Author Topic: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix  (Read 3926 times)

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Offline Strato Incendus

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Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« on: December 04, 2020, 10:56:53 PM »
While trying to make my levels for my next pack, Lemmings: Hall of Fame, as true to Lemmings 2: The Tribes as possible, I sometimes start out by re-building an actual Lemmings 2: The Tribes level in NeoLemmix as closely as possible, and then modifying it from there.

However, just like WillLem has recently made an attempt to recreate original Amiga Lemmings in NeoLemmix, I thought: Why not make this another community challenge?

Which levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes can be re-created in (and thus "ported to") NeoLemmix?

I actually love the variety of skills available in Lemmings 2, and the tilesets and music tracks as well. The main thing that really bothers me about it is the horrendous execution difficulty, be it with regards to the fan, the switching between "pause selected / fast-forward selected / fan selected / skill selected", the knockback effects of certain explosive skills, or even just the hassle of restarting the level (the Amiga version doesn't contain the option to simply press ESC, you have to nuke every time you want to restart - and I'm using the Amiga version as a .bat file for the original levels, so that I can simultaneously keep kieranmillar's levels in the folder of my DOS version of Lemmings 2).

But if there's one thing that NeoLemmix can abolish easily, it's precisely this execution difficulty! ;)

So maybe we can increase the fun of playing L2 a little by making levels from it available for NeoLemmix. My first example is a manually recreated version of Beach level 07, "SAND IN YER SARNIES". I could easily replace the Stomper with a Digger. The Runner isn't available in NeoLemmix, but it doesn't add anything apart from increasing execution speed (we have the space bar for that :P ). Also, I didn't add a timelimit, because most of them don't seem to serve a purpose in L2. Everything else is as in L2.



I'm sure the options for "porting levels from L2 over to NeoLemmix" will increase drastically if we do indeed end up getting all new four skills (Laserer, Slider, Spearer, and Grenader) introduced! :thumbsup:
My packs so far:
Lemmings World Tour (New & Old Formats), my music-themed flagship pack, 320 levels - Let's Played by Colorful Arty
Lemmings Open Air, my newest release and follow-up to World Tour, 120 levels
Paralems (Old Formats), a more flavour-driven one, 150 levels
Pit Lems (Old Formats), a more puzzly one, 100 levels - Let's Played by nin10doadict
Lemmicks, a pack for (very old) NeoLemmix 1.43 full of gimmicks, 170 levels

Offline Dullstar

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2020, 07:40:30 PM »
It should go without saying that now that we have the L2 classic style, it should be possible to port the entire tribe perfectly without the differences between orig_pillar and L2 classic getting in the way.

I've done the first two levels. As far as terrain and object placements go, they match the original as closely as I could, even down to making sure the wood grain matches. However, the time limits are missing (because realistically they were just kinda there), and the spawn intervals are a guess. It will play a song with the filename l2_classic if one exists, although at this time you will have to provide your own.

Once I have all the levels completed, I'll probably make two releases: one that ports all the stats including the time limits, and one that removes both the time limits and the unusable bombers from the skill panel.

Offline Kingshadow3

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2020, 08:20:47 PM »
I've got one as well. This one is Shadow Level 7 "Fritbatter Frolics!".

I replaced the Scooper with the Miner and the Rock Climber with the regular climber. I decided to cut the Shimmier from the level entirely as Neolemmix's Shimmier works differently to the L2 Shimmier as L2's Shimmier also acts as a Jumper and there is no real use of it in that level. (Most of Lemmings 2's skills in levels are generally red herrings).

One major change about this level is the addition of an updraft as Lemmings 2's Splat distance is much greater than in Neolemmix (except for classic tribe).

Offline Strato Incendus

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2020, 08:41:07 PM »
Great, thanks for chiming in on this, guys! :thumbsup:
My packs so far:
Lemmings World Tour (New & Old Formats), my music-themed flagship pack, 320 levels - Let's Played by Colorful Arty
Lemmings Open Air, my newest release and follow-up to World Tour, 120 levels
Paralems (Old Formats), a more flavour-driven one, 150 levels
Pit Lems (Old Formats), a more puzzly one, 100 levels - Let's Played by nin10doadict
Lemmicks, a pack for (very old) NeoLemmix 1.43 full of gimmicks, 170 levels

Offline GigaLem

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2020, 10:21:02 PM »
Personally this was an Idea I wanted to suggested to the community as to recreate and mod each level from Lemmings 2 and mod the solutions to fit NeoLemmix and arrange their order based on difficulty.

Offline Kingshadow3

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2020, 12:28:17 PM »
Personally this was an Idea I wanted to suggested to the community as to recreate and mod each level from Lemmings 2 and mod the solutions to fit NeoLemmix and arrange their order based on difficulty.

I would also note that there needs to be ways to make alterations to levels to substitute for objects that don't exist in Neolemmix (Chains, Cannons, Trampolines. etc)

These are all the levels in Amiga/DOS Lemmings 2: The Tribes that have objects that cannot exist in Neolemmix:
Beach 4: Coastal Suction Function (Chain)
Cavelem 1: Audex Powder (Dinosaur Catapult)
Cavelem 3: Mortal men doomed to die (Trampolines)
Cavelem 4: A stompin' good time! (Dinosaur Catapult)
Cavelem 5: This Is The Pits ! (Chains)
Cavelem 6: Ain't No Time (Dinosaur Catapult)
Cavelem 7: Deadly Exit (Dinosaur Catapult)
Cavelem 8: Wilma! (Dinosaur Catapult)
Cavelem 10: Ah'm No Done Yet (Dinosaur Catapult)
Circus 1: LIGHTLINES.... (Cannon & Trampolines)
Circus 2: Lemmings In The Family (Trampolines)
Circus 3: We're Coming Home (Trampolines)
Circus 5: Big Top Time (Trampoline)
Circus 6: HEADACHE (Cannons & Trampolines)
Circus 8: PLAY THAT FUNKY LEMMING (Cannon & Trampolines)
Circus 9: The Carpet Capers.... (Cannon)
Circus 10: Swingz and Roundaboutz! (Cannons & Trampoline)
Highland 3: Stop your ticklin' Jock! (Trampolines)
Highland 5: DONALD WHARS YER LEMMING (Chain)
Highland 7: In memory of McAngus (Cannons & Trampoline)
Highland 8: The White Heather Club (Chain & Cannon)
Medieval 3: ALL IN A KNIGHTS WORK!! (Catapult)
Medieval 7: UNDERGROUND (Catapult)
Medieval 10: JUST JOUSTING AROUND (Catapult)
Outdoor 2: Swing/Roundabout Theory (Chain)
Polar 2: Ice Ice Lemy (Ice)
Polar 4: DANGER THIN ICE ! (Ice)
Polar 8: Snowed In ! (Cannon)
Polar 9: Its all up hill ! (Cannon)
Shadow 5: Swingadingding (Chain)
Shadow 6: The School Gate. (Cannon)
Shadow 8: Goossen's Inferno! (Cannons)
Space 8: Odyssey (Chain)
Sports 1: Ceci n'est pas une pipe. (Trampolines and Gas Pipes)
Sports 5: Blow Back.... (Trampoline, Gas Pipes and Valve)
Sports 7: The Sun Sign Selection (Chain & Trampoline)
Sports 8: Run the Risk (Trampoline)

The teleporters in Space 8 through 10 can be replicated despite Teleporters being different in Neolemmix than in Space (Neolemmix Teleporters are one way but you could stack teleporters and receivers on top of each other (Although you might have problems with lemmings teleporting back & forth for the rest of eternity.)) Polar 7: SLIPPIN & SLIDING has the skater as a skill despite not having any Ice in that level.

An example to alter levels is Beach 4: Coastal Suction Function. Look at the Genesis version of this stage compared to the Amiga/DOS version. That version replaces the chain with water to kayak or Surf through (For Neolemmix you could simply make a lemming a Swimmer and if the Laserer doesn't make it into the new build, use a Digger pickup skill to free the others). Everything else is pretty much identical. In fact, the Chain is completely omitted from the Genesis version.
« Last Edit: December 15, 2020, 12:43:16 PM by Kingshadow3 »

Offline WillLem

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #6 on: October 07, 2021, 11:23:48 PM »
Since the L2 styles are available in NeoLemmix, I wonder if it's possible to extract the maps from L2 such that they can be recreated in NL (albeit without the original skillsets, in many cases).

Of course, it's possible to build the levels manually, but does anyone know if the graphical elements could be assembled automatically somehow?

If not, can we simply build all levels without worrying about skillsets to begin with, essentially to create a collection of L2 maps that can then be interpreted within NeoLemmix by whomever wishes to compile such a pack?

Offline Dullstar

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2021, 03:23:28 AM »
There's certainly no reason it wouldn't be possible.

I'll keep it in mind when I feel like coding something but idk what.

Offline geoo

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Re: Recreating levels from Lemmings 2: The Tribes for NeoLemmix
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2021, 06:32:35 AM »
In L2, the levels are arranged as a grid of 16x8 tiles. The style files come with these tiles arranged into groups of more user-friendly pieces, and I assume that's what NeoLemmix is using?
While most of the time the L2 tiles are arranged to resemble these groups, I assume this is not always the case, so you'd have to work around this somehow.
Does NeoLemmix have tile groups like Lix by now? If yes, then you could just cut up these larger pieces into their 16x8 components using eraser terrain and then lay those out exactly as in the L2 maps. If not, things might get a bit tricky.