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Ancient LEGO Web Games - Attempting to Play, Having Issues


GBTM101
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If you were browsing the internet and knew of LEGO's website back in the day, you might be familiar with a few ancient games back when Shockwave was still a thing. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia recently and went back to try and locate some of my old favorites, and oh boy did I find the motherlode: http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/LEGOgames.html

 

I've gotten a few of these old gems to run, but when it comes to running a few games I've been extra nostalgic for, that's when I've ran into issues. Spybotics: The Nightfall Incident seems to get stuck on the game's loading screen (the one where text is written across the blue matrix-y background). Beltz and Dreamz get stuck on the Shockwave Player Loader. Anyone have any experience with this and have any idea how to fix these issues?

 

Technical info, if anyone needs it:

  • Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit)
  • Browser: A specifically-configured Mozilla Firebird, to run Shockwave (as it no longer functions in any modern browser. Do not under any circumstances attempt to load any webpages apart from locally-hosted ones or ones being hosted by biomediaproject using this browser.)
  • What I have tried: Installed the games and XAMPP, attempting to run them locally. Three versions of Shockwave installed in an attempt to get The Nightfall Incident to run: 8, 11, and 12.
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Dangit I love this game and would really like to get it working again too. Managed it a couple of years ago, but it looks like both Adobe and modern browsers have cut off Flash/Shockwave even further since then ?

 

Are you sure you've set up XAMPP correctly? I remember having the loading screen get stuck as a result of the game not connecting to the local server correctly. If you aren't sure I can make a small guide on getting it running for Spybotics.

Unfortunately while I've got XAMPP all set up and the server's running fine, unlike you I can't get a browser to actually play the game... I'm left with a black screen on the launcher.html page. I've tried installing Shockwave and using both Firefox and Chrome from portableapps, plus installed versions of Firefox, including one that was supposed to be set up specifically for NPAPI, but none of them launch the game.

 

What process did you use to get Shockwave working? If it's possible to run it through a portable browser that would be awesomesauce! I've been able to get a hold of the np32dsw.dll from the full installer (sw_lic_full_installer.msi, if that's what you use?).

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3 hours ago, JimbobJeffers said:

Unfortunately while I've got XAMPP all set up and the server's running fine, unlike you I can't get a browser to actually play the game... I'm left with a black screen on the launcher.html page. I've tried installing Shockwave and using both Firefox and Chrome from portableapps, plus installed versions of Firefox, including one that was supposed to be set up specifically for NPAPI, but none of them launch the game.

I recommend using the Beltz- and Dreamz-configured Mozilla Firebird that biomediaproject provided, as it is Shockwave compatible and so far the only browser I can actually get Shockwave to run in. Internet Explorer would theoretically work too, but because of the EOL of Shockwave, it can't download the compatibility files it needs to run. Do not use this browser for anything apart from specifically-designed web pages, preferably ones hosted locally. This browser is ancient, unsupported, and full of security holes. Anyway, here's the link to it: biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/MozillaFirebird.zip I'll stress it again: Do not use this browser for anything apart from webpages designed specifically to host the game you're trying to play and absolutely nothing else. I've gotten Junkbot and Junkbot Undercover to run and save locally using this browser, and both require XAMPP for local saving (which is installed), so I'm not quite sure what could be going wrong. If I had to guess, though, XAMPP isn't actually configured for any of these games at the moment, so I may in fact need a guide on how to set it up for Spybotics.

 

EDIT: To try and help debug this, I've included images of the two possible results I've gotten when trying to run this game.

State 1: Indefinite Loading

RujmSuv.png

Occurs when trying to run the game locally. Text is written across the screen, deleted, and a new line of flavor text is written, and this process is endlessly repeated.

 

State 2: Memory overload

6vaMPWY.png

Occurs when trying to stream the game from biomediaproject's website. Game loads, but runs out of memory before the title screen pops up. Music plays either until the track is finished and doesn't loop, or until the dialogue box is closed.

 

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Just now, jamesster said:

Pinged one of the BMP admins about it on our discord server:

 

DfXucEX.png

Having projected versions of all these old games would most definitely be ideal. Worldbuilder and Worldbuilder 2 thankfully already have projected versions, and although Junkbot and Junkbot Undercover technically do too, their projected versions don't support saving. I do hope that won't be an issue if The Nightfall Incident ever gets released in standalone form.

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That's fantastic news @jamesster! Really looking forward to seeing where that goes. And thank you so much for the link @GBTM101, I can now get it working :D Next I'll package the whole thing up in Cameyo or something similar so it's completely portable. Anyway, here's a guide for you and anyone else that stumbles upon this thread, using the links you kindly provided:

 

 

 

Spybotics - The Nightfall Incident Setup

 

Create a new folder to work in, let's call it SpyboticsTheNightfallIncident. Make sure the folder's name and the directory path to it don't have any spaces as they could break the software.

 

Go to this page: http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/LEGOgames.html, and click the link next to “--- download: ” under Spybotics – TheNightfallIncident.

Extract the zip file inside your game directory and you'll get a folder called TheNightfallIncident.

 

Go here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/files/XAMPP%20Windows/, and click the topmost folder in the list, currently 7.3.5. Download the portable installer; in this case I'll use xampp-portable-windows-x64-7.3.5-0-VC15-installer.exe.

 

Run the installer and click Next > on the first setup dialogue. You'll be presented with a list of checkboxes, leave them all selected and click Next > again. Now you'll be asked for an installation folder. Choose a folder called xampp inside your game folder, e.g.:

C:\Users\JJ\Documents\Gaming\SpyboticsTheNightfallIncident\xampp

Then click Next >. Uncheck the learn more box and click Next > again, then again. When it's finished, uncheck the checkbox to start the program and click Finish.

 

Create a shortcut to the xampp-control.exe file in the new xampp folder, and place it in your game folder. Call it Launch Server.

 

In TheNightfallIncident, select the folder spybotics and move it inside your xampp folder into the directory called htdocs, e.g.:

C:\Users\JJ\Documents\Gaming\SpyboticsTheNightfallIncident\xampp\htdocs

 

Download this specific version of Firefox: http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/MozillaFirebird.zip, and extract it into the game folder. Inside, double-click the Shockwave8_Installer_Full.exe file to install the software. Now create a shortcut to MozillaFirebird.bat, place it in the game folder and call it Launch Browser.

 

Run the Launch Server shortcut. All settings can be left at their defaults, unless you have Port 80 in use (check the Netstat button) in which case you'll need to enter a new unique one in Config > Service and Port Settings > Main Port. Click the Start button under Actions, to the right of "Apache".

Now you can run the Launch Browser shortcut and open the Launcher.html file in the TheNightfallIncident folder. When you're done, click Stop in XAMPP and Quit.

 

Note: If you have a whitelist-only firewall, or a particularly invasive anti-virus, you may need to whitelist the game folder here.

 

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14 minutes ago, JimbobJeffers said:

That's fantastic news @jamesster! Really looking forward to seeing where that goes. And thank you so much for the link @GBTM101, I can now get it working :D Next I'll package the whole thing up in Cameyo or something similar so it's completely portable. Anyway, here's a guide for you and anyone else that stumbles upon this thread, using the links you kindly provided:

 

 

 

Spybotics - The Nightfall Incident Setup

 

Create a new folder to work in, let's call it SpyboticsTheNightfallIncident. Make sure the folder's name and the directory path to it don't have any spaces as they could break the software.

 

Go to this page: http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/LEGOgames.html, and click the link next to “--- download: ” under Spybotics – TheNightfallIncident.

Extract the zip file inside your game directory and you'll get a folder called TheNightfallIncident.

 

Go here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/files/XAMPP%20Windows/, and click the topmost folder in the list, currently 7.3.5. Download the portable installer; in this case I'll use xampp-portable-windows-x64-7.3.5-0-VC15-installer.exe.

 

Run the installer and click Next > on the first setup dialogue. You'll be presented with a list of checkboxes, leave them all selected and click Next > again. Now you'll be asked for an installation folder. Choose a folder called xampp inside your game folder, e.g.: 

C:\Users\JJ\Documents\Gaming\SpyboticsTheNightfallIncident\xampp

Then click Next >. Uncheck the learn more box and click Next > again, then again. When it's finished, uncheck the checkbox to start the program and click Finish.

 

Create a shortcut to the xampp-control.exe file in the new xampp folder, and place it in your game folder. Call it Launch Server.

 

In TheNightfallIncident, select the folder spybotics and move it inside your xampp folder into the directory called htdocs, e.g.:

C:\Users\JJ\Documents\Gaming\SpyboticsTheNightfallIncident\xampp\htdocs

 

Download this specific version of Firefox: http://biomediaproject.com/bmp/files/LEGO/gms/MozillaFirebird.zip, and extract it into the game folder. Inside, double-click the Shockwave8_Installer_Full.exe file to install the software. Now create a shortcut to MozillaFirebird.bat, place it in the game folder and call it Launch Browser.

 

Run the Launch Server shortcut. All settings can be left at their defaults, unless you have Port 80 in use (check the Netstat button) in which case you'll need to enter a new unique one in Config > Service and Port Settings > Main Port. Click the Start button under Actions, to the right of "Apache".

Now you can run the Launch Browser shortcut and open the Launcher.html file in the TheNightfallIncident folder. When you're done, click Stop in XAMPP and Quit.

 

Note: If you have a whitelist-only firewall, or a particularly invasive anti-virus, you may need to whitelist the game folder here.

 

Hm. I read through all that, and I didn't do anything too differently. I tried doing it all over again a second time, following these instructions to the letter, and I get the same result as before (State 1: Indefinite Loading). I have no idea at this point what's being done incorrectly. I don't even have any antivirus or firewall to get in the way either. Something's just not adding up, and I don't have the technical expertise to figure out what it is.

EDIT: Oh. I just remembered that my father set something up on our router to block malicious ads and scripts before they can even reach our devices. If that's interfering, then there isn't anything I can do about it. I don't have access to its controls.

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UPDATES: I got Spybotics to work! As it turns out I was trying to run the game from a broken download, and a functional version of The Nightfall Incident is included in biomediaproject's LEGO Game Pack 3.0 Part 5. As for Beltz and Dreamz... I've made progress, at least. The versions that biomediaproject host and have up for download are broken, so I hunted down the game on webarchive.org, saved the earliest version of the archived hosting page for Beltz, edited the .html file to cut out all the junk, and set up my "hosts" file to redirect club.lego.com so that Firebird would quit trying to communicate with the actual site and failing at it because of the lack of common encryption algorithms... and this happens.

unknown.png

I'm pretty sure that editing the "hosts" file was supposed to fix this very issue, so I'm not sure what to do at this point.
(I posted it in the right topic this time.)

 

EDIT: So it would appear that if I edit the index.html file that came with the biomediaproject download to point to club.lego.com instead of localhost.lego.com, the game's loader actually starts working whereas before, the game would get stuck on the Shockwave loader and not make any progress at all. It still suffers from the same issues as trying to download the game from archived versions of lego.com, though. If there was some way to disable that "copy protection" (perhaps through a hex editor?) I could probably get this game to work at long last.

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How strange that the game pack version worked but not the one linked in your OP... That version works for me, I wonder what's different between the two. Anyway glad you can finally play it, it's an awesome game!

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36 minutes ago, JimbobJeffers said:

How strange that the game pack version worked but not the one linked in your OP... That version works for me, I wonder what's different between the two. Anyway glad you can finally play it, it's an awesome game!

Awesome, but sadly short. Like a lot of LEGO's retro web games, really. Lots of potential but not enough content.

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  • 5 months later...
BeltzDreamzer

I tried to run Beltz, but I can't get it running! I'm on Windows 10, I downloaded my version of Beltz from Biomediaproject, I tried to use Internet Explorer to run it after getting Shockwave 8 and the Xtra installed, but it kept getting stuck.

 

I tried running it on Mozilla Firebird, but it keeps asking me to download a plugin for: application/x-director, which I absolutely can't do because of the EOL (end-of-life) thing on the Adobe website. What plugin is it talking about exactly? I figure that Mozilla Firebird is the best place for me to run these games, but without the plugin that it's asking for or something else I can't! What do I do?

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  • 1 month later...
  • 6 months later...
patrickhpan

If anyone's interested in playing The Nightfall Incident, I've just released a remake at itch.io here! It's entirely written from scratch in Javascript, so it should be playable for the forseeable future.

 

95Z4zIi.png

 

 

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That's awesome stuff dude, but are you sure it's okay to be selling that at $5? I don't suppose LEGO will care but you've basically duplicated their game :s

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