So I started using the NeoLemmix Editor to create levels for the contests. The possibility to choose the right music directly in the editor was one of my favorite new features
But (sry for maybe a little bit harsher language here
):
Finding the right track is a pain!
You only see the numbers, so I had to test and switch through them ~ 5 min to get the one I wanted and that's no fun at all!
So I am wondering: Why don't the editor use the actual songnames
(like "Who's that doggy in the window" for an example)
I mean nobody says my favorite music track is track 27 in my music folder. No you say my favorite music track is Interpret XY with the song XY.
And it is a waste of time when you must search for right track everytime!
This way of displaying the track names instead of numbers has even more advantages if you want to add more great tracks to the selection (which I am planning to do so for my future NeoLemmix port of Reunion):
1.)
New custom tracks could be added way more easily! (and by
everyone with
every track they want)
If person A want to add new tracks at position 38 and 39, but person B also wants to add other tracks with the same numbers -> there will be chaos!
And after some good tracks have been added to the selection you might have ~ 100 tracks which all have a reason to stay in, but you simply can't say which one is which, unless you make txt file where everything is listed and why adding that when you can simply just put the real titles in the editor.
I would maybe go even further and attach a
music folder to the
editor and
players where everyone can put in the tracks which they want to use (editor reads the tracks out of this folder and displays the names in the selection screen) and if they spread a level to other people, they simply spread the track with it (and put it also in the players music folder).
2.)
Different versions of the same track will be much easier to handle! Just sort them alphabetically and write " Genesis" or "Dos" behind the track.
Now you would just have number 4 and 56 and good luck seperating them!
3.)
You said it already for tilesets in the NeoLemmix Community Pack thread:
Yep, that's right. Although the editor contains presets for some other NeoLemmix-based games, you don't usually need to worry about this anymore, as unlike traditional Lemmix which relies on a graphic set number, NeoLemmix relies on a graphic set name and only uses the number as a fallback (if for example, the name isn't recognized, or when loading a traditional Lemmix level). Thus, I recommend just using NeoCustLemmix, as it contains all the graphic sets and VGASPECs from the official games (even including the Genesis ones), as well as those from Lemmings Plus and Doomsday Lemmings.
And why are the music tracks any different! Even more:
They are usually waaaaaaaaaay more music tracks then tilesets. In my lemmini music folder I can choose from over 150 tracks and I can select a specific one in under 5 sec, because I know the song name.
So in my opinion this way the
really awesome music selection feature will be much more easier to use and expand.