Prerelease:Unreal Tournament (PC, 1999)
This page details prerelease information and/or media for Unreal Tournament (PC, 1999).
Unreal Weapons
One good way to tell how early an image was taken in development is if there are any Unreal weapons or items in the screenshot. Originally, Unreal Tournament used Unreal's weapons when applicable. However, new versions of Unreal's weapons were made. By March 16th, 1999, when the Version 222 prototype was compiled, the Unreal weapons were replaced with their counterparts. Therefore, screenshots featuring Unreal's weapons in some capacity were taken before March 16th, 1999.
Unreal Automag in DM-Fractal.
Unreal Rifle rounds box.
Unreal single Flak Cannon shell.
Unreal Flak Cannon ammo boxes.
Unreal Razorblade Hopper.
Unreal 50 bullets pickup.
Videos
Two early preview videos show an early version of Unreal Tournament.
gamestar.de Preview
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The first big source for early footage is a preview video released by gamestar.de. This footage appears to have been taken before Version 222, as the video shows various weapon-related assets from Unreal, such as the Automag (instead of the Enforcer) and ammo pickups from Unreal. Botpack220's Dual Enforcers also appear. The default HUD mugshot found used in Version 222 also appears in the video.
Weapons in the Video
- Automag
- Dual Automags
- Pulse Gun
- Rocket Launcher (but with the Eightball's world model when held by players)
- Shock Rifle
Maps in the Video
- DM-Conveyor
- DM-KGalleon
- DM-Pyramid
- CTF-Face
- DOM-Sesmar
- AS-Hispeed
Jay Wilbur Interview
Another important source is a video interview with Jay Wilbur done by an unknown German source. This video shows plenty of footage from a pre-release build. The maps, HUD are very similar, if not exactly the same as the one seen in the gamestar.de preview, suggesting that both videos come from the same source.
The Jay Wilbur interview shows a lot more of the build seen in the gamestar.de preview, such as more angles of the maps seen in the gamestar.de video, the Uwindows GUI, a list of some of the maps in the build, and actual combat against bots.
Weapons in the Video
- Shock Rifle
- Automag
- Rocket Launcher
- Ripper
- Dual Automags
- Translocator
Maps in the Video
- AS-Frigate
- DOM-Sesmar
- DOM-MetalDream
- CTF-Dreary
- AS-HiSpeed
- DM-Barricade
- CTF-Face
- AS-OceanFloor
- AS-Rook
- DM-Peak
- DM-Fetid
- DM-Fractal
- CTF-Eternalcave
- CTF-Lavagiant
- DOM-Leadworks
- Unknown level
HUD
How the HUD looks is a great way to track the various development phases Unreal Tournament went through early in development.
Very Early Screenshots
The first screenshots released show a very, very early version of Unreal Tournament. The most notable thing about them are that they feature player skins and models not seen in the final game. One of them looks like an early Iron Guard while the other looks vaguely like an early Raw Steel.
A capture the flag and Domination screenshot shows that the very early screenshots still used an Unreal-style HUD, as Unreal-style icons are used to represent the flag on the right side of the screen in the CTF image and icons for each control point in the Domination image.
These HUD icons can be found in the Botpack220 prototype.
First HUD
One screenshot shows an early version of the HUD used in the final game. The icon of each weapon in yellow, while the actual box is blue. The final game uses a system that lets the player customize the HUD color in deathmatch and makes the HUD colors match the team the player is on in the final game.
Two other screenshots show AS-OceanLab.
The Chainsaw HUD icon in the Version 222 prototype uses this HUD style.
Temporary Kill Count with Final HUD
A DM-Fetid screenshot shows the HUD using the final game's HUD style, but with a different kill count on the lower left-hand corner and an ammo counter that's separate from the rest of the HUD. The skull doesn’t fit the rest of the HUD at all, which seems to suggest that it was a placeholder for a kill count that matched the rest of the HUD.
Of note is that one of the areas surrounding the 1 on the Impact Hammer's HUD icon is black, while the rest of it is red and shaped like the final design. This might be a leftover of the first HUD, as in Version 222, the blue part of the old HUD icon used by the Chainsaw turns black when the Chainsaw is selected.
=Rounded Kill Indicator
The next phase of development features a HUD very close to the one used in the previous phase, but with a new kill counter on the lower left-hand corner. This kill system uses a large box with a number in it and a semi-circle on top of it that appears to have the word “kill” or “kills” in it.
A pre-release video given out by Gamestar shows the HUD and reveals that Unreal weapons were still used during this phase in development.
One thing to note is that the CTF HUD in this phase uses different flag icons to indicate each team's flag status. These icons are taller than the ones in the final game and show the entire flag.
Version 222 HUD
After this, it seems that the developers finally switched to the final version of the kill counter, but kept the rest of the HUD. This HUD style is used in the Version 222 prototype, suggesting that these images were taken around the time or soon after that prototype was compiled.
One thing to note is that it seems the developers finally got around to putting a system that shows if the player is in first, second, or third place. The system used in these screenshots and Version 222 show a gold, “1st”, a silver “2nd”, or a bronze “3rd” above the kill count. This is used in later HUD designs.
New Health and Armor Indicators
After this, it seems the next development phase can be indicated by a new health indication system. Instead of being numbers to the left and right of the paper doll on the upper right corner without any icons; armor and health are now to the left of the paper doll and have icons next to them indicating exactly what each number is supposed to represent.
Other Pre-release Screenshots
These screenshots don’t have a HUD, making it impossible to properly date them.
This image is likely from an early version, as it uses the HUD message font from Unreal, not the one used in the final game.
This image might come from the “new health and armor” era, as screenshots of DM-Tempest, the level in this image, are from that era.
The screenshot shows the same level and characters seen in the Unreal HUD font screenshot.
GUI
The Jay Wilbur video shows several differences in the game's GUI.
Main Menu
The layout of objects in the main menu is different in the Jay Wilbur interview. The interview shows the available options from the “game” menu are “New Tournament”, “Resume...”, “Botmatch”, and “Quit”.
Voice Command Menu
In the Jay Wilbur interview video, the voice command menu uses the Uwindows GUI instead of the sleek-looking one seen in Version 222 and the final game.
Weapon Changes
All of the weapons are different in preview footage.
Translocator
The Translocator seen in the Jay Wilbur interview is the one seen in Botpack220.
Dual Automags
The Dual Automags from Botpack220 appear in the gamestar.de preview video.
Shock Rifle
The Shock Rifle in the Jay Wilbur interview video uses the primary firing graphic from the ASMD in Unreal.
Pulse Gun
Grey with no Screen
The first design shows the Pulse Gun with a completely different skin. The Pulse Gun is grey with a small hint of a camouflage pattern on it. The magazine is a different shade of green and the side does not have the ammo count system.
The world model for this design managed to survive until the Pulse Gun was given its final skin. It stayed long enough during development that it was used in a wallpaper for Unreal Tournament.
Early Ammo Count
One screenshot shows the grey Pulse Gun, but with a primitive-looking ammo count that's closer to the barrel than the final design has. The count is much smaller, uses a green font, doesn't have any bars on the bottom, and has “ammo” above the numbers.
It's likely that this design was used when the blue and yellow HUD was used, as the Pulse Gun in the screenshot showing it has a small bit of the early ammo count screen visible. These screenshots featuring the early ammo count systems were likely taken before Version 222 was compiled, as Version 222's model uses the final Pulse Gun's ammo count design.
Version 222 Pulse Gun
Version 222 uses the first Pulse Gun skin, but with the final's ammo count display.
Improved Grey Pulse Gun Skin
An improved version of the Pulse Gun skin appears in later screenshots. The area just past the barrel has a shape on it helping mark the transition between the barrel area and the rest of the body. The area near the area counter has more details as well.
The v322 demo uses this skin.
Rocket Launcher
The gamestar.de and Jay Wilbur interview show a Rocket Launcher without the ammo count on it. It's assumed that they meant to have the numbers working, but they weren't when the video was recorded.
The footage also shows that, around the time the footage was recorded (Jaunary and February 1999), the Rocket Launcher used the Eightball world model from Unreal when a player held the Rocket Launcher or when a Rocket Laucher is on the map. This isn't surprising, as the Rocket Launcher's behavior is exactly like the Eightball's.
Eightball world model in Unreal Tournament.
Flak Cannon
The Flak Cannon in the gamestar.de footage, the Jay Wilbur interview, and a pre-release screenshot show the Flak Cannon without an ammo readout. As with the Rocket Launcher in the video footage, it's likely that they wanted to have it that early, but it wasn't working in the build the video was recorded from.
The lack of numbers helps date the Flak Cannon image to January or February 1999, as the footage seems to be from around that time period.
Minigun
The Minigun seen in the Jay Wilbur interview video has the weapon closer to the center of the screen and without a functioning ammo count.
Sniper Rifle
In the Jay Wilbur interview, the game does not bring up a large crosshair graphic when the player zooms in. Instead, the game simply zooms the player's view while the regular crosshair stays on the screen. This zooming behavior is used by the Rifle in Unreal, showing the Sniper Rifle was almost exactly like the Rifle when the footage was recorded in Jan.
Maps
Several map differences can be seen in pre-release screenshots and videos.
CTF-Face
An early pre-release video made by gamestar.de and the Jay Wilbur interview video shows an early version of CTF-Face. The most noticeable difference is that the flag is located at the very back of each base's interior, on the other side of the teleport that leads to the top of the tower.
In the Jay Wilbur interview video, the top of the tower has Rifle ammo boxes from Unreal, not the Sniper Rifle ammo boxes used in Unreal Tournament.
It's likely that the CTF-Face shown in the videos is earlier than the one in Version 222, as the V222 CTF-Face uses Crypt2 textures for the blue base, but has the flag in the final's position.
CTF-Lavagiant
The CTF-Lavagiant seen in the Jay Wilbur interview has several texture differences. The ground uses a darker ground texture and the rock texture used throughout the map is different as well. The blue base uses detailed stone textures that looks like the textures used at the end of the Chizra area in Unreal instead of the brick ones used in the final game.
A pre-release screenshot shows that there were structures on the left and right sides of the Red base's back at one point. V222 shows that these were meant to be sniper's nests.
AS-OceanFloor
Early screenshots featuring the blue and yellow HUD take place in AS-OceanFloor. The central room is the same size as the one in the final game, but the center area with the computer terminals is much smaller, lacks the large walls on each side of the computers, and does not have the crates near it.
AS-Frigate
An early screenshot shows a different AS-Frigate. The biggest difference is that the map appears to take place at night. The frigate itself looks to be the same as the final's, but looking past it reveals that a good chunk of the outside area, like the attacking team's spawn point, the ruins behind the frigate itself, and the warehouse's open doors are missing. This design also appears in the Jay Wilbur video.
This version appears to have been changed before Version 222 was compiled, as Version 222's AS-Frigate takes place during the day and has all of the outdoors areas, like the final version does. However, a hidden map preview screenshot in the files was taken from the older version seen in a preview screenshot, so the change might've taken place fairly close to the time V222 was compiled.
DOM-Cinder
A picture posted by the defunct Gamespot UK features a shot of the same area seen in the other screenshots, but focuses on the upper rafters. What's interesting is that Unreal 's Kelvar Vest is where the Thigh Pads should be, but what appears to be the final's Rocket ammo packs in the distance. Version 222, the first prototype with DOM-Cinder, has Thigh Pads, not a Kevlar Vest.
DOM-Leadworks
A preview screenshot shows that DOM-Leadworks points were named differently at one point. The screenshot calls them Cooling Room, Lead Tower, and Lava Bridge instead of Storage, Tower, and Bridge.
DOM-MetalDream
The Jay Wilbur interview video shows a very early version of DOM-MetalDream with several differences. The most intereting is that the video shows that DOM-MetalDream was meant to have a whopping five control points early on. Version 222's DOM-MetalDream has three textures, but has a leftover from it, as the control points are numbered 1, 2, and 4 in the HUD, which only makes sense if there were more than three points in the level at one point.
The Jay Wilbur video also shows that DOM-MetalDream used the ISV-Kran's textures (from Unreal) at one point. A few remnants of this can be seen in Version 222's DOM-MetalDream, which has a few leftover ISV-Kran textures, such as the texture used on crates.
DOM-Sesmar
The gamestar.de preview videos shows the pillar that the Hall of Pillars control point is on on the same level that the floor is. The textures on the nearby pillars are different as well.
DM-KGalleon
One of the first screenshots released shows an early version of DM-KGalleon. A Udamage is seen on the bed instead of ammo.
Another early screenshot shows KgGalleon's mast with more prominent red lighting and a pitch black exterior. There are no red lights on the masts in the final version. This image was uploaded on February 3rd, 1999.
DM-Peak
A pre-release screenshot shows what appears to be the final's DM-Peak, but with Unreal items. This is unusual, as it has the final's textures, but the item placement suggests it was taken before the transition to UT assets was complete.
Unknown Level 1
A scrapped CTF level appears among the first screenshots released. The map has three boxes with the pseudo-Nazi logo seen in AS-Overlord with the Red flag on top of the upper crate. The walls use a rough-looking wall texture with various rocks poking out of it, which is used in the final game. An upper path can be seen.
Unknown Level 2
Another shot shows a scrapped Domination level. The area appears to be a small square area with futuristic-looking textures. There's an upper map that people could use to jump down to the lower area, which has a control point. The level has three control points: Saturn, Mars, and Venus.
Unknown Level 3
A removed map using textures similar to Unknown Level 2 appears in one of them. The part seen is a tight hallway with some light fixtures on the walls.
It's possible that this screenshot is actually from Unknown Level 2 because of how similar they look, but unless the level is found, it's impossible to tell for certain.
Unknown Level 4
Unknown Level 4 is the last of the removed levels shown in the first screenshots. It uses similar textures to the ones used in Unknown Levels 2 and 3. The room is generic except for the unusual depression on the floor.
Again, this might be a part of Unknown Level 2 and/or 3, but there's no way to tell unless the level is ever recovered.
Unknown Level 5 (possibly CTF-Doria)
An unused CTF level can be briefly seen in the Jay Wilbur preview video. Based on the few seconds the map can be seen, it features two levels with computers and glass on the upper part and pillars.
This map might possibly be named CTF-Doria, as a map named CTF-Doria appears in the level list seen in the video and is the only map in the preview footage that doesn't match with anything seen in the final game.
