LEGO Rock Raiders (video game)

For the PlayStation version, see LEGO Rock Raiders (PlayStation video game).

LEGO Rock Raiders
North American box cover
Developer(s)	Data Design Interactive
Publisher(s)	LEGO Media International
Director(s)	Eamonn Barr
Producer(s)	Stewart Green (executive) Tomas Gillo
Designer(s)	Karl White David Allen
Programmer(s)	Tony Stoddart Rob Wilson
Artist(s)	Rob Dorney
Composer(s)	Marl Boonyer
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release	1 November 1999 18 November 1999 (official)
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. The game is based on and was developed alongside the LEGO theme of the same name. Its setting is on an alien planet that a team of LEGO minifigures called Rock Raiders are stranded around after their spaceship was badly damaged. The player manages the Rock Raiders in a series of missions that take place in the caverns of the planet. Gameplay heavily revolves around mining and collecting resources that can be used to construct buildings and vehicles to further aid the player. The goal of most missions, and of the game overall, is to collect crystals the Rock Raiders need to power their spaceship. The game features many LEGO models from the LEGO Rock Raiders construction sets released earlier in 1999, as well as original ones.

Development of LEGO Rock Raiders began in late 1997 and lasted for nearly two years. It was the first LEGO video game to be developed in conjunction with the LEGO sets it featured. Developers at Data Design, LEGO Media, and Futura worked together to create a cohesive universe for the entire product line. A PlayStation port of Rock Raiders was developed by the same company, and was originally planned to also be a strategy game; however, LEGO Media ordered it to be changed into a more action-oriented game. The game received mixed reviews upon release, with critics praising its presentation but criticising its gameplay as simple and tedious.

Gameplay

A typical base with some vehicles and Rock Raiders mining and collecting resources

The Windows version of LEGO Rock Raiders is a mission-based real-time strategy game with elements of construction simulation. The game takes place in 3D underground environments and is played from an overhead view that can be freely rotated and zoomed. The player commands a team of space-faring miners, the eponymous Rock Raiders, through a series of missions where they mine for resources, build up underground bases, and avoid natural hazards and alien creatures.

The game is primarily controlled with the mouse pointer, which can pan the camera around and interact with the virtual world as well as the game's interface. 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. Selected units can be directly ordered by clicking where the player wants them to go or clicking menu icons.

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. The game uses a simple building-based technology tree system, referred to as dependency, where certain buildings must be constructed and upgraded before other buildings and vehicles can be teleported. Most missions start the player with a Tool Store, which is required to construct all other buildings. Some missions may have additional buildings already constructed at the start, while others require the player to construct a certain building to win.

An example of a valid building location (top left) and three invalid ones, including one due to improper elevation (bottom right)

Buildings can be constructed by clicking the Buildings icon to open the Buildings Menu. Hovering the mouse pointer over a specific building's icon will display a set of icons listing its dependency. Dependency icons that are greyed out mean that the unit is missing or has not been upgraded enough. Clicking on a building's icon will make it active for construction; coloured highlights will then appear over blocks at the player's mouse pointer, indicating the size and layout of the building. Moving the pointer around will move and rotate the building's layout highlight in the world, changing the colours of each block to indicate its position and whether it can be constructed at that location. Green blocks designate the solid area of the building, while yellow blocks show its entrance path (the Docks also has a blue block for its water entrance). Red blocks indicate that the construction location is invalid or blocked, while purple blocks indicate that the ground is too uneven to build on. Buildings must be constructed next to Power Paths, with at least one entrance block (if the building has any) adjacent to a Power Path. Once a valid location has been found, clicking on the ground at that location will place its foundation so that construction can begin.

Rock Raiders carrying resources from the Tool Store to construct a building

With the exception of the Tool Store, buildings require resources and barriers to be constructed. Barriers, which are dispensed from the Tool Store, are placed in a perimeter around the building site, and resources are placed within this perimeter. Rock Raiders will automatically carry barriers and resources to a building site and place them there. Hovering the mouse pointer over the construction site will bring up a tooltip showing how many Energy Crystals and Ore are needed. Once all of a building's required resources and barriers have been placed, LEGO pieces will teleport down and assemble into the building.

Most buildings require power to function. Power is supplied by the Power Station through Power Paths. Buildings must be connected to a Power Station via Power Paths to recieve power. Each building uses one stored Energy Crystal for power. Stored Energy Crystals being used to power buildings display a silver colour in the collection meter on the right side of the screen. Powered buildings can be toggled on and off by clicking the Turn Power On/Off button in the Building Maintenance Menu for each building. Besides supplying power, Power Paths also let Rock Raiders travel faster, slow down monsters, and slow down lava erosion. Power Stations also allow for Electric Fences to be collected from the Tool Store and placed on the ground to protect areas from monsters. If they are connected to powered buildings, Electric Fences will electrocute and destroy monster that try to pass between them.

Nearly all of the game's buildings can be upgraded at least once, up to a maximum of three times. All building upgrades cost five pieces of Ore or, once an Ore Refinery has been constructed, one Building Stud. Many building upgrades unlock other buildings and vehicles, while others improve the function of the building being upgraded. For instance, upgrading the Tool Store once unlocks the Teleport Pad for construction, while upgrading the Ore Refinery reduces the amount of Ore it requires to create a Building Stud. A building can be upgraded by clicking on it to bring up its Building Maintenance Menu, then clicking the Upgrade Building icon.

The table below lists the buildings in the game in the order they are in the Buildings Menu. Each building's entry includes an image from the game's instruction manual (not always accurate to its in-game appearance), requirements and upgrades for each building, and a brief description. The shape column shows a depiction of each building's layout, with each coloured square representing a block the building occupies; green squares represent foundation blocks, yellow squares entrance blocks, and cyan squares water entrance blocks. The cost column lists how many Energy Crystals and Ore (or Building Studs) are required to construct the building. The dependency column lists what units and upgrades are required before the building can be built; each unit's upgrade, if one is required, is listed after it in parenthesis (eg. (L1) for Level 1, meaning the building must be upgraded once). The upgrades column lists how many times the building can be upgraded.

Building	Shape	Cost	Dependency	Upgrades
Tool Store		None	Rock Raider	2 Levels
	The Tool Store is the first building the player will start with in missions, and is required for all other buildings and vehicles. It can teleport down Rock Raiders and supply them with tools and construction materials, and stores any collected Energy Crystals and Ore. Rock Raiders can upgrade at it, allowing them to carry more tools. Upgrading the Tool Store to Level 1 unlocks the Teleport Pad. Upgrading it to Level 2 allows Rock Raiders to train as Explosives Experts at it.
Teleport Pad		8 Ore (2 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1)	2 Levels
	The Teleport Pad can teleport down Rock Raiders and Small Vehicles (except for the Rapid Rider). Rock Raiders can train as Pilots at it. Although it is the first building unlocked after the Tool Store, it requires power to function, and the Support Station must be constructed before it can teleport down the the Hover Scout, Small Digger, and Small Transport Truck. Upgrading it to Level 1 unlocks the Docks and Power Station. Upgrading it to Level 2 is required to teleport down the Small Mobile Laser Cutter and Tunnel Scout.
Docks		1 Energy Crystal, 8 Ore (2 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1)	None
	The Docks is used to teleport down water-based vehicles. It must be built next to water. Rock Raiders can train as Sailors at it. While it can teleport down the Rapid Rider once it is powered,a Level 2 Support Station and Level 1 Super Teleport are required before it can teleport down the Cargo Carrier.
Power Station		2 Energy Crystals, 12 Ore (3 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1)	1 Level
	The Power Station supplies power to all other buildings connected to it via Power Paths. Additionally, Electric Fences can be placed once it has been constructed. Upgrading it to Level 1 unlocks the Support Station, Upgrade Station, Geological Center, and Ore Refinery.
Support Station		3 Energy Crystals, 15 Ore (3 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1)	2 Levels
	The Support Station refills the air supply in missions where it can run out. One Support Station can produce enough air for ten Rock Raiders. Rock Raiders can train as Drivers at it, and will also automatically go to it to eat when they are hungry. Upgrading it to Level 1 unlocks the Mining Laser and Super Teleport. Upgrading it to Level 2 is required to teleport down Large Vehicles at the Super Teleport.
Upgrade Station		3 Energy Crystals, 20 Ore (4 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1)	1 Level
	The Upgrade Station can upgrade vehicles. Rock Raiders can train as Engineers at it. Upgrading it to Level 1 halves the amount of time it takes for it to upgrade vehicles.
Geological Center		3 Energy Crystals, 15 Ore (3 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1)	2 Levels
	The Geological Center scans a much larger area than Rock Raiders and vehicles can. Rock Raiders can train as Geologists at it. It can be upgraded twice to increase its scanner range up to double its original scanning radius.
Ore Refinery		3 Energy Crystals, 20 Ore (4 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1)	3 Levels
	The Ore Refinery processed Ore into Building Studs. Five pieces of Ore create one Building Stud. It can be upgraded three times to decrease the amount of Ore required to four, three, and finally two pieces per Building Stud.
Mining Laser		1 Energy Crystal, 15 Ore (3 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L1)	1 Level
	The Mining Laser is a tower with a laser that can cut through rock walls. Four laser blasts drain one Energy Crystal. Click on the building while it is already selected to enter or exit firing mode. Upgrading it adds a second laser.
Super Teleport		2 Energy Crystals, 20 Ore (4 Building Studs)	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L1)	1 Level
	The Super Teleport can teleport down Large Vehicles (except for the Cargo Carrier). A Level 2 Support Station is required before it can teleport down the Loader Dozer and Granite Grinder. Upgrading it to Level 1 is required to teleport down the Large Mobile Laser Cutter, Chrome Crusher, and Cargo Carrier.

Vehicles

Vehicle	Cost	Dependency	Upgrades
Hover Scout	1 Energy Crystal	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station	Engine (10 Ore), Scanner (5 Ore)
	The Hover Scout is a small vehicle that can move over land quickly for reconnaissance. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it.
Small Digger	1 Energy Crystal	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station	Engine (10 Ore), Drill (10 Ore), Scanner (5 Ore)
	The Small Digger is a small drilling vehicle with two chainsaw blades that can cut through rock walls faster than a Rock Raider. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it.
Small Transport Truck	2 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station	Engine (10 Ore), Scanner (5 Ore), Cargo Hold (5 Ore)
	The Small Transport Truck is a small vehicle that can carry resources faster than a Rock Raider on foot. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it.
Rapid Rider	2 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Docks, Power Station	None
	The Rapid Rider is a small water-based vehicle that can be used to explore underground rivers and lakes and carry small amounts of cargo across water. Rock Raiders must be trained as Sailors to use it.
Small Mobile Laser Cutter	3 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L2), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L1)	Drill (10 Ore)
	The Small Mobile Laser Cutter is a small vehicle with a laser that can cut through rock walls. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it. Two laser blasts drain one Energy Crystal. Click on the vehicle while it is already selected to enter or exit firing mode.
Tunnel Scout	3 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L2), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L1)	None
	The Tunnel Scout is a small flying vehicle that can travel over land, water, and lava at high speeds. It is the only vehicle in the game that can cross lava. Rock Raiders must be trained as Pilots to use it.
Loader Dozer	4 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L2), Super Teleport	Engine (20 Ore), Scanner (5 Ore), Cargo Hold (5 Ore)
	The Loader Dozer is a large bulldozer that can clear rubble much faster than Rock Raiders with shovels. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it.
Granite Grinder	3 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L2), Super Teleport	Engine (20 Ore), Drill (20 Ore), Scanner (5 Ore)
	The Granite Grinder is a large drilling vehicle with legs instead of wheels. It can drill through Dirt and Loose Rock faster than the Small Digger, though it drills Hard Rock at the same speed. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it.
Large Mobile Laser Cutter	4 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L2), Super Teleport (L1)	Drill (25 Ore), Scanner (5 Ore)
	The Large Mobile Laser Cutter is a large vehicle with a laser that can cut through rock walls. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it. Four laser blasts drain one Energy Crystal. Click on the vehicle while it is already selected to enter or exit firing mode.
Chrome Crusher	5 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Power Station (L1), Support Station (L2), Super Teleport (L1)	Engine (15 Ore), Drill (20 Ore)
	The Chrome Crusher is a large mining vehicle with both a drill and a laser. It can mine through all types of rock walls very quickly. Rock Raiders must be trained as Drivers to use it. Four laser blasts drain one Energy Crystal. Click on the vehicle while it is already selected to enter or exit firing mode.
Cargo Carrier	4 Energy Crystals	Rock Raider, Tool Store (L1), Teleport Pad (L1), Docks, Power Station (L1), Support Station (L2), Super Teleport (L1)	None
	The Cargo Carrier is a large water-based vehicle that can transport certain small vehicles across water. Rock Raiders must be trained as Sailors to use it.
Tunnel Transport	None	Cannot be teleported	None
	The Tunnel Transport is a large flying vehicle built to carry cargo and other vehicles. It cannot be used in the game and is only seen at the end of the mission Frozen Frenzy.

Creatures

Creature	Description	Missions found in	Damage taken
Rock Monster	Rock Monsters are large alien life forms made of living stone. When they emerge or wake up they will find and eat any Energy Crystals in the caverns, consuming up to six before they are satisfied. If no Energy Crystals can be found they will make their way to nearby Rock Raider buildings and try to destroy them, either by carrying and throwing a boulder or by using their fists.	Emerging: Defending Rock Raider HQ, Rock Hard, Run The Gauntlet, Back To Basics, Rocky Horror Sleeping: Rocky Horror	Laser Beam: 110 Pusher Beam: 2 (20u) Freezer Beam: 5 (25s)
Ice Monster	Ice Monsters are similar to Rock Monsters, but are found in icy caverns. They behave identically to Rock Monsters, though they will eat up to only five Energy Crystals.	Emerging: Frozen Frenzy, Air Raiders Sleeping: Ice Spy	Laser beam: 110 Pusher Beam: 2 (60u) Freezer Beam: 0
Lava Monster	Lava Monsters are the lava cavern equivalent of Rock Monsters. While the other two monsters can only move on land, Lava Monsters are able to walk across lava. They will eat up to seven Energy Crystals.	Emerging: Don't Panic!, Hot Stuff Sleeping: Lava Laughter, Hot Stuff	Laser Beam: 1 Pusher Beam: 5 (60u) Freezer Beam: 40 (75s)
Slimy Slug	Slimy Slugs are rare creatures that emerge from Slimy Slug Holes in a few missions. They will usually not appear unless the player has a certain number of Rock Raiders teleported down or Energy Crystals collected. If there are any powered buildings nearby Slimy Slugs will move towards them and start sucking power out of them, causing drained Energy Crystals to be ejected from the Tool Store.	Defending Rock Raider HQ, Rock Hard, Back To Basics	Laser Beam: 5 Pusher Beam: 5 (60u) Freezer Beam: 0
Bat	Flocks of Bats appear in some missions. Bats move around the caverns randomly, but tend to be attracted towards Rock Raider activity.[citation needed] Rock Raiders will be scared away by nearby Bat flocks.	Ice Spy, Hot Stuff, Rocky Horror	None
Small Spider	Small Spiders are common creatures that can sometimes be found after drilling a cavern wall. Rock Raiders that step on one will slip and fall, dropping whatever they are carrying and flattening the spider. If not stepped on, they will eventually make their way to a wall and disappear into it.	Driller Night!, Lava Laughter? Spawns randomly in all non-training missions	Stepping on them

Missions

LEGO Rock Raiders features twenty-five regular missions, as well as eight training 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. The planet is divided into different-coloured layers, which are further divided into "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. However, 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. Training missions can also be played through a separate selection screen.

Upon starting a mission, the character Chief presents a detailed briefing for the player, explaining the mission's situation and objective. Most mission objectives require the player to collect a certain amount of Energy Crystals, though other objectives can include constructing certain buildings, rescuing lost Rock Raiders, guiding Rock Raiders back to their base, or using dynamite to blast through Hard Rock. 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. Once all objectives have been met, the mission ends, usually showing all of the player's units teleporting back to the Explorer. Chief delivers a congratulatory message for completing the mission, and the player is shown a screen displaying their mission statistics and overall score; only at this point can the player save their progress. If the player fails a level,

The table below lists the game's 33 missions, arranged approximately as they are on the mission selection screen.

Level		Missions
Brown (Tutorials)		Moving Rock Raiders Rock Types And Drilling Building Rock Raider HQ Moving Rock Raider Vehicles Using Explosives Constructing Advanced Buildings Drilling With Vehicles Defending Rock Raider HQ
Yellow	1	Driller Night!
	2	The Path To Power Rubble Trouble!
	3	A Breath Of Fresh Air It's A Hold Up Explosive Action
Green	4	Search 'n' Rescue Breathless
	5	Frozen Frenzy
	6	Erode Works Water Lot Of Fun
Blue	7	Water Works Rock Hard Don't Panic!
	8	Ice Spy Split Down The Middle
	9	Lava Laughter
Purple	10	Oresome! Fire 'n' Water
	11	Run The Gauntlet Air Raiders Lake Of Fire
	12	Back To Basics Hot Stuff
Red	13	Rocky Horror

Development

LEGO Rock Raiders was developed by Data Design Interactive, a British video game developer based in Halesowen, near Birmingham. Development began in October 1997, shortly after the release of LEGO Island, when LEGO Media International approached Data Design to create it. LEGO Media presented concepts for the then-upcoming LEGO Rock Raiders theme to the developers at Data Design, including ideas for the theme's characters, buildings, vehicles, creatures, and story. At the time, Data Design had recently finished development on Conquest Earth, a strategy game made for Eidos Interactive. The developers were looking to create another strategy game, and decided that the LEGO Rock Raiders storyline would work best as one.

LEGO Media was heavily involved in the development of LEGO Rock Raiders. Tomas Gillo, the head of concept development at LEGO Media, became the game's senior producer. David Upchurch, a producer for other LEGO Media titles, frequently visited Data Design for a week at a time to play through the game and give the developers feedback. The project was managed on Data Design's end by Eamonn P. Barr, with founder Stewart Green credited as executive producer.

Conception and design

For the first time in Lego history, children can play with the toy and then hop on the computer and play within the same Lego universe there. We hope that what they see and experience in the CG version will inspire them to go off and build and play with the toy, and vice versa.

Tomas Gillo, Computer Graphics World

While previous LEGO video games had adapted from pre-existing LEGO themes, LEGO Rock Raiders was the first game to be developed in conjunction with LEGO construction sets. The LEGO Rock Raiders theme followed a new policy where development of the construction sets and the tie-in video game would influence each other, creating a larger universe for the whole theme. LEGO Futura, the product development division of the LEGO Group, co-created the theme's concept with LEGO Media International, the company's software publishing branch.

The unified development process of the toys and game led to some design issues, according to head artist Rob Dorney. Early in the game's design process, LEGO Futura would send storyboards and prototype LEGO models to the game's developers, who would give feedback on what worked with their vision for the game and make suggestions when ideas didn't work. Both groups often did not receive finalised model designs from the other until late in development. Although the LEGO Rock Raiders construction sets took only eight months to develop, the game's design process ended up lasting for around eighteen months, longer than usual for Data Design Interactive, as both groups had to adjust elements on their ends to create a cohesive product between the video game and LEGO sets. Despite these issues, the "parallel" development of the project was considered a success.

The development team attempted to balance the gameplay of LEGO Rock Raiders to be challenging and fun while still being easy and accessible enough for young children to play. The inherent complexity of strategy games and the younger target audience of both the game and the LEGO Rock Raiders sets made finding this balance a challenge for the developers. The team designed the game to introduce players to new features gradually enough that they could improve their gameplay skills and prepare for later challenges without feeling overwhelmed.

The designers were not allowed to show any serious injuries, and could not make the game too violent or creepy. "We were very aware of the audience and of how violence is seen within the LEGO world," developer Karl White said in 2021. Playable units in the game have health indicators (described in the manual as protective force fields or "Shields" surrounding them), and Rock Raiders are safely teleported and back to the LMS Explorer when their health runs too low, rather than receiving any harm. Despite this, players still felt a sense of attachment to their Rock Raiders and a fear of loss, according to White. Creatures in the game also were revised multiple times to be appropriate for the game's target audience, and were designed to never be killed or destroyed, instead being pushed away by the player and eventually leaving.

Art and graphics

A scene from the game's FMV sequences, created using virtual LEGO pieces

After being approached to develop LEGO Rock Raiders, Data Design Interactive set up a sister company, Artworld UK, to serve as a dedicated graphics and animation team for the game. A team of twelve artists and animators at Artworld created most of the game's 3D models and animations with LightWave 3D, using a number of third-party plugins and running on high-end Windows NT workstations. Adobe Photoshop and Kai's Power Tools were used to create textures for the models. Rob Dorney headed the art department at Artworld, while Dave Garbett headed animation.

An artist at Artworld recreating a LEGO model in LightWave 3D

The virtual LEGO models used in the game were required to appear identical to the physical LEGO Rock Raiders sets. Artworld artists took apart physical LEGO models and recreated each individual piece in LightWave 3D. The completed virtual LEGO pieces were added to a database, which LightWave could access using a set of plugins created by Artworld programmers. The colours used in the LEGO Rock Raiders sets were also programmed into the database. When artists needed to create a virtual LEGO construction, pieces from the database could be selected and coloured as needed. Once all of the desired pieces for a model were selected, another Artworld plugin generated a scene containing all of the coloured LEGO pieces, which the artists could assemble in the scene like a physical LEGO model.

As the completed 3D models each contained thousands of polygons, which computers at the time running the game could not have handled in real-time, simplified versions had to be created for in-game use. Artists created new models with lower polygon counts, and used extensive texturing to maintain the appearance of LEGO pieces. Reflections, shadows, and lighting effects were used to make objects and textures appear more detailed than they were. Once completed, the LightWave models and animations could be directly loaded into the game's engine. The game ended up requiring a 3D accelerator card to run.

Chrome Crusher model showing wireframe structure

The LEGO Rock Raiders sets used in the game were designed at LEGO Futura in Billund, Denmark, as were parts of the LMS Explorer spaceship seen in the game's FMV sequences. The game's designers and artists decided which models in the sets would be used in the "LEGO Rock Raiders" game and what their characteristics would be. The developers felt that the the sets weren't enough to create an "interesting gaming experience", according to Gillo. While the construction sets were limited by the number of pieces that could be included and the number of sets that could be produced and sold, the virtual world of the video game allowed for the creation of additional buildings, vehicles, characters, and environments. Artists working on the game designed a number of game-exclusive buildings and vehicles, using the same LEGO elements as the Rock Raiders sets did, to create a more in-depth gaming experience and expand the Rock Raiders universe.

The characters from the theme were also given additional development in the game, with each having unique animations and facial textures to give them all distinct personalities. The animators initially found it difficult to make the inanimate LEGO toys feel alive, particularly due to the stiff nature of LEGO minifigures. LEGO Media reluctantly allowed the animators to deviate from LEGO toy design rules by making the virtual minifigures more flexible. Minifigure models were given elbow and knee joints and torsos that could twist to allow for more realistic character movement.

Sound and music

Main article: RockRaiders EP

The characters in the game were voiced by Data Design Interactive employees. Chief was voiced by the game's project manager, while Jet was voice by the studio's office coordinator.

Three music tracks were composed by Marl Boonyer and produced by Alan Boorman in 1998. A soundtrack of the three tracks was released on 23 August 2022.

Release

A Hover Scout model being built at E3 1999

LEGO Rock Raiders was first publicly announced on 10 February 1999, along with LEGO Racers, LEGO Friends, and LEGOLAND. It was initially scheduled for release on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation in September 1999, with a planned retail price of US$40–$45. It and LEGO Racers were intended to be the first LEGO video games for PlayStation, and the first console LEGO games since LEGO Fun to Build in 1995. In May 1999 all four titles were displayed for demonstration at E3 1999 in Los Angeles, at the LEGO Media booth #1524 in the South Hall. A large LEGO model of the character Jet driving a Hover Scout was built by model designers from LEGO Systems during the event. Models of Rocket Racer's car from LEGO Racers and of PlayStation and Nintendo 64 controllers were also displayed at the LEGO Media booth; the controller models were given to the winners of a contest involving the car model. A Rock Raiders-themed event was held at Legoland Windsor during a LEGO World Club Weekend from 2–3 October. Visitors could play the LEGO Rock Raiders video game and take part in the Rock Raiders Treasure Trail to win prizes.

The game launched for Windows in November 1999. LEGO Media announced the game's release and availability on 18 November. IGN listed the game's release date as 15 November. GameSpot listed a later release date of 30 November.

However, posts on Usenet indicate the game was available in some places by 1 November. A cracking group, Divine, released a dump of the game on 12 October, weeks before its official release date.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	65%

Review scores

Publication	Score
Adrenaline Vault
Computer Games Strategy Plus
GameSpot	6.1/10
IGN	6/10
PC Games (DE)	72%
PC Player	68/100
PC Zone	44%

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. GameSpot described it as "often frustrating and at times downright boring to play". Players also reported a multitude of bugs plaguing the gameplay.

Legacy

In 2015, the magazine Retro Gamer listed LEGO Rock Raiders among games influenced by Bullfrog's Dungeon Keeper, stating that some people claimed it to be "the ultimate sequel to Dungeon Keeper."

Write something about the game's modding scene, with links to pages about mods and modding.

In 2012, Data Design Interactive founder Stewart Green announced plans to develop a Rock Raiders sequel.

Running the original game

Getting LEGO Rock Raiders to run on modern operating systems can be a challenge. Please see this guide on how to best get the game to run.

User-generated content

LEGO Rock Raiders has seen a lot of user-generated mods and levels over the years, such as Baz's Mod. Most of these are available on [mirror Archive.org?].

Fan projects

The LEGO Rock Raiders game has spawned a lot of fan projects over the years inspired by the unique gameplay the game offers.

OpenLRR

OpenLRR is an open source decompilation project of LEGO Rock Raiders that anyone can contribute improvements and features to. It fixes a lot of bugs and random crashes that plagued the original game, as well as adds new features and cheat codes, so is highly recommended to use this instead of the original game executable. Each version can be downloaded for free from this page.

Manic Miners

Manic Miners is a fan project that has garnered a lot of attention. It is a complete remake of the original game from scratch, built in Unreal Engine 4. The game is free to download on Itch.io and has an official website. It reached a full release (version 1.0) on August 13th 2023 and any future updates are not guaranteed.

References

Sources

• McPhail, Jim (13 December 1999). LEGO Rock Raiders Instruction Manual (UK FRONT, BACK, I/F & I/B COVER). LEGO Media International. Serial: IB2G-ROC3 2299598.
• Data Design Interactive (last modified 25 September 1999). Main Lego Config File. File path: Rock Raiders\LegoRR1.wad\Lego.cfg.

External Links

• Lego Rock Raiders at Wikipedia
• LEGO Rock Raiders for Windows at MobyGames