Serious Sam: The First Encounter

Serious Sam: The First Encounter
Developer: Croteam Publisher: Gathering of Developers Platforms: Xbox, Windows Released internationally: March 2001 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused items. This game has a prototype article

Serious Sam: The First Encounter' is an FPS designed to be a throwback to old-school FPSes when the market was starting to be flooded by "realistic" FPSes. It also has the distinction of being one of the few 2000s-era video games whose palette does not consist of brown!

It also has an HD remake that plays the same as the original, but with better graphics (for the most part).

To do: Add info on broken enemy kill counters? Also document assets from the In the Flesh iteration in a development page as well.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Enemies Many enemies whose graphics were deleted, but their coding wasn't.

Unused Weapons

The only traces of most of them are coding for them, which can be accessed via the game's SDK.

GhostBuster

The GhostBuster is a beam weapon. The textures for it and its HUD icon can be found in the game's files, while the coding for it can be examined in the SDK. Ever since the weapon was cut, it was recycled for Serious Sam Classics: Revolution.

Two pre-release screenshots show the GhostBuster in action.

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  The GhostBuster in a pre-release screenshot.

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  The GhostBuster's HUD image.

Pipebomb

The Pipebomb is a grenade-like weapon. According to its coding, it would essentially be a thrown version of the grenades shot out of the Grenade Launcher (explodes after a few seconds or when it hits an enemy). It was probably removed because it was made obsolete by the Grenade Launcher, which does the same thing.

Its HUD icon can be found in the final game's files.

A screenshot featuring the Pipebomb was released before the game came out.

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  Pre-release screenshot showing the Pipebomb.

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  The Pipebomb's HUD icon.

Flamer

A listing for a weapon called the Flamer exists in weaponsitem.es. It seems the Flamethrower was supposed to be in TFE at one time, but was scrapped and resurrected for TSE.

Nukeball

The Nukeball.

Alternate ammo for the Cannon (or a completely different weapon; the code isn't clear) existed at one time called the Nukeball. According to its code, it would essentially be a more powerful version of the regular cannonball fired by the Cannon. Since the regular cannonball is already ridiculously powerful when charged up, it was probably removed for redundancy.

Its texture is in the final game's files and is an alternate skin for the regular cannonball model.

Early Ugh-Zan

Model code for an early version of Ugh-Zan shows that his weapons were going to be a bit different at one time; instead of using the flamethrower/laser gun/rocket launcher combo he uses in the final, he was supposed to use a minigun, a shield, and a gigantic stick.

According to the date on the early Ugh-Zan model coding, most of the model coding were last modified between July and October 1999, while the earliest model code file is named “devil2” and was last modified on October 1st, 1998, making it the oldest model code file in the SDK.

Gnaar

Projectiles

The model code for an old Gnaar model in the SDK shows that the Gnaar was able to toss acid projectiles at the player at one time. This can be seen in action in the first Serious Sam Trailer, while the model can be found in Serious Sam Test 1.

Gibs

It was possible to dismember Gnaars. The coding remains in SDK, but the models do not appear in both final version and Public Test builds. This feature has been brought back in Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter.

Recoil

Console variables for recoil and commented-out coding for recoil in the weapon code files suggests that weapons were supposed to have recoil. Un-commenting the code does not make the recoil work, suggesting there are other lines of code that are needed to make it work.

Unused Area in Hatsheput

There is an unused pit in Hatsheput. In order to get to it, the player must rocket jump from the secret pack of rockets on the left side of the temple, then run all the way back. If playing on Tourist difficulty, the player must instead jump onto the paraphet adjacent to the secret rocket pack, and do a precise circular jump onto the ground behind the barrier. Head to where the temple meets the hills and fire 10 rockets at a part of the floor that is near a wall. The floor will then blow up, revealing a black pit that has nothing in it.

It's likely that it was supposed to be a part of a scrapped secret area, as it's out of the way and requires two other secrets in order to get to it.

The pit is updated for Serious Sam Classics: Revolution: Destroying the pit's cover unlocks an achievement, and the pit is lit rather than remaining pitch black.

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  The pit's location.

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  The pit after firing 10 rockets at it.

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  In the pit.