Proto:Shadow Warrior (1997)/Prototype 1995-02-10

This is a sub-page of Proto:Shadow Warrior (1997).

The February 1995 Shadow Warrior prototype was produced a little bit more than a month after the previous prototype. It is very similar to the previous prototype. However, several weapon graphics have been shuffled around, new graphics have been added, and code changes have made the game more stable. The most notable thing about this prototype is the large number of levels it contains, giving a good look at how level development was going at this stage of the game's creation.

General

HUD

This prototype now has a working HUD. It shows health, the number of the weapon the player has, ammo, and manna. The manna is presumably related to the spell-casting ability the player had in the 1994 prototype and the unused graphics for a fire spell in this prototype.

Prototype	Final

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  Ripped HUD graphic.

Flying

Flying now behaves like it does in the final game.

Documents

This prototype is packed with documents from the game's developers. These contain interesting tidbits, such as a full log of changes for the Build engine dating back from February 1994 and notes about level design.

Documents A whole lot of interesting development-related stuff in here.

JSMP0207 (Level Design Notes and Drawings)

This prototype contains a .zip file called "JSMP0207". Opening it up reveals level files for E1L2 and E1L5, drawings and notes for them, and a text file from Joe Selinske (under the nickname Joe Ske), who worked at Apogee/3D Realms in the early-to-mid-90s.

JOESMAPS.TXT

Hi there,

Here are the Maps and PCX's of the current levels that I have made. I tried 
to get all of the main areas listed here on the maps. If you want more
detail, like and extensive walk through of how I think the level would be
played out, please let me know.

Joe Ske

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  E1L2

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  E1L2

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  E1L2

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  E1l2

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  E1L5

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  E1L5

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  E1L5

Graphics

Removed Graphics

This prototype introduces several new prop sprites, some of which were removed for the final game.

Graphic	Tile Number	Notes
	360-362
	384
	385
	388	The dying Master Leep sprite has overwritten this one in the final game.
	395

Skybox

This prototype contains a new skybox texture. This one appears to be heavily WIP, as it's clearly several images of Japanese architecture overlaid on a drawn background without the images' borders being cleaned up.

Screen Border

The image used for a border when shrinking the screen has a unique graphic not seen in the final game.

Weapons

Many of the weapon sprites seen in the previous prototype have been cleaned up to remove the background they were taken with, and in some rare cases, the model’s face.

Unfortunately, it seems that the weapons’ code was not updated to use the new sprites, making them a jumbled mess of semi-random sprites in-game.

Shuriken

The shuriken’s first person sprite has been replaced with a flat-shaded, drawn version of the sprites. What this is for is unknown.

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  Shuriken hand without a shuriken.

Scythe

In the place of the katana is a simple-looking scythe. The sprites for it also use the same flat-shaded style that the shuriken’s first person sprites do.

Uzi

Besides the usual background clean-up the rest of the weapon sprites got, the reload animation now uses the same sprites that the final’s reload animation does, but with the old-style black sleeve hands. This is the only weapon in this prototype that has its idle and firing animations show correctly.

Grenade

The grenade’s first person sprites have been cleaned up as well, removing the background and the developer’s face in some of the sprites.

Notably, the grenade has gained a proper projectile sprite when thrown. Sprites for the lever flying off have been included as well.

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  Thrown grenade

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  Flying lever

Magic Spell 1

The first magic spell is the same as it was in the previous prototype.

Magic Spell 2

The second magic spell behaves the same as it did before, but now it uses new first person sprites.

The first person sprites are very similar to the one used by the fireball spell in the 1994 prototype.

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  Version of the fire spell without the fire effect on the hand. This goes unused in-game.

Magic Spell 3

The third magic spell is the same as it was in the previous prototype.

Enemies

Ninja

Unlike the January 1995 prototype, the ninja's melee attacks can hurt and kill the player. Each hit does about 5 damage.

Panther/Cat

The panther enemy found in the January 1995 prototype's files can be encountered and fought. He will slowly run up to the player, but will never attack. Instead, he'll constantly rub against the player.

Baby Ripper

The Baby Ripper can also be fought. He will slowly walk up the player like the panther does and will attack with his claws once he gets into melee range. His attacks do no damage, however. He seems to lack the wall-jumping skills his final counterpart has.

Items

Keys

This prototype includes keys. The graphics do not match any of the keys in the final game, but the colors are quite similar to the keycards found and used in the final game.

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  Red key.

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  Blue key.

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  Green key.

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  Yellow key.

Tornado Bottle

This prototype includes a new item; a small tornado in a black bottle. What it does when picked up is unknown.

Levels

Title

Title.map is a level that shows this graphic from the January prototype with a wavy effect. Hitting the Enter or Spacebar keys will send the player to actor.map.

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Actor

Actor.map is a large testing map that is a mix of AI testing and various special effects the team had made at the time. Most AI testing is done by walking up to a certain point, then watching the creature follow a set path.

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  Start

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Bbreak

Bbreak is a medium-sized underdetailed building interior with a bridge over water that leads to nowhere and a lot of empty rooms.

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  start

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Bbreak3a

Bbreak3 is completely different form Bbreak, despite sharing a name. The player starts out on a boat and facing a gate. Behind the gate a landmass with another boat can be seen. Past the boat is a large castle. The player can infiltrate the castle by jumping to a balcony from the outer walls or opening a door on the back of the castle interior. The castle itself is mostly empty.

Near the castle’s front gate is a rocky path that leads to a dead end.

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  Start

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Blank

Blank is a giant, dark, and empty rectangle. Wow.

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  Blank in all of its empty glory.

E1L1

E1L1 has the player start out next to a boat. Near the boat is a bridge the player can walk under. Past the bridge is a fork; the left side leads further downstream, while the right side leads to a coast that lets the player get on land.

The left side contains an opening on the left side that leads to a cache of grenades and a series of small rooms that puts the player at the bridge seen at the start of the map. This part ends at a coast that has several water tiles moving up and down in order to simulate a wave-like pattern. However, there are pieces of walkable land on the side that make the technical trick behind it obvious. At the very end of this coast is a door that leads to an underground pool that has a buddha statue at the end and a bridge that connects back to the right side discussed earlier.

Meanwhile, the right side leads upwards to a split path between two doors and a walkway upwards. The walkway leads to a single building at the top of the map, the left door leads to a small building that ends in an empty room, and the right leads to a room that connects with the bridge seen at the start of the map and a cramped room with a fire bottle and a statue.

The beginning of the map is very similar to the beginning of the first map in the final game’s Code of Honor episode in that both of them have the player start out on (in this map’s case, near) a boat that has an Uzi in it, presumably to sail down to a set location.

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  Start

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E1L1BT1

E1L1BT1 adds some ninjas on the walkway at the start of the map and some Coolies at the first coast the player can get on. A new area has been added to the left side of the first coast the player lands on, which can also be accessed on the far left of the map. The patches of land on the left and right sides of the moving water have been removed to make the effect look more natural. The empty room found in E1L1 has a moving set of pillars with a lava texture on it, but the way to access the room has been sealed off. Finally, a gong has been added to the path from the left coast to add more detail.

An early pre-release screenshot shows this level (or E1L1BT9), but with the boat moving.

E1L1BT1	Pre-release image

E1L1	E1L1BT1

E1L1	E1L1BT1

E1L1	E1L1BT1

E1L1	E1L1BT1

E1L1	E1L1BT1

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  Area past the right-hand cave on the left path.

E1L1BT9

E1L1BT9 adds some rock props on the first coast and a new pond room on the upper part of the map. A secret door has been added to access the room with the moving flame pillar set. This also reveals that an electricity bottle has been added to the room as well.

E1L1	E1L1BT9

E1L1	E1L1BT9

E1L1	E1L1BT9

E1L1	E1L1BT9

E1L1	E1L1BT9

E1L2

E1L2 is the level “JOE-4” found in the January prototype, but with a fire bottle in the secret room behind the throne, an Uzi in the middle of the staircase room, and another fire bottle in the secret room in the sewers. It also starts the player out in the sewers area, suggesting this is where the player was really supposed to start the level.

E1L3

E1L3 is the same as it is in the January 1995 prototype.

E1l4

E1L4 takes place in a riverside village that appears to have been attacked, presumably by the game’s enemy.

The player starts off in what appears to be a meeting hall, goes through an area with what looks like a tree texture, then exits into a small forest area. That contains a few paintings on shrines just above the ground. Past the forest in the village itself, where the player starts in the destroyed part of it. The village is surrounded by a river the player can travel around to see various buildings and shrines laid on both sides of the island. Most of the buildings are empty, but some, such as a good-sized temple, contain secret items when visited. On one part of the river is a small stone island with a building at its top.

There is a boat that automatically moves around the river.

The most interesting part is that the area the player starts in, the meeting hall, is used in the final game’s Monastery level, with the only difference being different textures in some spots.

E1L4	Monastery

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  Start

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E1L5

E1L5 is a large map that consists of several parts.

The first part is a large room with a waterfall that has a crystal orb on top of it for some reason. This room serves as the bridge between the two other major parts of the map.

One major part is a big but empty room with walkways above it. The walkways can only be accessed by floating with the F key. Both walkways suddenly end with falls to the level the player was on. One of the walkways has a key that is found by examining a fake door.

The other major part of the map is a long path that also has two walkways above it. Unlike the previous room, these walkways can be accessed via nearby staircases. The end of the walkway leads to a door that cannot be opened.

The first walkway leads to a dungeon area filled with empty cells (with some of them being partially open) and a dead-end.

The second walkway leads to a large arena. This arena is built so that the combatants would have to climb down to reach the arena proper. On the back side of the arena is an elevated area, presumably designed for someone important to stand and observe. If the player falls down into the arena, the only way to get back up is to use the F key and float out, as the ladders that lead back up do not work.

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  Start

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E1L6

E1L6 is a complex map that consists of several yards, a dungeon, a garden, and what appears to be a training area.

The player begins behind a door that leads to a small room with an elevated area in it.

The lower parts of the map contain a complex set of walkways with a bridge the player can walk over. Some of the walkways near the bottom are surrounded by water and will start to sink once the player walks on them.

A medium-sized room contains a platform over lava with a pillar of lava in the center of it. As soon as the player walks on one of four parts of the platform, the platform part will begin to sink.

The main outdoors area is a wide area with some trees and a well on one side and nothing on the other wise. It leads to a smaller garden area that connects to a tiny dungeon.

There is also a garden with what appears to be a tomb near the back of it.

Somewhat hidden is a large arena that looks like a training area you’d see in a martial arts movie. It has a small arena in the center, stands, a jump pad used to access an Uzi, a throne, and a moving pillar that rotates around the small arena.

Interestingly, parts of this map seem to have eventually been incorporated in the final game’s Zilla’s Villa level, suggesting this is actually a very early prototype of that level.

E1L6	Zilla’s Villa

E1L6	Zilla’s Villa

E1L6	Zilla’s Villa

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  Start

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E1L9

E1L9 is the same as it is in the January 1995 prototype.

FRANK4

FRANK4 is actually the level “lvl1-3” from the 1994 prototype. The map’s textures are completely broken, suggesting its textures weren’t changed from the 1994 prototype. Some new testing areas were added near the river area, but otherwise the map is the same.

This level suggests that the player’s proportions have changed between 1995 and this prototype, as the player cannot fit into ducts and the doorway that eventually leads to the ‘’Doom’’ E1M5-like area.

The "frank" in this level's name likely refers to Frank Maddin, one of the game's developers.

FRANK4	1994 lvl1-3

FRANK4	1994 lvl1-3

FRANK4	1994 lvl1-3

FRANK4	1994 lvl1-3

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  New area found in FRANK4.

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  New area found in FRANK4.

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  New area found in FRANK4.

Sectrick

Sectrick consists of various effects the developers were playing around with, such as a moving pit that looks a lot like the Sarlaac pit from Star Wars, a drill, a buzzsaw moving around on its side, a Guardian sprite surrounded by scythe sprites, and a crusher that quickly moves around a room.

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SW-E1

SW-E1 is one of the first two maps in the prototype that uses an older map format. Thankfully, this can be fixed by converting it to format 6 via a tool downloaded from Ken Silverman’s website.

The map itself is very simple. It consists of a dockyard with a building on each side, some water before the docks, and an empty area behind the two buildings. There is an area that can be crawled under on the left side of the left building, but it leads to a grate that cannot be bypassed.

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  Start

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SW-E1-L1

SW-E1-L1 is the other level that needs to be converted to map format 6 before it can be played.

Despite sharing a name with SW-E1, this level is completely different. The player starts facing a large building. Inside it is a secret door that leads to a dead end. Outside, there is a staircase that leads to the second floor, but it is empty.

Before the building is a beach that has a boat with a static ninja on it and a tide effect on the water near the beach. The right side of the beach has a hole that can be crawled through, leading to a ledge that can only be accessed by using the F key. After some more crawling, the player will end up on a ledge facing the beach. A path there lets the player fall down to the building area.

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  Start

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  First floor

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  Second floor

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Zwork1

Zwork1 is a map meant to show off various tricks the level developers had made, such as a proper bridge and a door that pivots to the side when a switch is hit.

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  Start

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Zwork2

Zwork2 is another demonstration level by the developers, but this one is much smaller and has only three unique rooms. It mostly seems to be a test for the jump pads the developers had made.

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  Start

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