NeoLemmix V12.12.5, Editor V1.40 Released

[namida]

It's finally here! As most of you will know, the main drawcard of this update is that it brings the final two new skills to the table - the Slider, who can slide down walls / off overhangs, and the Laserer, who destroys terrain at range with a laser beam.

There's a few smaller but nice features too for content designers - we now have a dedicated object type for only-on-terrain decorations, the triggered animation objects are back (now also with a single-use variant - and for those of you who don't like these, hiding backgrounds will also hide these), and it's now possible for a level to specify that the screen start position should be determined automatically. A few more small but nice tweaks too, and as (almost) always some bugfixes; check the changelog for the full list.

Overall changelog, V12.11.3 -> V12.12.4

################
# New Features #
################
> Added two new skills: Slider and Laserer.
> Added support for automatic screen start position in levels.
> Added support for a hotkey to show used skill counts (rather than remaining).
> Added a general records for levels (like the user records, but includes results from other users' replays). To be clear, this is not an online feature; it simply records results from other people's replays you've watched (or run through the mass checker).
> Implemented a "Paint" object. This is a no-effect object with "only on terrain" drawing always enabled.
> Reimplemented the triggered animation object, along with a single-use counterpart. These will not be shown if the user has Hide Backgrounds on.

##################
# User Interface #
##################
> Added a "Download All" button to the Style Manager.
> Added a warning when mass saving images if styles are missing.
> Font used in Windows-style menus has been replaced with one that scales nicely at higher DPI.
> Improved spacing on the level records display.
> Multiple trigger areas overlapping each other will be a darker color in clear physics mode than a single object's trigger area.
> Replay editor displays newest action in bold, and actions added in insert mode in blue. Also, it has a placeholder item added to mark the current frame.
> When a dropdown box for a replay naming pattern is clicked into, the human-friendly text will be replaced with the actual pattern to allow for using the defaults as a base.

#################
# Other Changes #
#################
> Cleansing a level now adds a comment in the file to note which NL version was used to cleanse it.
> Cursor no longer snaps to center at the start of gameplay.
> Minor fixes to Xmas lemming sprites.
> The "Functional" hotkey layout has been slightly revised - some skills no longer have hotkeys, and "Previous Skill" / "Next Skill" now do.
> The "Only On Terrain" feature (except as an inherent attribute of Paint objects) is considered deprecated (but is not yet culled).

#######################
# Bug Fixes - Physics #
#######################
> Fixed Stoners not losing their permanent skills like Bombers do.
> Fixed Fencers sometimes turning around when fencing near the top of the level.
> Fixed Jumpers sometimes being able to bounce off a zombie-blocker without becoming infected.
> Fixed Reachers and Jumpers being able to exit.
> Fixed Shimmiers being able to pass under the bottom of the level.
> Fixed zombies bouncing off forcefields or splitters, sometimes infecting a "random" unrelated blocker.

#####################
# Bug Fixes - Other #
#####################
> Fixed bug where clicking Download or Update All in the Style Manager when no styles are selected / have updates available respectively, causes a divide by zero error.
> Fixed bug where cleansing levels while not having a copy of style(s) used by it would result in the placeholder piece (the one with the ? on a checkerboard) being hard-written into the output NXLV file.
> Fixed bug where custom pre-level text screen backgrounds were ignored, and the post-level text screen background was instead used for both pre- and post-level text screens.
> Fixed bug where objects' primary animations (and sometimes physics) behave glitchy if the user pauses while the level is loading, then immediately loads a replay without pausing or frame advancing.
> Fixed bug where the title.nxmi entries for positioning the rank graphic were ignored.
> Fixed bug which may prevent auto-generated rank name graphics from working.
> Fixed lack of a default hotkey for Jumper.
> Fixed the extremely slow start-up when the user has a lot of saved progress.
> Fixed various positioning / sizing issues with the level select menu on high-DPI displays.

Changelog, V12.11.3 -> V12.12.0

################
# New Features #
################
> Added two new skills: Slider and Laserer.
> Added support for automatic screen start position in levels.
> Added support for a hotkey to show used skill counts (rather than remaining).
> Added a general records for levels (like the user records, but includes results from other users' replays). To be clear, this is not an online feature; it simply records results from other people's replays you've watched (or run through the mass checker).
> Implemented a "Paint" object. This is a no-effect object with "only on terrain" drawing always enabled.
> Reimplemented the triggered animation object, along with a single-use counterpart. These will not be shown if the user has Hide Backgrounds on.

##################
# User Interface #
##################
> Multiple trigger areas overlapping each other will be a darker color in clear physics mode than a single object's trigger area.
> Replay editor displays newest action in bold, and actions added in insert mode in blue. Also, it has a placeholder item added to mark the current frame.
> When a dropdown box for a replay naming pattern is clicked into, the human-friendly text will be replaced with the actual pattern to allow for using the defaults as a base.

#################
# Other Changes #
#################
> Cursor no longer snaps to center at the start of gameplay.
> Minor fixes to Xmas lemming sprites.
> The "Functional" hotkey layout has been slightly revised - some skills no longer have hotkeys, and "Previous Skill" / "Next Skill" now do.
> The "Only On Terrain" feature (except as an inherent attribute of Paint objects) is considered deprecated (but is not yet culled).

#######################
# Bug Fixes - Physics #
#######################
> Fixed Stoners not losing their permanent skills like Bombers do.
> Fixed Fencers sometimes turning around when fencing near the top of the level.
> Fixed Jumpers sometimes being able to bounce off a zombie-blocker without becoming infected.
> Fixed Reachers and Jumpers being able to exit.
> Fixed Shimmiers being able to pass under the bottom of the level.

#####################
# Bug Fixes - Other #
#####################
> Fixed bug where objects' primary animations (and sometimes physics) behave glitchy if the user pauses while the level is loading, then immediately loads a replay without pausing or frame advancing.
> Fixed lack of a default hotkey for Jumper.

Changelog, V12.12.0 -> V12.12.1

> Added two Laserer sketches (one for the laser overall, one for the blast alone).
> Fixed bug: Rank sign positioning lines in title.nxmi were ignored.

Changelog, V12.12.1 -> V12.12.2

> Changed the font used in Windows-style menu screens to one that scales nicely on high-DPI displays.
> Cleansing a level now adds a comment at the start of the output file noting which NeoLemmix version was used to cleanse it.
> Fixed bug where custom pre-text screen backgrounds are ignored, and custom post-text screen backgrounds are used for both pre-text and post-text screens.
> Fixed data loss issues when cleansing levels from which some pieces are missing in the user's style collection.
> Fixed issues with sizing of some elements in the level select menu on high-DPI displays.
> Fixed issue with slow startup times if the user has a lot of saved progress and/or a lot of levels that include talismans.

Changelog, V12.12.2 -> V12.12.3

> Fixed a bug introduced in V12.12.2, where themes fail to load.

Changelog, V12.12.3 -> V12.12.4

> Fixed a bug where a zombie bouncing off a splitter or force-field may infect a "random" blocker, even if the blocker is nowhere near the zombie.

Changelog, V12.12.4 -> V12.12.5

> Added a "Download All" button to the Style Manager.
> Added a warning when mass saving images if styles are missing.
> Improved spacing on the level records display.
> Fixed bug where clicking Download or Update All in the Style Manager when no styles are selected / have updates available respectively, causes a divide by zero error.
> Fixed bug which may prevent auto-generated rank name graphics from working.

Editor changelog, V1.36 -> V1.40

(Inbetween versions were experimental only)

> Added support for V12.12.X features (auto screen start, paint objects, Slider and Laserer skills)
> Fixed bug which may sometimes erase the skillset (or other level info)

Download: https://www.neolemmix.com/download.php?id=567 (permalink to V12.12.5)
Styles: https://www.neolemmix.com/download.php?program=52 (link will always download latest styles download)
Editor: https://www.neolemmix.com/download.php?id=512 (permalink to V1.40)

Game source (Delphi): https://bitbucket.org/namida42/neolemmixplayer/
Editor source (C#): https://bitbucket.org/namida42/neolemmixeditor/

You no longer need to download the styles; this is just provided for if you want to quickly grab all of them in one go. You can instead download styles as needed in-game, which is the recommended way to obtain styles and may be more up-to-date than the all styles ZIP.

If you are upgrading from V12.11.X or earlier, please set up in a new folder (you can copy over your Levels and Settings folders). If you are upgrading from V12.12.0-RC builds, you can just extract over the top of it.

What do I need to do with my existing content?

There are three things that content creators should be aware of with V12.12.X.

1. Lemming sprites for the Laserer and Slider skills
If you have any styles with custom lemming sprites, you will need to add sprites for the Laserer and Slider skills. Please note that the Slider skill has two associated new states - Slider itself of course, as well as Dehoister.

2. Levels that use the "Only On Terrain" feature on objects
"Only On Terrain" is now considered deprecated. It still currently works, but support will be removed in the future. If the object is designed to be used as an only-on-terrain object, it should be changed from "no effect" to the "paint" object type by the style's creator. If it is not designed for this, reconsider whether it should be used as such - there could be valid cases for doing so, but be cautious of creating anything that may be misleading - and if it is definitely suitable, you will need to create a duplicate object with a "paint" instead of "no effect" type. There is no rush to do this - support for old-style only-on-terrain will not be removed until at least NeoLemmix V12.15.0. To be very clear - one-way arrows are not included in this, and no changes are needed to them.

3. General custom levels
As there have been some physics bug fixes, which could potentially have side effects, as always you should run a mass replay check on your levels. In particular pay attention to levels that use the Jumper, Shimmier, Stoner or Fencer skills. Additionally, any levels made with the Slider using V12.12.0-RC4 or lower, or the Laserer using V12.12.0-RC3 or lower, should be re-checked.

[namida]

Link to the "New Skills Levels" topic from during the experimental phase: https://www.lemmingsforums.net/index.php?topic=5227.0

(Creators are advised to re-test and include in actual packs of course, but it's something to get started with.)

[NieSch]

Yippee! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the project namida!

[IchoTolot]

Report: No replay breakage in my library!

Tested packs:

- Assorted Gubbins
- ArtLems
- DoveLems
- Lemmings World Tour
- DoveLems
- Lemmings Reunion
- Lemmings United
- NL Intro Pack
- PimoLems
- Lemmings Destination

[namida]

Yeah, I didn't find any breakage in my packs either. I also tried switching my levels to use the auto screen start position - out of all my packs, only a handful of levels (perhaps 10 or so) needed to use manual positions, and even most of these were not a huge deal (it was often a case like, the level is symmetrical and the start is in the middle, so the screen starting off-center was awkward).

[Paul]

Hello, thanks for this new version. Played a few levels from different packs and it worked fine.

> Added a general records for levels (like the user records, but includes results from other users' replays).

I guess it has something to do with the orange check marks but they're attached to a few levels only and still, they're showing my informations. Is that normal or am I missing on something?(online features enabled).

[namida]

I guess it has something to do with the orange check marks but they're attached to a few levels only and still, they're showing my informations. Is that normal or am I missing on something?(online features enabled).

This isn't an online feature in any way. In previous versions, if you load your own replay, it'll update your records, whereas if you load someone else's replay, it wouldn't. Now, it still has a "personal records" tracker, but it also has a second "everyone's records" tracker that even other people's replays will count towards. You still need to actually load and play back the replay (either in-game or via a mass replay check) on your local copy of NL.

As awesome as online records would be, there isn't any way I can think of to do them that wouldn't be vulnerable to fake records, other than relying on someone manually verifying them.

[WillLem]

As awesome as online records would be, there isn't any way I can think of to do them that wouldn't be vulnerable to fake records, other than relying on someone manually verifying them.

Require a replay? NL's replay checker could then autoverify the record.

[namida]

As awesome as online records would be, there isn't any way I can think of to do them that wouldn't be vulnerable to fake records, other than relying on someone manually verifying them.

Require a replay? NL's replay checker could then autoverify the record.

Someone would need to download NeoLemmix, run the replays through them, and upload the verified records data (which, presumably, would just be the data saved in their progress file after running a mass check). It is not currently possible for the server itself to run NeoLemmix and validate them (NL is a Windows app, the server runs Linux, this is not a case where emulators / similar are an option).

[namida]

I've just released a styles update with some fixes to issues in both the Default and Xmas lemming sprites. These are purely visual (though in one case affects the athlete/etc recoloring), but if you'd like the fix, grab the all-styles download from the first post, or update "Default" and "Xmas" via the in-game style manager.

In case anyone was concerned about it - it is correct that the new all-styles zip is about 6MB smaller than the last one and that some files that haven't nominally changed are not byte-for-byte identical - basically, did some stuff with the PNG files to make them smaller, but there is no difference to the actual graphic contained (rather, it's better compression / removing unneeded metadata / etc).

[namida]

V12.12.1 update released. Fixes a cosmetic bug affecting custom title screen layouts, and adds sketches for the Laserer.

Attached ZIP can be used to update from 12.12.0-stable; for anything else please use the full download in the first post.

If you've made / downloaded a custom Laserer sketch, be aware that it will be overwritten when upgrading to V12.12.1.

[namida]

For those of you who rely on the all-styles ZIP, it's just been updated.

[tor]

There is a long time problem with the installer: If it encounters a problem with a zip file, it just stops installing instead of skipping the bad zip file and continue installing.

[namida]

There is a long time problem with the installer: If it encounters a problem with a zip file, it just stops installing instead of skipping the bad zip file and continue installing.

The installer has not been updated, maintained or in any way officially supported for a while now.

[namida]

Just want to note here that several physics bugs have been found with the Slider. As such, it is very possible that some minor breakage (especially of replays; probably less so of entire levels) may occur when 12.13 comes on levels that use the Slider - if you are the kind of person who doesn't tend to update / maintain their content, you may wish to avoid using the Slider in your levels for now.

To be clear it's not going to be culled; this is just a warning to expect 12.13 to have some Slider fixes that may cause replay breakage (and, much less likely but not impossible, level breakage). It also will not require any changes / updates to custom sprites.

And also to be clear, this is only the Slider that's affected. No bugs have been reported with the Laserer since its inclusion in stable NeoLemmix builds.