Prerelease:Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast)/Tokyo International Forums

This is a sub-page of Prerelease:Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast).

On August 22, 1998, Sonic Adventure was unveiled at the Tokyo International Forum in Japan, to an excited audience of both the general public and the news media. At this point, the game is significantly incomplete (if all the mixed content consisting of different time stamps seen in the later AutoDemo is any indication), with some stages appearing in completely different incarnations.

General Differences

• The demo runs at 60 FPS. The final game dropped it to 30 FPS (excluding menus and Twinkle Circuit) due to lag. As a side effect, spinning spike chains and other objects move a lot faster.
• Backface culling is used a lot (meaning geometry is invisible when looked at from behind), which was probably done to keep a consistent framerate. In the final game, backface culling is rarely used.
• Spikeballs use a much simpler environment mapping effect.
• Rocketpads have a much flatter and larger appearance, and use fire instead of smoke for when they're launched.
• All of the E-100 robots use Gamma's model.
• The jumping animations for Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are similar to the ones from Sonic Jam... which is no surprise as Sonic Jam's Sonic World was built using an early Sonic Adventure engine.
• The Sonic Team logo at the beginning looks entirely different.
• Jump panels have a much flatter appearance, and there's also an extra star panel that marks the end of the path. Its model is still in the final (and is even placed in levels like Red Mountain), but can only be seen via hacking the object list.
• The camera in this build is less polished compared to the final.
• Item boxes don't seem to spin in this build, unlike the final game.
• At the end of the video, a "LEVEL" element can be seen in the HUD. This was likely going to tell the player their Trial mode mission.
• Knuckles can be seen doing an uppercut attack that was removed, but later put into the sequel.
• At one point in the video, one developer is seen drawing a realistic blue hedgehog. A screenshot from this video (albeit at a different angle) actually exists in the final game, unused. Given that it's stored in a .gif file, it was likely meant for the website.
• There seems to be very few camera types at this point in development.
• The switch has a different design with a green top.
• Character upgrades have no associated models.
• Knuckles can be seen digging anywhere in this video.
• The Character Introduction features demo lines from the voice actors. These can still be found in the final game.
• Sonic has a different stance pose where his knees are bent more. This early animation can still be seen in various cutscenes in the final.
• The font for bosses lack a black outline, making it hard to read.
• All water instances are missing animations.
• Overall, the lighting is more detailed and dynamic in this build; it was possible that it was scaled back to keep a (mostly) consistent 30 FPS.

Action Stage Differences

Emerald Coast

Emerald Coast wasn't shown much in the video, though it's pretty clear that many decorative objects are missing.

Act 1

• The start of the stage has four springs instead of five.
• Nearly all decorative objects at the beginning except for trees are missing, alongside two item boxes behind the starting point.
• There are no checkpoints.
• The loop uses a different camera.
• The whale section is missing dash panels.

Windy Valley

Windy Valley was completely overhauled for the final game. The version seen here is much more colorful and open-ended, while the final game is more realistic and linear. The AutoDemo contains this early Windy Valley (albeit completely broken and missing textures), which would later spawn a mod for the 2004 PC version that ports everything over.

Specific differences include:

• All objects have animations, which were likely removed for performance sake.
• The AutoDemo shows that there are 1,500 objects loaded in Act 1 alone. A cap was later added to force the game to only load 1,024 objects.
• Amy and Big can be seen here, even though they aren't normally playable in Windy Valley in the final game.

Twinkle Park

Act 1 was completely changed for the final game (we know it's Act 1 as the objects seen in the video match up with data in the AutoDemo), and Big can be seen in an area similar to the entrance. Additionally, Tails is briefly seen in the level.

Speed Highway

Speed Highway was one of the most covered stages in the event, and hence a lot of differences can be seen.

Act 1

• The lighting is much darker than the final game, lacking the blue night theme.
• At this point in development, Tails is still using Sonic's object layout (as evidenced by missing boosters). However some work had been done on Tails' exclusive section.
• The second checkpoint is placed slightly later, with no Spinners and two Cop Chasers instead of three.
• The first loop has more rings than the final, and seems less polished.
• The tall building has different textures at the top, and has one set of rings outside instead of two.
• One of the roads has a lot more traffic cones and no Speed Shoes.
• Decor is more basic, with mainly lights and a few traffic cones.
• The ending is incomplete, as badniks, rings, and item boxes are missing. In fact, the only decor are a few lights.

Act 2

• Once again, the lighting is much darker.
• The beginning has the camera further away.
• When Sonic enters the building, there's no glass.

Act 3

Like Windy Valley, Speed Highway Act 3 had some of the biggest changes made, though unlike Windy Valley this stage still follows the same general layout. This early layout is present in the AutoDemo along with Knuckles' object layout, though the latter is broken due to ID changes.

• There are many placeholder textures in this version, such as bricks in place of floors.
• This version contains a number of bizarre elements, including clocks in pits.
• The stage seems to fade in as the player gets closer to the geometry, something that doesn't happen in the final game. As a result, the skybox texture doesn't have buildings.
• Benches are red and blue, instead of blue and yellow.
• One part of the stage goes downhill instead of uphill.
• The alleyway before the road is three rows instead of two.

Red Mountain

Like Speed Highway, Red Mountain was shown a lot during the event. Most of the video has Knuckles in Sonic's act, except the ending.

Act 1

• The stage still used the older skybox, though the lighting is closer to the final game.
• There was no fog, meaning the bottom of the stage blended better.
• The grass objects are there, but don't display due to backface culling.
• The first monitor is on the ground, instead of in the air.
• The rings near the first ladder are missing.
• There's an extra ring present near the first two Spinners.
• Two Kikis and a box are present near where the first checkpoint is in the final. The checkpoint itself is missing, along with many pieces of fences and rings.
• The rings at the first button are positioned differently, along with an extra ring present. A Tikal hint is also missing.
• A spring near the second checkpoint is missing.
• Rings near the third checkpoint are missing.
• The Spinners leading to a Jump Panel trail are missing, with one in a different position. Instead, a spring is present. An extra life box is also missing.
• Knuckles is seen in this Act, though later in the video another build is shown with Knuckles in his own Act.

Act 2

• The details are far more complex than the final game: skulls had a glow effect, and the floor/wall lighting was generally better (for example, Gamma's stage has some dynamic shadows). These were likely cut for performance sake.
• Bats follow Sonic and flee from Gamma, something that doesn't happen in the final.
• A Tikal hint is missing.
• The lava uses a different texture.
• A shield box when Sonic exits the tunnel is missing.
• Dash panels near the end of the stage are missing.
• Gamma still uses Sonic's object layout.
• The first spring has different decorations.
• Two versions of Gamma's stage can be seen. The second version has brighter lighting and some enemies.

Lost World

Act 1

• There's an extra Boa Boa at the beginning of the stage that was ultimately replaced with a Leon. Additionally, flaming arrows can be seen.
• The snake can be temporarily seen floating.

Act 3

• Knuckles can be seen in this Act, despite not being there in the final game.
• Some more dynamic lighting, this time with the room's fire actually producing light.

Ice Cap

Act 3

• There are a lot of dead trees in the stage that were removed in the final game. These can still be found in the AutoDemo.
• Tricks take longer to perform. In addition, they have a different camera angle which was likely changed as the top of the stage can be seen briefly.
• Icicles aren't transparent.
• When the player escapes the avalanche, the camera pans much more slowly allowing the player to see below the geometry briefly.
• Tails' arm seems to be having issues when riding on the board, as it constantly spazzes out.

Act 4 (Big)

• An enemy at the beginning was removed in the final.

Final Egg

Act 1

• The beginning has different enemy and laser placement.
• An entrance at the beginning can be seen which was blocked off in the final.

Act 3

• There are multiple Sonic dolls in Gamma's stage, which was likely changed to prevent the player from being confused.

Sub-Game Differences

Sky Chase

Both Acts have scripted cameras instead of being locked. Both camera files can still be found in the AutoDemo.

Act 1

• There seems to be a more prominent shadow beneath the Egg Carrier.
• There's a dragon that can be seen following the Tornado throughout the stage. Despite its prominence, it goes unused in the final.

Act 2

• Oddly, the Tornado 1 is seen in Act 2 briefly.
• During the Tornado 2 transformation sequence, Sonic and Tails can be seen with their Sonic Jam models. The final game uses their updated models during cutscenes, though the in-game models wouldn't be changed until Sonic Adventure DX.
• Additionally, during the above cutscene the Egg Carrier can be seen charging its laser.

Adventure Field Differences

Station Square

• The city hall shows a different, taller design and stylized gate.
• The chairs and tables at the pool are completely missing.
• When Eggman is revealed during the Chaos 0 fight, the camera is at his face instead of below.
• During the Chaos 0 fight, there are more police cars and decor.
• In the Chao Garden, holes can be seen where the entrances to the Garden and Chao Race would be in the final.

Mystic Ruins

• The jungle features two paths that didn't make it into the final, but can be seen in the AutoDemo's level model.

(Source: SPEEPSHighway Twitter)

Egg Carrier

• The prison has a much more yellow palette.
• The Hedgehog Hammer score is counted by hits.
• The transformation sequence shows a lighting effect that was removed in the final game, though the files still exist.
• The Egg Carrier Chao Garden uses geometry ripped straight out of Windy Valley Act 3. Like Windy Valley itself, this model exists in the AutoDemo.
• The lighting during Gamma's mission reveal is more dynamic, with Eggman not being revealed until the light turns on.
• Sonic has additional mouth movements after Chaos 6 is defeated. The lip-syncing doesn't match any unused line in the final Japanese version.
• The Tornado 2 is seen in its normal mode intact, while the final game has it crash land in its alternate mode.
• When Gamma encounters Amy, there seem to be some problems with her right hand.
• When Sonic attempts to attack Gamma, he is not in his stance pose.

Early Open Your Heart

An early version of the main theme Open Your Heart, sung by Japanese metal singer Eizo Sakamoto, was used during the presentation. This version has much more Engrishy lyrics and different, unpolished drums. Additionally, at 23:53 an extra lyric can be heard along the lines of "gotta know how to set him free", while the final goes "all the hate, gotta set him free!".