Player V1.29n-B, Editor V1.29n-B Released

[namida]

Okay, it's been a while but there's a new update now!

Some quick notes:
- Anyone using the Flexi player, you MUST update your MAIN.DAT or else it WILL NOT WORK with the new version. All you have to do to do this is get the updated version of LemMain, put your existing MAIN.DAT in the same folder as it, run LemMain, and use the "Autoconvert to V1.29n+" option (if you're making a Christmas Lemmings pack, you'll also need to select the Xmas Palette before running the conversion option). On the upside, you're no longer limited to just a small selection in colors, but please read the readme before trying to make fancy graphics using every color in the rainbow.
- You know how I've mentioned the save file keeps track of your lemmings saved record, time record, and high score, but there was no way to view these? You can now do so by pressing R on the level's preview screen; I know this method isn't very tidy, but it's only a temporary measure, expect something better in the future. EDIT: Note that this doesn't work in NeoCustLemmix; only in the standard players (it does work in Flexi players).
- You can now specify which teleporters link to which receivers without having to mess with object order; just match their S values. (eg: a teleporter with an S value of 1 will go to a receiver with an S value of 1). If there's no match, the teleporter will be treated as fake. If there's more than one match, it'll work the same way they did before - the first (matching) receiver in the object list, starting from the object after the teleporter.
- There are unofficial updates of all the Lemmings Plus packs. There is not one for Doomsday Lemmings, as I plan to do an official update fairly soon.
- A NeoLemmix version of Copycat Lemmings is now included in the NeoLemmix update stream.

NeoLemmix Player V1.29n
-----------------------
* A NeoLemmix version of Copycat Lemmings is now included in the update
  stream.
* Support for graphic sets containing more than one window, and also where
  the second object in the set is not a window.
* Support for "steel" areas that actually signify one-way walls; use of the
  traditional method (using objects) is recommended due to some limitations
  on this (such as no animation). The primary intention is for Cheapo importing,
  but it could also be useful in levels that need more one-way areas than there's
  object space for.
* A revised MAIN.DAT format, using RGB-based graphics instead of palette based ones.
  This effectively means you can use any color you want in menu graphics etc, just as
  you already can with graphic sets and VGASPECs.
* An option to refer to a graphic set or VGASPEC purely by name, without having to have
  an associated number.
* "80px Fall Distance" (which was only intended for Cheapo conversion use) is changed to
  "Cheapo Mode"; and as such may include other mechanics changes to improve Cheapo level
  usability. This includes lemmings being unable to fall through diagonal gaps, and
  teleporters searching from the first object in the level, rather than the first object
  after the teleporter.
* Teleporters will now only match Receivers with the same S Value
* You can press R on the preview screen to view existing records (lemmings saved, best
  time, best score) for a level; this is just a temporary measure and I plan to implement
  this in a better way in the future.
* Setting the test mode style directly from the editor is supported on the player side;
  obviously editor support still needs to be added. This feature doesn't work due to a bug;
  it'll work in the next update.
* Fixed bugs:
  > Mechanics not working properly on flipped / inverted objects
  > Mechanics potentially not erasing the entire trigger area on traps with very large (or close to the top of the object) trigger areas
  > Preplaced blockers moving downwards in no-gravity levels
  > Stoners still creating terrain in unalterable terrain levels
  > Assigning a Cloner in a single-skill-per-lemming level allows another lemming to be assigned a skill too
  > In the preview screen, any pre-placed lemming at a Y coordinate below 160 would always be rendered as a faller
  > Swimmers (or walkers in no-gravity levels) moving downwards along a slope above them may sometimes end up inside terrain
  > Sometimes a negative number of lemmings out may be displayed for one frame at the start of zombie levels
  > Setting a forced gimmick no longer deactivates "Cheapo Mode"

V1.29n-B
--------
> Stoners now have explosion particles.
> Fixed the bug where gliders would get stuck in one-pixel-thin columns.
> Fixed the bug where setting test mode settings from the editor didn't
  work.
> Fixed the bug where a Stoner kills the lemming even under the
  Invincibility gimmick.
> Fixed the bug where best time records are not saved properly.
> Fixed the bug where a pre-placed lemming too close to the bottom
  of the level would cause the game to crash.

Downloads are available in the usual locations:
DropBox
NeoLemmix Website

A new version of LemMain is also nessecary to build the new MAIN.DAT files:
LemMain V9.0


There's also now an update to V1.29n-A for the NeoLemmix Editor. I would highly recommend updating even if you're only using it for Lemmini / SuperLemmini; although there's no new features supported, it is now MUCH easier to add custom graphic sets - just copy and paste the graphic set's folder and it's done! (And, restart the editor, if it's already open.)

NeoLemmix Editor V1.29n-A
------------------------------
> The "Compile Styles" is a thing of the past; graphic
  sets are used directly. As such, the option has been
  removed.
> Graphic set organisation has been made much tidier,
  and simpler to add to
> The NeoLemmixStyles.INI has been tidied up a little
  bit; some completely unused entries have been removed,
  and individual graphic sets are no longer listed in it
> Supports graphic sets with purely a name and no number
> Regular / Alternate paste mode options (the latter of
  which was added a few versions ago) can be configured
  from the in-editor Settings menu
> The test mode style (whether to display preview/postview
  screens) can be configured in the editor; this option only
  works with NeoCustLemmix and requires V1.29n-B or higher
> The various types of steel areas in V1.29n are now all editable

V1.29n-B
-----------
> Fixed a bug where graphic set internal names were not being
  read from styles.ini files properly.
> Fixed a couple of incorrect names in NeoCustLemmix styles.ini.

Download:
DropBox
NeoLemmix Website


The new update to LemSet, and the Cheapo conversion tool, will be released at a later date; there's still some things that need to be improved / implemented with these.

[namida]

Also - please note, the NeoLemmix version of Copycat Lemmings has its own topic, here. Any issues that are specific to that should be discussed there.


Also, forgot to mention this at first: The view records option isn't available in NeoCustLemmix (it doesn't save records either). It's available in everything else, including custom-built players using Flexi.

[namida]

I've discovered that there's a bug which makes the setting test mode type from the editor not work properly. This will be fixed in the next update, which might come before there's an editor update to support that feature anyway.

[namida]

The editor update is now released. LemSet update and Cheapo conversion tool are still on their way.

This update will be especially convenient for those who are using custom graphic sets.

[IchoTolot]

Downloaded it; copied all my styles in the SuperLemmini and Lemmini folder and it works    Everything listed with the correct name and no error message when creating a new level with one of the newly added custom sets!

Great work! 

[namida]

Downloaded it; copied all my styles in the SuperLemmini and Lemmini folder and it works    Everything listed with the correct name and no error message when creating a new level with one of the newly added custom sets!

Great work! 

Awesome, great to hear!

[GigaLem]

Is there an update to the Customized lemmings player coming up that and i hope the copycat tilesets are coming soon

[namida]

There's already the V1.29n update, if that's what you were meaning. All players for official games, plus Cust and Flexi, always get updated at the same time (and are usually before or at the same time as the corresponding editor update). Sometimes the updates to my packs are delayed a bit longer for various reasons, but in this case, all but Doomsday Lemmings were released at the same time.

As for including Cheapo graphic sets; there's a bit more work to be done on them before I release them in such a form that everyone can use them. That's why at the moment, they only exist in the form of being built into the Copycat Lemmings player. However, NeoLemmix engine and editor are fully equipped to handle them already; it's just the conversion tools themself that need a bit further work.

[Simon]

Giga wanted me to try out one of his levels. Let's go on an adventure!

• Level is called Boiling15.lvl, can't distinguish it from Lemmix level, so tried it in Lemmix and it didn't want to load (invalid Lemmings count: 0).
  
• Now I wanted to be lazy and load it in Lix, but it doesn't seem to be in the standard format at all, my own code believes the level is empty.
  
• Back to IRC and asking Giga what I need to download. Plowing around the Neolemmix site for 5 minutes until I have the two binaries he described (<GigaLem> Well first get the editor and then get the customized lemmings player). I have no good understanding of what tool depends on what and don't want to read the entire site at this time. I want a simple large friendly link to click that downloads the right thing. >_>
  
• Unzipped the Neolemmix editor, ah very nice, it has a readme. Opened the readme. WTF, it doesn't linebreak at 80 chars, now I can't read it properly in the console and need some fullscreen editor to view it.
  
• Put the editor into a dir, it loads the level nicely. No hurdles with installing styles here, a major step up from old Lemmix.
  
• Playtest doesn't work, it doesn't find the playtesting exe, no problem, I got that downloaded. Reading the editor's readme on how to install the player exe with the editor. Readme tells me to put it into the editor's root dir and edit the ini file. I put the exe in the correct place, then waste 5 minutes searching for the correct string in the ini file to fix.
  
• For the record, since this is important: If you want the user to change a line in a file, copy the exact line in total into the readme, with context (the ini header it's under), and show how it must look before and after. I don't know the file and don't want to search for what resembles the vague instruction in the readme.
  
• I give up, since there's nothing resembling a path to an exe, and try playtesting without changing the ini. This works. I have no idea whether the readme is out of date or whether I haven't found the correct setting to change yet. It works nicely though like this, I don't have to change anything in a text file. Very good.
  
• Playtest is slow as heck in Wine, but seems usable. This was a problem back with Lemmix, and I don't expect too many Linux users with Neolemmix anyway. So, the performance shall not be an issue.
  
• Noes noes noes, where do I turn off the music in the player? It's just loud and I have my own things playing in the background anyway. Any settings to disable sound and music for playtest?
  

Still haven't played the level, getting something to eat now, but maybe it's some field testing for the Neolemmix development. :-)

-- Simon

[namida]

Traditional Lemmix and Lix won't recognize the level because it's a NeoLemmix level. For a long time now NeoLemmix has used a completely different format from traditional Lemmix (though it's still capable of loading traditional Lemmix levels, of course). If you wanted to implement support for it in Lix, the formats are documented on the NeoLemmix website, and I'm happy to help with anything that's unclear; I could even possibly have a go at writing the code myself, though I must point out that I'm very unfamiliar with C / C++.

The readme is linebreaked, I think? I'll check that; I can almost guarantee that if it is linebreaked, it'll actually be at much less than 80 characters, I usually linebreak them at around 50 or so (whatever looks good to me, tbh).

I'll improve the descriptions of how to set up playtest mode.

I personally never had problems running regular Lemmix under WINE, but haven't tried with NeoLemmix. It's possible it may have issues, as NeoLemmix performs much more processing per-frame than regular Lemmix does.


EDIT: Just to clarify, you were using the editor under WINE, right? Any functional issues with it (I assume you haven't tested it too thoroughly, but anything you notice from quick use)?


EDIT: To turn sound and music off, to do it permanently you have to launch NeoCustLemmix directly and use the config screen. To do it temporarily, the 'S' and 'M' hotkeys will do the trick.

Another thing I'd mention - if you just want to play a single level, you don't really need to use the editor. Just fire up NeoCustLemmix and press F6 on the title screen (this isn't a hidden option; there's an extra panel there that doesn't appear in other NeoLemmix players to inform you of this) and you can load a single level file.

[keiya]

If it's under a different format, it should probably be saved with a different extension. .nlvl maybe?

[namida]

Despite it really not mattering these days, I kinda have the old habit of "extensions should be three letters or less", so I'd most likely go with either "NLV" or "LVN". Originally I was considering "LVX" for a possible improved level format, but this was long before I actually implemented the format, or even chose the name "NeoLemmix".

There isn't really any reason why this couldn't be done, I suppose I could consider it.

[Simon]

Traditional Lemmix and Lix won't recognize the level because it's a NeoLemmix level. For a long time now NeoLemmix has used a completely different format from traditional Lemmix (though it's still capable of loading traditional Lemmix levels, of course). If you wanted to implement support for it in Lix, the formats are documented on the NeoLemmix website, and I'm happy to help with anything that's unclear; I could even possibly have a go at writing the code myself, though I must point out that I'm very unfamiliar with C / C++.

So this is incompatibility by design, that's probably very good since you support new features critical to the play.

IIRC you're already putting a magic byte at the beginning to tell it apart from L1 levels.

The confusion comes solely from the equal filename extension. The filename extension can be considered to make it more clear at some time.

The format's documentation, very good to have that reference because the format is binary. About reimplementing it, I believe a fair share of levels will become unsolvable due to non-supported skills. It's something to keep in mind for later.

The readme is linebreaked, I think? I'll check that; I can almost guarantee that if it is linebreaked, it'll be at much less than 80 characters, I usually linebreak them at around 50 or so (whatever looks good to me, tbh).

It seems linebreaked, some paragraphs around 90 and other paragraphs around 100.

I'll improve the descriptions of how to set up playtest mode

Nice. :-)

EDIT: To clarify, you were using the editor under WINE, right? Any functional issues with it (I assume you haven't tested it too thoroughly, but anything you notice from quick use)?

Yes, used it in Wine. I had no issues clicking through the various menus and some dialogs. I didn't try to move terrain around, which I expect to work reasonably well, as in old Lemmix.

EDIT: To turn sound and music off, to do it permanently you have to launch NeoCustLemmix directly and use the config screen. To do it temporarily, the 'S' and 'M' hotkeys will do the trick.

Thanks. :-)

Another thing I'd mention - if you want to play a single level, you don't need to use the editor. Fire up NeoCustLemmix and press F6 on the title screen (this isn't a hidden option; there's an extra panel there that doesn't appear in other NeoLemmix players to inform you of this) and you can load a single level file.

Will keep in mind!

-- Simon

[namida]

Traditional Lemmix and Lix won't recognize the level because it's a NeoLemmix level. For a long time now NeoLemmix has used a completely different format from traditional Lemmix (though it's still capable of loading traditional Lemmix levels, of course). If you wanted to implement support for it in Lix, the formats are documented on the NeoLemmix website, and I'm happy to help with anything that's unclear; I could even possibly have a go at writing the code myself, though I must point out that I'm very unfamiliar with C / C++.

So this is incompatibility by design, that's probably very good since you support new features critical to the play.

IIRC you're already putting a magic byte at the beginning to tell it apart from L1 levels.

The confusion comes solely from the equal filename extension. The filename extension can be considered to make it more clear at some time.

The format's documentation, very good to have that reference because the format is binary. About reimplementing it, I believe a fair share of levels will become unsolvable due to non-supported skills. It's something to keep in mind for later.

SuperLemmini also doesn't support a lot of NeoLemmix features, but still supports the level format as far as the features it *does* support goes. (Aside from the new skills and gimmicks in NeoLemmix, and the invisible / fake terrain in SuperLemmini, they actually have considerable overlap in their supported features, though the NeoLemmix player doesn't support SuperLemmini levels (the editor does support them, including most features that don't exist in NeoLemmix).)

And yes, you're right about the magic byte. It's essentially a "format version" byte, with traditional LVL files being "format 0". NeoLemmix has used "format 3" for a very long time now, and I don't see this changing any time soon (format 1 and 2 are almost identical to format 3, too). If it's quicker to check a file size than the first byte of the file, then they can be distinguished as the traditional LVL files are always exactly 2KB, while the NeoLemmix ones are always exactly 10KB. (2048 / 10240, not 2000 / 10000; I am not a hard drive manufacturer.)

[keiya]

KiB, you mean.

[namida]

Shush.

[mobius]

I recently noticed that the first version of NeoLemix was 2.something MB in size then as you updated it slowly rose in size to over 4 MB until the latest version is back down to 2. Why is that? Just curious.

[namida]

The editor? That would be because of the inclusion of two copies of the graphic sets (traditional, nearly-unmodified ones (apart from steel added to Bubble set, and a few extra objects and extra steel sizes to the Xmas set) for traditional Lemmix editing, and the NeoLemmix-ised ones). Since it included these in both the normal DAT format, as well as the Lemmix Editor compiled format (which is quite large), each new graphic set - especially if it was duplicated over both variants, which is the case for most sets, apart from the LPIII ones and the Doomsday Lemmings style - added a fair bit to the file size.

The latest release removes the need to compile graphic sets, thus cutting their large size out of the total filesize, and bringing it down.

[namida]

Uploaded V1.29n-B of the editor. This fixes a couple of significant bugs in V1.29n-A relating to the new style handling.

Note that I haven't yet installed my web-editing software on my new PC, so the NeoLemmix Website still says it has V1.29n-A of the editor. However, when you actually download it, it will indeed be V1.29n-B.

[namida]

Uploaded V1.29n-B of the players. This fixes a small handful of bugs, as well as giving stoners explosion particles now. This includes (still unofficial) updates to all Lemmings Plus packs, but still nothing for Doomsday Lemmings. (Note: Like with the editor, the website currently *says* it has V1.29n, but the download itself is V1.29n-B.)

There's a few final touches to do with the Doomsday Lemmings update, specifically relating to MAIN.DAT (need to recolor some stuff, as Doomsday Lemmings used a slightly different palette, which I didn't take into account when upgrading its MAIN.DAT to V1.29n format), but once that's done there'll be an official update of it.