. 1 154 Vr I 1r' •a. ••ek 411i# -41111111 1.11, l••• , 1i •111 OOP rr---Well, we couldn't help LTJ ImIrlysorissirr ') ourselves. Last month we 4 brought you the first Lcuf:1 1 Thy, should tx q drfitlft r instalment of the Batman . 11 r IlumbEr oF LethinGiS ZS Diary. This month we t 50 Jo 1st Samd 1 r t decided to go one better, RE I kitt 11 r— ,[DK 4 filleftr and bring you the gossip 1 .1 r- htirc- 0 T OITA on Lemmings as well, . L11 M I I / CI3 EEPEI TT courtesy of its OrtIss button to 0.3ntinue - I+ 1L-•wiLl• Lf• 167 programmers (Alter Developments). So, here's the Work in Progress section — we hope you find it interesting and informative. Oh, and there's a mystery prize for anyone who can suss out Roy Bannon he's a complete loony.

furry fellas walking around to inciuddlreT at a reasonable speed, but on the other hand this •samples. S Go' meant the actual playfield would only cover half the a Another problem was speed. I needed a routine screen — it's impossible to have more than eight that would enable 100 Lemmings to be on screen sprites alongside each other. Having chosen this and check whether they were climbing, digging, way of scrolling, I started to program the bob- blocking, or any of the eight functions they're able routine using Lemmings converted from the original to perform, as well as their basic movement — t Amiga game. When I got them walking. I finished had to be walking and falling at a reasonable six demo versions which were sent to Psygnosis. speed too. This was probably the biggest reason When they saw how brilliant the demos were they for me to choose the sprite-scrolling method, as offered us the contract — you could say I was one this doesn't slow the computer down as much as of the happiest men on the globe. the usual scrolling method. After this brief moment of joy. I had to return to The biggest help with programming Lemmings reality and consider the daunting task of creating was my computer set-up; instead of using only Lemmings on the C64. My biggest enemy was the C64. I linked two together. In the past, I've memory. Try and fit in 120 animations, background connected the C64 with a 0-modern link, graphics, music and sound effects into 64k of programming on one and transferring the data to The Programmer memory and still have space for your code — another, to see the result immediately. Nowadays, THOMAS MITTELMEYER is the guy who somehow, I've managed to do so. All the I've got rid of the cable and use my only working manipulates all the bits 'n bytes in the right order animations featured in the Amiga version can now disk drive (the one Remi gave me doesn't work to ensure those Lemmings walk across the screen. be admired on the 064 version as well. properly) as source for both computers. It's much THOMAS: After long (and tedious) discussions Unfortunately, not everything from the Amiga faster to save the data from my programming with the rest of Alter Developments, we all agreed version could be retained — the level size for computer to the drive, then switch to the test .9 that I was the best man to do the job. The first example. In the 16-bit version of Lemmings, the 11computer and load the data from the drive. Another thing I did was try out different ways of scrolling the levels can be up to five screens wide. You could do big help was the turbo assembler Jerson Tel background. I made six demos and then chose the the same on the C64, but the five screens would fill rewrote- Instead of the usual 4000 lines, this best one — a sprite multiplexer for the background, up the entire memory — so each level had to be assembler enables you to program up to 8000 with the Lemmings 'bobbed' in characters. This reduced to a maximum of two screens. On a more lines and is still compatible with my computer link- 7 method of scrolling enabled me to have 100 of the positive note. I managed to save enough memory up (coz Jerden uses the same one). You might

FLOATER — EXPLODER BLOCKER A nifty Use this on Acting as a umbrella that any critter barrier, a LEMMINGS AT PLAY! will slow down and watch blocker can This shows the rate at CLIMBER — a Lemming's what be used to which the Lemmings Enables a descent happens stop a are reteased-and the Lemming to should it fall when the Lemming percentage which clamber up from a great time limit walking need to be saved. a wall. height. expires. past.

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1_7.71-1) LI!I n Ll1 1 • 3LI. , a 1 B,LI' 12'1:7 • , orn ET3 WO C-FORCEWO No.9 • SEPTEMBER 1993 in Ni l r 1. al 1 '‘' , .- all the ri3curing objects and animati - as the entry and exit points. With these Ba very74 special level. completed, it meant I could focus on the e At-7 first, I found Lemmings to be the ultimate - backgrounds more — there was a lot to work aproject, but now I've worked myself halfway Rocks, columns, bricks and other sluff needed sthrough- it, I've realised it's also my most to be created — and created well challenging project to date, especially t Problems occured while re-designing several considering- the limitations I've got to work with. levels, On the Amiga, levels could be up to five .Still, I think I'm doing a great job, and I'll gladly screens wide, while the maximum the C64 could Tfinish it.

cope with was two. Because of this, I had to cut h - out all the unnecessary parts and if the levels i still exceeded the maximum of two, I had to re- sAs Alter Developments didn't have a musician, design and make sure the solution would be the rwe enroled another freelancer to work on the same as the original Amiga level. I found this a eLemmings project. And who would be suited real pain with some levels, but luckily most of fbetter than JEROEN TEL? Jereon accepted our them could be compacted onto two screens. roffer, so everything you'll hear while playing Animation presented another dilemma, as the Lemmings will be done by the master himself. C64 screen is built up with characters. Each e JEREON: When Remi asked me to do the character is 4 pixels wide and 8 pixels high, the musics for Lemmings, I was working on a CD screen is 40 characters wide and 24 characters featuringh Nintendo game music. I've been high. I needed to draw the animations pixel- workingi on it for months, but took a break wonder why this turbo assembler can handle perfect so they'd fit exactly into a set amount of nespecially to do the Lemmings music. and I've 111. characters. If not, it would be impossible to gbeen doing it with great relish — I didn't see that's the down side of it. Jereon hir include all the animations. This isn't merely gmuch of a problem in adapting the original removed all utilities which can be found " necessary for the water and lava, but for every Amigar music and converting it to the C64. I'm "in 'normal* assemblers. With the single moving object — such as traps and the - tryinga to make the music as cute as the Amiga Lemmings code already exceeding entry and exit-point graphics. I can remember tunes, but I trying to make them 'funkier', as I ' p 1 ,o6000 lines. I'm glad that JT made this drawing several levels and when finished I'd feel the simplistic style of the Amiga wouldn't Oditor — otherwise, it'd lake me even more tested them, only to find that several items were quiteh have the same effect on the C64 — ,4 time to program all those routines. placed wrongly and had to be moved several althoughi I'll try to keep them as sweet as t But hey, I've been having great fun being the pixels. This soil of thing gets really annoying — possible.c One thing's for sure — it's going to w one responsible for programming Lemmings especially when you've just finished a difficult havea that 'MANIACS OF NOISE' touch, like my i (especially when the cheque arnved). It's the level. Speaking of difficult levels, I found the fire otherl soundtracks have. Another point is that c best project any C64 programmer could wish for and lava stages the most taxing to work out. I I'ms limited to using the SID chip sounds on the e Everybody said it was impossible, and voila! I'm only had three colours at my disposal needed C64,t as well as having to compensate for other making it possible! a at least four or five) but I tried my best and I'm '64y limitations or possibilities, as I would say) s quite proud of the result. Another annoyance in speed and memory. However, recently I was would be the amount of times I needed to alter a l m The Graphicer 'given' some extra memory by Thomas for the The second man employed on the Lemmings level. Every time I finished a stage and passed e a sound effects. This enabled me to use digital project was NIKAJ EIJK — he was to be it over to Thomas, he'd call me to make some SOC.m such as the famous Lemmings samples n responsible for all the pixels drawn in the game. 'small* adjustments. Sometimes. I'd get handed —a in particular, 'LET'S GO' and 'OH NO!' y the One who shapes the Lemmings and the a level back three or more times. The biggest throughoutt the game. This means the sound l asserted backgrounds. slip-up was when we actually got to playtest 15 effects are combined SID-sounds as well as i NKJA: When I was asked to do the levels put together for the ECTS in April. I used digitised sounds. n Lemmings graphics by Alter Developments, I black in the backgrounds as a fourth colour, to When I'm making game music. I try to adapt e was delighted to have it as my first BIG project. give extra 'dimension'. However, Thomas it so it enhances the game as much P. s Until then I'd only drawn graphics for some programmed the Lemmings to fall down if they possible. In my opinion, the correct music and a budget games. All the graphics are convened walked over a black spot, so the result in some FX make half of the game. If both are linked from the Amiga version by Remi, and we were s levels was that the Lemmings got stuck in the perfectly, it makes the end product so much lucky in that the 120 animations came through background. due to my usage of colour. more playable. We all know how irritating bad a very well. only requiring some minor patching up. Rectifying that little error was the hardest task music can be, or even worse... bad FX. Instead n Due to the different graphical resolutions of all. Thankfully, the demos were accepted of turning the music off, I'll try to make you turn y between the C64 and Amiga, such animations very well at the show and the whole of the it up louder. o lend to become unusable after they're converted, Psygnosis crew were very impressed. I've done a lot of music, for a lot of BIG titles, t But everything worked brilliantly — the My favourite stage is the BEAST level. Here, but you can only wish for a title such as h baCkgrounds being somewhat bigger, transferred instead of the usual Lemmings screens. I used Lemmings. It must be the most eagerly-awaited e parti:ularly well. graphics from other successful Psygnosis game on the C64 at the moment, and I'm so r Tte first thing I did was to create a library with games — one of them being Shadow 01 The pleased that I'm doing the music for it! - .• • • — , 31JILDISI — DASHER — MINER — MOSIER — In the Available in 111 w Next month the111 diary Gaps inthe Bash Turns a Select this 1• finished the final Elo elandscape through Lemming into and use it version, version this continues with ,--another lcan be any a pick-axe to burrow this symbol will allow all in-depth look at lbridged via obstructing wielding vertical will pause Lemmings to these blocks with miner with tunnels the game be simult- programming pleasures slates. this super the ability to straight when aneously and pains as more smashing dig diagonally down. activated. blown up — icon. down. sounds fun! stages of Lemmings near completion. Well, that's what's supposed to be happening, anyway. Fingers tao_ssed, eh readers? • C-FORCE No.9 • SEPTEMBER 1993 • • ••• a • At the Spnng ECTS game: several puzzled letters After last month's show in London. we and phone calls resulted in instalment, our Dutch agreed to do Tiorkiless complete nothingness. But we were I I for The Sales Curve as still interested in the game as we fell programming friends it was a Lemmings- had some potential. so. half a year later, experienced a few clone of . we decided to make a demo-version of a problems. REMI (BUS ,with Psygnosis to enable us to work on TrockNers9 A five-level Amiga demo of the game A week later we got up to 40 Troddlers walking around in a reports... ,,ortsrepresentative of The Sales Curve promised to send (weout a copy of the game, which we would use to make very early version of the game. and then sent our efforts to The Sales Curve. Their feelings on the eva few small demos — as we did with Lemmings. But MIN: In the last issue of COMMODORE The Sales Curve demo were included in a small letter that staled they en FORCE you read about the teams Int • WWI send us a weren't interested with a C64 Troddiers prolect. but a h impressions of the Lemmings conversion copy of few phone calls later we knew better a their .It seemed that another (Dutch) team Everything was still going smoothly and • without any maim problems d were also working on Tioddiets. You can probably already guess what I'm going to t Thai team had already been offered a say next maror o troubles! Basically. contract, c but if we h P Wei Eak — wasn't a m Ographicer — b 1 n e • 'ob. You may have NIP g • ,•• read or heard the • • rumour(s) e d o o about other potential u i productions r n • involving Alter c g Developments o h (110% called n i • EiSE Software t s Company) r • p such as Zoo/ and Ttoddiers Well, a a c • we're still looking r for a company t t interested in o MB • publishing f Zoog on the t • C64. but h the problem e ei in question \ wasTrodOlers. ''51r•

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mistakes, as the Lemmings refused to enter the exit, but saw it as just another piece of the scenery. Luckily. that only appeared in ten of the 60 levels, as id worked throughout the night to complete that preview. At that meeting Rem' had • • • also brought along three tunes from could come up with a better version of confident Mat we LI have Lemmings finished Jeroen for Lemmings. arid they Troddlets than theirs — before they had in the very near future (and that's the VERY sounded brilliant signed up — we could conceivably been given near future. I hope) Enough stories (read: •ever heard1 I don'tthe Amiga music, but it' the project However, the contract offered didn't give excuses), let's hear what the team has to (reads very)ratherknow simplistic but Jeroen managed to add us enough security to continue — even if we had say. something specialif to make it sound a lot better while made a superior version in the short time scale THOPAAS: This has been a relatively quiet still keeping you'the cuteness necessary for Lemmings. I can't wart to hear the rest. Well I'm off — I've just available, we d have only been paid royalties (a period for me. as I've had to wait for graphics which, ve percentage for each sold copy of the game) and no obviously, were delayed after the incident with Our noticed (yet) another bug... advance. So we decided to drop the Tiodcgets former graphicer. But don't think I didn't have to do LEON: When Rem' called me and asked if I'd like to conversion anything for ages. one of the first thongs I did was to - work on Lemmings. I was over the moon — things All vim interesting Isn't if' But why all this in a improve my level editor. and It's now at its very best. had been a little quiet at the time. I was very happy to Lemmings chary? Well. we knew the other team and Now I can edit an average level in ten minutest But I do some game work again — especially as it was guess who was doing the graphics for also improved my main routine several times in my Lemmings When I got the Amiga graphics and the Troldiers? Nikal Eijkl Not only did he snatch a quest for extra memory — I'm always glad to get converted C64 ones. I immediately started work i conversion away from the company he worked some extra free bytes to fill up again. To date, my favounte levels are the ones we named '= for (at that time still Alter Developments), he also Several extras I'd planned to include at the outset 'The Blue Levels', with their light. blue and fleshy was working on another game while he should have of the project never got a chance to be featured For rose colour combinations These also feature the been working on Lemmings 4 I don't think anyone example. when a Lemming explodes on the Amiga green jelly (no, not the band!). which I've changed so could imagine how angry we were with Nikaj at that till splat out in several points which fly through the that they now. in my opinion, look even better than finis! Our first intention was to completely abandon scenery (quote cool actually) In the beginning I the Amiga versKinl When I'm in a good mood Nikaj. not using any of his graphics and not paying planned to include that, but, due to memory complete three levels a day. but believe me — him a single dime. restnctions. couldn't. I also discovered Lemmings drawing the same kind of pictures day-in and day-out But if we had done that. Lemmings would've been has an end-sequence a picture of a Lemming soon becomes tedious. But stilt when the Lemmings delayed even further, so we decoded to use the surrounded with pictures of DMA Design, the team graphics tend to get on my nerves. I switch to levels he'd already finished at that time, and divide responsible for the original Lemmings on the Amiga drawing something else. or thinking that every day the rest of the graphics between several other There was also a digitised sample of the team the completion of Lemmings draws nearer and freelance graphicers. which seemed to work initially. clapping their hands and cheering about the fact that nearer. However, only two of the five new graphocers actually you'd made it through all 120 levels, so that has to be did anything — namely Alain Jansen (intro graphics) included as well... Well, that's It for k and Leon Van Rooy (level graphics) — so the A few weeks ago (at the time of writing). Greg Lemmings this month. T Duddk3 — the producer • • i Programming Thomas Mittelmeyer 1 Jereon Tel was too busy overfrom toPsygnosis the Netherlands, — came so I• 1 11• ; Music' Jeroen Tel , working on his new CD had, 1 to edit all 60 levels wed L Graphics Leon Van Rooy (mentioned last issue) to finished11 at that time. You e Intro Graphics Alain Jansen contribute to this issue's While we would have finished Lemmings 2-3 months 1",see when I showed some m galore the official deadline we're currently a month of them to Greg. it seemed diary — apparently, it's m hind, but both ourselves and Psygnosis are both that I'd made a few going to be excellent. • i That aside, there's great •n news for mouse owners - g s Lemmings will be t compatible! According to e Remi, it plays like a a dream using one, m although that's not to say c it doesn't work well with u r your standard joystick. r Until next month, then... e n • t l y l o o k s l i k e t h i s . Disaster! We've always considered ourselves unlucky where deadlines are with Psygnosis about the C64 conversion of which game will top the concerned, but everyone Lemmings at the 1991 Autumn ECTS show, and it charts? Obviously, I hope spare a thought for poor took exactly one year for both parties (E&E Software it'll be Lemmings but hi' to John and Steve, and Psygnosis) to sign the contract needed for the anyway. old Denton Designs. conversion. It then took us another year to complete THOMAS: This month I've been doing some last Another project they're the game. During the last few months I've been very minute checking on most of the routines, as well as busy travelling between all the persons involved. finishing the intro. It's almost exactly the same as working on has been re- making sure everything was delivered on time the Amiga version, but because of memory scheduled, meaning (something I obviously completely failed) but right limitations there aren't as many Lemmings falling out they've had to work night now there's only one more visit to do (or two, or of the balloon In the Amiga version, the balloon three whatever) to be the first person with a scrolls onto the screen before the Lemmings drop and day over the past completed version of Lemmings - boy. will I be out, but on the C64 it'll be on the right spot from the month to get it out on glad ifs over beginning. Of course, the most obvious change is at time. In real terms this ,game You and see it grow and progress_ Take it from me the end of the intro — on the Amiga, the screen may— after a few months you consider it your lob. zooms out to show the Lemmings logo. This zoom means... no Batman diary thiinstead of your hobby, and on the end you feel glad alone would fill up The memory ol your C64, so I decided (wisely) to swap the pictures instead of - this month! Sorry folks. nkwhen you finally finish the game Still, the most recent sections I've seen are nothing short of brilliant including the zoom I also had to change some of Oh well — you'll just —it' Ws without a doubt the best 13-brt version ever the graphics due to memory restrictions, as the have to make do with our made,s and even gives several 16 animations stalled to take up too many spntes — on gr EXCLUSIVE Lemmings -for their money. This is going to be THE smash hit the end, I had to rearrange some of the frames of beeafor this versions AutumniWinter — as well as 1994, 1995 animation Allan drew. The sprites are made up of of diary... atand so on run two parts. The first layer is in multicolour low- tthey, mentioned Mayhem In Monsteriand is neanng resolution and features the colours blue, pink and REM: At the time of wnting. the very last alterations completionoWhe as well — as funny as it may seem, both green but is rather blocky. That blocky bit is are being made on Lemmings prnthe games will be completed at the very same time removed by the second layer which is placed over -mill with be on the shelvesany by the time you get to read all I,But (hopefully) Psygnosis will be a bit faster with the the first one od smoother. The actual animation is now drawn in luckthis' So go out and look for it oh, and don't duplicationla and distribution of the game. which gives - usuc a (small. but important) head start The coming black-lines — lust like any cartoon you see on it'llforget to buy it tool st , ifs Lemmings has taken me e months will be television By putting the second layer over the first aca sing roughly two years to complete. I very interesting leone (perhaps that's why they call it overlay-sprites) first talked ll for both the you get the colours of the low-res sprites. and the ed teams — smoothnesscol of the hi-res ones The only negative t ourpoint of this technique is that it uses twice as many h ho- sprites as it would with the low-res e re ones R s, Another thing I've been working on a is the loader. I've had no problems o with the disk loader, as I've w n d programmed disk-based games la before, but as we're catering for tape n a users as well I had to d l look for a tape l• B o r '• t o 1 t 1 h • e - r • s

, • • • 1111 C-F01101 Ile.1 0 • OCTOBIR 1993 1 "I L 'co 'i 1 - V.L•1 1 16 - • s . 1 1 . • . " I L - - 111" 1 • " 111

= MEI El multiloader too • .- • Na After some deep digging, • I finally found an old tape loader called 'ABC Tuft', • written by some dude from the around 200 kilometres away at sound effects, and if it PD scene. I've now come up Thomas' place — to go over and wasn't for the memory with a very short routine which -im• collect them would take too much restnctions I would've produced some let's should work perfectly for Lemmings Now I only time, so we decided to leave those Go and 'Oh Nor samples as well. All the tunes are have to write a small tape mastering program to out and have an *automatic' scroller. conversions of the Amiga music, but only use two convert the disk version to tape. • You probably think my tob's done, but voices. as I had to leave the third voice open for the The only thing left for me to do is the end- that's not the exact truth, as I still have to sound effects I still think I've done a good lob_ sequence, which we discovered when we had the do eight more levels to complete (don't tell anyone!) Sadly, as the music is the smallest part of the game half-finished. The original Amiga sequence but Thomas assures me that they shouldn't be a game (I get equally well paid though. heh heh) features a picture of a lemming surrounded by problem with his editor. Once I've finished those, I there's not much else I can say — oh. and I've to digitised pictures of the team responsible for the can finally start working on the last two pictures for pack for a small business trip right now. To me, game (DMA Design. fact tans), as well as a temmingslemmings has been an expenence for Lemmings has been a fun project to do, and I'm sampled applause — we decided to do the same. me. as its the first big (and I mean BIG) err:rot I've proud to have my name in the credits. but with our pictures. After we'd took photographs of been involved with If you compare C64 Lemmings FENN: Wel, that's the end of the third and last pad of ourselves standing around a box (which doesn't with other 8-bit console versions... we've wiped the the Lemmings diary. I'd like to thank all those who even slightly resemble a lemming. but was the first floor with them. I'm looking forward to doing more have been involved in its production, but limited thing we found that was the right size after Jeroen's work with the Commodore, y'know page space stops me from doing so — the list cat escaped!) we spent the rest of the day sampling JEREON: I'm very happy to have worked on would easily need an extra page I'll Just leave it our cheenng. clapping. stamping and whistling — Lemmings, as it's THE most eagerly-awaited game with the man who deserves it the most, a man who' the result is great! But you have to work yourself on the C64 And I'm impressed by Thomas. as out has done everything possible for us and the through 1(X) levels before you can witness this of all the people to have worked on Lemmings he's conversion of Lemmings — Greg Duckilel He's the marvellous peoce of programming (heh heth the one to have made the producer from Psygnosis, who's had to listen to all , Anyway, despite the fact this conversion's been a impossible possible! My lob our excuses, delay lies, stones, and much much )real pain in the ass for me. itif be — without a doubt I was to convert the music more, whole having to report all that to the big — the most technically-advanced C64 game ever, — something I've done bosses — in other words, his ass was on the line if and certainly worth the trouble_ do for a lot of games — but we decided to take a vacation to Hawaii instead of LEON: My most important work this month was you won't find my best m the menu, as it had to look great and be finished gi • • • wLemmings. So quickly. I'm happy with the end result — fully m not that I haven't done o a animated and exactly the same as ifs Amiga • as much as I could, but • thankr a you to let's face it. it's Greg, and a counterpart Well, lobe honest, not quite w k v conversion work — very big exactly. On the Amiga there's a scroller at the o i e bottom of the screen, activated by two small something that would rgoodbye to you r limit anyone In total n readers. lemmings turning a wheel which makes the y scroller erm... scroll The oroginal idea was to k I've finished nine g See ye! i level tunes with o b include them, but to do so I had to have the onginal • lemming animations n n i Predicate*, L g these are e m m i n g All good things come to s I an end, but wait — it's t not over for Lemmings ' yet. Next month we'll s have a massive review of it, so restrain any suicidal urges 'till then, okay? • ,siooid tioddl 1

iliiiiLhte i-tt hi I i OSOZ to lk Sou(ad ( 1t QtTitle 4 Itinutcs tricii) tw it_ You can't blame people J for being cynical. Convert Lemmings to the C64? V Impossible. Or so it seemed. EatE software% conversion of the original Amiga classic is every bit as good as we'd hoped it to be.

have lust put the finishing touches to E Lemmings — possibly Ihe most hotly-awaited Stitle for the C64 in years. Despite endless deadline oextensions, controversy and, of course, the Edeparture ol Nikai Epic they've managed to make it S— in our opinion — the best 8-bit version of the oDMA Design(ed) classic After all the its and buts, fit's finally ready. but, with the benefit of hindsight, would the team do anything differentty? t 'I would've seen to it that the communication have used a PC with Cross Assembler and port as seven in the morning, having worked through betweenw the members of the team — and everything down to the C64. instead of the lour the whole night.' reveals Thomas. 'only to find the aPsygnosis — would be better.' admits Remi, 'I'm C64 set-up I'm using al the moment.' disk I'd been saving all my essential code on had surer thongs could have gone a lot smoother* But did the team ever have their doubts about corrupted,' e Thomas, on the other hand, is more concerned the conversion? Were they ever tempted to throw Remo, on the other hand, reveals a more (with the technical side of things. For a Mad I'd the towel in and call it a day? 'Yes, on times such optimistic attitude 'Not really. Of course, there were moments where things lust didn't seem to go f the way we'd have wanted them to go. but I never o stopped believing we were able to pull it off.* r Jeroen sums il up in a single word 'No.' m We asked the team about the biggest problem a they encountered during production. *Squeezing as l much as possible into the memory — every bit l used, says Thomas. with Jeroen also having y suffered technical difficulties 'Separating the audio A iat#' data from the audio driver,' explains the tunester l 'Usually these are loaded into memory at the same Leon: Jeroen: Remi: Thomas: lime. In Lemmings, the driver is loaded once while t the data is loaded in even, level. This was needed e Remi! Programmer to save disk space.' Thomas' response is a little rGraphicer Musician D Later. I did some tests — on a e C64 of all things — but v eventually Dave Jones took up e the challenge on the Amiga. and. l DAi rs history was made.' Did Mike think Lemmings would be as o hundreds of little men walking up to a gun and getting successful as it has been? 'No.' he says. 'Okay, we p individual known as Mike Dailly of DMA shot, A guy called Gary Timmonds then added some thought it would be big. but not. BIG!' mT heDesign. man behindWe asked Lemmings, him how so the to idea speak, was is an other men, touched up the animations and then we let Finally, we enquired about Psygnosts' reaction after e formed, to which he responded: 'This one's in the others see it. Russel Kay the programmer of PC first: seeing Lemmings Mike confidently answers 'If n history books by now, but if you've lost yours I'm Lemmings and Lemmings 2 — was somewhat you remember most people's reaction when they first t sore I can let you know._ amused and was sure there was a game in there saw it. it was much the same with Psygnosis. One big One lunchtime around August 1990 I was somewhere. He then did some tests Lemmings - occupying my time by creating a small Dpaint walking around, falling etc. and this was shown to Wthan that, can you? animation. It was only eight frames, but had Psygnosis at one of the computer shows in London, O Finally. we managed to get in touch with a fellow - W • C•FORCE No.12 • NOVEMBER 1993 , C O O L - . Y o D u c a n ' t r e a l i\ l y s a y m u c h m o r e Leon had to make as programmer and graphicer respectively? Thomas answers 'Having to squeeze the five•screen Amiga levels into two -.omens on the C64 — you could say they're ompletely new levels. Also having to leave out some levels and traps due to memory restrictions.' Leon, again, is preoccupied with golden hues. 'Creating colourful levels with only four colours. he says, echoing many a graphic artist's dissatisfaction with the Ceol's limited palette more colourful. Only having two different colours But would they do it all again? Remes out of a pallet of lour to create a light source on all indecisive 1 think so... or...* is a sharp contrast to the obiects and grounds:. with Remi cheekily Thomas' quick 'Get real!' However. Leon's tar admitting 'Trying to find new excuses to keep more positive about the protect. responding Psygnosis happy and interested!' 'Certainly!', in a similar manner to Jereon's Obviously. fitting every element of the Amiga 'Absolutely!' original into the C64 version would be nigh. We don't know about you lot out there, but if impossible What where the most difficult this is what the E&E guys can do with their first compromises Thomas and ever piece ol commercial software, we eagerly await future productions.

nown as Greg Duddle, He's the Producer of Lemmings, and has been involved with more games than most people have eaten hot dinners Having heard about E&E's excuses (Rem's in particular), we asked him what it was like to be working with the team, 'Remi and the others! Hmmm,.. although a decent, likeable bunch and very competent on the C64. they were notoriously difficult to pin down to any kind of deadline — "it's almost ready, it'll arrive on FrKlay etc -Lemmings had affected him in any way, 'Aaarghl' .he said 'I can't believe it's overt'. Whatever could he mean...? Fi n • C-FORCE No.1211 NOVEMBER 1993 al ly , w e e n q u i r e d i f w o r k i n g o n C 6 4