Quotelevel editor
move them as a single unit via drag-and-drop
how best to argue for the object-first model

The movement target can be complex, e.g., place a cluster of pieces as a unit into a given gap, such that the cluster is centered within the gap. You don't know where any single block will end up before you have moved the entire cluster. Object-first allows for WYSIWYG here.

We can abstract over such clusters in the data model: Create group, add each piece of the cluster to this group, move group. This works in both the object-first or the verb-first world. Maybe this abstraction in the data model is better because it captures our intention: We wanted to move the group as a unit, with requirements for the unit rather than for loose pieces. The downside is that the data model becomes more complex. You're forced to define the map layout in a high-level language.

Quoterapidly assign the same skill to multiple rodents

Good reason. You need more speed when you assign the same skill to n rodents, compared to the speed where 1 rodent accomplishes several skills, necessarily one after another.

Even for a single assignment, verb-first is fast. While I'm still aiming and clicking with the mouse on the rodent, I have already hit the skill hotkey with the other hand.

Quote"sticky" selection on a lemming, during which clicking on a skill automatically assigns it to the selected lemming--essentially an object-first method special-cased for the hero lemming.

IMO, this points at a fixable shortcoming of the normal assignment. With directional select and priority inversion, I haven't seen the need for object-first. Long levels with lots of assignments to a hero maybe.

With object-first, but without directional select or priority inversion, you must select the object far ahead of time, before the rodent gets clustered. That should be unnecessary: Assignments happen at a single time, but its input must now span over a long time interval.

QuoteBut habit is a mighty powerful thing

Yes!

-- Simon

Most graphical user interfaces are (1. select object), (2. invoke method on object). Level editors are the best example.

Playing Lemmings is a glaring exception: We click the skill first, then the lemmings. When you have a dense bunch in a pit, it's important that someone bash to the right, we don't care what lem in particular bashes to the right. But is this good enough of a reason? At least it feels right -- geoo and I wanted click-skill-first in Clones when that had click-clone-first-then-skill. I hope it wasn't only out of habit.

The forum has become quiet this week. A nice change of pace. I should focus on real-life work and the occasional Lix work. Then everything will turn out okay in time.

-- Simon

31:59.86. Video with full commentary! 350 MB, the commentary explains basic game rules, and strategy too. You can understand it even if you have never played the game.

<SimonNa> must see A++ would watch 10 times
<SimonNa> where is Akseli to spam :DD:::DDD:D:D:

-- Simon

First fully-recorded deathless run.

I haven't timed this with any extra programs. This was a twitch stream; if the movie was accurate, then it was between 33 and 34, but I'll be modest and write 35 minutes.

Happy: Technoir 2, I get the difficult spring in the middle, and do a hard damage boost near the end. Fanolint 1, I keep all four shields. Sluggion 2, so smooth.

Unhappy: Diamondus 2, but didn't reset because I needed a test recording. Marbelara 2, I want to boost off the very first enemy, but run into him instead. I invented this boost, but maybe it's too fickle.

-- Simon

Thanks for taking a look, even without prior knowledge.

Yes, some levels have large-scale branching. You can explore all of the level and find lots of hidden secrets. The game has bonus stages and hidden levels even. The speedrun doesn't visit them though.

Early Sonic games were inspiration for JJ.

-- Simon

Thanks!

-- Simon

Video: Simon plays JJ1 Episode 2, 117 MB, 5:12 minutes, with commentary.

I have my new machine. As promised, here's a first video for download. Smooth video, and I invested the time to add both game audio and commentary, which I haven't managed to record in one go.

Enjoy!

-- Simon

Thanks! The full sentence is good. My itch was the "and network and online" in the 2015 wording.

The conciseness is secondary, but welcome. Ideally, the board title speaks for itself. Since "Lix" alone has no meaning to newcomers, the program's one-line description strikes good balance.

-- Simon

Awesome, thanks. Edited the first post.

I would like to point at the editor, too. But I fear bloating the sentence. Custom levels don't imply an editor, and an editor doesn't imply lots of readily-packaged levels. Tricky.

What is Lix in my opinion? Singleplayer and multiplayer first. With levels built by the community. Then the editor, to make level creation bearable. Then custom graphics, because I don't use DMA's copyrighted graphics and players have contributed cool graphics. It builds and runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, is open-source, and relies only on open-source libraries and tools.

-- Simon

Hmm, thanks.

I'm okay with walkers turning, and I'm okay with walkers cancelling. My gripe comes from putting these two entirely orthogonal functions into the same skill.

But it's hard to take them out now: I scanned the community pack for walker usage, many levels have them. I haven't checked for how often they are mere panel decoration, or how often walkers occur in solutions. In any case, the walker is popular with lemforum levels.

The lemforum pack shall replace the skill tutorials, maybe we should improve the pack's walker introduction. The walker is special because it does two different things, and, as a second specialty, blockers can be assigned walker.

-- Simon

1) overloads the previously well-defined term "RR 50" with a second important, incompatible meaning. I doubt you can remove all previous meaning, L1 and its levels are ingrained in culture.
2) Hmm, consider 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ..., 90, 92, 94, 96, 99.
3) loses the iconic RR 99, loses or inverts "+" and "-" on the buttons. How much porcelain are we allowed to smash?

More reasonings in my post on Maximum release rate?

-- Simon

Since at least 2015:
Discuss Lix here; a Lemmings-like game with support for custom levels and graphics and network or online multiplayer.

Please change into the following, or suggest even further improvements.
Lemmings-like game with custom graphics and levels, and networked multiplayer.
(Edited according to Proxima's repsonse.)

Reasoning:

• Discuss Lix here: -- entirely obvious, remove altogether. Discussion is the norm on boards; you'd forbid discussion, e.g. on boards purely for posting content, rather than allow it explicitly where we want it.
• with support for -- better say "with X" than "with support for X". To have something, you must support it anyway. But you can support something without having it. Thus, "with X" is both shorter and more informative.
• with custom levels and graphics and network or online multiplayer -- maybe this is subtle, but it's broken English. No matter how you bracket this, it's wrong. Possibility A is "with support for (custom levels, and graphics, and network) or online multiplayer", that says "Lix supports network", which is broken English, and rips apart "networking" and "online", which are close semantically. Possibility B is "with support for custom levels and graphics and (network or online multiplayer)", that's bad grammar and would have to be "networked or online multiplayer".
  

If you prefer full sentences, please consider Lix is a Lemmings-like game with custom graphics and levels, and networked multiplayer.

-- Simon

Quotethe Club-Mate stashed fridge.

-- Simon

Quote from: NaOH on October 16, 2016, 02:29:41 AM
About your solution:

How do you define protrusion of a peak? Height difference of the peak and the surrounding ocean floor? What's the exact height of the floor then?

Spoiler

The Andes are higher than Mauna Kea. Nonetheless, they have lower topographic significance, because their connection to the Himalaya goes along a higher route. The path from the Andes goes through the shallow Bering strait. Any path from Mauna Kea to anything outside Hawaii goes across the Pacific floor, which is much deeper than the Bering strait.

-- Simon

Quote from: ccexplore on October 13, 2016, 02:11:22 AM
exit is left in mid air, and fallers may simply fall through without exiting (but otherwise survive), while floaters and gliders would not be able to fall past the exit trigger in current behavior, but can with the proposed change.

Yes, exactly the problematic case.

Flopsy rages at Arty's trick level, or rather the issue-showcasing level.

-- Simon