Proto:Hired Guns/Hired Guns CD AGA

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

To do: Document other graphical changes.

Hired Guns CD AGA aka Hired Guns CD32 is an unreleased enhanced version of Hired Guns for the CD32.

The game's existence beyond just a rumor/proposed title was confirmed after the author of the game, Scott Johnston, published a review of the Commodore 64 game Bloodwych on Angus Manwaring's Amiga Games Database Website in 2000. Johnston discussed how Bloodwych inspired Hired Guns, and commented how "One of my favourite sounds (only in the AGA version [of Hired Guns]) was from the film Where Eagles Dare". This was the first concrete evidence that an enhanced version of the game actually existed for AGA-chipset Amigas.

While the game's existence had now been confirmed and further details of its features from parties in the know appeared on the internet, the game itself would not be released to the public for another 21 years, when it was uploaded to the internet in July 2021.

The following features were added to the AGA version:

• A new intro sequence
• A new front end menu system
• A redone level selection map in 256 colors
• Redone between-level graphics in HAM8 mode for 16.7 million colors palette
• A new in-game lighting system
• Extended set of sound effects
• Limited attempts to make the game playable on a CD32 console

Naming Confusion

It's not entirely clear what the title of the new version of the game would be. While in the development files the game is consistently referred to as "Hired Guns CD32", the actual game itself hedges its bets and is branded as "Hired Guns Amiga CD" on the new title screen (and "Hired Guns CD AGA" on the menu screen) and the actual game does not feature the official CD32 logo nor even mention "CD32" anywhere. The game also still features Workbench icons when loaded on a full Amiga computer (suggesting it wasn't intended as a pure CD32 game) and offers two versions of the same game: a "Mouse" version and a "Gamectrl" version. The Mouse version is clearly designed to be run on a full Amiga computer, as it still offers the original game's option of quitting back to desktop from the title screen.

Early references to the game on the internet and in magazines referred to it as "Hired Guns AGA".

CD32 Functionality

The GameCtrl version seems to be an attempt at a bonafide CD32 console release with no "exit to Workbench" option. However, overall the game has minimal CD32-specific functionality. Source code reveals development focused on the "chip" code path with all changes in source made there instead of the "fast" memory code and thus seems to have attempted to fit within the CD32's 2MB chip RAM limit. Other than this, there are minimal concessions to the console as there is no support for saving game to CD32 NVRAM and the game still extensively requires use of keyboard shortcuts to play (including accessing save, load, and quit functions).

The game has a new "gamepad" option in the controls menu, presumably for CD32 pad support, but it seems to be totally broken: Choosing this option does allow control of the menus with a joypad as expected, but otherwise the game reacts as if it is expecting mouse inputs and it is impossible to move the cursor properly. Even more seriously, pressing the green button on the controller in port 1 leads to the game screen corrupting and potentially crashing the game. Due to this issue, it seems it's only possible to play two players using mouse controls for each. It's also no longer possible to choose the old "joystick" option to control the game despite it being listed in the controls menu.

Booting the game on a CD32 results in the intro running and then the game dropping out to an AmigaDOS prompt once it has completed. It's not possible to play the game on a CD32 console as-is.

Game Save Functionality

If you run the game from CD on an AGA Amiga computer, it's impossible to save to hard disk as it tries to save to its own directory on the CD (which obviously is not writeable). Copying the game to a hard drive and running it still prevents saving to HDD as there is a missing folder called "SavedGames" in the game root. Adding this directory by hand allows full saving to hard disk as in the original release of the game.

Saving to floppy disk also works fine. Saving to RAM disk no longer seems to work as the game always reports that memory is too full to save. This suggests the game cannot take advantage of Fast RAM (as even saving to RAM disk on a system with 8MB fast RAM fails), and due to the new code/content there is no longer enough space in Chip RAM for this function to work anymore.

Older Build

The main executable is the file "Hired Guns" in the game root. This same executable is loaded by clicking on either of the two game icons, mouse or gamectrl - they simply pass different arguments on how to run the game. The gamectrl icon is not backed by a file. The mouse icon however actually is. This file ("Hired Guns (Mouse)") is an older build of the main executable, dated 23rd January 23, 1994 versus the final executable's date of January 26. If it's renamed to "Hired Guns" and used to overwrite the main executable, the game seems to boot up fine and the menu screen runs, but it immediately freezes with just the music playing.

New Intro

The original Amiga game featured a single static splash screen with music playing on load. The AGA version keeps this music, but now features a new introductory sequence. However, this is a simple slideshow of static images with text superimposed on top. Strangely (and probably because of the unfinished nature of the game), the player must advance through each slide by hand by clicking the mouse button; it is not automatic.

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The game icons have a tooltype setting to enable/disable the intro:

EXECUTE="HiredGunsIntro"

This is toggled off on the "Mouse" game icon so the intro will never play. Toggling it back on will cause it to start playing the intro on load (assuming the game is copied to a writeable source such as a hard disk; it cannot be changed if on a CD).

New Menu System

Original	AGA Version (Mouse Control)

The entire front-end menu system was rewritten as part of the new AGA version. As well as removing the necessity of using the keyboard to choose the options (presumably for CD32 compatibility where there would be no keyboard), the menu can now be controlled entirely with both mouse and controller. The AGA version also now includes part of the (frankly rather ugly) artwork used as the title screen of the PC version. Note the "Mouse" version here still includes an option to quit back to Workbench. The Character Selection screen is also now fully controllable with mouse and controller rather than keyboard only as in the original.

Note the bugged selection box when run in "GameCtrl" mode. The items do work when chosen but the selector is not aligned with the text of each option. Also note the lack of a quit option in this mode. The new menu system also now always brings up the control options screen even if only a one player game is started. Previously this would only be seen if two or more players were chosen, meaning theoretically it would now be possible to play one player with a joystick rather than mouse, which wasn't possible before. Peculiarly it's not possible to choose joystick control if one or two players are chosen, but these settings are unlocked (for all players) if a 3 or more players game is started. Joystick control seems to still work fine as in the original game, it's only the new Gamepad option that is broken.

Improved Graphics

Original	AGA Version

The above shows the start of the short action level "Animal Enclosure" in both versions of the game. Note the new lighting system giving the AGA version a slightly washed out appearance. Note also the redrawn tree graphic and the larger font used for the time limit in this mode.

The game now runs in 256 colors and there is now a simplistic but more realistic lighting system instead of flat lighting across a level. Light can shine on areas and be blocked by objects in its path.

The vast majority of in-game graphics have not been redrawn or changed for the AGA version. All player characters are the same, as are monsters (while the PC version featured recolored versions of the player graphics, these are not used in the AGA version).

• When a key is needed to open a door, the pop up showing which one is needed now flashes the key graphic.
• The muzzle flash graphics for all weapons have been redrawn.
• Weapon and item graphics have been touched up with a slightly larger color palette. Some of the items like keycards and psi amps have been recolored.
• Item names are now displayed in pale blue instead of red as in the retail game.
• Skybox color gradients have been redone for all levels.
• One of the few level tiles graphics that seems to have been redrawn is the graphics for tree objects. The old sheet contained graphics for four different sorts of trees (a fir tree, a kind of willow tree, etc). The new graphic replaces these with only one type of tree copied four times, but with slightly different color palette.

New Map Screen

Original	AGA Version

The map screen has been re-generated (it appears to be a Vista Pro image) with a higher color palette, so no more ugly dithering. The red points of interest on the map wete replaced with Radiation symbols, presumably to make the facy you're trying to recover the reactor cores from them a little clearer. The final spaceport level still has a red ring around it, however. The "Digital Terrain System" branding is missing from the new version.

Improved Static Screens

Original	AGA Version

The between-level introductory screens are called "statics" by the game files. These have all been redone in HAM8 mode for a much bigger color palette and even higher resolution. However, their display code does not seem to actually work properly, and the build of the game included in the files shows a corrupted red screen instead of the actual picture. Note also the flavor texts at the bottom of the screen are now missing.

In-Game	On Disc

The new map splash screen. For some reason it was decided this would be shown before every level is loaded in addition to the original static screens introducing the level. Worse still, it does not display correctly in-game, showing a mangled color palette. Compare this to the same file on disc for how it should appear.

New Sound Effects

Much is made in some of the comments from the developers on the new sound effects in the AGA game, but actually checking the files there are not many of them. The extended audio mode in the original game had 29 sound samples, the AGA game adds on this for a total of 32 samples.

There are three brand-new sound effects, and two replacements for existing sounds:

Filename	Sound Effect
StarWarsBlaster.8svx
SubMachineGun_Eagles.8svx
Reload4.8svx
GunFire5_alternate.8svx
GunFire7_alternate.8svx

The above SubMachineGun_Eagles sample is the sound effect referenced in the 2000 Scott Johnston review. It's used as the sound effect for the new Submachinegun weapon carried by e.g. Clavius. GunFire7_alternate replaces the sound used for the mounted minigun carried e.g. by Cim, and the same weapon also uses the new reload4 sound effect for reloading instead of the default ballistic reload sound. StarWarsBlaster replaces the sound for the Blaster-52C weapon carried by e.g. Miyriel.

New Weapon

Clavius starts with a new weapon that was not in the retail game and replaces his old Blaster and ammunition, the Sub-Machine Gun. This is unused but present in the development files for OCS Version 39.26 but has a higher color palette in the AGA version:

Item	Description / Notes	Image
Sub-Machine Gun	"A cheap weapon. Very light but exceedingly unreliable." Uses 9mm ammunition

Item Balance Changes

The following changes have been made from the retail release for characters' starting items:

• Clavius now starts with a Sub-Machine Gun and 3 lots of various 9mm ammo for it instead of a Blaster and its energy cells.
• CIM now starts with a third extra .44 AET magazine.
• Adele's single .44 THV magazine had its contents increased from 150 to 250 rounds.
• Miyriel was given a spare 3KV cell on game start from previously having no spare cells.
• CIM-Lite was given a spare 3KV cell on game start from previously having no spare cells.

Map Files

Testing shows that the new lighting effect has to be baked into a map. Copying maps from the retail release of the game into the AGA version will still let you play that map, but original game maps do not have the new lighting. This means all levels must have been updated for the AGA build. They now have a January 1994 timestamp. Bug fix reports from the development files also suggest that bugs in the original retail game maps are fixed in these versions (Todo: Confirm this).

Map Changes

There seem to be changes made to some maps both in comparison to the retail game, but also even the v39.26 OCS build. Changes observed include:

• The first campaign map (07.map) has its bat enemies changed to now be rats. It also now features extra lighting in some areas, including the underwater lift entrances.

Cut Levels

The assembled game files as found on the CD32 .iso do not contain any new levels over the original release despite claims from the developers on the internet (and in development documents) that the enhanced version would have featured more levels. Checking the game files shows the same missing level files as the original release.

These missing maps are present in the development files leaked along with the AGA game, as well as some some new levels that seem to have been created specifically for the AGA version, but were not yet included in the actual AGA game build.