Request for CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems board

[Mindless]

I'd like for there to be a board specifically for CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems.  Currently these go into the "Other projects" or "Levels for other engines" boards, which I find kinda sad given that these represent the genesis of fan-created levels on these forums.

I realize as much as anyone that there is not a lot of activity in this space, but it's not nothing, and there would be more activity than some of the existing boards.

I'd be happy to help populate the board with relevant threads from the "other" boards.

[namida]

I think one of two options could be considered here:

a) Sub-boards of Levels For Other Engines for particularly popular engines - I feel the candidates here are CustLemm et al, the Lemmini family, and maybe SuperLemmix - I'm not overly familiar with the level of content it's getting, if that's reasonably high, it's worth giving it a board too.

b) Add an entire "Levels" category. Put the NL and Lix level pack boards into this category too. Create sub-boards for other engines. IMO, CustLemm family should be grouped into a single board, and Lemmini family should be grouped into a single board. Same statement as above applies to SuperLemmix. It might also be justified to have seperate "Other Official Games" and "Other Engines" boards - or perhaps just to have an L2 board, since it's the only other official game with anywhere close to a significant amount of custom content (L3 and L3D have what, one pack each?). Perhaps have a single shared "In Development" board rather than select boards having their own In Development sub-boards. Maybe we don't even need a seperate In Development board anymore - the volume of packs being worked on isn't what it once was (but then, where do the existing topics from it go?).

[Simon]

I think the lack of such a board is historical. Had the 2004 forum distinguished by format, CustLemm LVL/DAT would have been the prime candidate, even before the Cheapo and Lemmini formats.

To understand what exactly you propose:

Is CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems LVL/DAT equivalent to the Lemmings 1 format except for the graphics set numbering? In L1, set 0 is dirt and set 5 doesn't exist. In ONML, set 0 is brick and set 5 doesn't exist either. In CustLemm, set 0 is dirt and 5 is brick. Or are there more differences?

Assuming that there are no other differences: I expect that Golems can't distinguish an ONML level from a CustLemm level, and would load the ONML level using an unwanted L1 set. This will be an extra reason to create the CustLemm board: What gets posted there should adhere to the CustLemm set numbering.


I'll sleep over it. If nobody has counterarguments, then, in 1-2 days:

• I'll make the board.
  
• I'll make Mindless moderator for that new board.
  
• I'll make Mindless moderator for all the relevant existing level boards, so Mindless can move/split the existing topics.

I have no ultimate preference yet for how exactly namida wants to group. But the first hunch is against an entire Levels category. Instead, we should group by ecosystem first (Lix -> Lix Levels, Lemmini -> Lemmini Levels) instead of a top-level group for all levels (Levels -> Lix Levels, Levels -> Lemmini Levels). Reason: Lemmini levels have more to do with Lemmini than with Lix levels.

-- Simon

[Mindless]

Sub-boards of Levels For Other Engines for particularly popular engines
<snip>
Add an entire "Levels" category

For the CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems board, I was thinking that the board would encompass not just level pack discussion, but also game engine, custom graphics set, and other closely-related (ex. LLDb) topics — similar to the Lemmini board and unlike the Lix and Neolemmix board groups.

Is CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems LVL/DAT equivalent to the Lemmings 1 format except for the graphics set numbering? In L1, set 0 is dirt and set 5 doesn't exist. In ONML, set 0 is brick and set 5 doesn't exist either. In CustLemm, set 0 is dirt and 5 is brick. Or are there more differences?

Assuming that there are no other differences: I expect that Golems can't distinguish an ONML level from a CustLemm level, and would load the ONML level using an unwanted L1 set. This will be an extra reason to create the CustLemm board: What gets posted there should adhere to the CustLemm set numbering.

As it stands now the only incompatibilities between CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems and DOS L1 should be

• graphics set numbers (Original vs. ONML vs. Holiday vs. CustLemm/Lemmix‡/Golems),
• unimplemented glitches (Golems vs. the rest),
• splat height, and
• bugs.

If someone were to take DOS Xmas Lemmings (or even Amiga Xmas Lemmings) and replace the levels with new levels, this board would be the logical place for a topic about it, despite it not technically being "CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems".  The audience is the same, and the level files can be trivially transformed and repackaged for CustLemm/Lemmix/Golems.

We've been dealing with graphics set numbering and splat height problems for a long time, but I don't see a need for separate boards.  It's all mixed together in existing threads already anyway.

‡For simplicity, I'll say Lemmix is on the same page as CustLemm/Golems, but I remember it being complicated.

But the first hunch is against an entire Levels category.

I agree.