Gladius

Gladius
Developer: LucasArts Publisher: LucasArts Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox Released in US: October 28, 2003 (PS2/XB), November 3, 2003 (GCN) Released in EU: November 28, 2003 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused models. This game has unused cinematics. This game has debugging material.

To do: Create a prerelease page. There are some E3 trailers from 2001 and 2003 to document along with footage. Document the debug options that can be enabled. Codes located over here. Look over the datamined text

Gladius is a tactical RPG in which the player fights in Roman gladiatorial battles. Alas, it wasn't quite finished resulting in some rather serious bugs, a cut ending, and (for Xbox/PS2) poor load times.

Unused Cutscene

The game data contains a cutscene for a cut phase of the final battle against the Dark God (Dark God Shiva).

Unused Encounter

The cut phase of the boss fight against the Dark God is still in the game's data as "DarkGodShiva.enc". This also includes all other files that are needed to load an encounter, like the scenery-file, camera intro animation, gridfiles and the battle script.

// Copyright (c) 2003, LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC
// Version 0.0

// DarkGodShiva.enc
// Saved by derekf

ENCOUNTERNAME: 		"DarkGodShiva"
URSULAEASE: 	0
VALENSEASE: 	0
SCENE: 		"Nordagh\darkgod\darkgod3.scn"
GRIDFILE: 	"$l\Nordagh\darkgod\darkgod3nomove.grd"
CAMERATRACK: 	"intro","$l\Nordagh\darkgod\darkgod3IntroAnim.pan"
BATTLESCRIPT: 	"battle_DarkGodShiva.scp"
TOTALPOP:	-1
CANDIE:

TEAM: 		0, 0
GRIDFILE: 	"$d\encounters\Nordagh\darkgod\darkgod3playerstart.grd"
UNITDB: 	"Ursula", 100, "Start1", 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
UNITDB: 	"Valens", 100, "Start1", 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
UNITDB: 	"", 100, "Start1", 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
UNITDB: 	"", 100, "Start1", 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
UNITDB: 	"", 100, "Start1", 0, 0, 0, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0

TEAM: 		1, 0
GRIDFILE: 	"$d\encounters\Nordagh\darkgod\darkgod3shivastart.grd"
SCHOOL: 	"Dark God"
UNITDB: 	"Kalaratri", 100, "Start1", 0, 0, 1, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
UNITDB: 	"Kalikamata", 100, "Start2", 0, 0, 1, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0
UNITDB: 	"Dragon_shiva", 100, "Start3", 0, 0, 1, 0, -1, "", "", "", "", 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 1

Unused Gladiator Classes

Channeler from Southern Expanse

The classdefs.tok-file lists the gladiator class "ChannelerExp" which never appears in the game. Probably this Channeler class was just a regional variant of the Channeler class from Imperia for the Southern Expanse. The game crashes if it has to load this class since the model does not exist in the game's data.

CREATECLASS: ChannelerExp

DISPLAYNAMEID: 4468
DESCRIPTIONID: 7749

	UNITSETNAME: "Channeler"
	SKILLUSENAME: "Channeler"
	VOICELINEPREFIX: "CHE"
	SOUNDTABLENAME: "ChannelerExp"
	MESH: "channelerExp"

Dark God Shiva

The models, animations class definition and skills for the Shiva phase of the endboss fight are still in the game, but unused since the encounter was cut.

CREATECLASS: DarkGodShiva

DISPLAYNAMEID: 6082
DESCRIPTIONID: 0

	UNITSETNAME: "DarkGod"
	SKILLUSENAME: "DarkGod"
	SOUNDTABLENAME: "DarkGodShiva"
	MESH: "darkGodShiva"
	HEADICON: "darkGod.tga"

Althaag's Inventory

Althaag, the accessory dealer in Nordagh, has remnants that suggest his inventory was supposed to expand as the game progressed, instead of having everything from the start. This would make his dialog referencing getting new stuff in make sense.

(Source: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/gamecube/561233-gladius/faqs/64758)

Design Notes

Throughout the game's files that list the leagues and their battles for each town, the developers have added "DESIGNNOTES" that describe the requirements for the league, how the AI should act and other additional information.

Notes from the file "stadiumdreas_leagues.tok".

LEAGUE		"MultiplayerLoving_MP", 6458
LEAGUEDESC	0
LEAGUEPTS	-1
ENCPTSNEEDED	0
ONHOVER		0	0
ONSELECT	0	0
ONWIN		0

//

ENCOUNTER	"Dreas_2P", 7699
ENCDESC		7700
DESIGNNOTES	"Happy friendly multiplayer battle for testing this wonderful feature that should never be cut.  No.  Never.  We need it.  Just ask God."

Note from the "thefen_leagues.tok"-file:

ENCOUNTER	"ContestOfFreePeoples2", 5320
ENCDESC		5321
DESIGNNOTES	"Will be a statue kill battle as soon as I can order individual dudes to prioritize targets."

Unused Script Codes

A function exists to automatically pass a gladiator's turn if no input is made, but the time is set to -1 so the function never applies.

(Source: This GameFAQs post on the datamine])

Scriptcode

The game's data contains all scripts in compiled and uncompiled format. This includes some Testscripts like this funny Dialog demo that implies that Brendan (maybe Brendan Ferguson, listed as Gameplay Programmer in the credits) is the creator of the main characters Ursula and Valens. Here is a shortened version of the file:

	globals = InterfaceGlobals()
	tb = globals.CreateTalkBox (30.0, 30.0, "Ursula", "Ursula");

	// Set up all of the text panels
	tb.SetText("Hello.  Welcome to the TalkBox demo.");
	tb.AddText("<b>Brendan</b> is the <c=ff0000ff>coolest</c> guy I know.");
	tb.AddText("Wouldn't you agree?");

	// Here are the two choices that will appear on the last panel
	tb.Choice("Certainly.");             // Choice #1
	tb.Choice("You must be kidding.");   // Choice #2

	// The script will now wait until the player makes the choice
	tb.WaitUntilMadeChoice();
	choice = tb.GetChoice();

	if (choice == 1)  // If they chose Choice #1
		// Put up new text in the TalkBox
		tb.SetText("You're smarter than you look.");
		tb.AddText("See you around.");

	else  // If they chose choice #2
		tb.SetText("No one disses our man Brendan.");
		tb.AddText("Hey Valens!  We got someone talking smack about our creator!");
		
		// Create a different TalkBox
		tb2 = globals.CreateTalkBox (250.0, 250.0, "Valens", "Valens")
		tb2.SetText("What?!  Who do you think you are?");
		tb2.AddText("If I weren't a fictional computer character, I'd whoop you.");
	endif	

Debugging Features

Gladius has a debug menu and some debug printouts, which are enabled through cheat code devices for the PS2 version. To unlock the debug menu use this code Z67D-RUM5-PK6A5 Q574-0HQ9-GVFUY.