Lemmings on the Macintosh

[ccexplore]

I can't help but speculate that on the Mac, the vertical resolution might be lower or something, so that it's not exactly 160 pixels.

I seem to be wrong on that.  Instead, it seems that the Mac uses high-resolution graphics.

However, I think the underlying game mechanics still use the lower resolution that's standard on the PC and Amiga.  So I quickly discovered one of the heinous problems with playing Lemmings on hi-res:  judging whether you've reached the edge of the cliff can be tricky, because the higher-resolution visuals can trick you into thinking the lemming can walk a little further, when in fact, in the lower-resolution accounting of the game mechanics, you are already at the edge pixel.

Still, aside from that it was nice.  If only I can get a download of the full games that work in Executor...

[ccexplore]

Still, aside from that it was nice. &#A0;If only I can get a download of the full games that work in Executor...

It took some work, but I finally found a way to get Lemmings into Executor, so I now finally have the Mac version of Lemmings running!

I'm going to take a look at Mayhem 26 now......

[ccexplore]

I'm going to take a look at Mayhem 26 now......

Ah, now I see.  No wonder the Mac version of the level is so nasty.  It turns out there were not just 1, but 3 places where the roots protruding out of the dirt ground will block lemmings from walking past!  =8O

So the lose-5-with-10-builders solution that works so well on the PC and Amiga, is swiftly downgraded to a lose 8 solution on the Mac.  But aside from that, the solution still works, and since one of the tricks in that solution allows you to blow thru the second obstacle with just one explosion rather than the usual two, I think using Ahribar's solution and applying that trick should yield a lose-7 solution for the Mac.

[ccexplore]

I should also add that the Mac version of Just a Minute Part II (and I guess Part 1 also) is officially broken.  I'm sorry, but using the "dumb solution" (#1 bash, #2 dig and bash, RR 99 @ 30 seconds) leaves you with 7 (!) seconds on the clock?!?!?  That's just wrong.  Even on the PC I don't think you'd have that much time left on the clock.

I guess you can say the easier version of Mayhem 27 cancels out the extra difficulty of Mayhem 26.  

[LemSteven]

I should also add that the Mac version of Just a Minute Part II (and I guess Part 1 also) is officially broken. &#A0;I'm sorry, but using the "dumb solution" (#1 bash, #2 dig and bash, RR 99 @ 30 seconds) leaves you with 7 (!) seconds on the clock?!?!? &#A0;That's just wrong. &#A0;Even on the PC I don't think you'd have that much time left on the clock.

I guess you can say the easier version of Mayhem 27 cancels out the extra difficulty of Mayhem 26. &#A0;

The PC version is actually not much better.  While playing Mayhem 16 last weekend, I beat the level with 10 seconds to spare!  I used a solution similar to the "dumb solution" for Mayhem 27, but I assigned bashers to the last few lemmings that would otherwise turn around in the basher's tunnel.

I am pretty sure that the "dumb solution" ccexplore mentioned does work on the PC version, but with just 1 or 2 seconds to spare.

[ccexplore]

I was unable to get my builderless solution for Taxing 21 to work on the Mac.  On the other hand, the glitch involved in the 6- or 7-builder solution for Mayhem 12 still works on the Mac, but for the same reason I have trouble with Taxing 21, I don't think I can get the 5-builder solution for Mayhem 12 to work.

In general, it seems that miners and bashers detect upcoming steel areas somewhat earlier on the Mac as compared with the PC.

Someday I should try the Windows version of Lemmings and see whether these differences are the result of high resolution graphics or whether instead it's specific to the Mac version.

One other thing of note:  like the Windows version and unlike the DOS version, on the Mac version, you can stretch equally far building to the left as to the right.

This has some important implications for Mayhem 29 for example.  My 77/80 solution that does not build west from the starting platform implicitly used the underlying difference in builder-stretching in order to work correctly, so there's a good chance it won't work on the Mac.  On the other hand, since you can stretch your bridges further even when building to the left, it could well be the case that the 77/80 solution that does build west could work on the Mac despite the water.

[ccexplore]

The 100% Taxing 6 solution is not possible on the Mac.  The reason again has to do with its more accurate detection of steel area.  I can dig at most one pixel down before becoming "too low" to bash through the steel, and that's not enough for a safe fall.  So basically any solution for the level involving bashing through the steel-terrain boundary will not work on the Mac.

[ccexplore]

I discovered that the builderless Tame 14 solution I used on the PC doesn't seem to work on the Mac.  But rather than a game-mechanical difference, I think the reason is more of a terrain difference.

But that doesn't mean there isn't another solution that could work.  I'll get to it when I have time.

[ccexplore]

I verified that it's possible to use just 2 builders to get over the "swamp" in Crazy 8.

On the other hand, I found out also that the 4-builder solution for that level doesn't work on the Mac, because of terrain/mask differences forcing me to use a builder in the process of holding the crowd.  A 5 builder solution might work but hasn't been confirmed yet.  Since you have 7 builders, it's almost certainly possible to get 100% if nothing else.

[ccexplore]

I haven't completed the solution in full yet, but I have verified that the key moves necessary for the 100% Havoc 2 solution also works on the Mac.  Screenshot available upon request.

[ccexplore]

It looks like the 98% Wicked 1 solution doesn't work on the Mac.  Then again, I don't even know if it works on the Amiga.

[ccexplore]

I have verified that the nuke glitch on the PC (where nuking causes the percentage saved to be calculated based on lemmings out when nuking rather than the level total) does not work on the Mac.  Not too surprising, but good to set the record straight.

[ccexplore]

Ahribar, if you are reading this, can you confirm whether it's true that the "special graphics levels" on the Mac are all black and white?

Black and white is all I could get on the emulator for those 4 levels, and I'm wondering whether it's the emulator, the download, or really the way it is.

[ccexplore]

I have discovered that the builderless solution to Havoc 5 does not work on the Mac, in fact for two reasons.

One, direct-drop doesn't seem to work.  Ok, no surprise there.

But what is surprising is that, if you have someone else mine while walking in an existing miner's tunnel, it seems like on the Mac you can never mine more than 1 stroke before it gives up.

I have noticed that the mining mask on the Mac doesn't quite give the perfect staircase as it does on the PC and Amiga.  I've always thought though that the difference is too high-resolution to matter game-mechanically.  Maybe not.

[ccexplore]

I have discovered that the builderless solution to Havoc 5 does not work on the Mac

Oops, typo, I meant Havoc 6.