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[[File:Baz's Mod LMLC on lava firing.png|thumb|left|The two Laser Cutter vehicles can drive on lava in ''Baz's Mod'', as seen here]]
[[File:Baz's Mod LMLC on lava firing.png|thumb|left|The two Laser Cutter vehicles can drive on lava in ''Baz's Mod'', as seen here]]


''Baz's Mod''
''Baz's Mod'' features largely the same gameplay as the original ''LEGO Rock Raiders'', though with many changes to increase its length and difficulty. The mod uses the same twenty-five missions as the original game, but all of them have been heavily edited to feature more hidden caverns, alternate layouts, higher [[Energy Crystal]] collection goals, and an increased number of Monsters and dangers, and their order has been rearranged.<ref name="rru topic 3042"/> For example, "[[Driller Night!]]", the first proper mission in the original game, is now the third mission in ''Baz's Mod'', and its objective has been altered from collecting 5 Energy Crystals to collecting 40; the final mission, "[[Rocky Horror]]", features [[Ice Monster|Ice]] and [[Lava Monster]]s and [[Slimy Slug]]s alongside its original [[Rock Monsters]], and has had its objective increased from 50 to 350 Energy Crystals. Eight new missions have also been added in place of the original game's eight training missions, bringing the total up to thirty-three missions.<ref name="rru topic 3042"/>


For example, "[[Driller Night!]]", the first proper mission in the original game,  
Some of the mod's gameplay adjustments fix balancing issues and apparent oversights in the original; for example, Monsters take less damage from weapons and can no longer be destroyed in one shot, the [[Granite Grinder]] can drill Hard Rock much faster, and all mining lasers require far less shots to destroy walls. Some changes add new features; most notably, the [[Small Mobile Laser Cutter|Small]] and [[Large Mobile Laser Cutter]]s are able to drive across lava, and the [[Tunnel Transport]] (which was inaccessible in the original game) is usable and can carry some small vehicles.<ref name="rru topic 3042"/>
and its objective has been altered from collecting 5 Energy Crystals to collecting 40; the final mission, "[[Rocky Horror]]", features [[Ice Monster|Ice]] and [[Lava Monster]]s and [[Slimy Slug]]s alongside its original [[Rock Monsters]], and has had its objective increased from 50 to 350 Energy Crystals.


=== New missions ===
=== New missions ===
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eight new missions<ref name="Zetaboards Baz Mod 30"/>
eight new missions<ref name="Zetaboards Baz Mod 30"/>
* "Recruitment" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Moving Rock Raiders".
* "Recruitment" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Moving Rock Raiders", with an objective of collecting 30 Energy Crystals.
* "Mine Over Manner" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Moving Rock Raider Vehicles".
* "Mine Over Manner" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Moving Rock Raider Vehicles", with an objective of collecting 40 Energy Crystals.
* "The Hard Rock Life" – A Lava-themed mission based on "Constructing Advanced Buildings".
* "The Hard Rock Life" – A Lava-themed mission based on "Constructing Advanced Buildings", with an objective of collecting 50 Energy Crystals.
* "Molten Meltdown" – A Lava-themed mission based on "Rock Types and Drilling".
* "Molten Meltdown" – A Lava-themed mission based on "Rock Types and Drilling", with an objective of collecting 54 Energy Crystals.
* "Down In The Dirt" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Using Explosives".
* "Down In The Dirt" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Using Explosives", with an objective of collecting 55 Energy Crystals.
* "Seamless" – An Ice-themed mission based on "Drilling with Vehicles".
* "Seamless" – An Ice-themed mission based on "Drilling with Vehicles", with an objective of collecting 52 Energy Crystals.
* "Slimey Simple" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Defending Rock Raider HQ". The bonus version is an Ice mission labeled with "slug warning"
* {{sic|"Slimey Simple"}} – A Rock-themed mission based on "Defending Rock Raider HQ", with an objective of collecting 64 Energy Crystals. The mission features a large number of [[Slimy Slugs]], similar to "[[Back To Basics]]" in the original game. The bonus version is an Ice mission labeled with "slug warning"
* "Cold Comfort" – An Ice-themed mission based on "Building Rock Raider HQ".
* "Cold Comfort" – An Ice-themed mission based on "Building Rock Raider HQ", with an objective of collecting 60 Energy Crystals.


== Development and release ==
== Development and release ==

Latest revision as of 21:13, 12 January 2026

Baz's Mod
CGI artwork of a Rock Raiders scene, made by Roger Harris. In the top left is the Rock Raiders logo. At the bottom is the text "Baz's Mod".
The mod's loading screen, an edit of a wallpaper created by Roger Harris
Developer(s)Dann "Baz" Boeing
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • 1.0: July 29, 2009 (2009-07-29)
  • 1.5: September 15, 2011 (2011-09-15)
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player

Baz's Mod is a 2009 video game mod for the 1999 real-time strategy game LEGO Rock Raiders. It was developed by "Baz", a user on the LEGO game modding website Rock Raiders United, starting in December 2008. The mod adds many gameplay adjustments and alters level layouts and objectives to make the game longer and more challenging; it also includes eight new levels based on the original game's training missions.

The mod was originally released on July 29, 2009; an updated version was released in September 2011. It is the first "overhaul" mod for LEGO Rock Raiders and one of the earliest known mods for a LEGO video game.

Gameplay

See also: Gameplay of LEGO Rock Raiders
The two Laser Cutter vehicles can drive on lava in Baz's Mod, as seen here

Baz's Mod features largely the same gameplay as the original LEGO Rock Raiders, though with many changes to increase its length and difficulty. The mod uses the same twenty-five missions as the original game, but all of them have been heavily edited to feature more hidden caverns, alternate layouts, higher Energy Crystal collection goals, and an increased number of Monsters and dangers, and their order has been rearranged.[1] For example, "Driller Night!", the first proper mission in the original game, is now the third mission in Baz's Mod, and its objective has been altered from collecting 5 Energy Crystals to collecting 40; the final mission, "Rocky Horror", features Ice and Lava Monsters and Slimy Slugs alongside its original Rock Monsters, and has had its objective increased from 50 to 350 Energy Crystals. Eight new missions have also been added in place of the original game's eight training missions, bringing the total up to thirty-three missions.[1]

Some of the mod's gameplay adjustments fix balancing issues and apparent oversights in the original; for example, Monsters take less damage from weapons and can no longer be destroyed in one shot, the Granite Grinder can drill Hard Rock much faster, and all mining lasers require far less shots to destroy walls. Some changes add new features; most notably, the Small and Large Mobile Laser Cutters are able to drive across lava, and the Tunnel Transport (which was inaccessible in the original game) is usable and can carry some small vehicles.[1]

New missions

The mission tree in Baz's Mod

eight new missions[2]

  • "Recruitment" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Moving Rock Raiders", with an objective of collecting 30 Energy Crystals.
  • "Mine Over Manner" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Moving Rock Raider Vehicles", with an objective of collecting 40 Energy Crystals.
  • "The Hard Rock Life" – A Lava-themed mission based on "Constructing Advanced Buildings", with an objective of collecting 50 Energy Crystals.
  • "Molten Meltdown" – A Lava-themed mission based on "Rock Types and Drilling", with an objective of collecting 54 Energy Crystals.
  • "Down In The Dirt" – A Rock-themed mission based on "Using Explosives", with an objective of collecting 55 Energy Crystals.
  • "Seamless" – An Ice-themed mission based on "Drilling with Vehicles", with an objective of collecting 52 Energy Crystals.
  • "Slimey Simple" [sic] – A Rock-themed mission based on "Defending Rock Raider HQ", with an objective of collecting 64 Energy Crystals. The mission features a large number of Slimy Slugs, similar to "Back To Basics" in the original game. The bonus version is an Ice mission labeled with "slug warning"
  • "Cold Comfort" – An Ice-themed mission based on "Building Rock Raider HQ", with an objective of collecting 60 Energy Crystals.

Development and release

American video game mod creator Dann Boeing, known on the website Rock Raiders United as "Baz",[3] started developing a mod for LEGO Rock Raiders in mid-December 2008.[4] Boeing wanted to "bring the game to its full potential" by making it more challenging for an older audience and improving aspects that were considered less enjoyable.[1]

Boeing originally called his mod Rock Raiders Enhanced before deciding on the name Baz's Mod.[5][6]

Numerous alterations were made to gameplay and entities, and a few of the game's cut elements were also added back, such as the Tunnel Transport and an early Rock Raider design that more closely resembled the character Sparks. The game's interface was redesigned to have a darker, dirty look, building on a "grunge rust" mod originally created by user "Drageon".[1][7]

Boeing considered his mod to be close to completion by early February 2009, with only bug fixes and editing some erosion and emerge map files left to do.[8] As he found manually editing erosion and emerge maps tedious and difficult, he paused development while waiting for Rock Raiders United founder "gmjab" to release a new version of his map tool.[9][10] The next update for the RRU Map Editor did not release until late June 2009, and only included erosion support.[11][12]

[13]

Boeing released the initial version of Baz's Mod on July 29, 2009, two days before the first anniversary of Rock Raiders United.[14][15] After taking a break to focus on school and modding projects for other games, he started working on a new version of the mod in March 2011.[14][16] The update, labeled version 1.5, was released on September 15, 2011.[1]

The 2023 game Manic Miners, an unofficial remake of LEGO Rock Raiders, features all thirty-three missions from Baz's Mod as one of its four campaigns.[17]

References

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Baz (September 17, 2011). "Baz's Mod V1.5". Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016.
  2. ↑ Baz (January 24, 2009). "Now that I've finished all the new levels that replace the tutorials, here is a description of all of them". Rock Raiders United (Post in forum topic "My Official RR Mod: "Baz's Mod" V1 Released!") – via Tapatalk. Mirrored at Neocities.
  3. ↑ "DannBo". Steam Community. Archived from the original on July 7, 2024. I've made a number of custom maps & modifications for the original Star Wars Battlefront II, Rock Raiders, Team Fortress 2, & Left 4 Dead 2 under the usernames Dann Boeing, Baz, and DannBo.
  4. ↑ Baz (December 15, 2008). "Heys". Rock Raiders United (Zetaboards forum post). Archived from the original on July 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ Baz (December 24, 2008). "Loading.jpg" (JPEG file). Archived from the original on February 5, 2012 – via Photobucket.
  6. ↑ Baz (January 4, 2009). "No I haven't, and the link in your sig is dead". Rock Raiders United (Post in forum topic "My Official RR Mod: "Baz's Mod" V1 Released!") – via Tapatalk. Mirrored at Neocities.
  7. ↑ Drageon (February 25, 2009). "Grunge Rust Interface". Rock Raiders United (Zetaboards forum post). Archived from the original on April 27, 2009.
  8. ↑ Baz (February 2, 2009). "About as long as an elephant I would say..." Rock Raiders United (Post in forum topic "My Official RR Mod: "Baz's Mod" V1 Released!") – via Tapatalk. Mirrored at Neocities.
  9. ↑ Baz (January 22, 2009). "All the level selection pictures have now been fixed to the right order/hole size". Rock Raiders United (Post in forum topic "My Official RR Mod: "Baz's Mod" V1 Released!") – via Tapatalk. Mirrored at Neocities.
  10. ↑ Baz (February 2, 2009). "I've basically finished everything but final testing and adding rock monsters in (I still got to add erosions to one level, and fix them up a little bit for Lake of Fire)". Rock Raiders United (Post in forum topic "My Official RR Mod: "Baz's Mod" V1 Released!") – via Tapatalk. Mirrored at Neocities.
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zetaboards Baz Mod 97
  12. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zetaboards Baz Mod 102
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Zetaboards Baz Mod 121
  14. ↑ a b Baz (September 9, 2009). "Baz's Mod (Old Topic)". Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017.
  15. ↑ Cyrem (September 10, 2009). "The History of Rock Raiders United". Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019.
  16. ↑ Baz (March 31, 2011). "Working on a new version..." Rock Raiders United (Comment on forum post "Baz's Mod (Old Topic)"). Archived from the original on December 3, 2017.
  17. ↑ Baraklava (7 April 2023). "Hope Easter's treating ya well! 1.0 is drawing close. You can feel the breeze, can't you?". Reddit (Comment on r/RockRaiders post "The Remastered campaign is almost done, and Baz's mod is joining the party. How does 58 new levels sound?"). Archived from the original on July 9, 2024.
Cite error: <ref> tag with name "Zetaboards Baz Mod 1" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.
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