[RELEASE][RC] NeoLemmix Community Edition 1.0-RC1

[WillLem]

NeoLemmix Community Edition 1.0-RC1

Here's the first release candidate for NeoLemmix CE 1.0!

Download NeoLemmix CE 1.0-RC1

This is the release topic, so for the sake of tidiness please keep all discussion to the roadmap topic.

For reference, here's a list of the features that have been updated in this RC:

1.0-RC1 Changelog

Lemming States

Sleeper lemming state - this state is entered when time runs out and the lemming reaches the exit. It's a mostly aesthetic state to replace the buggy-looking cluster of exiting lems, but it's also useful for simulating exit behaviour as these lems cannot be assigned to, and are deducted from the lemming count

Options Menu

Added option to deactivate helper overlays - reducing UI clutter should always be possible, helps to onboard newbies.

Added option to set the number of skill queue frames - 0 is essentially "off", 15 is the default (status quo), up to a maximum of 20.

Added more auto-naming options for Replay files and widened the dropdowns for easier reading

Re-worded 'Don't Replay After Backwards Frameskips' as 'Replay After Backwards Frameskips' and checked it by default

Added option to Replay after Restart (or not) - a frequently requested feature which might become unnecessary again in a future update (if we can improve Replay UI)

Added option to load either the Next Unsolved Level, or the Last Active Level (current behaviour)

Hotkey Config - Added 'Restore' (restores previously saved layout), 'Cancel' (discards changes), 'Save & Close' and 'Clear All Keys' buttons

Hotkey Config - Added text label (rather than a popup) to let users know when 'Find Key' is listening for a keypress

Hotkey Config - (Bugfix) Allow typing "-" into the Time Skip text input without resetting the cursor

Replay Features

Updates to Replay Editor:
* Added ability to double-click a replay event to jump to that frame
* Added ability to delete all future assignments for a particular lemming (from the currently-selected event onwards)
* Form now responds to keys (arrows, space, enter, delete, esc)

Level Select Menu

Upgraded keyboard compatibility; browsing with arrow keys loads each level preview, and it's now possible to load the selected level into the player by pressing [Enter]

Added "Reset Talismans" button, so players can reset their talisman progress on a per-level basis (very handy for level testing, and when re-playing an already-completed pack)

Added "Level Search" capability

Added "Edit Level" button - opens the currently-selected level in the Editor

Increased width of, and text size in, Level Select treeview

Other Updates & Bugfixes

Fixed cursor zoom bug

(Bugfix) Always show total number of lemmings under cursor regardless of priority/type (i.e. zombie, neutral)

Level title and save requirement info is now displayed in Window Caption (we also display "Mass Replay Check" when in MRC mode)

Fade In Menu screens (in addition to Fade Out) to make between-screen transitions smoother

Upgraded keyboard compatibility of all menus/dialogs; they'll respond to [Esc] by closing, etc.

Lemmings shrug and "OK" sound is played when a level is cheated (this is just for fun!)

Added placeholder Menu graphics & layout to differentiate NeoLemmix "CE" from regular NeoLemmix - Please note: the current updated graphics are placeholders so that CE 1.0 is immediately visually different from NL 12.14. A topic will be made for updating the main menu in due course, where we can discuss gfx, layout, etc in more depth, to be applied in a future update.

Updated welcome screen with pictures, etc (further updates may be made to the Welcome Screen in the future)

Editor Updates

The SLX Editor (a more advanced version of the NL Editor) is included with CE. It has an option to set the controls to "NeoLemmix Mode" so that it can be used seamlessly with NeoLemmix, and offers new features such as Piece Search, Custom Hotkeys, Grid Lines for Snap-to-Grid mode, and more.

It's definitely worth redoing your config menu options and creating a new settings file rather than migrating your existing one from NeoLemmix, if for no reason other than to familiarise yourself with the new Config menu.

With hotkeys, your existing 'hotkeys.ini' can be moved across with no issues. However, I'd recommend checking out the new hotkey editor anyway.

Remember that this is not a final version, it's a release candidate (RC). You can make levels and content for it, but be aware that some features may be improved/updated/removed in the final release version. It's definitely worth giving feedback on the features, even if it's just to say that you think they're neat - support is even more valuable than constructive criticism, especially when it comes to deciding what to keep.

See also this post regarding CE development speed.