NeoLemmix Info, Downloads, Etc

[namida]

Welcome to NeoLemmix!
Warning: This post is quite outdated. I'm planning to replace it altogether in the near-future.

Latest NeoLemmix Version: 1.36n
Latest NeoLemmix Editor Version: 1.36n-A

NeoLemmix is an updated version of the Lemmix Player engine which fixes glitches that are carried over from DOS Lemmings, as well as adds a variety of new features and removes or reduces limitations. For the most part, compatibility with traditional DOS/Lemmings content is maintained. As of yet, not much original content has been produced for NeoLemmix but I'm hoping that'll change soon enough; the major exception being the Lemmings Plus series which most entries were designed for NeoLemmix from the beginning and the remainder (LPI, LPII and LPII Bonus Pack) have been converted to it.

There are NeoLemmix versions available of all official games for which a Lemmix player exists (except Holiday 93, as its levels are included in Holiday 94 anyway), as well as for my own Lemmix-based packs (Lemmings Plus DOS Project, Lemmings Plus II, and Lemmings Plus II Bonus Pack). As well as using the NeoLemmix engine, the levels in these players have been tuned up to take advantage of NeoLemmix capabilities - for example, autosteel is generally used or where not practical more finely-tuned steel areas are in place, and most level sizes have been adjusted to remove excess space. Also, where applicable, the NeoLemmix players use the Amiga version levels as a base, rather than the DOS versions. Specifically, NeoLemmix players are available for the following:

• Original Lemmings
• Oh No! More Lemmings!
• Xmas Lemmings 91 & 92 (combined two-in-one player)
• Holiday Lemmings 94
• Covox Lemmings Demo
• Prima Publishing Lemmings Demo
• "Extra Levels" Lemmix Player
• Copycat Lemmings (by Peter Spada aka Essman)

In addition to this, there are also NeoLemmix versions of CustLemmix and FlexiLemmix. The former is useful for playing or creating small level packs, while the latter is useful for creating entire fangames. NeoCustLemmix comes with a levelpack designed to show off the new skills; it contains tutorial levels for them (with each level using one new skill, in combination with one or more of the classic skills), as well as one puzzle level that uses most of these new skills.

An overview of some of the new or upgraded features in NeoLemmix:

• Pixel-perfect placements of objects and steel areas
• 8 new skill types - Walkers, Swimmers, Gliders, Mechanics, Stoners, Platformers, Stackers and Cloners!
• Levels can contain an expanded number of pieces - there's no longer any limit as of V1.33n
• Autosteel; removing the need to manually place steel areas in levels
• Gimmicks; supports all gimmicks used in the Lemmings Plus series, as well as many others
• Secret levels
• New object types, just to give some examples there's pre-placed lemmings, pickup skills and teleporters
• Expanded graphic set format, allowing 24-bit color and no limit to how many pieces they contain
• Easy oddtabling; allowing you to create repeat levels without having to make modifications to both copies of a level if issues arise
• Specifying the window order instead of being forced to rely on a default or overlapping multiple copies of a window

There is also an extended version of the Lemmix Editor, very creatively titled "NeoLemmix Editor". This level editor retains compatibility with traditional-format levels, but is specifically intended for use with NeoLemmix. The editor is generally kept in-line with new player releases, to support any new features that have been added. Additionally, unlike the Lemmix Editor which has remained as-is for a very long time now, the NeoLemmix Editor is being actively updated, so any identified issues can be fixed. Recently, the NeoLemmix Editor's capabilities have been expanded to also support editing SuperLemmini levels. Aside from these two, it's also compatible with DOS / traditional Lemmix and traditional Lemmini; though it is not guaranteed that support for these works 100% perfectly, or that it will permanently maintain support for them. It also supports directly integrating with NeoCustLemmix (or traditional CustLemmix) to provide a playtest mode just like the standard Lemmix Editor has, but with full support for all features in the players that were missing from the editor's playtest mode - as it directly uses the players!


Just for reference - if you're wondering "will NeoLemmix ever support (insert Lix / SuperLemmini / other engine feature here)" - your best bet, if it doesn't already support it, is to ask! Some of them I do not plan to add support for, but others I may be open to adding if there's enough interest in it. (On the other hand, if a SuperLemmini feature is not supported in the editor, then unless it was introduced in a very recent release of SuperLemmini (in which case I'm probably already working on it by the time anyone's noticed xD), let me know! The exception is the background terrain feature, which I am aware is missing from the editor - I will implement this at some point but it's not high on my priority list at the moment.)

DOWNLOADS
These are now links to the relevant folders on my DropBox. I am also no longer including all-in-one ZIPs, as DropBox directly offers an option to download all files within a folder as a ZIP - just click the "..." up the top and click "Download as ZIP".

Main NeoLemmix Downloads
General NeoLemmix folder
Direct link to V1.35n-C Players folder
Direct link to NeoLemmix Editor folder
NeoLemmix Introduction Pack - a level pack designed to introduce experienced Lemmings players to the new features in NeoLemmix

Alternate download location (NeoLemmix website)

Style files
Please see the 3rd post in this topic for additional graphic sets.

Other useful tools
Lemmings Tools Dropbox folder - Both LemMain (for making MAIN.DAT files) and the NeoLemmix Graphic Set Tool (for making graphic sets) can be found here; as can the older, obsolete LemSet (also a graphic set editor).
NeoLemmix Tools List on the NeoLemmix Website

Source Code
For LemMain and LemSet, source code (for QB64) is included in the download.
For the NeoLemmix Graphic Set Tool, source code (for Delphi 7) is available in a subfolder of the tools folder linked above.
Source code for NeoLemmix player V1.35n-C (Delphi 7) is available here. Some older versions are available on request.
Source code is available on request for the NeoLemmix Editor. It may not always be available for all older versions, however.
For other tools, if it is not provided, it is generally available on request.

Compatibility with other software
NeoLemmix player supports DOS / traditional Lemmix levels as well as NeoLemmix levels. It does not support any other engines.
NeoLemmix Editor is the only known editor that supports NeoLemmix levels; it additionally supports DOS / traditional Lemmix levels, Lemmini levels and SuperLemmini levels.
SuperLemmini is capable of loading 2KB and 10KB NeoLemmix levels, but not (yet) capable of loading the variable-sized level format introduced in V1.33n.
If you are developing an editor, or modifying an existing one, and would like to add support for NeoLemmix, I am happy to help you do so. Please first look at the documents in the "Misc Documents" subfolder of the NeoLemmix folder above and/or the "Format Information" on the NeoLemmix website; then if you need further help, feel free to PM me or ask in this topic.

I want to make a NeoLemmix-based game!
There are three ways you can go about doing this.

The first is to use the basic structure of an existing pack, and simply drop in your LVLs and use the LookForLVLFiles option. This is what many people have already been doing to create their own packs in traditional Lemmix; it works equally well for NeoLemmix. The downside is you must match the avaialble graphic sets and rank structure of an existing pack - for example, if you were to base it off Prima, you'd have to have four ranks of four levels each and be limited to the ONML styles only. Furthermore, also note that the base players may not nessecerially have full support for all features - for example, the included style files often are not patched to include the pre-placed lemmings and pickup skills that are added in the versions in NeoCustLemmix. For this reason it is recommended to use one of the other methods.

The second, which gives you a bit more flexibility (for example, you can define your own custom rank names and level counts, have a custom logo, and if you want, build it as an all-in-one EXE) is to use the Flexi Player or the Flexi Toolkit to create your pack. See the included instructions with either one to create it. Note that you'll need to use LemMain to create a MAIN.DAT file and the NeoLemmix Editor to create a SYSTEM.DAT file.

The third, which gives the most flexibility of all, but requires a much higher level of technical capability, is to grab a copy of the source code and modify it for your own player. This is not a task that less-advanced users should try, but for those who are advanced enough, you can do virtually anything this way. The source code is for Delphi 7. I'll probably try porting it to a more-recent version eventually. I tried with both the latest version of Delphi and with Lazarus; results were not good in either case.

[namida]

A lot of people aren't aware of the hotkeys in (Neo)Lemmix, so I'll post a list of them here. A lot of these have functionality that isn't accessible any way other than the hotkeys.

Most of these are applicable to both traditional Lemmix and NeoLemmix, in cases where they're only one or the other (or do different things depending which one), I've mentioned that here too. Do note that this list is based on the latest versions; some keys may not work (or may do different things) in older versions.

Note that in recent versions (V1.36n+) of NeoLemmix, hotkeys are now configurable, so what's listed here is merely the default options in most cases. However, ones outside of gameplay (except saving image from preview screen, or saving replay from postview screen) are still non-configurable.



Middle-click (NeoLemmix only)
Pauses or unpauses the game.

Right-click
Traditional Lemmix: Inverts the priority of selected lemming; usually (but not always) this will force selecting a walker. It works the same way as in DOS.
NeoLemmix: Highlights a lemming; you can then assign *this* lemming a skill by right-clicking the skill on the toolbar. (If you have Ctrl / Right-Click Switch option enabled, then right-click will force selecting walkers only instead)
Both: You can right-click the release rate + or - to instantly set the release rate to the maximum or minimum.

Ctrl (NeoLemmix only)
Forces selecting walkers. (If you have Ctrl / Right-Click Switch option enabled, then Ctrl + Left-Click will highlight a lemming instead; but you still right-click the tool)
When combined with a skill panel button (whether via clicking it or via a keyboard shortcut), it has the same effect as right-clicking that button.

Shift (NeoLemmix only)
Forces selecting a lemming that has not had any previous skills assigned to it.

Alt (NeoLemmix only)
Replaces the current action description (eg. Walker, Faller, Builder) with an abbreviated list showing which permanent skills a lemming has.

F1 to F12
The same as in DOS; these correspond to a skillbar button. F1/F2 = RR up and down, F11 = pause, F12 = nuke. The remainder depend on your settings; if you have the fixed skill keys (or are using traditional Lemmix), these correspond to the same skills as they do in DOS / traditional Lemmix. If you've got that setting turned off, then F3 is the first skill on the skill bar, F4 is the second, etc.

3 to 0 (NeoLemmix only)
If you have the fixed skill keys enabled, these correspond to the 8 new skills. 3 = walker, 4 = swimmer, 5 = glider, 6 = mechanic, 7 = stoner, 8 = platformer, 9 = stacker, 0 = cloner.

Esc
Instantly exits the level (without nuke; it just ends).

Enter
Saves state.

Backspace
Loads state.

Spacebar
Skips 10 seconds.

Minus
Goes back one second.

1
Skips the level. Note that you must activate cheat mode first, generally by entering a specific code on the password menu. (Note: Under traditional Lemmix, the key for this is 5 instead of 1.)
Note: This key is removed from V1.37n onwards.

B
Goes back one frame.

F
Toggles fast forward on or off.

I
Saves an image of the entire level in its current state (including lemmings, and areas that are currently off-screen, but NOT including the cursor or the skill panel).

L
Loads a replay file. A file select menu will pop up for you to choose one.

M
Toggles music on and off. This isn't a permanent setting; it'll reset to what you've configure on the title screen / config menu once you exit the level.

N
Moves the game ahead one frame (only when paused).

P
Pause or unpause the game.

R
Returns to the start of the level, with replay mode active (similar to the "Replay level" option in Lemmini).

S
Toggles sound on/off. Like "M", this isn't permanent.

U
Saves a replay. It'll automatically set the filename and save it in the Replays folder, unless you turn off the "automatic replay names" feature. The default filename is [rank name]_[level number].lrb (eg: Tricky_1.lrb), except in CustLemmix where the default is [level name].lrb (eg: This Should Be A Doddle!.lrb).

X
Selects the skill to the right of the currently selected one (eg: in the traditional-8-skills skillset, if you have builder selected and press X, it'll select Basher).

Z
Selects the skill to the left of the currently selected one (eg: in the traditional-8-skills skillset, if you have builder selected and press Z, it'll select Blocker).

Left/Right
Traditional: Scrolls the screen left or right.
NeoLemmix: Forces selecting a lemming facing the direction that you pushed.



Shorcut keys other than while playing a level
U: Saves a replay when pressed on the post-level screen (works the same way as in-level)
I: Saves an image of the level (in initial state) when pressed on the pre-level screen
F4 (Neo) / F5 (Trad): Dumps all levels to LVL files when pressed on the title screen *
F5 (Neo) / F6 (Trad): Saves images of all levels when pressed on the title screen *
Left/Right (Neo only): Moves between levels when pressed on the pre-level screen, can only go to levels you've already reached unless cheat mode is enabled or the level pack you're playing has auto-unlock-all setting enabled


* Note that these two options may be disabled in some (Neo)Lemmix players.

[namida]

Addon Content

This post will keep a list of known collections of (or individual) additional content for NeoLemmix. This does not include level packs, please see the NeoLemmix website for a listing of those.

Graphic Sets

To install new graphic sets:

- NeoLemmix Editor: Place them in the "NeoLemmix" folder inside the "Styles" folder (you might wish to place them in the "Cheapo" folder instead if that's more appropriate for the graphic set in question; but this has no impact on their function, just on where they're listed in the editor). If the pack comes with a "style.ini" folder, do not replace the existing file, but rather, add the contents of the new style.ini file to the end of the old one.

- NeoCustLemmix: Place them in the same folder as NeoCustLemmix. Note that when using NeoCustLemmix for playtest mode from the editor, you do not need to give it a seperate copy of the styles; simply installing them in the editor is enough.

- Flexi: Place them in the same folder as the Flexi EXE. In the case of building a pack with the Flexi Toolkit, place them in the "data" folder just as you would with any other graphic set - be sure to only include the ones your pack actually uses.

Cheapo Pack #1
Download (NeoLemmix Website)
Contains 14 additional graphic sets converted from Cheapo styles, including (among others) Factory, Fantasy, Green Hill Zone, Lemming Racers, Old Temple, and the Lemmings 2 styles "Beach" and "Shadow".

Cheapo Pack #2
Download (NeoLemmix Website)
Contains 15 more graphic sets converted from Cheapo styles.

Lemmini Pack
Download (NeoLemmix Website)
Contains 6 graphic sets converted from Lemmini styles; some of these originate from Lemmings 2: The Tribes.

Lemmings 2 / Lemmings 3 Style Pack
Download (NeoLemmix Website)
Contains 11 styles converted from Lemmings 2 plus one style converted from Lemmings 3. Some of these overlap with the Lemmini Pack.