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four and a half years... that's gotta be some kind of record around here

there's plenty of examples of this throughout the TT games but I think this one is my new favorite

Hello everyone! My name is Octo, and I am a new member to this community page. As of recently, I have had the idea for a "Jontron clone" for a YouTube channel and I am getting ready to submit my first video for YouTube. This reason why I am making this post is not only to introduce myself to everyone, but to ask for help in creating a script for one of my favorite (and most likely your) favorite games. What I am doing for this Rock Raiders review is reviewing both the PS1 and PC versions of the game while giving a lesson to my potential viewers on a seemingly obscure game and fanbase to hopefully get them to try this game out for themselves! in the coming weeks I will update this post with versions of the script as well as many updates with the video. Only thing I need you guys to do is lead me into a direction where the video needs to go to finish it for the final video! Thanks for reading, ~ Octo

not gonna talk to you or him EVER again

Has anyone looked into the PlayStation version much? The JAM seems to be structured pretty much the same way as the PC version, so it should be just as easy to mod, right? I haven't tried yet, but I did try getting the PC game to run using the PSX JAM. It didn't work, so I tired merging the 2 JAMS together, and I got this: It's pretty messed up, and I don't know where that red cursor came from. Beta version of the PC cursor? Who knows. I don't think there's a lot you can really do with this weird combination version of the game but I'll have a look at modding the PSX version later.

More Pictures

I built it off of a triple axle piece and using angles that were very frustrating to put together.

Yeah, NTSC and PAL have entirely (or at least majorly?) different levels and some differences in other things - they're more or less two separate games, at least they probably should be considered as such when doing a review. The PAL game is the better (more finished) one. Here's the story behind it: http://dupchurch.com/?portfolio=lego-rock-raiders-ps1

all i can think of is, are you gonna cover both the NTSC and PAL versions of the PS1 game? cuz they're pretty different

http://www.htxt.co.za/2016/09/19/lego-batman-knight-rider-lego-dimensions/ More stuff! Hi stuff.

Love the unique body structure you got going on there. The trans-orange mask is a nice touch too.

Whoa, what, how does it work? I've never seen a body shape like that.

[10:06:19 PM] Fushi: Indecently, is it possible to make a 4-sided prism of Lego [10:06:26 PM] Fushi: Preferably a very small one [10:06:36 PM] Pereki: Indecently [10:07:17 PM | Edited 10:07:32 PM] Urlance Woolsbane: Hey man... We all have our hobbies. [10:07:20 PM] Terrev: lewd pyramids [10:07:49 PM] Terrev: ancient naked aliens storing """grain""" [10:08:16 PM] le717: im not here anymore for now [10:08:54 PM] Urlance Woolsbane: ra is my senpai makes me feel all warm XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO [10:09:32 PM] Terrev: notices ur perfect geometry OwO

NO.

I've got some things to say. This little rant is meant to be read by both the developers of the new Rock Raiders game and the fans and forum posters alike. So this is going to be a long post - I apologize in advance - but it is only because I feel very passionately about this issue. The final word count clocks in at 2,100+ words, but good words, I believe. I encourage you to read through what I have to offer because I think it is some of the most CONSTRUCTIVE advice you're going to receive. Also included in this post are several illustrations I made trying to convey the concepts I have in my head. I'm sorry if they are confusing or difficult to read - I'm not the greatest artist, but I'm also not a tech guru, and I felt that a pencil and paper would better represent the thoughts and suggestions I had. Okay, let's dive in! First things first. There is great concern for the whole "Minecraft" thing being a large part of this game's inspiration. Though I too share this concern, I want to explain and possibly defend the developers stance on this. Minecraft is a game which is so deceptively simple to learn and universal in its approach that it has won the world over. What developer wouldn't want to make a game like this? Also, the obvious connection between mining in Minecraft and mining in Rock Raiders is valid and an understandable conclusion to make. In addition to this, there are many great features of minecraft that would serve a Rock Raiders game well - like a large sandbox to explore and mine in! I remember being a kid and playing the mission "Frozen Frenzy", (one of my personal favorites). I knew darn well where the Tunnel Transport was, (it was in the only spot of the map that when you scrolled over it, the screen dipped down because of the hidden waterfall!) but I would play the level just to collect resources and build my base as big as possible, just like a sandbox game. And that's where the similarities end, and honestly, should end. Someone once told me that Minecraft is the Pac Man of our generation. I wholeheartedly agree. 20 years from now, people will remember the cultural legacy that this game has created and any game that follows too closely in its footsteps will be forgotten in its wake, just like all those Pac Man clones of yesteryear. I'll get back to the Minecraft thing in a bit, but for now I'll move on. So from the looks of this discussion, it seems the developers have come to conclusion that there are two ways to approach the mining in this new Rock Raiders game - I'll lump them into two categories titled "Freeform" and "Grid". Here's a picture comparing them both: In a previous post, there was concern for "Freeform" mining because it would be tricky to fit vehicles into tunnels you create and I 100% agree. "Freeform" is not the way to go. Well that leaves us with "Grid" mining like Minecraft right? Wrong. "Blocks" are the devil. Remember that. It's important. If you make a game world out of blocks, you are making Minecraft. Simple as that. I could stop now honestly. Minecraft's influence over culture is so strong that simply making your game world consist of blocks that are breakable and buildable, you are creating a game that can and will be seen in the public eye as a Minecraft clone. Same with making an objective-less open world sandbox game with an emphasis on mining - you are making Minecraft. Simply put, do not make Minecraft. But let's get real. There is money in Minecraft. And money is important! It should be! You, as a game designer, have every right to make money off of your product. Hopefully, a lot of money! But I have to explain something that is vitally important to this new game's success - as it stands, there is literally NO market for this game in its current direction. Let me explain. You have two fundamental fan bases you are targeting: fans of the original Rock Raiders and fans of Minecraft. Original Rock Raider fans aren't actually that hard to please! They understand that legal limitations restrict certain things and mainly just want a game that plays much in the same way and recaptures the spirit of the first game. For the most part, they don't care that it's not Lego, or that you can't reuse music or textures or whatever. They just want something faithful to the original. Not really a tall order if you ask me. Then you've got the other targeted fan base: Minecraft fans. This is where the real money is. It's important that you get these people to buy your game! But here's the truth: Minecraft fans don't want this game. At all. I'll try to explain why by using an example. I'm a big guitar guy. I have many electric guitars and one of my favorites that I own is my Gibson Les Paul. If you're not familiar with guitars, think of the first guitar shape that pops into your head. Then think of another - it's that one. Anyways, say there is a new guitar company coming out, and for the sake of this comparison, let's call them "Raider" guitars. So Raider guitars come up to me and tell me that they've made a guitar they think I'll like. So I take a look at it - and it looks just like the Gibson Les Paul I own and love! Not only that, but they've got new features like and 3rd pick up and a whammy bar - things I don't have on my guitar! For intents and purposes, this guitar could sound even better than the one I have right now! But I hate it. I can't explain it, but for some reason I hate it! Logically speaking, it meets every criteria I look for in a guitar so I should naturally like it, right? Well, there's a little part of my brain that shouts "it's nice and all, but they just copied my Gibson! They just emulated the Gibson and added fancy features. They didn't innovate on an original idea". This is so important to understand. The Raider guitar didn't fail because it was a bad guitar, or because it was competing against an already well established guitar - it failed because it tried to take on a powerful BRAND. It's stupid, I know, but we are but animals and brand loyalty is a powerful, sometimes unbeatable force. I'm somewhat partial towards Gibson guitars, so I passed up the opportunity to play that Raider guitar. I gave up the chance to play a better guitar. And now, more to the point. Minecraft is the Gibson of gaming. No matter how great your product is, if it specifically emulates Minecraft features to reach that audience, they will hate it. If you try to take on the brand of Minecraft, you will lose. So how do we fix this? We hide our influences. Right off the hop, "blocks" are a dead giveaway, so we can't do that. Also, marketing your game as Lego + Minecraft isn't doing anyone a favor as you own the rights to neither, so what are we left with? Rock Raiders. Of course! The answer was there all along! So let's look at the original Rock Raiders and what it did right. IMPORTANT: Now is the time to really tune in, because this is where things get CONSTRUCTIVE! So here's the basic layout of an RTS game, like the original Rock Raiders: It's awesome! Keep it. So let's look at the basics that made the game great. The game was based on a single flat plane in which a grid system dictated where you could build, mine, and move. Mining was done in the form of breaking down rock "walls" that allowed passage to new areas previously unseen. I have to stop for a second to point out that this is brilliant. This format of mining based solely on "walls" is so brilliant, creative, and easy to understand, it baffles me why you would look anywhere else for inspiration. Game designers should be copying your system of mining, not the other way around. So this is my proposition for the direction you should take with this new game. It should be a grid based RTS mining game set on a flat plane that utilizes the "walls" mechanic from its predecessor, with the option to play the traditional "mission" styled gameplay, or a sandbox mode. That should be the basics. Forget "blocks", (they're the devil, remember?) "walls" are where it's at, brother. So now I'll give you some ideas expanding on this premise that may inspire you! First off, I understand the need for verticality. You want to mine deeper and deeper for new materials - I get that! I do too. But the flat plane is essential to make the "walls" format work, so here's my solution: Multiple planes. This diagram will show it better: So let's say you start on Level 1, (LV1). There are some materials and resources for you to gather, limited monsters, and that's about it. You don't have access to the better materials you need to make better buildings and vehicles. So you need to dig deeper. The deeper and deeper you go, the more difficult the game becomes, with more monsters, landslides, and other hazards. In addition to this, this allows for interesting color schemes and level features as you progress to deeper layers, greatly expanding the creativity you can pool into your project. Now, either at predetermined spaces or at viable spaces based on what's underneath them on the lower level, you will have the ability to build "ramps", allowing you to travel into a deeper level, in this case LV2. These pictures will show it better: Now you may be thinking, "how will I keep track of all these different levels during gameplay?". Well to be frank, that's your job as game developers, but here's one way I think would work great - basically, only one level will be "active" on your HUD at a time, the others will move to the top or bottom of the screen and become greyed and translucent, moving them effectively out of the way, while still keeping them "within reach", so to say, so each separate level doesn't feel like a whole new map. Then you simply could scroll the mouse wheel up and down to switch between levels quickly. In this instance you'd scroll up to move to LV1 and down to LV3. On the Wii, all it'd take is a quick upward or downward sweep of the hand. Simple. Effective. Awesome. Beyond that, please continue with some of your great ideas - the vehicles, (and possibly buildings) based on parts is also brilliant! This would work flawlessly in the format I have suggested. Basically, make this game an expansion on the direction you originally took with the first Rock Raiders and you'll please everyone. The original fans will love it because it gives them what they already love. The Minecraft fans will like it because it is DIFFERENT enough not to offend them and offers things that Minecraft doesn't have. This makes it appealing to everybody - the true thing that made Minecraft so successful. If you've managed to read this far... thank you. I am very passionate about this matter and it made it very easy for me to go on forever about this, so I apologize again for the lengthy read. And if the developers of the original game actually are reading this, I only have one more thing to say to you. Thank you. I cannot express in words how much your original game meant to me in my childhood. It was basically my first step into the world of gaming. I spent countless hours playing and replaying missions, (never could beat that last one though! And I love the Rocky Horror Picture Show reference there!) and even had to get my dad to buy me the Lego sets from the game, which he later told me was very tough to do, as they had discontinued the Rock Raiders line before I had played the game. I tell you honestly that the Rock Raiders series is still my favorite Lego series that they have ever released, no matter how short lived it was - largely due to the awesome game that you produced. Me and my brother still say words like "Dirt!" and "Tool Store!" like the characters from that game time to time. And when it comes down to it, even if you screw up this next installment, I'll always have the original to play. I hope you don't, mind you, but if "blocks" are in any way a fundamental part of this games structure, you can consider it DOA. Finally, I'd LOVE to hear feedback on my points made, as I feel all are constructive and supportive. We all want to see the best final product possible. Thanks for reading.

The problem is that this is exactly what the Rock Raiders United community doesn't want, or at the very least that is the general attitude that many people have around here. Rock Raiders is a very casual game already up until a few levels near the end and many of the mods that RRU has made try to make the game more challenging. The core demographic for the original game was children, so that is understandable. Now, we have grown up and the majority of us are 15 to 25 years old. We can take a challenge. This makes me feel a little bit better about the situation. In my eyes, Rock Raiders was one of your best games and I have hope that you are willing to show us a game that's even better than the original Rock Raiders. Of course, when I say "you" I'm addressing all of DDI -- the programmers, the artists, the musicians, the engineers, and the leaders. I was talking to a few people about this and we're actually concerned about you developing this game on multiple formats at once. Having multiple formats means that you need multiple teams to work on each version, which splits your time and energy. If you're planning on PC, Wii, WiiU, Android, iOS, and Facebook... you're spreading your effort way too thin and the main product (PC) will suffer. And honestly, the game will end up being completely different for each format. The PC has mouse and keyboard controls which are superior to a controller (WiiU) or pointer (Wii), and far superior to a touchscreen (Android, iOS). The general attitude towards Facebook games for many people around here is negative, and I feel that you will receive either backlash or apathy towards a Facebook version of the game. We do not want Farmville Raiders. We do not want to waggle a Wiimote at a screen in order to drill a wall. Please understand this. Your trending analysts may say that Facebook games are hot right now and the casual market is something you need to capture, but RRU in general is not in that market. I don't want to speak for everyone, but I think we are looking for a game that makes us think and plan ahead.

There's a difference between "more difficult" and "so glitchy it's almost unplayable" I did manage a lap around Rocket Racer Run but every time I passed the start line on my second lap it glitched out. Actually, every time my starting position was the right way round it glitched, so I couldn't even start unless it had me facing backwards. And you have to boost at the start or you can't move at all. I assume it's possible to finish a race but I haven't managed it yet You'd either have to be very lucky or very careful. Here's another video anyway. There were a lot of unsuccessful attempts cut out of that I would have recorded some more but I got distracted by modding the crap out of the PC JAM. On the subject of merging the JAMs inside the PSX version, I haven't been able to put everything back together into a usable ISO or bin yet, I don't really know why. It's been a few years since I messed with PSX games like this.

I'm more surprised that the files are in the same formats at all, or at least close enough to be usable. I thought Playstation and other consoles used a lot of weird proprietary formats or something. I guess they didn't care about that in the 90's when everyone wasn't tearing apart games to get the delicious files inside.

Here's another video, this time I kept the PC track folders but replaced everything else. The results were...interesting. I can't help but wonder about the cursor though. If it is an older version of the PC cursor, I wonder if there is any more removed/replaced PC content hidden in the PSX JAM? The PC version's code is littered with references to PlayStation and memory cards so it wouldn't surprise me. EDIT..... Turns out the game is actually slightly playable in this state...I managed about a lap and a half, anyway:

I read in a magazine that biologists (or maybe chemists, it was over a year ago) built an organic Tic Tac Toe board using bacterial NOT gates. You made your move by using an eyedropper to put a chemical in all spaces but the one you chose. Apparently the board's next move changed into a different color from the rest. It was really awesome, and it won almost every possible combination of moves except for two (I think) - a draw and a loss. Can your T3 machine beat a bacterial champion?