The NeoLemmix Manual

[IchoTolot]

It's finally here: The new NeoLemmix Manual!



Download Link: 
NeoLemmix Manual (V 1.1)


This is still probably filled with errors, spelling mistakes, things that I left out.......so please report everything fishy you can find!

I am also open for rewritten passages, or pictures to include, if you think I missed the mark completely on some things and you want to take matters into your own hands.

I will gather your feedback and then soon release an updated version.


To-do list for the next update:

- Rewrite the Zoom section
- Rewordings in the RR+SI section
- Make the document open-source.

[namida]

I think the disk space requirement needs to be updated. It says 16MB, but NeoLemmix + the styles compressed is nearly 30MB. That's not taking into account some levels to play, which due to being text-based now, take up a lot more space when uncompressed.

On page 5, you mention "a pack may contain up to 15 different ranks". With new-formats, this limit no longer exists, a pack may have any number of ranks.

On page 9, the wording "rough sketch" is somewhat misleading. I'd suggest something like "zoomed-out overview" instead.

Page 10, the select level key (F2) also works from the preview screen.

Page 11, point 2, there's an incomplete sentence at the end of the paragraph.

Page 12, re replay insert mode, I'm fairly sure there's a hotkey that specifically cancels replay mode (I think C by default?). I do recall there was discussion about removing it, though. (If so, was this before replay insert mode existed? If it was, it may be worth bringing that key back.)

Also on page 12, "This does not override any permanent skills, i.e. a climber who currently bashes through some terrain will be described as CLIMBER not BASHER." I think it does override permanents these days? (I don't currently have NL set up on my computer to check.)

Page 14, point 16. I'm fairly sure that clicking the one frame step buttons (or pressing the respective hotkey) pauses the game automatically if it isn't already paused.

Page 15, point 21. "Warning: The minimap does not display all of the level, when it spans more than one screen vertically." If the player is using the full-size panel, the minimap can handle some degree of vertical scrolling. Conversely, on a very wide level, the minimap won't show the whole horizontal range.

Page 17, "A platformer is very similar to a builder." This seems weird considering the builder hasn't been introduced yet. Also, with the skill list in general, Fencer should come between Basher and Miner; it's the only one that deviates from the current in-game ordering in the manual.

Page 23, "If you have a save state, then you may go back to this position by hitting the Load State hotkey. It enters replay mode and replays your current attempt from there on (if you let it)." I'm fairly sure I changed the behaviour so that save state even saves your replay (and thus, load state loads the replay data from at the time you saved state).

Page 26, like on the preview screen, you can access the level select menu from the postview screen.

Page 27, "though floaters, gliders and lemmings on the verge of exploding or stoning may jump directly into the exit". I'm not sure about floaters / gliders, but ohnoers can no longer exit unless they have terrain below them. (They still can if they fall and land on terrain in front of an exit, all before exploding.)

Page 29, "They [one-way walls] come in three kinds: Left-facing, right-facing and down-facing one-way-walls." Four kinds now. The detailed list does mention one-way up; it's just the wording before it that doesn't. That aside, "all other skills work normally" in the detailed list implies that Fencers can destroy left/right walls in any direction.

Page 32, "If you are too lazy to search for a certain key in the key list"... this wording feels a bit harsh.

Page 33, graphics options, the zoom-related stuff seems to be based off back when NeoLemmix worked on a fixed 320x200 (or integer multiple thereof) screen size, rather than the newer setup that allows arbitrary window / screen sizes and utilizes as much space as it can.

Overall though, looks good!

[IchoTolot]

Thanks for the reply!

I will wait a few days if anything else is found and after that I will go through the list and make an update.

[Simon]

Very nice.

Since this seems to be Latex, please open-source the manual, e.g., host it on github.

Consider to indent first lines of paragraphs that are not the first paragraph within their body of text; i.e., consider to do what Latex does by default. Easier to see where paragraphs start.

With ATHLETE etc., you mention that Show Athlete Info lists the exact permanents, but Clear Physics Mode seems easier (important feature and even has a panel icon). Thus add something like: During Clear Physics Mode, when you hover with the mouse cursor over an athlete, the exact permanents are displayed as silhouettes above the lemming. (Show Athlete Info feels like a UI crutch anyway, as if space in the panel is so rare that we now need modes for that, but should probably still be mentioned because it's in the game.)

The Release Rate description has two correct examples (NL RR 50 is SI 53 and NL RR 99 is SI 4). Please add the general formula (SI $n$ is displayed as NL RR $103 - n$) and also mention the option to toggle between the display of SI or NL RR. It's good to mention this option here even if you mention it independently later again during the Options Menu chapter. Reason: This is a manual, not program code, we should be redundant in the manual where appropriate.

Please explain that NL RR is different from L1 RR. Only for 99, both mean the same spawn interval (4).

Replay Insertion Mode: Explain what happens when you insert a skill for a physics update that already has a skill. NL forbids 2 skills on same physics update.

-- Simon

[Nepster]

Page 10, the select level key (F2) also works from the preview screen.

The options hotkey (F3) also works on the preview screen. Actually Both F2 and F3 work on basically any screen. Probably the only exception is while playing a level, assuming you have explicitely overwritten them by assigning another function to them in the hotkey config menu. I have tested it on the postview-screen, but not yet on the talisman or mass replay check screen.

I have not yet read the manual, just wanted to add this to namida's remark.

[IchoTolot]

Update 1.1 is out, correcting most of the things from namida's, Simon's and Nepster's posts!

Comments:

page 12, re replay insert mode, I'm fairly sure there's a hotkey that specifically cancels replay mode (I think C by default?). I do recall there was discussion about removing it, though. (If so, was this before replay insert mode existed? If it was, it may be worth bringing that key back.)

C does not quit the mode.

Page 14, point 16. I'm fairly sure that clicking the one frame step buttons (or pressing the respective hotkey) pauses the game automatically if it isn't already paused.

Not for me at least. I can't remember if I changed this though. If the default option is different, please tell me.

Page 33, graphics options, the zoom-related stuff seems to be based off back when NeoLemmix worked on a fixed 320x200 (or integer multiple thereof) screen size, rather than the newer setup that allows arbitrary window / screen sizes and utilizes as much space as it can.

I am not sure at all if I got it right now. If not, I think it would be best if you simply send me a correct explanation of zoom and windows.

[namida]

I am not sure at all if I got it right now. If not, I think it would be best if you simply send me a correct explanation of zoom and windows.

The two aren't really connected anymore. I think that the minimum window size (and default window size, if the player doesn't change it) is still based on zoom, but when not in fullscreen mode the window can be resized freely and (subject to the minimum) arbitrarily. (From this point on, any reference to "the window" are also applicable to "the entire screen" in fullscreen mode.)

Menus will be resized to take up the full space, subject to keeping their original proportions (16:10). In-game, the level will simply use as much window space as is available (ie: all window space not taken up by the skill panel), unless the level is too small to use the entire window at the current zoom. In this latter case, it will be centered on the screen. In the case that the level doesn't take up the entire vertical space, the skill panel will also be moved upwards so that it's directly below the level area, rather than pinned to the bottom of the screen.

There is also an option to automatically increase the zoom on smaller levels. When this option is enabled, if the level can be zoomed in further than the user's default zoom setting without requiring both horizontal and vertical scrolling, it will be. The user can, of course, still zoom out manually.

On a side note, the maximum zoom depends on your screen resolution. On a 4K screen, assuming you're not also using Windows' built-in scaling, you can set the zoom as high as something ridiculous like 20x. IIRC it goes up to about 9x on 1080p. NeoLemmix does not support zooming out beyond 1x zoom, although given the low physics / graphics resolution, 1x zoom is pretty tiny on most modern screens anyway.

[IchoTolot]

This will be updated at some point in the future.

First I will finish the NeoLemmix Introduction Pack though, as I think this is still the best tutorial option.

Also there are still some changes to features in NeoLemmix right now and I don't want to change text back and forth. So it is better to let everything stabalize itself first.