Roblox (partially found builds of online game; 2003-present): Difference between revisions

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(Added details about the newly discovered March 2007 build of Roblox.)
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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxLost
|title=<center>Roblox/Dynablocks</center>
|title=<center>Roblox/Dynablocks</center>
|image=ROBLOX_2004.png
|image=RobloxLogo_v2.png
|imagecaption=An old logo that dated back to 2006. Dubbed the "second generation" logo.  
|imagecaption=An old logo that dates back to 2005. Dubbed the "second generation" logo.  
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span>
}}
}}
'''''Roblox''''' is a massive online multiplayer platform that allows users to create and design their own games and play a wide variety of other user-generated games. Back before Roblox became readily available to the public, its name was originally ''GoBlocks''. It was also changed to ''DynaBlocks'' for unverifiable reasons but it was ultimately changed to ''Roblox'' afterwards because of the name being too hard to remember.


Although Roblox is still up and playable, '''older clients from 2005 and 2006 have completely disappeared with no archive in the site.''' The only builds predating 2010 that have been uncovered by various communities are the 2007 build, 2008 build, and a 2009 build.
''Roblox'' is a massive online multiplayer platform that allows users to create and design their own games and play a wide variety of other user-generated games. Back before Roblox became available to the public, its name was originally ''GoBlocks''. It was also changed to ''DynaBlocks'' for unverifiable reasons but it was ultimately changed to ''Roblox'' afterwards because of the name being too hard to remember.
 
Although Roblox is still up and playable, '''older versions of the from 2003 to 2006 have completely disappeared,''' and most versions, spanning from December of 2012 to February 2020, were locked off of Roblox's website. The earliest build currently uncovered by the community is a late March 2007 version.


==Background==
==Background==
[[File:David_Bazsucki2007.png|thumb|300px|David Baszucki at Valley Rekindled, 2007.]]
[[File:David_Bazsucki2007.png|thumb|300px|David Baszucki at Valley Rekindled, 2007.]]In 1989, David Baszucki founded the company "Knowledge Revolution". Around this time, he developed general-purpose software for physics and mechanical simulation, which were intended for educational purposes. According to an interview with David, he recalls creating three pieces of software that were all physics-based, these being Interactive Physics, Working Model, and The Incredible Machine.<ref>[Https://web.archive.org/web/20240227021602/https://blog.haydz6.com/2011/12/a-brief-history-of-physics-in-video-games-2 Roblox Blog page on a brief history of physics in video games.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19</ref> He also met Erik Cassel and Keith Lucas around this time.
 
Around 1998, he stepped down as the CEO and became the Vice President. Later on, Knowledge Revolution was acquired by MSC Software for 20 million dollars followed by both David and Erik leaving the company. They were soon joined by other employees as well. Soon after, development for a brand new game began, though the year development began is not specified or known. In late September 2003, an entry named eBlocks with the description "Stealth mode video game company." is added to David Baszuckis website but it is unknown what it was about. By December 2003, the pair bought the domains for GoBlocks.com and soon after Dynablocks.com.
 
Around March 29th of 2004, they renamed ''Dynablocks'' to ''Roblox''<ref>https://ia903407.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=%2F32%2Fitems%2Fsim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1%2Fsim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1_jp2.zip&file=sim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1_jp2%2Fsim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1_0146.jp2&id=sim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1&scale=1&rotate=0</ref> – a portmanteau of the words "robots" and "blocks". It was changed due to ''Dynablocks'' being a hard name to recognize.
 
By mid-2004, David Baszucki and Erik Cassel opened the public beta version of the game. It was an online building toy that allowed users to create and design their own games with genres like minigames and puzzle games, driving games.  In 2005 ''Roblox'' was officially released to the public.
 
==How Roblox Versions Became Lost==
Roblox installers from 2004 to January of 2008 were been hosted on http://roblox.com/Setup/<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070202170622/http://www.roblox.com/Setup/Roblox.msi</ref>, these installers were MSI files that would be downloaded by the user manually for each update of the game. The problem with these MSI files is even if we could locate all of them, they grab files from an online source that no longer exists, so they effectively serve no purpose. However, in 2008, they briefly switched to completely offline installation files. These would be released as executables that had the relevant files bundled inside of the installer, making them easier to find.
 
In August of 2008, Roblox switched to using a Deploy server, which automatically grabbed the new version and installed it for you. These deploys were hosted at [http://setup.roblox.com/ http://setup.roblox.com] (now [http://setup.rbxcdn.com/ http://setup.rbxcdn.com]). This is the installation process that is still in use today, however, as of February 2020, Roblox had marked their previous deploys as private, making them inaccessible.<ref>https://robloxopolis.com/the-clearing-of-deploys-in-2020/</ref> Meaning most versions before February 2020 are lost media. Only a small fraction was actually downloaded and archived by people, and the rest are probably collecting dust on somebody's old hard drive.
 
==History of the Search==
Roblox has content servers where they host their assets, [http://c0.roblox.com/ http://c0.roblox.com] to [http://c7.roblox.com/ http://c7.roblox.com]. These assets include everything from avatar items to games. However, in 2012 there were hints that there was something more stored on these, and on [http://c5.roblox.com/ http://c5.roblox.com] a Roblox version from June of 2008, version 0.3.809.0, was located.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110520173356/http://c5.roblox.com/Setup_0.3.809.0.exe</ref>
 
In 2017, a dedicated archival group known as the "Roblox Client Search" or "ClientSearch" for short, began a heavier search for more versions. It had been known for a while up to this point that http://setup.roblox.com/DeployHistory.txt (now http://setup.rbxcdn.com/DeployHistory.txt) existed, listing releases as far back as November of 2009. However, Very quickly after ClientSearch was founded, a Pastebin was located, containing version hashes, some of which predated the listing in DeployHistory.txt<ref>https://pastebin.com/0xkq30HQ</ref> This allowed for the download of versions Prior to November 2009, going all the way back to August of 2008.


In 1984, David Baszucki founded the company "Knowledge Revolution". Around this time, he developed general-purpose software for physics and mechanical-simulation, which were intended for educational purposes. According to an interview with David, he recalls creating three pieces of software that were all physics-based. These being Interactive Physics, Working Model, and The Incredible Machine.<ref>[https://blog.roblox.com/2011/12/a-brief-history-of-physics-in-video-games/ Roblox Blog page on a brief history of physics in video games.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19</ref> He also met Eric Cassel and Keith Lucas around this time.
In October of 2017, a user by the name of MusicalProgrammer who had played Roblox in 2007, had come in contact with ClientSearch, and was able to provide them with several versions of Roblox, several from 2008, and four from 2007.


Around 1998, he stepped down as the CEO and became the Vice President. Later on, Knowledge Revolution was acquired by MSC Software for 20 million dollars followed by both David and Eric leaving the company. They were soon joined by other employees as well. Soon after, development for a brand new game began. Though the year development began is not specified or known. By December 2003, the pair bought the domains for GoBlocks.com and soon after Dynablocks.com.  
Around 2020, ClientSearch went on a long hiatus, a year-long stretch with absolutely nothing being found, and the effort was closed down. Then, in early 2021 ClientSearch came back, and a lead was contacted, who wished to remain anonymous. This lead had played Roblox in 2006 and was able to provide us a version from March of 2007, being the earliest version found, as of writing this.


In 2004, they renamed ''Dynablocks'' to ''Roblox'' – a portmanteau of the words "robots" and "blocks". It was changed due to ''Dynablocks'' being a hard name to recognize.
In February of 2020, Roblox marked several files from before that date private, on their deploy server. Making it impossible for a regular user to download all the versions. The ClientSearch community had stepped up in an effort to archive these too, with most versions between November 2009 to December 2012 being archived. However, clients between December of 2012 to February of 2020 are no longer downloadable and are currently lost media. It should be noted that, even with the hashes found for older 2008-2009 versions on setup.roblox.com, this archive is still not complete, as there are still versions missing. There is no exact list, and it's unknown how much is lost, but it is now impossible to know what does and doesn't exist.


By 2004, David Baszucki and Eric Cassel released the beta version of a game entitled ''Roblox''. It was an online building toy that allowed users to create and design their own games. In 2005 ''Roblox'' was officially released to the public.
==The Problem==
[[File:DavidBaszuckiEmail.png|thumb|356x356px|David Baszucki's response following an inquiry about releasing old versions, among some other questions.]]
Despite ClientSearch being dedicated to finding lost versions, the problem arises that there is not enough awareness of the concept that Roblox can have lost media in this form. To put it in perspective, in 2005, there were barely over 100 players, in 2006, there were barely over 11,000. It was only in 2007 that the growth of Roblox began to speed up since it had been released. This small number of users, and the large amount of time that has passed, has made it become increasingly difficult to locate any user that might have a build. There have been several cases of hard drive failure, or the computers being discarded as a whole.<ref>https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f0oWprnGXgQs2to4iszDa0OvxXWwVUOW5w0tTnWoILI</ref>


==Client Discoveries==
Even David Baszucki, the CEO and Founder of Roblox, had a contact email found, and when he was contacted asking about releasing old versions, he replied "Unfortunately. we don't keep old Roblox versions alive - it would be too complex to deploy them, etc.!"
Despite being released around the time when the internet became a bigger household staple, many builds predating the 2010s are lost. The cause being Roblox moving their servers or removing old content from the main servers, with many not trying much to archive these clients.


According to the Tumblr blog "clientsearch", an installer for the 2008 build of ''Roblox'' was discovered around 2012. This began with people on the now-defunct ''Roblox'' forums to speculate if there were any older builds on the site's servers. Sadly in the following year, ''Roblox'' removed all older versions from c5.roblox.com.  
It doesn't help that ClientSearch tends to frequently get users who send in a fake version, and/or pretend to have a version from 2006. Not only is this just useless, but this wastes our searching resources.


In 2015, there were more discoveries of older clients. ''Roblox'' developer "CloneTrooper1019" released a Github repository from a late 2009 client build.<ref name="CTGR">[https://github.com/CloneTrooper1019/Roblox-2009-Client "CloneTrooper1019"'s Github page which has the ''Roblox'' Client Repository from 2009.] Retrieved 26 Oct '17</ref> In 2016, a broken installer for the 2007 build of Roblox was discovered. The year after that, a broken installer was discovered alongside with screenshots from 2006.<ref name="history">[https://clientsearch.tumblr.com/post/163540178183/history-of-the-clientsearch Clientsearch's Tumblr post on the history of the account.] Retrieved 17 Oct '17</ref>
Here is a general list of '''''fake 2006''''' versions, there are modified versions of the game that should not be handed into ClientSearch, as they are not what we are looking for. Again, these are fake. Let me say it one more time, they are fake. Don't send these to us. Thanks.


[[File:Roblox2007Installer.png|thumb|300px|Screenshot from the 2007 ''Roblox'' installer page.]]
https://archive.org/details/roblox-clients-2006-2021


===2007 Builds===
https://archive.org/details/old-roblox-2005-2015
On October 25th, 2017, Finobe user ReDZ found an anonymous user who played ''Roblox'' back in 2007 and held onto a hard drive containing a handful of clients on their hard drive. Later on, user Kallus later contacted the unnamed user for the August 31st, 2007 client and leaked it upon getting it.<ref>[https://fi.nobelium.xyz/forum/post?id=6348 A forum post detailing information on the clients that were found, which includes an almost complete list of what was found apart from January 2008 actually being February 8th, 2008).] Retrieved 26 Oct '17</ref>


Hours after the build got leaked, user "CloneTrooper1019" published the leaked vanilla build with permission from Finobe onto a Github repository.<ref name="CTGR"/> The repository contains all the files necessary for the build to run properly since some of it was originally missing (such as fonts, textures, sounds, music, and animations which were borrowed from a 2008 build).
https://archive.org/details/old-roblox-2005-2015


Later that year, it was advised by "CloneTrooper1019" and many others that people should be safe while using this multiplayer functionality of the 2007 build due to major security flaws. Finobe however released their version of the client containing the necessary patches to fix the major security issues.
https://archive.org/details/roblox-client-archive


On March 14, 2021, another early build of ''Roblox'' was discovered and released onto Github by "CloneTrooper1019".<ref>[https://github.com/CloneTrooper1019/Roblox_0.3.368.0 Github download page for the March 2007 build of ''Roblox''.] Retrieved 15 Mar '21</ref>  This build dates back to March 2007, making it the earilest discovered build of ''Roblox'' in a playable state.  This build is also notible as it has various supported debug tools in it, such as ThumbnailGenerator, the function used to generate Roblox avatars and game thumbnails.<ref>[https://twitter.com/MaximumADHD/status/1371017856683507714 Twitter post by MaximumADHD ("CloneTrooper1019") about the ThumbnailGenerator service.] Retrieved 15 Mar '21</ref>
https://archive.org/details/roblox-2006_202306


===2005 Google Patent===
https://gamebanana.com/mods/37230
[[File:RobloxPatent_1.png|thumb|300px|A screenshot of the old ''Roblox'' used from the patent.]]


On May of 2017, a user named "WIiPlay123" uncovered a Google patent abstract titled "Online building toy" that was released during 2005 by David Baszucki and Eric Cassel.<ref name="patent">[https://www.google.com/patents/US7874921 Google Patent page on "Online building toy abstract".] Retrieved 13 May '17</ref> The patent contains information detailing the thought process behind the creation of ''Roblox''. It also included screenshots that were taken from the game itself and flowcharts and diagrams detailing the functionality of certain methods.
==The $500 bounty ==
ClientSearch currently holds a $500 bounty for the first 2006 version that can be brought forward. This bounty is only handed out once, and goes to the first person who initially sent over the files. The terms can be found on our website https://robloxopolis.com/2006-roblox-bounty/


<blockquote>
==List of versions (Pre-August 2008)==
The present invention pertains to a method and apparatus for building online games. In one embodiment, the method may include providing a user interface that facilitates user selection of parts and placing a set of parts selected by a user in a three-dimensional (3D) world. The method may also include joining parts within the set based on their proximity to each other in the 3D world to form one or more models for a game, and sending a model file for each of these models to a server via a network for use by various users. - David Baszucki, 2005.<ref name="patent"/>
The following is a table of missing versions, just so you can get an idea as to what is missing. This table is copied from the "Installer Clients" on [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_1tNBs6ieWOXZ5OTReMFQjR3RrC-BrSK20ZGu8Hs3sU this spreadsheet]
</blockquote>


Despite the patent being consistently updated by David Baszucki, the older versions of the patent abstract still exist. Even early renditions from 2010 and onward can be viewed.
It should be noted that "Installer Found" refers to the MSI file being located, but is ultimately useless as the files downloaded are files that no longer exist.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background-color:black" |<span style="color:white;">'''Version'''
! style="background-color:black" |<span style="color:white;">'''Status'''
! style="background-color:black" |<span style="color:white;">'''Compilation Date (UTC)'''
|- style="background-color:black" !
|<nowiki>colspan="3"</nowiki>|<span style="color:white;">'''2004'''
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
| 2004-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2004-10-26
|- style="background-color:black" !
|<nowiki>colspan="3"</nowiki>|<span style="color:white;">'''2005'''
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2005-01-24
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2005-02-03
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2005-02-22
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
| Lost
|2005-03
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2005-06-17
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2005-06-27
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
| Lost
|2005-10
|-
! style="background-color:black"<nowiki>colspan="3"</nowiki>|<span style="color:white;">'''2006'''
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.2.123.0
|Lost
|2006-03-23. 20:28
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.2.135.0
| Lost
|2006-03-24. 22:39
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.2.144.0
|Lost
|2006-04-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.030.0
|Lost
|2006-06-05. 16:57
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.041.0
|Lost
|2006-06-10, 15:17
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
| 0.3.046.0
|Lost
|2006-06-16. 22:06
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.070.0
|Lost
|2006-07-14, 15:52
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-07-22
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-07-28
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2006-07-29
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-08-04
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-08-11
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.147.0
|Lost
|2006-08-16. 18:28
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-08-20
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2006-09-1x
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.218.0
|Lost
|2006-09-29, 00:32
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.230.0
|Lost
|2006-10-25, 17:33
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-11-06
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-11-08
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.245.0
|Lost
|2006-11-12
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2006-11-21
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-11-29, 05:00
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.253.0
|Lost
|2006-11-29, 09:00
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2006-12-08
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.264.0
|Lost
|2006-12-20
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.266.0
|Lost
|2006-12-28
|- style="background-color:black" !
|<nowiki>colspan="3"</nowiki>|<span style="color:white;">'''2007'''
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-01-09
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.290.0
|Lost
|2007-01-11
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.291.0
|Lost
|2007-01-13
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.294.0
|Lost
|2007-01-21
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|0.3.296.0
|Unconfirmed
|2007-01-26
|- style="background-color:#ff62ff" !
|0.3.310.0
|Installer found
|2007-01-31, 08:24
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-02-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.313.0
|Lost
|2007-02-10
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.335.0
|Lost
|2007-02-17
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.368.0
|Found
|2007-03-27
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.372.0
|Lost
|2007-04-04
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2007-04-08
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.390.0
|Lost
|2007-04-20
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.400.0
|Lost
|2007-05-05
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2007-05-18
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.416.0
|Lost
|2007-05-20
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-05-30
|- style="background-color:#ff62ff" !
|0.3.442.0
|Installer found
|2007-06-12
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-06-28
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.451.0
|Lost
|2007-07-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.460.0
|Lost
|2007-07/08
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.470.0
|Lost
|2007-08-03
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-08-04
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-08-05
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|0.3.484.0
|Unconfirmed
|2007-08-18
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.485.0
|Lost
|2007-08-18
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.488.0
|Found
|2007-08-18
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-08-29
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.512.0
|Found
|2007-08-31
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.585.0
|Lost
|2007-10-05
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-10-29
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.601.0
|Lost
|2007-11-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.603.0
|Lost
|2007-11-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.604.0
|Lost
|2007-11-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.605.0
|Lost
|2007-11-01
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|
|Unconfirmed
|2007-11-02
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.607.0
|Lost
|2007-11-02
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.618.0
|Lost
|2007-11-13
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.619.0
|Lost
|2007-11-13
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.621.0
|Lost
|2007-11-13
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.622.0
|Lost
|2007-11-13
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.623.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.624.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.625.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.626.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.627.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.629.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.631.0
|Lost
|2007-11-14
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.632.0
|Lost
|2007-11-15
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.633.0
|Lost
|2007-11-15
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.634.0
|Found
|2007-11-15
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.638.0
|Lost
|2007-11-16
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.639.0
|Lost
|2007-11-16
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.641.0
|Lost
|2007-11-16
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.642.0
|Lost
|2007-11-16
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.644.0
|Lost
|2007-11-16
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.645.0
|Lost
|2007-11-16
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.646.0
|Lost
|2007-11-17
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|
|Lost
|2007-12-05
|- style="background-color:#ff62ff" !
|0.3.667.0
|Installer found
|2007-12-18
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.676.0
|Found
|2007-12-20
|- style="background-color:black" !
|<nowiki>colspan="3"</nowiki>|<span style="color:white;">'''2008'''
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.696.0
|Found
|2008-01-16, 09:15
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.699.0
|Found
|2008-02-08
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.719.0
|Found
|2008-03-05, 19:17:10
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.720.0
|Found
|2008-03-05, 20:16:52
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.739.0
|Found
|2008-04-01
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.740.0
|Lost
|2008-04-15
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.744.0
|Lost
|2008-04-24
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.764.0
|Found
|2008-04-24
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.782.0
|Lost
|2008-05-14
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.783.0
|Found
|2008-05-14
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.784.0
|Found
|2008-05-14
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|0.3.803.0
|Unconfirmed
|2008-06
|- style="background-color:#ffd966" !
|0.3.805.0
|Unconfirmed
|2008-06-10
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.807.0
|Found
|2008-06-17
|- style="background-color:#e06666" !
|0.3.808.0
|Lost
|2008-06-19
|- style="background-color:#6aa84f" !
|0.3.809.0
|Found
|2008-06-20, 06:31:15
|}


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 53: Line 532:
{{Video|perrow  =3
{{Video|perrow  =3
   |service1    =youtube
   |service1    =youtube
   |id1          =LTnMKjXEnMY
   |id1          =xgj86s5juPs
   |description1 =Original gameplay trailer from 2006.
   |description1 =A brief history of the search by YouTuber PalPlayz.
  |service2    =youtube
   }}
  |id2          =kqKtILIu6ak
  |description2 =Chaos canyon gameplay video from 2006.
  |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =4NQL1XK66cM
  |description3 =A reupload of an old "ROBLOX Blooper" from 2006.
}}
{{Video|perrow  =3
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =jwDNX_Cf6q0
  |description1 =A 2007 demo that introduced the explosion feature.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =krUtgPwFXeo
  |description2 =A 2008 demo that introduced the sparkles feature.
   |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =t0JyCdk5ymo
  |description3 =A 2008 demo that introduced the shirts and pants feature.
}}
{{Video|perrow  =2
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =OBUlpvyInzg
  |description1 =Original gameplay trailer from 2009.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =QL4pe3d3zoM
  |description2 =Footage from the August 2007 build.
}}
==Images==
==Images==
<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="175">
Pirate.jpg|In-game screenshot from ''Roblox''.
File:Pirate.jpg|A 2005 minigame about sailing a ship on ''Roblox''.
File:Dyna castle.jpg|Another in-game screenshot from ''Roblox''.
File:Dyna castle.jpg|A 2005 castle game from ''Roblox''.
Old roblox studio.png|An older version of ''Roblox'' Studio.
File:Old roblox studio.png|The September 2006 version of ''Roblox'' Studio.
Dynablocks_Website.png|Early mockup of the ''Dynablocks'' website.
File:DynablocksUncesored.png|Early mockup of the ''Dynablocks'' website.
Goblocks logo.png|Alleged logo for ''GoBlocks''.
File:RobloxLogo v3.png|Late 2006 version of the ''Roblox'' logo.
DynablocksLogo_v1.png|A recreation of the ''Dynablocks'' logo.
RobloxLogo_v1.png|Early 2004 version of the ''Roblox'' logo.
 
RobloxLogo_v2.png|2005 version of the ''Roblox'' logo.
RobloxLogo_v3.png|Late 2006 version of the ''Roblox'' logo.
</gallery>
</gallery>
==External Links==
==External Links==
#[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roblox Official Wikipedia page for ''Roblox''.] Retrieved 26 Oct '17
#[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roblox Official Wikipedia page for ''Roblox''.]
#[http://roblox.wikia.com/wiki/DynaBlocks A ''Roblox'' Wikia page on ''Dynablocks''.] Retrieved 26 Oct '17
#[https://discord.gg/CHFK7eXXMY Invite to the ClientSearch Discord]
 
#[https://robloxopolis.com/ The official ClientSearch Blog]
#[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_1tNBs6ieWOXZ5OTReMFQjR3RrC-BrSK20ZGu8Hs3sU The ClientSearch version list]
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
<references />
 
__INDEX__
__FORCETOC__
[[Category:Lost video games]]
[[Category:Lost video games]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Historic]]

Latest revision as of 05:18, 27 February 2024

RobloxLogo v2.png

An old logo that dates back to 2005. Dubbed the "second generation" logo.

Status: Partially Found


Roblox is a massive online multiplayer platform that allows users to create and design their own games and play a wide variety of other user-generated games. Back before Roblox became available to the public, its name was originally GoBlocks. It was also changed to DynaBlocks for unverifiable reasons but it was ultimately changed to Roblox afterwards because of the name being too hard to remember.

Although Roblox is still up and playable, older versions of the from 2003 to 2006 have completely disappeared, and most versions, spanning from December of 2012 to February 2020, were locked off of Roblox's website. The earliest build currently uncovered by the community is a late March 2007 version.

Background

David Baszucki at Valley Rekindled, 2007.

In 1989, David Baszucki founded the company "Knowledge Revolution". Around this time, he developed general-purpose software for physics and mechanical simulation, which were intended for educational purposes. According to an interview with David, he recalls creating three pieces of software that were all physics-based, these being Interactive Physics, Working Model, and The Incredible Machine.[1] He also met Erik Cassel and Keith Lucas around this time.

Around 1998, he stepped down as the CEO and became the Vice President. Later on, Knowledge Revolution was acquired by MSC Software for 20 million dollars followed by both David and Erik leaving the company. They were soon joined by other employees as well. Soon after, development for a brand new game began, though the year development began is not specified or known. In late September 2003, an entry named eBlocks with the description "Stealth mode video game company." is added to David Baszuckis website but it is unknown what it was about. By December 2003, the pair bought the domains for GoBlocks.com and soon after Dynablocks.com.

Around March 29th of 2004, they renamed Dynablocks to Roblox[2] – a portmanteau of the words "robots" and "blocks". It was changed due to Dynablocks being a hard name to recognize.

By mid-2004, David Baszucki and Erik Cassel opened the public beta version of the game. It was an online building toy that allowed users to create and design their own games with genres like minigames and puzzle games, driving games. In 2005 Roblox was officially released to the public.

How Roblox Versions Became Lost

Roblox installers from 2004 to January of 2008 were been hosted on http://roblox.com/Setup/[3], these installers were MSI files that would be downloaded by the user manually for each update of the game. The problem with these MSI files is even if we could locate all of them, they grab files from an online source that no longer exists, so they effectively serve no purpose. However, in 2008, they briefly switched to completely offline installation files. These would be released as executables that had the relevant files bundled inside of the installer, making them easier to find.

In August of 2008, Roblox switched to using a Deploy server, which automatically grabbed the new version and installed it for you. These deploys were hosted at http://setup.roblox.com (now http://setup.rbxcdn.com). This is the installation process that is still in use today, however, as of February 2020, Roblox had marked their previous deploys as private, making them inaccessible.[4] Meaning most versions before February 2020 are lost media. Only a small fraction was actually downloaded and archived by people, and the rest are probably collecting dust on somebody's old hard drive.

History of the Search

Roblox has content servers where they host their assets, http://c0.roblox.com to http://c7.roblox.com. These assets include everything from avatar items to games. However, in 2012 there were hints that there was something more stored on these, and on http://c5.roblox.com a Roblox version from June of 2008, version 0.3.809.0, was located.[5]

In 2017, a dedicated archival group known as the "Roblox Client Search" or "ClientSearch" for short, began a heavier search for more versions. It had been known for a while up to this point that http://setup.roblox.com/DeployHistory.txt (now http://setup.rbxcdn.com/DeployHistory.txt) existed, listing releases as far back as November of 2009. However, Very quickly after ClientSearch was founded, a Pastebin was located, containing version hashes, some of which predated the listing in DeployHistory.txt[6] This allowed for the download of versions Prior to November 2009, going all the way back to August of 2008.

In October of 2017, a user by the name of MusicalProgrammer who had played Roblox in 2007, had come in contact with ClientSearch, and was able to provide them with several versions of Roblox, several from 2008, and four from 2007.

Around 2020, ClientSearch went on a long hiatus, a year-long stretch with absolutely nothing being found, and the effort was closed down. Then, in early 2021 ClientSearch came back, and a lead was contacted, who wished to remain anonymous. This lead had played Roblox in 2006 and was able to provide us a version from March of 2007, being the earliest version found, as of writing this.

In February of 2020, Roblox marked several files from before that date private, on their deploy server. Making it impossible for a regular user to download all the versions. The ClientSearch community had stepped up in an effort to archive these too, with most versions between November 2009 to December 2012 being archived. However, clients between December of 2012 to February of 2020 are no longer downloadable and are currently lost media. It should be noted that, even with the hashes found for older 2008-2009 versions on setup.roblox.com, this archive is still not complete, as there are still versions missing. There is no exact list, and it's unknown how much is lost, but it is now impossible to know what does and doesn't exist.

The Problem

David Baszucki's response following an inquiry about releasing old versions, among some other questions.

Despite ClientSearch being dedicated to finding lost versions, the problem arises that there is not enough awareness of the concept that Roblox can have lost media in this form. To put it in perspective, in 2005, there were barely over 100 players, in 2006, there were barely over 11,000. It was only in 2007 that the growth of Roblox began to speed up since it had been released. This small number of users, and the large amount of time that has passed, has made it become increasingly difficult to locate any user that might have a build. There have been several cases of hard drive failure, or the computers being discarded as a whole.[7]

Even David Baszucki, the CEO and Founder of Roblox, had a contact email found, and when he was contacted asking about releasing old versions, he replied "Unfortunately. we don't keep old Roblox versions alive - it would be too complex to deploy them, etc.!"

It doesn't help that ClientSearch tends to frequently get users who send in a fake version, and/or pretend to have a version from 2006. Not only is this just useless, but this wastes our searching resources.

Here is a general list of fake 2006 versions, there are modified versions of the game that should not be handed into ClientSearch, as they are not what we are looking for. Again, these are fake. Let me say it one more time, they are fake. Don't send these to us. Thanks.

https://archive.org/details/roblox-clients-2006-2021

https://archive.org/details/old-roblox-2005-2015

https://archive.org/details/old-roblox-2005-2015

https://archive.org/details/roblox-client-archive

https://archive.org/details/roblox-2006_202306

https://gamebanana.com/mods/37230

The $500 bounty

ClientSearch currently holds a $500 bounty for the first 2006 version that can be brought forward. This bounty is only handed out once, and goes to the first person who initially sent over the files. The terms can be found on our website https://robloxopolis.com/2006-roblox-bounty/

List of versions (Pre-August 2008)

The following is a table of missing versions, just so you can get an idea as to what is missing. This table is copied from the "Installer Clients" on this spreadsheet

It should be noted that "Installer Found" refers to the MSI file being located, but is ultimately useless as the files downloaded are files that no longer exist.

Version Status Compilation Date (UTC)
2004
Lost 2004-01
Lost 2004-10-26
2005
Lost 2005-01-24
Lost 2005-02-03
Lost 2005-02-22
Lost 2005-03
Unconfirmed 2005-06-17
Unconfirmed 2005-06-27
Lost 2005-10
2006
0.2.123.0 Lost 2006-03-23. 20:28
0.2.135.0 Lost 2006-03-24. 22:39
0.2.144.0 Lost 2006-04-14
0.3.030.0 Lost 2006-06-05. 16:57
0.3.041.0 Lost 2006-06-10, 15:17
0.3.046.0 Lost 2006-06-16. 22:06
0.3.070.0 Lost 2006-07-14, 15:52
Lost 2006-07-22
Lost 2006-07-28
Unconfirmed 2006-07-29
Lost 2006-08-04
Lost 2006-08-11
0.3.147.0 Lost 2006-08-16. 18:28
Lost 2006-08-20
Unconfirmed 2006-09-1x
0.3.218.0 Lost 2006-09-29, 00:32
0.3.230.0 Lost 2006-10-25, 17:33
Lost 2006-11-06
Lost 2006-11-08
0.3.245.0 Lost 2006-11-12
Unconfirmed 2006-11-21
Lost 2006-11-29, 05:00
0.3.253.0 Lost 2006-11-29, 09:00
Lost 2006-12-08
0.3.264.0 Lost 2006-12-20
0.3.266.0 Lost 2006-12-28
2007
Lost 2007-01-09
0.3.290.0 Lost 2007-01-11
0.3.291.0 Lost 2007-01-13
0.3.294.0 Lost 2007-01-21
0.3.296.0 Unconfirmed 2007-01-26
0.3.310.0 Installer found 2007-01-31, 08:24
Lost 2007-02-01
0.3.313.0 Lost 2007-02-10
0.3.335.0 Lost 2007-02-17
0.3.368.0 Found 2007-03-27
0.3.372.0 Lost 2007-04-04
Unconfirmed 2007-04-08
0.3.390.0 Lost 2007-04-20
0.3.400.0 Lost 2007-05-05
Unconfirmed 2007-05-18
0.3.416.0 Lost 2007-05-20
Lost 2007-05-30
0.3.442.0 Installer found 2007-06-12
Lost 2007-06-28
0.3.451.0 Lost 2007-07-01
0.3.460.0 Lost 2007-07/08
0.3.470.0 Lost 2007-08-03
Lost 2007-08-04
Lost 2007-08-05
0.3.484.0 Unconfirmed 2007-08-18
0.3.485.0 Lost 2007-08-18
0.3.488.0 Found 2007-08-18
Lost 2007-08-29
0.3.512.0 Found 2007-08-31
0.3.585.0 Lost 2007-10-05
Lost 2007-10-29
0.3.601.0 Lost 2007-11-01
0.3.603.0 Lost 2007-11-01
0.3.604.0 Lost 2007-11-01
0.3.605.0 Lost 2007-11-01
Unconfirmed 2007-11-02
0.3.607.0 Lost 2007-11-02
0.3.618.0 Lost 2007-11-13
0.3.619.0 Lost 2007-11-13
0.3.621.0 Lost 2007-11-13
0.3.622.0 Lost 2007-11-13
0.3.623.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.624.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.625.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.626.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.627.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.629.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.631.0 Lost 2007-11-14
0.3.632.0 Lost 2007-11-15
0.3.633.0 Lost 2007-11-15
0.3.634.0 Found 2007-11-15
0.3.638.0 Lost 2007-11-16
0.3.639.0 Lost 2007-11-16
0.3.641.0 Lost 2007-11-16
0.3.642.0 Lost 2007-11-16
0.3.644.0 Lost 2007-11-16
0.3.645.0 Lost 2007-11-16
0.3.646.0 Lost 2007-11-17
Lost 2007-12-05
0.3.667.0 Installer found 2007-12-18
0.3.676.0 Found 2007-12-20
2008
0.3.696.0 Found 2008-01-16, 09:15
0.3.699.0 Found 2008-02-08
0.3.719.0 Found 2008-03-05, 19:17:10
0.3.720.0 Found 2008-03-05, 20:16:52
0.3.739.0 Found 2008-04-01
0.3.740.0 Lost 2008-04-15
0.3.744.0 Lost 2008-04-24
0.3.764.0 Found 2008-04-24
0.3.782.0 Lost 2008-05-14
0.3.783.0 Found 2008-05-14
0.3.784.0 Found 2008-05-14
0.3.803.0 Unconfirmed 2008-06
0.3.805.0 Unconfirmed 2008-06-10
0.3.807.0 Found 2008-06-17
0.3.808.0 Lost 2008-06-19
0.3.809.0 Found 2008-06-20, 06:31:15

Gallery

Videos

A brief history of the search by YouTuber PalPlayz.

Images

  • A 2005 minigame about sailing a ship on Roblox.

    A 2005 minigame about sailing a ship on Roblox.

  • A 2005 castle game from Roblox.

    A 2005 castle game from Roblox.

  • The September 2006 version of Roblox Studio.

    The September 2006 version of Roblox Studio.

  • Early mockup of the Dynablocks website.

    Early mockup of the Dynablocks website.

  • Late 2006 version of the Roblox logo.

    Late 2006 version of the Roblox logo.

External Links

  1. Official Wikipedia page for Roblox.
  2. Invite to the ClientSearch Discord
  3. The official ClientSearch Blog
  4. The ClientSearch version list

References

  1. ↑ Roblox Blog page on a brief history of physics in video games. Retrieved 17 Sept '19
  2. ↑ https://ia903407.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=%2F32%2Fitems%2Fsim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1%2Fsim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1_jp2.zip&file=sim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1_jp2%2Fsim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1_0146.jp2&id=sim_official-gazette-us-patent-trademark-office-trademarks_2005-02-01_1291_1&scale=1&rotate=0
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070202170622/http://www.roblox.com/Setup/Roblox.msi
  4. ↑ https://robloxopolis.com/the-clearing-of-deploys-in-2020/
  5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110520173356/http://c5.roblox.com/Setup_0.3.809.0.exe
  6. ↑ https://pastebin.com/0xkq30HQ
  7. ↑ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f0oWprnGXgQs2to4iszDa0OvxXWwVUOW5w0tTnWoILI
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