The Bug Scientist
 

Hello all,
This is Devon Carroll. Richard Carroll or as many of you know him, rr_carroll is my Uncle.

When I was a young man, rr introduced me to the commodore 64 featuring a whopping 64 kilobytes of RAM from which it took its name. I remember talking about it like it was a secret relic; something that only he and I knew about. rr played games on the C64 long into its obsolescence until he discovered a world which would prove to captivate and inspire him; the deep caves, dank cisterns, secret temples and of course hidden tombs of Tomb Raider.

For rr it was simply never enough to find the secrets placed in these games by developers. He took the game's concept of artifact and treasure hunting quite literally by chipping away level after level at the limits of the Tomb Raider reality.

Thus, in 2006 emerged Tomb Raider Tourist, an extensive bug and secret discovery site dedicated to finding new and different locations and clever ways of solving puzzles in these games. rr was always careful to give credit where it was due, often citing the first place a bug was discovered when he was incorrectly credited with finding it.

Some purists feel that bugs are a way of "cheating" while playing a game. To his detractors rr had this to say:

"I would argue that everyone can decide for him/herself how to enjoy the games. For me, the moment of a discovery is one of the best things in life. The designers have done a great job of creating interesting surprises. They even put in the additional feature of the Secrets. Well, I think the bugs are the real secrets – they’re so hidden, they lead to actions that not even the designers know about.
Dealing with useful bugs reminds me of scientific research. We don’t know what we’ll find when we start. Also, we’re never done. "
Recently Tomb Raider Tourist was featured in a Gamasutra article about the physics and exploration of Tomb Raider games. (Thanks Patrick Shannon ).

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...te_.php?page=2

Sometime in the last few months rr completed his 7000th post on this forum. Here's what Greenapple968 had to say about it:

"RR_Carrol.
You have been greatly helpful to the TR cummunity and especially to the cummunity here on TRF and on Youtube. You have found endless shortcuts and glitches in the TR games which have been of huge assistance to speedrunners, pacifist runners and anyone who wants to complete games in a more wacky style.
Your knowledge on game mechanics has certainly been of use to me when I've had questions regarding glitches and shortcuts and I can't begin to imagine how different things would be if we hadn't been taught all that you've taught us; most of the known glitches wouldn't be known and people's playthroughs wouldn't be half as impressive.
So enjoy the 7k."

When rr_carroll, Bug Scientist, is absent from the forums people notice. Today it is my unfortunate duty to inform you that rr, Richard Carroll, my beloved uncle will never again be able to guide you in your treasure hunting. Richard died on this day, July 11th 2013.

I hope that what he has given you brings a smile to your face because I know how much he enjoyed sharing his discoveries and talking about them with all of you. Those of you who knew Richard well, I offer you my condolences. I know you have lost a kind, intelligent, and helpful friend.

I will do what I can to keep Tomb Raider Tourist up and will log on and post again as rr with a new link to that site.

Please let me know if there is anything I have missed. If there is anything you would like to say about Richard, please leave respectful comments on this thread.

I will finish with the end scene from Tomb Raider Chronicles.

Charles Kane: "To absent friends." (All raise their glasses in toast)
Winston: "Indeed."
Father Patrick: "May God rest his soul."

We'll miss you, Bug Scientist. May you hunt them forever.

This is undoubtedly very sad news. I had noticed that rr_carroll had been absent from the forums recently which was somewhat unusual, given all the helpful information he took the time to frequently share with the community, or when anyone had a query of some kind, he was always there to lend a helping hand so to speak.

R.I.P. Richard Carroll.

I am extremely saddened to hear this. In our communications on Tomb Raider games, he was warm, patient and helpful to the nth degree. He was always a very interesting and highly valued source on the games that this community hold dear. I enjoyed his posts on TRF and I always looked out for them.

My sincerest condolences to his nephew and his family at this time. It does not need to be said that Richard will be sorely missed.

Oh... I'm incredibly sorry Devon Carroll. I've known Richard for a little bit of time. Several occasions we would discuss various glitches and bugs in Tomb Raider. He was so different from the other members on TRF. He was a real Tomb Raider Scientist. He has contributed so much to the Tomb Raider community, and for that, you should be proud. :o

I remember once I discovered a glitch undiscovered in TLA, and when I received a VM reply, coming from the renowned Bug Scientist, it made me feel wonderful.

I'm very saddened to see rr passing. I give you my condolences, Devon. Take care.

Goodbye, Richard, aka rr_carroll, aka The Bug Scientist. You will be sorely missed on TRF. What will the Classics threads be like without your insightful comments and arcane bug knowledge?

RIP. :(

My sincerest condolences, Devon. Though I did not know your uncle personally, it is clear he meant a great deal to very many people, and will be greatly missed.

My deepest condolences.
I also noticed that rr_carroll were gone from the forums quite the time too.
May you rest in peace.

Oh my goodness, truly what a real shame this is :( I don't know what to say. RIP, and deepest condolences to his family. Thank you for letting us know.

Aw, dear. :(

I didn't talk to him but he clearly had a profound effect on the forum. I'm sorry.

I'm speechless. :( Deepest condolences to you and your family, Devon. :(

RIP Richard Carroll. It is a very rare honour indeed that a member is awarded a custom title. In this instance it was because of Richard's incredible contribution to our community. The original Bug Scientist will be sorely missed.

Wow, I can’t believe it. RIP Richard Carroll. :(

This is so sad :( He commented in my TR review threads sometimes and his insights were always valued; I learned a lot from what he had to impart. He will be sorely missed.

Absolutely devastating news, a true loss if ever I saw one. The Bug Scientist is gone :(

R.I.P. Richard Carroll.

:(.

I remember frequently reading his tales of exploiting the games' quirks and his wonderings about the possibility of manipulating any other aspects of the games. You could tell he always got a real enjoyment out of it through the way he worded himself.

I'm sorry for you and your family's loss Devon.

R.I.P. Richard Carroll.

OMG, this is so sad. :( He was the person who made the most awesome discoveries from all the Tomb Raider games.

May you rest in peace, Richard. My condolences to the family. He'll be sorely missed. :(

RIP, my friend.

My condolences, Devon to you and your family. I can't say I knew your uncle, but I know he was a real asset to the TR community. R.I.P. Richard Carroll.

Rest In Peace, this is very sad news indeed.

It's very good of you to inform us this way and to carry on his site though Devon, so thank you, it's clear you knew how much it all meant to him (and how much he meant to the community.)

I really got goosebumps reading your post, Devon, it was a great testimonial of your uncle's work. I don't go much to the classics area of the forum so, unfortunately, I never got a chance to meet the Bug Scientist but I was aware of his tremendous contribution to the community. I'm really sorry for your loss, may he rest in peace. My deepest condolences to both you, the family and friends. He surely will be missed here.

My heartfelt condolences to you & your family on this day.

I enjoyed reading his website and posts on TRF, this is indeed very sad news. :(

Rest In Everlasting Peace, Richard Carroll you will be missed. :'(

This is so upsetting to hear.

You will be missed. :(

I didn't know him very well, but he sure stood out as quite an intelligent member :) It's very sad news to hear :(

RIP

Truly sad news and a great loss for the family, friends and the community. My deepest condolences to all who knew Richard and specifically to you, Devon.

May his soul rest in peace... or continue hunting bugs, if there are any Out There :hug:

Rest in peace, rr! My deepest condolences to you and your family, Devon. :(

This is really sad news, Devon, my deepest condolences go to you and your family. rr_carroll has been a great part of the community and will be remembered as such. I didn't know your uncle personally, but he commented on quite a few of my videos and thus helped me tremendously with my speedruns :hug:

Indeed I recently found some kind of a new bug of the TR4-engine and couldn't wait for him to see and comment on it, as he always did, but I guess this won't happen anymore. May he rest in peace.

Omg no :( My thoughts are with you and your family, Devon. We've lost a great person in this forum, but we'll never forget him. I used to think that his work with bugs was absolutely fantastic. He will be missed :(

I'm so sorry to hear this. he was quite a talented guy regarding the classics and all. He is with God Now
:( RIP rr Carroll

This is sad to hear. My deepest condolences to the family and to you Devon. :(

I didn't know Richard personally, but I remember him being always very polite and helpful to everyone both on here and youtube. I loved watching his videos of new discoveries about bugs and other stuff to do in Tomb Raider games. And I really appreciated that he had a website about Tomb Raider exploring aswell..

Rest In Peace, rr_carroll.

Sorry to hear of your uncles death Devon, condolences to yourself and the rest of the family, rr_carroll will be missed around here. :(

RIP Richard Carroll.

I really don't know what to say. :(
This is devastating news. We always turned to him when we had problems and he was always willing to help; he was like the soul of TR.
This must be a huge loss to those who personally knew him and my thoughts are with those who did. :(
I feel so sad.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_hEHsSO0-ia...cry_smiley.png

Oh no! This can't be :( I can't believe this!
He was one of my few friends here.
I am shocked.. :(

What an awesome person he was. Always eager to help. I don't know what to say, really.

I am sorry for your, and our, loss...

Sad news, may he rest in peace. :(

Oh, this is really sad news. :(

Thank you so much for telling us Devon. It means a lot. :hug:

rr was also active in the Level Editor section. Not as a builder but as a player and his comments were always posted in a good way.

May he rest in peace. :hug:

This is so, so sad... I had noticed Richard's persistent and unexplained absence since his last post in late June, and I was becoming increasingly alarmed and worried for him. And now I have just discovered this thread, and like everyone else, I want to extend my profound sympathies you to and your family, Devon. :(

I feel like I have just lost a family member. As I state in my own profile for these forums, I "worship at the altar" of bug scientist rr_carroll. It was Richard who told me of the existence of Tomb Raider Forums. And whenever I visited the forums, my first business was to check on his latest posts, and get caught up on his latest discoveries. Time and time again, he would have Lara perched up in some inaccessible area of the game, achieved without cheats--- just by ingenious use of the corner bug and other glitches.

Like me, he was one of the forum's older members, and perhaps that was part of the special kinship I felt with him. I can only agree with the commenters so far, that he was especially kind, helpful, friendly, generous, and intelligent, and I will always feel his absence here going forward.

Richard once posted a photo of himself, from his California driver's license. I will share it here for those of you who never saw it:

http://i1357.photobucket.com/albums/...psda5b9a97.jpg

Rest in peace, Richard. These forums will never be the same without you. ~Your friend, Patrick... :hug:

I'm speechless. Deepest condolences to you and your family, Devon.

This is sad news and a great loss for his family, friends and the TR community.
My condolences.

Gone but not forgotten.
May he rest in peace.

Very sorry to hear of your loss :(

rr_carroll got the highest honour of being called 'the bug scientist' on this forum, being really deep into exploring by every type of bug move possible. only four others on the website so far, I believe got a special title.

I on the other hand, always got Lara stuck in a wall attempting the corner bug, I was never good at bugging.

rr_carroll like myself, loved to explore the inaccessible areas in all TR games, it became an obsession, as Tomb Raider was much more than 'just getting through a game' and we and others spent many a thread discussing and experimenting to solve TR's interesting subjects.

Now he goes into the beyond before us all, and I bet he is up there exploring round the next inaccessible bend, using all methods to do so.... :D

He will be sadly missed. Farewell.

Well said, Chi... that's exactly what I envision, too... :o

this is really sad... i never knew him, but he sounded like a really awesome person. rest in peace.