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Topics - Simon

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1
Lix Levels / Changing of the Guards, backroute
« on: September 01, 2020, 12:09:45 am »
Hi,

I assume that this is a backroute for Changing of the Guards (lemforum/Vicious).

Explanation (click to show/hide)

-- Simon

2
Lix Main / Skill blueprints a.k.a. shadows in Lix (2018 unreleased branch)
« on: August 10, 2020, 07:53:35 pm »
In 2018, I wrote:

Skill blueprints: Demo video of skill blueprints. It looks sophisticated, but it's not in releasable quality yet:
  • This is comparatively expensive to compute. I allocate an extra level-sized VRAM bitmap for the blueprints. Even though that's permanent,  I have to target/untarget that at least once per drawing. It dents the performance.
  • It doesn't cover all skills yet: It doesn't draw any terrain changes for cubers or ploders.
  • It draws the removers' blueprints even where there is already air. I'd prefer to only draw it on terrain. That requires changes to some low-level algorithms.
  • I like the previewed pose of the lix after the skill has run out. But stopped terrain removers get hidden behind the blueprint.
I'd like to improve it it before I release. I could hide it behind a disabled-by-default option, but hmmm, it feels very very beta even for that. Still, I'm happy to have made some progress here.

August 2020 discussion about this old D Lix branch in NL Customisable Fast-Forward Speed:

Quote from: Simon on July 30, 2020, 08:34:42 pm
Lix doesn't have skill shadows yet, they're elaborate to implement both nicely and fast. I have a crude version in a 2018 branch. It's possible to release that, but I feel like I should polish it more. I haven't done it in two years.

Quote from: WillLem on July 31, 2020, 01:35:14 pm
These look pretty good to be honest, but I can see that more refined versions are possible. For example, making it so the destructive blueprint only appears on the terrain that it will affect rather than the entire mask being shown.

Whatever you do, be sure to make these optional! I don't play Lix much at the mo but I keep meaning to - I'll likely make my next LP series Lix-based. It would be great to play through a few more levels and finally get around to reviewing the editor!

Yes, the main disadvantage is that the remover blueprints paint their entire mask, even over air. It's possible to improve that. I already have intricate/expensive per-pixel VRAM drawing for the real terrain removing; ideally, the blueprints work the same, even if expensive.

The blueprints allocated an extra level-sized VRAM bitmap. I'd like to omit that, too. Haven't thought about it in over a year. But maybe it's not that bad after all.

Undo in the editor is still in the works, but not releasable yet. Nonetheless, looking forward to your feedback!

-- Simon

3
Lix Main / 2020 Roadmap
« on: July 09, 2020, 09:39:08 pm »
For the second half of 2020, I'm planning:
  • Undo in the editor. I've poured serious effort into undo, but it's not finished. Undo must become a non-buggy releaseable feature. At first, only tile additions/deletions will be undoable. More actions will follow to become undoable. Probably some minor actions won't yet be undoable by end of 2019. We'll see.
  • Introduce an end-of-level screen that previews the next level. Maybe offer two levels: The next level, and the next unsolved level.
  • Replay tweaker: Add insert mode
  • Probably no physics change, no introduction of neutral lixes yet, ... But I should propose a battle plan for such breaking changes. Physics have subtle bugs, and I still haven't merged fixes that have been cooking since summer 2017.
-- Simon

4
Lix Main / Replay Tweaker: Add insert mode, what else?
« on: June 21, 2020, 10:46:09 pm »
Hi,

Proxima has submitted to Level Design Contest #20: Thirteen Little Skills. This is a disjoint union (= the level is separated into several independent areas) and thus would profit from better tooling in Lix. We want to focus on one area without worrying about lix dying in other areas.



Lix has the replay tweaker (film-strip button in the panel during play) to move or delete assignments without cutting the replay.

The main missing functionality is insert: When you click to assign, instead of first cutting all future assignments, the new assignment will be inserted without cutting anything from the replay. I would like to offer this in the replay tweaker as a mode: The default is cut-then-append (= normal behavior of most Lemmings-like games with interruptable action replay), and the second mode is insert-without-cutting (= what NeoLemmix shows with blue letter R in the panel).

What else should the replay tweaker offer?

I'm still busy with undo in the editor, undo is a mammoth feature to make nice. Afterwards, I'm considering either buffing the replay tweaker, or make a dedicated end-of-level screen that offers next levels.

-- Simon

5
Lix Levels / Lix singleplayer level list
« on: June 13, 2020, 02:16:31 pm »
Here is a list of all single player Lix level packs and scattered levels. It was split off Wafflem's list for all Lemmings-like games. Packs/levels are ordered by author name.

Current but not included in the main release:

Level Packs:

none

Scattered Levels:

Winter Rations by geoo
Level for the Level solving contest #3.

Richard of Gloucester by Proxima
Level for the Level solving contest #2.

Included in the main release:

ClamLix
Full pack with 113 levels by Clam: 91 levels plus 22 outtakes.

xmas2018 by F and Simon
Holiday-themed pack with 24 levels.

Miniatures by geoo and Simon
Originally 10, now 17, levels with small level sizes, inspired by the small size of Gronkling's levels. Part of the misc folder.

Tutorials by geoo, Rubix, Simon and Wuzzy
As of 7th Feb 2019 it contains 15 basic tutorial levels. Advanced tutorials are planned.

mobius's levels 2017
A later set of Lix level packs, including "leftovers" (some of them are included in the lemforum pack) and "non-tutorials" (7 levels loosely based off the L1 Tutorial levels). Part of the misc folder.

NepsterLix
Full pack of 96 levels.

Nessy's levels
10 levels, some converted from the NeoLemmix pack "Lemmings Migration". Part of the misc folder.

Epic Adventure by RubiX
Full pack of 173 levels. Contains Parallel Universe and the Community Collab Project #1.

Simon's levels
Some levels by Simon that are not miniatures. Part of the misc folder.

lemforum (Lix Community Pack)
Full pack with 240 original levels by various authors, including remakes of Lemmix and Cheapo levels. Some levels are from the abandoned Project Capybara, its remaining levels later became mobius's small level pack in 2017.

lemforum outtakes
Levels that were at some time part of the Lix Community Pack but later exchanged for other levels. Can be found in misc/lemforum-outtakes.

Contest levels by Various
Levels made on occasion of various design contests. Can be found in misc/contest.

Outdated:

Level Packs:

TameLix by Clam
Only for C++ Lix. 20 ONML Tame levels in Lix with new puzzles. Each level has an easy and a hard puzzle.

DoveLems by Dodochacalo and Proxima
Only for C++ Lix. Originally a pack of 125 levels for Lemmini, DoveLems has been converted by Proxima, excluding Lemmings' Ark. This pack needs separate Lemmings tilesets that don't ship with C++ Lix.

Lix tutorial levels by geoo, Rubix and Simon
Levels meant to serve as tutorials for the basic skills. Some of them are in Lix main release again as part of tutorial/basic. Some levels use outdated tiles.

mobius's level sets
Lix levels remade from Lemmix. Some of these became part of the Lix Community Pack. Some levels show missing terrain due to the culling of decoration pieces, just save and reload in the ingame editor.

Prob Lem's levels
Several levels. Hrududu made its way into the Lix Community Pack.

Reloaded by RubiX and others
Lemmings 1 levels remade in Lix with new puzzles.

Time Trials by RubiX
Five levels with time limit challenges. Time limits are not supported anymore in Lix.

Scattered levels:

Raylevels by Raymanni
One level can be found in this thread, which uses out-of-date tiles.

Happy Holidays by Raymanni, fixed by Forestidia to tileset renamings
Chimney Climber by Simon
These levels showcase the Holiday tileset by Raymanni. Both included in the xmas2018 pack, see above.

Contest levels:
Some contest levels may depend on features of C++-Lix, e.g. time limits, which are not supported anymore in Lix. Most of the levels are included in the main release.

16 x 16 by Akseli
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014. Shows missing tiles due to tile renamings.

Planet Dulux by Akseli
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014. Shows missing tiles due to tile renamings.

The Climber Predicament by geoo
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

The Floater Predicament by geoo
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

Minefield by geoo
Entry for the Level Design Contest 5

Las Ranas Hermanas by geoo
Entry for the Level Design Contest 6. Included in the lemforum pack of the main release.

Marching Band by geoo
Entry for the Level Design Contest 10

Inseparables (V2) by geoo
Entry for the Level Design Contest 11

The New Compression Method (V3) by geoo
Entry for the Level Design Contest 11

Deadly Cells by geoo
Entry for the Level Design Contest 15. Included in misc/miniatures, which is part of the main release.

Cirque Du Solix by mobius
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

Cirque Du Solix (part 2) by mobius
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

Amethyst Nightmare Shrine by NaOH
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

Temple to the Frog Gods by NaOH
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

A Day in Lixtown by Nepster
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014. Included in NepsterLix, which is part of the main release.

A Night in Lixtown by Nepster
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014. Included in NepsterLix, which is part of the main release.

Altruism by Nepster
Entry for the Level Design Contest 6. Included in NepsterLix, which is part of the main release.

Oh Yes, Here Again! (V3) by Nepster
Entry for the Level Design Contest 11

All Around the World by Proxima
Entry for the Level Design Contest 4. Included in the lemforum pack of the main release.

A Necklace of Raindrops by Proxima
Entry for the Level Design Contest 10. Included in the lemforum pack of the main release.

Tailor-made for athletes by Proxima
Entry for the Level Design Contest 10

Oh No! More Tame Levels (V3) by Proxima
Entry for the Level Design Contest 13

Turnabout Sisters by Proxima
Entry for the Level Design Contest 15.

Eyesis (Part I) by Ramon
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

Eyesis (Part II) by Ramon
Entry for the Lix Double-Level Contest 2014.

Waiting For The Answer (V5) by Rubix
Entry for the Level Design Contest 9

Palmtree Pile-up (V1.2) by Simon
Entry for the Level Design Contest 5. Uses an outdated tile.

Long Division (V25) by Simon
Entry for the Level Design Contest 10

Flying Squirrels (V2) by Simon
Entry for the Level Design Contest 11

Key to the Mini Kingdom (V9) by Simon
Entry for the Level Design Contest 13

-- Simon

6
Lix Main / WillLem plays Lovely 6-10
« on: May 19, 2020, 07:46:34 am »
(Split from NeoLemmix 2-player mode suggestion topic by namida)

Split further into:
Spawn Interval fixed per level, 2020
Progress to next level without getting back to menu


WillLem: What sucks in Lix?

Please be frank, I enjoy rants. I don't mind trashing existing work in light of long-term better solutions. Giga's Lix editor rant was among the most helpful posts in the last 3 years.

-- Simon

7
Site Discussion / Show new replies to your posts, no new posts, error
« on: May 16, 2020, 07:21:48 pm »
Log into forum.
(Don't have Simon's custom CSS enabled that cuts off the top-right box.)
Ensure that there are no new replies by anyone to your posts.
Be on the forum's front page.
Click "Show new replies to your posts" in top-right corner.

Observed: We go to a new page that prints an SQL query error.

Expected: Something cleaner.

-- Simon

8
Lix Main / Undo in the editor
« on: May 04, 2020, 11:55:43 am »
Undo in the Lix editor will happen.

This is long overdue. It's hard to implement on top of an editor that doesn't already support it, but it doesn't matter, it must happen. It's fine if it takes several weeks, as long as I focus on it whenever I develop.

Reason: Yesterday, I trashed 20 minutes of unsaved work and raged.


There are more severe usability issues in the editor. Giga's rant is still 80 % accurate after two years, mainly about how disorienting the editor is, and how bad/long the feedback loops are.

It's glaring when one hasn't build levels with the Lix editor for a year, and then comes back to it.

-- Simon

9
NeoLemmix Main / Hidden objects in NL, part 2
« on: April 03, 2020, 02:51:20 pm »
Split off from 3 things I don't like about neolemmix.
Related: Hidden Objects in Backroutes: OK?

Original statemet by WillLem: I'd say the biggest irony of the NeoLemmix philosophy is that, via its player-assist tools, it makes things like precise skill placement and hidden objects a complete non-issue, and yet it still vehemently rejects these things as being an occasionally valid part of the game.

I (Simon) happened to reply first:


Quote from: WillLem on April 03, 2020, 12:12:02 pm
precise skill placement [...] a complete non-issue, and yet it still vehemently rejects these things as being an occasionally valid part of the game.

When a design absolutely requires precision, well, let the solution be precise.

When a design doesn't need precision, why force the player to be overly precise?

Quote
and hidden objects

The puzzle will never gain anything from hiding, thus don't hide.

-- Simon

10
Lix Levels / Lix Proof Collection (solutions for all levels)
« on: August 18, 2019, 07:35:41 am »
Hi,

https://github.com/SimonN/lemforum-replays

...offers at least one solving replay ("proof") for every singleplayer level in the main Lix download.

Installation:
  • Follow above link -> Click the green button "Code" -> Download as Zip
  • In your Lix main directory, create the directory replays if it doesn't exist yet.
  • Extract the downloaded archive into replays.
Usage: You can choose:
  • Run Lix, open the Replay browser, and watch individual replays.
  • Or, to check solvability without spoiling:
    In the Replay browser, navigate to the extracted directory (or to a pack or rank inside), then click "Verify Dir".
  • Or, to check solvability from the command line:
    lix --coverage replays/<theExtractedDirectory>
A solving replay is called a proof of solvability for its level. A level with at least one proof is called covered. Ideally, the proof shows the intended solution. When somebody else than the level author covers the level, it's usually close to the intended solution, but it might be a backroute.

If you're a singleplayer level designer, it's good style to cover your levels. If you would like your levels included in the main Lix download, please send me both the levels and their proofs, so I can include your proofs in the proof collection.

-- Simon

11
Lix Main / Observers should start level zoomed out
« on: July 15, 2019, 02:04:16 pm »
Split off from: Multiplayer Quality of Life, renamed to New observers should watch game in progress


Quote from: Forestidia86
Observers should have the level maximum zoomed out by default to have a good overview what is going on. Else the observers have to zoom manually, which can wear one out especially with short matches.

Good idea, observers need good experience without any input.

Easy change to choose the initial zoom based on whether we're observing or playing. I'll look into this.

-- Simon

12
Closed / [BUG][PLAYER] On assignment for frame n, first erase old assignment for n
« on: May 30, 2019, 05:02:37 pm »
Split off from Simon should report these 3 NL bugs properly:

How to repro:

1. Assign something, B, for physics update ("phyu") n, to lemming L.
2. Framestep back to between physics updates n-1 and n.
3. Assign something, A, for phyu n to lemming L.

What happens: B is replayed and your new assignment A is eaten without effect. B's effect is visible on the screen.

Expected instead: B is erased from the replay and A becomes part of the replay, and A's effect is visible on the screen.


Quote
1. If you framestep back to between physics updates ("phyus") n-1 and n, and then assign A for phyu n to lemming L, but the replay already contains an assignment B at phyu n (forgot whether it has to be to L or not), then B is replayed and your assignment A is eaten. Expected instead: B is erased from the replay and A gets through.

namida wrote: This has been a known issue for so long - since Lemmix even, I think - that it doesn't even register to me anymore - it's just "I have to step back two frames to cancel that assignment". But you're right, this absolutely should be fixed.

-- Simon

13
Closed / [FIXED][BUG][PLAYER] 2 zoom bugs: rounding and mouse trapping
« on: May 29, 2019, 03:19:14 pm »
(Moved: Bug #1: On assignment for frame n, first erase old assignment for n)

Bug #2. Zoom such that the right-most column of terrain pixels is only partially visible in your NL game window. Toggle pause several times. The right-most column of pixels sometimes is black, sometimes it shows the terrain properly. Expected instead: Always shows the terrain properly. Speculation: You have code duplication in the camera.

Bug #3. Have a gigantic screen, and zoom out to 1x. Have a large grey dead area at top/bottom of map. The mouse is trapped in the playable area, mouse cannot go to the dead area. Open the load-replay dialog. Your mouse cursor is still trapped within the map, the mouse cursor cannot move everywhere in the dialog, I can't click some files in the dialog. Expected instead: Trap mouse only if the game isn't the focused window.

-- Simon

14
NeoLemmix Main / How to play .nxp files
« on: January 27, 2019, 08:33:45 pm »
If you have a .nxp level pack file, how to play it with NeoLemmix? This was asked in #neolemmix twice within few weeks.

Answer: Get version 10.13.18 from the NeoLemmix download archives. This version is outdated, the NL authors don't support it anymore, and level authors should not make packs for it. But many authors still have packs only for this version.

Somebody more knowledgeable than me should explain in detail how to run these outdated versions. namida explains in the next post how to play the .nxp pack with that version.

Should this thread be pinned? Should this be moved to the board with outdated packs? This question appears often enough that the NL authors should think about a solution. Maybe even let NL v12 detect .nxp files and tell the user what to do?

-- Simon

15
Site Discussion / Summary of 2018
« on: January 11, 2019, 05:34:56 am »
I (Simon) have been the head admin. I haven't done as much as I could have: At least, I've deleted spambot accounts and their posts within a few hours. 1-2 spambots per month successfully bypass registration.

namida has done the most on the technical side: He has moved the site from NearlyFreeSpeech to a VPS (virtual private server) with full shell access, we can install anything we want. After some trouble with IPv6 routing, everything was on track soon, and the site has run extremely well on his VPS ever since. namida still funds the site himself, plus any donations that go 100 % into hosting costs site costs, excluding transaction fees.

The code of Lemmings Forums (Simple Machines Forums and some custom changes) is on Nessy's github repository as a backup.

Gigalem requested very sensible changes, e.g., change the ICQ personal field to a Discord account field in forum user profiles. But we haven't implemented any of these changes, sadly. I think we haven't changed the code in 2017 or 2018 at all. We merely put the change requests on the github issues page and let them sit.

The database (accounts, topics, posts, private messages, attachments) has no automation: We still have to back it up manually. We aren't diligent with this, occasionally I push Nessy to back it up, maybe once every 3 months. This is not smart; if the server dies, we lose around 3 months of culture. Bad. We have to look into automation.

Around November 2018, we had a massive traffic spike: For about an hour per day, we had 600 currently active guests, nearly everything from a few IP addresses in China. This didn't look like an attack, and it's well over now.

Our level designers still create and test each other's levels, the culture continues. That's what counts the most.

-- Simon

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