Upcoming Release - NeoLemmix Player V1.47n

[namida]

So, the decision has been made that a NeoLemmix update will be made, even though the overall new format setup is not ready yet. Instead, this update will for the most part use the older formats, but include all the newer performance improvements, bugfixes and features.

There's honestly too much stuff for me to list it all, without going through the commit history with a fine-toothed comb, so I'll just go over some of the main points.

An entirely new replay format
Instead of the old LRB format, the new version will use the NXRP format, which is one of the few new formats that is going to make it into this release. The main advantage is that this is a text-based format, meaning it can be manually modified or analyzed. It's also easier to expand in the future, if a need arises.

Lemming Highlighting
Need a better way to tell which lemming will be selected when you click? In this version, the prioritized lemming will change to a red color so that he stands out. How about keeping track of lemmings with permanent skills? These lemmings will swap their hair and clothes colors, making them stand out too.

Skill shadows
When you have a destructive or constructive skill selected, and you mouseover a lemming, shadows will appear of what area the skill will cover. While these are not always 100% accurate, they are good enough for most cases and can help aim that miner, or see if that builder will reach.

Graphic set mixing and other new design features
Pending a compatible editor update, it'll be possible to mix and match graphic sets in a single level. In addition to that, objects can now be rotated.

Panning sounds
Sound effects will now pan to the left or right, depending on where in the level they occur relative to the screen position.

Physics bug fixes
There have been far too many fixes to physics bugs - from the glaring well-known ones, to some so obscure they probably would never have been found if the code hadn't been closely analyzed - to even begin listing them.


This release will be compatible with existing content (though re-testing is recommended), as long as it doesn't use any of the features that are being removed. A rebuilding of NXP files with the updated Flexi Toolkit version will be highly recommended, but apart from re-testing levels, no other action should be nessecary. (Based on a quick test, using Lemmings Plus Omega and Lemmings Plus V, it would appear that about 20% to 30% of replays will need redoing for this update. Of course, it depends on the exact nature of your levels and replays.)

Of course I can't give an exact date for the release, but it shouldn't be too far off. If you want, you can turn the "Check for updates" option on in NeoLemmix, then you'll get a notification the next time you run NeoLemmix after the update is released.

To keep things simpler, I'm also going to re-version the Flexi Toolkit and Graphic Set Tool to be in line with the corresponding NeoLemmix versions, similar to how the editor is. So, the next updates for these will also be V1.47n rather than V1.19 and V1.04 respectively.


Experimental version download links
Editor*: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ditkyiemhm93ss7/NeoLemmixEditor.exe?dl=1

The player and the other tools have now had stable V1.47n releases.

* See this post for info on how to set up the editor experimental version

NOTE: In order to use playtest mode with the experimental editor version, you must also use the experimental player version (and vice versa). Playtest mode will not work properly with stable editor + experimental player, or experimental editor + stable player.

[namida]

If you can think of anything that hasn't been confirmed as changed yet that you'd like to see make it into this release, let me know in this topic and if practical to do so we'll try and get it in.

Some things that probably won't be able to make it into this release:
- Any change from the existing structure of loading one NXP or LVL per execution, or the existing way that data is handled (ie: mostly being built into NXPs)
- Constructs (NL's equivalent of Lix's terrain grouping)
- A fix to the must-go-back-two-frames-to-cancel-action bug
- A fix to the weird windowing system
- Support for more variety of custom lemming sprites
- Any online capability beyond what already exists (ie: auto-downloading graphic sets and checking for updates)

EDIT: See this post in the experimental releases topic for an experimental copy of this update.

[namida]

From #neolemmix chatlogs:

[12:40:22]    <IchoTolot> ok the minimap still seems a bit buggy
[12:40:37]    <IchoTolot> lemming positions are not smoothly updated
[12:41:00]    <IchoTolot> sometimes they do not update at all especially with frameskipping

I'll try and look into this when I get a chance (probably in a few days).

[Colorful Arty]

Will the update have custom background and lemming sprites implemented?

[IchoTolot]

After fixing up Reunion some bugs I found:

- Now if a OWW is placed on an exit, even if the OWW is not visible there, it deactivates the exit's trigger area causing the lemmings to ignore it.  (Needed to patch 02 16 for this)

- I turned off autosteel on 02 13 to patch some tiny holes in the terrain with steel, now the steel was active even with turned off autosteel + no steel areas there. Patched it with normal terrain.

- 01 01 Replay does not find it's level anymore. Manual testing works and solves without problems.   
  Message: Just dig! Reloaded!.nxrp: CANNOT FIND LEVEL <<I'mTooYoungToDie 01>> (By Position)
  I attached the replay + the exp Reunion nxp for investigation.

[namida]

- Now if a OWW is placed on an exit, even if the OWW is not visible there, it deactivates the exit's trigger area causing the lemmings to ignore it.  (Needed to patch 02 16 for this)

No need to adjust your levels for this; this is a bug that definitely needs to be fixed.

[IchoTolot]

- Now if a OWW is placed on an exit, even if the OWW is not visible there, it deactivates the exit's trigger area causing the lemmings to ignore it.  (Needed to patch 02 16 for this)

No need to adjust your levels for this; this is a bug that definitely needs to be fixed.

Good. I adjusted this one already, but I just noticed some other trap trigger areas not working because of this bug, so a fix would be very appreachiated

EDIT: It seems trigger area stacking in general seems bugged.

[IchoTolot]

Another thing:

- Noticed in Broad Pit from PimoLems (3 08): The last row of pixels from the bottom seems to not be drawn anymore! I see Lemmings walking on the black bottom, but in fact there is normally a row of well to be seen pixels there. So the lowest pixel is there in the physics, but not visually.

EDIT: Also good visible in 5 24 in Reunion.  The lowest tile should be a 2 pixel high tile, but only the upper pixel is visible.

[namida]

Okay, so it functions properly but isn't drawn. This is probably a relatively minor (in terms of coding needed to fix it) bug then, and shouldn't be hard to sort out.

I'll probably be a bit busy today, but I should be able to look into these issues tomorrow.

[IchoTolot]

I pm'ed namida about another thing how the exp version handles pre-placed lemmings not right.  Several replays broke due to it seems the inner order isn't correctly anymore and then came a weird bug in a level I don't wanna post officially here yet, that had it spawned at a completely different place inside terrain

Just wanted to write this here as well to add it to the list

EDIT: Under further investigation it seems like it is about 8 pixels too low.

[IchoTolot]

I have one last minute request and I don't know how much of a hassle this would be to implement for the new version.

Audio/music sliders!

Many users, especially the video making kind is wishing for in game audio sliders to easily blance out the sounds. Often the music is a bit too loud and turning down the master windows volume is not the perfect option.

So I really don't know the work this would require, but if it#s not too much it would be nice to have for the next version

[namida]

I'll see what I can do about those. I should at least be able to do a music one fairly easily.

In regard to the trigger area overwriting - I've found the cause of this now.

[namida]

Another nice feature I added to Flexi - you can now download graphic sets from the NeoLemmix website in Flexi. I should probably add this functionality to the editor too.

The experimental version that contains this modification is available here; also see this topic for more info on these updates.

[namida]

Okay, let's take a proper look at the things listed in this topic.

Will the update have custom background and lemming sprites implemented?

Background colors will be supported, background images currently aren't but I could add support (all the needed internal workings are there, it's just a matter of adding support in the DAT graphic set format).

Custom lemming sprites, I'll see what can be done about those.

- Now if a OWW is placed on an exit, even if the OWW is not visible there, it deactivates the exit's trigger area causing the lemmings to ignore it.  (Needed to patch 02 16 for this)

I've replicated this issue, and tracked down why it's happening. I haven't fixed it yet.

- I turned off autosteel on 02 13 to patch some tiny holes in the terrain with steel, now the steel was active even with turned off autosteel + no steel areas there. Patched it with normal terrain.

Currently, the option to turn Autosteel off isn't working (I didn't re-implement it in newer code). I'm not sure if we want to continue having this option though... but perhaps that can be deferred to a later time, and for now support maintained.
EDIT: Fixed.

- 01 01 Replay does not find it's level anymore. Manual testing works and solves without problems.   
  Message: Just dig! Reloaded!.nxrp: CANNOT FIND LEVEL <<I'mTooYoungToDie 01>> (By Position)
  I attached the replay + the exp Reunion nxp for investigation.

Not sure why it would be trying to find by position; NXRP files only support finding by Level ID at the moment. Perhaps the level ID is being generated incorrectly. Can you try loading and re-saving the level in the editor, and re-saving the replay, then let me know if the issue continues to occur? If it does, can you PM me the updated replay and the LVL file?

- Noticed in Broad Pit from PimoLems (3 08): The last row of pixels from the bottom seems to not be drawn anymore! I see Lemmings walking on the black bottom, but in fact there is normally a row of well to be seen pixels there. So the lowest pixel is there in the physics, but not visually.

There is indeed one pixel missing. I think I know why.
EDIT: Fixed.

I pm'ed namida about another thing how the exp version handles pre-placed lemmings not right.  Several replays broke due to it seems the inner order isn't correctly anymore and then came a weird bug in a level I don't wanna post officially here yet, that had it spawned at a completely different place inside terrain

Haven't properly investigated, but it seems this only occurs with converted-from-Lemmini styles. If this is so, I have an idea of why.
EDIT: Fixed.


I've logged all the ones that aren't already fixed on the issue tracker.

[namida]

I have one last minute request and I don't know how much of a hassle this would be to implement for the new version.

Audio/music sliders!

Many users, especially the video making kind is wishing for in game audio sliders to easily blance out the sounds. Often the music is a bit too loud and turning down the master windows volume is not the perfect option.

So I really don't know the work this would require, but if it#s not too much it would be nice to have for the next version

Guess what I just added.