SuperLemmini 0.104a

[namida]

I noticed the countdown for bombers was removed by default. Is there a way to enable it through a setting somewhere? It'd be nice to be able to disable/enable the countdown for certain level packs. I'm loving this launcher so far

There's a general trend to remove timed bombers in the modern engines; as they don't actually add anything to the puzzle, but just make it harder to execute. Indeed, in general, the tendancy is to provide measures to ease execution, in favor of a focus on solving the puzzle. Although SuperLemmini has less of these features than NeoLemmix or Lix, it's still starting to head in the same direction.

[zanzindorf]

Alrighty, that makes sense. Thanks for your response Namida.

[Tsyu]

In case you guys are wondering, no, I'm not dead. SuperLemmini development isn't dead either, just dormant.

I intend to get the next version of SuperLemmini out soon, either by the end of the year or shortly after (since I intend to get a new computer), hopefully along with more complete documentation both in the source code and for the game itself.

[uci]

Great. Looking forward for you update.

[Tsyu]

Just so you guys know, the next version of SuperLemmini won't be out in time for the new year, but it will definitely be out in the first half of January.

[Tsyu]

After too long, SuperLemmini 0.104 is finally out! Here is the rather large list of changes:

• Updated the IBXM, Apache Commons Lang, and Apache Commons IO libraries.
• Added support for the subheader and style list of NeoLemmix LVL format 4.
• Time limits greater than 9:59 in LVL files are no longer treated as indicating no time limit.
• Added some objects and terrain pieces to the Pillar and Snow styles to be more consistent with how NeoLemmix loads LVL files.
• Added a restart button to the icon bar. (Thanks to WillLem for making the icons.) This restarts the level without displaying the preview screen and shows the action replay (which was previously implemented with the Ctrl-R keyboard shortcut). To prevent accidental use, the button needs to be double-clicked to be used.
• Errors as well as exceptions are now caught so that things like out-of-memory errors result in a message being displayed and SuperLemmini closing rather than a hang.
• Changed the way that graphic sets are stored in memory. Rather than being stored as part of the level, they're now stored as their own objects.
• Image files are now loaded with ImageIO instead of MediaTracker. In addition to hopefully being more efficient, this also adds support for BMP and WBMP images, though the use of those formats isn't recommended.
• Fixed objects with bitmask transparency having a 1-bit red color channel when flipped or rotated.
• When reading LVL format 0 files, the LVL converter was reading the wrong bit when determining whether an object should be upside-down. This has been fixed.
• Fixed a bug that prevented level selection dialog from opening if the user loaded an external level, cleared the external-level list, then opened the level selection dialog again while still in the level.
• When loading graphic sets, SuperLemmini now loads only the image files necessary for the current level instead of everything.
• Removed support for octal (base 8) numbers in INI files, as such numbers are really of no use, and some users may decide to zero-pad their numbers. Numbers beginning with the digit 0 but not 0x or 0b are now parsed as decimal (base 10) numbers.
• Added support for loading objects and terrain pieces from styles other than the level's main style.
• Autosteel now works with special styles. In order for a special style to support this, it must include a steel mask that uses the "s" suffix it its file name (e.g., "mystyles.png" for a special style named "mystyle"). The Covox special style now supports this.
• Increased the supported release rate range to -99 to 106, which should be enough to cover NeoLemmix's range. Additionally, the maximum release rate can now also be changed from 99 to any supported release rate.
• Objects and terrain pieces can now be rotated in 90-degree increments.
• Blockers and one-way objects no longer push lemmings through walls.
• Climbers reaching the top of the level should now fall rather than summit and get stuck.

Although I have said in the past that I would add a way to change the key assignments and to create level packs, they are unfortunately not implemented yet. I do hope to add them to the next version, though (which shouldn't be too long from now).

Also, I have found that Java 13's PNG writer produces PNG files that differ from those produced by Java 8's PNG writer, breaking Windows Lemmings resource extraction. Because of this, you must currently use Java 8 when doing resource extraction. I intend to address this in a future release by including a PNG writer with SuperLemmini.

[namida]

Autosteel now works with special styles. In order for a special style to support this, it must include a steel mask that uses the "s" suffix it its file name (e.g., "mystyles.png" for a special style named "mystyle"). The Covox special style now supports this.

Based on experience in NeoLemmix, I suggest abandoning the concept of a "special style" altogether, now that mixing of styles in a single level is possible. Instead, just handle them as regular terrain pieces (that happen to be really large).

This is one thing Lemmini got really, really right - treating them as just plain old terrain pieces. (Of course, Lemmini lacked the ability to mix styles, which limited the effectiveness of this method - but that lack of style mixing, not the "treat as standard terrain" approach itself, was the source of this limited effectiveness.) It took me a long time to realise and accept this in NL, too.

Increased the supported release rate range to -99 to 106, which should be enough to cover NeoLemmix's range. Additionally, the maximum release rate can now also be changed from 99 to any supported release rate.

NL's 1 to 99 maps to SL's -97 to 99 (skipping SL's even numbers). SL's RR's of -99, and anything over SL's 99, as well as all even numbers in SL, do not correspond to any valid RR in NL (-99 would equal NL 0, 101 would equal NL 100, and any even number in SL would equal something-point-5 in NL - meaningless due to NL's lower resolution, and although NL is getting a high-res mode in the next update, this high-res mode is purely visual and the underlying physics still run in low-res).

[Tsyu]

Autosteel now works with special styles. In order for a special style to support this, it must include a steel mask that uses the "s" suffix it its file name (e.g., "mystyles.png" for a special style named "mystyle"). The Covox special style now supports this.

Based on experience in NeoLemmix, I suggest abandoning the concept of a "special style" altogether, now that mixing of styles in a single level is possible. Instead, just handle them as regular terrain pieces (that happen to be really large).

This is one thing Lemmini got really, really right - treating them as just plain old terrain pieces. (Of course, Lemmini lacked the ability to mix styles, which limited the effectiveness of this method - but that lack of style mixing, not the "treat as standard terrain" approach itself, was the source of this limited effectiveness.) It took me a long time to realise and accept this in NL, too.

I probably won't drop support for special styles completely (within level files, anyway), but I will look into a way of treating them as a single regular style and most likely storing them as such.

Increased the supported release rate range to -99 to 106, which should be enough to cover NeoLemmix's range. Additionally, the maximum release rate can now also be changed from 99 to any supported release rate.

NL's 1 to 99 maps to SL's -97 to 99 (skipping SL's even numbers). SL's RR's of -99, and anything over SL's 99, as well as all even numbers in SL, do not correspond to any valid RR in NL (-99 would equal NL 0, 101 would equal NL 100, and any even number in SL would equal something-point-5 in NL - meaningless due to NL's lower resolution, and although NL is getting a high-res mode in the next update, this high-res mode is purely visual and the underlying physics still run in low-res).

Yes, I'm aware the new SuperLemmini release rate range is now larger than NeoLemmix's; I just wanted SuperLemmini's range to at least cover NeoLemmix's range. Plus, I think -99 looks better as a minimum than -97 (because it only has 9's).

[WillLem]

EXCITING NEWS!

Just played through a few levels, it's looking great. Love the new replay button!

Nice one Tsyu!!!

[uci]

Hi and thanks for the detailed documentation about level format. Do you consider creating in the future an updated level editor just for Lemmini/Superlemmini?

[LanaAndCo]

Hello!

I'm sorry to disturb you but since I updated SuperLemmini, I've got an error message each time I load my custom levels which says "The resource styles/0/0.ini is missing". This only happened with the 0.104 version. What should I do?

Thank you in advance.

[WillLem]

Hello!

I'm sorry to disturb you but since I updated SuperLemmini, I've got an error message each time I load my custom levels which says "The resource styles/0/0.ini is missing". This only happened with the 0.104 version. What should I do?

Thank you in advance.

Just to double check... have you gone through the process of unpacking the styles and everything from WINLEMM again? If so, have you copied your custom styles across to the Resources/styles directory in the new SL folder?

[LanaAndCo]

Thank you for your response. Yes, I did the unpacking of WINLEMM. And I didn't copy my custom styles since I used the original tilesets for my levels.

[uci]

Noticed something weird in level COVOX Lemmings - Taxing - IceTown: lemmings do fall into the frozen water instead of being drown!

EDIT: that piece of water is rendered upside down in Lemmini!

[uci]

Another one, in level Lemmings Companion - Fun - For Every Lemming, Turn, Turn... the trap on the left does not trigger. Is this due to different game mechanics or wrong positioning?