Proto:Pathways Into Darkness

On July 7, 1993, Bungie released a demo version of the game through America Online. The read-me file indicates the demo version was actually compiled on July 2, 1993 and indicates the version was called "Demo Version A1".

General Differences

 * Interestingly, the demo read-me file says the final game would have only gone until Wednesday. In the final, it goes until Friday, making the game much easier.
 * The player can save anywhere in the demo version. To add some challenge and make gameplay more exciting, Bungie made the player go to red runes in order to save.
 * A climb button is present and is needed in order to go up/down the stairs. In the final game, this is done automatically.
 * Several dialogue boxes present in the final game, like the save game boxes that appear when booting the game up, are absent in this demo.
 * If the player walks over dead German bodies, their rank is given. This was removed in the final version.
 * Even if the demo is hacked so that the player is given a yellow crystal, the dead won't ever talk to the player.

Anonymous German on "Ground Floor"
The final game made it so that the soldier specifically mentions a mission.

Muller changed ranks suddenly.

The text was made less ambiguous.

Walter on "Feel The Power"
Walter doesn't mention his name in the demo version.

Walter's dialogue comes off ruder in the full versions than it does in Demo A1. Also, he mentions Muller in the full versions.

Hans on "They May Be Slow..."
Hans apparently hated Muller so much he asked the player to crack his skull.

Hans apparently was so desperate to defend himself, he actually tried to punch and/or kick for his life.

Unused Graphics


Unique to this particular version is a graphic for a seventh crystal, which appears to be a bizarre mixture between the blue and yellow crystals. No dialogue appears to be related to it and the graphic itself is completely missing in the final version.



Also removed from the final game is a placeholder picture for items that have not yet been drawn.

Removed Text
Mumble, mumble. I'm Muller, but Bungie still didn't give me a script, sorry.

Note that even about a month before the game was completed, Bungie didn't write any dialogue for Muller. So, this is the only line Muller was given.

This conversation has not been coded yet.

Claude from "Evil Undead Phantasms Must Die!" also has no conversation tree to speak of.