NeoLemmix V12.6.0 experimental [Updated 19-08-12]

[namida]

Alright, here's the first experimental build for the update. It was proposed to name this "V13.0.0" since it introduces a lot of new features, but I decided against this, as usually, a change to the first number has been used to indicate a significant overhaul of file formats - since adopting the current version numbering, it's only been changed twice, and V11.xx.xx was never released outside of a few experimental builds, so keeping in line with that suggests this should be a new V12.X.X. At the same time, I feel the changes are significant enough that we should at least skip a number - so, V12.6.0 it is.

Changelog from V12.4.1

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-= NL V12.6.0 Changelog =-
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New Major Features
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> Added a new skill, "Shimmier"
> Alpha blending of terrain is now officially supported (though editor support will be lacking for the forseeable future)
> Custom digit graphics can be used with custom pickup skill objects - this is mostly as a side effect of the same feature existing for lemming-limited entrances / exits which are new
> Entrances and exits can have a limited number of lemmings allowed to use them
> Objects can have multiple, semi-independent animations
> Resizable objects can be "nine-sliced", basically, when resizing, a certain border region is not tiled (see eg. default:updraft)
> Terrain grouping is supported
> Up to 10 different skills can be used in a level, instead of 8

New Minor Features
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> A username is stored to replay files, and replays that don't match it will not overwrite your records / progression
> Last-played level is remembered between sessions
> Shortcuts that start NeoLemmix with a specific pack (or even level) can be created

Fixed bugs
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> If some lemming sprites are missing in a custom spriteset, NeoLemmix falls back to default sprites instead of crashing

Style changes
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> Secondary animations added to all official styles, and all of namida's styles

Changelog from first exp (C28663F) to 19-08-12 update (035898C)

- Failed skill assignments from replays now get queued instead of ignored
- Improvements to the skill icon displays at the start of a level for preplaced lemmings
- Level select menu can no longer be opened while in-game
- Shimmier moved to second slot in skill order
- Fixed bug: Some sound effects are only played on the left channel
- Fixed bug: Backgrounds are discarded when importing old-formats levels (see the original bug report topic if you're still encountering this bug when using your custom translation table files)

The editor support is a bit less; there's no editor support for piece grouping in particular. At this stage, please only report editor bugs if they either result in (a) crashes, (b) significant difficulty with using the editor, or (c) data loss. If it's just "something isn't supported", that is a low priority at the moment.

I've tested this a fair bit, but there's still plenty of room for more testing.

Download, including an experimental editor: (Removed, as we now have a V12.6.0 stable release)
This download includes styles that have had modifications for the new version, but not styles that haven't had adjustments yet. (Or in simpler terms - it has the official styles and my styles.) You'll need to get the rest from the usual download or from an existing copy of V12.4.X.

For the avoidance of doubt, I will not be making updates to the graphic set tool or the pack toolkit. I recommend learning how to modify these files by hand with a text editor; this is not particularly difficult to do, and you are welcome to ask for help on the forums. With this being said - if anyone else is willing to take over these projects, they are welcome to do so.

If you need help on managing your styles / packs manually, please see these topics:
Guide to styles formats (Includes explanations on using secondary animations!)
Guide to pack / rank structure



Regarding further improvements: As far as the engine goes; major features that are in there now, is what will be in the final release. Further improvements before release will be minor features or bugfixes only. In particular, this means we will not be getting neutral lemmings in V12.6.0 - but the feature has been implemented so it's coming eventually, it's more just not wanting to put out too many things all at once.



You can use the attached tool to quickly add your username to a lot of replays. To use it, put it in your NeoLemmix V12.6.0 (or any future release after this) folder, put the replays you want to fix into a folder called "ReplayFix" (you can have subfolders inside ReplayFix, they don't all have to be directly in the base ReplayFix folder), then run the EXE. Source code is also included in the ZIP, use Lazarus to compile, it'll probably compile in Delphi too if you copy/paste the code into a blank command-line project as (as far as I'm aware) it doesn't use any language or library features that differ between the two.

[namida]

On a side note - if you start NL with the command line parameter "-match-blank-replay-username", then replays with no username in them will be treated as if they were yours, instead of the default behaviour (treating them as if they're someone else's).

[namida]

Here's an editor update that allows editing the lemming limits on entrances / exits.

Note that editing this has the same bug as editing pickup skill counts - if you take focus off the edit field, by clicking in the level area, such that it de-selects the object, the edit won't be applied. If I can find a way to fix this, I will.

EDIT: Removed, newer experimental editor available here: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=4331.msg76329#msg76329

[Strato Incendus]

How do I use 9 or 10 skills in the editor? I just tried a level with 8 different skills, the 9th one being a pickup skill (stoner). The stoner does appear on the skill panel, however, the last one in "chronological" order (the cloner) is missing.

[NieSch]

Cool! I like the shimmier.

[namida]

How do I use 9 or 10 skills in the editor? I just tried a level with 8 different skills, the 9th one being a pickup skill (stoner). The stoner does appear on the skill panel, however, the last one in "chronological" order (the cloner) is missing.

I cannot reproduce this. Using the NL engine from the original post and the editor update from post #2 (although nothing that should affect this has changed since the editor in the original post), if I create a level with 8 or 9 skills in the skillset, one of which is a Cloner, and then add a Stoner pickup skill, everything works as I would expect - all 9 or 10 (as applicable) skills appear on the panel.

Could you please send me the affected level, or if you want to keep it private, a test level that reproduces the issue? If there are certain steps that need to be taken (eg. because the issue appears to be in the saved data, not a loading error) please let me know exactly what these are too.

[namida]

Here's another update for the exp. editor. Nine-sliced graphics, eg. default:updraft, should now display correctly! (They might not if a single object is using both nine-slicing *and* secondary animations, though. We'll worry about this if and when someone finds a practical use for this.)

On a side note: Try playing a Xmas level, or a level in a graphic set with custom lemming sprites, using this experimental. In particular, look at the skill panel.

EDIT: Newer editor experimental: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=4331.msg76360#msg76360

[namida]

To anyone who has used custom pickup skills in their graphic sets: If you intend to keep these pieces, please adjust these so that the shimmier is the second skill in the graphic (after Walker). Pickup skill graphics that do not get adjusted will display the wrong skill in all future experimentals, and the stable release, of V12.6.0.

I believe Nepster has added the Shimmier graphic to most custom pickup skill objects, albeit at the end rather than in the correct position. If you'd like a copy of the shimmier-included graphic files (if there are any), you can get them directly from the NeoLemmix git repo if you know how (look under the "data" folder), otherwise please contact me and I'll send you a copy.

Please remember that currently, custom pickup skill objects are not officially supported, and this is something I have made clear every time I've seen someone speak of an intention to use them. Given the frequent presence of them despite this, I realise that they are a desired feature, so I will look at implementing official support, in a way that does not require them to be reworked every time a new skill is added / the order is changed, in a future update - however, that will not be part of V12.6.0 (I'll see what I can do for V12.7.0). The only thing I promise for the immediate future is that I will not make any change that prevents custom pickup skilll objects from being used altogether - but I will not promise backwards / forwards compatibility, or that I'll handle maintaining them. (And no loopholes, eg. I'm not going to deliberately make them hard to use - just, at the same time, I'm not going to make any special effort to avoid making them hard to use either.)

[namida]

I already explained how you can get NeoLemmix to treat replays with no username, as if they were your replays, but how about a tool to actually add the username to the replay files where it's missing? Done, and attached to first post.



So far, it looks like these versions are pretty solid, aside from Strato's bug mentioned above - so far I've been unable to reproduce this, but I'm hoping that actually seeing the level where this occurs might shed some light on it.

[namida]

Another update for the editor. The level validation will no longer complain about 9 or 10 skills in the level. Also, the editor will by default not display pieces that have been marked as deprecated (done by adding the line "DEPRECATED" to the NXMO or NXMT file), although there is a setting that can be used to unhide such pieces. The level validation tool will also point out if a level uses any of these.

The "deprecated" flag should be used for pieces that used to need to exist, but no longer do, but might still exist in older levels so it isn't safe to remove them. For example, the exit tops that are no longer needed thanks to secondary animations. An example use case with terrain might be if a terrain piece has been heavily used, but needs a change that affects physics - deprecate the old version but don't modify it, and introduce the new one under a different name.

EDIT: Removed. This version is included with the updated experimental download.

[Strato Incendus]

So far, it looks like these versions are pretty solid, aside from Strato's bug mentioned above - so far I've been unable to reproduce this, but I'm hoping that actually seeing the level where this occurs might shed some light on it.

Nevermind - I think I only downloaded the new editor the first time, not the new player. So of course, the editor would allow me to add further skills, but since level testing always switches to whatever NeoLemmix player is currently installed, obviously that didn't work.

Sorry for being dumb!

[namida]

No worries then.

There's a few topics I've bumped over on the bugs board that I want to look into before a stable release, but once those are sorted, sounds like all is well so the release shouldn't be far away.

[namida]

Uploaded an updated experimental engine. Changelog compared to the earlier experimental is in the first post.