3D Lemmings
Encyclopedia
Lemmings (video game)
Lemmings is a puzzle computer game developed by DMA Design and published by Psygnosis in . Originally developed for PC and Commodore Amiga, Lemmings was one of the most popular computer games of its time, and several gaming magazines gave it some of their highest review scores at the time...
game, requires the player to lead all the lemmings to their exit by giving them the appropriate "skills". It was the first Lemmings game to be rendered in 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
. It was released for DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
.
Storyline
There is no actual narrative to the game. The only introduction is a movie. It shows a completely flat (2D) lemming popping out of a computer's floppy drive, and finding a "3D" button to press, which makes him 3-dimensional. After that, the PC blows up and the (now 3D) lemmings inside it escape. Other movies play after completing each set of 20 levels, but are not connected by a storyline.Gameplay
3D Lemmings is played by using four different, movable cameraCamera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s to fly around and get an overview of the level. While some levels have fixed cameras, most of the time they can be freely moved at any time, although without the ability to tilt up or down. Another viewing option is the "virtual
Virtual
The term virtual is a concept applied in many fields with somewhat differing connotations, and also, differing denotations.The term has been defined in philosophy as "that which is not real" but may display the salient qualities of the real....
lemming" (VL) which allows the player to see through the eyes of a selected lemming.
All skills from the original game are available, with one new one: the turner. A turner is similar to a blocker, in that he stands in one place and can only be removed by being blown up or dug out from underneath. However, instead of making other lemmings turn back, he directs them 90 degrees either left or right, as chosen by the player. Diagonally positioned blocks in levels will also make lemmings move left or right (basically reflecting them).
One of the by-products of being 3D was the importance of the camera-handling. Even though most of the levels didn't need complex camera setups, some levels could only be solved if the player was skilled enough to move the camera in the correct way - or by using the Virtual Lemming mode: One level
Level (video gaming)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
featured a massive indestructible block of wall with the lemmings arriving on top - the only way the player was able to deliver the lemmings to the bottom floor was by digging through a certain part of the block which was left destructible - the only way to handle that was to use the VL mode because the player was unable to fit the camera through the hole. Some levels included rooms or halls where the camera couldn't go in to (or come out from) and the player had to peek in through windows or use VL mode.
The release rate buttons, i.e. to increase or decrease rate of lemmings; instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
mode; and fast forward button all return from previous games. Levels are once again divided into four difficulty settings: Fun, Tricky, Taxing and Mayhem. There are 20 levels of each setting, with 20 more practice levels to learn about different game elements. Each level has a set amount of lemmings again, and can be returned to through the use of password
Password (video games)
In many video games of the 8-bit and, to a lesser extent, 16-bit eras , after a level was beaten and/or when all continues were used, the game would display a password, that when entered in the game would allow the player to return to this part in the game...
s.
Cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s are shown at the end of certain level milestones, which feature lemmings from the various 3D Lemmings themes (army, computer, etc).
Passwords
The passwords in 3D Lemmings are not a random series of numbers-and-letters, but real (though uncommon) words, for example KURTOSIS and NGULTRUM.Cover and Windows Logo
There exist at least two different covers of the DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
version.
On the cover of the DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
version is a Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
logo which should probably suggest compatibility with Windows 3.1 or Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
.
Nevertheless, contrary to some rumours, there does not exist any native Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version of 3D Lemmings, but Steam is said to release the game as a Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
-compatible game (SteamPlay).
3D Lemmings Winterland
An additional level pack/playable demoGame demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
named 3D Lemmings Winterland was released for 3D Lemmings on the PC, which included six new levels featuring a winter
Winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
theme. The gameplay was identical to the standard game.
External links
- Psygnosis's official 3D Lemmings webpage via the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- http://www.psygnosis.org/games/3dlemmings/ - game materials on unofficial archive site psygnosis.org; includes 3 reviews from GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, PC GamerPC GamerPC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
, and Gamer Magazine - 3D Lemmings at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...