Lemmings DS

Mathew Carr

Lemmings DS Customisation - June 2007

You can create your own custom Level Sets for Lemmings DS using the tools available on the Lemmings DS web site...

A custom Level Set consists of the following:

• A series of custom Lemmings DS Level files (.lds)

  These will be presented to the player in ascending filename order.

• Any number of custom Lemmings DS Texture Archives (.lta)

  These allow you to reduce the total filesize of your Level Set by grouping textures commonly used in your levels into a single external file. (It is possible for you to manually use the 'import' system in Lemmings DS Builder to attach the textures on a per-level basis. This may be preferable if each level uses a unique set of textures.)

• Any number of correctly named custom Lemmings DS Graphical Objects (.lgo)

  If you wish, you can include your own custom Entrances, Exits, Traps, Hazards, Uninteractives and Water Graphical Objects instead of the standard Lemmings ones.

• Any number of custom . XM Music modules

  If you include any custom modules, then these will be used in lieu of the default soundtrack. If you only include a single track, then it will be played over and over again! To solve this, either include a selection of songs, or copy your favourites from the default soundtrack into your new Level Set.

Creating a custom Level Set is easy! It's best to do things in the following order:

1. Create the directory structure for your new Level Set

   Custom Level Sets should have the following directory structure:

   'main directory' - Your Level Set's main directory should be the title of your level set. All of the .lds files should be in here. 'custom_graphical_objects' - All of your .lgo objects should be in here. They should be named entrance_0.lgo, entrance_1.lgo etc. If your level set has custom graphical objects assigned, then this directory is where they will be loaded from. 'custom_music_ingame' - All of your .xm modules should be in here. They will be played randomly while the player is playing through the level set sequence. If you include any custom modules, then these will be used in lieu of the default soundtrack. If you only include a single track, then it will be played over and over again! To solve this, either include a selection of songs, or copy your favourites from the default soundtrack into your new Level Set. 'custom_texture_archives' - All of your .lta files should be in here. When a level from your Level Set is selected for play, the game will first try to load the linked texture archive from this directory. If it cannot be found here, then it will check the standard directory.

   You can omit unused directories if you wish.

2. Create the frames for your custom graphical objects.

   Don't forget that all of the frames for any one graphical object must be correctly named (I suggest making seperate directories for each object: /custom_object_pngs/entrance_1/00.png etc), must have the same 16 colour palette, and that graphical object source PNGs must be 256 colour.

3. Work out the parameters you'll need to create your graphical objects and use lemmings_graphical_object to create the necessary .lgo files.

   To work out handle positions and active zone sizes, I find it helps to load frames into Usenti, and use a zoomed in view to identify the correct pixels. (Or use graph paper!) Don't forget to identify the transparent colour.

4. Create and arrange the frames for your custom texture archives.

   Remember that all texture archive textures need to use the same palette. Check the lemmings_texture_archiver documentation for more details.

5. Work out the parameters you'll need to create your texture archives and use lemmings_texture_archiver to create the necessary .lta files.

6. Delete any custom graphical objects or texture archives in your Lemmings DS Builder directory, and copy in your new custom objects and archives.

   It helps to have a fresh start when dealing with custom objects. (Two custom Level Sets may have different exit_0.lgo files, for example. If you mix together graphical objects from two different Level Sets without fixing the numbers, you may end up junctioning a custom graphical object that doesn't actually exist in your new level set.)

7. Create the levels that will make up your custom Level Set using any custom resources you've created.

   Use any mixture of standard and custom objects that you see fit. Remember that you can only link to a single texture archive. If you wish to use textures from multiple archives, you will have to import the extraneous textures manually.

   It is a good idea to use a consistent naming scheme when naming your level files. It is a good idea to at least include information such as the version of Lemmings DS used to play your level and the level number. You could also include the level name and your name.

8. Copy all of your custom files into your new Level Set directory structure

   Use the above guide to make sure you place the files in the correct directories.

9. Copy your newly created Level Set into the /custom/ directory in your Lemmings DS installation

   A good indication of whether or not you have created your Level Set correctly is that it resembles the layout of the /standard/ directory.

10. Test! Test!

    Don't forget to test!

To share your new Level Set with others, archive your Level Set's main directory, and host it online. All other players have to do is copy your Level Set into their /custom/ directory and Lemmings DS will automatically add it to the level select screen!

Don't forget to delete the 'progress.txt' savegame file before you place your Level Set online (unless you want to make a level as completed for some reason)