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A very common rookie-issue, when making games, is to believe that the story is the most crucial part of the design process, or that people care for the story above anything else. You're planning out for a video game, not a book. It's nice that you have an idea of theme and characters, but the point of making a game is to make some fun gameplay. This should be your entire focus.

I don't think the issue is being underhanded, but rather, ham handed. The main catch of the rebel nature universe, bar its degree of dystopia, is the evolution of sea life that feeds on human refuse. Initially I thought this was brilliant, the existence of such life would pose many questions, and definitely polarize the inhabitants of the story further. Do they represent a perversion of nature that should not exist and needs to be done away with in order for the preservation of the old ecosystem above all else? Another sign of man's power to shape the environment, one that we should take responsibility for and look after as our own? (A nice stroking of the god complex, if you will.) A way for the planet to heal, and, some day, return to normal? Or, as the big corps must see it, a free pass to keep on dumping, as it'll sort itself out anyway? Natural forces are, ultimately, neutral, but every group of people would have a different impression of them, and that clash in ideas would be the driving force the story. But no. The more was shown of these creatures the more obvious it was that they were just an excuse to have evil monsters for our hero to fight. Apparently pollution is a manifestation of human malice that corrupts all that it touches, because we're running on Captain Planet logic here. No nuance, no neutrality. The moment I saw "HUMAN GREED SHOULD NEVER MIX WITH NATURE" my head hit the desk at 90 miles per hour. The initial pitch of rebel nature as a modern, enlightened, and even-handed take on the typical environmental message was ringing hollower with every update on it. Oh, and on a further note, the animals that are seen palling around with Wes? Why some jolly old whales and a cute little octopus caught in a fishbowl, har-har-har... Of course all those mutants happen to be the less cuddly forms of sea life. Just another example of the most annoying rhetoric of the pettiest environmentalists. "Save the animals!... As long as they're cute." I know a lot of people want to like this because of Chris's work on Bionicle and because it's shaping up to produce even more of the gorgeous sci-fi artwork he's known for; I certainly won't fault that side of things. But I think it's silly to entertain the idea he could tackle a story with such a degree of subtlety. For all its endearing qualities, Bionicle was very black and white. It was pure fantasy that didn't need to go anywhere near real-world issues. The premise of Rebel nature needs the touch of a more mature style of writing, but at the same time a more realistic approach might be at odds with the spectacle of the aesthetics. Not to mention all that would probably put off the younger audience this is so obviously geared for, despite the surface grit. Maybe I'm just getting mad that I didn't get something it was never meant to be, but at the same time it was certainly advertised as much more, and that's hard to get over.

Realtime graphics in the 90s, man. Realtime graphics. In the 90s.

True. I understand that. Thanks for your feedback! It's cool to see people who are willing to criticises my idea. You're right. I'll do my best.

@PeabodySam, @Terrev, and any other LEGO Universe fan out there, this one is for you: https://xiron32.blogspot.com/2016/11/new-sfm-model-darkitect.html

Yep, US is the version I have. Interesting that they would still have different editions of the magazine; aside from small things like regional differences (e.g. language, local events, or what sort of hat Santa would wear), you'd think that, if they went through the trouble of making instructions for alternate models, they'd at least publish them worldwide. But apparently, that's not necessarily the case, even in the 2000s (in the 90s, region-exclusive magazine content was a lot more common). Browsing the Netherlands 2008 issues of LEGO Club magazine revealed some Impulse combiners that I don't recall seeing in the US release. Fortunately, the same website also had scans of the Netherlands 2011 issues, including March/April. Unfortunately, the alternate model in question does not appear anywhere in the magazine, let alone its instructions. Of course, this does not rule out UK, Germany, or other countries, but this website is not so comprehensive in other regions. It's times like these where I am reminded why we really, really need a comprehensive online archive of all LEGO magazines. Brickmaster, World Club, Adventures, you name it.

Just wanted to give an update for anyone still interested in this project. v0.9.3 is almost finished and will have lots of new stuff. Here's a short list of the main additions: 3D Interiors for the InfoCenter and Observation Tower Interaction system (for elevator buttons and various interior items) Redefined settings menu (still alpha though) In-game Resolution/VSync settings In-game Rebindable controls GamePad/Controller support (for almost every possible type of controller)! I also wanted to get everyone's opinion on what the future of this game should be. Should it continue to be a recreation of the original game? Or should it become something entirely different (think like a "Garry's Mod map" kind of thing)? I'm all for recreating the original LEGO Island, but probably wouldn't devote as much time into it if not many others share the same opinion.