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  1. StewartG

    New version of ROCK RAIDERS - update

    I thought I would share some good news on the remake of Lego Rock Raiders, we were going to call it Block Raiders (due to Lego trademark on the RR name, however the good news is that the trademark has expired and also the extra time they have to renew it, and we have just registered the 'Rock Raiders' trademark ourselves. The name will live on.
    36 points
  2. We have been impressed and encouraged with the dedication of our Rock Raiders fans, and after years of requests we are looking at creating a new Rock Raiders. We are considering combining a mine craft style world, so you can build and dig in more ways, please tell us what you think?
    35 points
  3. Polaris

    New version of ROCK RAIDERS - update

    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.
    35 points
  4. wesinfomaniac

    I am the real Infomaniac

    Ha! a friend sent me a sample where the infomaniac was used...I am sincerely am honored..Why? because I wrote, designed and was the creative director of LEGO Island and designed the infomanic- many people and the staff said he looks like you...I didn't intend that but well....The product started in 1995 and realeased in 1997.the software abd development was pretty antiqye compared what was it was capable of doing then...but all and all- cool for seeing this...I gotta tell you- it was quite a maze to figure out how to register and I hope one can read this...Cheers all.
    32 points
  5. Cyrem

    Cafeteria 1.0 BETA 7 - Launcher & Mod Loader for LRR

    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
    28 points
  6. Arthuriel

    Insane Raiders [2022-12-29: Occasional updates are still happening!]

    Update (2022-12-29): I don't know how often I will use this forum, but I just wanted to write that once in a while I still make Insane Raiders themed comics. They are simpler (more like a sketch) and without colour, but they are still full of dubious decisions related to dynamite and landslides! Since I posted those only in Discord chat rooms etc. so far (where they can go under) I wanted to put them in one place and so I added them to my existing Insane Raiders gallery on DeviantArt. I hope you enjoy them! https://www.deviantart.com/arthuriel/gallery/50994783/insane-raiders Note: It can take a few seconds to load all the comics (depending on your internet connection). Hi, this is a thread, where I will try to continue a comic series every or every second week (note: replace week with month(s)). Usually they are based on my experiences with the Rock Raider PC game and the behavior of the Rock Raiders (including a good portion of insanity and exaggaration). Number 1. Dynamite Number 2. Pathfinding Number 3. Reinforcement is for Losers Number 4. The Pain of Pictures Show Number 5. Badly needed professions and items Number 6. Job oppurtunities Number 7. Secrets Number 8. An unnormal day Number 9. Randompunk-Raiders Number 10. Alternative Ending Number 11. Mindless in space Number 12. Traffic Number 13. Lazor-Madness Number 14. Lazor-Madness II Number 15. The Dark Side of the Vector Number 16. Meet the Bandit Number 17. Dynamite-Madness Number 18. The Ultimate Punishment Number 19. Ore Wars Number 20. Announcements
    26 points
  7. bphillips09

    LEGO Island REDUX

    v0.9.7.5 ------------------------------------------------------ Pick an OS, download and unzip anywhere. I recommend that you delete any previous version before unzipping. For Windows and Linux, the "data" folder needs to be in the same root folder as the executable ------------------------------------------------------ *WARNING*: Please remove or uninstall any existing version of the game prior to installing v0.9.7.5 What's New: Bug fixes Patcher implementation Added a brick-building system (click on the green brick base in the Information Center) Fixes for AI Fixes for pizza throwing Fixes for choppy audio (using the original game's monoaural audio) Added some more phrases to test lipsyncing Code optimization Added radio to all vehicles and the brick builder ------------------------------------------------------ Still to do: For v0.9.8: Continue working on NPCs and Pathfinding Switch between "Classic" and "Redux" controls (due to the way the terrain is set up, this will be put off for a later build) Fix more bugs More interiors For v1.0.0: Begin implementation of objectives/missions All 3D interiors Add animations and character rigging Add more character models to the island with animations Overall: Island model smoothing Downloads: WINDOWS :: MAC :: LINUX Visit our Discord channel for quick feedback or general information. Default Controls: E / Left Mouse Button: Interact F: Exit Vehicle G: Throw Pizza Z: Spin Trees Y: Unstick Q: Quit ESC / P: Pause/Resume SPACE: Jump W A S D : Move N: Nightmare Mode ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Troubleshooting: Game crashes frequently or textures aren't displayed properly on Windows: Try selecting a different graphics API Game won't open on Mac: You may need to enable read/write/execute permissions; To do so, open Terminal and run "chmod 777 path/to/game/LEGO Island REDUX.app/Contents/MacOS/LEGO Island REDUX" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    26 points
  8. Hoithebest

    LEGO Racers Online

    It's been a dream for all of us for a very, very long time... I'm proud to announce: LEGO Racers Online! Me and my brother have been working on this very hard for the last couple of days and the result is amazing. Please note that I'm not posting anything yet but a little teasing screenshot, but we are working REALLY hard to make something that we can all use and enjoy this game like when we we're kids! 02/08/2014: New video added. Scroll to the bottom of this post to watch it! 04/08/2014: New status update added. 20/08/2014: New status update and video added. 05/10/2014: New status update added. 12/10/2014: New status update added. 20/10/2014: New status update added. 27/10/2014: New status update added. 05/11/2014: New status update added. 16/11/2014: New status update added. Current status: Currently, the following functions are implemented and working properly: Play online with two players real-time (1 VS 1) - INCLUDING POWER-UPS! Patch the game automatically. However, we do have all the required information to drive all the opponent from within the software (tested and working). We are working on an implementation of playing against eachother with up to five other players right now. We can't say when this is finished, but we don't expect a very long time. Added 20/08/2014: Power-Ups are now working properly. This means, whenever someone uses Power-Ups, this is getting fired on your client too! Although it is now possible to patch the game automatically, this is not a perfect solution and we are working on something that makes it possible to play online "on demand". Added 05/10/2014: Although I have not been developing actively on game functions, I am now working on and completing a critical step to split the software accepting both TCP and UDP network traffic which is required for some functions, for example connecting to a game server. PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM CURRENTLY BUSY WITH SCHOOL AND I DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE TIME TO DEVELOP ON THIS PROJECT! I HOPE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THIS! The following things must be completed and working before release: Full implementation of TCP and UDP traffic; Starting a new Race; A chat function, if people are interested in this function. Added 12/10/2014: Last week I have not been developing very much and this will continue for a few more weeks due to school. The good news is that Grappigegovert has proven his immensive skills again and developed and gave me the code to disable the loading of AI paths so patching the game can be removed from the software now. Also, he created functions to start a Race from the software so the Server can tell the Clients to start a specific Race. All credits go to Grappigegovert for his massive research and developing. Added 20/10/2014: Due to school, I have not been developing actively on the online functionality again, but Grappigegovert and me made some nice improvement with the API. This API will be released in the open source (near) future and will give developers the opportunity to create mods very easy. Added 27/10/2014: Due to school, I have not been developing actively again. The good news is, the software is now fully compatible with TCP and UDP, more structured and the API has been put into a seperate project which will result in a release of the public API soon. This API will be discussed in another thread that I will make in the near future. Please note that the project is not dead and I am still developing, but unfortunately due to school I just do not have much time for this great project. Added 05/11/2014: Good news. Last week I was able to develop more actively on the software, which resulted in the possibility to start races from the Server, which brings us a step closer to the release! I will create a new video of the current progress in the near future. Also, the API is getting prepared for a release with the last bug fixes and comments above the functions. Stay tuned! Added 16/11/2014: I am currently facing problems with the starting of the game client and additional events regarding to the API. I am still not satisfied with the way the API currently works. These problems must be solved in order to continue with the online functionality. Don't think that this project doesn't gain any progress, it just takes a lot of time. Please note the following things: It's not guaranteed that this mod will be ever online for public since this project has still needs many, many development hours; The Server and Client are both only in alpha stage at this moment. We are working really hard to create something that just works and anyone would understand; It is very hard to find all the addresses and the correct pointers, so this takes a lot of time; Currently our main goal is to make everything work on a basic game copy. This means that mods are NOT SUPPORTED (YET) and will likely crash the game when used! On the bright side: We currently do have something that works and we are working so hard to make it possible for everyone to enjoy this with us. It was our dream for many years and finally we took the step to actually create something, and not just for ourselves but for everyone who just loves LEGO Racers. I will keep you guys regularly informed. Make sure you check this post at least once a week as the project is under heavy development. Special thanks: We would like to thank Grappigegovert for his great help which resulted in massive improvement of the software. Thanks to this guy, a lot of things are now working (like using Power-Ups). Videos: The following videos show a demonstration of the system in action:
    26 points
  9. k-g

    LEGO Stunt Rally development artwork

    Hello, As a thank-you to the community here for helping me get the game running again on a modern PC, I'll be posting some images from the development of the game. I'll start at the very beginning: the pitch! The following images were created as we were pitching the game to LEGO Media. The original concept was pretty clear from the beginning: it was LOCO meets Micro Machines. We iterated on these images as you'll see below. The original name and logo we whipped up for the pitch. The game kept the name for much of the development period. Probably the very first mockup. Here we are just exploring the view angle, car size on screen, what kind of information to show on screen, that sort of thing. UI Mockups Some vehicle ideas. The original pitch included quite a bit of customization to the car - the player would be able to tweak springs, rubber bands, tyres, etc. for optimum car performance. Character profiles - we all loved the punk guy from LOCO. Early ideas demonstrating the in-car camera view. First sketch for the workshop. More to come!
    26 points
  10. lol username

    The Sins of LEGO Island 2

    LEGO Island 2 is a hilariously strange beast under the hood. Here's some fun things I've noticed while poking around. First, the game is hardcoded as hell. All the assets themselves are stored in the bob/bod files, but absolutely all of the information linking them together in any way is in the exe. The exe is filled with huge lists of file paths for every asset in each bob/bod file. The exception seems to be textures - these are stripped of meaningful names and referenced by number (like, say, text420.tga instead), and all the info on what textures go on what models, where those models are located, etc is all in the exe. But each level in the game seems to be pretty much entirely isolated from the rest. There's a small amount generic assets shared around, but 99% of the time, if an asset - a texture, model, whatever - is used in multiple levels, it's just duplicated, saved in each bob/bod individually. You know all the different hats the NPCs have, and how you can swap them around in any level with NPCs? And how trees/plants/sign posts can be swapped around in the same manner? And how there's usually 3-5 levels of detail (LODs) for each of these? Those are hundreds and hundreds of models, collision files, and textures - and that's fine, but all of that is entirely duplicated for every scene that uses them. Duplicated in the bobs/bods, taking up hard drive space (and what was likely not an insignificant amount in 2001), and of course that means a lot of duplicated stuff in the exe too. This also means the game wastes a lot of time re-loading assets that already had their duplicates loaded for the previous level. But wait, there's more silly duplication of assets! There are some exceptions like the standard minifigure model, but generally, if two models are identical, but merely have different textures, the meshes and collision files are duplicated anyway. So for example, every minifigure has a unique model for their head, as they have unique face textures... And each of those has several LODs... And alllllll of those are once again duplicated per level they're used in. Minifigure heads alone account for hundreds and hundreds of duplicate files. But there's sillier examples. There's two switches you flip in the Brickster's Palace minigame - and they account for four models. Wait, what, four? Yep - switch 1 up, switch 1 down, switch 2 up, switch 2 down. Because apparently sharing a model and then changing its rotation when it's flipped is too hard. There's plenty of other silly things like this, but I think one deserves special mention... Every single asteroid in the Asteroid Belt minigame is its own 3D model. I'm serious. There are 235 3D models for asteroids, and 235 corresponding collision files. They're divided into three sets/variations - 66 copies of asteroid variation A, 70 copies of asteroid variation B, and 99 copies of asteroid variation C. But it gets better, variations B and C are identical! (Thanks to Will for using a tool of his to automatically check which of the asteroid files were identical to each other.) So instead of just having two asteroid models (with collision files) for a total of four files, there are 470 files being loaded to achieve the same result. There's also a lot of inefficiencies in the models themselves. Excess polygons, using a bunch of smaller textures instead of a larger atlas... But here's my favorite. You know that skeleton in the desert on Adventurer's Island, holding a gem? It's a pretty low poly model (though it could be lower poly and look identical), with 1416 triangles... And 3065 vertices. Wat. Let's take a look at the UV map... The face is the only part of the model that's properly UV mapped. The rest is just given the plain white texture (text027.tga if you wanna try swapping it out), and while it's UV mapped, it's done in a pretty horrible way. If you're curious about the details, read this article, originally published in 2003 (two years after LEGO Island 2 was released) but still relevant today: http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf1.html http://www.ericchadwick.com/examples/provost/byf2.html The bits relevant to the vertex count are explained in part 2. In short, splits/seams/breaks in UV maps split/duplicate vertices... And the UVs for the skeleton's body are doing more splits than a masochistic gym instructor. What you're seeing in the first image there are all the triangles for the body UV'd on top of each other. If you lay them out separately (and I've moved the face elsewhere as it's not relevant), it looks something like this... This is a UV map straight out of hell. Just by fixing it up I got the vertex count of the model down from 3065 to 1686. And as you might expect, that's not an isolated case... Lots of models are like this. More coming, maybe. I think the point has been made.
    26 points
  11. zimonitrome

    Rock Raiders montage

    I made somthing you might enjoy
    26 points
  12. Antillies

    A New Cavern Has Been Discovered

    I've always had an itch to capture the feeling of LRR with real LEGO. I finally had the opportunity to give it a shot and, though I don't think I satisfied my aesthetic wishes this time around, it produced some interesting stills. Wanted to share them in case they might prove interesting or enjoyable to others.
    25 points
  13. Kenney

    LEGO Racers HD (mod project, WIP)

    LEGO Racers HD will focus on replacing the low resolution textures of LEGO Racers with new higher resolution ones. Screenshots: LEGO Racers HD design philosophy: Keep the original LEGO Racers drawing style (no photo realistic textures) LEGO-fy textures (add studs) Most textures drawn in vector Tools being used while creating LEGO Racers HD: LEGO.jam File Extractor by JrMasterModelBuilder LR Textures thread by Cyrem
    24 points
  14. lol username

    All bricks/chassis, all the time

    A really simple but very useful mod that gives you access to every car chassis and piece in the builder at any given time (even ones you can't normally use): In GAME DATA/OBJECTS/BRICKS, there's a file called UNIQUEBRICKS.TXT, which contains "All the bricks that can go in the game ever". Now, see UNIQUEBRICKSGENERIC.TXT? It lists "The generic bricks - available in all worlds". Simply overwrite it with a copy of UNIQUEBRICKS.TXT, and boom, every chassis and piece is accessible everywhere. Edit - There seem to be quite a few newcomers who don't know you have to unpack the game's GTC before doing any modding, so here's a link for that:
    24 points
  15. RRChief

    Base Terranova

    I first started designing Base Terranova over 2 years ago, but then I kinda abandoned the project as it wasn't turning out how I wanted it to be. After that, a few months ago I picked it up again and did a complete overhaul on the original design. Now, I am proud to finally present what is probably my biggest LEGO project to date: "Base Terranova - A RR HQ" Warning! Lots of pictures in the spoilers! Overview: Details of the ground floor: Details of the first floor: Details of the second floor: Details of the Top Floor: I hope you guys enjoyed looking through my newest RR model! Comments and feedback are welcomed to help improve on its design! ~A creation by RRChief~
    24 points
  16. k-g

    LEGO Stunt Rally development artwork

    This is how we tested the first level (maybe the 2nd level as well, I don't fully remember). Several members on the team needed orange help. This model was actually in the game for a while - we wanted to keep it in as an easter egg, but of course there would be too many legal troubles if anyone ever found out, so we took it out.
    23 points
  17. Jimbob

    Small Transport Truck

    It is finally completed! Previews More views: YouTube video: http://youtu.be/tsvCOCttm68 Information This mod took... A very long time. But I'm proud of it, and now that I've made all these parts future models should take much less time to produce. Several binary files were modified, but the main one was CRCM.GDB, which now has: 12 textures 1542 Vertices 868 Indices 150 Indices Meta entries Over 17000 lines of code All custom made! Again, I'd like to give a huge thanks to WillKirkby for making the >Binary File Editor, and le717 for making >GDBump, without which I would not have been able to produce this mod. Download You can download the Small Transport Truck here: Small Transport Truck Installation instructions, along with a brief description of how to change the car to a different racer, are included in the contained Readme file. Note that the Binary File Editor doesn't save comments, so if you'd like to check out the commented code then click here. Want to Use This Mod? If you'd like to use this vehicle (or any of the parts within it) in your own mod, then feel free! This mod was made partly as an example after all. However, should you use it (or its parts) in your own mod, please give me credit for making it. Because it took a very long time to make.
    22 points
  18. Brigs

    LEGO Island Information Center MOC WIP

    Welcome! Velcommen, konichiwa, aloha! How ya doin? Yo! And in any language, welcome to LEGO Island the Information Center! Ever since I discovered my own copy of LEGO Island (>recounted here,) I wanted to build my own, tangible, Information Center. I started in LEGO Digital Designer with the "i" logo on the floor, continued with the Big blue Brick Book, and the big "i" in front of my desk. Brick by brick, tock by tick I began to construct the model in reality, from flowers to cups and red to blue to the elevator, to oh my yes, your score cube; Whoops, I forgot the radio! There's still so much to do, things like racing and jet-skiing getting a few parts in the right colors, building up the walls, and obstructing that ugly framework. Recreation Ingame Comparison See you later, Brickulator!
    22 points
  19. lol username

    Really early LEGO Racers alpha/beta screenshots

    http://bill.bzaar.net/avoc/Html/Screenshots/legorac.htm Holy crud.
    22 points
  20. Cirevam

    New version of ROCK RAIDERS - update

    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.
    22 points
  21. PapaBrickolini

    Ogel Island - Multiplayer RP/Sandbox/Minigame Game

    I've decided to turn development towards making a little "remaster" of Lego Racers 1. Racing around cartoony tracks shooting cannon balls at other brick built karts, pretty fun stuff. A bunch of work lately has been UI related and thinking of how the menus should look and feel. More work has also went into the kart/vehicle physics and feeling, there's still work to be done, but they're getting better. https://streamable.com/fmnp4 More work went into AI as well. They actually have a very small brain now! They're just smart enough to drive in reverse if stuck, and to follow a given course. Currently they are insanely good drivers, too good, they're very difficult to pass, let alone beat in a race. Gotta make em a bit dumber. https://streamable.com/q5r10 https://streamable.com/37ti3 Lots of other stuff has gotten work done, such as basic HUD elements, sounds, particles, a simple test-track "ripped from LR1" and more. I also quickly added a screenshot camera last night courtesy of Garry Newman, which allows you to take some super cool screenshots ingame. If ya wanna keep up to date further on this project, I've made a Discord server where I'll be posting development info and taking suggestions, feedback, etc. https://discord.gg/TT5FD5q
    21 points
  22. lol username

    Wizard Mech

    Turned these doodles into a model.
    21 points
  23. k-g

    LEGO Stunt Rally development artwork

    Hi kaitodaimon, I'll answer your questions as best as I can: 1) Do you have any knowledge regarding the intro cutscene in stunt rally, since the intro cutscenes from the retro-LEGO games, are more detailed than the moden LEGO game´s cutscenes, in terms of lightning and overall details. As others have pointed out, the intro cutscene is pre-rendered and in a different style from the modern games. The intro and victory videos were indeed done by another studio, while the in-car camera shots were made by IG. As for the increased amount of detail compared to the modern games, my guess is that back then LEGO didn't have their preferred style nailed down for cutscenes. I'm pretty sure that by now they will have very strict guidelines as to how minifigs need to look and move in animations (in whatever medium). 2) Do you remember how many of the models in the game were based upon actual LEGO sets? As for vehicles, only the cars of the playable characters were based on existing LEGO sets, which were being developed at the same time. The characters themselves were designed by a few of IG's artists. 3) What was your biggest reference in the development of the models and the structure of the layout for the game? For the cars, we received the actual toys, photos, and rendered images that were being made for the cutscenes (I will post some of those later). We didn't reference anything for the structure and layout of the game. 4) Is there any particular reason that none of textures for the minifigures had gradients implemented to them? It sounds like you are using "gradients" to describe the rendering style. Some of the plastic in the pre-rendered movies in LSR looks more shiny/glossy than IG's renders. This has nothing to do with the textures, but rather a setting in the material. That setting in the material says how shiny/glossy should look when rendered. So the different teams used different settings for the plastic materials. The lighting will also be different - in IG's movies/renders, we aimed to have very soft shadows. 5) Were there any restrictions in the development process from LEGO that you remember? Absolutely. Working with any publisher or holder of an Intellectual Property (IP) (also often referred to as a "a license"), there are always guidelines on what you can and can't do with the characters/world. etc. One starting point was that we were given was a fairly strict set of colors to use. So, for example, if something is red it needed to be a precise RGB value set by LEGO, we couldn't just pick a color red that we liked. This kind of stuff is standard when working with an IP. Things got a little weird at times though. For example, at one point we were told to change the color of all the city roads from dark grey to light grey. We had based our roads on existing (but slightly less common) dark grey road plates, and we argued against the light grey because a) it didn't look as nice (due to the lower contrast) and b) it would be a considerable task to change it all (re-work all the road textures and re-render all the icons (twice actually because the game has two UI sizes)). I've seen some screenshots with the dark grey roads online, but they are all light grey in the final product. One major change that LEGO demanded was the removal of the steering. People on this forum have discovered the hidden FREEFORM driving mode, which was actually the default mode during much of the development. The team was pretty gutted when that request came, but LEGO's point was that the game was too difficult for its target audience. Driving controls with an isometric view is quite counter-intuitive, so you can see their point. With the simplified controls, the game became a scalectrix type game. For the very first level of the campaign, we aimed to make it so easy that you could win by just holding the accelerator the entire race (with any car!). Obviously, that is the most boring level to test, so we had an orange do it. We placed an orange on the up cursor button on the keyboard and just waited for the result. The first level needed to pass "the orange test", which became a bit of a meme inside the team. I may have an image of the orange in question, I'll see if I can find it.
    21 points
  24. (2020-08-31) It's been a long while, but today the largest update so far drops for Manic Miners! The vehicles are here, together with an extensive miner customization system and many surprises and improvements. Dive in and re-live an almost-complete Rock Raiders remake today! The only thing missing are the monsters... so stay tuned! Thank you for following development! V0.3: The Miners and machines update trailer: Initial reveal trailer: Latest version: V0.3.5, released 2021-01-28) Download link: https://baraklava.itch.io/manic-miners Resource links: Trello (my development progress) Discord (active daily discussion AND usually weekly in-progress builds) Subreddit (active daily) Facebook page (not very active, but will announce major updates) Here's some more information on the project, taken from the Trello: If you have played the original Rock Raiders game and just want to jump right in without reading the project backstory and explanations, here are some quick notes: Original post: Full information dump can be found here
    20 points
  25. lol username

    LEGO Racers 2 Is a Family Friendly Video Game

    ... until you extract the game data (Note: This video contains ~naughty things~, but it's all straight out of LR2. If you are averse to such naughtiness, I advise you burn your copy of the game... Or just not watch the video.)
    20 points
  26. k-g

    LEGO Stunt Rally development artwork

    Hello! I'm back with some images. Here are some renders of the high-poly cars made for the cutscenes of LSR. These weren't made by Intelligent Games, but by a different team (I don't know who). http://www.rockraidersunited.com/gallery/album/525-lego-stunt-rally-cg-cars/
    20 points
  27. Ayliffe

    LL-947 Space Defender

    Built to replace the ageing fleet of LL-918 one-man spacecrafts, the LL-947 has 6 side mounted lasers on the wings to defend itself from the forces of Blacktron, which was a key problem with the old 918 class spacecrafts, who couldn't defend themselves if they ran into trouble. There are numerous reports that some of these have been modified by Blacktron to use against our forces, but so far there is no photographic evidence of these occurrences. Check out my photostream for more images! https://www.flickr.com/photos/ayliffemakit/
    20 points
  28. grappigegovert

    Track viewer/editor (skb/pwb)

    Track editor When the BMP format was finally cracked, I wanted to make a new GDB viewer that showed textures, and using WillKirkby's LibLR1 that wasn't too hard. But why not an editor? So here is my track editor! Current features: - View GDB files (3D objects), with textures. - View and edit SKB files (Skyboxes). - View and edit PWB files (Powerups). - View RRB files (AI paths). - View the static object part of WDB files. Planned: - Edit RRB files (AI paths) - (partially) View and edit WDB files (Static/animated objects). - View and edit startup positions and checkpoints Known bugs: - Dragging bricks acts weird from certain angles - Semi-transparent textures only work in native LR bitmaps, and are not yet depth-sorted. NOTE: You need to have XNA Framework 4.0 installed, otherwise the application will crash. Download: http://www.rockraidersunited.com/files/lego-racers-1/tools/track-editor-12-r59/ Current version: v1.2.0.365 New in this version: (full changelog included in download) Let me know what you think! Massive thanks to WillKirkby, for making LibLR1 and the original GDB_viewer and to Sluicer for helping with both GDB and BMP file formats.
    19 points
  29. dead_name

    Model Viewer

    I present for your pleasure, LR2ModelViewer! This allows you to view the models in the game. This does NOT support Drome Racers models, as they use a modified format. There are also a few models in the game that use a slightly different format, these also cannot be loaded. There are some texture and transparency issues at the moment, and it does not support animated textures - it'll just show the first frame. Controls: Ctrl+O : open a *.MD2 model. Textures will be loaded automatically. L : enable/disable very very basic lighting. This does not take the model's material properties into account. Drag : turn camera Scroll : zoom in/out REQUIRES .NET FRAMEWORK 4. Version 1.0.5335.4211 (LATEST): LINK All builds: Version 1.0.5335.4211: LINK Changelog (2014-08-10) v1.0.5335.4211 > Initial version.
    19 points
  30. lol username

    Here's a TeeVee that looks like an apple

    19 points
  31. Hey guys: So, I joined a game dev team. Since then, I've been very busy working on this game: Barony, a 3D, multiplayer Roguelike, which, has further-since been greenlit and available on Steam since June 2015! ** UPDATE JUNE 2016 ** Earlier this year, we have released a graphics overhaul, among continued new patches fixing bugs and adding new features. Additionally, as of June 27 2016, Barony is open source, licensed under the GPL 3.0. Github repository here. Here's some screenshots of the new version: Pre-2016 graphics-overhaul Screenshots:
    19 points
  32. k-g

    LEGO Stunt Rally development artwork

    Sorry for the year-late reply. The "more digital figures" were done, like you suggested, entirely digital. We 3D modeled those, animated them and rendered them out. I dug through my old files and found some more random bits 'n' pieces. Several different artists worked on these, so you'll see different styles. These are mostly mockups, exploring how the UI would work. Enjoy! And here are some of the "high poly" in-game cars from the workshop.
    19 points
  33. lol username

    Somebody built a really cool thing in LEGO Creator

    Full gallery and info (it has an interior!): http://web.archive.org/web/20140806004838/http://home.comcast.net/~deadboymgo/site/?/page/Lego_CSS_Chi-Town/ Wow. I didn't even know that LEGO Creator was technically capable of something this big. To the guy who built this: Darn good job. Update - The original webpage is down, switched out with a link to the web archives.
    19 points
  34. -DoNe-

    Lego Rock Raiders HQ [MOC] 7000 parts!

    After 2 months of building I where able to finish this giant! I don't even know where to start, it have taken so long and it have been so fun to watch it grow over the weeks (but I have to admit it got a little boring to build some of the rock sections). At some points I had my doubts that I would be able to finish it of due to how massive it was and when I constantly realized that I had to make it bigger too fit this and that but in the end it was worth it! The finished models weights in at 7,7kg (around 20 pounds/16lbs and have something between 7000-8000 parts! Sorry for the bad picture btw! by =DoNe=, on Flickr by =DoNe=, on Flickr by =DoNe=, on Flickr
    19 points
  35. PeabodySam

    RRU Quotes 2: Reckoning

    jamesster: I view LEGO MMOs as a dysfunctional group of siblings jamesster: LEGO Universe was the older brother who wanted to change the world but got drunk and fell into a muddy ditch jamesster: LEGO Minifigures Online is the middle aged brother who's even more drunk, but saw what happened to his older brother, and thus tries to stay away from muddy ditches jamesster: And finally, Chima Online is the baby at the dinner table who throws his food everywhere
    19 points
  36. 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.
    18 points
  37. ZANTHERA

    Stunt Rally DVD-ROM With HQ Videos

    I'm not sure if this is known but I spotted this DVD-ROM version of Stunt Rally on eBay recently and was curious as to why it was a DVD-ROM and not a CD-ROM so I bought it. It turns out it has a load of video content that features a behind the scenes look at the games development, the UK advert for the game, plus adverts for three different LEGOLAND theme parks as well as a Rock Raiders set/game advert. What I was really hoping to be on the disc turned out to indeed be present, there is a full PAL DVD quality version of the games 3D animated intro. It's 720 x 576 at 25fps which beats the hell out of the tiny 320 x 240 at 15fps version seen on start up. There are even snippets of Glacier's outro in the behind the scenes video in this same quality but sadly not all of the outro videos used throughout the game are present. The ones seen in game are however much better quality, they are 25fps and have much higher bit rate audio than the outros from a later re-release I have from Focus which came bundled with Island Xtreme Stunts, I have seen these higher quality outro videos in playthroughs so it's not surprising they are there, but this does tell us they for some reason skimped on the quality for the re-releases. Below are comparisons between the two, it seems they didn't render the final sequence with anti aliasing so there are some jaggies here and there but it's definitely not an upscale, there is way too much detail that can be seen. The pictures go AVI then DVD but then again it's rather obvious which is which, the DVD version does seem to have an overall different coloration to it and seems a bit green at times, I'm going to work on it to see if I can get the colors more consistent and match real element colors better.
    18 points
  38. So, while this site was down, for LEGO Island's 20th anniversary (Oct. 2) I tried to organize a Reddit AMA with people who worked on the game, as many as I could contact and would be interested. I got in touch with a number of people, ~12-16 iirc. Unfortunately, the AMA ultimately never materialized, mostly because an AMA requires verification, and I didn't know how that could happen for such an old game. (Then the r/games mods got peeved at me for being overenthusiastic, basically saying I'll never be able to try to do any AMA there again.) And during that time, Wes Jenkins passed away (about a week from LI's 20th anniversary original release date, iirc), which basically sealed the "not gonna happen" deal. However, as a result of my contact, one of the animators wrote up an interesting article on his time working on the game (he emailed it to me, and I saved it in this document just now) - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1chL_iGfo-h559vnR6ds_ZDnLWicZ48RYxFlf1wmV2aE/edit?usp=sharing EDIT: Talked to Kathleen "Brick-by-Brick" Salvia, very nice lady.
    18 points
  39. Sadie Meowsalot

    Please Help Wes Jenkins

    Many of us know Wes Jenkins for having been Creative Director, Writer, and Designer for the beloved 1997 LEGO PC game LEGO Island or LI1, which played a significant role in the childhoods of a myriad of children, inspiring creativity, imagination, play, fun, learning, etc, as well as spawning many of the humorous running-jokes based on some of the game's glitches and the like we enjoy in this community, most notably "Green-a-RedBrick/GreenRed Brick, you stay!" I've been friends with Wes for several years now on Facebook, and he's one of the most fantastic people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, let alone being able to call my friend. He's brilliantly creative, imaginative, lighthearted, funny, silly, and an excellent artist! Most of all though he's very kindhearted, compassionate, loving, modest, and has this unwavering aptitude to make light of and poke fun at his predicaments, no matter the severity, all the while retaining a sense of seriousness. Wes inspires me a lot for all these reasons and more, and he's been consistently one of the biggest beacons of hope in my life that I can be an adult and conduct myself with maturity, seriousness, and professionalism, but still maintain and express a lot of childlike qualities, and still be very much a kid. Sadly since having to leave LEGO in 2000 or so, Wes has been burdened with a lot of health and financial troubles, on top of which he had to take care of his 91-year-old father with dementia for a while at one point until his father's passing a few years ago. Wes has been largely taken care of by his loving wife Kyle for many years since, meanwhile illustrating humorous drawings in his "Doodle-a-Day" series as a creative outlet and source of joy. Despite all the hardships that befell them, together they were able to make it through much of their troubles. However, now I'm very sad to say they're being evicted from their home, their medical insurance has run out, and they no longer have any credit. They have to move out of their home by the 18th-19th of this month and are in dire need of financial support to afford temporary housing, as time is running out and it's very much a life or death situation at this point. To this end Wes has set up a GoFundMe page. Please give them any amount of money you can spare in their time of need, and please share this and help get the word out as soon as you can. Wes has never asked for money before, and the fact he's doing so now is a very good indicator that the situation is quite serious. I love Wes dearly, and I'd really like for us all to be able to cherish this wonderful man's presence and creativity in the world for as many more years as possible, and even more for he and his wife Kyle to live with a better quality of life. Thank you. See you later brickulator!
    18 points
  40. lol username

    Custom LEGO Universe Skins/Models

    I haxed a Time Twister into a dead MMO. More probably coming sometime later, ideas welcome. What am I doing with my life. Torso texture is from Return to Blockland something something, thanks to whoever did that. The rest is LU stuff. NifSkope for model tweaking (adding the hat to a minifigure model), Paint.net for texture editing. Injected into a beta version of the game's login screen (though if beta builds worked properly with the "private servers" you could in theory actually get this guy to appear in a world as a proper NPC, too - alternately, get past the live game's anti-hax system, which I don't have the patience for). Yeah I know the hat's a slightly different shade than the body but if LU devs could be that lazy with official character models/textures so can I. There's also some minor editing goofs in the screenshots. Don't quite care about that right now either. First person to ask "how u stil play LU" gets shot with a Rank 3 Inventor's beehive and then pissed on. Further questioning will just result in the pissing bit. Edit: Classic Johnny Thunder. RTB textures again.
    18 points
  41. Sadie Meowsalot

    Lego Noticed Funko Pop

    Green-a-Red Brick, you stay!
    18 points
  42. emily

    Rock Raiders Wave Two?

    I was strolling through a Eurobricks thread on unreleased sets and came to this curious post. So I thought to myself "yeah, okay, big talk. Did you read that on Brickipedia?" But then they went on to say this: Suddenly the post is sounding a lot more credible. So I look back up at the post and what really strikes me is that he says that wave 2 would have had "other underground creatures." And then I remembered this guy! It's a slimy slug that was on the cover of a catalog packaged with big box LEGO games in 1999. It's not a model from the Rock Raiders game, though - in fact, it looks like it's design to be produced as a buildable figure, with a single-piece rigid body that has some eyestalks and studs stuck on. Seems a little excessive to design all of that just for promotional renders, no? So yeah, I think this guy may have been designed for that 2nd wave. What else could have been in it? There are at least a couple models in the PC game that would have worked as sets if they had chosen to produce them...
    18 points
  43. PeabodySam

    Scene 24: Johnny Thunder Blows This Taco Stand

    Note from Director Steven Spielbrick: What you are about to read is the script of a deleted scene from the upcoming blockbuster, The LEGO Movie, soon to be in theaters. The script was written by Frank, best known for his screenwriting of the 2002 blockbuster The Johnny Thunder Movie when he wasn't writing love letters to lead actress Giselle and crying in a corner in the commissary because he was too cowardly to actually give her any of those love letters. There is some speculation by Dr. Albert Overbuild that this script was actually ghostwritten by another individual who wrote this scene just to stroke his already-inflated ego, although Johnny Thunder denies any of these accusations.This scene was written entirely as a homage to fan-favorite LEGO lines and games from the late nineties, exploiting fan nostalgia to its maximum levels. I promise that only reason we left this on the cutting room floor is because of running time, and most certainly not because of any allegations that I am a cheapskate who refused to pay the cast and crew to film this scene. Scene 24 FADE IN. The shot opens with a low-angle shot of a hill, with dark and stormy clouds in the background. Occasionally, the sky is brightened by a flash of lightning. When filming this, be sure to tell the best boy Eddie to make sure that gaffer Hank doesn't electrocute himself with the lighting equipment again, even though it would produce the desired effect if we want it to look like lightning. The music should be dark and foreboding, with the only other sounds being wind and the distant rumbling of thunder. On that note, make sure the gofers bring coffee to Unit 2 cameraman Nero so he won't fall asleep while shooting again, since it takes forever to edit out his snoring in post. And make sure it's an espresso, not a latte or mocha, because it takes even longer to edit out the sound of Nero screaming at the gofer who brought him the wrong cup of coffee. The music crescendos, becoming less dark and foreboding and giving way to a march that is most certainly not a cheap knock-off of the "Raiders March." Enter JOHNNY THUNDER, who climbs up the hill before standing proudly and triumphantly at the top, fixing his hat and staring off into the distance. As the march hits its most dramatic and emotional peak, complete with ominous Latin chanting, the backlighting turns bright and angelic, as though the sun is rising directly behind JOHNNY THUNDER (again, make sure Hank doesn't electrocute himself), sure to give this scene some faux symbolism that will leave literary critics scratching their heads for years and wondering, "What does it mean? Obviously, it means Johnny Thunder is awesome, but surely there must be an even deeper meaning!" Text flashes at the bottom of the screen, reading: "5900: Adventurer Johnny Thunder available at your local toy store! Only $4.25!" JOHNNY THUNDER: Aces! Good on ya, Johnny! If that bludger Lord Business and his dodgy Robot SWAT Team think they could hold the Thunder himself prisoner aboard that dropship, they've got kangaroos loose in their paddock! CUT TO AERIAL SHOT of the nearby wreckage of the crashed police dropship. Text flashes at the bottom of the screen, reading: "70815: Police Dropship available at your local toy story! Only $69.99!" CUT back to JOHNNY THUNDER standing on the hill. This time, he is joined by the Rock Raiders CHIEF, who climbs up the hill to stand beside him. He is not accompanied by dramatic music or angelic lighting because he is not as awesome as JOHNNY THUNDER. However, he gets to appear in this scene because we're exploiting fan nostalgia. After all, that's the reason why we have JOHNNY THUNDER, BENNY, and other classic figures for no reason other than to make older LEGO fans swoon while younger LEGO fans are confused, failing to recognize their significance. Those poor children. CHIEF frowns and crosses his arms, glaring at JOHNNY THUNDER, most likely jealous of how awesome he is. CHIEF: You know, I did help! If it weren't for me, we'd- JOHNNY THUNDER: Oh, of course you wanted to get in on a bit of the action, Chief! Doesn't everyone dream of the opportunity that they may have the chance to work with the Thunder himself? Well, mate, today's your lucky day! CHIEF: Rather than standing idly on this hill like it's a sandwich break, I'd rather resume our mission to stop Lord Business! But we can't do this alone... we need the other Master Builders. I don't know how many of the others escaped, but I overheard Vitruvius grumbling that the Infomaniac was not present at the meeting in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Perhaps we can a landslide has occurred! BEAT. CHIEF covers his mouth and looks sheepish. JOHNNY THUNDER does not appear to have noticed his sudden outburst, instead staring off into space while stroking his chin. We need a few seconds of silence that will most likely be drowned out by the laughter of older LEGO Rock Raiders fans and a chorus of confused "What just happened?" cries from the younger audience before we continue. CHIEF: Err, sorry about that. I've got a plan for the mission! We gather some resources and... are you even listening? JOHNNY THUNDER: Hmm... let's see... aha! The Thunder has a plan! Of course he does, he always does! CHIEF: But I was just about to brief you on- JOHNNY THUNDER: There's gotta be a map somewhere in Lord Business's evil lair that shows the routes that the police dropships will follow after leavin' Cloud Cuckoo Land with the captured Master Builders. And once I have a map, I can find anythin', whether it's a Golden Dragon or a Green Ninja! But first, I'll need to explore Lord Business's evil lair to find this map, and before I do that, I'll need to find the evil lair in the first place... CHIEF: Alright, fine. I'll check my handheld geological scanner to see if I can locate... Camera REVOLVES around JOHNNY THUNDER and CHIEF and ZOOMS OUT, revealing Octan Headquarters towering before them. Dramatic musical stinger plays. Text flashes at the bottom of the screen, reading: "70809: Lord Business's Evil Lair available at your local toy store! Only $69.99!" CHIEF: Oh, there it is. JOHNNY THUNDER: Chief, you stay here and contact the Infomaniac. The Thunder is going in! CHIEF: Wait! You can't just walk into Octan Headquarters like that! JOHNNY THUNDER: Hmm, that'd be right. I'm so famous, everyone will recognize me the moment I step my foot in that door, and then I'd be taken apart faster than some shonky MegaBloks rubbish! I can't believe it, a situation where no one is allowed to notice the Thunder! Those poor fangirls will have to wait! JOHNNY THUNDER takes off his hat and rubs his forehead. JOHNNY THUNDER: Think, Thunder, think! That one other Master Builder... the one always wearin' his underwear on the outside... what was his name? CHIEF: Clark? JOHNNY THUNDER: Yeah, that's it. Clark. What did he say to do in such a situation? CUT to Cloud Cuckoo Palace, filmed in black-and-white to indicate that this is a flashback and, more importantly, to cut costs of filming. While other Master Builders mingle in the background, SUPERMAN is speaking to JOHNNY THUNDER, who isn't paying much attention and is instead attempting but failing miserably to flirt with WYLDSTYLE. JOHNNY THUNDER also fails to notice BATMAN in the background, angered by the flirting, repeatedly throwing batarangs at him but missing every time. SUPERMAN: If you're ever in a situation where you need to go unnoticed, find a phone booth and wear glasses. JOHNNY THUNDER: Yeah, mate. Goin' unnoticed. Doubt I'll ever have to give it a burl- A batarang finally hits JOHNNY THUNDER and knocks him out of the shot. SUPERMAN and a few other Master Builders gasp. BATMAN performs a fist pump. BATMAN: First try! CUT back to JOHNNY THUNDER in front of Octan Headquarters. He grins and puts his hat back on. If he had fingers, he would snap them. JOHNNY THUNDER: Ripper! Find a phone booth, wear glasses! CHIEF: Oh, brilliant. But where can we find a phone booth in these modern... JOHNNY THUNDER: Well, ain't this a beaut? Have a gander at this, 'cause there's one right there! PAN to a blue police box situated just outside Octan Headquarters. CHIEF: Okay, Johnny Thunder! Go for it while I contact the Infomaniac. Good luck on your mission! And watch out for those landslides - I mean, Robot Feds! CHIEF leaves the shot to contact the Infomaniac. Or, at least, that's what he claims to be doing. In reality, we all know that he is actually going on a sandwich break. JOHNNY THUNDER runs to the blue police box, opens the door, steps inside, and closes the door behind him. JOHNNY THUNDER: Crikey, it's a lot bigger on the inside! The door opens and JOHNNY THUNDER steps out of the police box. He is now wearing a disguise: a grey fedora, a pair of sunglasses, a fake mustache, a sleeveless leather vest, a satchel, and green pants. JOHNNY THUNDER: Wicked, they'll never recognize me now in this disguise! They'll take a butcher's hook and say, "There's no way that's the fair dinkum Thunder. That's some lousy motorcyclist Thunder-wannabe!" Maybe they'll even write a ton of fan mail askin' me to come back and kick this stupid motorcyclist in the hip piece! Now, time to find that map... CUT to the Octan conference room, where there is low lighting and low, sinister music playing in the background. At the start of the shot, make sure the camera focus is on a large map of the globe, in order to highlight that Gilligan Cut between JOHNNY THUNDER saying "map" and the fact that we're cutting to a map. It's supposed to be clever. Then, PAN OUT to gradually reveal the rest of the room, including PRESIDENT BUSINESS and EVIL OGEL, who are sitting at the conference table and talking. At the end of the shot, FOCUS IN on a giant brick-built taco in the room, promoting the upcoming Taco Tuesday with a sign that ends with the following message: "Please do not rebuild this into something that will help you defeat the bad guys." Just some subtle foreshadowing. PRESIDENT BUSINESS: ... but after that incident with the noodles, I've been trying for days to sink Benny's classic spaceship, but every unit I send out to do the job ends up spontaneously combusting and falling through the floor! EVIL OGEL: Those minions are only good for tossing out a window to relieve some stress. You cannot rely on them, which is why you must pay close attention to every word I say. Heeding my advice could mean the difference between failure and victory. Now, listen: when we send out the giant plastic badger, we... Enter JOHNNY THUNDER. PRESIDENT BUSINESS and EVIL OGEL both stop talking and stare at him. When each character speaks, make sure WIDE-ANGLE LENS is used in a CLOSE-UP SHOT. Despite how many films try to do this and only look awkward and uncomfortable, we will get it right! Maybe. PRESIDENT BUSINESS: Who are you? JOHNNY THUNDER: Err, yes. Hello. My name is John... son... uh... Thun... doo... yeah. And I'm here to clean your block. PRESIDENT BUSINESS: Ah, Johnson Thundoo? You sure look nothing like that Johnny Thunder fellow. JOHNNY THUNDER: Of course not! The Thunder is a brave and awesome hero! I'm a mean, rebellious, law-breakin', motorcycle-ridin' Thunder-wannabe son of a MegaBlok! PRESIDENT BUSINESS: Hold on. Do correct me if I'm mistaken, but did you just say that you break the law? Surely, we don't want any of that around here, now, do we? JOHNNY THUNDER: Uh... of course not. I said, I'm a mean, rebellious... err, law-abidin'... motorcycle-ridin' Thunder-wannabe son of a MegaBlok... yeah. PRESIDENT BUSINESS: Oh, good! That's a very good thing to hear, or else I would have you put to sleep! Err, I mean, uh, yes, pleased to meet you, Mr. Thundoo! It's so hard finding villains who are willing to work with me... most of the time, they're just out to break the law and spread chaos. Not like Ogel here, who's perfectly happy with enforcing rules with an iron fist! Or a plastic hook, in this case. EVIL OGEL: Yes, President Business. Mr. Thundoo, I welcome you to the Organization of Great Evil Laughter. That's O.G.E.L., which spells "Ogel". Quite ingenious, isn't it? I came up with it myself! Now, please, take a seat and make yourself uncomfortable while I get back to Business. PRESIDENT BUSINESS: "Back to Business." Oh, that's clever! JOHNNY THUNDER takes a seat next to the giant taco. I bet you never expected to ever read that sentence in a movie script. JOHNNY THUNDER: Hey, mate, why is LEGO Island blinkin' red on that map? EVIL OGEL: Ah, you're just in time to witness the launch of a rocket from the spaceport on LEGO Island! Once launched, it will release its cargo and blanket the Earth with Evil Orbs that will put everyone under my mind-control so I can usurp Lord Business and rule the world... I mean, uh, just kidding! Pretend that you didn't hear that! PRESIDENT BUSINESS: Oh, I love this guy! He's so funny! What a joker! But, in full seriousness, we've got that rocket loaded with a bunch of micro-managers that will take over the world, and there's no one who can stop us! Those Master Builders have been a thorn in my side long enough! JOHNNY THUNDER: Yeah? Well, this thorn is about to take you down! JOHNNY THUNDER jumps out of his seat and rips off his disguise. A triumphant fanfare plays, and the lighting in the room brightens (keep an eye on Hank). PRESIDENT BUSINESS and EVIL OGEL gasp in astonishment. PRESIDENT BUSINESS: You're not Johnson Thundoo! You're... uh... Ogel, who is this? EVIL OGEL: Johnny Thunder! I'll have you sent to the Melting Room for this! Text flashes at the bottom of the screen, reading: "70801: Melting Room available at your local toy store! Only $12.99!" JOHNNY THUNDER: G'day, mates! Thunder's the name, building's the game! And it's time to blow this taco stand! JOHNNY THUNDER disassembles the giant taco and rebuilds it into an explosive escape catapult. The catapult launches him out a nearby window as it explodes. SLOW-MOTION SHOT of JOHNNY THUNDER flying through the air with the explosions behind him, complete with epic music playing in the background. The explosions serve no real purpose, but it'll be great trailer footage. JOHNNY THUNDER lands conveniently in a fountain outside Octan Headquarters, because if there's one thing we learn from videogames, it's that water negates fall damage, so therefore audience's suspension of disbelief won't be broken. As JOHNNY THUNDER emerges from the fountain, the camera is focused on him, although CHIEF can be seen in the background out-of-focus. JOHNNY THUNDER: Crikey, that was a close one! The other Master Builders will have to wait; I gotta stop that rocket from launchin'! But, how will I get to LEGO Island in time? It’s a back o' Bourke from here! CHIEF: A landslide has occurred! JOHNNY THUNDER cries out in surprise and spins around. FOCUS IN on CHIEF. JOHNNY THUNDER: Chief! Good to see you again, mate! Did you contact the Infomaniac? CHIEF: Yes, I did. I'll brief you on the good news and bad news. The good news is that the Infomaniac is safe; he explained that he was unable to attend the meeting due to having to attend some annual tug-of-war competition held over a shark's bay, but he was hoping to arrive fashionably late. By the time he arrived, everyone was gone... the Master Builders, the Robot SWAT Team, and even the LEGO Studios film crew! That's why he didn't have a cameo appearance earlier in this film like you did. After that, he returned home to LEGO Island... and that's where the bad news comes in. JOHNNY THUNDER: That'd be right, mate. Listen, I gotta rock up at LEGO Island as quickly as possible, and I ain't got time for a walkabout. CHIEF: I can help you build a Teleport Pad that will send you there instantly! Even better, we don't need to worry about following any complicated procedures or overly-convoluted mechanics in constructing such a teleporter. We're Master Builders; we don't need to follow the instruction manual! Just... don't tell my Rock Raider cadets I said that, or else they'll never listen to another thing I teach them at the academy, and then I'll be a landslide has occurred! JOHNNY THUNDER: You little ripper! Let's build this Teleport Pad and stop that rocket! Let's hope that audiences will ignore the fact that we’re only using CHIEF as a blatant Mr. Exposition and deus ex machina in addition to exploiting fan nostalgia. JOHNNY THUNDER and CHIEF quickly disassemble the fountain and rebuild it into a Teleport Pad. CHIEF salutes JOHNNY THUNDER as the latter steps into the Teleport Pad. The scene around JOHNNY THUNDER dissolves in a bright flash of light (okay, maybe just this once, let Hank accidentally electrocute himself for the best results). As the light fades away, JOHNNY THUNDER finds himself in front of the Information Center on LEGO Island. Text flashes at the bottom of the screen, reading: "5731: Information Center available at... oh, wait, LEGO hasn't produced that set yet." JOHNNY THUNDER looks around and sees the Super-Secret Police terrorizing the town populace in a lengthy MASTER SHOT. The camera lingers for a moment on PEPPER RONI throwing pizzas at one Robo SWAT, which is unaffected. PEPPER RONI: Whoa! Man, these bad robot dudes are nothing like the Brickster-Bots! When the camera returns to JOHNNY THUNDER, he turns around and meets the INFOMANIAC, who is clearly distressed and acting even more erratic than usual. JOHNNY THUNDER: G'day, Infomaniac! How- INFOMANIAC: Hello! Hola! Velkommen... oh, forget the usual spiel! There is no time! This should be enough: welcome to LEGO Island! Please sign the Big Blue Brick Book and, oh, no, don't sign it, we haven't got time! Oh, this is terrible! We're in danger, Johnny! Not only are all these dastardly robots everywhere, but- JOHNNY THUNDER: A big, bad rocket is gonna blast off from the spaceport, I know. How could this happen? How did you let Ogel build the rocket here? INFOMANIAC: Ogel? Well, then, I'll bet that no-good Brickster is behind this, somehow! That crook is always proclaiming himself to be Ogel's fanboy! Now, I've got a brilliant plan to stop them, but if only I could remember what it is! JOHNNY THUNDER: No worries! I once knew this lad named Zack... INFOMANIAC: Zack? JOHNNY THUNDER: He's a LEGO maniac. And he once told me, "GOTTA BUILD LIKE CRAZY!" INFOMANIAC: Eureka, that's it! INFOMANIAC runs inside the Information Center and comes back out with the Constructopedia in his hands. INFOMANIAC: Lord Business is all about following the rules; sticking to the instructions and nothing else! This book... it gives him strength! We need to stop following the instructions! Think outside the Constructopedia! INFOMANIAC tears a page out of the Constructopedia. Behind him, the Information Center deconstructs and its bricks fly up into the sky. JOHNNY THUNDER and INFOMANIAC watch the bricks as they disappear, then INFOMANIAC sheepishly sticks the page back into the Constructopedia, causing the bricks to reappear and rebuild the Information Center. INFOMANIAC: I... probably could have thought that one through a little better. Okay, forget tearing the pages out of the Constructopedia. JOHNNY THUNDER and INFOMANIAC disassemble the Information Center, manually this time, and rebuild it into a crazy flying vehicle that would probably never fly in real life, but that’s okay because this is LEGO and not real life. As a song that is most certainly not a cheap knock-off of "Flight of the Valkyries" plays, they hop into the flying vehicle and take off. CUT to AERIAL TRACKING SHOT of the flying vehicle as it passes over the Super-Secret Police down below. JOHNNY THUNDER: Crikey! I've got a gut feelin' that those bots will stop us from stoppin' that rocket if we don't stop them from stoppin' us from stoppin' that rocket! INFOMANIAC: Quick, a trick! With green bricks and red bricks... INFOMANIAC pushes a button. CUT to TILT DOWN SHOT as the flying vehicle starts dropping green and red bricks, then a FOLLOW SHOT of the bricks as they fall upon the robots. The bricks block the robots' paths and trap them in the center of the island. The LEGO Island civilians cheer. CUT back to JOHNNY THUNDER and INFOMANIAC. INFOMANIAC: They stay! JOHNNY THUNDER: Good on ya, mate! We're almost at the spaceport! The flying vehicle lands atop Space Mountain, next to the spaceport. JOHNNY THUNDER and INFOMANIAC jump out of the vehicle and run to mission control, running towards the camera in slow-motion, but they stop in shock upon seeing the off-screen minifigure at the control panel. JOHNNY THUNDER: Crikey! Well, I'll be stuffed! Isn't that the friendly mechanic who works at the gas station? INFOMANIAC: It cannot be! In all my years, I would never have thought it would be you... Nubby Stevens! LOW-ANGLE SHOT of NUBBY STEVENS operating mission control, surrounded by Robo SWAT bodyguards and looking as evil and sinister as a friendly mechanic working at your local gas station can be. Dramatic music stinger plays. NUBBY STEVENS: Hmm, I wonder who you might have been expecting. The Brickster? Don't be ridiculous... he's a criminal, a law-breaker, not at all the type of villain that President Business would hire! I, on the other hand, have been working at the Octan gas station here on LEGO Island for all these years. It only makes sense that my CEO would want a trusted employee to oversee the launch of Ogel's rocket! It's like I always say: life is like a skateboard... because you can grind it beneath your feet! INFOMANIAC: Nubby, please, listen to me! You don't want to do this! If you launch that rocket, Lord Business will take over the world! NUBBY STEVENS: I'm tired of always asking why we're yellow and what's an elbow and all those other philosophical questions. Sometimes, the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything is to rule it all! And nobody can stop me! JOHNNY THUNDER: Listen, ya fancy yabberin' wuss. Do you know who you're dealin' with? NUBBY STEVENS: Why, you're... JOHNNY THUNDER: The name's Johnny Thunder. Australian. Master Builder. And the minifigure who's gonna burn Octan Corporation to the ground! You know what? I've got writer's block. Just blow the whole movie's budget on some cool action sequence with lots of explosions. After that's over, JOHNNY THUNDER stands victoriously in front of Brickolini's Pizzeria, with the entire population of LEGO Island (except NUBBY STEVENS, for obvious reasons) crowding around him and cheering. JOHNNY THUNDER: Aces, we did it! We gave Nubby a drubbin' and stopped that rocket! I'd daresay that was the most excitin' adventure I've been on yet! PEPPER RONI: Dude, thanks for foiling Nubby's evil plan, stopping that rocket, and saving LEGO Island! INFOMANIAC: The day has been saved thanks to Johnny Thunder! Let's throw a celebration! JOHNNY THUNDER: I'd be stoked to stay and celebrate, mates, but adventure is callin'! My fellow Master Builders are in peril, and Lord Business is still at large, and only I can stop him and save the world! INFOMANIAC: Are you ready to leave LEGO Island? Thanks for the visit, and you're welcome to come back anytime! JOHNNY THUNDER climbs back into the crazy flying machine and waves goodbye to the citizens of LEGO Island, then takes off. CUT to LONG SHOT of LEGO Island. JOHNNY THUNDER flies towards the camera, and the shot freezes on him winking to the audience, sure to make any girls in the audience swoon. FADE OUT. And now, for something completely different: the boring adventures of Emmet.
    18 points
  44. What do you do when you have only two Classic Spacemen and Photoshop? >This, apparently. The kitchen in my house has a little light that looks a bit like a flying saucer...I thought it'd be fun to take a picture of two LEGO astronauts exploring the vast kitchen counter, and seeing the lamp from below. It didn't turn out quite as well as I liked, so I tried to spruce it up by creating a magazine-style LEGO ad. I'd like to do more in the same style, probably featuring Pirates since I actually have those sets, definitely using actual magazine dimensions. Thoughts? TC
    18 points
  45. lol username

    Scrapped Zones And More

    Oh man, you guys aren't gonna believe this stuff... Tom and I talked quite a bit via email today, and Bill Benecke (the concept artist guy) got involved too. They're really great guys, both very friendly, and were happily surprised to hear the game has fans. Here's the rundown. So, I initially emailed Tom and briefed him on the game/theme's status as a well-loved classic in the LEGO community, our progress in modding it, and the various finds regarding LEGO Logic and such, and basically asked if he had any info he could add to this. Boy, did he ever! So yeah, my jaw dropped. I sent an email back, thanking him for the details, and also linking him to this and this as examples of what fans have done with the theme. He loved them, and added that he's gonna try to dig up some more LEGO Logic and Alpha Team development stuff sometime. He also had an amusing little anecdote to share: He also mentioned where some of the other developers are at now, and what their current projects are: He then forwarded my email to Bill, who added the following: And Bill's email reminded Tom of more specific details of LEGO Logic, and then things started really coming together: And finally: I'm so darn happy right now.
    18 points
  46. lol username

    LEGO Island Size Comparison

    Earlier today I imported the original LEGO Island model into a LEGO game project of mine to test something and noticed that despite it being scaled accurately, it felt a lot smaller with a third person camera. So I imported the LI2 island model to compare, then a rip of the IXS island from Xiron, all scaled to match each other, to see just how much the island had grown between games... Images under the spoiler. Bonus: LEGO Island(s) vs Nexus Tower in LEGO Universe. First, read this if you haven't already. Now prepare yourself: See also: Pics of LEGO Island combined with its full racetrack: Todo: Figure out how big these islands would be if built with real bricks...
    17 points
  47. JrMasterModelBuilder

    UNGTC

    origamiguy has created a GUI tool to make your game MOD-ready (requires .NET 4.0 framework). UNGTC UNGTC - ATD archive tool. Download Link Description: This tool will extract and rearchive LEGO Racers 2 and Drome Racers archives (the Attention To Detail or ATD LEGO video games). A while back, I started reverse engineering the LEGO Racers 2 and Drome Racers archive file formats (hence forth refered to as GTC). I figured out what almost everything was, but got stuck on the compression used in the GTC. In my extended absence from the site, and have been tinkering with the files, tagging up bytes in a hex editor, determining which bytes were litterals, which were backreferences, and which ones said what did what thorugh experimental byte injection. This would likely have never happened if not for this amazing find by Cyrem. Fast forward to September 1st, I finished writing code that would successfully decompress GAMEDATA.GTC. It didn't extract the files, and couldn't write its own COMPRESS.INF file, but the game would load and play, with some minor speed improvements. Fast forward again to today, and I have finished writing UNGTC, a tool that can both unpack the archives and create new ones! UNGTC is writtin in pure C++, and is very fast. How fast it runs depends on the IO speeds of your drive. With a RAM disk, it can be as fast as a few seconds (5400 RPM drives are much slower). Full source code is included, as are binaries for Windows and Mac. If you are running Linux, compile the source yourself, there are too many processor architectures for me to provide binaries for all of them. Usage: UNGTC is a command-line application, simple give it the folder containing GAMEDATA.GTC, FILELIST.INF, and COMPRESS.INF to extract, or the extracted folder to archive, as the first argument. On Windows, this is easily done by draggin-and-dropping the folder onto ungtc.exe. Some technical notes: UNGTC does create slightly differently than the GTC's that come with the game, but they are 100% compatible, and more efficient. UNGTC does not compress the archives it creates in any way. Since you would not save mush space on modern drives and it would be a slow waste of processor power, I do not plan on adding this ability. UNGTC automatically detects the 2 different formats and uses a meta data file called .GTC to store what version for the file forwat was extracted, for use in rearchiving. It is a plain text file. The Windows executable it 32-bit. As it uses 32-bit opperations, it would not really benefit from being 64-bit. The Mac executable is 64-bit. Compiled using MinGW g++ (Win) and Xcode g++ (Mac). Other Notes Unfortunately, I have tried everything I could think of to make it load the files from the drive instead of from the archive, monitoring the game with Process Monitor for any changes, but it seems to only work with archives. To run the game without having to keep rebuilding the archive, check out this topic. Or this tool by origamiguy (which will also extract the GAMEDATA files). Many of the files are normal files and I expect that many other files have existing tools. Good luck in deciphering the files!
    17 points
  48. Fluffy Cupcake

    Someone Rigged My Flight!

    And everyone died because of it.
    17 points
  49. lol username

    A closer look at the racetrack firemen

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