How to play Lemmings (1991) on a modern PC

[Silken Healer]

Also your :shrug: smiley actually wasn't added yet so you'll have to do it as an image

Example:

[namida]

Maybe we should consider cutting the list down to just a few options:

So basically, you just don't want SLX to be included in the list, even though it offers the closest experience to playing the original game out of all available clones.

:shrug:

Golems, Lemmix, and even Lemmini offer a closer to original experience. Them having some fine control features that people can choose not to use, but not having a specific option to force the player not to, doesn't negate that the physics are very close (basically identical for Lemmix and Golems) whereas SLX mostly has NL physics. My concern is about over bloating the list with too many options; hence also suggesting keeping just one of Lemmix or Golems and only the major platforms for emulation.

However, that does bring to mind that SLX offers a bit closer to original, while also having the mostly glitch-free aspect of NL. Perhaps this factor weighs a bit back towards including it.

To be clear, my input is on the basis of "another user giving input that should be given equal weight to everyone else's" and not "I am the admin and declaring this is how it will be".

[Silken Healer]

If Lix ever chose to allow official Lemmings content, it would be a stronger contender for this, but sticking to 100% free content is a significant value held by Lix.

Simon allows recreations of some of the level designs themselves in Lix, because he says they are just homoages and they could easily be removed, as deleting a level is not like having to redeisgn the entire character

[WillLem]

Golems, Lemmix, and even Lemmini offer a closer to original experience.

FWIW, I'd be happy to include any clone as long as it's currently maintained and presents the original levels in a recognisable and instantly accessible format.

Golems and Lemmix are both DOS clones, and each has their unique advantages and distinctions; I'm not particularly invested in either but nor do I object to either being included in this topic, so I'll bow out of that particular discussion.

Meanwhile, Lemmini is far too problematic to be included in this list, IMHO. It's no longer maintained, has far less QOL features than NL/SLX, and requires both JRE and a copy of WinLemm to run. By contrast, SuperLemmix is open for business, is download-and-play, ships with the levels that people viewing this topic are most likely to be interested in, and has far more to offer should users want to explore beyond the original levels.

So does NeoLemmix, of course. However, it could be argued that NeoLemmix is actually the least appropriate option for this particular topic*. It very strongly "encourages" users to adopt the more modern approach to Lemmings, which is not necessarily what people viewing this topic want. And Redux, whilst a perfectly respectable compilation of NeoLemmix-appropriate levels, omits many levels which people may be specifically looking for. Meanwhile, whilst most of the player assists are optional or "don't use them if you don't want to", many are in fact non-optional (skill queueing, auto-replay, recolour selected lemming), and of course Bombers are always untimed.

*Even so, I would still want to see NeoLemmix in this list because of what it offers to players wanting to explore the world of custom levels, and because it's the Forum standard for good reason. So, to be very clear, I am NOT suggesting that NeoLemmix be ommitted at all, I'm merely offering a counterpoint to the suggestion that SuperLemmix be ommitted, on the basis that SuperLemmix is probably more appropriate for this particular topic.

Perhaps NeoLemmix should be listed as the best option for modern gameplay and modern levels (if only due to its active userbase and the sheer volume of available content), but not necessarily as the best option for playing the classic games.

I guess I'm suggesting that the OP needs to be a bit more nuanced.

SLX mostly has NL physics

I think you'd be surprised at how much has actually changed by now. There's a fairly comprehensive list of the main differences here (even this list doesn't catch everything that's changed, I need to update it), but to list a few examples that are particularly relevant to the original games:

Builder terrain checks have been refined (no more "belly check")
Level sides and top are force-fields rather than deadly
Direct drop has been re-implemented
Oh-noers can exit
If a lemming begins exiting before time runs out, they count towards the save requirement
Climbers bypass the "oh no" phase
Superlemming mode works (sure, it only affects one level, but that level might be important to those researching modern engines)

And, of course, Bombers can be timed (if the level designer wishes), so all original levels have timed Bombers.

I'm also considering revising steel physics in a future update, but this is very dependent on progress in other areas, and Forum feedback, so may not actually happen.

My concern is about over bloating the list with too many options

Agreed, this is a worthwhile consideration for this topic.

I'd suggest limiting it to only platforms which are currently maintained, and emulators.

However, that does bring to mind that SLX offers a bit closer to original, while also having the mostly glitch-free aspect of NL. Perhaps this factor weighs a bit back towards including it.

I appreciate this comment. To be totally honest, this topic was one of my main inspirations for beginning work on SuperLemmix in the first place. I wanted users to be able to access a convenient, download-and-play platform which offers both modern and classic gameplay features, and imagined that this topic would be the ideal place to promote it.

Incidentally, exact physics has never been a concern; rather than trying to emulate one particular platform, I've opted to borrow what I consider to be the best versions of Lemmings physics from various different platforms. This probably means that anyone wanting an exact recreation of a particular version is better off with an emulator, but those accessing this topic are most likely looking for those modern QOL features which the emus don't offer anyway.

[Silken Healer]

I've been meaning to ask you this question for a while now, and I suppose this is the best chance I'm going to get to ask it. If I just wanted to play a morden lemmings engine that can play NeoLemmix content and switch between cassic mode and modern mode what would I need to do? I was active a lot in the inital timed bomber discussion when SuperLemmix was just an idea, but I haven't really kept up with devlopement since. Would I just download SuperLemmix and play NeoLemmix packs from it. What things would I need to take into account (e.g. "is it possible I can get into a impossible situation due to the differing physics?," "what did you decide on for timed bombers in the end?", etc.

[WillLem]

If I just wanted to play a morden lemmings engine that can play NeoLemmix content and switch between cassic mode and modern mode what would I need to do?
...
Would I just download SuperLemmix and play NeoLemmix packs from it. What things would I need to take into account (e.g. "is it possible I can get into a impossible situation due to the differing physics?,"

Quite honestly, I'd say that both NeoLemmix and SuperLemmix are worth having. SLX is not a replacement for NL, and was never meant to be. It's an entirely different project, and by now is probably as different from NeoLemmix as NeoLemmix is from vanilla Lemmix!

You can play NeoLemmix packs, but I would strongly advise performing a mass replay check ("Replay Manager" as of SLX 2.8) and being aware that some levels will not play as intended, if at all. My hope is that more made-for-SLX content will be created in due course, and designers may choose to cross-port their packs in the meantime.

Here's a topic concerning cross-compatibility which will answer this question more comprehensively.

"what did you decide on for timed bombers in the end?", etc.

Timed and Untimed Bombers are both available as separate skills in SuperLemmix.

[Silken Healer]

Thanks for the help!