Dungeon Keeper

Dungeon Keeper

Developer: Bullfrog Productions
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: DOS, Windows
Released internationally: June 26, 1997 (original), 1998 (Gold Edition)

This game has unused areas.
This game has a hidden developer message.
This game has hidden development-related text.
This game has unused graphics.
This game has unused cinematics.
This game has unused items.
This game has unused abilities.
This game has unused sounds.
This game has unused text.
This game has regional differences.

This game has a notes page

This game has a prototype article

This game has a bugs page

This game has a prerelease article

Dungeon Keeper is a strategy video game that was the last to be developed by Bullfrog Productions under Peter Molyneux.

In the game, the player attempts to build and manage a dungeon or lair while protecting it from (computer-controlled) "hero" characters intent on stealing the user's accumulated treasures and killing various monsters. The game was met with high critical praise and positive gamer reaction, resulting in a sequel being made.

To do:

There are two early releases of the game from 1996 (the so-called "beta" and "alpha" versions) with an extensive debug mode, needs a prototype page. link
Some dead posts online mentioned something about a so called "Dungeon Keeper Video Addon", need more info on this.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Bugs

Notes

Unused Levels

Secret 5 (Lost Level)

There are six possible Bonus Levels to be located in the game, including the "Moon" level. However, you can only gain access to five of them in unmodded games.

The "Locate Hidden Realm" bonus crate should have been located in Level 14, "Sleepiburgh", to the opposite side of the "Transfer Creature". The crate itself is not in the game, possibly due to a mistake by the programmers where they forgot about it or (accidentally) erased the crate.

Another theory is that the crate was meant to be in Level 18 "Blaise End". This makes sense, as the level was originally an early version of the The Deeper Dungeons level "Morkardar", and it did have a Locate Hidden World crate. Bullfrog seemingly forgot to reintroduce the crate when that version of the level was scrapped.

(Source: Dungeon Keeper Wiki)

Using mods such as KeeperFX or any similar editing tools, you can obtain the bonus crate.

Unused Multiplayer Levels

In the levels folder, among the other multiplayer levels, there are 5/6 complete, unused multiplayer levels unattached to any level select. In order to play them, you must rename the default multiplayer levels, or add these these to LEVELS.txt or DD1Lev.txt.

Level 55
Level 56
Level 57
Level 58
Level 59
Level 65
Level 66
Level 67
Level 68
Level 69
Level 75
Level 76
Level 77
Level 78
Level 79

Level 1000

There is a hidden and unused test level, numbered 1000, that appears to contain and be a test for every type of slab in the game.

Unused Spells

Disease

The Disease Creature Spell appears to have been cut quite early on, as it does not have image files in with the other creature spells. However, this may just mean it shared the images with the Keeper Spell.

Little information is known about this Creature Spell, but references are made to it by the manual:

When fired at a foe, it gives them a Disease which is then spread to other creatures in its own Dungeon. These creatures are slowly dying and can only be healed in the Temple.

It is believed to work exactly the same as the Keeper Spell, possibly a weaker version of it. Considering the massive cost and devastating ability of the Keeper Spell of the same name, it is very likely the Creature Spell was cut for being incredibly overpowered.

Chicken

The Chicken spell is a cut Creature Spell, likely due to being unbalanced.

Not much is known about it, but references are made to it by the Dungeon Keeper manual:

When fired at enemies, this turns them into chickens. The enemy isn’t able to attack but has the same strength and thus won’t be as easy to kill as a normal chicken. This spell wears off after a while. Acts the same as the Turn To Chicken spell on the Research Panel of the Control Panel.

From this, we know its effect would have been identical to the Chicken Keeper Spell, but would've been fired as a projectile.

Light

The Light spell is a (possibly) cut Creature Spell. While graphics for it exist, it does nothing, if added into the game by editing files. The spell may still be used internally to provide a glow around possessed creatures and Hero Party leaders. It was likely cut due to balance issues.

Whip

Among the images in the game's files, there exist icons of a whip grouped in the section of Creature Spells. The images look identical to that of Must Obey. This suggests that at some point there was a Creature Spell planned and something similar to this was in the sequel in the form of a hand action, but other than this no other information has been found.

There is the possibility that the graphics were just added later than the other spells, as Chicken, Destroy Walls, Disease and Armageddon were added later than the other spells, and so Must Obey was simply added after that, either with or directly after the graphics for the Creature Spell icons.

Time Bomb

Time Bomb is a Keeper Spell. It still exists in the game's code, and can be added to maps or researched if the files are edited to do so. A spellbook is also created as normal, labelled Time Bomb, but has the graphic for Conceal Monster. It cannot be used in-game, as there is no slot for it due to all 16 slots being used for the standard spells already.

In an interview Simon Carter, the lead programmer of the game, says that:

"Until about 30 seconds ago I thought Timebomb was in the shipping game. Since it isn't, I'll tell you - you could turn imps into suicide bombers. Great fun!"

How this would've worked in-game is unknown. Reasons why it was cut could include it being seen as offensive, or just it making the game unbalanced by making Imps more powerful.

(Source: Dungeon Keeper Wiki)

Obtaining A Fax

Plug your printer in while playing. If you are at Level 5 or above, you will receive a fax from the in-game rival Keeper. This is done by the PRINT level script command, but it seems to have been removed by the final build. However, evidence of it remains in some level script files.

Unused/Developer Command Line Parameters

-alex

You can find a hidden greeting by starting the game with the command parameter -alex. While playing, press and hold down both Shift keys and type JLW.

For another hidden greeting message, hold Left Shift and type one of the following codes and you will get a message from the developers until you release the Shift key.

Code	Message
FECKOFF	Simon says Hi to everyone he knows...
SKEKSIS	Dene says a big 'Hello' to Goth Buns, Tarts and Barbies
JLW	Alex, hopefully lying on a beach with Jo, says Hi

Developer Messages

A long developer message from programmer Jonty Barnes can be seen by sacrificing more than 16 chickens in a Temple, then hovering your cursor over the Chicken spell.

JONTY HERE  : ...I AM WRITING THIS AT 4AM ON KEEPERS LAST DAY. I LOOK AROUND 
THE OFFICE AND ALL I SEE ARE THE TIRED PALE FACES OF THE KEEPER TEAM. THIS 
PROJECT HAS DESTROYED THE HEALTH AND SOCIAL LIVES OF EACH MEMBER, SO I HOPE 
YOU LIKE THE GAME. AMAZINGLY AFTER SIXTEEN HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK, FOR 
NEARLY 5 MONTHS WE STILL DO. THIS GAME HAS BEEN WRITTEN WITH A PASSION I AM 
PROUD TO BE PART OF.... 

I DO NOT JUST HOPE YOU LIKE IT, I ALSO HOPE YOU ARE AWARE OF THE HUGE AMOUNT 
OF WORK WE HAVE ALL DONE. ENOUGH WAFFLE AND ON TO THE REASON FOR THIS TEXT... 

THE ENDLESS GREETINGS... GREETINGS GO OUT TO IN RANDOM ORDER... 
RAB C, JACOON, BUCK, SI, BARRIE, KIK, CHRIS, PROC, RUSS, RIK, ALEX NEEDS, 
LARRY MOOR, EMMA TEUTON - AN ALE DUE TO EACH ONE OF YOU - THE LIST GOES ON.... 

LOUISE GEE, MY GOOD SIS NICOLA, GEMMA, JENNY, HALEY, JO EVANS... 
SARAH TELFORD.. PETER AND STEVEN, AMELIA, SARAH, ISY, SALLY, MARK, 
MATT WOODCOCK, PAUL NETTLETON, PETE BANFORD, TOM, DAVE BANHAM, DAVE KEENS, 
ALISON BOSSON, MIKE LINCOLN, KIRSTY, DARREN SAWYER... 

AND ALL UEA NORWICH PAST AND PRESENT. NICK ARNOTT, BAVERSTOCK, SARAH BANKS, 
SEANY, MARK STACEY, GILEY MILEY COOKSON [WHERE ARE YOU?], STEVE CLARIDGE, 
DEUBERT, JAMES GREENGRASS, SIMON ONG, KEVIN RUSSELL, CLARE WRIGHTON, 
ELTON [GIB IS JUST A DAY AWAY], NICOLA GOULD, STEVE LAST, KEN MALCOLN, 
RICO, ANDY CAKEBREAD, ROBBO, CARR, AND THE LITTLE ONE, CROFTY, SCOOPER, 
JASON STANTON [A CUP OF COFFEE], AARON SENNA, MIKE DORELL, IAN HOWIE, 
HELEN THAIN, ALEX FOREST-HAY, LEE HAZELWOOD, VICKY ARNOLD, GUY SIMMONS, 
SHIN, VAL TAYLOR.... 

IF I FORGOT YOU I AM SORRY... BUT SLEEP IS DUE TO ME... AND I HAVE A DREAM TO LIVE... .

The script for Level 11, Hearth, contains another hidden developer message from Shintaro Kanaoya (as a comment):

CHAZ,MATT,LOUISE,NICK,MUM AND VARIOUS OTHERS - HELLO

Editor

The official editor's executable file contains an exclusive Easter Egg. You can activate it by starting with the command parameter -mark. After loading the editor, press and hold down Left Shift and type CROW, revealing the following message:

Hello from Mark to all who know him!

It's not hell, but you can see it from here.

Also in the editor's executable file are what appears to be leftovers from the game, including some strings in the previous section (activated by its Easter Eggs), and even the -alex parameter to activate them. However, the editor refuses to run when the -alex parameter is passed to it.

(Source: QUFB)

Unused Text

Debug Text

There are some unusual messages (likely left over from development) in the executable file that are not seen in the game:

'Told You So' error! Cannot create creature because there are too many fucking things allocated.
This bloody tooltip is too long
How come this bridge was placed on path? Hmmm?
BLOODY HELL >10 SPELLS TO REPOSITION!!!
BLOODY HELL >10 BODIES TO REPOSITION!!!
Attempt to remove a creatures lair from room he didn't think he was in
Lair thinks it belongs to a creature, but the creature disagrees.
Shit, could not get to treasure room door and I've cleaned up my old state
HOW CAN A ROOM EXIST WITH NO SLABS?
THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN - ROOM COUNT WRONG?
I've been pushing for a very long time now...
A legal collision with a solid object? Come on...
I've been given a shite position
It's even more shit than I first thought
Some THING has been deleted during the processing of another thing
A state return type for a human controlled creature?
GoldPile with no gold!
Oh fuck, illegal bastard in room list
WHAT THE HELL HAVE WE CREATED?

There are also variations on the first one, with other types of thing (object, shot, etc) in the place of 'creature'.

Unused Level Objectives

You have been called to this realm to punish a horde of revolting Bile Demons by crushing them with Boulder Traps scattered around the perimeter of the dungeon. You have very little time, so rock and roll!

Well done. You have excelled in your use of large balls of stone for which the dark gods will repay you, by granting you three superior Imps when you reach the next realm.

These objectives (found in TEXT.DAT) indicate that there was once a level that involved killing Bile Demons with Boulder Traps, but there is no such level in the final game and these texts are not seen anywhere else either. However, the level is present in the 21 May 1997 prototype, so these texts were almost certainly meant for that level.

MS-Word Files

The original version CD, in KEEPER\LEVELS, has 16 files in the pattern MAPxxxxx.DOC. These are Microsoft Word 6.0 documents, each identical and containing a generic description of one of the levels.

ALEVEL GENERIC LEVEL DOCUMENT:
LEVEL :1
TOTAL AVAILABLE GOLD:
TOTAL ADVERSORIAL CREATURES: 4
MAP DECRIPTION:

Dig out of a dead end tunnel to find a T - junction in inpenetrable rock. The left cave leads to a semi-excavated gold mine. To the right lies a medium sized underground lake. 2 Tunnelers dig in from this side. A total of 4 Heros come in - 2 Thieves and 1 Archer with the Knight.

The document then lists creatures available, new magical items, and new rooms in a table - each row has the related entry and seven additional columns ranging from 0 to 6. Only Fly 0 and Bug 0 are marked. A stray "Player Good" has Archer, Tunneeler, and Thief underneath. The document has Secret Areas, with nothing underneath it.

Tabs are found after "cave leads to" and "2 Tunnelers", which may only be noticed if using a program that converts word documents into a different format.

Unused Cutscene

In the LDATA folder, there is an unused cutscene (drag.smk) of the Lord of the Land being dragged to the bonus torture room.

Unused Sounds

FANFARE3.WAV (This was presumably meant for the Call To Arms spell.)

BUTTON3.WAV

WHIP.WAV

SWONARM1.WAV

SWONARM2.WAV

SWONARM3.WAV

SWONSW1.WAV

SWONSW2.WAV

SWONSW3.WAV

SWONSW4.WAV

SP_HOLD.WAV

SP_APOC.WAV

(Source: Documentation on GitHub)

Unused Dialogue

'Master, I sense the presence of the Avatar!'

'What trickery is this?! The Avatar's body has vanished!'

'The battle is over.'

'A door design has been discovered.'

'The enemy has taken a door design.'

'You have taken an enemy's door design.'

'You have taken an enemy's spellbook.'

'The enemy has stolen a spellbook!'

'You have taken an enemy's trap design.'

'Your creatures have found a spell.'

'You are victorious! Your darkness pervades throughout the kingdom! All hail the new lord of shadows!'

'You are losing territory.'

'Your creatures have discovered a mysterious magic box.'

'New creatures have joined your dungeon.'

'Your prisoners are starving to death.'

'You may resurrect one creature.'

'Select a creature to take with you to the next realm.'

'A trap design has been discovered.'

'A trap design has been taken from you!'

(Source: Documentation on GitHub)

Unused Graphics

Hidden in GUIEDIT.DAT (for the level editor that was released afterwards) is this image of a smiley face with blood coming down diagonally. This is possibly a reference to Watchmen.

Unused Leftover Icons

icons0-0.dat and icons0-1.dat are full of icons, seemingly left over from a much, much earlier build (early 1996, or perhaps even late 1995), as some of these icons can be seen in the late 1995 and early 1996 trailers. A smaller version of the Corporeal Creatures icon is used in this prototype and the final game for Creature messages; the rest seem to go unused.

Corporeal Creatures
Magical Creatures
Grenade icon
Teleport icon
Mana icon
Gold icon. Looks very similar to the creature Wage icon in the final game, but is not the same

Early Portraits

Found in PORT0-0.dat and PORT0-1.dat

Early Room, Door, and Trap Icons

Most of these are found in ROOM0-0.dat

Early Placeholder Icons

Found in ICONS0-1.dat.

Regional Differences

The player can construct a torture chamber for various enemy or player characters, which have their own unique animations normally. However, the German version instead uses a tent, which just rocks back and forth.