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So, after spending a little over three months in a programming introductory course that focuses on C, I decided to use my new abilities to make a modding tool. More specifically, a modding tool that increases the size and boundaries of .map files and modify the accompanying .ol file to match. I never actually asked if we already had a tool like this, I wanted this to be something of a surprise Christmas present for RRU. I did scan the RRU forums and investigated the LRR Map Creator and found nothing that increases the size of maps, so I proceeded. Although I would have proceeded anyways, as this is a major item in my mini-portfolio to RIT's IGM (Interactive Games an Media). The purpose of this tool is to grant LEGO Rock Raiders modders the ability to expand the size of their maps. This allows modders to repair the common error of maps having borders that are too thin, and add new areas beyond the current border of the map. Anyways the result of my efforts: LRR Map Expander LRR Map Expander source code Features Ability to handle all .map files and the .ol file if they have the same names as files exported by Map Creator v0.9.8. Ability to increase the width and height of the map by the same integer. HeightMatch, which aligns the height levels of the expanded borders with the map's center. Not included Ability to handle appropriate files with names different from those exported by Map Creator v0.9.8 Ability to increase the width and height of the map by different integers. Known bugs None.

Tool that allows the user to set powerbrick arches: Combine with FLYSKYHGH cheat for best result. The name of the tool is what I initially had in mind when writing this application. Test your dexterity by passing all checkpoints on a track, like shown in the image. Ofcourse these arches do not necessarily have to be used as checkpoints. Why not make yourself pretty rainbows. Download with source code: https://www.rockraidersunited.com/files/dl-r20/ View enclosed readme for more information. Use tool in combination with grappigegovert's Coordinate Viewer. Could expand this tool to let users set circles, squares, triangles, who knows what. If tool needs improvement or still have questions, go ahead and give feedback/ask them.

If you haven't yet had a chance to look through Brick by Brick, the recent book by David C. Robertson, I highly recommend it. Amongst other things it deals with LEGO's first forays in the digital world, through internal project they titled Darwin. According to the book (to the best of my memory, I don't currently have access to it to check), Darwin began when a Swedish man paid a visit to LEGO HQ. He insisted that he meet with Kjeld, and eventually got his wish. What he had to share was a highly impressive 3D animation featuring LEGO spaceships. The goal of project Darwin was to create a complete library of digital LEGO bricks, perfect in every detail. Then, to use these bricks to create a system for developing videos, games, and any number of computer-based paraphernalia LEGO could wish for. After many years of testing and playing with numerous concepts, and huge investments on LEGO's part, the company realized that technology was too limited to get them where they wanted fast enough. In addition, the employees on the Darwin team were being perceived by others to be receiving special treatment from the company, creating an ugly divide that made cooperation difficult. In 1998, LEGO Media was established, and quickly replaced Darwin and all of LEGO's ambitions related to it with a new aim of outsourcing to other companies to produce games. But that isn't why I'm here, posting this topic. I'm here because someone on the Bricklink forum just linked to The LEGO Movie - not the upcoming feature film, but what appears to be the original animation that inspired LEGO to launch Darwin. This animation, then, is the basis of everything LEGO has since done digitally. But that isn't all. Here is a window into some of the work that went on during the days of the Darwin project.

All of this suddenly jogged my memory regarding some press releases on the old 1996-97 LEGO website. There's an announcement for the Darwin initiative and LEGO Media (so at some point there were definite plans for them to run alongside each other) and two job listings titled 'Generation LEGO.' I hadn't realized Qube developed LDD. It actually strikes me as rather funny, as LEGO Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (LCHPatCoS?) was easily the least impressive in the Creator series from a building perspective, at least at first glance. Incredible that the Easy Builder Tool actually exists. From what I remember the book kept talking about how Darwin left a bad taste in the mouths of many people at LEGO, and that even something relatively unconnected like LEGO Universe put them on edge. But apparently one of the major goals of the project was continued and successfully completed? Also, the David Legoman show... from the looks of Alex Furer's CV it isn't just a test for something, but a legitimate project they were working on. I think that brings the total number of canned LEGO television shows we know of up to three? I wonder if the limited distribution of the Cybermaster sets had anything to do with the downward track Darwin would presumably have been on at that point? It occurs to me that I've just composed three short paragraphs that all end in question marks. I could probably make a lot more, but suffice to say there are a lot of interesting questions surrounding all of this.

Interesting. http://www.qubesoft.com/?main=consultancy.html The first three Creator games were made by Superscape, the fourth by Qube, which then got turned into LDD, but LDD also works with LEGO's internal software (forgot what it's called), and... Wow this is messy. Edit: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=60531&#entry1082321 Another edit: http://www.creativeheads.net/job/3131/3d-software-engineer-in-billund http://sketchatoy.blogspot.com/2010/05/nicholas-groves-feature.html So how much of this is all connected, and how? It seems the whole thing has sort of gradually evolved.

http://books.google.com/books?id=OsyEX0nPkygC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Practice%20Disruptive%20Innovation&f=false On that pages that follow that are some excerpts from the book that describe Darwin. It happens that the author made excerpts the book freely available to read online via Google Books for research purposes, something which this fits into. Among other things, this does provides one more info such as explaining how Darwin was designed to create a parts library that was known as L3-D and says that the lead designer was Bjarne Tveskov, someone who has designed many of our favorite old school space sets and someone who is still active and is able to be easily contacted ( https://twitter.com/tveskov ) Perhaps talking to him may also end up giving us more info we cannot get from the book. It also mentions Darwin made the stage at SIG-GRAPH 1996 in New Orleans, after a bit of research using that info, I was able to find this http://www.siggraph.org/conferences/siggraph96/core/ A few pages later, it also says that LDD was dreamed up mid-2000 based on technology developed by Darwin. Just some interesting info illustrating the evolution of Darwin to LDD. EDIT: On a later page, it explicitly says that Darwin helped to contribute to LEGO CyberMaster and LEGO Island. It also says that Darwin was shut down in 1999 due to impression that TLG was doting on Darwin and some of Darwin's failures including having to scrap their whole library after using the wrong data model at one point.

I've been meaning to pick up Brick by Brick for a while now, mainly to read its chapter on the development of LU. Looks like I've got another reason to do so now. Very fascinating. Edit: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexfurer http://www.fullframestudios.ch/CV/Alex_Furer_CV2011_08.pdf http://blog.fullframestudios.ch/?cat=24

[11:44:16 AM] Cirevam: ADS ARE THE FUTURE [11:44:27 AM] Cirevam: We want you to have a fun and exciting advertising experience [11:45:32 AM] [sGT] Alcom Isst: My cursor was right over that 'D', so I read "ASS ARE THE FUTURE". [11:46:53 AM] Cirevam: I feel like someone is going to put that into the quotes topic [11:01:55 PM] Philip: Alcom [11:02:04 PM] Philip: give Philip your B.M.O.C. [11:06:00 PM] [sGT] Alcom Isst: No. [11:06:49 PM] Philip: How much do you want for it [11:08:04 PM] [sGT] Alcom Isst: I want a life dedicated to something that I can enjoy. [11:08:17 PM] Philip: I can't give you that. [11:08:25 PM] [sGT] Alcom Isst: Exactly. [11:08:40 PM] Philip: I can give you the warm feeling of generosity in your heart, though. [11:08:49 PM] Philip: I suppose you don't want that. [11:10:16 PM] [sGT] Alcom Isst: It wouldn't be a warm feeling of generosity. It would be the cold empty feeling of giving up the ultimate personal item in a game that I have spent over 700 hours on, the one item that makes me gloriously unique. My black B.M.O.C. [11:10:22 PM] [sGT] Alcom Isst: You will not have it. [11:10:50 PM] Philip: I will. [11:11:08 PM] Philip: I will attain Alcom's black B.M.O.C. come hell or a little bit of rainwater.

[04:02 PM] Alcom1: I need a new creation sharing site. MOC pages is stuck in the dark ages and only allows heavily compressed .jpg files, and Brickshelf doesn't allow me to move folders. [04:22 PM] legoislandftw: what about here? [04:31 PM] Alcom1: Rock Raiders United is too underground.

OK, anyone up for "LEGOS IN SPESS: TEH MSSIVLY MLUTY PLAIR AWNLYNE GAYM"?

lol Anti Aliasing I applied the unused "CHASSIDES.MIP" to Chill's chassis in Gimp 2.8.2 and recolored other sections where necessary to match, and finally, hex edited his MD2 model to refer to COL_BLUE.TGA instead of GEAR_PIN.TGA. So this is pretty much because no one else has done it. https://ore.rockraidersunited.org/legacy/Fixed%20Chill%20Chassis_966695.zip To all you Freeze & Chill owners: You're welcome.

le717 approves (sorry for the low resolution of the textures, I might render then better next time) lol

[10:06:59 AM] Triangle717: Have you ever seen this site? [10:07:00 AM] Triangle717: http://videogameflashback.com/legoisland/interview.php [10:07:29 AM] Triangle717: Because if you or some one else had, we should have already known LI was at E3. [10:07:50 AM] jamesster: Nope, when's it from? [10:08:09 AM] Triangle717: I don't know. [10:08:16 AM] Triangle717: Rio found it, and showed it to me. [10:08:20 AM] jamesster: Looks good. [10:08:23 AM] Triangle717: He says he has seen it plenty of times before. [10:08:23 AM] jamesster: Reading now, thanks. [10:08:31 AM] jamesster: Surprised it's gone unnoticed. [10:08:32 AM] Triangle717: It has LI concept art on it. [10:08:36 AM] Triangle717: I know! [10:08:44 AM] Triangle717: I read the whole thing, it is really good. [10:08:55 AM] jamesster: Seen the concept art before [10:08:58 AM] jamesster: He sent me the file [10:09:31 AM] Triangle717: I was going to make a topic om RRU, but I'd thought I'd ask you about it first. But if you want to, you could probobaly write a better one than me. http://videogameflashback.com/legoisland/pictures.php The concept art itself isn't new, but we haven't had it in this level of quality before. Interview has some cool stuff too. also maybe I could write a better topic but I don't wanna

What do you mean "if"? It already has, like, for years now. Phil lost the company, WB bought it, out came the TV show, and now the new episodes and Silly Songs are nothing like the originals. They just did the Three Little Pigs, and they did It's a Wonderful Life one Christmas. Nothing is the same about my childhood TV show (same for Thomas, but that is a different subject).

Akonak Gel? Sounds like some kind of beauty product for Bionicles