[LP SERIES] Amiga/NeoLemmix Original Level Playthroughs

[WillLem]

Following many, many discussions about the various differences between playing Lemmings on the Amiga and in NeoLemmix, I've decided to start a series of LPs in which I play through a selection of levels on both platforms side-by-side, to get an idea of the differences and see how the game has evolved.

This is not an attempt at seeing which is "better" than the other: both platforms are equally enjoyable for playing the game, but for very different reasons. Loosely speaking, I'd say the Amiga version is far more about the "action puzzle" execution difficulty that Lemmings was notorious for in its early days, whereas NeoLemmix is about making the game more versatile, more accessible and more focused on its puzzle elements.

I hope you enjoy these! Please do feel free to comment with any suggestions for levels you'd like me to look at, as a rough aim I intend to play about 30 or 40 levels altogether, maybe less, maybe more depending on what sort of response I get from the first few videos.

Here's the very first episode, starting with one of my favourite levels, Mary Poppins' Land!

Also includes a SuperLemming-speed solve of the level as a bonus!

[Proxima]

The levels that would work best for this would be ones where NL's features make big differences to the gameplay....

Framestepping: Livin' on the Edge, Stepping Stones, Save Me

Skill shadows for precise placement: The Crankshaft, The ascending pillar scenario, Pillars of Hercules

Directional select: From the Boundary Line, Triple Trouble, With a twist of lemming, please

Replay insert mode to simplify multi-tasking: And then there were four, Rendezvous at the Mountain

Untimed bombers: Bomboozal, Time to get up

Clear physics mode: Lend a helping hand, Pea Soup

Splat ruler: Poor Wee Creatures, Steel Works

You could also look at Lemmings Redux and some of the changes that were made there. Good levels to look at would be If at first you don't succeed and The Great Lemming Caper (backroute fixes, somewhat changed skillsets), Compression Method 1 (revealing hidden traps), and With a twist of lemming, please (reduced lemming counts; also comes under directional select). There are more I could mention from ONML, but for now I've stuck to original Lemmings levels

[WillLem]

Great shout Proxima, I'll do one feature per video then across a few videos.

Here's Episode 2.



I'm looking at Skill Shadows first!

Featuring these levels:

Taxing 11 - The Ascending Pillar Scenario
Taxing 17 - X Marks The Spot
Taxing 28 - POOR WEE CREATURES!

[WillLem]

Episode 3 is ready!



This episode focuses on Direction Select. Featuring these levels:

Mayhem 24 - All Or Nothing
Mayhem 21 - With A Twist Of Lemming, Please
Taxing 25 - Follow The Leader

[WillLem]

Episode 4 is now uploaded!



This episode focuses on framestepping. Featuring the following levels:

Taxing 12 - Livin' On The Edge
Mayhem 1 - Steel Works
Mayhem 29 - Save Me

[WillLem]

OK, so far I've primarily focused on how the various attributes make playing the original game easier - I think for balance I need to show that they also allow for much more complexity in the puzzles themselves. So, I'll be devoting the next couple of episodes to that.

I'm looking through the Oh No! levels, because I think they're closer to the "puzzle"-type levels that are more at home in NeoLemmix, whilst also being available to play on the Amiga. I'm hoping to find a few that perfectly demonstrate the benefit of being able to just concentrate on the solution rather than its execution...

So far, And Now The End Is Near and Ice Ice Lemming stand out as levels for which the execution difficulty is far more annoying than it is rewarding, and both of these present a significant puzzle (the former being how to free the crowd and the latter being how to contain the crowd!)... but, I'm sure there are better examples, particularly later in the game. Feel free to make suggestions if you have any particular level in mind.

Also, would anyone like to nominate a user-made level that's purely puzzle-focused, something that really shows off the enjoyment of solving a seemingly impossible puzzle and that is more at home in NeoLemmix than it would be on the Amiga? I'm thinking of devoting a section of one of the next few videos (or maybe even an entire episode) to playing user-made levels, to really hone in on this aspect of NeoLemmix.

[Proxima]

I'm looking through the Oh No! levels, because I think they're closer to the "puzzle"-type levels that are more at home in NeoLemmix, whilst also being available to play on the Amiga. I'm hoping to find a few that perfectly demonstrate the benefit of being able to just concentrate on the solution rather than its execution...

There's madness in the method and Lemming about town for sure. (Or in general, have a look at which ONML levels were retained in Lemmings Redux; these will generally be the ones we felt are the most interesting as puzzles.)

[WillLem]

Episode 5 is here!



This episode focuses on Timed & Untimed Bombers. Featuring these levels:

Oh No! Wicked 1 - LeMming ToMato KetchUp fAcilitY
Oh No! Wild 13 - ONWARD AND UPWARD
Mayhem 19 - Time To Get Up!

I found a new solution to Wicked 1 whilst filming this!