Baz's Mod

From Research Realm
Baz's Mod
Developer(s)Baz
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • July 29, 2009 (2009-07-29) (1.0)
  • September 15, 2011 (2011-09-15) (1.5)
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.

Gameplay

Baz's Mod features the same gameplay as the original LEGO Rock Raiders, though with many adjustments to increase its length and difficulty. The mod uses the same base twenty-five missions as the original game, but all of them have been edited to feature more hidden caverns, higher Energy Crystal collection goals, and an increased number of Monsters and dangers; the mission order has also been changed. The eight training missions have been replaced with new missions, and the separate training missions menu now features bonus versions of these with different environments and much higher difficulty. 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. Other changes add new features; most notably, the Small and Large Mobile Laser Cutters are able to drive across lava, and the Tunnel Transport is usable and can carry some small vehicles.[1]

Development and release

Video game mod creator Dann Boeing, known on the website Rock Raiders United as "Baz",[2] started developing a mod for LEGO Rock Raiders in December 2008.[3] 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 fun.[1] The game's files were edited using modding tools that were being developed by members of Rock Raiders United at the time (LEGO Rock Raiders modding had only started earlier in 2008).[3][4] All of the original twenty-five levels were redesigned and expanded; once the available modding tools became advanced enough, Boeing also created eight new levels to replace the game's tutorial levels, and programmed new objectives for all the levels.[1][3] 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 minifigure Sparks. The game's interface was redesigned to have a darker and rusty look, building on a "grunge" mod originally created by user Drageon.[1]

Boeing released the initial version of Baz's Mod on July 29, 2009,[5] two days before the first anniversary of Rock Raiders United.[4] After taking a break to focus on modding projects for other games,[5] he started working on an update to fix any issues. The new update, version 1.5 was released on September 15, 2011. It made additional improvements to the mod's level design and fixed a number of bugs, including two levels that were initially impossible to complete.[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Baz (September 17, 2011). "Baz's Mod V1.5". Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on 2016-10-31.
  2. "DannBo". Steam Community. Archived from the original on 2024-07-07. 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.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Baz (December 15, 2008). "Heys". Rock Raiders United (Zetaboards forum post). Archived from the original on 2024-07-07 – via Tapatalk.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Cyrem (September 10, 2009). "The History of Rock Raiders United". Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on 2019-01-18.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Baz (September 9, 2009). "Baz's Mod (Old Topic)". Rock Raiders United. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03.

External links