Favourite Graphics style: Original Lemmings

Minim · September 29, 2009, 03:49:30 PM

I saw this thread on the old old forums by Ice Eagle and now I'm going to bring this back up again, this time as a poll!

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/smiley.gif" alt=":)" title="Smiley" class="smiley" />. You can vote for two sets here, but I'm not sure if you can vote twice on the same option. I'll check soon.

Edit: I've just realised, you can't. Anyway, I love the Crystal and the Pillar sets the best. Dirt doesn't have many straight objects other than really small ones, the fire set is filled up with a lot of letters rather than the actual pieces, also the lighting on the objects isn't as realistic as you think. The marble set doesn't have enough colour to the bricks other than those really small ones.

Proxima · September 29, 2009, 03:53:32 PM

I voted for Marble and Pillar, although it was a tough choice -- the original graphics sets are so much better than the ONML ones, I very nearly like all five equally! I guess Marble comes out top in my view because it's usually very pretty to look at, and it contains a good mixture of straight-edged pieces (including diagonals) and rocky terrain pieces. Quite a few of my favourites from my own Lemmings levels were made in this style.

Pooty · September 29, 2009, 04:01:52 PM

I have voted for Pillar (the yellow set) and Crystal (the blue set). I've loved the Pillar set since I played it on the Master System. It looks so good on that version.

I have also grown fond of the Crystal set in recent years.

chaos_defrost · September 29, 2009, 08:49:17 PM

I voted just marble.

I like the Fire, Pillar, and Crystal sets more than anything but brick in ONML, but I really can't decide between those three for another pick and I do like marble somewhat more than all of those.

Clam · September 29, 2009, 08:56:58 PM

My favourites would have to be marble and crystal.

The marble set has an abundance of straight terrain pieces that make it so easy to build a nice-looking level. Crystal has everything you need, and then some, despite having considerably fewer pieces available than other sets. Plus it just looks cool, and was terribly underused in the original levels.

The Doctor · September 30, 2009, 07:58:26 AM

I went Fire and Marble (which, for PSP players, are Hell and Roman) because their shapes are nice and straight. I like designing levels which don't rely on careful clicking.

Adam · September 30, 2009, 05:45:21 PM

I picked the Crystal style for aesthetic reasons. It's the least used style, but it has some fantastic looking levels. The style has very few terrain pieces, but the terrain there is acts in a unique way - The Crossroads is a great example of this.. it has both the net and the web!

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/laugh.gif" alt=":D" title="Laugh" class="smiley" />

If I did pick a second choice, it would have been the Fire style. I think the Fire style is the most versitile out of all the styles... there are levels which take advantage of the straight edges in the terrain - for instance, Livin' on the Edge - but there are also levels where the bumpy terrain is used - for example, Triple Trouble. This style also contains some unique levels which wouldn't be able to be recreated in other styles. Take a Running Jump forces creative use of builders - bridging gaps, slowing lemmings down, and creating a platform to stop lemmings splatting. Mary Poppins Land makes great use of the cone-shaped terrain. It would be impossible to recreate this level in any other style.

ccexplore · September 30, 2009, 07:10:56 PM

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=206.msg5772#msg5772">Quote from: Adam on 2009-09-30 11:45:21

This style also contains some unique levels which wouldn't be able to be recreated in other styles. Take a Running Jump forces creative use of builders - bridging gaps, slowing lemmings down, and creating a platform to stop lemmings splatting. Mary Poppins Land makes great use of the cone-shaped terrain. It would be impossible to recreate this level in any other style.

I think it depends on what you mean by "recreate". Obviously if you insist on using cones or cone-like shapes for the steep slopes, then no. But in terms of the level solution, you can use (for example) the staircase from the pillar (aka "roman", the yellow one) style to get the same effects as the steep slopes.

I'm sure if one tries hard enough, you'll find a way to make almost any level work in a different style than the original. That said, it's true that most levels' designs naturally take specific advantage of the style they were created in.

Dullstar · October 03, 2009, 02:51:06 AM

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=206.msg5722#msg5722">Quote from: Pooty on 2009-09-29 10:01:52

I have voted for Pillar (the yellow set) and Crystal (the blue set). I've loved the Pillar set since I played it on the Master System. It looks so good on that version.

I have also grown fond of the Crystal set in recent years.

Heh, that is the EXACT same combination I chose. I'm also a big fan of the crystal set... which gives me an idea for a random, but interesting fan project. Convert all levels to crystal (this will require rearranging terrain). However, one should ask, "Is it worth the effort?"

Proxima · October 03, 2009, 11:17:11 AM

No, because there's a certain point at which it becomes "too much of a good thing", as we saw with the Brick style in ONML.

ccexplore · October 03, 2009, 11:26:10 AM

Not to mention that with such a conversion, you can easily lose the ambience with certain levels. For example, "All the 6s" really belongs in the Hell style for good reason. Even "Heaven Can Wait!" would lose a little when translated into Crystal style. And "Ascending Pillar Scenario" would no longer be quite about pillars.

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/winktounge.gif" alt=";P" title="Wink-Tongue" class="smiley" /> Yes, none of them truly requires their respective styles for the level solution, but their visual design is clearly taking advantage of the specifics of the styles being used. So inevitably, some aspects of the visual design will be lost after a conversion to Crystal style.

Adam · October 03, 2009, 12:33:08 PM

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=206.msg5887#msg5887">Quote from: Dullstar on 2009-10-02 20:51:06

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/index.php?topic=206.msg5722#msg5722">Quote from: Pooty on 2009-09-29 10:01:52
I have voted for Pillar (the yellow set) and Crystal (the blue set). I've loved the Pillar set since I played it on the Master System. It looks so good on that version.

I have also grown fond of the Crystal set in recent years.

Heh, that is the EXACT same combination I chose. I'm also a big fan of the crystal set... which gives me an idea for a random, but interesting fan project. Convert all levels to crystal (this will require rearranging terrain). However, one should ask, "Is it worth the effort?"

I might have a bit of a head start there: I started remaking some levels in the Crystal style back in June. I made 13 levels then stopped. If you want, I will upload the levels I did onto the LFA for you to download.

Dullstar · October 04, 2009, 02:34:05 PM

That would be great.

Minim · October 04, 2009, 03:43:47 PM

Yeah. Why don't you do that? (If you can be bothered, that is.

http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/tongue.gif" alt=":P" title="Tongue" class="smiley" />)

Back to the poll, it's a three way tie between Marble, Pillar and Crystal. I remember that Pillar and Dirt were in the DOS demo version.

Proxima · October 04, 2009, 04:01:14 PM

It's not quite a three-way tie any more; I decided to change my vote to Fire and Marble. (Although, as I said in my previous post, it is *so* hard to decide, I would vote for all five if I could!) I'm surprised there's so little love for the Fire style -- I find it makes for great atmospheric levels (especially if you use a lot of flamethrowers!) and, like Marble, it has the mixture of straight-edged and rocky terrain pieces giving you a lot of choice in your level design.