Proto:Bonkers (Genesis)/August 4, 1994 Prototype

This is a sub-page of Proto:Bonkers (Genesis).

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  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

The August 4th build pretty much concludes all the early material. The only level that still differs greatly from the final is Hollywood Freeway. Level cinematics have been implemented and while the text differs a bit, it's nothing major.

(Prototype source: Hidden Palace)

General Differences

August 4th Proto	Final

• The level select has been updated to use the background for the title screen, though the palette is different, and there are other differences which are worth noting. Also note that the level select lacks a copyright date at the bottom. Choosing Whole Game starts the game off as if one were to play the final game from start to finish. Of course, starting with...

• Another Sega screen, this time with Bonkers pushing the S in. The final has random animations each time you reset, this one not included.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Although it isn't as noticeable as the level select's, the background's title screen palette is different as well. The sky had an extra purple gradient (orange in the level select), the hill to the right was shorter, and other miscellaneous parts weren't cleaned up yet.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Bonkers had a duller palette, his right ear was redrawn so as to not cover the badge on his hat, a turquoise pixel was added to his left eye, and his shadow wasn't crafted for dithering (except for his tie which remains undithered), there's no copyright, and an option to turn off the music is available.

August 4th Proto	Final

• The outline around "Bonkers" was blue, and overall the shading was unfinished.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Passwords were expanded from being 6 symbols long, to 8 in the final.

Intro

• Bonkers runs up to the "Officer of the Month" poster slower.

August 4th Proto	Final

• The poster was also smaller.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Lucky lacked sunglasses.

Text Differences

August 4th Proto	Final
OH BOY! AN 'OFFICER OF THE MONTH' COMPETITION.	OH BOY! OH BOY! AN 'OFFICER OF THE MONTH' COMPETITION.
WHILE LUCKY IS ON VACATION, I'LL WIN. HE'LL BE SO PROUD.	I KNOW...WHILE LUCKY IS ON VACATION, I'LL TRY TO WIN. HE'LL BE SO PROUD.
ALL I HAVE TO DO IS ARREST THESE FOUR BAD GUYS.	ALL I HAVE TO DO IS ARREST THESE FOUR BAD GUYS.
SNITCH WILL KNOW WHERE TO FIND THEM.

• At the end of the cutscene, Bonkers runs up to the poster again.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Like the wall, the wood paneling was also a basic gradient in this build.
• The pinned papers were slightly modified to make the blue lines more visible.
• Ma Tow Truck and Harry the Handbag also switched places.
• Possibly for licensing complications, Mickey Rat was referred to as The Rat in the final.
• When selecting a villain, Bonkers may sometimes jump twice.
• The posters also fade their color in when highlighted, whereas they are instantly in color in the final.

August 4th Proto	Final

• The palette for the posters was different, and Ma Tow Truck's was fixed up a bit.

Level Differences

Junkyard Mayhem

August 4th Proto	Final

• This level's music uses a slightly different lead instrument.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Bonker's health indicator was made bigger for each of the games.

• A lone brick is always stored at the upper-left of the playfield and in view, until Mickey Rat swings at the wall with a hammer.
• The wall doesn't have to be 100% complete to be deemed finished.

August 4th Proto	Final

• Pausing the game overwrites the brick graphics.
• This level can sometimes crash or softlock the game. It's currently unknown as to why this is the case.

Warehouse

August 4th Proto	Final

Bonkers pushes the level number in while Fall Apart pours water over the bomb. In the final, Bonkers pushes Fall Apart in, and there's two crates. The alphabet for these screens (not just for the Warehouse's) lack any proper dropshadow in this build.

Once Bonkers collects all of Fall Apart's pieces, the player can view his picture, not unlike the final. The extra word bubble was cut in later builds.

Hollywood Freeway

August 4th Proto	Final

• The gum icon was made more gum-like.

Within the cinematic that plays when choosing this level, a sprite of the Toon Siren character appears that's not in the final. This is what's seen in the final version.

But this...

Proto screen 1	Proto screen 2

...is what's in the proto.

August 4th Proto	Final

This billboard had the text removed, was shortened, and its underlying shiners simplified. There's also a different Bonkers billboard from the last build that's much smaller. It still didn't make it into the final, though. None of the off-road had any grass, and the trees and bushes were more far between.

Another scrapped billboard. Probably considered too racy for a kids' game or something.

Death Cinema

• Bonkers' hat flies less far to the left, and Toots isn't synced up to his little ditty.

Game Over

August 4th Proto	Final

• Mickey Rat was absent on the Game Over screen.

Win Game / Credits

August 4th Proto	Final

• The location of a few audience members are different.
• The cutscene abruptly ends halfway through, while the music continues into the credits.
• The music has a definitive end, which was altered to loop indefinitely to compensate for the longer sequence in the final game.

August 4th Proto	Final

August 4th Proto	Final

• Beyond the initial victory track, the credits play silently.
• There's no castle, no moon, and no water reflection effect.
• There's no color distinction, nor additional spacings, between the occupations and names.
• The following are uncredited in this build; Assistant SOA Producer Erik Wahlberg, Disney Producer Gary Graeper, Music/Sound Artist Jeffrey Glenn Tverras, Graphics Ultilizers Claude Foucault and Alex Suzdaltsev, Technical Support Hooell Monleon, Lead Tester Joe Cain, Assistant Lead Mark Dawson, and Testers Crisi Albertson, Aaron Bandur, Mo Berry, John Brien, Blair Bullock, Derek Carmichael, Donald Carmichael, Pete Clark, Dan Cohen, Chris Colon, Steve Fallas, Arnold Galano, Aaron Holmes, Kwame Jeffers, Kevin Johnson, Jeff Junio, Jeffrey Kessler, Amine Khoury, Randy Kreidt, Jay Lee, Jay Mijares, Chris Sinclair, Steve Smith, Manuel Sousa, Gregg Vogt, Christine Watson, Mike Williams, Daniel Wong, David Wood, Additional Game Designers Joe Cain, Keith Higashihara, and Vy Nong.
• Bryan Wilkinson is credited as an Animator, and "Technical Manager" is "Technical Director".
• The credits scroll like an old inkjet printer.
• The credits instantly disappear once they reach the top of the screen.
• Most credits beyond the "Gameplay Consultation" are blank.
  • There are credit listings for "Product Manager" and "Marketing", which are absent in the final scroll.