Baz's Mod
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Baz's Mod is a large scale "overhaul" modification by Baz of LEGO Rock Raiders for Windows.
The primary objective of this modification is to add more content to each level of the game, like new caverns, etc. There are also eight altogether new levels that take the place of the tutorial missions. Several game mechanics have also been changed, improving weaker aspects of the game so that it may be played for its full potential, while still being more challenging than the original game.
Baz's Mod was first released as a v1.0 beta on 29 July 2009. The final version, v1.5, was released on 18 September 2011, and can be downloaded here.
Version 1.0 changes
The gameplay has been modified so that:
- Some levels are rearranged on the mission-tree depending on how their difficulties have changed since the original game.
- All levels include improved objectives, mainly to increase the number of crystals players must collect to complete the mission.
- All forms of lasers can now be used to kill monsters. That goes for both vehicle-mounted lasers and the Mining Laser building.
- Weapons now do more damage to slimy slugs, while doing less to monsters.
- Levels with rock monsters and/or slimy slugs have many more emerging or hidden throughout the level than they used to.
Level Modification
For a complete list of levels and their descriptions, see Baz's Mod levels.
The pre-existing levels:
- All contain more Hidden Caverns, energy crystals, and other content
- Some contain new or changed layouts.
The eight new levels:
- Contain unique and original layouts with plenty of caverns and crystals.
- Have alternate "Bonus Versions" that have been made more difficult and use a different terrain than their normal counterparts. These can be accessed from the old tutorial menu which has been appropriately renamed in the main menu.
Interface Modification
The Game Interface has been changed to include:
- A slightly darker style and rusted texturing. Parts are a modified version of Drageon's Grunge Interface, and others are of my own creation.
- An improved in game camera that can now zoom in closer and zoom out farther.
- Fixed erosion textures for ice maps and higher resolution world textures overall.
Unit Modification
- Main article: Baz's Mod vehicles
The Rock Raiders have been changed to:
- Be able to upgrade to an extra level that improves their drilling, shoveling, & running speeds, and also improves their ability to endure damage from rock slides and other hazards.
- Have fixed faces when viewing them in 1st person or shoulder view (to make them appear more like Sparks, as they appear in normal camera view)
The buildings have been changed so that:
- The Upgrade Station now has another upgrade level UP2, which allows it to perform upgrades four times as fast (twice as fast as UP1).
- The Mining Laser can now mine rock much more efficiently and do damage to Enemies (with the same stats as the Large Mobile Laser Cutter).
- The Super Teleport now has another upgrade level UP2, which it needs to upgrade to teleport down the Chrome Crusher and the Tunnel Transport.
- The Geological Center now has another upgrade level UP3, which will increase its scanning radius to 16 squares.
- The Tool Store can now upgrade Rock Raiders faster when fully upgraded
- The Ore Refinery can now be upgraded to UP4, which only takes one piece of ore to make a Building Stud.
For a complete list of specifications for the vehicles, see Baz's Mod vehicles.
Major changes have been made to improve the Hover Scout, Small Mobile Laser Cutter, and Large Mobile Laser Cutter Other vehicle changes include, but are not limited to:
- Decreased Hard Rock drill times
- Enhanced and new vehicle upgrades
- The addition of the Tunnel Transport as a usable vehicle.
- Increased/decreased Energy Crystal requirements for the teleportation of some vehicles.
Version 1.5 changes
Many changes have been made and bugs have been fixed since the initial (beta) version of the mod for the final official release.
- Bug Fix for Tunnel Transport so that it carries other vehicles properly.
- Resolve the various inconsistencies with the Mining Lasers, particularly with the Large Mobile Laser Cutter.
- Bug Fix of Run the Gauntlet to make it completable and add a crystal count to objective.
- Bug Fix of Back to Basics to make it completable by adding more energy crystals scattered through level and a few recharge seams. Also added tons of ice monster emerges and sleeping ice monsters to keep it challenging.
- Increase number of crystals required to make certain vehicles, particularly the Chrome Crusher and Tunnel Transport
- The Rapid Rider now only requires 1 crystal to teleport.
- Fix typos and mixed up mission objectives for mission, success, and failure statements.
- Minor redesigning of Water Works to separate caverns and modification of heightmap.
- Addition of monsters, depleting Oxygen Supply, etc. to Bonus Levels where they were not already present.
- Fairly large changes and fixes to Don't Panic!, adding areas & monster spawns, which are now Coordinated properly.
- Addition of Lava Monsters to Erode Works.
- Fixed spoken level names to correct levels (assigned new levels to the old tutorial spoken names).
- Small fixes to a few levels, where the level's open cavern extended to the border of the map, which caused random bugs such as turning ground into water and solid rock into ground.
- Moderate changes to Water Lot Of Fun, including working monster emerges. I've also made changes to the caverns so that it is much more difficult to reconnect cavern across water to base now. The height map is restored and improved.
- Minor changes to Lake of Fire to include Recharge Seams and sleeping Lava Monsters. Made it so the safe cavern is only accessible through the clever use of Mining Lasers. Increased crystal objective from 100 to 150 crystals.
- Added emerging rock monsters and bats to Fire 'n' Water.
- Ice Monsters can now cross water.
- Bug fix of Hot Stuff to fix emerge file with correct spawns. Also added some more sleeping Lava Monsters and did some small changes to the caverns and heightmap.
- Addition of Bats and sleeping ice monsters to Air Raiders.
- Added Cyrem's improved biome textures.
- Addition of more sleeping monsters of all kinds in Rocky Horror, as well as tons more emerges. Caverns changed slightly to make the seam reservoirs harder to get to. Removed buggy crystal reservoir near the lake of lava (lava monsters sleeping there now). Crystal objective fixed to the correct number (was 349, now 350 as it's supposed to be).
