Driller Night!

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Driller Night!
LEGO Rock Raiders mission
The first screen showing three Rock Raiders
Game(s)LEGO Rock Raiders
Objective(s)Collect 5 Energy Crystals
Created byKarl White
GenreReal-time strategy
Size22×27
IDLevel01

"Driller Night!" is a mission in the Windows version of LEGO Rock Raiders. It is the the first mission in the game, the sole mission in the first level of the mission selection screen, and the only mission unlocked (aside from training missions) when starting a new game.[1] In the mission, the player must guide a team of Rock Raiders to the Tool Store after they were teleported into a different cavern, then collect five Energy Crystals.

Overview

The first screen of the mission
Menu icon

"Driller Night" is set in a rock environment. It has unlimited air and only occasional landslides after some walls have been drilled.[2]

The mission briefing states that three Rock Raiders have been teleported to a different cavern than intended due to the teleporter on the L.M.S. Explorer being damaged by low power. The player must guide the Rock Raiders north until they find the Tool Store, then collect 5 Energy Crystals.[3][4]

The mission's name references the song "Thriller" by Michael Jackson; the name is a pun on the phrase "thriller night" from the song's chorus.[5] It was named by Karl White, a programmer at Data Design Interactive who designed and scripted nearly all of the game's missions.[6]

Layout

Driller Night! has a total map size of 22×27 blocks. Its playable area consists of two caverns: the initial cavern with the lost Rock Raider team, and the hidden cavern with the Tool Store.

The mission starts in a medium-sized cavern in the southern half of the map containing three Rock Raiders. The initial cavern largely consists of a lava river surrounding two smaller areas of land. The lava borders the cavern's entire eastern and southern walls. The main land area, where the three Rock Raiders are located, is bordered by this lava on the east and south sides, and by a wall of Solid Rock on the west side. The ground here is covered with Small Spiders. On the north side of this area are walls of Dirt and Loose Rock, including one free-standing wall in the north-east corner that immediately collapses upon starting the mission. On the west side of the cavern is a smaller area of land, separated from the main area by Lava and Solid Rock.

Drilling north from the starting area through the Dirt and Loose Rock leads to a small area of Dirt that forms the southern side of the Tool Store cavern. This smaller cavern is initially hidden; discovering it triggers a message from Chief congratulating the player for finding it. The north-east side of the Tool Store cavern is lined with Dirt containing Energy Crystals; a few Energy Crystals can be found in other walls as well. Drilling through the south-east corner exposes a diagonal line of Loose Rock that leads to the small area on the west side of the southern cavern.

Game files

In the game's configuration file, "Driller Night!" is defined in the Level01 {} block in the Level Section (Levels {} block).[2]

References

  1. McPhail, Jim (13 December 1999). LEGO Rock Raiders Instruction Manual (UK FRONT, BACK, I/F & I/B COVER). LEGO Media International. p. 13. Serial no. IB2G-ROC3 2299598.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Data Design Interactive (last modified 25 September 1999). Main Lego Config File. LEGO Rock Raiders (Windows). LEGO Media International. File path: Rock Raiders\LegoRR1.wad\Lego.cfg. Lines 3830–3917. Level01 {} block.
  3. Data Design Interactive (last modified 25 September 1999). Level01 Objective Text (English). LEGO Rock Raiders (Windows). LEGO Media International. File path: LegoRR1.wad\Languages\ObjectiveText.txt. Lines 144–148.
  4. Data Design Interactive (21 September 1999). Level01 NERPs files (01.nrn, 01.nrM). LEGO Rock Raiders (Windows). LEGO Media International. File location: LegoRR0.wad\Levels\GameLevels\Level01.
  5. White, Karl [rrcoder] (10 February 2011). "Well as you've probably all gathered, all the level names are basically terrible puns, and this one was no different..." (comment on forum topic "Wow People! I Am Both Stunned And Impressed!"). Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023.
  6. White, Karl [rrcoder] (18 December 2010). "I ended up laying out and scripting nearly all of the levels in the end." (comment on forum topic "Wow People! I Am Both Stunned And Impressed!"). Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on 4 September 2023.