There isn't so much in the way of technical obstacles to this, but it would invalidate a lot of existing content... Having seperate low / high (or rather, high / higher) res modes for the menu is out of the question

That's why I suggested running it through your upscaler. This would preserve any existing (and indeed, future) content that is made for the current 600 x 400 menu.

Thoughts?

Quote

Also - if the menus are high-res, why not have hi-res graphics in them? Or run them through your upscaler?

I'm not sure what you mean by this?

So... if the menus are hi-resolution, why not have 1200 x 800 background, more pixels for logos, etc...

It's come up a few times that "waiting around" for Lemmings once a level is complete is sometimes an issue, even with smaller lem counts. Also, there are times when you want to move ahead quickly, but the Frameskip buttons can sometimes be unpredictable (that's not a complaint - I love my custom Frameskip buttons and use them all the time).

However, not everyone uses custom Frameskipping and may enjoy the use of a TURBO button!

(c) Options like mass replay check, cleanse levels, etc, should be collected in a "Creator's Tools" sub-menu

+1. Yes! Brilliant

all buttons are clickable

Could they have "hover" and "clicked" versions as well? This could be a simple recolouring/edge-shading of the background; happy to do the graphical work for this if you like the idea.

I'm in favour of pretty much everything else you've suggested as well, apart from the following:

I never click on the rank sign, but I use it all the time to see what rank I am currently in, especially when using the up and down arrow keys to switch rank. That must stay.

It's simply much nicer to have a visual representation of what the rank is about, rather than it just being a string of characters in the level-selection menu.

+1 for rank graphics staying, for both of the reasons given by Proxima and Strato. It can actually be very useful for seeing where you up to at a glance from the main menu, even if you don't use it as a selection button, as such.

With the Talisman menu... having... an overview that is accessible without having to look at every single level separately in the level list would still be nice.

+1 for this (although I definitely think the F4 Talisman menu should be removed): one suggestion could be having the full list of Talismans visible from the F2 level select when clicking the title of pack itself. Doing so currently already indicates how many Talismans have been achieved - I guess there's no reason it couldn't also display the full list as well.

Also, it doesn't help with seeing the talisman requirements during play -- and maybe once that is addressed, there won't be any need to show them on the preview screen at all.

Agreed. I think a simple icon to indicate the presence of Talisman(s) in the level is all that's needed on the preview screen. I do kind of like the idea of showing the skill panel, though, and I suppose there's no reason that it couldn't also show the Talisman-related skills once the icons are clicked...

I'm generally all for keeping the preview screen as un-cluttered as possible.

Yeah, fair. I didn't expect the suggestion of removing the rank sign would go down very well... - it can stay.

Ah, good!

Does this need to be directly accessible from the main menu, though? Would it be acceptable for it to instead be accessed via the level select menu; either as a secondary tab when a level / rank is selected, or else as a "click to view talisman list" button with a similar effect to the existing menu option?

+1 for this, as per my suggestion typed earlier in this message.

I need to start changing the way I reply to threads...!

The main goal here is to have it as an efficient way of showing more info - the release rate and skillset - on the preview screen. The re-use for talismans was actually an afterthought, to be honest, but I do very much see it as a useful idea. I'd also note this wouldn't be a full skill panel, but would only show the release rate + skill buttons (I'm open to going either way on the "does it show placeholder slots when there's less than 10 skills in the level").

Since this idea needs a bit of support, I'm happy to +1 this. As long as the overall goal of the preview screen is to make it more readable and less cluttered, I quite like the idea of a visual representation of the skillset, RR, etc.

Another question to discuss is - since these menus will be mouse-friendly, obviously, they need a visible cursor. Simply using the default Windows cursor is not out of the question, nor is using the same crosshair cursor from in-game. If the in-game one is used, it would by necessity always use the high-res one (as menus are always drawn in a resolution equivalent to high-res, and have been even as far back as DOS Lemmings).

What about a blue arrow with a green edge... or a green arrow with a blue edge?



Also - if the menus are high-res, why not have hi-res graphics in them? Or run them through your upscaler?

Official WillLem Suggestion:

6 ranks of 27
Replace Matter of Timing with 4TH DIMENSION
Replace Old MacDonald with Mary Poppins' Land
Add Running Jump and Boiler Room to bring the total levels to 162

how about the final new skill be a lemming that can reveal hidden elements such as stacked elements (ie hatches). Haha just kidding.

Haha! I think that's the first joke I've seen you crack, I thought you were being serious at first

I would like to see a downward diagonal builder since we have an upward diagonal one and a horizontal one(platformer).

I think this idea's already been ruled out... platformers and well-placed terrain can achieve the same thing from a design point of view, but I agree it would make existing levels very interesting for remix/challenge purposes.

there have been times I wanted one availaible when trying to make my version of Angry Lemming

Angry Lemming?

Some of the discussion makes me kind of opposed to the idea of having it be the final new skill. The surviving three could all arguably be good ideas, but one must be chosen and the others discarded.

Agreed. Although to be fair, my favourite idea has both already been ruled out long ago so whatever gets chosen out of the remaining lot, I'll be happy enough.

If I were to rule one of the ideas out, I'd rule out the projectile skills. For every other skill, the skill shadows and sketches are an assist feature, but I think the projectile arc would make the skill shadows and sketches a must have for using it.

Hmm... good shout. The projectiles were initially my favourite of the three, but this has made me re-think. I think having the option to turn off skill shadows (which I believe is definitely happening now) would mean that players could get used to using the skills "classic style" to get an idea of the range and be able to judge it more or less accurately without the use of the shadows, then perhaps be less reliant on the shadows when they are enabled.

I wasn't aware it was possible to get replacement screen protectors. I should probably look into that; I've got a Game Boy Color as well as an original Game Boy in my collection that have badly scratched up screens.

I had one of the later model GBA SPs that had a backlit (rather than a front-lit) screen, but it doesn't charge anymore. I also have a DS Lite with a similar-ish problem. I should probably look into that; getting them repaired would be quite nice.

I picked mine up from SuperSmashMedia on Amazon, it was only £5. Most (if not all) of the available replacements are third party, but they look basically identical. The lettering on the one I got is slightly clearer and the colour of the stripes is a touch darker, but I actually prefer that. And - of course - it's brand new, so gives the GameBoy that pristine look. It's currently on display on my bookcase, I keep glancing over at it and feeling chuffed that I actually bothered to do it after years of thinking about it!

Have a look at Handheld Legend. These guys are USA-based so may charge shipping fees outside the US (and they're not the cheapest) but they sell pretty much everything for Nintendo hand-helds.