Proto:Perfect Dark/NTSC version 6.4 beta

An NTSC beta dated March 22nd, 2000 - about two weeks before the final North American build on April 6th. It is called version 6.4 beta on the product information screen, while the release is version 8.7 final. It has a functional debug menu, although there are very few options in it. Surprisingly, despite being so close to the final build, there are a number of differences in the levels too.

Debug Menu
Press C-Up and C-Down to enable the debug menu. The menu is divided into eight columns which span two rows, but there are only eleven options in the menu, and three of them don't seem to do anything. The currently selected option is displayed in red. Press left or right on the control pad to move between columns and up or down to select options. The A button or Start will activate the selected option. Start also closes the menu. Note that many emulator plugins do not render the black backgrounds behind the text, making it very difficult to read. The z64 software rendering plugin, however, can display it correctly.




 * All Levels - Unlocks all solo missions with the exception of The Duel. Missions are completed on all three normal difficulties and Perfect Dark is available. Even The Duel is completed, despite not being unlocked. Each difficulty's best time will be set to 0:07, and all cheats unlocked by completing missions under a certain time will be available, likely as a result of this low time. This will also effectively set the game as being completed, unlocking the alternate title screen, bios, and story and background options in the Carrington Institute.
 * All Training - Unlocks all training courses and gives all medals on the firing range. This will unlock The Duel and the classic weapon cheats.
 * props - Toggles prop and character models on and off.
 * pads - Does not appear to do anything and its value is not tested. Probably showed pad information at some point in development.
 * tiles - Does not appear to do anything, but its value is tested. Probably showed collision information at some point in development.
 * chr stats - Toggles an orange text display to the right of every character object, which lists their number, combat behavior, current action, and whether or not they're using or waiting for a lift.
 * all challenges - Unlocks all challenges in the Combat Simulator and their rewards. Note that the challenges are not marked as being completed.
 * VM Stats - Does not appear to do anything.
 * Mem Info - Toggles a memory display near the top center of the screen. Does not work on certain plugins.
 * all buddies - Enables playing cooperative games with up to four simulants.
 * testing man pos - Toggles a bar at the top of the screen listing your current room, coordinates, and the direction you're facing.

Inaccessible Options
There are additional options which are still present in the code but are not available in the menu. They can be activated with the following GameShark codes; the names are taken from the debug menu in GoldenEye:


 * fast - Turbo Mode from GoldenEye - you move faster.


 * objectives - Completes all of the current mission's objectives.


 * background - Disables the level background (geometry).


 * Screen darkens when enabled, and flashes when hit.


 * Removed code.

Differences

 * The ROM's internal name is Perfect Dark DBGNTSC instead of simply Perfect Dark.
 * When playing without an Expansion Pak, the Pd logo in the title sequence flips over.
 * "Ready!" text is displayed when starting a single player Combat Simulator game. This text is only shown in multiplayer games in the final version.

01..01..POCKETCAMERA....GAMEBOYCAMERA...PerfDark....GAMEBOYCAMERA............... Text related to the Game Boy Camera can be found at offset in the compressed data block at ROM offset.

Carrington Institute

 * Carrington sometimes gets confused and takes a different path through the Institute while giving his tour and can occasionally get stuck.
 * Collision tiles are missing from two of the walls on the ramp leading to the helipad with the hoverbike. It is possible to fall out of the level in these places. When dying in training, the results screen will list the mission as dataDyne Defection. After closing the results screen, the title sequence will play again, then drop you into the Institute without having to select an agent.
 * CI Defense is completed as soon as the Skedar shuttle finishes exploding and the outro is never played. The outro is available in the Cinema menu and appears to be the same as the final version.

dataDyne Extraction
The top of the ventilation shaft can be blown open in the beta, meaning this shortcut can actually be used without cheats. It's pretty evident why it was sealed in the final version, though. While you can get the drop on Cassandra's bodyguards through here, they're invincible and won't react to your presence until the scene with Cassandra plays out. Said scene will play as soon as you enter the main room in this area, it works the same as when entering the normal way - it'll grab you, move you in front of the door, and swing you around to face Cassandra. This makes the shortcut entirely pointless.

Carrington Villa
Intro 2 - Life on the Line is available in the Cinema menu. This is the intro with Joanna as the negotiator that is played on Perfect Agent. While the action block that would play it and its text string are present in the final version, it is no longer defined with the rest of the cinemas. Joanna is in her combat outfit when it is viewed through the menu instead of the negotiator outfit she actually wears when this plays in the mission.

It is not possible to fail the capture dataDyne guard objective in the beta and the text string displayed when failing in the final version is not present.

Chicago
Grimshaw will happily spiel on about reprogramming the taxi even when it has already been destroyed. A check was added in the final version to prevent this from happening.

While it is possible to create an alternate diversion with the BombSpy in the beta, doing so will not unset the failure condition for the objective if it has already been set. Thankfully this was changed in the final version, so the BombSpy can be used to complete the objective if the taxi gets destroyed.

The briefcase containing the BombSpy is flagged to appear on the radar when using the R-Tracker. Since this briefcase is embedded in a dumpster, it will not be displayed until that dumpster has been destroyed, making the R-Tracker pretty useless for finding it. The final version flags the dumpster instead, and adds check to unflag it if the dumpster has been destroyed.

Air Force One
The dumbwaiter doesn't have a door on the middle level of the plane. The doors on the upper and lower level are in place, and the upper level is locked like it is in the final version.

Crash Site
A check has been added to stop Joanna's line about the jamming coming from the Skedar shuttle from playing on difficulties below Perfect Agent. It also won't play if you manage to destroy the shuttle before the line plays.

Attack Ship
The necklace Cassandra drops on death is the same one she drops in dataDyne Defection, not the replacement necklace with the useless username and password in its description that she drops in the final version.

The Duel
In one of the most obvious oversights in the final game, Jonathan's head is hardcoded to use ally targeting and any character using it cannot hit you with gunfire, so the only possible way to lose to him in this mission is to get into melee range. This is not the case in the beta, and he'll happily gun you down in spite of your crosshair turning blue when aiming at him.

Felicity
A huge number of details were stripped from this Combat Simulator arena for the final version.

Broken grating textures are used in the ducts, while the final version just leaves these areas open. There is also a question mark Easter Egg cut out of one grating, like the one still found in Warehouse in the final version.

The ceiling of the security room is stone in the beta and there is a huge crack in it open to the sky. This was replaced with a flat gray ceiling in the final version.