NeoLemmix V12.9.4, Editor V1.29 released [Editor updated!]

WillLem · August 10, 2020, 12:42:35 AM

I haven't done any level editing for quite a while (I needed a break from it after putting Amiga Lemmings together), but I'll make a few levels in 1.25 over the next few days and see if anything else comes up.

WillLem · August 12, 2020, 04:15:18 AM

Editor 1.25 Testing

I made 3 test levels using grouped terrain items, pickup skills, pre-assigned hatches and locked exits/buttons. They were all mixed from the same level and then "Saved As" different versions of that level.

The only thing I noticed is that the pickup skill reverts to "unassigned" if any changes are made to that level after assigning the pickup skill and then saving the level. If the last thing to be done is assign the pickup skill then save, it works just fine.

Everything else seems to work as normal, and copy/paste between levels works OK as well (is there a paste-in-place feature yet or is that something for a future version? Just asking in case it needs to be tested - couldn't seem to find it). I also haven't tested talismans yet...

N.B. I'm happy to upload the test levels I made if it will be of any use, but note that they're not very playable levels as I deliberately used all of the available space and made very large terrain structures in order to test group/ungroup across a large canvas (it's a great feature!)

mantha16 · August 12, 2020, 12:18:51 PM

Quote from: WillLem on August 12, 2020, 04:15:18 AM
Editor 1.25 Testing

I made 3 test levels using grouped terrain items, pickup skills, pre-assigned hatches and locked exits/buttons. They were all mixed from the same level and then "Saved As" different versions of that level.

The only thing I noticed is that the pickup skill reverts to "unassigned" if any changes are made to that level after assigning the pickup skill and then saving the level. If the last thing to be done is assign the pickup skill then save, it works just fine.

Everything else seems to work as normal, and copy/paste between levels works OK as well (is there a paste-in-place feature yet or is that something for a future version? Just asking in case it needs to be tested - couldn't seem to find it). I also haven't tested talismans yet...

N.B. I'm happy to upload the test levels I made if it will be of any use, but note that they're not very playable levels as I deliberately used all of the available space and made very large terrain structures in order to test group/ungroup across a large canvas (it's a great feature!)

grouping works ok but i still cant copy and past between levels i tried new ones in case it was the original one had somehow become corrupted.

when you tried grouping did you you the erase feature cos this is the problem terrain I have erased and then grouped doesnt stay erased.

namida · August 12, 2020, 07:48:49 PM

There is no paste-in-place yet.

Okay so in short, the issues appear to be:

Can't copy-paste groups between levels.
Confirmed. It only happens between different instances of the editor. Or in other words: If you copy a group, then create / open a new level in the same editor window, you can paste the group. If you try to paste it in a different editor window, it usually won't work. (There are cases in which it will, but I would suggest not trying to rely on these.)

I know exactly why this is occuring, but it will be a tricky one to fix.

Erase flag on group pieces
To expand on this (mostly as more-specific notes for my own future reference): This is specifically in reference to that if an instance of a group piece is marked as "Erase", the "Erase" flag is cleared when loading (there is no problem when saving). It consistently happens with instances directly in the level; it does not always seem to happen with pieces in groups. At this stage I don't have the faintest clue why this could be happening - the loading code shouldn't even treat the two differently aside from loading the group piece if needed. Most likely a bug relating to doing / not doing that.

EDIT: Confirmed, it was prety much as suspected. Very easy fix.

Pickup skills reverting to unassigned
The skill is saving fine, this is again an issue with loading. Most likely an oversight in the new level loading code. EDIT: Confirmed. The loading code does not even attempt to load the skill, let alone do so correctly. I still need to fix this one, I've just determined the cause so far.

In general, it should be assumed that any bug that could be related to loading, probably is, until that's ruled out - because the code to load levels has been entirely replaced in V1.25. (This in turn was due to needing a better implementation of parsing NeoLemmix text files, in order to properly support the grouping feature. Only level loading uses the new parser; objects etc still use the old one, so similar bugs are not a concern there at this point in time.)

mantha16 · August 12, 2020, 09:44:49 PM

awesome you already looking at this, will you be applying individual fixs and updating as you are able to get to them or waiting till you can resolve all of the issues?

namida · August 13, 2020, 02:17:39 AM

Quote from: mantha16 on August 12, 2020, 09:44:49 PM
awesome you already looking at this, will you be applying individual fixs and updating as you are able to get to them or waiting till you can resolve all of the issues?

I will most likely release an update once I've fixed the Erase and Pickup issues, which will likely be in the next day or two.

The copy-paste between editor instances of grouped pieces, is a far more complex matter on a technical level. V1.26 will probably simply fail more tidily (ie: instead of popping up several error messages with technical detail, it will produce a single user-friendly "You cannot currently do this"), with an actual fix coming in V1.27 or later.

namida · August 20, 2020, 09:44:27 PM

At this point I am formally withdrawing Editor V1.25 and rolling the official stable version back to V1.24.

Please do not use V1.25 for any reason. If you want to use a stable editor version, use V1.24 (download link on first post). If you want to assist with testing, or if grouping is critical to your work (in which case, please take note of the bug and how to avoid it), please use the V1.26 experimentals.

Over the weekend I will look at making a "repair tool" for affected levels - I can confirm they are possible to repair, without damage, having managed to repair one by hand, and it is a process that should be possible to 100% automate.

namida · August 28, 2020, 09:58:24 PM

Reuploaded NL V12.9.3 (both the upgrade and full downloads) to include a Jumper sketch.

For those who already have V12.9.3 and just need this sketch, I've attached it to this post; put it in the "sketches" folder.

namida · September 02, 2020, 10:48:19 PM

I reconsidered my earlier decision to not release a bugfix for the grouped pieces bug until V12.10.0, and have decided to make a V12.9.4 update that includes the fix for this bug. This is mainly because I could see it being quite a while until V12.10.0 actually happens; but a very useful editor update is (aside from further testing) all but ready to go. Rather than artifically disable grouping support in it, I figured it made more sense to just release a player bugfix.

As a bonus, I also included one near-universally-liked aspect of the menu redesign in this update too: It now uses the Amiga Blue font color instead of the DOS color.

Attached ZIP can be used to upgrade from any previous stable V12.9.X build.

namida · September 12, 2020, 10:45:09 PM

Editor V1.27 released. Hopefully this works out better than V1.25 did, but it's had a lot more testing so here's hoping.

This brings terrain grouping support, autosave, and a few minor nice features. Download link in first post.

namida · October 28, 2020, 05:45:26 PM

Just uploaded some styles updates, thanks to IchoTolot. This fixes some styles that had regressed to pre-V12.7 format. (This is not a problem for 12.9, but will be a problem for 12.10.)

Updated all-styles link on the first page, as well as the individual style downloads via the style manager (or manual links). If you're updating manually, here are the affected styles:
- dex_davinci
- dex_halloween
- flopsy_special (only one object; the rest of this style was fine)
- ichotolot_pieuw_castle
- nin10_misc

Nota_Steve · October 29, 2020, 01:39:23 PM

Hey how's it going? Thank you for all your hard work on this, it's really appreciated. Just a quick question though, I have progressed quite alot through most of the level packs (and finished some) and really don't want to lose the progress again, like I did when I updated from a previous update, however I do want the latest update, is there a way I can do this?

kaywhyn · October 29, 2020, 01:49:02 PM

Hello Nota_Steve,

Going from what version to what version did the loss of progress occur?

Nota_Steve · October 29, 2020, 01:53:48 PM

I don't recall which one it was, I think it was 12.7 to 12.8, it was a fair few ago though....

IchoTolot · October 29, 2020, 01:59:08 PM

You should not lose any progress when updating.

Progress is saved in the "settings" folder in the "userdata.nxsv" file, which should not be overwritten when updating. Your hotkeys and general settings are also saved in that folder.

Did you use an entirely new folder for your update? If yes, copy your progress and settings file from the old version over to the new version.

In any case even loosing your progress should not mean much as it really is just a few green marks in the level selection screen and you are still able to access every level you desire regardless.

If you don't have your old "userdata.nxsv" file you could also use the replays of your solutions, if you saved any, and run a mass replay check to get those green marks back.