I'm still here, and I still love Lemmings :)

[weirdybeardy]

Hello all. I think I'm one of the "newer" members of the forum, and it's over a year since I joined.  :winktounge: Anyway, it's been a while since I posted, and now I'm back. Since Sony shut down the servers for the Lemmings PSP/PS2 database, I've been focussing more on PC Lemmings. At some point in the not-too-distant future I'd like to learn how to use Lemmix to re-create my PS2 levels in PC-playable format and upload them onto the archive so more people can play them. They're not really that difficult, but I think it's worth doing... isn't it? Isn't that what this community is all about?

So, um, yeah. That's all, really. I'm still here, and I still love Lemmings. 

PS. I only just discovered Lacktardo's Lemmings videos. That's part of the reason why I was inspired to return to the forum...

[Tim]

Yea totally worth it to create them for PC. And Lemmix is quite simple to use once you get aroud the initial blockage of finding out all the controls and stuff on where to put the levels and where to put lemmix into to get the graphics sets

And about the videos, yep his videos are cool too. Plus if you like the Mario series of games ive created a graphics set dedicated to it My youtube page has got the ones ive made so far...
http://www.youtube.com/user/timfoxxy


P.S. Welcome back

[weirdybeardy]

Umm... How on Earth do I use Lemmix to create new levels? I've had a look at the software itself and the documentation that came with the download, and I don't really know where to start... I'm no idiot, but it still seems complicated...

[Tim]

Honestly you are better off talking direct to the program creator, EricLang (member of this forum). However since he isnt online much anymore it may require help from multiple members here to get into. Ill guide you in the right direction, even try to solve some problems if I know how to fix them
First thing to do is to get the program from its website:
http://home.hccnet.nl/ericenzwaan/lemmix/lemmix.htm

You will see a link showing "Download Lemmix Level Editor latest alpha version" This should be self explanitory
Now it is reccommended to keep scrolling down past that link after downloading to have a look at the information on Mouse usage, Controls and basics on making a level. It also helps to examine the two screenshots of the program at the bottom


On to re-creating your levels. If you know which graphics set and which game they came from (whether it be the original lemmings, oh no more lemmings, holiday lemmings,etc) then this will make it easier.
Although it is possible to combine graphics sets of different games like I did, it would be reccomended to use just one set of graphics sets. As far as I know the graphics files do not come with Lemmix and you will need to find them yourself, or get one of us to send them to you.

I'm nearly falling asleep with so much of this typing, lol, so I think ill end it for now. Any further help you need just ask us

[weirdybeardy]

Thanks very much for that! It's mainly the controls I have to get to grips with. It seems a bit tricky to get everything neat and precise, and I'm still not sure how to properly define steel areas: I create it, then it disappears...

Anyway, I'll see what I can figure out. 

Thanks again.

[geoo]

Press F7 (or check View -> Steel Rendering).

F11 (or check View -> Inspector Window) will pop up the inspector window where you can set the size of the area.

[weirdybeardy]

Thank you for that. Is there an easy way to do lots of tiling over a large area? It seems like it would take a long time to get all the bricks (for instance) lined up perfectly...

And another thing, while I'm at it.  :winktounge: What's your advice on getting the grass to look right in Dirt style? It seems very... fiddly.

[Clam]

To create a tessellating pattern, make up the unit that you want to be repeated, select it, press Ctrl+C and then select Edit/Paste Special (or Shift+Ctrl+V). You can choose the number of copies and the horizontal and vertical distance between copies (unfortunately you'll have to figure out the distance yourself). Keep in mind that the positive Y-direction is DOWN, not up - that has caused me a lot of confusion

As for the grass, yes it is fiddly and there isn't much you can do about that. Most of the "ground" pieces can be covered nicely with the available grass pieces. Zoom in really close and make sure there's no gaps between the dirt and the grass, and no dirt showing through the top of the grass.

[Tim]

All correct there

Beardy, I can let you have a bit of a fiddle with one of my levels with grass in it, so you can get used to how the grass placement works in Lemmix. Ill give you the direct download link of it that is on my website, at least until it pops up on this forum.

http://www.geocities.com/timfoxxy_236/lemmingland.zip

You should be able to play the level in both Lemmini and CustLemm, there are 2 files for each. Hope it helps

[weirdybeardy]

Thanks again! This is really useful thread. I can use it bounce ideas and questions off the forum, and hopefully the answers might be of some use to other people who are learning to use Lemmix like myself. 

I noticed that some of the original Dirt style Lemmings levels have gaps in the grass and stuff. It's amazing how, once you start constructing levels yourself, you notice how the original DMA levels suddenly look like they're made of bits and pieces, whereas before they seemed so seamless! 

[Tim]

Cool

By the way, you can also create your own graphics set for Lemmings. Some of us from another lemmings fan site already have a few new graphics sets of our own

Check out my levels at my YouTube page that ive made (I think you are going to like them lol) so far:
http://www.youtube.com/user/timfoxxy

[weirdybeardy]

Me again. More questions:

I noticed that the screen start seems to default at the far left of the screen. What's the easiest way to make it a bit more centralised? Is it possible to change the default?

It seems difficult to layer tiled objects/terrain correctly? Is there an easy way to change the layers (ie. which item is "on top" of the pile), without deleting them all and starting again from scratch? This would make creating neat terrain easier...

And finally: does everything have to fit into the space in pixels that are multiples of 8??? If so, this could be a potential nightmare... Surely there's an easier way...?

Thanks again!

[geoo]

The Inspector Window (F11) and Level Properties Window (F10) are particularly useful for various issues you named:
In the latter, set screen start to 640 = (1600-320)/2 for a centered screen start; I don't think that there is a default option for this though.

As for tile layering, the Inspector Window is of particular use: You can set the index value to have a tile appear in front or behind other tiles; higher value means in front of more tiles. You can also set the no-overwrite flag to ensure the tile is in the background. Same applies for objects, with the difference that they are always in front of terrain unless you set the no-overwrite flag. You can see the

On the Lemmix site you can read the key definitions; in order to move a tile a single pixel, hold Ctrl and the appropriate arrow key. You can also drag pieces with the mouse.
You should note that original Lemmings has some additional limitations: positions of steel areas have to be divisible by 4, and the x-coordinate of objects has to be divisible by 8. In View -> Trigger areas you'll see that objects' trigger areas' positions have to be divisible by 4 as well.

[weirdybeardy]

I'm still having trouble with trigger areas. Even with the rendering switched on, I can't even get something as simple as an exit lined up properly. They keep walking right past it...! What am I doing wrong? 

[Clam]

Trigger areas work when they come into contact with the lemmings' feet. That means they have to be IN the ground (i.e. overlapping with the terrain that the lemmings walk over) rather than on top of it. Some traps will work when lemmings fall into them (like the flamethrowers, for example) but most traps, as well as exits, require the lemmings to walk into them. If these are in the ground properly, they will also work when the lemmings fall into them - even if they would normally splat when they fall from that height

I look forward to playing your levels