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    1. Run Lego Rock Raiders on Ubuntu 17.10

      By TheOnlyCaky,
      This tutorial will show you how to run LEGO Rock Raiders on Ubuntu. This has only been tested on Ubuntu 17.10, it may work with earlier versions. Note to you nerds like me: I could not get LRR running well on Windows 10 and was ecstatic to find out that Linux ran it well! So Linux FTW!
       
      Setup
      First, you will need the files from your  LEGO Rock Raiders disk - more importantly, you need the game files. 
       
      Secondly, you will need to install wine and playonlinux.
       
      wine:
      sudo apt-get install wine-stable playonlinux:
      sudo apt-get install playonlinux
      Thirdly, you'll need the dreaded d3drm.
      Download here: d3drm
       
      Install
      1. Open playonlinux
      2. Click on install (it has a plus sign)
      3. Click on Bottom Left Link that says "Install a non-listed program"
      4. Choose "Install a new program in a virtual drive"
      5.  Pick any virtual drive name you would like. Mine is: LegoLegacy (no spaces are important)
      6.  Check the first two boxes "Use another version of wine" and "Configure wine"
      7.  Choose "System" - I only had that choice.
      8.  Choose "32 bits windows installation" - this is important it is 32 bit.
      9.  The Wine Configuration window should pop up:  Click on the Graphics tab and check the "Emulate a virtual desktop" and leave the other settings. Click "Apply" and "Ok"
      10.  The next playonlinux window will ask you where to install the file from. You need to browse to the file "Setup.exe" from your LRR CD.
      11.  Follow the installation like its 1999! - make sure to also install Direct X6 when it asks.
      12. Close out the window.
      13.  playonlinux will come up with another window asking to make a shortcut - click on "LegoRR.exe" then click next twice.
      14. It will return to that same shortcut menu, this time select "I don't want to make another shortcut"
      15. Re-open playonlinux and click on LegoRR, but before you press "Run" you need to add in the d3drm.
      `16. To do this, click on "Open the directory" around the bottom-left.
      17. Unzip the d3drm file and copy the d3drm.dll file that you just unzipped and copy it into the directory playonlinux opened for you.
      18.  Go back to playonlinux and click "Run" and choose any of the fullscreen running options.
      19. Enjoy!
    2. Play Rock Raiders, Racers, Island and other Lego PSX Games on PSP/PSVita/PSTV

      By Cap't Rex,
      This is a simple guide to show you how you can play the PS1 version of classic Lego Games like Lego Rock Raiders, Lego Racers, and Lego Island on either a PSP, PSVita, PSTV or PSP emulator.  This should work with most other PS1 games too.  Using this tutorial i'll show you how you can convert a ISO/img file into a PSP compatible eboot file.
       
      Before we begin you need the following items:
       
      - PS1 Game Disc YOU OWN (I'll use the PAL version of Rock Raiders for this tutorial)
      - CloneCD. You can also another ISO ripper like Alcohol, but I prefer CloneCD as it's cleaner and easier to navigate.
      - PSX2PSP converter
      - PSP/PSVita/PS-VitaTV (also known as Playstation TV;) or PSP-emulator
      - CD/DVD drive/writer
       
      OPTIONAL:
      - 2 png pictures for your game and a short .at3 soundfile
       
      STEP  1:
      Get all required items. Insert your PS1 game disc into your DVD/CD drive. Wait for it to load up. Once it shows up in MyComputer, proceed to step 2.
       
      STEP  2:
      Start up CloneCD. If your disc is detected by your computer click on Copy CD Button in the CloneCD program. Here is a picture of which button you should click circled in red:
       

       
      Once you click that button a Screen should pop up which asks you to select your disc drive. BE SURE TO SELECT THE CORRECT DRIVE WHERE THE DISC IS LOCATED!
      After this CloneCD will ask you what type of disc this is, select GameCD (like in the picture below).
       

       
      After this click next and select a DESTINATION Folder by clicking BROWSE. This will be where you img/iso file will be put after the copy is done! Once you selected your destination folder, click next. CloneCD will start making the img/iso file for your game. Depending on your computer and game file size, this will take about 10 minutes. Once this is done, turn off CloneCD and proceed to STEP 3!
       
      STEP 3 :
       
      If CloneCD was successful in creating an img/iso file of your game, this is what your destination folder will have (this is PAL version of Rock Raiders):
       

       
      The img file is your most important file and all you really need to move onto the next step.
       
      STEP 4 :
       
      Turn on PSX2PSP by using its EXE.
       

       
      Once you do this, in the ISO/PBP File click the small button and select your img/iso file that you created via CloneCD. Then select your output folder for where you want the final converted version of the game to be. PSX2PSP will auto detect and show the GameID and Title.
      This is how your PSX2PSP Window should look like:
       

       
      STEP 5 :
       
      As of step 4 you can already convert and make a PSP compatible file, but it'll look ugly. This step will show you how to make the game appear "unique" and stand out.
      In PSX2PSP click the Customize PBP button. For this tutorial we'll only focus on the background image and icon image. Note that these don't affect the game itself and are simply how the games launcher will look like on your PSP/PSVita.
      PSX2PSP will show you what file formats are usable for each catagory. For Rock Raiders, I selected a Rock Raiders themed background and the PS1 game cover as the game cover. This is how it looked like for me:
       

       
      STEP 6 :
       
      Once you finished up customizing the settings in PSX2PSP click convert. This can take anywhere from 3-10 minutes depending on your computer. Once your done you should get a folder with the games ID and a eboot.pbp file inside of that folder. DO NOT RENAME ANYTHING FROM HERE.
       
      Here is how the end converted file looks like for PAL Rock Raiders:
       

       
      STEP 7 :
       
      Now that your file is done, you have to place your converted game on your PSP/PSVita.
       
      IMPORTANT: BE SURE TO PLACE THE GAME FILES EXACTLY WHERE THEY SHOULD GO.
       
      PSP: Navigate your PSP memory stick; if your using a PRO-DUO stick you can either connect the PSP to your computer via USB or use an adapter. If your using a micro-SD to pro-duo adapter, you can connect your MicroSD into your computer directly. No matter which format your using for your memory stick the directory will always remain the same!  
       
      Simply copy/paste the Game folder to:
       
      (memory card root):\PSP\GAME\
       
      For PAL Rock Raiders it would look  like this:
      (memory card root):\PSP\GAME\SLES01690/EBOOT.PBP
       
      PSVita Enso 3.60 Firmware: 
      This is as simply as the regular PSP. Open up VITAShell and plug in your PSVita to your PC. Click "connect by USB" in VITA Shell. Your VITA's memory card directory's should be visible on your computer. You can use TheFlow's Adrenaline CFW to play this game on the VITA too.
       
      (memory card root):\pspemu\PSP\GAME\YourGame\eboot
       
      For PAL Rock Raiders it would look  like this:
      (memory card root):\pspemu\PSP\GAME\SLES01690/EBOOT.PBP
       
      PSVita Total_noob CFW:  If you have TotalNoob Custom firmware via an exploit game (MegaMix for instance), simply zip up the converted game folder and place it in the exploit games save files. Then copy those savefiles to your PSVIta with your exploit games save file. Once there launch TotalNoob CFW. In the games category scroll down until you reach your game. Click Triangle, and click INSTALL. This will extract your game and properly place it on your PSP so it works.
       
      NOTE: the PSVita and PSTV are both compatible with the same method because there the same device, except the PSTV is a VITA without its own screen.
       
      STEP  8:
       
      Here is how the converted Game will look like on your PSP/PsVita:
       

       
      STEP 9:
       
      Have Fun and enjoy playing classic Lego PS1 games on your PSP! Especially now that theres proper sound/music emulation in the games too!
       
       
       
    3. Lightwave (LWO/LWS) Basics With Milkshape

      By Cirevam,
      So you wanna be a master of LWO. But you don't have the skillz to be number one. I'm afraid that no one in our lands has perfected the art, but there are a few smithies with the knowledge to forge the most basic of blades. As one of those smithies, I feel it is necessary to pass down the secrets of the trade so that future generations may one day bear true masters. Masters of the Light(wave).
       
      Before I show you how to forge a blade of the light(wave), let me demonstrate how to summon an existing piece so that you may study its properties.
       
       

       
       
      Pay special attention to the import options. You'll want to use the one by CCCP for best results. However, notice how the textures don't show up. This is a problem inherent with Milkshape. If, however, you want to forge your creation for testing purposes, follow these steps:
       
       
       
      In-game, your creation will be either white, completely black, or some shade of gray. The reason is simple. There is another way to texture models, which is to directly apply color and other properties to them. I call this pseudotexturing. When you are making a material to apply to a model in Milkshape, you will see buttons for Ambient, Diffuse, Specular, and Emissive. Diffuse is flat color and Emissive is glowing color, and only these are supported in LRR.
       
      When you export a 5.x LWO with Milkshape, the RGB values of its pseudotextures will all change to be the value of the red channel, so RGB becomes RRR. If you have a hex editor such as XVI32, you can fix the pseudotextures after the export by scrolling to the bottom of the file and changing the COLR values accordingly.
       
      Let us move on to a much more powerful Anvil, the legendary Lightwave. Its power is such that you do not need to use importing techniques, and it displays your creations almost as they would appear in Valhalla. However, it cannot always find textures on its own, so you'll need to guide it. Remember that the sword does not guide the warrior, the warrior guides the sword.
       

       
      As you can see, Lightwave is much more useful if you want to see what your creation will really look like. However, the way that LRR handles texture transparency isn't understood by Lightwave, so do not be alarmed by giant triangles jutting out every which way. Let me also show you the Image Editor. This lets you view the textures that are applied to the model and to change some of their properties. Milkshape has a similar tool, but remember that it doesn't show imported LWO textures correctly. If you want to fully edit the textures applied to a model, you will need to use the Surface Editor. PWNZOR has a tutorial that explains the Surface Editor in depth so that you can texture your models correctly. I personally recommend it.
       

       
      Forging a creation is easy. While there is an export involved, Lightwave will handle the settings for you. Note that while the Anvils known as Lightwave are indeed powerful and revered, they were created by man and are not perfect. The one you see here is the Seventh Anvil and cannot remove impurites from the models you forge, so they will appear completely black in LRR. This condition is known as "superblack" since it appears as an eternal shadow in Valhalla, even in the presence of the Light. The Eighth and Ninth Anvils are able to forge your creations to satisfaction, and the The Fifth Anvil reportedly does the same. That Anvil was used by the Ancient Smithies of the DDI Clan, and I came into possession of this Anvil after an archeologist discovered some in a dark crypt. Unfortunately, the crypt was destroyed by bandits shortly thereafter, but both he and I have been consulting the ancient texts so we can attempt to understand it.
       
      Thankfully, the export process is the same for all recent Anvils. Just select Export Lightwave 5 and your creation will be forged.
       

       
       
      Now I will bestow unto thee the knowledge of how the Norse gods sew together the flesh and metal of beasts and blades alike. First open up Lightwave Layout and open an LWS file. For educational purposes I'll show you how the Small Transport Truck is formed.
       

       
      You will quickly notice that many of its pieces seem to be missing. Take note that not even Lightwave can replicate how things truly appear in Valhalla. Go to the object list and scroll through. You'll notice many things that represent the missing parts. These are called nulls.
       

       
      Nulls can be moved around and rotated. They may even have child nulls, as evidenced by the yellow ones that move and rotate in unison. You can choose a parent for the selected null or object by pressing 'm' then scrolling through the object list that appears. Let me show you how you can create nulls yourself.
       

       
      Nulls define where parts of the model are located. This makes upgrades possible in Valhalla, as different objects can be assigned to nulls in an AE file. There are also animation bones, though I do not know if they have a purpose in Valhalla. If you wish to experiment with them, here is how to summon one:
       

       
      This is all I can teach you for now. I hope it will be of use to you. Remember that the teacher never knows everything, so if you learn something that I an unaware of, feel free to become the teacher and I the student.
       
      LRR Compatible Models Require One of the Following:
      Any version of Milkshape with CCCP's LWO exporter. Export as 5.x with the settings shown. Textures will not be retained when exported, and pseudotextures will have the red value duplicated across the green and blue values. Alternatively, you can export as a 6.5 model and load that into a compatible version of Lightwave to do the final export. Lightwave 8 or more recent. Textures cannot be UV'd; they must be applied planarly. Simply export as a Lightwave 5 model. Textures and pseudotextures will be retained.  
      LRR Compatible Animations Require Lightwave:
      Some Anvils do not export animations correctly, such as the Ninth Anvil. The Seventh does, and I have heard that the Eighth does so as well. I have not confirmed whether or not the Tenth can export LWSes correctly.
    4. The Basics Of Programming Mission Objectives

      By Baz,
      One of the major components of Level Modification, the process of Editing the Mission Objectives can be rather complicated, as all the script has to be reverse engineered and decoded from the original encrypted NPL files. Before we get into editing the NPL files, it's important that you actually understand the script you're working in.
       
      Objective Script Files
      Fortunately, there are unencrypted versions of each script that are fully readable called NRN files. Both the NRN and NPL files are found in the level folder for the mission (Ex: LegoRR0/Levels/GameLevels/Level01 for Driller Night). The NRN is really a simple text file, which you can open with almost any program, even Notepad, which is the traditional program for editing scripts. Now, if you already know some programming, this should be a breeze for you, as it only seems to be a bit of modified C or C++ language. If you aren't, not to worry, that's what this tutorial is for.
       
      Before going gallivanting into the wonderful world of scripting, always remember to have a back-up for your NRN or NPL files somewhere. It is best to have a back-up of the entire LegoRR0 folder and its contents, so you don't get files mixed up with the ones in the edited folder.
       
      Example Script
      Let's start out by looking at a pretty basic mission script, like for Level21, Air Raiders, which is an example of a Material Collecting Objective:
      #include <nerpnrn.h> TRUE ? SetTutorialFlags 0 TRUE ? SetMessagePermit 1 Function(Upgrade) { TRUE ? SetToolStoreLevel 1 TRUE ? SetTeleportPadLevel 1 TRUE ? SetPowerStationLevel 1 } FuncEnd(Upgrade) // Check to see if objective is failed TRUE ? SetR1 0 GetToolstoresBuilt = 0 ? AddR1 1 GetMinifiguresOnLevel = 0 ? AddR1 1 GetR1 = 2 ? SetLevelFail // Check to see if objective is completed GetCrystalsCurrentlyStored > 39 ? SetLevelCompleted Not too big for a script; now the first thing you'll notice is in the first line you have the parameter "#include <nerpnrn.h>" This is referring back to the parent file, nerpnrn.h, located in LegoRR0/Levels. Every script that includes this reference contains the information contained the parent file. This is important to notice, as when you start looking through the encoded NPL files, it will contain all this script from the parent file, followed by the actual script contained within the NRN file.
       
      The next two lines are pretty basic, and you'll find them in almost any GameLevel NRN script, as they indicate that there are no Tutorial stops or "Flags" set up and it just has the one message at the beginning of the level, telling you the mission description (WHICH by the way can be edited in the LegoRR1/Languages/ObjectiveText.txt file).
       
      After that you have a function which is basically a set of parameters, in this case, indicating the preset upgrade level of various buildings present at the beginning of the mission. It is not entirely understood exactly how the actual "Function {  } FuncEnd" part of the script is encoded in the NPL, but it's contents (the actual settings for the upgrades) are easy to see.
       
      The last bit is the important bit that designates what is required for the mission to be complete. First off, it is programmed to recognize that if there are no Tool Stores built, and no Rock Raiders present, the mission ends in failure, since it requires rock raiders to build Power Paths for the tool store to teleport more rock raiders down with. This bit is designated by the couple functions under the helpful "// Check to see if objective is failed." Note that anything written in a line following "//" is ignored by the game, allowing for helpful notations to keep track of what the purpose of some lines are.
       
      After that, there's the simple line "GetCrystalsCurrentlyStored > 39 ? SetLevelCompleted". This indicates that once the number of Energy Crystals collected is over 39, i.e. 40 or more, then the level has been completed successfully. And that's that!
       
      Other Scripts
      There are many scripts that follow the format shown above. The main things you have to pay attention to is the stuff around "SetLevelCompleted" and "SetLevelFail". Some scripts, like Level07, Search 'n Rescue, require you to Find a Hidden Object, in this case, a missing rock raider, lost in an undiscovered cavern. In this mission "GetHiddenObjectsFound > 0 ?" is used in order to win, which means, when 1 or more hidden objects are found, the level is completed.
       
      Others like Level06, Explosive Action, require you to travel to a certain block designated as a Tutorial Block in the level's Tuto_06.map file, in this case, you are required to bring the designated lost digger, into the rock raider base. Some early missions require that you Construct a Support Station or Other Building in order to win the mission, like Level04, A Breath of Fresh Air. Once "GetPoweredBarracksBuilt > 0 ?" i.e. one or more Powered Support Station has been built, then the level is completed. Some missions that have a depleting air supply will mark a level failure if "GetOxygenLevel < 1 ?" i.e. Oxygen levels hit 0.
       
      All the basic levels usually have one of these commands as their objective. There are many more parameters to work with, as you'll see by looking at some of the tutorial level scripts, which are much more complicated, as they designate tutorial flags which stop the mission to give a message or require you to click on something or perform some other action to move on. Other scripts include certain setups for Slimy Slug Attacks and Coordinated Monster Attacks and Intermittent Messages.
       
      Once you got a grasp of things, you can probably get a little creative changing the level goals so that instead of having to build a power station, you have to build a geology center, to complete the game. Or you could make the mission's goal to collect a certain amount of Ore, rather than crystals.
       
      Editing NPL Files
      The next step would be to figure out how to actually change the NPL file. Note that any changes you make in the NRN file do not change anything in the NPL file. At the moment, you have to go into the NPL file and manually change its contents to your liking. The major difficulty with this is that the NPL file is encoded into hex-computer language. It basically translates the C++ language into a language that the computer can easily understand and process. To open and edit the NPL file, you will need Hex-Editing Program. There are many good Hex-editing programs out there, such as XVI32, which is free.
       
      Upon opening it, you'll notice that it all looks like gobbledegook, nothing but numbers letters and strange symbols. Depending on what editor your using, you may see two versions of the script. One version in letters, blank spaces, and symbols, the other in nothing but numbers. For our purposes, we will be only paying attention to the numbers, which are the real "Hex-Strings". Every number, symbol, and parameter that is contained in the NRN script has a counterpart Hex-string in the NPL file. Included with this guide are several other documents which contain a list of known parameters, numbers, symbols, and their hex-string counterparts.
       
      Editing the NPL file is a slow and careful process. The best thing to do is to use the search command, which most hex-editing programs have. Search for the string that you want to edit, assuming you know what it is, and once you find it, change it. Note that in order for the NPL file to work it must be the same amount of characters, ALWAYS. This means that you should never ever ever finding yourself pasting things in with Ctrl+V or deleting things with the Delete or backspace key, as these will delete characters. To edit, just change the already existing characters, rather than inserting or deleting any. This way, it will keep the same amount of characters, and will stay functioning.
    5. (LRR) Windows 10 Setup Guide - SafeDisc Version

      By Jimbob,
      This tutorial will show you how to install a SafeDisc protected version of LEGO Rock Raiders on Windows 10, without having to use a virtual machine or crack the executable.
       
      Please keep in mind that LEGO Rock Raiders is highly unpredictable, hence we currently have 16 pages of topics for it in the Support section. You're almost guaranteed to have something go wrong, so please check out the Support Forum to see if your issue has already been fixed.
       
      Setup
      1. Insert the LEGO Rock Raiders disc into your PC. Open This PC/My Computer, right-click on the disc and select "Run enhanced content".
       

       
      2. Follow through the installation procedure, choosing "No, I will restart my computer later" and clicking "Finish" when it is complete.
       

       
      3. A common issue with LEGO Rock Raiders is that d3drm.dll is reported missing, so download it here, extract the file and place it in your install directory. For me, that's: C:\Program Files (x86)\LEGO Media\Games\Rock Raiders
       

       
       
      4. It is also a good idea to give LEGO Rock Raiders administrative privileges. Right-click on "LegoRR.exe", select "Properties", enter the "Compatibility" tab and tick "Run this program as an administrator".
       

       
       
      5. LEGO Rock Raiders uses SafeDisc protection, which is no longer supported in Windows 10. You can however re-enable the driver that SafeDisc uses, but only do so when you wish to play LEGO Rock Raiders and other trusted games as it was removed for a reason.
       
      Open a folder in Windows Explorer, such as Documents. Click “File”, then mouse over “Open command prompt” and choose “Open command prompt as administrator”.
       

       
       
      6. Type in (without quotes) “bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING ON”. Press enter and it will state “This operation completed successfully.” Now you can close the command prompt.
       

       
       
      7. Download this file, extract it and place the “SECDRV.SYS” file into the following location: C:\Windows\System32\drivers. Then restart your computer.

      8. Upon logging back in, you should see text in the lower-right corner of your desktop, along the lines of “Test Mode Windows 10 Home” with some random nonsense after. 
       
      You will need the Driver Signature Enforcement Overrider to actually make the SECDRV.SYS driver work. Go to this page and click “Download Now”.
       

       
      Right click dseo13b.exe and select “Run as administrator”. Press Next, then Yes, and you’ll be at the main menu. Check “Sign a System File” and press Next. Now you will need to type in the location of the SECDRV.SYS file, which should be: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\SECDRV.SYS. Click OK and OK again, then in the main menu check “Exit” and press Next.

      Now you can play LEGO Rock Raiders! If you’d like to play it in higher resolutions including widescreen, click here to check out Cafeteria.
       
      When you’ve finished, follow steps 5-6, this time entering “bcdedit /set TESTSIGNING OFF”. Reboot the computer and it will be back to normal, with LEGO Rock Raiders not launching again.

      In future you will need to follow steps 5, 6 and the latter part of 8 - enabling test mode, rebooting into it and signing the driver - whenever you wish to play the game, but it’s far less hassle than using a virtual machine or transferring files to an old XP computer if you're modding.
    6. Run Rock Raiders In Windowed Mode

      By Cyrem,
      LEGO Rock Raiders was mainly designed to run in fullscreen mode. However the developers did allow the game to run within a window. This guide will show you how to run the game within a window.
       
      LEGO Rock Raiders was developed in a time when 16bit colour mode was common, but these days the majority of devices run in 32bit colour mode. To run the game in windowed mode we will actually need to be in 16bit colour mode, which is supported by all current Windows systems in some form as long as your Monitor and Graphics Card also support this lower colour mode. Below you will find sections for the most popular versions of Windows which you can follow. Afterwards, jump to the "Running the Game" section at the end of the guide.
       
       
      Windows 8 & Windows 10  
      The later versions of Windows, Microsoft introduced colour emulation on a per-application basis to support older software that cannot be run in a 32bit colour environment. This is actually quite helpful and makes things easier than in versions of Windows prior.
      Step 1
      Firstly Locate your LEGO Rock Raiders Executable file (named LegoRR.exe). This will be found in the folder where you installed the game, usually: c:\Program Files(x86)\LEGO Media\Games\Rock Raiders. Right click on this file and select "Properties" from the menu.
      Step 2
      On the Properties dialog, click the "Compatibility" tab. About midway, you will see a setting called "Reduced Colour Mode". Enable this and change it to 16 Bit.
      Step 3
      Press "Apply" to apply the new settings.
       

       
      Windows 7  
      This of Windows doesn’t support application colour emulation that newer versions support, so in order to do this we’ll need to change our monitor colour settings.
       
      Step 1
      Firstly, right-click on your Desktop and click "Screen Resolution" from the menu that appears.
       
      Step 2
      On the Screen Resolution dialog, click "Advanced Settings". (Note that if you have more than one screen you may need to make this change for both of your screens)
       
      Step 3
      On the Advanced Settings dialog, click the "Monitor" tab. Next, change "Colours" from "True Color (32 Bit)" to "High Color (16 Bit)".
       
      Step 4
      Press "Apply" to apply the new colour settings.
       

       
       
      Windows XP
      Windows XP was a great system back in the day and it will be the final version of Windows I will consider in the guide. If you're still running this as a main operating system today, I'm impressed.
       
      Step 1
      Open your Display Properties window. On many machines using Microsoft Windows you can do this by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting "properties" from the menu.
       
      Step 2
      From in that window click on the combo box which has the text "Highest (32 bit)" and select "Medium (16 bit)" from the list.
       
      Step 3
      Press "Apply" to apply the new colour settings.
       


       
      Running the Game
      Alright, you're set and ready to Rock Raiders! Now all we have to do is run the game in Windowed Mode. To do this, go to the LEGO Rock Raiders folder usually located in "c:\Program Files(x86)\LEGO Media\Games\Rock Raiders" and double click on the "LegoRR.exe" file, this is the game.
       
      Next you will notice a window popup with game display properties. On the left select the "Window" option from the list. Then click "OK" to run the game.
       

       
      Final Notes
      Hopefully this has helped you run your game. There are however to important notes to consider. First, don't run the game from either of the Shortcuts created by the game's installer, this will bypass the "Mode Selection" Window. Secondly, if the "OK" button is disabled after clicking "Window", it means you haven't correctly set/run the game in 16bit colour mode, go back through the steps above to try again.
       
    7. Animated Textures on Models

      By Cirevam,
      Animated textures (aka "sequenced textures") on models are possible now. It's simple to do but is limited by animations. This video will show you the basics. You can grab the blinking raiders patch here.
       
       
      Guide Transcript
      Hello Rock Raiders. Today I'm going to show you a new kind of mod available in Lego Rock Raiders: sequenced textures. This is something that was previously locked out of the Rock Raiders modding community due to modern versions of Lightwave not exporting the necessary information to make the textures work. Big thanks to @Yellowkey for pointing me to the bits that needed to be edited in order to make this possible.
       
      What are sequenced textures? They are simply animated textures, and the game uses them to great effect already. You can see them in smoke effects and a few particles, but they're not used much beyond that. They can be potentially used on almost any sort of object, but there are a few requirements. I'll go over those before diving into the details.
       
      The following conditions must be met in order for a model to support a sequenced texture:
       
      The texture files must end with numbers, usually starting with 0000 and increasing by one for each frame, though it is possible to use three numbers and not start with all zeros. The model must be directly included in an animation file. The model's texture definitions must specify the texture as sequenced.
      The first condition is evident where sequences textures are already used. You can look in the World\Shared folder and find textures like Adst001 and ssss0000. These are textures used for various smoke and steam effects, and each file represents one frame of animation. The game automatically finds the beginning and end of each set of images like this, so you do not have to define anything besides the name of the first file.
       
      The second condition is trickier since it's not obvious just by looking at an object. I say "object" instead of "model" here as some objects, like vehicles and monsters, are created using several models that are combined in an animation file. Other objects like crystals, ore, and electric fences are not contained in animation files and cannot use sequenced textures. This also extends to vehicle wheels and upgradeable parts like drills, as they are added on top of the vehicle within the game. They do not exist in the actual animation file. It's possible to check this yourself by opening the animation file, or LWS file, in Notepad and look for the model. If it's defined in the animation, it's ready to accept sequenced textures.
       
      Lastly, the model must specify that its textures are sequenced. This part requires a bit of work, as the only known legal method of inserting this information requires a hex editor. The other method involves flying to Denmark and retrieving the source code from LEGO's vault, which might only be possible if you're a member of the Alpha Team. Luckily, we've identified the values that you need to edit, and it's not hard once you know what to change. This is a mod that anybody can do.
       
      Here I have two models opened side by side in a hex editor. I personally use XVI32, but any hex editor should work. Do you notice some of the differences already? There are four values you have to change. The first three are quite subtle: FORM, which is four bytes long and reflects the total length of the file; SURF, which is also four bytes long and reflects the length of the surface for the texture; and TIMG, which is two bytes long and reflects the length of the file path for the texture's first file. You also have to change the file path to include the text " (sequence)" at the end, and that includes the space in front. This is what tells the game to start animating the texture. You can't stop at that change, as the model will be considered invalid if you do not adjust the lengths in FORM, SURF, and TIMG. All lengths are defined in hexadecimal, so you must either convert them to decimal, add 11, then convert back to hexadecimal, or directly add 0x0B to each number. Note that you must add multiples of this number to FORM for each sequenced texture in the model, as it reflects the entire file length. We are editing two textures in this example, so you must add 22 or 0x16 to FORM. The Windows calculator has a programmer mode which allows you to switch between the two types with a single click. This may be the easiest if you are not familiar with hexadecimal.
       
      Be careful when changing the numbers in the file. Remember that each letter on the right is represented by two hex numbers on the left. If your calculator shows a three digit number, like 1A3, you must add a leading zero when typing it in. Thus 1A3 becomes 01A3. Also remember to overwrite the existing numbers instead of adding new ones in place, or the file will be considered invalid. And always ALWAYS backup your files before doing changes like this.
       
      Alright, we're done. Let's see what it looks like in-game. This model has two planes, with the left plane counting from zero to 24, and the right plane counting from zero to three. The framerate is defined by the global timer, which runs at 25 frames per second. I've slowed the game time down so you can see how the numbers get out of sync with each other, but they always change to the next frame on each tick of the global timer. Please note how the right plane resets to zero early at times. This is because the texture sequence starts over when the animation loops. This leads to odd effects, such as here, where the minifigs only blink when they're doing something other than standing. The standing animation is zero frames long, and the blinking texture is 41 frames long. The blinking does not start until frame 27, so any animation that is not at least that long will not blink.
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