Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - kaywhyn

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 113
1
SuperLemmix / Re: [DISC]NeoLemmix>SuperLemmix Levelpack Compatibility
« on: June 05, 2023, 07:50:16 PM »
I have downloaded the latest version of Superlemmix , and the styles collection, and I have tried my pack (Mikes Lemmings Superlemmix version).

Unfortunately, I have found , that several of the levels won't load , because of missing tiles/tilesets in the styles collection.

These levels are Wild 2, 6, 7 , Wicked 1, 5, 7, 8 , and Bonus 2.

I have checked the styles collection, and it seems that, several tilesets, are missing , like most of the Rayman , or LemRunner tilesets.

Unfortunately for several of the levels , it will be difficult to specify which tilesets are missing, because I use stuff from multiple different tilesets, in order to create them.
For example, for one of these, I had used stuff from 14 different tilesets, in order to create it, including , the "Turrican special" , tileset , that I had made it , especially for that level , and I had submitted it for the Neolemmix styles collection.

I have checked the number of styles in the Superlemmix styles folder and their number is 236.
In comparison, the number of styles , in the styles folder of my Neolemmix installation, is 261.

I had the same problem, but I solved the issue by simply copy/paste the style folder from my NL directory to my SLX one and select "don't replace."

2
NeoLemmix Main / Re: Join development team
« on: June 05, 2023, 07:26:35 PM »
I think a lot of people use the mouse to select skills in NL though; the learning curve for the hotkeys is fairly steep because of how much separation there is between where you can look up the hotkeys and where you can actually apply them. In Lix, if you don't remember the hotkey, you can just look at the button and then press the button it says. In NL you have to completely stop playing to go to the options menu and check, which probably means going back to the main menu (I forget if you can access it or not during gameplay, but while we're on the topic of forgetting what the hotkeys were, it doesn't really matter if it's accessible in-game or not if you gotta go back to the main menu to be able to produce the options menu without a hotkey). That's why it's much faster to click with the mouse in NL: technically if you knew the skill hotkeys, it would be faster, but the lookup process is insanely long.

The funny thing is that I grew up with the Dos version of Lemmings. I occasionally used the F function keys to select skills, but most of the time it was via the mouse. Instead, the only function key I usually used was the one for pause (F11), as well as the builder (F7) and bomber (F5). I think the one for builder is because it's the most used skill in the game and hence I took to memorizing the function key for it. However, I think in both cases it was just the function key itself, being somewhat iconic themselves.

Now, in NL I only use the P key for pausing, even though F11 can still be used for pausing too. Thus, when I finally came back to checking out something on the Dos port of Lemmings earlier this year, I'm so used to hitting P for pause that I forgot that you cannot do so via that key on Dos! Needless to say, using F11 for pause is probably going to be the one very hard thing for me to come back to doing, if I ever, say, LP that port of the game, similar to what Colorful Arty did for V-Day for his stream of the game.

No, you can't access the main menu during gameplay. Instead, you need to exit out first to the post-results screen and then again to get to the main menu. So, it does indeed take a while to access it in-game when you're in a level.


Regarding notifying the player how to cancel replay mode, I guess another option could be to have a toggable button for it in the skill panel. Similar to how there's one for CPM if you don't use the compact skill panel and you can activate it either by hotkey (T for the traditional layout) or click the button for it, the same thing can happen with the replay cancel button. However, the problem here is that this would mean another change to the UI, and I don't know if the result would still look fine even with just an extra button added. Just a thought really, but I thought I could just throw it out there just in case. 

3
NeoLemmix Main / Re: Join development team
« on: June 02, 2023, 11:54:26 AM »
I don't have too much experience with Lix myself, but from what I have seen from the times I have played with it, what I like about Lix, in contrast to NL, is how the hotkeys for everything are all on the screen for you. Therefore, you don't have to worry what they are in case you forget. Yes, it is quite cluttered as a result, but it does make the UI more user-friendly. It even tells you when you're in replay mode to click to cancel. Not so in NL. The other way to cancel replay mode is with the C key, but I never use that. I always use mouse clicks to cancel replay mode.

At the same time, because I'm so used to the hotkeys of NL, I ended up changing all of Lix's to match NL's, meaning FF is F, Restart is R, etc. The one thing I do miss is the lack of a hotkey for "last skill assigned," as I find it super helpful when I'm LPing NL content. Of course, this will likely be a problem when doing Lix multiplayer, but that's because I haven't settled on a hotkey configuration for the skills, and in NL I don't ever use hotkeys to select skills, I always use the mouse to do so. Yea, I'm a bit of an odd horse this way :P I guess I just find it quicker to click with the mouse and how I'm more used to playing that way instead of with hotkeys.

4
SuperLemmix / Re: [DISC]NeoLemmix>SuperLemmix Levelpack Compatibility
« on: June 02, 2023, 11:39:58 AM »
Exactly what Icho and WillLem have said in regards to getting permission from still active authors. In this way, there won't be any problems later, especially in the case of an author who isn't ok with it. Some are ok with it, some aren't. Even if you think the author won't have issues with a pack of theirs getting converted, it's still better to be safe than sorry and ask, as that's the polite thing to do and is respecting the author and his/her content.

Just to clear any doubt, if there's ever any future pack from me (this is neither confirmation nor the possibility of one ruled out), I'm perfectly fine with it being converted to another engine, but I still would like it if the user asks me for permission first! Even if I say "no," I will appreciate the fact that the user at least asked for my permission.

5
Hi Duuddu,

I have solved all of the pack, so here are my replays. Also, I did an LP of the pack: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbp2m4KlFpJtqh8xRVPUf5sfNRt6v8pgm. Enjoy! :P

General Feedback

Unusual Lemmings is the newest level pack by Duuddu and follows the exact same format as his two previous level packs Surge Lemmings and Godlems: 3 ranks called Easy, Normal, and Hard, with 5 levels each. If any of his previous work is any indication, the Easy rank certainly is more misnamed with every subsequent pack. I found them to be anything but easy except for Easy 1.

Other than Hard 1, the Normal rank actually took me the longest due to Normal 1, Normal 2, and Normal 4. These 3 pretty much all use a similar concept so that by the time you get to Hard 1 IMHO this was overdone to death. As I recall, this isn't a very well-liked trick due to how very fiddly and the extreme precision needed to pull it off. So, my advice would be to avoid making levels requiring this in future packs, especially since this has already been done with Surge Lemmings with Hard 1, and Icho and I called it out for the precision harming the level. There are definitely far better level ideas than that!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Even then, I would still give this pack a go, after Duuddu takes onboard the feedback and suggestions to make any necessary updates to fix backroutes and possibly also to reduce the precision on some levels, such as the ones mentioned.

Easy Rank Feedback

Supposedly the easiest rank due to being the first rank, this still isn't a complete pushover, as has been the case of the Easy ranks in Duuddu's previous level packs as well. Easy 1, along with Normal 3, were pretty much the quickest solves of the pack. Easy 2 took me the longest and definitely far longer than it should had. I would consider this one a bit too hard for its position. Yes, it might be a 1-of-everything and really short, but figuring out the solution is still challenging.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The rest of the levels in the rank weren't too bad, although the next hardest for me was Easy 4. Despite being a builders only level, it's quite hard despite being allowed 2 losses. There's 8 builders, and they're all required to get up to the wall where the exit is. So, it's a matter of fiddling with the RR until you get the solution to work, and this took a lot of tweaking before it worked!

For Easy 3, not as hard as the previous level, but this can still be challenging.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Finally, Easy 5 is very obvious what needs to be done, but if you're not aware of the idea required then it can be a roadblock.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Normal Rank Feedback

As mentioned, other than Hard 1, this rank took me the longest to complete due to Normal 1, Normal 2, and Normal 4. Still some decent puzzles here!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


Hard Rank Feedback

Hard 1 is the hardest level of the rank, not unlike the other Hard 1's from Duuddu's other level packs. The extreme precision is what really harms Hard 1 here as well, to the point that I raged at the level during the time I solved the level off-camera. My advice would be to just avoid making levels that require this in the future. As far as I understand, the trick needed isn't very well-liked, and I haven't seen any other custom levels require it other than Duuddu's packs. The thing I find very confusing is if you been told by both Icho and me that the trick isn't well-liked and the resulting frustration in our experience of solving the Hard 1's, then why keep making levels like them ???

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


As usual, it may be a short pack but don't expect it to be a quick solve, if any of Duuddu's packs is any indication to go by. Even then, I would still give this pack a go, especially after a patch is released to fix backroutes and maybe to reduce precision on the levels I mentioned or possibly replace if they feel needed.

Thanks for the pack Duuddu! Don't take my rage at Hard 1 personally, those are really my honest feelings on the level, as I be lying if I said it didn't make me rage. You have great level ideas, but the one needed on Hard 1 and in the previous Hard 1 in Surge Lemmings isn't one of them. There's far better level ideas than that ;)

6
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: [NeoLemmix] NepsterLems
« on: May 28, 2023, 06:22:08 PM »
Thank your for your congratulations, Swerdis! :thumbsup: As for a future level pack from me, we will see. I don't know if I'll be making one, as I never considered the possibility. However, if it was meant as a suggestion that I try my hand at making one, now I might consider it. Only time will tell. 

7
Contests / Re: Level of the Year 2022: Playing Phase
« on: May 28, 2023, 10:16:08 AM »
The remaining videos are now up :thumbsup:

Part 4 - https://youtu.be/pkre_sE93hI (Niesch's and WillLem's levels)

Part 5 - https://youtu.be/Q8tBfpkORmc (the remaining ones)

8
Contests / Re: Level of the Year 2022: Playing Phase
« on: May 27, 2023, 09:49:35 AM »
Solved all the levels of the LOTY2022 Collection pack. Here are my replays. Also, I've recorded my solutions to the nominated levels. For the time being, here are the first three:

Part 1 - https://youtu.be/5i4ex7nqmh4 (Armani's levels)

Part 2 - https://youtu.be/ZI1X3qfj7eo (Icho's levels)

Part 3 - https://youtu.be/KLCIsjp3LSg (My levels! Thank you to those who nominated 4 of them! :thumbsup:)

I will record the rest at some point this weekend, so keep an eye out! :)


The only levels I needed to play and solve were Armani's Faith Is Common, Logic Is Rare, and Master88's The Devil Is In The Details




I've already played Mystify's Time Waster 500, Icho's May The Guides Bless My Journey, and WillLem's Clickbait in the mini #WasteMyTime Contest compilation I put together. I was already told by Icho that I have the intended solution to his #WasteMyTime entry, and WillLem's should be as well.

Dexter's Cause and Infect is just a resolve of V2, since I backrouted V1 from a while back. Again, I was already told by Dexter that my solution is acceptable :thumbsup:

Finally, I already played and solved Turrican's Underwater Caverns in his Mike's Lemmings Version 2 pack and was told my solution is acceptable :thumbsup:

TL:DR - All my solutions should be intended/acceptable :thumbsup:

9
In case you haven't heard, at the very end of April I was finally able to get the final level of Revenge of the Lemmings for New Formats NL solved after being stuck on it for 4 months. geoo's Stroke At Retirement Age is a very worthy level to finish off the pack despite it not being anywhere near the hardest level of the pack, though it's certainly one of the hardest.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

However, that's not the greatest news. About a few weeks after finishing up RotL for New Formats NL, earlier this month, I was finally able to get Black Hole 1 solved from NepsterLems last week on Tuesday (May 16, 2023, level image in above post). I proceeded to solve the rest of the level pack in just two days after that. So, it might had taken me 3 years, but I finally have solved all of NepsterLems :thumbsup:

As for BH1 itself, there is a spoiler contained which shows the part I missed in the nearly 3 years I was stuck on this level circled in red, so don't open if you plan to play the level yourself! I seriously can't believe I didn't see that critical spot in the almost 3 years the level stumped me :forehead:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

After announcing on the Discord that I finally solved all of NepsterLems after 3 years, I received messages of congratulations from several of the Forums members. I have copied/pasted them here.

kieranmillar — 05/18/2023 2:01 PM
Well done! Your dedication, persistence, and also discipline in not looking up a solution in 3 years, is very impressive.

Will — 05/18/2023 5:16 PM
@kaywhyn Congratulations on solving Nepsterlems!

SQron — 05/19/2023 3:17 AM
@kaywhyn You solved all the Nepsterlems levels? That is an achievement not to be underestimated!

Pooty — 05/19/2023 4:27 AM
That must feel so damn good. (Referring to how I said that I have solved all the really hard level packs, such as Lemmings United, Lemmings Plus Omega 2, Lemmings Plus Alpha, and finally NepsterLems)

Armani — 05/20/2023 12:09 AM
Hey congratulation for finishing the pack!   You escaped the nightmare of blackholes and no lemmings level can stop you now!

Then there's this from me:

it might have taken 3 years, but nepsterlems is finally all solved!

The message of mine above received a lem:thumbsup reaction from mobius, kieran, and armani.

Therefore, thank you to mobius, kieran, armani, WillLem, SQRon188, and Pooty for their congratulations :thumbsup: However, somehow I don't feel all 100% happy about this achievement, and I don't know why. It might likely be due to how I was stuck on BH1 for almost 3 years, when everyone else who had solved the level needed at most only 1-2 hours. Not me apparently. I needed almost 3 years! :(

Thus, this kind of made me wondered why I received all these congratulations and whether I truly deserved them. Was it because of the fact it took me 3 years to solve all of the level pack? The fact it's one of the hardest packs? Maybe both? Don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful and grateful to those who showered me with praise on my achievement of solving all of the pack. Maybe how I'm not completely happy about it is just simply another case of me being too hard on myself. I did, after all, solve all of a really hard pack that not many would be able to. And I did it all without hints too! Yes, that includes BH1 even though I got very desperate and nearly wanted to throw in the towel several times. Nevertheless, I held back, and I especially would never ever forgive myself if I did look up a spoiler for the level, especially one that is in only the classic 8 skills.

I'll be honest, and that is it was really kieran who gave me the push to get BH1 solved, as he was the most recent one to solve it after I posted my rant about the level (the post immediately above this one) in this topic. By this, I mean the frequency I kept coming back to the level hoping I would finally see something that would help me get the level solved increased significantly. So, thank you kieran for giving me the motivation there! I assured him there was no need for his apology that he got the level solved before me, as there's bound to be levels like that that just stump me far longer than they should. BH1 happened to be one of them, all due to my "blindness" and failure to see anything else besides the ways that I kept being stuck on and trying to make work.

Needless to say, know that it's no one's fault I feel this way, as there are times when I feel and get all down about myself and wonder why I'm not good enough. However, sometimes I just need a reminder from others that I am worth it and am not completely worthless. 

10
In Development / Re: Random level sharing topic!
« on: May 24, 2023, 08:53:08 AM »
Quote
Hi Dexter,

I have solved your level "Cause and Infect." Replay attached. Very different from the intended solution, though :P Still, this is a pretty clever level! ;)

Woah, nice solution! I should've known better than to underestimate you! :thumbsup:

Attached is the updated level, intended solution is the same.

Hi Dexter,

I have resolved your level Cause and Infect. I was able to do it with a much smaller chain, but I'm guessing it's still fine since the core idea of the intended solution is still there. Maybe that's why the timing in my solution is tighter than it needs to be ???

11
Contests / Re: Level Design Contest #WasteMyTime
« on: May 23, 2023, 09:11:59 PM »
Hello,

I'm long overdue, but my congrats to Icho, mystify, and WillLem for the top 3 places! :thumbsup: Seems like this contest that darkshoxx organized was a success with the participants who entered. I probably would had done one myself, but due to how it was announced a week before, which is just too short notice for me, I decided not to. That's ok, I didn't really have any good ideas myself.

Anyway, I haven't taken a proper look at these entries until now, and I decided to go through them. For convenience, I organized them into a mini-pack so that they can all be played in the NL player so that you don't have to load them one-by-one in the NL editor and playtest mode them. I have attached the compilation here. It contains entries from all the participants except for namida's and niesch's. I decided to leave those out. In the case of the latter, I see that it was later made into an open-ended level and hence I don't have it in the original contest form. All you need to do is extract in the NL directory. Everything will fall into place.

For the styles, you can download them through the styles manager in the NL player. They should all be included in the standard library and hence be playable for you.

I have also attached my solutions. Once again, great job to all the participants! :thumbsup:

Finally, here's my recorded solutions to the levels: https://youtu.be/y1p6rQ7qjeE

Participants, feel free to let me know if my solutions are intended or not! ;) My solution to tan x dx's is the only one that feels fishy, particularly since there are times when you can keep the regular lemming infinitely safe without needing to do anything for a while until another zombie enters and ruins that. Even then, it's probably still fine considering the whole point is to keep him safe until the gold is collected and both he and the neutral can finally exit.

12
SuperLemmix / Re: [DISC] SuperLemmix Discussion Topic
« on: May 19, 2023, 05:03:29 AM »
@Jeremy

Since you gave me permission from a while back to make changes to your pack as I see fit, I decided to take care of the conversion to NL for you. Here's your Blizzard of Lemm SuperLemmini levels converted to NL. I haven't confirmed it, but they should all open fine in the NL editor of either NL or SLX. Also, even though the conversion went without a hitch, you still want to check things like whether the terrain shifted over when it shouldn't, traps to make sure they function properly, etc. This is because conversions aren't perfect, so it's great practice to double-check everything after converting anyway.

I haven't decided what to do with your "Snow Palace" level yet. As I stated quite a while back, I can confirm that all of your levels are solvable on SuperLemmini except for said level I mentioned. There just isn't enough time, but I have confirmed that with an extra minute added so that you're given 11 minutes, the level becomes possible. If keeping the 10 minutes as the level currently gives, it would need maybe more diggers to make the level possible.

13
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: [NeoLemmix] NepsterLems
« on: May 18, 2023, 11:51:35 PM »
Black Hole rank finally completed and hence I have solved all of Nepsterlems after 3 years! :thumbsup: I have attached my entire replay collection. I've already gave feedback on the other ranks, so this post will just be for the Black Hole rank ;)

Black Hole Rank Feedback

Being the final rank of the pack, it supposedly should have all the hardest levels of the pack. However, TBH this rank was a bit of a letdown, as I expected far more of a challenge! Especially if Nepster's description of the rank is anything to go by. After having gone through this entire rank after 3 years, I definitely struggled far more with the Sun and Neutron Star ranks. Then again, the time when I went through the 4th and 5th ranks was at a time when Nepsterlems was my 4th/5th NL custom level pack, meaning I wasn't as experienced back then. Therefore, roadblocks came up very often for me. In contrast, from the first time I reached Black Hole 1 from way back in 2020 and being stuck on that level for almost 3 years and finally having solved it earlier in the week, I have played and solved so many level packs in this time period and therefore have gained a lot of experience. This likely explains why I didn't struggle too much with the Black Hole rank. Don't get me wrong, there are still some very tough nuts to crack in this rank, but some of the levels had me wondering what the heck are they doing in the Black Hole rank, as I didn't find them that hard at all. Of course, I can still see these levels will be challenging for the less experienced players and hence they do belong in this rank. At the same time, I backrouted some of these levels and therefore some of them are easier than they should be.

It does go without saying that some of the 4th/5th rank levels could be upranked to Black Hole. For example, Icho mentions that Sun 7 - Scrap the Builders should be upranked to Black Hole, and I massively agree with him! Pretty much everyone I know who has solved it had a lot of struggles with it, including myself, though I was stuck there for only a month or so, nowhere near as long as Black Hole 1.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Having finally solved all of Nepsterlems, I hereby declare this one of the best packs I've played! :thumbsup: In addition, I have now cleared out my entire backlog of levels I couldn't solve, meaning I've been able to solve every NL level I've played thus far. This is certainly not to brag, especially as there have still been some to have stumped me for a while, but rather given enough time I can solve these levels. I still consider myself nowhere near the best solver even though I have completed some of the hardest level packs, including Lemmings United, Lemmings Plus Omega 2, Lemmings Plus Alpha, and now Nepsterlems, which was pretty much the last very hard level pack I've completed, as the other ones I've mentioned I actually finished them all before Nepsterlems, but that's all courtesy of Black Hole 1 stumping me for almost 3 years. For the record, Lemmings United and Lemmings Plus Alpha I finished them back in 2020, while LPO2 I completed just last month. Lemmings United took an entire year for me to solve everything, Lemmings Plus Alpha took me a few months, and LPO2 took me a few weeks. I checked the timestamps of my replays for Nepsterlems, and I apparently started your pack back in January 2020, during the time when I was playing United and still very far from finishing. So, it apparently has taken me nearly 3.5 years before I finally solved all of Nepsterlems.

Thank you for this pack, Nepster! :thumbsup: We here at the Lemmings Forums miss you and hope you're doing ok and that you'll make a return sooner rather than later. Lots has happened during your absence. 

14
NeoLemmix Levels / Re: [NeoLemmix] NepsterLems
« on: May 16, 2023, 05:43:55 PM »
It's finally happened: After being stuck on it for almost 3 years, since my last post in this topic, I finally solved Black Hole 1! This morning, while lying in bed, I was just staring at the level image I have saved on my phone for probably close to half an hour, couldn't see anything new I haven't yet tried the entire time, but shortly after I closed my eyes to sleep some more, the realization hit me, and I quickly went to try it out. That was indeed the thing I missed this whole time, but now I just needed to tweak it so it worked.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I seriously feel so dumb that it even took me this long before I finally solved Black Hole 1, when I think all the others who solved it only needed 1-2 hours at the most to get it solved. That's why I don't necessarily feel proud even though I finally solved the level without hints after so long. It's a bit shameful really, as there are much harder packs than this that I was able to solve in a far less amount of time than it took me this level. In any case, the level kept haunting me in my sleep ever since I posted my rant about the level in my blog topic on this site, but I can finally stop crying at night now that I finally got the level solved. Also, the record for the custom level that had me stuck the longest remains Gronkling's "Mystery Machine" level from RotL on the Lemmini version. This level of Nepster's was closely approaching that, but I got it solved before the time could eclipse that.

Well, I can finally move on with the rest of the rank and hopefully solve the remaining levels of the pack! ;)

15
SuperLemmix / Re: [SUG] Level top and sides
« on: May 13, 2023, 06:26:58 AM »
It's tough, because there's a lot of inconsistency with whether the level boundaries are solid or deadly among the engines/platforms, and even between the various formats of NL, with the exception of the bottom, as that's deadly in any engine, except if the wrap gimmick was active. For example,

Very Old Formats NL (v1.43n-F or earlier)

- All level sides are solid, and the bottom was only non-deadly if the wrap gimmick was active. For examples, see Strato's Lemmicks pack, third rank IIRC for wrap

Old Formats NL (v10.13.18 or earlier, but after v1.43n-F)

- Left and right boundaries are deadly, but the ceiling is solid. I remember one level from Pit Lems I got stuck on because I forgot about this.

New Formats NL (v12 players)

- All level boundaries are deadly


For Lemmini and SuperLemmini, they're both just like very Old Formats NL in that all level boundaries except the bottom are solid.

I grew up with the Dos version, and the ceiling and left boundary are solid. I'm not certain about the right boundary, though I want to say it's solid just because the ceiling and the left boundary are, but one can't automatically assume this just from that.

I'm not certain about the other ports, such as Genesis, Amiga, etc.

I'm indifferent as to whether any boundary other than the bottom are solid or deadly, though I think I more prefer boundaries are solid. For them to be deadly seems more of an inconvenience and annoyance as another way for lemmings to die, though them being solid can result in really bad backroutes even if the intended route doesn't use them. However, because of the inconsistencies among the engines as to whether the boundaries are deadly or not, I too would simply avoid dependency on the boundaries when designing by simply putting stuff in the way so that they cannot be reached and therefore one doesn't have to wonder whether they're solid or deadly.

Keep up the great work on this, WillLem! All the work you've poured on SuperLemmix looks great and ace! :thumbsup: 

Pages: [1] 2 3 ... 113