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Yeah, Cyrem was messing with me today. Here's the full conversation (warning: very tall). Click here. Thanks to the name changes this became very confusing. Xiron is JimbobJefferrs, I am JifferJebmom and Cyrem was himself and also me at times. See if you can figure out when it's me speaking and when it's him.

In reverse @ JifferJebmom : That ain't no son of mine! @ JifferJebmom : Wait a minute... @ JimbobJefferrs : Want some cheese? @ JifferJebmom : Oh, you know... @ mreyC : Hey JifferJebmom, hows your son, JimbobJeffers?

That is how many alternate JimbobJeffers mathematically exist. The evening of 13 November, Yajmo was joking how should have some code randomize the spelling of his name, with a new spelling appearing upon every page load. Since such a task would be best accomplished client-side using JavaScript, I wrote up some code that did just that, available at gist.github.com/le717/4c2188ca814f56575a26. The above code loops through each character of the entered name, randomly picks a letter and concatenates it to the existing string. It also ensures it does not use the same letter twice unless it already exists. I have checked each output for my name, "le717", and every single one only has two sevens in it, never three. The trick is not checking for the character used, but the index chosen. If the index has been used before, then it will choose a different one. Since the sevens have two different indexes (3 and 5), they are both included and a third is never added. Cyrem liked the idea, so he and I worked together to get it implemented. The next morning, most everybody here had already seen the name scrambling and either loved it or hated it For fun, I decided to run it on a few names on my end and see the results. JimbobJeffers' name in particular produced some really scrambled names. He wondered if it were possible for the code to generate a name containing "Bobjim". Since I knew it would be a trivial bit of code to write, I said I would try it. I started by calculating the possible permutations of his name using factorials. His name is 13 characters long, producing a possible 6,227,020,800 (six billion, two hundred twenty-seven million, twenty thousand, eight hundred) combinations. I then found some JavaScript to calculate that number for me (I did not want to type it in manually) (although I should know how to write code to calculate the factorial already ). Because he wanted to see if any of them contained "Bobjim", I made it store any names that matched in an object along with its index. Finally, once it had generated and checked all 6 billion names, it would either display the object or report such a combination does not exist, depending on the outcome. After some small-scale tests to ensure the code worked, making his name and check all lowercase to remove possible misses because of case differences, and a false start in order to implement a 100-increment progress counter, around 10:22 AM I let the code loose, powered by none other than the awesome Node.js. The progress of this code was amazing. While I failed to check the processing speed after I started it, I later started calculating the speed (names processed at the 10 second, 1 minute, and 1 hour levels), current number of names processed, and projected time until completion. A mere 10 minutes after starting, an amazing 64 million names had already been processed. That is a rate of 6.4 million a minute, roughly 106 thousand a second! 40 minutes after starting, when I formally starting performing logs, I clocked it at 6 million names a minute, or 36 million names an hour. Within an hour after running, 419 million names had been run, with a projected time until all 6 billion were processed looking at 15 hours, or 2 AM the next morning. Yikes. I knew it would take a long time, but not that long. After that, it slowed down drastically. Two hours after starting, it ran at only 54,000 names a minute, or 3,240,000 names an hour, an 11-fold decrease. Within that time, a staggering 419,159,500 names had been generated. Finally, nearly 4 and a half hours and a CPU priority increase to High (in an attempt to make it run faster), it chugged along at 13,000 names an hour, with a projected 49 years remaining for it to calculate the remaining 5,807,484,800 names. Yea, that is totally happening. Finally, I killed the code, having processed 419,750,000 names in a few minutes shy of 5 hours running. So, what did I learn from this experiment? JavaScript, like any other language, slows down the longer it runs. 6 billion is a lot larger than you might think. I brushed up on my factorial and permutation knowledge. I had fun doing it. Does there exist an alternate JimbobJeffers that goes under the name "Bobjim"? The world may never know. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6rHeD5x2tI In case you wanted to try this experiment yourself, I have posted the exact code I used in a GitHub Gist. This was not the most scientific experiment ever, so there may be some issues with it, but that's not the point. Well that was fun. Perhaps I should try to calculate the meaning of life next, as Ayliffe suggested. After all, if I can get it to retain the speed it starts out with constantly, it should only take a month. :P

I got the full story (I cut out the unimportant bits)

More username shenanigans: @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:08 PM)That was a horrible experience. @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:07 PM)I'm da real JimbobJeffers from Britain, so it was Cyrem messing with my mind. @ JifferJebmom : (15 November 2014 - 12:06 PM)Maybe it was mine. @ JifferJebmom : (15 November 2014 - 12:06 PM)Or was it JimbobJefferrs mind? @ JifferJebmom : (15 November 2014 - 12:06 PM)After-effects of Cyrem messing with your mind. @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:06 PM)I'm really tired and my head hurts from all this name swapping. @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:05 PM)I @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:05 PM)I'm not sure who I am. @ JifferJebmom : (15 November 2014 - 12:05 PM)I'm le717 of course. @ JimbobJefferrs : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)Hello, JJ, or are you Xiron? @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)Because it's totally true! @ le717 : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)What's this about me being JimbobJeffers? @ JimbobJefferrs : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)And I'm not sure which type to go with. @ MaelstromIsl... : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)MY BRAIN HURTS @ MaelstromIsl... : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM) @ JimbobJefferrs : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)I really don't know what is going on with Mars, the voice type is all over the place because everyone had their own ideas for it. @ MaelstromIsl... : (15 November 2014 - 12:03 PM)t-theres two jimbob jeffers?!?!?!?

The idea of bootlegs partially or totally stealing logos from the actual products is no recent or rare occurance. For example... ...The Hobpit... ...The Simpsons... (You have to get a load of these) ...and- the LEGO Movie?

I wasn't entirely sure what you were referring to with that, but I Googled it and this came up: Which is either a clone of, or was cloned by, the kit I posted... So what, we have a clone of a clone of LEGO?

History This post was written almost a year and a half before I came along and began expounding on his research. Around October 2, 2011 I started on my hunt for a convertor for .TUN files. I found out that is no such audio file. The file type had actually been known since bartvbl made that post: VOX. The LEGO Racers music is actually VOX audio with a TUN extension. I soon found a command-line program that was able to convert normal (MP3, WAV, such like that) to VOX, namely, Sound eXchange (SoX). I found a piece of music that I liked, and converted it. I sapped it in the game files, and gave it the proper name. I loaded the game, and the music played. But it was really low in volume, and it was really, really slow. I figured out that the file hertz was what made the file slow. I raised it, converted the music, and loaded the game again. This time, it was even slower. I lowered the hertz next, and to my surprise, the music went faster! I finally found the right hertz after a few more tries. During this process, I discovered an interesting... issue, for lack of a better word. The higher the hertz of your custom music, the slower it will play in game.The lower the hertz, the faster the music will play. The real music was produced at 44100 Hz, and it plays at the correct speed in Audacity when imported However, the custom music has to be produced at 22050 Hz to play correctly in-game. Once I figured that out, I started working on the volume. I said earlier that my music was way too low in volume in-game. Combined with the fact that the official music was loud in raw form, I deduced out that the game lowers the volume of the music. I tried amplifying the music in Audacity, but every time I did that, I got an error from the SoX that it was really loud, and that it lowered the volume. When that file was put in-game, the audio volume would be in flux: It would be loud for a second, then low for a while, the loud again. I found out that the convertor lowered the really loud parts, and the lower parts that were not too loud, it left alone. I tried to amplify the music using the tools built into SoX, but that did not work. Amplifying in both Audacity and SoX did not work either. The result was the same: the music volume was in flux. rioforce (my brother) had been watching me every now and then, and of course I told him what was going on and what was happening.. He said he might know what was going on. The raw files, are very load when imported but, the waveforms are all the same: flat on top and bottom. rioforce suggested this: Amplify the music, normalize it, then export the file and convert it. I did that, and the results were better than what I was doing before. SoX did not give me an error, and the music was not in flux in-game. I figured out a SoX command so the amplified music would not be clipped when being converted. Using that command, I got good results too, though not as good as amplifying then normalizing. In addition, with the command, the converted music was not distorted in-game, unlike the other method. In the end, I chose to use the command over the amplifying and normalizing. After being amplified and normalized, some of the music I choose was back to its original volume, and completely wiped out my changes. Fast-forward to the third week of February 2012. I had found out the month before that Audacity could export VOX files in addition to importing them, but it was very flaky. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I had decided to wait for the next release of Audacity to update this tutorial to use only Audacity. But Audacity updates were spread far out, and I didn't really want to wait for the next one. So I started messing with VOX exports again, and I got it to export every time, even though I got a phony error message most of the time. I tested my files, and they did worked in LEGO Racers, a bit better than using SoX, but not perfectly. I proceeded to update this tutorial with the new info and method. On April 29, 2013, rioforce began looking at creating working custom music for Racers. He actually had been developing a method for a few months, and had actually uploaded a video showing off his WIP method. But on the 29th, he really began finalizing that method. Once he had the proper settings, he recorded a video showing how to do it, and wrote up a new tutorial on LEGO Racers Audio Modding, releasing it all on April 30, 2013. The next day, May 1st, I updated the tutorial here, ushering in a new and very nosy wave of LEGO Racers modding. Directions Note: the following tutorial was written in the voice of rioforce. Anytime "I" or a similar reference is used, he is referring to himself. Videos

Cafeteria! 1.0 BETA 7 Cafeteria is a Game Launcher and Mod Loader for LEGO Rock Raiders. It allows you to play LEGO Rock Raiders mods without manual installation and also allows you to configure the various parameters of LEGO Rock Raiders/LEGO Rock Raiders Community Edition. Installation - First, download the latest version of Cafeteria at the bottom of this post. - Extract Cafeteria and all its files into the installation directory of LEGO Rock Raiders. This is usually: C:\Program Files (x86)\LEGO Media\Games\Rock Raiders - Your installation is finished. Whenever you want to play, start Cafeteria and launch the game through it instead. Requirements Most new computers already have these installed, however if you are missing one, you may get errors in the program. - .NET Framework 4.5 (Download) Installing Mods Mods come in files with the extension *.wadp. You can find mods in topics on this forum. To install a mod, simply place the WADP file inside the "Mods" directory or use the "Add Patch" button. You can confirm a mod has been installed and is valid by visiting the "Mod Manager" tab in Cafeteria where it will display. Ordering Mods Using the arrows on the interface you can move mods up and down. Mods at the end of the list are considered "low priority" and mods up the top are considered "high priority". Mods are installed in order from Low to High Priority. As some mods overlap others or must be applied after other mods, you can order them in the correct installation order. FAQ I heard this allows playing LRR in high resolutions? You did hear correctly. Old versions of Cafeteria did allow this, however this has since changed. Playing LRR in high resolution has now been moved to the Rock Raiders Community Edition project where it will be built into the game. How do I make my own Patches? Please see this topic: Patch Documentation for Cafeteria Changelog 1.0 BETA 7 Added "Addons" to Online Mod library for installing things like D3DRM. Fixed case sensitivity on CFG:Open Added Context Menu Items "Remove Patch" and "Open in File Explorer" Added "Create New Patch" under Tools. This will create a new patch with file structure under "Mods" and added it to the Mod list. 1.0 BETA 6 CFG:AddBlock will not duplicate an existing block. CFG:AddProperty will not duplicate an existing property, instead it will update an existing property. 1.0 BETA 5 Fixed encoding issues with languages other than English. 1.0 BETA 4 Renamed JMP command to CMP command Added new JMP command to simply jump to labels without compare. Added online library for mods (not much yet still adding) Mod description tooltips. Added patch log to see the last log of patch applications. Added "FileAdd" "FileRemove" "DirectoryMerge" to replace "WAD:..." equivalents. These have enhanced debugging messages. Old commands have not been removed. 1.0 BETA 3 Added variables & related commands: VAR / VAR:FromCFG / VAR:Increment / VAR:Decrement Added the ability to Jump in a script with JMP <variable> <opcode> <value> <jumplabel> Added format specified to variable output {var|D2} = 01, {var|F2} = 1.00 Added the ability to work with ANY config file, CFG, AE, PTL, OL etc. Just CFG:Open <path> and CFG:Save when done. 1.0 BETA 2 Removed case sensitivity from AddFilesFromDirectory. Added Patch Extract and ReBuild into right-click menu. Automatically saves and reloads mods before rebuilding. Misc changes. 1.0 BETA 1 Too many changes to list since 0.9.3 Download 1.0 BETA

Hi. Here is a tutorial how to change the colors of the bricks you use to build a car.I hope it will help someone. 1.Extract your LEGO.JAM using one of the JAM extractors 2.Go to MENUDATA->PIECEDB 3.Now you see some files.You care only about the ones that end with "CSET.LEB".The first 2 or 3 letters are the names of the bosses example: CR_CSET.LEB = Captain Redbeard's car set 4.You open one of the CSET files with Notepad++ and find a color (black,green,ltgray etc.) and replace it with a different color.After you are done save the file. 5.Build a new LEGO.JAM using a JAM extractor 6.Play the game

If you like to try mimic the AI in LEGO Racers, then this is the place you need to be at. The download contains a modified LEGO.JAM in which sounds have been switched around and textures have been edited to ressemble the AI behaviour as much as possible this way. You'd still need to mimic the racing style of them yourself, but this will get rid of textures and sounds the player does have, but your opponents not. Download: http://oresome.rockraidersunited.com/download/125 (paste the guts of this .zip inside GAMEDATA/COMMON/ and opt for overwrite (but back-up first is recommended) This subject has been discussed earlier on RRU, but now I've assembled all the notable changes in this download. One thing I'd still like to alter though (which is not included in the download), is to change the green arrow on the minimap into a blue dot, the way your minor opponents appear on it. Sources: >LR textures v8 >Transparency in textures >Changing sounds Changes made in LEGO.JAM: What it looks/sounds like (thank you Xiron): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9bTX9VpuHs

So we've already had a >few >other >topics about individual clone brands. Well, I went to a couple of shops in Bluewater today and came across these sets. Firstly... Look familiar? Oh yes, of course, that awesome RC car we all know: And, while not as closely copied, here's another clone brand. Except I've got the source on this one! Clone brands are nothing new, but to see them in the highly revered (or at least, once was) shopping centre that is Bluewater?

Alright time for an update post. So I've got several new (and old) videos to show. The cheats can be found here, and is currently 100% up to date. http://www.cheatengine.org/tables/moreinfo.php?tid=1163 FOV Non-Rear Camera Tracking Global Stats Modifer Have whatever speed, grip, and shield values you want, and in any game mode. Stats for each individual racer included! There is also the Two Hidden In-Game Cheats that I haven't spoken about in my general Cheat Engineness, topic (and video) for that is here: '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> I may have missed a crapton of stuff, but really, I'm not keeping track, so I only posted the most important and recent things.

Alrighty then, as long as you're happy and it's all working.

Could you let me know which mod you downloaded (excluding this one) that modifies the ADPELVIS files? In at least one of your mods, in the GAMEDATA/COMMON folder, there'll be at least one ADPELVIS file. If you can tell me which mods you have that modify these files, then I try to fix it for you. Hopefully that makes sense. EDIT: Just to clarify, I mean could you look for the ADPELVIS files in the original mod folder that you downloaded, not after you installed it into your game.

Did you manage to fix this? If you're still unsure as to how, you basically need to find the following files from either this mod or another mod (but not a mixture): ADPELVIS.GDB ADPELVIS.MDB ADPELVIS.TDB And copy them into your mod folder, in addition to any textures that came with the relevant mod. The error is most likely that the new mod can't locate the textures that have been mistakenly replaced, so this should fix it.

Oh lol... I'm surprised you didn't just do what you told someone else to do for another mod: Have you tried opening it with the binary file editor? Not that it would make any difference though, as just opening it in the editor would do nothing to fix it.

"Perhaps I should try to calculate the meaning of life next, as Ayliffe suggested." 42 24 Your work's done here. :)

[Non important bits have been cut out] @ le717: (14 November 2014 - 10:32 AM) '> @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:33 AM) That's pretty neat work on your part @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:34 AM) You haven't seen it happening yourself? @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:34 AM) I just applied to myself. One of the results is "717el". @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:36 AM) Yeah, I knew they were happening, I was congratulating you on its design @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:37 AM) Well thank you.... uh, bJfoefiemJbsr? @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:37 AM) Or iofJfbrsembJe... @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:38 AM) Or orJesbeiJbmff @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:38 AM) Who are you, again? @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:38 AM) "Cremy" I read that as "Creamy". @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:40 AM) Mwahaha, my name is very confusing If you can get Bobjim that would be awesome. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:42 AM) I can try! @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:42 AM) "JeffesbobiJrm" @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:43 AM) JimJeffersBob @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:44 AM) Because your name is so long, there are many possible combinations. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:44 AM) Oh, idea! @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:44 AM) BobfefjerJims @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:45 AM) Jifferjebmom @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:46 AM) JJ name mix possibilities are endless @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:46 AM) *JJ's @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:46 AM) JifferJebmom! I like it! @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:47 AM) @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:48 AM) Assuming that looking for the Factorial of his name is the correct way to do it... @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:48 AM) @JJ @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:48 AM) And it appears it is @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:49 AM) There are over 6 billion combinations of JimbobJeffers name. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:50 AM) "JifferJebmom" (facepalm) @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:50 AM) @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:51 AM) *possible combinations @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:51 AM) 6 billion? @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:51 AM) @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) So let's see if "Bobjim" will come in the first 500 combinations the code produces. @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) Should I make a temporary name change request to 'JifferJebmom'? I don't know how difficult it is for mods to make such changes. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) http://www.regentsprep.org/regents/math/algebra/APR2/Lperm.htm @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) Yes @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) Not hard at all. @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) You should @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:52 AM) Just PM Cyrem (or whatever his name is) or Cirevam. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:53 AM) And yes, you should. @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:55 AM) Someone should quote this [i just did. ] @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:55 AM) so peopl know ahy JJ is now JefferJebmom @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:56 AM) *people @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 10:56 AM) I dunno actually, would it be stealing Lord merCy's thunder? And also someone might grab JimbobJeffers in the meantime. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:56 AM) I'm running my loops. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:56 AM) Nobody will grab it. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:57 AM) You can get it back next Friday. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:57 AM) It'll be fine. @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:57 AM) Yep @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 10:57 AM) I'm running my loops, "bobjim" is not coming up. @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 10:58 AM) @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:00 AM) Alright, request made. @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 11:00 AM) @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:00 AM) Nope, not coming up. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:01 AM) There's too many combinations. @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:01 AM) That's fine, Bobjim's surname is Umani anyway. @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:03 AM) No idea why. @ The Ace Railgun : (14 November 2014 - 11:03 AM) @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:06 AM) 6,227,020,800 @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:06 AM) Exact number of possible combinations for "JimbobJeffers". @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:07 AM) Wooooooooooow @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:07 AM) That's a lot of parallel Jimbobs @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:07 AM) And I'm about to generate that many in order to find "bobjim". @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:07 AM) I must be crazy. @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:07 AM) Hopefully the parallel universe containing JifferJebmom will be sending him over here soon. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:12 AM) Alright, small-scale tests are working. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:12 AM) Now for all 6 billion. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:12 AM) Is the world ready for all these alternate Jimbobs? @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:13 AM) Better question: am I ready for 6 billion of you? @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:13 AM) Imagine the amount of progress we could make to Rock Racers if we all put our heads together. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:15 AM) Just made it a bit more efficient. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:15 AM) Drum roll please, my good man! @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:17 AM) DUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUBUDUB @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:18 AM) All 6 billion names are now being calculated! @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:18 AM) And I forgot to add a progress indicator. (facepalm) @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:25 AM) We're up to 11 million. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:25 AM) *14 @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:26 AM) We'll see where this goes. @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:28 AM) 28 million @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:30 AM) 48 million @ JimbobJeffers : (14 November 2014 - 11:31 AM) You're going to be there a while... @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:33 AM) 64 million @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:33 AM) Who said this would be quick? @ le717 : (14 November 2014 - 11:34 AM) When you're running 6 billion name combinations, you expect to wait. What will this exciting experiment produce? How will it end? Is there an alternate JimbobJeffers named "Bobjim"? Find out later!

Hello everybody. As many of you probably know, BZPower has been sent all thirteen BIONICLE 2015 sets for reviewing purposes. They recently began doing so, and for your convenience, I've decided to keep them all neat and tidy here so you can easily jump to whatever set you'd like to learn about. You can either read a traditional review, or watch it through YouTube. The Masters of Okoto {} {} {} {} {} {} {} The Protectors of Okoto {} {} {} {} {} {} {} The Lord of Skull Spiders {} {} --Each image links to its respective set review--

My aim is to recreate as many (old) minifigures in LEGO Racers. Right now I'm focusing on LEGO Space minifigures. This is what I already textured. Textures may look stretched at some times, due to the poses the minifigs take. Note that these textures may not be the final result. You can click on the images to enlarge them. Classic Space racers Blacktron racer Futuron racers M-Tron racer Space Police racer Blacktron Future Generation racer Space Police II racers Ice Planet 2002 racers (extra) Spyrius racers Unitron racers Exploriens racers Roboforce racers UFO racers Insectoids racers Texture Packs

"Make your own collection & WIN!" Oh dear- not again. :|

A couple days ago StewartG asked me to make the main theme for Rock Raiders 2, so I decided to upload it so that everyone can hear it, as a preview. Feedback and suggestions for improvement are very much appreciated. So yeah, I might be making the music for this game. It depends on what Stewart decides. http://youtu.be/2ohQ6J-1rbo

Alpha compositioning in LEGO Racers textures You probably already know how to work with the .BMP files, how to edit them and implement them in the game. If you don't know this, I advise you to check out >this tutorial. What hasn't been explained yet (in a more thorough way), is the use of alpha channels (also known as transparency) in these .BMP formats LEGO Racers uses. Alright, to start off with, you cannot set a colour transparent/opaque in the .BMP files via the editing program you use. A pixel is either filled or clear in LEGO Racers. The alpha channel a .BMP file uses is defined in the files using the .TDB extension in the .JAM archive. Below follow some examples of the structure of a section of a .TDB file: Example taken from MENUDATAPARTDBBODYPART.TDB k_27 // Textures [104] { k_27 // Texture "il_dflt" { k_2A // Bitmap (remove this to denote a TGA texture) k_28 } k_27 // Texture "kk_chst" { k_2A // Bitmap (remove this to denote a TGA texture) k_28 } ... // Other 102 entries cut } This binary file structure is pretty common in the .JAM archive, when viewed with origamiguy's >Binary File Editor. It starts with k_27, which probably functions as to define what we're talking about in the file (which are textures). Under k_27 is a number, placed in square brackets. It defines the amount of entries that will follow between the (mandatory) curly brackets. In our example, we have the IL_DFLT.BMP and KK_CHST.BMP texture files. You already know what these abbreviations mean if you read the skin texturing tutorial. The texture specifications are placed between curly brackets again, to indicate where these specifications refer to (in our case, IL_DFLT.BMP or KK_CHST.BMP). We won't go too much into the k_2A and k_28 now. Just a brief explanation of k_2A: "Denotes the use of a bitmap image, and can be replaced by a TGA (which is a(nother) raster graphics file format).". So this structure is relatively simple to understand. I cannot spot any specified use of alpha channels here, can you? Indeed you can't, because we need a special statement to denote the use of a transparent colour in the designated .BMP file. Take a look at the next example. Example taken from GAMEDATARACEC0R0IGD_MAP.TDB k_27 // Textures [1] { k_27 // Texture "igd_map" { k_2A // Bitmap (remove this to denote a TGA texture) k_28 k_2C // Transparent Color // CONFIRM THIS ONE 0 0 0 } } This .TDB file is much smaller than the former one we've discussed, but that isn't of any issue here. Aside from the specifications 'pointing' to another .BMP file (which is IGD_MAP.BMP in this case), there is an extra statement for this texture. Ofcourse I'm talking about k_2C, and the comments in the code already hint this. The k_2C statement is not hard to understand either. In the .TDB file it is referred as 'transparent color'. Below k_2C are three integers, and you always have to define these integers, when using the k_2C statement (hence the //CONFIRM THIS ONE comment). These three integers stand for an RGB colour code, where the first is for R, the second for G and the third for B. That's right, you can set a specific colour for a .BMP file to be used as transparent. A quick sidenote, the integers defined below k_2C cannot be lower than 0 or higher than 255, because RGB colour codes do not extend beyond these values. In our example, we have IGD_MAP.BMP, which is the texture for the track map displayed in the lower right corner of the race screen. As you can see, the transparent colour for this texture is pure black. Therefore, all colours in the .BMP with pixels of this RGB value are, to simply put it, invisible for the user. Compare the two images below and you see that the blackness in the .BMP is not shown in the actual game. --> in-game --> So, in order to use transparency for a texture, use the k_2C statement. To summarize it shortly: 1. Open the .TDB file and search for the texture (name) you desire to set (partially) transparent. 2. Use/Add the k_2C statement to define the RGB colour code (thus defining which colour will be used as transparent in the designated .BMP file), and save it again. 3. Open the .BMP you wish to texture (partially) transparent with an editor. 4. Select the RGB colour code you defined as to be used as transparent for this specific texture, and edit the texture with this colour to your likings. 5. Save the .BMP (in the right folder) using indexed color (to have the game 'notice' any possible transparency) and recompile and stuff (you know the drill). Now we also have a method for applying semi-transparency to textures, which Brickulator discovered. For applying this we have to include another file, the .MDB file. So, what does the 'inside' of this file look like? Here we have the code for Veronica Voltage her chestpiece. k_27 // Materials [128] { k_27 // Material "vv_chst" { k_29 // Diffuse Color 100 100 100 255 k_28 // Ambient Color 100 100 100 255 k_2C // Texture Name "vv_chst" k_2D k_2B } ... // other 127 entries cut I can see similarities with the .TDB; both start with the k_27 statement, define the amount of entries to follow and denote the texture. So, where and how to apply semi-transparency? For that, we make use of the k_46 statement. Below this statement, we have to set a value ranging from 0 to 255. This value defines the opacity of the texture. The 255 value would be a solid-looking texture, and 0 would be a full transparent texture. Any value inbetween will result into a semi-transparent texture. Note that it is not clear whether it is possible to add 'regional' semi-transparency, e.g. only setting those with RGB values 240;220;0 semi-transparent. So, in order to use this, write the statement below like this: k_27 // Materials [128] { k_27 // Material "vv_chst" { k_29 // Diffuse Color 100 100 100 255 k_28 // Ambient Color 100 100 100 255 k_2C // Texture Name "vv_chst" k_2D k_2B k_46 // Alpa (0-255) 127 } ... // other 127 entries cut Ofcourse you can use another value than 127, but this serves as an example. For her chestpiece, it results into the following output: So, use the k_46 statement to apply the use of semi-transparency to a .BMP in-game. To summarize it shortly: 1. Open the .MDB file and search for the texture (name) you desire to set semi-transparent. 2. Use/Add the k_46 statement to define the opacity of the texture, and save it again in the correct folder. 3. Recompile the .JAM and stuff (you know the drill). If you still have questions, or if you spot a mistake I might have made in this tutorial, I'm open for it.

Well that's interesting.

I just though I'd post a little how-to on unlocking all the levels in the Single Mission menu, and how to play an adventure game starting from any level. Unlocking All Levels in the Single Mission Menu 1. The first thing you'll need is a copy of the game's first mission file "M1010.PUZ". You can either extract it from the 'Etc.pac' file using my PAC Extractor: http://www.rockraide...ith-all-option/, or you can simply download the file from here: http://www.mediafire...irxfw/M1010.PUZ 2. Once you get a hold of the file, you'll need to put it into your 'LEGO Alpha Team' folder (the same folder that contains 'Etc.pac' and 'LEGOATeam.exe'. The path should be something like "C:Program FilesLEGO MediaGamesLEGO Alpha Team") 3. Now you want to open "M1010.PUZ" with a text editor (Notepad should be fine, just make sure you don't use a rich text editor like MS Office or Wordpad). Towards the end of line 7 should be a bit that says "Portal=M1020", we want to change the "M1020" part to "M4070". Once you make this change, save the file and close the text editor. 4. Finally, launch the game and start a new adventure (you can skip the briefing and the training mission). Play through the first mission, once you beat it and click to go to the next mission, if you modified your "M1010.PUZ" correctly, the final level of the game should load. Play through the final level. Once you beat it and skip through the credits, all the missions in the single mission menu should become available to play. Start an Adventure from Any Level 1. This is almost the same process as above. Follow the first three steps to get "M1010.PUZ", place it in your 'LEGO Alpha Team' folder, and open it with a text editor to change "Portal=M1020" on line 7. However, instead of changing "M1020" to "M4070", we need to change it to the level we want to start our adventure from. 2. Here's a list of the code names for every level: 3. Launch the game and start a new adventure (like I said above, you can skip the briefing and the training mission). Play through the first mission, once you beat it, the level who's code you put in "M1010.PUZ" should load. You can now play the adventure like normal.

*Does freaky victory dance whilst victory music plays and tee-vee screams "We did it!"*