Large Mobile Laser Cutter

Official render of the Large Mobile Laser Cutter

The Large Mobile Laser Cutter is a vehicle used by the Rock Raiders for mining. It is a six-wheeled motorized vehicle equipped with a large Mining Laser for blasting through rock, and is called the "big brother" of the Small Mobile Laser Cutter. It did not appear in any sets, and does not appear in any media outside of the video games.

In the Windows game

In the Windows version of LEGO Rock Raiders, the Large Mobile Laser Cutter is classified as a large vehicle, and requires four Energy Crystals for power. A Rock Raider must be trained as a driver to use a Large Mobile Laser Cutter.

The Large Mobile Laser Cutter as portrayed in the PC game

The Large Mobile Laser Cutter can blast through all types of drillable rock with its mining laser, which can be used by double-selecting the vehicle. It has a WallDestroyTime of 7 for Dirt, 11 for Loose Rock, and 150 for Hard Rock, and every four laser blasts drains one Energy Crystal. Its extremely slow mining time combined with how much power it uses and the general lack of Recharge Seams in the game makes it utterly useless for drilling, similar to its smaller counterpart. It moves at a very slow 0.4 blocks per second, and has no engine upgrades, making it the slowest vehicle in the game. However, unlike the Small Mobile Laser Cutter, it has a firing range of 5 blocks, and does at least -40 HP or more to units per shot, making it quite useful as a weapon against Monsters.

Upgrades

File:LMLC PC Upgraded.png

A fully-upgraded Large Mobile Laser Cutter

There are two upgrades available for the Large Mobile Laser Cutter:

• Drill: Costs 25 pieces of Ore
  This equips the vehicle with a second Mining Laser, reducing the number of shots to mine by half.
• Scanner: Costs 5 pieces of Ore
  Installs a radar aboard the vehicle, with a scanning radius of 5blocks.

Dependency

The Large Mobile Laser Cutter costs 4 Energy Crystals and requires the following for teleportation:

• Rock Raider
• Tool Store [UP1]
• Teleport Pad [UP1]
• Power Station [UP1]
• Support Station [UP2]
• Super Teleport [UP1]

In the PlayStation game

File:LMLC PS1.png

The Large Mobile Laser Cutter as portrayed in the PlayStation game

The Large Mobile Laser Cutter is used rarely in the PlayStation version of LEGO Rock Raiders, appearing in only one level in each regional version of the game (though it also appears in several Two-Player levels in the NTSC-U/C version). It is essentially the same as the Small Mobile Laser Cutter, but with more health. Rather than Energy Crystals, the Small Mobile Laser Cutter is powered by Laser Beam PowerCells that can be picked up in levels. Each PowerCell collected can be used to fire the laser five times (ten if playing as Sparks). A single blast is all that's needed to destroy any rock type in the PlayStation game. The Large Mobile Laser Cutter cannot be teleported.

Appearances

• In Trouble Down the Mine, the player teleports down next to a Large Mobile Laser Cutter, which needs to be used to blast through cave-ins of Hard Rock.
• In Smoke On The Water, a Large Mobile Laser Cutter is hidden behind a series of walls and a lava lake. Though it is not needed to complete the level, its use is required to get a gold medal. The player needs to use the Rapid Rider to travel to the area containing these and drill down the walls, then use a Tunnel Transport and a scoop to clear a path through the lava.

To do: Verify relationship between WallDestroyTime and actual shots needed in the PC game. My tests show game speed seems to affect it for some reason, though that might be due to my Windows 10 setup