See also:
How to play and create custom levels (http://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=3232)
List of Lemmings engines (2013) (http://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=1618)
The original Lemmings 1 from 1991 was for DOS and Amiga, but modern Windows cannot run that natively. Even Lemmings for Windows 95 won't run without problems.
Common ways to play on a modern system:
NeoLemmixAs of 2022, NeoLemmix is the most popular engine. It's a Windows program. It runs well on Linux in Wine, too.
To play Lemmings 1 or ONML in NeoLemmix:
- Download NeoLemmix (https://www.neolemmix.com) and extract it.
- Download the 'Lemmings' level pack (https://www.neolemmix.com/?page=official) for NeoLemmix.
- Extract the level pack (zip archive) inside the NeoLemmix folder.
- Run NeoLemmix and select the level pack.
Physics: Many glitches from DOS Lemmings 1 are fixed, e.g., no direct drop (= in NeoLemmix, if you splat in front of an exit, you die and don't exit). Steel remains intact even when ground removers work nearby. Bombers are untimed. Some non-glitch physics are changed: Builders cancel when their bellies hit terrain, ground removers have different cancelling conditions, ...
Convenience: Allows rewinding to fix mistakes, offers replays, savestates, directional select, assign during pause, ... Look at hotkey configuration dialog in NeoLemmix. You'll have to remember these hotkeys during play.
SuperLemmixA fork of NeoLemmix tailored towards those who prefer a more traditional gameplay style. It's a Windows program. It runs well on Linux in Wine, too.
SuperLemmix aims to offer a one-stop package for everything you need to enjoy both classic and modern Lemmings gameplay on the same system, with a rich feature set and clean, accessible UI.
- Download SuperLemmix (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6180.msg98179#msg98179) and extract it.
- Run SuperLemmix.
- Select the Lemmings 1 levels from the level selection.
(SuperLemmix already ships with the full set of classic DMA levels, unedited and presented in the original Amiga colour scheme.)
Physics: It's a mix of NeoLemmix physics with Amiga physics. E.g., SuperLemmix reintroduces direct drop (= if you splat in front of an exit, you exit).
Convenience: The NeoLemmix convenience features are still there. For a retro Lemmings experience, press "Classic Mode" in the main menu to disable most convenience features.
Visit the SuperLemmix board (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?board=41.0) for fanmade level packs, discussion and suggestions for development, records tables and more to come. In 2024, SuperLemmix is more up to date than many of the other options, the engine is currently maintained and open for suggestions and bug reports, and will be for the forseeable future.
GolemsGolems (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6716) is a clone of DOS Lemmings. It's the easiest way to play DOS Lemmings 1 in an almost-authentic way:
- Play Golems directly in your browser! (https://lldb.camanis.net/level/play/473/1/Just-dig)
- Play Lemmings/ONML/Xmas levels: (https://lldb.camanis.net/levelpack/list?creator=DMA%20Design)
Pick a game and difficulty rank (oldest/easiest are at the bottom), then click "Play" next to the level.
- Consider signing in. The website will then keep track of your progress.
Physics: Practically bug-compatible with the DOS Lemmings 1 engine.
Convenience: You get fast-forward/fast-backward/framestepping for reduced tedium/frustration in executing solutions. During play, you can look at the help dialog for the hotkeys.
In addition to browser-based Golems, the Golems game engine is available as a Windows application.
LemmixLemmix is a Windows program originally developed by EricLang, with later improvements by ccexplore and namida. There is a "Lemmix player" for Original Lemmings, Oh No! More Lemmings, Xmas Lemmings 91/92, Holiday Lemmings 94 (this includes 93), Covox Lemmings Demo, Prima Publishing Lemmings Demo, as well as virtually every official level from other (non-DOS) platform versions of these.
- Download one of the Lemmix Players from the NeoLemmix website. (http://www.neolemmix.com/old/lemmix.html)
- Familiarize yourself with the hotkeys. These are hard to find, search the forums. (We should link them from here, but where are they?) Lemmix doesn't tell you the hotkeys during play. Write them down.
- Run Lemmix.
Physics: Practically bug-compatible with DOS Lemmings 1. (= Lemmix aims at perfect emulation the original games' mechanics.)
Convenience: After you've discovered the unremappable, obscure hotkeys, you get savestates, fast-forward, forward framestepping, and saving/loading solution replays. You cannot rewind. When you make a mistake, restart the level, let it replay your correct actions, then interrupt the replay before your mistakes.
SuperLemminiTooA series of Lemmings engines developed in Java. The Lemmini series marries Amiga gameplay physics with the lush graphics included in Windows 95 Lemmings, complete with an upgraded UI.
- Choose and download either SuperLemminiToo (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5792.msg93947#msg93947), SuperLemmini (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=1793.msg44598#msg44598), or Lemmini (http://www.lemmini.de/).
- For SuperLemmini or Lemmini, you need a copy of Lemmings for Windows 95. (SuperLemminiToo ships all resources already with itself.)
- Download DMA Lemmings & Oh No! More Lemmings (Remastered). (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5383.msg89605#msg89605)
Differences between SuperLemminiToo, SuperLemmini, and Lemmini
:lemming: Download SuperLemminiToo (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5792.msg93947#msg93947): Charles's a fork of SuperLemmini. It's the latest entry in the series.
- Re-implements Timed Bombers as a user option: You can choose to play with instant or with timed bombers.
- Fixes several bugs from SuperLemmini.
- Includes a number of upgrades to the UI over SuperLemmini
- Includes the WinLemm resources. You don't have to extract those yourself from WinLemm.
:lemming: Download SuperLemmini (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=1793.msg44598#msg44598): Tsyu's fork of Lemmini.
- Fixes a number of bugs from Lemmini.
- Offers a larger catalog of levels than Lemmini.
- Improves the UI of Lemmini.
- Bombers explode instantly. They don't have a countdown timer.
:lemming: Download Lemmini (http://www.lemmini.de/) from the original Lemmini website. This is the original platform in this series, developed by Volker Oth. It's no longer actively maintained.
Our SuperLemmini board (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?board=10.0) offers for fanmade level packs, level editors, discussion, records tables and more.
Physics: Mostly inspired by Amiga Lemmings. Both graphics and physics are in high-resolution. Details will be different from DOS Lemmings.
Convenience: Fast forward, replays, direction select, forward frame-stepping. None of the Lemmini games support rewinding. When you make a mistake, restart the level, let it replay your correct actions, then interrupt the replay before your mistakes.
DOS EmulationFor the most authentic Lemmings experience, play Lemmings 1 in DOSBox or one of its forks. DOSbox is a free and open-source DOS emulator for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and others.
- Choose and install release of DOSBox:
- E.g., vanilla DOSBox from dosbox.com (http://www.dosbox.com/),
- or the more actively developed Dosbox-Staging (https://dosbox-staging.github.io/).
- You need an actual copy of DOS Lemmings 1.
- Find the music bugfixes and put them into your copy of Lemmings 1.
- In Dosbox, mount the copy of Lemmings 1. (See one of Simon's posts below, or search the forums, search the net ...)
- In Dosbox, before you run Lemmings 1, lower DOSBox CPU cycles to 7,000 or fewer (Ctrl+F11 or sometimes Ctrl+Shift+F11?), otherwise music will not load. If you can't lower the cycles, look into Dosbox's configuration.
- In Dosbox, run Lemmings 1.
- When you're in Lemmings 1's main menu, you can increase CPU cycles to around 10,000 or 20,000. L2, L3, or 3D Lemmings behave best at higher cycle counts, experiment with 20,000 to 40,000 or max speed in the config.
See our threads in the Help section on how to run Lemmings 2 or Lemmings 3 in DOSBox.
Convenience: You can choose a Dosbox fork with savestates. Other than that, you get no player-assist features. When you make a mistake, start over from the beginning of the level. You need passwords to select levels.
See Dosbox-Staging's wiki entry about Lemmings 1 (https://github.com/dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging/wiki/Game-issues#lemmings-1991).
You can also play Lemmings on the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/lemmings_original_ms-dos_201705) via DOSBox in your browser.
SNES EmulationYou can even get mouse support, unlike on a real SNES:
- Get gocha's snes9x-rr (https://github.com/gocha/snes9x-rr) or maybe another SNES emulator with Lua support.
- Load a Lemmings or Lemmings 2 ROM in snes9x-rr.
- Download the appropriate script: Lua script for Lemmings (https://github.com/agehring80/snes-mouse-lua/blob/master/lemmings.lua), or Lua script for Lemmings 2 (https://github.com/agehring80/snes-mouse-lua/blob/master/lemmings2.lua).
- Load the script in snes9x-rr.
- Hide the script window. You can move it to the edge, or move it to a second monitor.
- Enter fullscreen.
Keys:
- Right mouse button = Start/Pause.
- Left mouse button = main button.
- Tab = Fast forward.
Info comes from crazygerry's post below (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=1988.msg97221#msg97221). Thanks!
Amiga EmulationThere are several options for the Amiga route, but these are not usually free. The Kickstart ROMs are still under licence, and at the time of writing this are only legally available from Cloanto. You can get them as part of the Amiga Forever pack, or with a bit of effort you can get hold of the Amiga Forever Essentials for Android set (for less than the price of a cup of coffee!) and copy them to your PC using this method (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-QB5OZFC5M).
The 3 main options for Amiga emulation are:
:lemming: FS-UAE (https://fs-uae.net/) - free (but you'll need to get kickstart ROMs) - very user-friendly and attractive interface, perfect for those that want a quick plug-and-play experience. It's not as powerful as some of the other Amiga emulation options, but it's more than enough to play all Lemmings games.
:lemming: Amiga Forever (https://www.amigaforever.com/) - not free (value edition is €20 at the time of writing) - more than enough to run Lemmings on an emulated system you can customise and build yourself. It's essentially WinUAE packaged in a more user-friendly interface, whilst also providing support from the friendly devs at Cloanto.
:lemming: WinUAE (https://www.winuae.net/) - free (you'll still need to get those ROMs, though!) - if you just want to play Lemmings, this might not be your best options because it takes some effort to get everything set up and configured properly, but it's an excellent choice for Amiga fans that want a more finely-tailored emulation experience.
There is also RetroArch (https://www.retroarch.com/), which is a free and open source frontend for emulation of many retro consoles including Amiga. Get the Kickstart ROMs and a copy of the Lemmings ADFs and you're good to go; setup is fairly straightforward, and RetroArch offers many customisation options.
All of these options offer save states, current support, and other mod cons.
I estimate that some people want to stay close to DOS physics. In case DOS physics is what we want, and ease-of-use is less important, this is the ranking:
1. Dosbox + Lemmings: Has DOS physics by definition.
2. Golems: The web-based bug-compatible port of Lemmings 1.
3. Lemmix: Physics are identical to DOS L1 in newer Lemmix versions: Some abstruse glitches are fixed Any differences to DOS L1 are considered bugs, even if the behavior in DOS L1 is strange in many places. Offers many hotkeys (documented where? Because invisible inside the game) to easen play, like savestates, framestepping, and replays. Does not offer extra functionality that could generate input impossible in DOS L1, thus no directional select.
4. Emulation of a non-DOS Lemmings 1 port: Even Amiga Lemmings or SNES Lemmings behave differently enough from DOS Lemmings that Golems or Lemmix are closer to DOS.
5. Neolemmix or SuperLemmix: Forked off Lemmix, has the various hotkeys (but this time visible: buttons on screen and config menu), but has different physics. Steel behaves cleaner than in DOS L1. The NeoLemmix builder stops on hitting terrain inside belly, ground removers have different ending conditions, etc. Has directional select, because it doesn't try to replicate DOS physics anymore.
6. Lix, Superlemmini, ... Engines not based on anything DOS related. Don't have the DOS physics glitches. Vanilla Lemmini comes with its own physics glitches instead.
-- Simon
QuoteSome abstruse glitches are fixed (percent saved affected by nuke, pause for time before hatch opens).
The lack of these has been fixed (or unfixed, depending on what angle you want to look at it from) in the more recent updates.
It is probably obvious, but worth mentioning for the "console/handheld emulator" option, keep in mind that with the exception of basically Amiga, most other options under that category means you won't have the ability to play the game with a mouse. It may not necessarily be a deal-breaker but it's certainly one more thing that will deviate your experience from the "real thing".
Also, I never had to set DOSBox CPU cycle for L1-based games. It seems to work well for me even when left at the admittedly lower-than-reality default of 3500 or so. In fact, bumping it up too high may cause you to lose sound (or perhaps they may have fixed that in later DOSBox versions, it's been a while since I touched DOSBox), though 7000 I think is still low enough to keep that from happening.
LemEdit is the one program that I distinctly remember having to bump up the CPU cycle a lot (like 20000+ IIRC) to be usable.
I want to say even for DOS L2 you could get away not bumping up the CPU cycle in DOSBox, although I think it may have been slightly better to use a higher one than default for that game. L3 I think you really do have to. Or maybe not, it's been a while since I last tried those too. :-\ Anyway, it doesn't hurt to try I guess, if the default settings aren't working out.
More important may be where you get those games from. In some cases the original versions may actually not work properly on modern machines even with DOSBox. They may not crash outright, but you may experience weird things like load/save not working on L2, or other weirdness when you get to certain parts of/places in the game. abandonia.com can be your friend to find slightly cracked versions of the games that work much better in DOSBox.
Which solution would you recommend to a noob who'd like to play all sorts of lemming games?
Hi lemfam101,
welcome to the forums!
If you're interested in DMA's old games: Get the Lemmix Players or NeoLemmix Players (links in first post here) to play the 1991 Lemmings and Oh no more Lemmings. Install DOSBox to play Lemmings 2, to play Lemmings 3 (a.k.a. All New World of Lemmings, a.k.a. Lemmings Chronicles), or to play 3D Lemmings. Read How to play Lemmings 2 in DOSBox (http://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=3273.0).
If you're interested in custom levels: Read How to play and create custom levels (http://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=3232).
-- Simon
My personal vote goes for Lemmini. In the days before I discovered this great community of Lemmings players, I used DOSBox with my old discs, and that was somethin fierce in terms of setup. Modern Windows operating systems sadly do not play well with these things.
The OP is due for a rewrite anyway. Vanilla Lemmix is awkward and Dosbox offers even less convenience during play. We clearly don't answer the noob question in the OP: I'm new, what single one thing should I download first?
If DOS physics aren't important, then NL is probably best. Do the NL players offer level select nowadays?
The vanilla Lemmix players have this hackish level select by password 'cheatcodes' and then password '0123' to play rank 1 level 23. Very nasty undocumented hack and you have to know the exact position of a level. Vanilla Lemmix also has abysmal performance in framestepping because they don't cache physics -- but it has framestepping at least.
Lemmini and Superlemmini have no framestepping. But framestepping is the number-one convenience feature; this alone is enough to not suggest Lemmini to the newcomer. Also Lemmini doesn't offer all levels at the start, instead demand passwords or linear playthrough, and sometimes even eats datafiles and demands a re-extraction.
D Lix doesn't read Lemmings files anymore and shouldn't be listed at all in my reply #1.
-- Simon
Quote from: Simon on November 28, 2017, 11:52:31 AM
If DOS physics aren't important, then NL is probably best. Do the NL players offer level select nowadays?
The stable version has a pack for the original levels and they can be accessed in a selection list with F2, if browsing through ranks and levels with the preview screen is too slow.
The new formats version has an improved SuperLemmini like selection menu that also checks for progress and if resolving on updated levels is needed + the option with preview screen when a pack is selected is still there.
In all cases all levels are unlocked of course.
Okay, cool! I should rewrite the OP accordingly and link to NL, link to the pack with DMA's levels, and give a short explanation on how to install.
Vanilla Lemmix remains important to mention, but it shouldn't come first anymore.
-- Simon
Here's a comparison topic (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5311.new;topicseen#new) of the main platforms, going into further detail about the pros and cons of each.
SuperLemminiToo (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5792.msg93947#msg93947) is now more than worthy of a mention in the Lemmini section of the OP. The main features it adds are an upgraded panel, optional timed bombers, various bugfixes and pre-extracted WinLemm resources.
Ideally though, I'd like to hear from Charles and Tsyu about the future of the SuperLemmini(Too) project before deciding upon how best to present it on the Forums. My own thoughts are that a single version is better than multiple forks...
EDIT: As of 2023, I can no longer advise that people play (Super)Lemmini(Too); this series of clones was previously one of my favourite ways to play Lemmings, and they still have merit, but are not currently actively maintained and exist in various states of disarray as per their features, file systems and installation. I sincerely hope that something is done about this soon, because it's a great clone.
In the meantime, I'd prefer to point people towards my own clone, SuperLemmix (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6180.msg98179#msg98179) (a fork of NeoLemmix which adds Timebombers, Projectile skills, a "Classic Mode" which deactivates the helper tools, and various UI tweaks and enhancements). The project is yet to gather any real momentum as an outright alternative to NeoLemmix, but you might find it suits you better if you prefer a more old-school playing experience, but still want the option to use the QOL features now and again.
It's been 4.5 years since the 2017 revision. We may well rewrite the entire thing. NL doesn't need the installer, SL clones' development goes in different directions, ...
WillLem: Please propose a readily-chiseled section for SL! The focus should be on:
1. What do we have to do until we can play (a conversion of) Lemmings 1.
2. Rudimentary overview of the main differences to playing L1 on a real DOS machine or on a real Amiga. E.g., Lemmini has different physics (inspired by Amiga?), hi-res graphics.
Meanwhile, I'll rewrite the Dosbox section; that is the easiest one to rewrite. It's mostly linking to other things, and telling people to find DOS Lemmings 1 that we don't want to link.
-- Simon
DOSBoxYou can run Lemmings 1 in DOSBox, a DOS emulator. This gives you 100 % Lemmings 1 physics including all of their bugs, and AdLib music. This is as close to the 1991 experience as you can get on a modern computer. But you get zero convenience features that the other engines offer.
To get running:
- Install DOSBox (https://www.dosbox.com). It's available for Windows, macOS, Linux, ...
- Have a copy of DOS Lemmings 1.
- Download the attached lem-fix.zip and extract it in your Lemmings 1 directory.
- Run DOSBox, mount your directory of Lemmings 1, and cd into it. If you don't know how to do this, search the web, or ask here.
- In DOSBox, set cycles to 6,000 or fewer before you run Lemmings 1. This enables music.
- In DOSBox, run lem-fix3.exe to play.
- If you want, raise cycles with Ctrl+F12 while Lemmings 1 is already running. Music will still play.
Downsides of Lemmings 1 in DOSBox:
- Zero convenience features during play: No backwards framestepping to fix mistakes, no replay feature, no directional select.
- Save requirement isn't displayed during play. You must remember the stats from the preview screen.
- No handy level selection. You need passwords (https://www.camanis.net/lemmings/codes.php).
- No progress tracking. Write down passwords as you play.
- If you've never used DOSBox or DOS before, you'll search the web for many different things until you're up and running.
See also:
Add links to our topics for how to play L2/L3 in DOSBox.
This got long for a mere section in the overview of different methods to play Lemmings 1. And it still has omissions that may completely block the newbie (cycle setting, mounting, ...) Maybe make separate thread for (how to run Lemmings 1 in Dosbox), and link there from (overview of different methods).
-- Simon
Hello together,
this forum is awesome and it showed me some ways to play Lemmings. Thank you all, to keep Lemmings alive !
My favorite is SuperLemminiToo, especially because of all the available levels and it's easy/fast way to get it running.
Nevertheless... I'm also used to use my favorite controlls and the look and feel (sound, animation sequences)
of emulated SNES Lemmings on a modern PC (it's not that special, but I really like it).
The only drawback of the original game was the missing mouse support, so I added mouse support.
I want to share this with you, maybe someone will give it a try.
You need gocha's snes9x https://github.com/gocha/snes9x-rr (https://github.com/gocha/snes9x-rr) or maybe another emulator with lua support,
the Lemmings ROM and the according lua script
Lemmings https://github.com/agehring80/snes-mouse-lua/blob/master/lemmings.lua (https://github.com/agehring80/snes-mouse-lua/blob/master/lemmings.lua)
Lemmings 2 https://github.com/agehring80/snes-mouse-lua/blob/master/lemmings2.lua (https://github.com/agehring80/snes-mouse-lua/blob/master/lemmings2.lua)
Right mouse button is the Start/Pause button,
Left mouse button is the main button.
Fast forward is the TAB key.
HowTo:
1. Run gocha snes9x and load the lemmings rom
2. Load the according lua script
3. hide the lua script window (move it to the edge, or to the second monitor)
4. goto fullscreen
5. have fun
It is very cool to click the right mouse button to have a thinking break.
Keep playing :lemming:, have fun !
Thanks! This weekend, I'll edit the first post, and it's a good idea to mention SNES emulators with SNES Lemmings 1. I'll then also link to your mouse support, it sounds like excellent quality-of-life for SNES emulation.
-- Simon
Quote from: namida on January 04, 2015, 11:11:34 AM
See also:
How to play and create custom levels (http://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=3232)
List of Lemmings engines (2013) (http://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=1618)
Running original Lemmings from 1991 on a modern PC isn't as simple as grabbing a copy of the game and double-clicking the EXE file. It was for DOS and Amiga, but modern Windows has no support for these. Even Lemmings for Windows 95 won't run without problems....
If you're looking for another way to play it via DOS:
https://dosbox-staging.github.io/
https://github.com/dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging/wiki/Game-issues#lemmings-1991
https://discord.gg/WwAg3Xf is Dosbox-Staging's Discord chat channel.
Thanks! I didn't know about Dosbox Staging. You have extensive documentation; I haven't tried any of it but it looks excellent already. I'll add your links to OP these days.
-- Simon
I agree with Crystal Core. DosBox Staging is miles ahead of the standard DOSBox. It has a documents folder inside with all the instructions.
Quote from: Simon on July 16, 2023, 10:16:52 PM
Thanks! I didn't know about Dosbox Staging. You have extensive documentation; I haven't tried any of it but it looks excellent already. I'll add your links to OP these days.
-- Simon
No problem. If you or anyone else on the Lemmings Forums wants to contribute to Dosbox-Staging, don't hesitate to do so within reason:
https://github.com/dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging
The Dosbox-Staging devs also hang out on that Discord link I provided, so if you need live help in the future, go there as well.
The rest of the wiki is at https://github.com/dosbox-staging/dosbox-staging/wiki/
May I request that SuperLemmix be given a spot in the OP? By now, the feature set is solid enough that it easily stands beside the other engines mentioned there, and it's currently-maintained which I'd say affords it a bit more Forum visibility in topics such as these.
I'd also suggest adding the various options for Amiga emulation, which (whilst not free) do offer a generally good user experience for those who want to emulate the Amiga version.
Finally, I'd recommend renaming the "SuperLemminiToo" section to "Lemmini Series" or similar.
Here are the suggested entries, please feel free to make any necessary changes:
SuperLemmix
A fork of NeoLemmix tailored towards those who prefer a more traditional gameplay style. The player assist features are still there, but they can be easily deactivated by pressing the "Classic Mode" button. Classic Mode makes it possible to enjoy a more retro Lemmings experience alongside the more modern conveniences that these engines provide.
SuperLemmix ships with the full set of classic DMA levels, unedited and presented in the original Amiga colour scheme. As with NeoLemmix, it's also possible to play custom levels and create your own using the dedicated Level Editor, which has been updated with SLX features and given similar UI upgrades to make it easier and more accessible to use.
SuperLemmix also adds a few new skills (Ballooner, Ladderer, Freezer, Grenader and Spearer) as well as re-introducing the Timebomber as its own skill (alongside instant Bombers). There are plans to add 2 more skills to bring the total up to 28 - get involved in the discussion here (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?board=41.0)!
Physics tweaks include re-implementation of Direct Drop, plus the Shimmier -> Climber overhang transition and Jumper wall bounce from Lemmings 2: The Tribes.
There are also several UI improvements including a Playback Mode for binge-watching replays (or checking your pack for backroutes!), an updated Replay Manager, and larger menu screens with full keyboard support for easier browsing. There are also a number of other bugfixes, tweaks and general spit and polish.
Click here (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6180.msg98421#msg98421) for a full list of the differences between NeoLemmix and SuperLemmix.
Visit the SuperLemmix board (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?board=41.0) for fanmade level packs, discussion and suggestions for development, records tables and more to come - the engine is currently maintained and open for suggestions and bug reports.
Amiga Emulation
There are several options for the Amiga route, but these are not usually free. The Kickstart ROMs are still under licence, and at the time of writing this are only legally available from Cloanto. You can get them as part of the Amiga Forever pack, or with a bit of effort you can get hold of the Amiga Forever Essentials for Android set (for less than the price of a cup of coffee!) and copy them to your PC using this method (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-QB5OZFC5M).
The 3 main options for Amiga emulation are:
:lemming: FS-UAE (https://fs-uae.net/) - free (but you'll need to get kickstart ROMs) - very user-friendly and attractive interface, perfect for those that want a quick plug-and-play experience. It's not as powerful as some of the other Amiga emulation options, but it's more than enough to play all Lemmings games.
:lemming: Amiga Forever (https://www.amigaforever.com/) - not free (value edition is €20 at the time of writing) - more than enough to run Lemmings on an emulated system you can customise and build yourself. It's essentially WinUAE packaged in a more user-friendly interface, whilst also providing support from the friendly devs at Cloanto.
:lemming: WinUAE (https://www.winuae.net/) - free (you'll still need to get those ROMs, though!) - if you just want to play Lemmings, this might not be your best options because it takes some effort to get everything set up and configured properly, but it's an excellent choice for Amiga fans that want a more finely-tailored emulation experience.
There is also RetroArch (https://www.retroarch.com/), which is a free and open source frontend for emulation of many retro consoles including Amiga. Get the Kickstart ROMs and a copy of the Lemmings ADFs and you're good to go; setup is fairly straightforward, and RetroArch offers many customisation options.
All of these options offer save states, current support, and other mod cons.
would just like to add to the amiga emulator section, there is a FOSS amiga emulator called fs-uae (https://github.com/FrodeSolheim/fs-uae) its avaliable on pretty much any OS and comes with free remakes of the kickstart roms but if you have the original roms you can add them too.
Happy to add SuperLemmix, but WillLem, your section is too long. Can you cut it to half the size? E.g., to play L1 levels in a remake, we don't need to know about new skills. Or can you hide some parts behind spoilers? Why should a newbie pick SuperLemmix over SuperLemmini? Over NL? What do I have to install? Link directly to the download (or to the page with the download). Minimal extra steps, assume user wants to play L1 (or the remade L1 levels) and nothing else.
Thanks to both of you for the Amiga resources. Yes, if we point to DOS and SNES emulation, we should point to Amiga emulation, too.
I think all of this warrants splitting the OP into two new topics, (1) emulation and (2) remakes, and link from this OP into those two new topics. (Edit 2024-06-15: I don't think that the topic should be split anymore.) I'll get to all of these things over the next days.
-- Simon
Quote from: Simon on June 10, 2024, 05:31:20 PM
Happy to add SuperLemmix, but WillLem, your section is too long. Can you cut it to half the size?
Yes, see edited version below.
Quote from: Simon on June 10, 2024, 05:31:20 PM
I think all of this warrants splitting the OP into two new topics, (1) emulation and (2) remakes, and link from this OP into those two new topics.
I'm not sure this is entirely necessary, to be honest. Perhaps they can be grouped using spoiler tags (or, to keep the OP more readable, give each entry its own spoiler tag)? Having everything in one topic is a good idea, it helps users find what they're looking for whilst also promoting the fan-made content. It's how I originally found Lemmini years ago!
SuperLemmixA fork of NeoLemmix tailored towards those who prefer a more traditional gameplay style. The player assist features are still there, but they can easily be deactivated by pressing the "Classic Mode" button. Classic Mode makes it possible to enjoy a more retro Lemmings experience alongside the more modern conveniences that these engines provide.
SuperLemmix ships with the full set of classic DMA levels, unedited and presented in the original Amiga colour scheme. As with NeoLemmix, it's also possible to play custom levels and create your own using the dedicated Level Editor, which has been updated with SLX features and given similar UI upgrades to make it easier and more accessible to use.
Following in the footsteps of the finely-tuned NeoLemmix whilst reaching further back to the game's original roots, SuperLemmix aims to offer a one-stop package for everything you need to enjoy both classic and modern Lemmings gameplay on the same system, with a rich feature set and clean, accessible UI. Get the latest version here (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6180.msg98179#msg98179).
Visit the SuperLemmix board (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?board=41.0) for fanmade level packs, discussion and suggestions for development, records tables and more to come. It's more up to date than many of the other options, the engine is currently maintained and open for suggestions and bug reports, and will be for the forseeable future.
Updated the Amiga section (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=1988.msg102634#msg102634) to include FS-UAE as mentioned by paiy, another excellent (and free + kickstart ROMs) choice
Thanks.
I agree that it's good to keep everything on one page. If it's too long, we should shorten the entries instead of splitting the post.
How-to-install shouldn't be hidden behind spoiler tags. Instead, for every engine, how-to-install should become a numbered list. Reason: Picking the easiest-to-install is an excellent heuristic for the newbie. We're onboarding new people; getting the L1 levels to run ASAP is the goal.
The other nice things are secondary to ease of installation. All of the following are interesting and should appear unhidden, but should be succinct: Convenience tools, how close the physics are to DOS/Amiga L1, how popular the engine is, what custom culture it supports.
-- Simon
Golems
Golems (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6716) is a clone of DOS Lemmings. The gameplay is mostly bug-compatible with the original engine and adds fast-forward/fast-backward/framestepping for reduced tedium/frustration in executing solutions. The Golems game engine is available as a Windows application, but it also runs in your browser (https://lldb.camanis.net/level/play/473/1/Just-dig), making it the easiest almost-authentic way to play.
You can find the Lemmings/ONML/Xmas levels here (https://lldb.camanis.net/levelpack/list?creator=DMA%20Design). Just click the game/difficulty (oldest/easiest will be at the bottom) and then click "Play" next to the level. Also, if you've signed in, the website will keep track of your progress.
For the authentic DOS Lemmings experience, you can also play Lemmings on the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/lemmings_original_ms-dos_201705) via DOSBox in your browser.
Maybe we should consider cutting the list down to just a few options:
- Emulation; covering only significant ports. DOS as the most well known one and likely what people are looking for; Amiga as the original; Genesis due to its high quantity of good unique content.
- An "exact" clone; like Lemmix or (if it's far enough along) Golems. I would lean more towards Golems here if it's ready, due to browser-based running making it pretty much cross-platform vs Lemmix being Windows-only.
- A modernized clone that acts as a "gateway drug" into custom content. NeoLemmix is the obvious choice here; the few things SLX offers that NL doesn't that are relevant to replaying the official games (such as timed bombers) are either "there's an option to disable a feature that can also just not be used if the player doesn't want to", or regressions rather than improvements when it comes to the modernized angle. If Lix ever chose to allow official Lemmings content, it would be a stronger contender for this, but sticking to 100% free content is a significant value held by Lix.
A footnote mentioning the existence of other options and perhaps linking to a few of them could be added as well. Debates around the exact features of various engines for custom content should indeed be a seperate topic; this is about people who want to replay the original games.
Something from the Lemmini family would be worth mentioning for cross-platform purposes, but if Golems has that covered...
Quote from: namida on August 20, 2024, 10:06:11 PM
Maybe we should consider cutting the list down to just a few options:
So basically, you just don't want SLX to be included in the list, even though it offers the closest experience to playing the original game out of all available clones.
:shrug:
I agree with including SuperLemmix in the list.
Also your :shrug: smiley actually wasn't added yet so you'll have to do it as an image
Example: (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=4524.0;attach=19888;image)
Quote from: WillLem on August 23, 2024, 05:16:08 PM
Quote from: namida on August 20, 2024, 10:06:11 PM
Maybe we should consider cutting the list down to just a few options:
So basically, you just don't want SLX to be included in the list, even though it offers the closest experience to playing the original game out of all available clones.
:shrug:
Golems, Lemmix, and even Lemmini offer a closer to original experience. Them having some fine control features that people can choose not to use, but not having a specific option to force the player not to, doesn't negate that the physics are very close (basically identical for Lemmix and Golems) whereas SLX mostly has NL physics. My concern is about over bloating the list with too many options; hence also suggesting keeping just one of Lemmix or Golems and only the major platforms for emulation.
However, that does bring to mind that SLX offers a bit closer to original, while also having the mostly glitch-free aspect of NL. Perhaps this factor weighs a bit back towards including it.
To be clear, my input is on the basis of "another user giving input that should be given equal weight to everyone else's" and not "I am the admin and declaring this is how it will be".
Quote from: namida on August 20, 2024, 10:06:11 PM
If Lix ever chose to allow official Lemmings content, it would be a stronger contender for this, but sticking to 100% free content is a significant value held by Lix.
Simon allows recreations of some of the level designs themselves in Lix, because he says they are just homoages and they could easily be removed, as deleting a level is not like having to redeisgn the entire character
Quote from: namida on August 23, 2024, 07:28:40 PM
Golems, Lemmix, and even Lemmini offer a closer to original experience.
FWIW, I'd be happy to include any clone as long as it's currently maintained and presents the original levels in a recognisable and instantly accessible format.
Golems and Lemmix are both DOS clones, and each has their unique advantages and distinctions; I'm not particularly invested in either but nor do I object to either being included in this topic, so I'll bow out of that particular discussion.
Meanwhile, Lemmini is far too problematic to be included in this list, IMHO. It's no longer maintained, has far less QOL features than NL/SLX, and requires both JRE and a copy of WinLemm to run. By contrast, SuperLemmix is open for business, is download-and-play, ships with the levels that people viewing this topic are most likely to be interested in, and has far more to offer should users want to explore beyond the original levels.
So does NeoLemmix, of course. However, it could be argued that NeoLemmix is actually the
least appropriate option for this particular topic*. It very strongly "encourages" users to adopt the more modern approach to Lemmings, which is not necessarily what people viewing this topic want. And
Redux, whilst a perfectly respectable compilation of NeoLemmix-appropriate levels, omits many levels which people may be specifically looking for. Meanwhile, whilst most of the player assists are optional or "don't use them if you don't want to", many are in fact non-optional (skill queueing, auto-replay, recolour selected lemming), and of course Bombers are always untimed.
*Even so,
I would still want to see NeoLemmix in this list because of what it offers to players wanting to explore the world of custom levels, and
because it's the Forum standard for good reason. So, to be very clear, I am NOT suggesting that NeoLemmix be ommitted at all, I'm merely offering a counterpoint to the suggestion that SuperLemmix be ommitted, on the basis that SuperLemmix is probably
more appropriate for this particular topic.
Perhaps NeoLemmix should be listed as the best option for modern gameplay and modern levels (if only due to its active userbase and the sheer volume of available content), but not necessarily as the best option for playing the classic games.
I guess I'm suggesting that the OP needs to be a bit more nuanced.Quote from: namida on August 23, 2024, 07:28:40 PM
SLX mostly has NL physics
I think you'd be surprised at how much has actually changed by now. There's a fairly comprehensive list of the main differences here (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6180.msg98421#msg98421) (even this list doesn't catch everything that's changed, I need to update it), but to list a few examples that are particularly relevant to the original games:
Builder terrain checks have been refined (no more "belly check")
Level sides and top are force-fields rather than deadly
Direct drop has been re-implemented
Oh-noers can exit
If a lemming begins exiting before time runs out, they count towards the save requirement
Climbers bypass the "oh no" phase
Superlemming mode works (sure, it only affects one level, but that level might be important to those researching modern engines)
And, of course, Bombers can be timed (if the level designer wishes), so all original levels have timed Bombers.
I'm also considering revising steel physics in a future update, but this is very dependent on progress in other areas, and Forum feedback, so may not actually happen.
Quote from: namida on August 23, 2024, 07:28:40 PM
My concern is about over bloating the list with too many options
Agreed, this is a worthwhile consideration for this topic.
I'd suggest limiting it to
only platforms which are currently maintained, and emulators.
Quote from: namida on August 23, 2024, 07:28:40 PM
However, that does bring to mind that SLX offers a bit closer to original, while also having the mostly glitch-free aspect of NL. Perhaps this factor weighs a bit back towards including it.
I appreciate this comment. To be totally honest, this topic was one of my main inspirations for beginning work on SuperLemmix in the first place. I wanted users to be able to access a convenient, download-and-play platform which offers both modern and classic gameplay features, and imagined that this topic would be the ideal place to promote it.
Incidentally, exact physics has never been a concern; rather than trying to emulate one particular platform, I've opted to borrow what I consider to be the best versions of Lemmings physics from various different platforms. This probably means that anyone wanting an
exact recreation of a particular version is better off with an emulator, but those accessing this topic are most likely looking for those modern QOL features which the emus don't offer anyway.
I've been meaning to ask you this question for a while now, and I suppose this is the best chance I'm going to get to ask it. If I just wanted to play a morden lemmings engine that can play NeoLemmix content and switch between cassic mode and modern mode what would I need to do? I was active a lot in the inital timed bomber discussion when SuperLemmix was just an idea, but I haven't really kept up with devlopement since. Would I just download SuperLemmix and play NeoLemmix packs from it. What things would I need to take into account (e.g. "is it possible I can get into a impossible situation due to the differing physics?," "what did you decide on for timed bombers in the end?", etc.
Quote from: Silken Healer on August 25, 2024, 07:44:57 PM
If I just wanted to play a morden lemmings engine that can play NeoLemmix content and switch between cassic mode and modern mode what would I need to do?
...
Would I just download SuperLemmix and play NeoLemmix packs from it. What things would I need to take into account (e.g. "is it possible I can get into a impossible situation due to the differing physics?,"
Quite honestly, I'd say that both NeoLemmix and SuperLemmix are worth having. SLX is
not a replacement for NL, and was never meant to be. It's an entirely different project, and by now is probably as different from NeoLemmix as NeoLemmix is from vanilla Lemmix!
You can play NeoLemmix packs, but I would strongly advise performing a mass replay check ("Replay Manager" as of SLX 2.8) and being aware that some levels will not play as intended, if at all. My hope is that more made-for-SLX content will be created in due course, and designers may choose to cross-port their packs in the meantime.
Here's a topic concerning cross-compatibility (https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=6315.msg98680#msg98680) which will answer this question more comprehensively.
Quote from: Silken Healer on August 25, 2024, 07:44:57 PM
"what did you decide on for timed bombers in the end?", etc.
Timed and Untimed Bombers are both available as separate skills in SuperLemmix.
Thanks for the help!