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Baz's Mod (Old Topic)


Baz
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Well since it seems my old topic has been lost since the forum transfer, I'll make this new one. Fortunately I put all the details of my mod, which is entitled Baz's Mod, on the wiki:

http://rockraidersun...title=Baz's_Mod

It is basically a large overhaul mod that changes all the levels of the game, and added some new ones to replace the old. I've also changed various aspects of gameplay, making it more challenging, and hopefully more fun.

This is the first released version, 1.0, of the mod that was released on 7/29/2009 (just so there's no confusion). I do not plan on creating an updated version soon, as I have various other modding projects that I'm focusing on now, and school will be starting up again for me at the end of September, so a new version would probably not happen for a while, if at all (this is also partially due to the fact that I was having issues with unexplainable crashing upon making further changes).

Leave any questions, comments, suggestions, or complaints about the mod here. (If you are having problems with the level be sure to check out the Troubleshooting/Reviews Page: http://rockraidersun...=Talk:Baz's_Mod before posting here.)

Download Link: http://www.filefront...RRUBazsMod.zip/ (32.1 MB Download, around 80MB once installed)

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Acmex, Cyrem has said that all users have to repost THEIR OWN topics, and only their own.

Anyway, for anyone who hasn't tried this, it's a great mod - once you've completed the original game, do try this :)

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Well I'm back. ;) Back with my final review of the last four levels. Did take me a lot longer than I expected to get to this stage, partly because I've been a bit busy irl, but also partly to reasons you'll find out when you read this...

Anyway, since I'm giving you feedback on just the final four levels, I haven't broken up my feedback like I did before. This time, I have written lots about each level, and any glitches, changes, etc. are included in there.

Lake of Fire:

I actually think this was easier than the original. Sure, getting 100 crystals was a lot more than before, but getting them is rather easy. Mainly down to the additions you've made. Even if erosion cuts off your path to a group of dirt, with the new and improved large mobile laser cutter, you can just drive over the lava and laser it. After this, you can use the overpowered Tunnel Transporter carrying a small transport truck to go and get them. Also, having all those crystals to the right of the map was rather unnecessary. I think I managed to get 91 crystals without going over there, and could have got the 100 target by using the crystals from my buildings. However, if you do go over there, there's tons more, and I could probably have just forgotten about erosion, moved my base over there, and still completed the mission. So sorry, I always liked the original, but I think you made your version a little too easy.

Back to Basics:

Well! This was the most annoying level ever. However, while this was partly due to your design, it was mainly down to other, unintentional factors. Here's my run-down of my attempts:

Attempt 1: I knew it would be a hard level right from the start, when I saw a slimy slug hole 2 squares from my power station. Nevertheless, I ploughed on, but when the slugs started emerging, my traditional tactic of killing them with my chrome crusher's laser didn't work. The hole was just too close to my base, and I actually ended up shooting my own base and vehicles. -.- After chaos kept growing in my base, I thought no, this isn't working, and so I stopped the level. So I congratulate you on this level, as it is the first level where I was unsuccessful on my first try. (Baring from the occasion times during previous levels where my game crashed.)

Attempt 2: I tryed a different strategy this time. I would never get more than 10 energy crystals (more than this and slugs start emerging), and instead, I would gradually move my base to a different location, away from holes. Unfortunately, I discovered that you had put holes in most new caverns, and so I again congratulate you on remembering to do so. However, I finally found a spot to build my base, far from the reach of any slugs. Now, the annoying bit: In the time moving my base, I had clicked the X in the priorities next to energy crystals, as to make my Raiders stop collecting crystals. When I turned it back on though, they still refused to collect any crystals. Even manually trying to collect them wouldn't work. Same with vehicles. They would collect crystals from newly drilled rock, that had been drilled once the priority was back on again, but any crystals drilled during the time it was off, they just wouldn't go near them. I don't know whether this glitch is just apparent in your Mod, or in the game itself. I do have recollections of them being unresponsive before, but never like this. -.- After drilling everything, and having about 110 crystals, I stopped again.

Attempt 3: This time, to avoid the glitch, I would have to build fast, by moving my base while not turning off the crystal priority. I managed to successfully do this, and soon the crystals were flowing, and thankfully, the unresponsiveness wasn't an issue. However, with everything drilled and about 165 crystals collected:

stupidcrashmessage.png

It took me a long time to get over this, and have yet another go...

Attempt 4: Same strategy as attempt 3. Thankfully, it didn't crash at 165 crystals, and soon I had collect every crystal. Which was a problem. There are only 199 crystals in this level. Yes, I went over to those islands to get the crystals, and I teleported up all my buildings. Nope, stuck on 199:

btb199crystalstotal.png

Now I do think there is a possible glitch here. I'm sure that in previous attempts of this level, there were 6 crystals on one of the islands, and 3 on the other. This attempt, there was only 3 on each island. Now while I can't prove this, I opened up the level in the editor, and according to that, there should be 3 crystals on each of the 5 squares, totalling 15 on each island. I only saw 3 on each island. Now I did notice in the level 23 folder a "dugg_23.map" and also a "dugg_23_old.map". Does this have something to do with it? Either way, there was no way I was attempting again, so I actually debugged passed it. Sorry =(.

Hot Stuff:

Well the first thing is in the mission briefing. It still says to collect forty-five energy crystals, which should be changed to 200. Onto the level. It was quite surprisingly difficult. At first I thought it would be a routine drill and collect, but there were certainly some extra things that made it a little more difficult. The first being the eroding lava at the top. It made me work fast, and it was something I had to constantly check on.

Now, it was good that you had slimy slug holes around, but most of them were too far from my base, so once I got past 10 crystals and they starting emerging, they would just go back in, as that's what they seem to do if your base is too far from their hole. However, there were two that caused me some difficulty. When I drilled into the cavern that had the hole to the south of my base, my base was too close, and so a stream of slugs did swarm my base. What's more, lava monsters starting emerging from one of the recharge seams next to my base! So I now had a lava monsters and slugs swarming my base. Thankfully, by this stage I had my trusty Chrome Crusher, so I just fired 'mah lazor. I also teleported up the buildings closest to the hole and thankfully the slugs stopped coming towards my base.

The monsters were strange though. Have you ever had them emerging from a recharge seam before? About 10 came out, and then I never saw any more. Either way, it made a change having monsters destroying my buildings, and it was a nice little challenge.

Once I got over this episode, I kept on collecting, but then when I drilled into the cavern to the west of my base, another hole, but this was close enough to my base. So yea, another stream of slugs, but this time I was at 165 or so crystals, so there was like 15 of them pouring into my base. (Before I was only at 20 or so, which meant only a few slugs came out.) However, the tactic of just moving my base slightly worked again, and then I was done.

So overall well done on the level. Was certainly more difficult than I expected, but you still probably could have made it more difficult. The only monsters I saw were the sleeping ones, and the ones that emerged from the recharge seam, so I think you could have made them emerge from a few more rocks. Slugs were good, but maybe move the holes closer so you can't escape them by just moving slightly, and actually have to move the whole base like I had to do in Back to Basics. Also, having recharge seams right next to your base meant it didn't matter how much you fired your laser or how much the slugs drained your power. I think you should have moved these away, or just not had them.

Rocky Horror:

Well it was good that you had Slimey Slug holes right next to the base. It meant I had to move to my base to a location away from the holes. What's more, the stupid priority disable glitch meant I had to work fast again.

However, once I found a suitable spot away from the slug holes, it became a bit too easy for a final level really. You just needed a couple of Upgraded Chrome crushers, and several upgraded small transport trucks and you were raking in the crystals.

I did like the seam rooms though. I LOLed when I drilled into the first one, and saw this huge clump of ore seams. (Well it was even better when I drilled into the other one of energy crystal seams :P) It also made me do some conversative drilling for once though. I had to drill in a way to get the most crystals out of the seams. (I also used a small digger to get 3 crystals out of some of the ones that I was going to get none from.)

So things were going nicely, but with most walls drilled and about 165 crystals collected, my game crashed. Now, since it seemed like a typical crash, I didn't bother to actually really notice the message that I got when it crashed. I expected it to be the usual really.

However, when I tryed the level again, at exactly the same point of about 165 crystals, my game crashed again. This time, I noticed the message was slightly different. This is the typical crash message I've gotten for all the previous crashes (same as above):

stupidcrashmessage.png

But this new one (I couldn't take a screenshot -.- had to restart my computer) didn't have the option of sending an error report. It just said that what you were working on may have been lost.

So what I'm thinking, is that this is a special crash just for your level. The previous crashes have been quite random (although I did crash on Back to Basics at about 165 crystals... coincidence?), and have occured on any level, whereas this has occured twice in a row on the same level at the same point.

So after spending about 1 and a half to 2 hours on each attempt, I can't really be bothered trying again, where most likely it's going to crash again.

Well so I'd say I've finished now. Apart from Run the Gauntlet where it's impossible to finish, Back to Basics where there isn't enough crystals and Rocky Horror where the game crashes at a certain point, I've completed every level. I enjoyed it a lot, even though I may have sounded a bit negative at times in my feedback.

I congratulate you again and again for the quality of the mod. A truly awesome creation! :D

So yea, I'm done. Should I be putting all of my feedback together and re-posting it here? Or do you want me to add it to the Wiki? What I've written is rather big, so I guess I could create a new page for my review? ("Matt's review of Baz's Mod" or something like that.)

I didn't really review the first few levels though, so if I feel the urge, I might go and replay them to review them. (However, most people seem to have done them already, so any glitches, etc will have already been found. I might just leave it as a review of the later levels.)

~Matt~

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Wow Matt... You always give so much feedback....

If only we had the source code and GODS engine... We could debug it and make it never happen again. :(

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Well it turns out I wasn't quite finished. I had forgotten about the bonus missions! Most of them are the same, just a different terrain, but Slimey Simple was supposed to be impossibly hard. In fact, I found Baz saying this:

By the way, I'd consider anyone who is capable of beating the Bonus Version of Slimey Simple a master of the game

Sounded like a challenge to me!

So, in just one attempt:

(Objective is to collect 64 energy crystals)

ssbonusversioncompletew.png

I IS TEH MASTER! :D:D :D

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So did you manage to complete it?

Or did you not need to?

Sorry, I guess I should have been a bit clearer. I guess not many people have actually reached the normal version of Slimey Simple. The objective in the mission is to collect 64 energy crystals. You may notice I have 63 crystals, hence I'm going to win. (Which I did.) I took the screenie then cause I wanted to show the epic amounts of slugs that swarm the holes, but once you win, they disappear. (So I thought this was the optimum time to take it.)

So yea, hence Baz's statement:

By the way, I'd consider anyone who is capable of beating the Bonus Version of Slimey Simple a master of the game
I therefore claim the title of Game Master. Bow down to me mortals!
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  • 2 weeks later...

Baz

First level - Recruitment test (or whatever it is called). For some curious reason and at different stages all the LRR's disappear, and although I have only had 2 attempts so far, I have not been able to complete this level.

I first thought they were invisible, but I brought another LRR down and as soon as his feet touched the ground he disappeared as well? Any clues

Pedro

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My Experience:

In ice spy, and a few other levels, my rock raiders suddenly start walking dialog only across the map.

I caught this happening in split down the middle and made the rr glithes vid.

Sometimes, the rr's disappear instantly, other times, they go very slow...

The Cause:

It turned out to be caused becuase i have vista, and i modded the game.

How I Fixed It:

2 fixes:

1.

I installed it on my XP laptop.

2.

I copied the rr directory onto my desktop, and made a few other copies, then i reinstalled rr.

Now my rr directory is unmodified, and no glitch

And all those other copies are floating around with random mods installed.

For some reason, one of the copies doesn't have this glitch anymore.

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Thanks for that feedback Matt. Yeah It'd be great to either repost it all together here or on the wiki. It seems that the all the levels you had peeves with were ones I didn't get a chance to test yet. I can't explain the crashing, but I think I may have overloaded some memory pools. I'm not sure. The only thing I know, is that after a certain point, any change I made would cause the game to crash on start up, which is why I decidedly released the last working version which was almost complete anyway.

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Mind you, on the levels where you have to use the TT, the RR you stick there, after he unloads, has an annoying habit of not wanting to do as you tell him...

'Tis annoying...

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OK, I have collaborated all my feedback in one wiki page (only 3906 words): http://rockraidersunited.org/wiki/index.php?title=Matt%27s_Review_(Baz%27s_Mod)

Good to see you finally visited though Baz. :P Anyway, you did seem to miss my question regarding Back to Basics:

Now I do think there is a possible glitch here. I'm sure that in previous attempts of this level, there were 6 crystals on one of the islands, and 3 on the other. This attempt, there was only 3 on each island. Now while I can't prove this, I opened up the level in the editor, and according to that, there should be 3 crystals on each of the 5 squares, totalling 15 on each island. I only saw 3 on each island. Now I did notice in the level 23 folder a "dugg_23.map" and also a "dugg_23_old.map". Does this have something to do with it? Either way, there was no way I was attempting again, so I actually debugged passed it. Sorry =(.
So yea, what's this 'new' and 'old' dugg?
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Works fine with unmodded version and Lake Emire. Sounds like I have a Vista problem and given I dont have XP around, I just have to suffer. I managed to get further on my last attempt by not calling anymore LRR's down. Took longer but at least they didnt vanish xD

Pedro

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  • 4 weeks later...
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