bundled with it, and perhaps even a mission statement in the download topic itself would all help with this.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to encourage Tsyu to build SuperLemmini into a more "modern classic" version of the game, which keeps old-schoolers happy whilst also offering some more modern gameplay features. Such a version
definitely has a market, however small - it's the reason I'm even on the forums in the first place!