Lemmings Plus Omega (100% complete, now in testing)

[namida]

Well, I figured it was about time to make a topic for Lemmings Plus Omega (formerly known as "Lemmings Plus Z Project").

Lemmings Plus Omega is a currently-in-development large pack, which will be somewhere between LPDOS and LPII in terms of size, and will be the final major entry in the Lemmings Plus series, if not the final entry in it full stop - this doesn't mean for sure I won't be making more levels after it, just that it's the end of the Lemmings Plus brand, so to speak. This is indeed the motive behind the name, with "Omega" somewhat referring to the concept of being final - a previous title that was considered, and nearly ended up being used, was "Lemmings Plus Finale".

Lemmings Plus Omega will, as you probably expected, be based on the NeoLemmix engine, and take full advantage of most of NeoLemmix's capabilities; one feature that won't be used this time is secret levels. However, expect to see the new skills in full swing, plenty of levels with vertical scrolling, and a couple of new gimmicks too (including some that won't be revealed or made available in NeoLemmix until Omega's release). There won't be new graphic sets; the levels will be made using both the LPII and LPIII styles.

The levels will be split into five ranks. Four of these are the standard progressive difficulty ranks - these are titled "Breezy", "Puzzling", "Perplexing" and "Mental". The last one, titled "Playtime", is somewhat of a bonus rank, and could almost in a way be thought of being Lemmings Plus Omega Bonus Pack but included with the main game itself - all the gimmick and frenzy levels will be in this rank. Playtime will be a bit shorter than the other ranks.

Playtime will contain some levels using never-seen-before gimmicks, as well as some levels using existing gimmicks, and possibly even some levels using old and new gimmicks in combination. There will be exactly one Frenzy level, which is pure-Frenzy (not combined with any other gimmick).

"What about repeats?" Well, Lemmings Plus Omega will, like LPDOS, have repeats throughout the main levels. This is something I kind of missed doing in my last couple of packs (and thus why the Bonus Packs had repeats of the main games' levels). Therefore, Playtime won't have simple repeat levels - though there are repeats of standard levels with a gimmick added to them.


So, how much content to expect? The main ranks have 30 levels each, while Playtime has 15 levels, giving a total of 135 levels. That makes it the largest entry in the Lemmings Plus series, apart from LPDOS. Part of my logic here is that given that I don't need to spend time on making new styles, or do much unique coding for the player, I should expand the level count a bit. And on that note, the completion percent in the topic title refers solely to level design; there are some other minor details (such as MAIN.DAT) but for this pack, these are so small that they're pretty much negligable.

Current progress is:
- Breezy: 30 of 30 (100%)
- Puzzling: 30 of 30 levels (100%)
- Perplexing: 30 of 30 levels (100%)
- Mental: 30 of 30 levels (100%)
- Playtime: 15 of 15 levels (100%)

Style usage so far (note: includes repeats):
- Tree: 15
- Purple: 15
- Psychedelic: 15
- Metal: 15
- Desert: 15
- Sky: 15
- Circuit: 15
- Martian: 15
- Lab: 15

Some more detailed preview info, trivia and a few level maps are available on the Lemmings Plus Omega page of the NeoLemmix website.

Two demos are available.
Demo 1 - 2 levels each from the standard ranks.
Demo 2 - 2 levels each from the standard ranks plus 1 from Playtime using a new gimmick.

[namida]

Demo level positions in the full game: (these of course may be subject to change)
Demo 1
- Breezy 1st level: Breezy 9
- Breezy 2nd level: Breezy 18
- Puzzling 1st level: Puzzling 10
- Puzzling 2nd level: Puzzling 18
- Perplexing 1st level: Perplexing 1
- Perplexing 2nd level: Perplexing 7
- Mental 1st level: Mental 6
- Mental 2nd level: Mental 16

Demo 2
- Breezy 1st level: Breezy 22
- Breezy 2nd level: Breezy 23
- Puzzling 1st level: Puzzling 4
- Puzzling 2nd level: Puzzling 26
- Perplexing 1st level: Perplexing 3
- Perplexing 2nd level: Perplexing 17
- Mental 1st level: Mental 1
- Mental 2nd level: Mental 12
- Playtime level: Playtime 8



Demo 100%ability list:
Note: Some solutions may be backroutes; as I don't plan to update the demos, as far as the demos is concerned these results hold valid.

Demo 1
Breezy 1: 100%able
Breezy 2: 100%able
Puzzling 1: 100%able
Puzzling 2: 100%able
Perplexing 1: 100%able (Nepster)
Perplexing 2: Record is 97%
Mental 1: Record is 96% (Nepster)
Mental 2: 100% is required

Demo 2
Breezy 1: 100%able
Breezy 2: 100%able
Puzzling 1: 100%able
Puzzling 2: Record is 92%
Perplexing 1: 100% is required
Perplexing 2: Record is 96% (DynaLem)
Mental 1: Record is 98%
Mental 2: Record is 96%
Playtime 1: 100% is required



Demo "unbeaten" levels list
These all have been beaten, but only via backroutes that will be fixed in the full version.

Demo 1
Mental 1

Demo 2
Perplexing 2
Mental 2

[Wafflem]

Can't wait for this one!

Since you've added a lot of gimmicks to NeoLemmix, I would suggest making Playtime about 25-30 levels. This is so you'll have space to make levels with new gimmicks, new frenzies and levels with gimmick combinations; a lot of combinations I've mentioned in the NeoLemmix topic have many interesting results (such as the Assign All + Disobedience one). Also, you've mentioned that Playtime might have VGASPEC levels.

[namida]

We'll see. I often have difficulty coming up with good gimmick levels, which is one of the reasons I've decided to keep it short - heck, there's only one level I've made for Playtime so far (with one more idea I have in mind but haven't yet got around to making), compared to quite a lot for the normal ranks.

[namida]

ALRIGHT GUYS! The first demo is now here!

This demo consists of two levels from each of the main difficulty ranks (there's no levels from Playtime). There's seven unique maps; one level in the demo is a repeat of another level that's also in the demo. It's running on NeoLemmix "V1.25n-D", which is almost identical to V1.25n-C; the only difference being the "test.wav" bug is fixed.

Download Link:
DropBox
NeoLemmix Website

Enjoy, and feel free to send me any replays (either by PM, or just post them in this topic). I'll reveal the cheat code at some point in the next few days.

By the way - I received a PM suggesting that the EXE's icon should be changed to something else, instead of the same one as LPIII. It will be; I just haven't got around to making one yet.

Those who liked Dodgy 3 "Flea Market" from LPIII should really like the second Mental level in the demo.

[namida]

Another interesting tidbit I'll drop - this has already been hinted at, but I'll outright confirm it now. Yes, there are going to be some new gimmicks that have been made specifically for LPO; these new gimmicks will be made available in NeoCustLemmix / Flexi once the relevant LPO level has been released (whether as part of a demo or the full version). So far, I've made one of these - I'm trying to avoid the ultra-subtle stuff (like for example, Sneaky 4 and Dodgy 16/17 gimmick, and especially the trick used in Dodgy 17 (and let's not forget the REALLY sneaky twist in Dodgy 18* xD)) and instead make it present quite obvious twists that you then have to find a way around - basically, the idea is that for most, if not all of them, an average lemmings player should be able to work out exactly what the gimmick does the first time they try a level that uses it.

In fact, I'm intending that most of the Playtime levels will revolve around new gimmicks, but I do intend to make a couple of levels using classic ones, including some that use classic ones by themself (not in combination with new ones), particularly Karoshi. The already-existing Playtime level is a Frenzy level (based on a concept that most people probably saw coming a mile away), and I intend for that to be the only Frenzy level in the pack.

* For those who don't already know what Dodgy 18 does (highlight to read), it plays the gimmick music but the level doesn't actually have any gimmick; it's just a regular level with a solution that's somewhat dependant on NeoLemmix mechanics.

I've attached an image of one such new gimmick; it should be quite obvious what's going on here.

[Wafflem]

I'll post replays here as soon as I can finish what I can do. I feel like I'm close to beating Perplexing 2nd level. EDIT: Solved! Though hopefully it's not a backroute.

I'm very glad you chose to use both the LPII and LPIII styles for this one. The LPII ones especially bring back good memories of playing LPII, and they go very well with the LPIII styles. I honestly missed the LPII ones in LPIII.

Just to clarify: Will the Playtime levels include ones you've added in the NeoLemmix topic (i.e. ones like Steel Invert, Assign All, Other Skills, etc.)? These are very good gimmicks you've added and have tons of potential, especially when combined with other gimmicks.

[namida]

All the gimmicks so far included in NeoLemmix, plus a couple of new ones that'll be revealed when LPO is released (or possibly when another demo is), are potential candidates for it, but I may not necesserially use all of the old ones (in particular, I don't think I'm going to try using Overflow a *third* time, people will be expecting it by now also, Unalterable Terrain seems to have outlived its usefulness).

[Wafflem]

Two glitches I've noticed:

Puzzling 1st level: If a lemming enters a teleporter when walking right, they somehow come out walking left from the receiver.
Puzzling 2nd level: The updraft trigger area needs to be fixed; at the very right of the updraft, the lemmings still falls normally as if they are unaffected by the updraft.

[namida]

Two glitches I've noticed:

Perplexing 1st level: If a lemming enters a teleporter when walking right, they somehow come out walking left from the receiver.
Perplexing 2nd level: The updraft trigger area needs to be fixed; at the very right of the updraft, the lemmings still falls normally as if they are unaffected by the updraft.

1) Not a glitch. It can be set for lemming's direction to be swapped after they go through a teleporter.
2) I wondered about this when doing the updates to the styles, but decided against it. Perhaps that level should be slightly modified, though.

Also, those levels are both in *Puzzling*.

[Wafflem]

Yeah, had to quickly correct that mistake as you were typing your reply. I think I get Puzzling and Perplexing confused a lot.

Anyway, here are my demo replays so far. The attempt replay for the 1st level of Mental is also there.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ibysw88xw64utjm/AADy8_wr-JNYj_DyhOE3c3Jza?dl=0

My comments (hidden in case nobody wants to know yet):

Breezy 1: I'm not sure about this one, one of my solutions did not end using the new skills. Also, does that updraft on the top signify that there will be a repeat level?
Breezy 2: I honestly didn't really expect Mental 6 to have an earlier repeat. This one's different for a worker-lemming level because you have to navigate through the pipes and avoid the radiation objects. I like that I used the Stacker to hold back the lemmings as opposed to the mundane blocker.

Puzzling 1: This one, as far as I can tell, has multiple solutions which are not obvious. Although the teleporter-receiver where lemmings end up in the opposite direction from when they first entered the teleporter may be frustrating. A very good level indeed.
Puzzling 2: Yeah, the updraft needs to be adjusted a little bit. Nothing special, though the three lemmings makes this level different. I would switch this one with Puzzling 1 (unless my solution is a backroute), since this one is easier than Puzzling 1.

Perplexing 1: I really liked this one. Took me quite a while to find the solution; I thought it was pretty clever.
Perplexing 2: This one too, makes great use of the stackers. Both of these levels remind me of Rough 1 "Viva Les Lemmine" for some reason.

Mental 1: What am I missing when handling the radiation objects at the top?

[namida]

Breezy 1 - This is a very early level (in fact, it's the first non-training level that has new skills available) so it's meant to be very open-ended.
Breezy 2 - Using stoners, stackers or sometimes other skills for crowd control is a fairly common thing here. There's quite a lot of early levels that only give one of the three, so by the time the more difficult levels arrive, the player should be used to any of them.

Puzzling 1 - That's a solution I never thought of! Nice! (Not a backroute, as the level is intended to be open-ended.)
Puzzling 2 - That's also a somewhat unique one in terms of crowd control. I see now why the updraft objects' trigger areas were noticable to you. I don't think this level is easier than Puzzling 1 though, due to the need for creative crowd control.

Perplexing 1 - That's exactly how I solved it too. And it's also one of my favorites.
Perplexing 2 - Your solution is quite different to mine, but just as creative (mine also involves creative use of stackers), and I'm definitely leaving that one in.

Mental 1 - One thing you're missing (though not the only thing); you need constructive *and* destructive skills to get the crowd past where you got them up to. The constructive skill part should be done first. Aside from that, can you get the bombers down to that area *without* destroying the path you've made upwards? (Walkers and blockers are both quite useful for this, but you'll need one other skill too.)

Overall, well done. All your solutions to the levels you did solve are definitely ones that I'm accepting; one (Perplexing 1) was exactly the same as mine, while several of them are ones I hadn't thought of but definitely want to leave in, most notably Perplexing 2, which was designed as one of those "there's only one way to do this, possibly with slight variations on the exact execution" levels, and you came up with a completely different solution that's every bit as creative as the original one and definitely worth keeping in there.

[Nepster]

Some replays. Given what you wrote in the second post, my 96% solution to Mental 1 should be a backroute.

[namida]

Perplexing 1 - Well done on the 100%!
Perplexing 2 - You got the same solution that I did.

Mental 1 - Yep, that's a backroute. I'm not going to release an update of the demo so as far as the demo goes your record stands, but that solution will have to be fixed somehow in the full release.

[namida]

Pumped out quite a few levels today. Here's a level map of one; this one is in late-Perplexing. There's at least three different solutions that I know of (there's also a fourth that should theoretically work, but in practice requires very precise timing and I haven't been able to pull it off). Two of the solutions are more or less the standard difficulty for that point, the third is a little bit harder (and would probably push the level into Mental if it were the only solution).



50 lemmings, 98% required (100% is possible), RR 50, no time limit.
1 Blocker, 4 Platformers, 3 Miners, 2 Diggers
The pre-placed lemming is a climber.