Lego Spybotics

Lego Spybotics
The Spybotics logo
Developer(s)	Lego Group
Publisher(s)	Lego Group
Distributor(s)	Lego Group
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows 98/2000/ME/XP
Media/distribution	CD-ROM
System requirements 350 MHz CPU, 64MB RAM, 200 MB free hard disk space, , Sound, 8x CD-ROM speed, 800x600 video display with 16bit color, 1 serial port (9 pin)

Spybotics is a robotics package by Lego. It consists of four colour-coded robots called Spybots, a programming language with which to control the Spybots and ten simulated missions for users to attempt.

Missions

There are 10 preset missions included in the spybotics software. The missions contain a Mission brief: A short video of the "real" situation, Mission set-up: How to set up the mission, and Mission settings: Settings to make the mission easier or harder. The missions are set up by placing objects in a room and uploading the mission onto the Spybot, causing the Spybot to react to the objects in different ways depending on what mission was selected. Five missions are intended as 1 player missions:

• Laser Maze
• Command Override
• Gamma Overload
• Energy Crisis
• X-Factor

The other five missions are designed for two players (two Spybots):

• The Mole
• Critical Countdown
• Robot Rescue
• Face-Off
• Circuit Breaker

In addition to these pre-set missions, players can select "Special Operations" which allows them to create their own missions based on a set of nine templates. Further, the CD-ROM has a set of "capsules" that allow users to customize pre-set missions or they be used in constructing their own missions. The capsules are essentially small programmes and are used via an icon-based control system.

Programming

The Spybot can also be programmed using most of the methods available for Lego Mindstorms products or with the latest version of the Mindstorms SDK (2.5) or with NQC.

Spybots

Spybots are robots that are used in spybotics. They are made out of Lego Technic pieces. They each come with:

• 2 Fiber optic cables, one to sense light, the other to bring light to a "laser"
• 1 Main hub
• Pieces to build the type of spybot
• 1 CD-ROM (instructions on the CD)
• 1 controller.

The four colour coded Spybots are:

Gigamesh (blue) Shadowstrike (purple) Snaptrax (red) Technojaw (green)

Further reading

• Hempel, Ralph. Lego Spybotics Secret Agent Training Manual, Apress (2003), softcover, 197 pages, ISBN 1-59059-091-0.

External links

• IGN
• NQC
• Smart Parts
• Spybotics Internals
• Lugnet User Group on Spybotics