Here is a place to discuss game play features for any Lemmings Clone. Just features of the game in general. A place to talk about them, discuss and debate them in detail. You can also talk about features already in existence. What do you love? What do you hate?
I’m not trying to put pressure on anybody to do this or that. I’d just really like to see some discussion on this sort of thing. Up till now I haven’t seen much.
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entrance hatch
This is how lemmings enter the level. T0068ey fall vertically from this hatch. Hatches don’t always appear the same but they all resemble a box with an opening on the bottom.
Hovering the cursor over the hatch will display the release rate. This number indicates how quickly lemmings come out of the hatch. It’s minimum is 1, with maximum of 99. right clicking on the hatch will raise the RR will left clicking will lower it. A hatch may restrict the change of its RR, to only lower it, only raise it, or not at all.
A different number of lemmings may come out of any entrance.
exit balloon
This is how lemmings exit the level. Exits don’t always look the same but they all resemble a balloon which the lemming jump into. Each type of Lemming has a different color of balloon, and these accept only those types of Lemmings for which they are colored. With the exception of the red balloon (which has pictures of all four lemmings) this balloon will accept all Lemmings.
Some exits may have a limit on how many Lemmings can enter them, this number appears on the balloon. When this limit is reached the balloon will set sail and further Lemmings will not exit the level.
terrain
Terrain is just about everything in the level which Lemmings can dig through. Terrain usually makes up most of a level. Terrain comes in all shapes and sizes. There are some special kinds of terrain; they are covered below.
steel:
Steel cannot be dug or bombed through in any way or direction. The shredder also cannot penetrate steel.
blocks:
If a lemming falls onto a block, it will treat it like normal ground, however a lemming walking into a block will push it along at normal speed until it hits a wall or falls off an edge. If a block falls into water it will float and create a bridge for lemmings to cross. If a block falls into acid or lava it will be destroyed. blocks can cover up switches and gates. Weasels can also push blocks.
If a lemming is in between a block and a wall and the block is being pushed toward the wall; that lemming will die.
Blocks are like steel; they cannot be destroyed (except if they fall into acid and lava)
one-way-terrain:
this terrain which appears as arrows covering normal terrain can only be dub through in that direction.
one-way-door:
this type of wall can be passed through in one direction but lemmings encountering it from the opposite direction will treat it exactly like a steel wall. A builder can build right up through a fall-through platform ceiling (that’s facing upwards). But once above it with will walk on and not get back down.
disappearing terrain:
this terrain vanishes after 1 lemming walks over it. 1 pixel of terrain will be erased for every step a lemming takes across it. All Lemmings behind him will fall.
Catapult/ Trampoline:
when a lemming encounters a catapult it will be flung a great distance. It will survive the fall ONLY if it lands on a cushion. The trampoline works similarly but only flings the lemming directly upwards.
conveyer belt
a platform that makes any lemmings fall on it walk in only one direction. Lemmings encountering it from another direction will turn around. It also prevents the use of most skills while walking on it. [partly to prevent easy work around of this object and because e.g. a builder’s staircase would logically move with the conveyer belt and that is too much coding for the theoretical programmer of this theoretical game that does not exist
]
door:
a door is made of steel and acts as a regular wall when it is closed. When open the door is completely passable. Lemmings walking on a closed door will fall if the door opens. Lemmings walking through an open door will die if it closes.
A builder can build through open doors, but if the door closes the bridge will be destroyed.
Pools
pools are made of steel and contain water or acid or and can be filled and emptied. Making them safe or dangerous for certain lemmings.
shredder
the shredder is a kill-all trap which resembles a small saw. It can move in just about any direction and at any speed. It can be turned on and off by a switch.
weasels:
weasels are a trap that moves about the level tantamount to lemmings. They have umbrellas so they can survive high falls, but die to about everything else. When a compressed group of lemmings encounters a weasel the weasel will only kill 1 of the lemmings.
teleporters (regular):
appear as circular discs with a spiral hypnotically winding in the center.
When a lemming enters a teleport will be deposited at another, anywhere else in the level.
At most two teleporters are connected at once. Each teleport has a light above it with a different color, which ever telporter has the same color is the one it will be linked to. No matter which side a Lemming enters the teleporter, it will exit the side/direction it was facing from the second. Lemmings will retain bomber status and gravity direction through teleportation. Fallers and any other type of lemming can teleport.
If a lemming explodes while teleporting, it will die but no crater will be left.
teleporters (diamond):
similar to regular teleporters however they are diagonally square shaped instead of circular. These teleporters work one-way. Lemmings can only enter from the plain ones and only exit from the one which has the design on top. There can be any number of enter-teleporters but only one exit. All lead to the one exit teleporter. If a Lemming walks up to the exit it will pass through it without doing anything. Gravity and direction is NOT retained on these teleporters. Lemming always exit from the exit teleporter in the same direction.
gravity pads:
turns a lemming upside down. Everything works the same for upside-down lemmings as rightside-up.
An upside-down lemming can mine through an upward one way wall.
An upside-down lemming can fall off the top of the map and die.
transmogrifier:
things passing through the transmogrifier are changed into other things. This change is not permanent; they may continue to change when they go back into the transmogrifier. If it is not specified (there is no picture on it) they change happens in a specific order depending on how many times the thing goes through it.
normal lemming > water lemming > acid lemming > dummy lemming > weasel > etc.
If there is a picture of (example; a weasel) on the transmogrifier then everything going into it will turn into a weasel, and weasels will be unaffected by it.
speed up pad:
lemmings entering this run at x2 speed for about 5 seconds. If a sped-up lemming enters another speed up pad it will continue to speed for another 5 seconds.
blow torch:
the blow torch works very similar to the fire blower from the fire set of original lemmings. When on, it constantly blows a stream of fire out in any of eight directions. It is lethal to all lemmings and weasels. Pressing a switch may turn it on or off and/or change its direction.
lasers/mirrors:
a laser is activated by a switch. When on; it is deadly to lemmings and weasels. They also destroy blocks. They can be deflected by mirrors. Mirrors can be moved and turned also with switches.
glue:
when a lemming walks onto glue it will get stuck and not move until another lemming walks into it. The next said lemming will then be stuck. Only a skill like batter could remove a lemming from glue.
Switches, laser gates, pressure pads:
a switch is activated once a lemming walks passed it in its “off” position. Passing it in the wrong direction does nothing. Each time a switch is activated it turns then must be activated from the other direction. Switches can be activated an infinite amount of times. A laser gate can be activated from either direction but can only be activated once.
A pressure pad can be activated and infinite amount of times and can be triggered from any direction. Lemming entering its proximity will trigger it.
Switches, laser gates, and pressure pads can do all kinds of things (singularly or more than one at the same time):
open/close a door
fill/drain a pool
reset a timer or counter
turn on/off most objects. (gravity pads, teleporters, speed up pads, blow torch...)
activate a moving shredder or change the direction of a shredder.
--------More info on switches and laser gates--------
A switch or laser gate may be have other gadgets on their connections to the object(s) they are affecting. These things can be combined. Wires may be attached from a switch to the objects they are connected to make it easier to see what’s happening.
Timer
A timer displays a number. When activated (or from the start of the level) it will count down in seconds, when it reaches zero something will be triggered. Some timers reset by themselves, others do not.
counter:
A counter displays a number. Each time a lemming passes by or activates the object connected with the counter, it counts down once. When the count reaches zero the object is triggered.
timers could be attached to: switches, entrances, exits, etc.. Some counters reset by themselves, others do not.
fuse
when a trigger goes through a fuse it will blow it and no more triggers will be able to go through that line, in effect, making it no longer work.
This is most helpful when [for example] you want a switch to be triggered from only 1 direction but don’t want it to be triggered ever again.
AND gate
This gate has multiple inputs. All switches within the circuit must be turned to one position in order for the connection to go through and be activated. This works over and over if the object wants to be activated again.
OR gate
This gate has multiple inputs. But only one of the switches within the circuit must be turned to one position in order for the connection to go through and be activated.
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LEMMING TYPES:dummy lemmings
these lemmings appear a little darker than ordinary lemmings. They can still exit and be counted, but not assigned skills to; they will not be highlighted under the cursor.
rogue lemmings:
[essentially opposite of dummy lemmings]
Lemmings that can be assigned skills but not counted in the exit. They will walk by all exits unaffected.
numbered lemmings:
these lemmings have a number written on their shirt [what is easier to see is;] their entrance also has this number on it. These lemmings can only be assigned that number of skills. After they have been assigned these skills (no matter what they are) they can no longer be assigned skills.
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ITEMS:some things in a level can be picked up by a lemming. If a Lemming picks up an item a small indicator will flash over that lemming as long as it has the item.
pick-up skills/skill removals:. If a lemming passes by a pick-up skill it will gain the ability to use that skill or it may add skills to the skill menu. Some however, only work on the said lemming. For example a lemming may encounter an umbrella which instantly makes it a floater.
thief:
the thief takes any items a lemming has including climber/floater status.
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Another type of item can actually take skills away from the menu bar OR for example may make a climber no longer a climber.
Time Bonus, Time Penalty, and Time Toggle
The time bonus adds 20 seconds to the game clock when it is stepped on. The time penalty subtracts 20 seconds. The time toggle starts and stops the clock.
locked doors/keys:
A locked door acts like a steel wall to a regular lemming. If a lemming passes a key it will automatically pick it up and if that lemming encounters a locked door it will open it and walk through. The door will then be permanently destroyed.
hammer:
the hammer allows a lemming to destroy a block; when he walks into it will smash.
coin/coin slot
a coin slot works like a switch or laser gate however, only a lemming with a coin can activate it. Once that lemming passes the coin slot it will insert the coin and then lose that coin. The slot can only be activated again with another coin.
snorkel:
allows a normal and acid lemmings to survive under water
hover boots:
when a lemming with hover boots comes to an edge it will keep walking for a brief period 5-10 seconds in thin air then fall.
magic builder bag:
this allows a lemming, once begun building, to build indefinitely until he hits something regardless of the number of builders.
bomb:
when a lemming picks up a bomb it carries it around and nothing happens until you select the lemming then he will drop it. At which point, 5 seconds later, once the lemming is at a safe distance it will go off and leave a similar crater to a bomber lemming.
