LEGO Rock Raiders (video game)
| LEGO Rock Raiders | |
|---|---|
 European "big box" front cover | |
| Developer(s) | Data Design Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | LEGO Media International |
| Director(s) | Eamonn Barr |
| Producer(s) | Tomas Gillo |
| Programmer(s) |
|
| Artist(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Marl Boonyer |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
LEGO Rock Raiders is a 1999 real-time strategy video game developed by Data Design Interactive and published by LEGO Media International for Microsoft Windows
Gameplay
LEGO Rock Raiders is a mission-based real-time strategy game with elements of construction simulation.[1][2] The game takes place in 3D underground environments and is played from an overhead view that can be freely moved, rotated, and zoomed.[3][4]
Controls and interface
The game is primarily controlled with the mouse pointer, which can pan the camera around, interact with the virtual world, and manage the game through its interface.[1][5] The player can click on individual units to select them, or click and drag to draw a box that will select any units inside it.[6] Selected units can be directly ordered to perform tasks by clicking where the player wants them to go, or by clicking specific menu icons.[1][7]
Units will automatically perform certain tasks, such as collecting resources and clearing rubble, without any player input.[7]
The in-game mouse pointer features an icon that displays things
Hovering the mouse pointer over an object or surface for a brief time will display a tooltip showing its name (often with a spoken voice cue identifying it),[8] as well as any additional information such as a vehicle's health or what tools a minifigure is carrying.[9]
Buildings
Buildings in LEGO Rock Raiders serve a wide variety of functions, including storing materials, powering other buildings, teleporting down vehicles, and training Rock Raiders. Ten different buildings can be constructed and used by the player during missions.[3]
Vehicles
Eleven different vehivls.[3]
Missions
LEGO Rock Raiders features twenty-five different missions. The game's mission selection screen displays a cross-section of the alien planet, with individual missions represented as cavern openings. Playable missions display an image of the mission in the cavern, while locked missions are dark and blocked by beams. Hovering the cursor over an available mission will display its name, and a completed mission will also display its completion status and the player's achieved score for it. Upon starting a new game, only the first mission can be played; completing it unlocks the missions below it. The deeper into the planet a mission is located, the more difficult it is intended to be.[1][10] The planet is divided into different-coloured layers, which are further divided into thirteen "levels" containing one to three missions in each; this was intended to give the game a branching mission path, allowing players to choose a different route through the game if they find a mission to be too difficult, or to replay the game following different paths than previously.[7][10]{{efn|Due to an oversight in the game's code, only missions on the left side of each level can unlock a route to the end of the game. If playing the game with [[OpenLRR, this bug is fixed.[11]}}
Upon starting a mission, the character Chief presents a detailed briefing for the player, explaining the mission's situation and objective.[8] Most mission objectives require the player to collect a certain amount of Energy Crystals,[3] though other objectives can include constructing certain buildings, rescuing lost Rock Raiders, guiding Rock Raiders to find a hidden base, or blasting through certain walls.[2][1] The player is occasionally given clues as to how to accomplish their objectives, such as lost mining equipment found near the intended route, and Chief often gives further messages after an objective is achieved.[1] Once all objectives have been completed, the mission ends, usually with an animation showing all of the player's units teleporting back to the LMS Explorer. Chief delivers a congratulatory message for completing the mission, and the player is shown a results screen displaying their mission statistics and overall score for the mission; the player can save their progress on this screen, though only after successfully completing a mission.[3]
There are also eight training missions which teach new players how to play the game.[1] Each training mission has Chief guide the player through a series of tasks related to different elements of gameplay.[8] Training missions can be accessed from the main mission selection screen, where they are positioned above the twenty-five main missions, or from a separate selection screen featuring only the training missions.[12]
Development
Developed by DDI[13]
Release
1999
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 65%[14] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Adrenaline Vault |   [1] |
| Computer Games Strategy Plus | [7] |
| GameSpot | 6.1/10[8] |
| IGN | 6/10[2] |
| PC Games (DE) | 72%[3] |
| PC Player | 68/100[4] |
| PC Zone | 44%[15] |
LEGO Rock Raiders received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[14]
Legacy
Though its development immediately followed Data Design Interactive's previous real-time strategy title, Conquest Earth, many reviewers compared LEGO Rock Raiders more directly to Wikipedia:Bullfrog Productions's 1997 game Dungeon Keeper.[3][16] In a 2015 article on the development of Dungeon Keeper, Retro Gamer listed LEGO Rock Raiders as one of the games influenced by it, stating that some people claimed it was "the ultimate sequel to Dungeon Keeper".[17]
Notes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Mandel, Bob (January 27, 2000). "Rock Raiders". The Adrenaline Vault. NewWorld.com, Inc. Archived from the original on November 22, 2002.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lopez, Vincent (January 12, 2000). "LEGO Rock Raiders". IGN PC. Snowball.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2000.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Gliss, Sascha (March 2000). "Kumpel mit Plastikherz" [Miner/Buddy with a Plastic Heart]. PC Games (in German). No. 90. Fürth: Computec Media GmbH. p. 124. ISSN 0947-7810. Web version: "Kumpel mit Plastikherz". 7 March 2001. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Werner, Thomas (January 2000). "Rock Raiders". PC Player (in German). München: Future Verlag GmbH. p. 183.
- ↑ McPhail 1999, p. 21.
- ↑ McPhail 1999, p. 19.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Finn, David (December 29, 1999). "Lego Rock Raiders". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on July 9, 2003.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Park, Andrew Seyoon (January 28, 2000). "Lego Rock Raiders". GameSpot. ZDNet. Archived from the original on June 20, 2003.
- ↑ McPhail 1999, p. 59.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 McPhail 1999, p. 13.
- ↑ Jordan, Robert [trigger_segfault] (13 June 2023). Fix #58: Properly unlock already-visited level links. OpenLRR. GitHub. Archived from the original in 22 June 2023.
- ↑ McPhail 1999, p. 15.
- ↑ Crecente, Brian; Vincent, Ethan (14 July 2021). "Episode 28 – The Fans, Devs, and Remake of RTS Classic LEGO Rock Raiders" (PDF). Bits N' Bricks (Podcast). Participants: Simon Eriksson, Ferdinand Köstler, Alan Sokol, and Karl White. The LEGO Group. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2025. Audio version via YouTube.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "LEGO Rock Raiders for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ Lyon, James (6 April 2000). "Lego Rock Raiders". PC Zone. No. 88. London: Dennis Publishing. p. 91.
- ↑ Yeutter, Jeff (2000). "Lego Rock Raiders". The Next Level. Archived from the original on September 1, 2001.
- ↑ Crookes, David (18 June 2015). "The Making Of: Dungeon Keeper". Retro Gamer. No. 143. Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, Dorset: Imagine Publishing Ltd. p. 69. ISSN 1742-3155.
Sources
- McPhail, Jim, ed. (13 December 1999). LEGO Rock Raiders Instruction Manual (UK FRONT, BACK, I/F & I/B COVER ed.). London: LEGO Media International. Serial: IB2G-ROC3 2299598.
- Data Design Interactive (November 1999). LEGO Rock Raiders (Windows). LEGO Media International. File path: Rock Raiders\LegoRR1.wad\Lego.cfg. Last modified 25 September 1999.
