Fixed for next release

Bug resolved for next release.

I will add a platform tag to them for packaging so they get excluded from the Linux builds.

Definitely a bug that one... It is supposed to start if no music files are available.

I don't plan to ship any midis, but they are default music flavour for the DOS version of Lemmings 2. I added the option to use the Amiga music files as they are considerably better to listen to

At this stage I haven't quite figured out the music format for the DOS version either.

Understandable. I was aiming for simplicity originally, but I agree it is better to have options. I think I will add a config file option so that it is easier to run it standalone. I will also remove the dependency for the DOS files to be there before L2Player will successfully start.

Progress has been slow to be honest. Work commitments and a new born. Hoping to get back into it over the summer and make some real progress

Quote from: TBA-NA on May 14, 2023, 04:23:35 AM
I'm not sure what this means. Do you know?

This file is cached from the DOS game file TEXT.RKO. It could be this was missing or the cache didn't finish building correctly. Once you have confirmed TEXT.RKO exists in the DOS Lemmings 2 folder, you can force a full cache rebuild by deleting compat.txt from data/cache then launching L2Player.exe again.

Quote from: TBA-NA on March 24, 2023, 12:10:44 AM
I couldn't get it to load at all. What should the directory look like?

Hi, the directory structure should be that L2Player.exe is at the same level as the DOS L2.exe (See screenshot - unzip to this location)

@Will - I agree that ideally everything should be included, but I'm wary of bundling the DOS version of Lemmings 2 with the package.

Hi Mobius, sorry for the late reply.

L2Player is designed to be a drop-in replacement for DOSBox.

So if you have a directory with DOSBox and the Lemmings 2 for DOS files within it, you would place L2Player at the same level as the DOSBox executable.

When you run L2Player, it should discover the DOS data files and take care of the rest.

Basic map editor functionality is now working. Painting tiles and placing objects.

Currently arranging sprite sheets and setting animation properties / testing is slow and manual. Especially for the vlemms sprite sheet which contains every Lemming animation. As part of testing skills I need to define animation segments and their properties frequently.

To speed this up I added an Export/Import workflow in the Editor for Aseprite. I have used this tool a lot over the years and it has a well documented file format.

I have added full Load/Save support for the .aseprite file format rather than using JSON or scripts. This allows a more streamlined workflow without additional import/export steps. Any additional animation properties are stored in the UserData field per FrameTag.

As a bonus, this will make style mods more accessible going forward.

As an extension to mod support. The basic level editor is now up and running. Just in the process of adding the tile/object pallet and the edit tools.

The primary motivation for the Editor this early, is so I can create test maps for validating skill / level object behaviour.

Both the Editor and Player use the same code base which means the Editor allows you to rapidly flip between Edit and Play mode without having to save or launch L2Player. This means that editing and testing has a tight iteration loop.

I have also implemented a transparent file system wrapper so that mods can replace all aspects of what is in the base cache without actually touching the base game data. All graphics are in .png format for easy manipulation. Graphics which are part of a sprite sheet and have an accompanying .spt file will get a dedicated tool in the future for unpacking/packing sprites and specifying animation frames.

This means for e.g. You place a copy of menu_0.png from data/cache/ui/screens in data/mods/yourmodname/ui/screens, it will be used in place of the original title screen.

Quick early preview of Editor: https://youtu.be/9vRA5pQoZu8 (Again using the Tribes of Steel level pack - Thanks Ste Woz Ere )

I got around to adding basic mod support. Currently importing DOS level packs is implemented.

When you import a level pack, you offer a path to your DOS levels and provide a mod name. This creates a new mod within the data directory containing the converted levels.

When starting L2Player, you can provide a cmd argument with the mod name. This will cause L2Player to use the levels in that mod instead.

For testing I used the excellent Tribes of Steel level pack by Ste Woz Ere - https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5664.0

Video preview of this in action: https://youtu.be/8cm0gDq4dvQ

UI and menu framework now completed. Previously the menus where very rough around the edges just to get them working. Now it has a much cleaner set of classes and helpers to make menu screen and widget management much easier. There is now a keyframe animation system with frame events ready for recreating the Intro/Ending screens (On hold for now). I now have the Map & Practice menus implemented and a test scanline output mode for the blitter.

As for skills, Super Lemming, Exploder and Bomber skills are now fully working.

Back to working on some more Lemming skills

Menu Preview Video: https://youtu.be/KDeblKYyLeA

Great stuff! Looking forward to it

Had a go at implementing the more complex trap types. A constant damage trap with a Windup, Damage and Winddown phase. The damage phase loops a segment of the main animation. The start and end frames are specified in the style object data.

See gif (Click images to animate)