Proto:A Hat in Time (Windows, Mac OS X)/Beta

This is a sub-page of Proto:A Hat in Time (Windows, Mac OS X).

The Beta builds were all compiled in March of 2015, a time when the game was starting to change drastically from its Alpha build incarnation and especially its appearance in the Prototype builds. However, the gameplay mechanics, plot, and overall feel of the game is still quite different from the final game. To put it simply: many things changed between the Beta builds and the final. There were four known Beta builds distributed to Kickstarter backers, however, only three builds have been archived; Beta Update 1 has not yet been recovered, and thus is assumed lost. As a result, any of its unique assets and coding cannot be documented here at this time.

Builds:
Beta Base Version - Compiled on March 7 2015 at 2:44 PM.
Beta Update 1 - Released on March 10 2015.
Beta Update 2 - Compiled on March 11 2015 at 10:41 PM.
Beta Update 3 - Compiled on March 30 2015 at 11:29 PM.

Official Changelog by Gears For Breakfast:
(Released March 10 2015) Beta Update 1:

Settings: Graphical options now auto-apply instead of having to press confirm.
Save Data: Fixed a bug where the the player could get stuck if exiting the game after the game intro and before the first time piece.
Fixed Explorer’s Badge disappearing from the loadout.
Fixed a bug where reflective surfaces would be slightly incorrect.

(Released March 12 2015) Beta Update 2:

Fixed a crash when launching the game on some hardware.
Fixed a runtime assertion crash on some hardware.

Mac OSX:
Fixed inconsistent audio volume for various sound effects.

(Released March 30 2015) Beta Update 3:

Reduced shadow acne.
Hat Kid can now double jump following using the hookshot while in the air.
Improved the speedrun timer.
Added additional support for LiveSplit.
Reduced the required hits on the Mafia Boss in Act 4.
Hat Kid now correctly turns to ice when grabbed by Vanessa.

Sub-Pages

Differences to the Final Game Sorry, Hat Kid. You need 50 Time Pieces to access the finale.

Differences Between Builds The Betas really turned up the heat later on...

Unused Objects PURIFICATION BY FIRE!

Unused Text "I've been robbed! In broad moonlight! I can't believe it!"

Unused Textures

Frozen Solid Badge

A HUD icon for the normally unobtainable Frozen Solid badge.

Electro Shock Badge

A HUD icon for the scrapped Electro Shock Badge, leftover from the Alpha builds. Some unobtainable Badges in these builds use this HUD icon as placeholder, such as the Queen's Love Badge.

Timmy Loading Screen

Loading screen art for Timmy, who was originally intended to be the second playable character in Coop and New Game+. Neither mode was available in the Beta, and Timmy's role in the final game was replaced by Bow Kid.

Trainwreck of Science Location Banner

A location banner graphic for Trainwreck of Science, which goes unused in the Beta builds as Train Rush doesn't display a location banner upon starting the level. The graphic still exists in the final game, unused.

Balloon Race Graphics

HUD graphics used by Balloon Race in the Alpha builds, which isn't normally available in the Beta builds.

Collectible Bird

A collectible bird. It can no longer be collected.

Time Of Day HUD Graphics

These seem to be related to some kind of scrapped time-changing system, where a level would have a morning setting, afternoon, and night setting. The only level to really feature different times of day in the final game prominently is Mafia Town.

Camera HUD Graphics

The textures for the unused Camera HUD found in the Alpha builds are still present, still unused. These are the last builds these HUD graphics can be found in.

BG Item Get Graphics

Textures that are leftover from the 'item obtained' background effect from the Alpha builds, with the second of the textures having been updated since those builds. Not present in any builds after the Beta builds.

These textures are actually still used in the builds, alongside the particle, but cannot be seen normally due to changes in how the camera is handled when collecting an important item. To see the particle in the builds, when Hat Kid obtains an important item, open the developer console and type "walk" and press enter. Some camera data should reset, allowing the particle to be seen:

Alpha Update 5 Health HUD Graphics

Leftover graphics for the Health HUD exclusive to the last update for the Alpha version of the game. These graphics were still in the final game at launch.

Water Flask Icon

A placeholder HUD icon for the Water Flask item, which is only present in the final update to the Beta. This icon could be found in the final game and the Modding Tools for a brief time before it was completely removed from both. Water Flasks cannot normally be obtained in Beta Update 3, but can still be spawned with console commands. Upon collecting one, it appears on Hat Kid's person, just above her right leg.

Cocoa Meter

A meter that, going by its name, is meant to tell the player how much cocoa they have. Cocoa isn't a commodity that's possible to collect in the Beta, so this meter is never seen. It was meant to be used in a cut mission for Mafia Town, and was used as a placeholder for the Water Flask HUD in Sand 'n Sails in Beta Update 3.

Cocoa Feedback Graphics

Feedback graphics for the previously-mentioned cocoa mission in Mafia Town. These would be used when the player tries to pour cocoa.

Moon Stars HUD

An unused HUD graphics for a level in Trainwreck of Science, called Moon Stars.

Yo!

A leftover from the 2013 prototype, used by a rapping Mafia member in the prototype version of Mafia Town. The rapper, his stage, and his audience were all removed in the Alpha version of Mafia Town onwards, leaving this texture unused. This is the last public version of the game this texture can be found in. The texture was completely removed at some point before the Speedrun builds.

Unused Music

Default Level Intro Music

A generic level intro theme with marching drums, used as the default theme for an Act's level intro cinematic. Not used in any Beta build because each level already has its own level intro theme. This theme is still unused in the final game.

Mafia Town Intro Loop

The short, basic, looping intro of Mafia Town's theme that was used in Alpha Update 2 through Alpha Update 5. It's still present in the Beta builds' files, unused. This theme can also be found in the final game's Modding Tools.

Unused Animations

Hat Kid

Hat Kid still has the unused Knife Pose animations that were present in Alpha Update 5, and now also has the 'Frozen' animation for being inside a Co-op Respawn Crystal as well as the unused 'Repair1' animation that were both still leftover in the final game (The Frozen animation was later deleted, however). The Repair1 animation was most likely intended for the 'Repairing the Cannon' mission, which is exclusive to the Beta Builds. It's also the last animation imported in the internal order for Hat Kid's animations in the initial release of the Betas.

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  (Click to play) An unused Time Piece Get animation, called "TimeGet_Vince". Vince is one of the 3D animators for the game, so it's likely that he created this animation. For what purpose, is unknown, and there is no corresponding animation for the Time Piece model in the Beta builds to match this animation. The animation was deleted by the Speedrun builds.

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  A version of Hat Kid's animation used when climbing down onto a ladder from a ledge. Hat Kid completely lacks any animation for it and only has a movement animation. This animation, much like the other unused animation here, was deleted by the Speedrun builds.

Conductor

The Conductor has two unique and unused animations exclusive to the Beta builds, which are him standing and walking while holding his hat down a bit. They're called "MurderIdle" and "MurderWalk". They were likely intended for Murder on the Science Express.

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  I got the goods, lassie.

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  Follow me.

Unused Kismet Programming

Mafia HQ

Rhythm Game Segment

To do: Get a video of what can be restored of it in the Beta.

A scrapped rhythm game can be partially activated in Mafia HQ by firing off the command "ce rs" in the developer console. The coding for this minigame is actually almost completely functional, but doesn't work due to disconnected Kismet programming and missing Actors in the level. Several console commands can be used to get the minigame almost working, but unfortunately, the crucial coding in Hat Kid's player class file, which allows the player to actually interact with the minigame by slashing the watermelons, is commented out, and seemingly can't be fixed, even with hex editing. The Kismet programming also tries to change the music in the level when activated, but the music the minigame used was apparently removed from the level, and no longer does anything. The music was likely a placeholder track, although what music it was exactly, is unknown. The video on the right is a restoration of the minigame after being ported to the final game.

Vanessa's Manor

Queen Zapper Event

Leftover from the Alpha builds is the same unused Sequence and Remote Events that were present in the Alpha builds. By enabling the unused Sequence and Remote Events related to it, it can be activated by using the developer console. Firing off the command "re queenzapped3rd" will trigger a brief flash of white, a key will fly out of the doorway, and the doorway will get covered in darkness and black smoke, becoming unusable as well. This is all leftovers from a Prototype version of the level, one that featured Hat Kid attacking Queen Vanessa with the lights instead of Snatcher Kid.

Unused Cinematics

Several unused cinematics can be found using the console. There are four unused cinematics in Mafia Town (both normal and rain variants), named cine1, cine2, cine3, and cine4. There is also one unused cinematic in Mafia HQ titled rs. The description for this is "Rhythm Segment", which is the remnants of the scrapped rhythm slashing minigame shown above. The cinematic doesn't do much though, and never ends due to disconnected Kismet Programming.

Level Secrets And Oddities

Secret Trainwreck of Science Spaceship Hook Point

Hidden in all versions of the Beta is a secret hook point next to the Trainwreck of Science door aboard the Spaceship Hub. If unhidden through console commands, and interacted with, if the player has not yet unlocked the Trainwreck of Science door, it'll open, allowing access to the room. It does not, however, unlock the Chapter. This was most likely the way the player would access the Chapter originally, requiring the hookshot.

Leftover Older Act Select Programming

There are two older remnants of an older method of accessing the Act select for Chapters. For Mafia Town, the tube next to the kitchen (which is also where the player happens to spawn after returning to the Spaceship from Mafia Town in the Beta) was once going to be used to access the Chapter. A time clock was even attached to the top of it in the Alpha builds. The other Chapter to have a remnant is Trainwreck of Science, where the pod next the telescope in the room would've been used in the same manner as the tube for Mafia Town. Ghosting into them via console commands locks the player's controls and shifts the camera to a locked view. Nothing else happens and the player can't do anything else, so the only way to get out of this is to restart.

Inaccessible Areas

Spaceship Hub

While much more complete than its Alpha counterpart, the Beta Spaceship Hub is still unfinished; all areas that can't be accessed normally through gameplay are very clearly a work in progress.

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• The domed slide room has seen virtually no changes since the Alpha, besides getting a different set of placeholder textures.

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• Behind the 30 timepiece door is a pod machine floating in an empty void, complete with steering wheel and colorful buttons. Also visible in this area is what appears to be an elevator mechanism beneath the Mafia Town hub room's oven. This is leftover from one of the ideas Gears For Breakfast had for selecting a level to play. One idea was that after selecting a level, Hat Kid would jump into a tube or pod like this one, and go rocketing to the planet.

Mafia Town

Mafia HQ

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• Mafia HQ has a secret underground poker room that's inaccessible in normal gameplay. In this same area is a second room with an inoperable door. This room would later be accessible in the final game.

Secret Island

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• Hidden on the same island as in the Alpha build is a tent with a blackboard inside of it, complete with the writing of a slightly miffed level designer. Within this same tent is a chest that contains a single measly Pon.
  • W.T.N is short for William T. Nicholls, Gears for Breakfast's art director and level designer.

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• An absurdly large Pon, floating on top of a coconut tree. It emits the same sparkling noise hourglasses make, and when collected adds one orb to your counter.

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• On the opposite side of the island is what appears to be a cinderblock...that on closer inspection, is a gravestone that uses a basic alphabet cipher to obfuscate the text. When translated, the headstone reads:

HERE LIES MY DAD WHO LOVED ME WITH ALL OF HIS HEART AND KNEW I COULD ALWAYS BE A SUCCESS IN ALL THAT I DID

FlyingHouse

Mafia Town

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• A strange flying object found in the skybox of Mafia Town. The object is titled "flyinghouse" in its filename. The player is instantly killed upon approaching it due to it being outside the world boundaries.
• The object shows up on the Day, Night, and both Modular versions of the Mafia Town map.

UE Viewer

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• The strange object in a model viewer. It appears to be vaguely similar to Glitzville from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

Inaccessible Time Piece

A Time Piece, called "beachrace" or "Balloon Race in Mafia Town", is leftover from the Alpha builds. The race itself is not normally able to be started due to the lack of rockets in the level and the flaming 'Are You Worthy?' ring not triggering the race when passed through. A console command can still be fired to start the race and force a rocket to appear. Note that the rocket for the race will only appear in Beta builds prior to Beta Update 3. Beta Update 3 changed a lot of coding regarding vehicles, as the sandmobile for Sand 'n Sails was under active development between Beta Updates 2 and 3, and so vehicles are completely unusable in Beta Update 3 and do not spawn. Thus, in Beta Update 3, additional console commands will be required to actually "play" the race, shown below:

Leftover Alpha Train Rush Platforms

Leftover Hidden in Train Rush are several objects from the Alpha version of the level, seen in Habboi's developer video on the level. Remnants of this also still exist in the current final game, but less. The middle platform, the right-most wind turbine, and the pulley cart underneath it were all removed by the final. The Trigger Volume for making the wind turbine pop up from below, as it did in the video, also still exists in the Beta, and is fully functional, but disabled.

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Leftover Prototype Mafia Town Lava Geyser

Still leftover in the Beta builds is the unused lava geyser from the Prototype version of Mafia Town. It also still uses the unique crack model from those builds. After the Betas, this would be completely removed and deleted before the final game.

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