Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

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dr_st
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Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

So you buy Rayman 100 Levels and it's in French.
RAY100N.JPG
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Then you buy it again, and it's the same edition.
RAYCOLL.JPG
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And then you buy some Dutch "Exclusief" porn movie "Le making-of de"...
And get the English version of Rayman 100 Levels!
RAYFAN.JPG
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:noelfou: :noelfou: :noelfou:

Original

More details comparing the different releases will be shared in the next post. :)
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

The games:

The French release of "100 Levels" only says "100 niveaux" on the box/CD (I believe it originally came in a big box, but I only got the disc in a jewel case). It includes "Rayman Par Ses Fans" and "Rayman 60 Niveaux Inédits". Each game is in its own folder, which contains the game data files (DOS) and a Windows installer front-end. For DOS-only installation, simply copy the entire directory onto the hard drive, then copy the batch files under "FR" to the main directory. You will also need the disk in the drive / mounted (unless you supply a cracked EXE). Both games are French versions only; the English language files are not included (you will get an error if you attempt to run with VER=USA). Also included are the Rayman Minigames and the "Making of Rayman 2" documentary. The main installer (RayForEv.exe) can be used to install both, or you can just browse the individual folders. All the videos, for instance, are QuickTime .MOV files under MakingOf\Videos.

"Rayman Collector" includes all the above, and also the original Rayman (French version 1.21), Rayman Designer (with both English and French language files). The old "Rayman Designer" title screen is used, not the updated "Rayman Gold" one. A French PDF manual is also on the disc. It is the most complete edition of the first Rayman and all official, non-edutainment spinoffs. Pity it was never released worldwide in English.

The Dutch release of "100 levels" indeed includes the English version of both "Rayman By His Fans" and "Rayman 60 Levels". It can be identified by the title on the case being written in both languages - "100 levels / 100 niveaux". The disc itself is also distinctly different from the others and only says "Rayman" on it (but uses a unique color scheme, so you can differentiate it from the countless other releases). As far as I know, this is the only release that has all 100 levels in English (the later "Rayman Compilation" includes "60 Levels" but not "Rayman By His Fans"). A manual PDF is also on the disc - in Dutch only.

The elusive Rayman Compilation disc (of which I could not obtain a copy, but there is an image on the Internet Archive) has "Rayman 60 Levels" (English), the Rayman 2 demo, Manuals in all languages, Rayman 2 theme for Win9x and two 800x600 wallpapers.

The levels:

In Rayman Designer, the level names are part of the interface (just like the menus), so specifying a different version with VER= will change them. Also, when using VER=USA, QWERTY layout is assumed, but when using VER=FR, AZERTY layout is assumed; this affects cheat codes.

In "Rayman By His Fans" and "Rayman 60 Levels" - the names of the levels and their creators are encoded in the level files themselves. Specifying VER=xx changes only the menu language; to change the language used for the levels you really need the complete set of data and level files under the PCMAP directory. I wonder if the excellent Rayman Control Panel works around this somehow.

The level files used in the English version of "60 levels" have a later date, 02/Nov/2000 versus 02/Aug/1999. I read in a different topic that the new version also fixes bugs in some levels, but I don't know which and where.

The music:

All 4 versions have 20 tracks total (19 audio tracks, missing the intro/outro). The French releases and Rayman Compilation are OK, but the Dutch release has the butchered tracks for Picture City and the Caves of Skops, which are just over a minute long (instead of 4+ minutes) and only include the main theme, and the Dream Forest track is completely gone, replaced by the ambience portion of the Caves of Skops. I understand that some versions of "Rayman Forever" exhibit the same problem. It is possible that this release simply inherited this bug, as it even uses RAYFAN for the disc volume label.

The bizarre:

The Rayman Compilation CD contains a "FAN" directory (for "Rayman By His Fans"), which has the main program and other files, but not the actual levels (so the game cannot be played). Did they run out of space on the disc or just forget to put them there???

The Dutch release of "100 levels" mentions the minigames and "the making of Rayman 2" on the DVD case, but they are not there. This was clearly a last-minute blunder, since there is ample space on the disc.

Windows 10 Defender detects the UBISETUP.EXE on the French CDs as Trojan:Win32/Dynamer!rfn. Probably a false positive. The file is 884,224 bytes long. The English (NL) release has a different version of UBISETUP - 722,432 bytes - which does not trigger the Defender.

The conclusion:

"Rayman Collector" is a near-perfect release the original Rayman 1 + expansions, if French works for you. It is not perfect, as the disc is missing the intro/outro audio tracks for the original Rayman. I understand that the "Rayman Platin Collection" is an equivalent German release.

For English - there is no perfect version. Closest would be to combine the original "Rayman Gold" release (not the Focus UK version with no music) and the Dutch 100 Levels. But really it's better to just use Rayman Control Panel. :mryellow:

P.S. I will be updating/correcting the wiki with some of the information I found in the course of this little research, when I have time.
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

Thanks for all this detailed information, this is really insightful! I had no idea those versions has so many, well, peculiarities. Thank God RayCarrot for RCP. :mrgreen:

And yeah, I look forward to seeing all this on the wiki. :up:
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by RibShark »

It is worth noting that I have seen multiple versions of the Dutch 100 Levels, differing in barcode, and one of them has a part number on the disc that the common one lacks. I have always wondered if that version has the minigames.

Common version has the barcode "8 716051 500902" and no serial/part numbers, the other version has "8 713747 023837" with the serial "15910489" above the barcode and "MMICDR 5708" under the UbiSoft logo on the disc.
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

According to this, I have the common version. I guess we can see if someone with the other one is lurking here, or perhaps I will come around that in the future. :)

Edit: There is currently one for sale on Marktplaats.nl, but I don't know how to get it from there, and don't feel like trying right this moment.
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

So far I've beaten all the levels of Rayman By His Fans, and half of Rayman 60 Levels (the easy 5 levels in every world).

Most of the levels of 'By His Fans' are only so-so. The repetitive templates are less obvious in some worlds (like music), but quite obvious in others, like Jungle and Cave. Some levels have well thought out obstacles and enemies, others just seem random.

My main complaint is that most levels have no obvious clues as to progression. Some try to use chains of tings as hints, like in the original game, which is good, but if you die, they don't reappear, so you will be on your own again. At the same time you have to collect all tings, so if you miss a couple early on, you can spend ages trying to go around and figure out where they might me. A lot of levels give you a super-helicopter at some point, to make this search easier, but I find it just a cheap and easy way out, and a poor excuse for a lazy level design. It still takes ages even with the super-helicopter because the levels are just so huge and empty. And then when you get the last few, you have no idea where the exit sign is.

The levels I liked the most are those which are pretty linear, taking you along the path to get all blue tings, and when you do, use a chain of colored tings to navigate you back to the exit. Also, most of the Image levels are nice, because the template they used there is more confined, and allows for non-linear designs without making you feel lost. Alas, the 6th image level (Don't Despair) is very annoying with that bug that can get you stuck in the death animation, because you either have to quit or cheat to get out of it (and if you do, your time doesn't count). But, eventually I did that one too.

I am happy I can write that I finished all levels of Rayman By His Fans, but I don't think I will ever be replaying them.
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by PluMGMK »

I don't know if I finished all of them, but I do remember getting stuck in that death animation. It came from a conscious design decision, to put a row of falling types in the middle of a pencil chain's oscillation path, so I do wonder if it was actually intentional on the part of the author. :mefiant: Maybe they were expecting Rayman to fall off the pencils instead of getting stuck, but that just means they didn't test it at all. :|
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

I remember reading about the level templates earlier, no wonder it can feel repetitive after a while. The use of blue Tings that do not reappear to show the player the play sounds like a rather questionable choice of level design, too.

I also just looked up the Don't Despair bug, since it's the first time I'm hearing about this, and it's quite surprising that they missed something so obvious. Did they not play the level at all, or is it easily avoidable by jumping straight to the right place? Or maybe it was a last minute change that they did not bother to test.
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

Hunchman801 wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 1:45 pm I also just looked up the Don't Despair bug, since it's the first time I'm hearing about this, and it's quite surprising that they missed something so obvious. Did they not play the level at all, or is it easily avoidable by jumping straight to the right place? Or maybe it was a last minute change that they did not bother to test.
It's definitely not easy to avoid. In fact, I think that if you simply land on the pencils and don't move, you will trigger it every time. If you do what you are supposed to do (run and jump), but miss the timing just a bit, you have almost a 50-50 chance to get stuck (versus simply fall to your death).
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

I guess this supports the untested-last-minute-change theory, then!
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

I'm slowly grinding through Rayman 60 Levels. Completed 80% - down to the two "very hard" maps of each world. That will probably take me a while, since I'm trying to semi-speedrun it.
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

As long as they don't have any bugs that prevent people from completing them, they should be easier than what you've experienced already. :mrgreen:
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

Only Cake 9 and Cake 10 remain. :mryellow:
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

Whoever created Cake 9 must've really liked forks, from what I can see of the map. :paranormal:
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by PluMGMK »

Maybe they figured it was more logical than arbitrary falling types in mid-air! (The mappers for the Edu games were big fans of the latter!)
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

It's true that they were quite convenient in the educational games to punish bad answers easily, but as far as the original game is concerned, I always felt it was pretty clear when not to jump into the void (basically: don't, unless you can see something there).
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by dr_st »

Hunchman801 wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 3:36 pm Whoever created Cake 9 must've really liked forks, from what I can see of the map. :paranormal:
Also, these are all instant death types, and Bad Rayman is chasing you through most of this level. :beurk:
PluMGMK wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 3:42 pm Maybe they figured it was more logical than arbitrary falling types in mid-air! (The mappers for the Edu games were big fans of the latter!)
I think the Edu games designers wanted a quick way to kill you that it not immediately obvious. Otherwise you may deduce the correct path to take from looking at the blocks instead of solving the problem. :twisted:
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by PluMGMK »

I know they used arbitrary falling types to punish wrong answers, which of course makes sense, but I was talking about the level design in general. The maps were so serpentine that they were putting falling types everywhere to make sure nobody accidentally skipped several problems just by jumping from one part to another. There's even a vertical column of falling types in at least one map:
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Also, about guessing from the blocks, that actually is possible in the skip-counting levels in Image where you jump on the erasers – I've found that erasers covered in ink are always wrong answers, though of course the converse isn't strictly true because that would make it too easy!
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Re: Rayman 100 Levels / Collector / Compilation

Post by Hunchman801 »

dr_st wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:21 pm Also, these are all instant death types, and Bad Rayman is chasing you through most of this level. :beurk:
The level didn't look so hard at first glance, but now I get it. :lol:
PluMGMK wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 7:49 pm There's even a vertical column of falling types in at least one map [...]
That's pushing it a bit, I must admit. :lol:
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