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Proto:Shadow Warrior (1997)/Prototype 1997-04-04

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

How about a nice leek in this trying time?
This page or section details content from the Shadow Warrior 1997-04-04 Prototype Leak.

The April 4th, 1997 Shadow Warrior prototype is an interesting look at a game approaching completion. Compiled shortly before the game's release, this was spread by a tech support employee wanting to play a net game with a friend of his. However, the prototype spread far enough that said employee was soon fired. Lots of data from the game dating back to 1994 was deleted from the final game, but can still be found in this version.

General

Console

Swapril97 console.png

This prototype contains a console that can be opened with the ~ key, like in many other FPS games. This is where cheats are inputted in this prototype.

Message Positioning

Messages are positioned closer to the top of the screen in this prototype than they are in the final game.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 message.png Sw97final message.png

In-Game Chat

The in-game chat uses the same font that the quit message does in this prototype. The final swaps it to a smaller font. This font is also used in this prototype's console.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 chat.png Sw97final chat.png

Item Counts

When an item is picked up, the game will show how much of that item (or ammo) you get from picking it up. This is removed in the final game, barring the Fortune Cookie.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 ammoitem.png Sw97final ammoitem.png

12 Gauge Misspelling

Swapril97 guage.png

When a box of Riot Gun ammo is picked up, the game will misspell it as "12-Guage Shotgun Shells". This is "fixed" in the final game by calling Riot Gun ammo "shotshells".

Boot-Up Screen

Swapril97 startscreen.png

The boot-up screen is slightly different compared to the previous prototype's. The bar at the top is green, while the message says that the prototype is a beta version of the game that should not be distributed. It also notes that it is an in-house copy of the game.

The game will automatically start without the user having to press a button first.

This version is referred to as beta .90, which is very similar to the previous prototype's name, .09 alpha.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 startscreen.png Sw97final startscreen.png

Menu

Swapril97 menu.png

The menu is fairly close to the final's. However, it has some differences, such as using the spinning shuriken (which is larger than in previous prototypes) for an icon, using the old title seen in previous prototypes, and lacks descriptions for the shareware and registered version selections while still calling them "shareware episode" and "registered episode" instead of their final names. In addition, starting a game via the single player menu will send the player to the level he is currently on, regardless of whether the shareware or registered episode options were selected.

When the "how to order" screen is selected, the game will show the order screens from the shareware version of Duke Nukem 3D.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 menu.png Sw97final menu.png
Prototype Final
Swapril97 episodeselect.png Sw97final episodeselect.png

Difficulty Names

This prototype has the same amount of difficulties the final game has, but they have different names.

When a difficulty is selected, the game will play the same Lo Wang one-liner that the final game does when selecting the equivalent difficulty.

Prototype Final
Tiny grasshopper

I kill you
Very bad man

Taksan balls
Tiny grasshopper

I have no fear
Who wants some wang

No pain, no gain

Results Screen

Swapril97 results.png

The results screen has been implemented in this prototype, but it's very barebones compared to the final game's. The background graphic is the game's title screen instead of Lo Wang in a dojo, it lacks the par time and 3D Realm's best time, the level name is not given, and the text is centered directly in the center of the screen instead of being adjusted to fit around Lo Wang.

The graphics for the final's results screen are in the game, but have not yet been implemented.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 results.png Sw97final results.png

End Screen

Swapril97 endscreen.png

The screen shown when exiting the game is almost exactly the same as the one in Duke Nukem 3D, but with "Shadow Warrior" replacing "Duke Nukem" in the top banner and flashing "BETA" text scattered throughout the screen. The final reuses Dukes formatting, but has the courtesy of rewriting the text so it fits Shadow Warrior.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 endscreen.png Sw97final endscreen.png

Cheats and Console Commands

This prototype not only contains the typed in cheats found in most of the 1996 prototypes, it also contains a lot of new cheats and debugging tools. These can be entered in the console.

Input Effect Image
george Makes Lo Wang say "Taksan balls, squishy penis!".
randy Does nothing.
blackburn Makes Lo Wang say "You are tiny grasshopper!".
Swprev Sends the player to the previous level. if the player uses it while in the first level, the game will crash with an error because it can't find "title.map".
Title.map is a level that first appeared as a title screen in the February 1995 prototype, though the January 1995 one looks for it too.
swnext Sends the player to the next level. If there is no next level, the game will crash.
swres Selects the screen size. It can go as high as 1280 x 1024.
Swapril97 swres.png
swloc Typing this in once shows the player's frames per second. Typing it in again shows detailed information about the player's exact location.
Typing it in three times disables it.
Swapril97 swloc.png
swroom Typing this in once makes the entire level pink, seemingly disabling level rendering. Typing it again turns it back on.
Swapril97 swroom.png
reverb Can be set to 1 or 0. Presumably does something with sound reverb.
mem Dumps current memory information.
Swapril97 mem.png
cache Dumps current cache stats.
Swapril97 cache.png
clear Clears the console.
xrepeat Looks for a number to be inputted, but does nothing.
yrepeat Looks for a number to be inputted, but does nothing.
translucent Looks for a number to be inputted, but does nothing.
help Used with another command after it to show how it works.
sound In-game sound test. Put a number next to "sound" to make the game play a sound.
spriteinfo When activated, shows detailed information about a sprite. Face a sprite to see information. Sprites targeted by this debug ability will be colored red.
Typing it in once will activate "brief" mode. Doing it again will activate "verbose" mode, showing more information. Doing it three times disables it.
Swapril97 spriteifno.png
kill Kills the player.
showsprite Seems to show detailed information about sprites in levels. Put a number after the command to show information.
Swapril97 showsprite.png
showuser Can add a number next to it, but it does nothing. MP command?
quit Quits the game.
config Used for loading new config files. Type in the name of the desired config file after "config" and the game will load it.
damage Give a generic error message about no help being available when typed in.
winpachinko Use it to always win the pachinko games scattered throughout the first level.
tweak Give a generic error message about no help being available when typed in.
trix Turns rockets into rabbits! Rocket firing sound replaced with rabbit sound, and rabbits gib on impact.
Swapril97 trix.png

Screen Error

Swapril97 screenchaos.png

The viewport will permanently screw up if the player approaches a screen displaying another part of a level.

Suicide

How thoughtful!

If the player kills himself in any way, such as melting in lava or blowing himself up, the game will show a message that reads

Suicide is not the answer. Call [555-1234].

This message was removed in the final game. The number itself is fake.

Fortune Cookie Sayings

The fortune cookie appears in this prototype, and with it the sayings that appear when one of them is picked up. Several of them do not appear in the final game.

Those that are used in the final game are bold.

  • You never going to score.
  • 26-31-43-82-16-29
  • You have come to chew bubble gum with ass.
  • There is hidden item just beyond wall.
  • Never forget reload weapon after battle.
  • 18-45-92-58-73-10
  • You a very bad man!
  • You have taksan balls.
  • Sorry, you no win this time, try again.
  • It all in reflexes.
  • You try harder get along. Be a nice man.
  • No man is island, except Lo Wang.
  • There is much death in future.
  • Grenade in hand, worth uzi in bush.
  • 13-64-99-32-57-19
  • You should kill all business associates.
  • (c)1997,3DRealms fortune cookie company.
  • You will succeed where many have died.
  • You're(sic, fixed in final version) chi attracts many chicks.
  • You fly like lesbian seagull.
  • Tanaka, pick up stash in locker 29 - C.
  • Don't you know you the scum of society!?
  • You should not scratch yourself there.
  • Quick! Look out behind you!

Flying

Flying is activated with the J key while God Mode is on, like in the final game and Duke Nukem 3D.

Quitting the Game

The game sends the player straight to DOS when quitting instead of showing an advertisement for playing online first, like in the final game.

Multiplayer Bots

Swapril97 bots1.png

This prototype contains multiplayer bots. They can be activated with the command line parameters -commbat and -bot#, with the "#" representing a number.

They can generously be described as "stupid". They will spend their time running around while spinning and holding down the fire key, burning through ammo in seconds, then punching or slicing the air or walls. They seem to have no sense of target identification, as they will never deliberately attack one another nor the player and will constantly die to monsters until they accidentally kill one while spinning around. They also instantly use items, such as the Gas Bomb (which they will eagerly walk into once it is active). They will use a Portable Medkit as soon as they're injured, likely because they're constantly spamming the "use item" input, but the game won't let them use the selected Portable Medkit until they're hurt.

They also have taunts, though they seem to trigger more often when one of them kills the other. They are "I suck!", "What crap!" , "Drink it down dork!", "Ha ha, you blow!", and "Human's(sic) suck!".

Graphics

Removed Graphics

Graphic Tile Number Notes
Swapril97 0039.png 39 Might be a sky texture.
Swapril97 0082.png 82
Swapril97 0138.png 138
Swapril97 1196.png Swapril97 1197.png Swapril97 1198.png Swapril97 1199.png 1196-1199 Overhead sprites for the in-game map.
Swapril97 1239.png Swapril97 1240.png Swapril97 1241.png Swapril97 1242.png Swapril97 1243.png Swapril97 1244.png Swapril97 1245.png Swapril97 1246.pngSwapril97 1247.png 1239-1247 A full set of overhead sprites for the in-game map, featuring the old player design.
Swapril97 1248.png Swapril97 1249.png Swapril97 1250.png Swapril97 1251.png Swapril97 1252.png Swapril97 1253.png Swapril97 1254.png
1248-1254 Same.
Swapril97 1255.png Swapril97 1256.png Swapril97 1257.png Swapril97 1258.png Swapril97 1259.png Swapril97 1260.png Swapril97 1261.png Swapril97 1262.png Swapril97 1263.png
1255-1263 Same.
Swapril97 1264.png Swapril97 1265.png Swapril97 1266.png Swapril97 1267.png Swapril97 1268.pngSwapril97 1269.png Swapril97 1270.png 1264-1270 Same.
Swapril97 2714.png 2714
Swapril97 3324.png Swapril97 3325.png Swapril97 3326.png Swapril97 3327.png 2714 A babe from Duke Nukem 3D.
Swapril97 4036.png Swapril97 4037.png Swapril97 4038.png Swapril97 4039.png 4036-4039 N/A
Swapril97 5110.png 5110 Ordering screen from the shareware version of Duke Nukem 3D.
Swapril97 5111.png 5111 Same.
Swapril97 5112.png 5112 Same.
Swapril97 5113.png 5113 Same.

Changed Graphics

Prototype Final
Drawn by Johnny, age 14 Rendered by Timothy, age 16

Lara got a huge reworking. She looks more like a polygonal character and less like a poorly-drawn anime pin-up girl. Strangely, this old design can still be seen in a screenshot in the official walkthrough on 3D Realms' old site.

Prototype Final
Shadow Warrior Tiles19 87 proto.png Shadow Warrior Tiles19 87 final.png

This tile was entirely replaced, likely due it being a not-so-subtle parody of Speed Racer.

Prototype Final
Seems that 3D Realms was too cheap to buy a real translator. Should have changed the "Japanese" to 道場蛇神.

An obvious edit, but "Dojo of the Sumo" was changed to "Dojo of the Serpent God". However, the kanji remain the same and still sort of translates to "Dojo Sumo", presumably since it's a small detail to non-East Asian eyes.

Prototype Final
Shadow Warrior Tiles 19 167 proto.png Shadow Warrior Tiles 19 167 final.png

This warrior hung upside down was changed from a monster to a green-skinned human.

Prototype Final
Shadow Warrior Tiles19 235 proto.png Shadow Warrior Tiles19 235 final.png

This cafeteria sign was darkened for some reason.

Prototype Final
Sure you don't want to pay for a translator, 3DR? It would help a little bit.

The sign was redone, while the same basic motif, right down to the gibberish kanji, remains the same.

Prototype Final
Shadow Warrior dead bunny flying proto.png Shadow Warrior dead bunny flying final.png
Prototype Final
Shadow Warrior dead bunny proto.png Shadow Warrior dead bunny final.png

When shooting the bunny, it has a bit of bone sticking out of it in the prototype that was removed from the final version. Its decapitated head is also darker in the final version.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 5121.png Sw97final 5121.png

The graphics for Lo Wang seen in the results screen are a little bit different in this prototype. Lo Wang has blue pants instead of gray, and much less of the dojo background is around him in his frames.

Help Screen

Shadow Warrior-Help .90.png

The help screen is completely temporary. The final gives has a far more fleshed out help screen that spans three screens.

New Skies

This prototype adds several new skies, which are used in the various levels.

Changed Mountain Sky

Swapril97 0090.png

A sky from the previous prototype appears in this one as well with some modifications, such as the mountain part being made gray to blend in with the sky a bit and being a different size. It is used in both this prototype and the final game.

April 1997 November 1996
Swapril97 0090.png Swnov96 0090.png

Bloody Hands

The game now has bloody hands textures for the Katana and Shuriken. However, if the player gets bloody hands with one weapon affected by it and switches to another, the game will not keep the bloody hands effect for the other weapon.

Voxels

This prototype contains the final's voxels, as well as the voxels of old character designs and the Guardian that date from the June 27th, 1996 prototype.

Sounds

Exploding Waterfall

A sound of a waterfall exploding.

High Quality Lo Wang Voice Clip

A very clean recording of Lo Wang. This is notable for being a 44 KHz sample in a sea of 6-11 KHz samples.

Weapons

The weapon key binds are very close to how they are in the final game. The only difference is that the Katana and Shuriken are bound to the 2 key, while the Fists of Fury get the 1 key all to itself.

The final game changes it a little bit so that the Fists of Fury and the Katana are bound to Key 1, while the Shuriken gets key 2.

Unless otherwise noted, the weapons are the same as they are in the final game.

Fists of Fury

Swapril97 4050.png

This prototype is the first prototype to feature the Fists of Fury.

While the weapon itself is effective as it is in the final game, it contains a lot more sprites that were scrapped for the final game. There are sprites for a palming attack and a blocking sprite, though the latter does not appear in the final game. There is also a kicking attack that the final game lacks that uses the kick sprite from Duke Nukem 3D, but with the pants colored to match the player's pants color (brown for player 1).

This weapon does not harm the player when used against a wall. By the same token, the player cannot restore health by hitting a dummy.

Katana

Sw97final 2080.png

The Katana seems to be slightly weaker than it is in the final game, as it sometimes takes two swipes to kill a regular Brown Ninja instead of being a guaranteed one hit kill.

When the Katana is taken out, Lo Wang will occasionally say "Come get some!". The final game gives him a more unique line: "I like sword! That's a personal weapon".

Railgun

Sw97final 2010.png

The Railgun uses the final's sprite, but is much more powerful than the one in the final. The April 1997 Railgun can kill a Coolie in one shot, while it takes two to kill a Coolie in the final game. 10 rounds can be held instead of the final's 20.

Ripper Heart

Sw97final 2050.png

The Ripper Heart appears to be somewhat broken in this prototype. When fired, it shoots a projectile like it did in previous prototypes. When it hits an enemy, the enemy will be stuck in one of his pain sprites while bleeding, but he will never die, nor will a Baby Ripper ever appear.

It holds 20 rounds instead of the final's 5.

Enemies

Unless otherwise noted, enemies are the same as they are in the final game.

Ninja

Swnov96 4098.png

The Ninja is in his final form for the most part. However, he still uses the sprites from the previous prototype.

Killing a Ninja at point-blank range tends to crash the game with a hard crash.

Something interesting to note is that, if an old map like $palace1 or $shrine is loaded in this prototype, the Ninjas will be replaced with a static image of Lo Wang walking away from the camera with palettes matching either the Blue or Red Ninjas from earlier prototypes. It seems the team messed around with the Ninjas enough at this point in development that he was made a new entity, while the old one is made inert and reads from the old sprite locations (which are occupied by the player's sprites in this prototype and the final game). This affects maps found in previous prototypes, such as $yamato (which comes from the revision found in the November 1996 prototype) and $tank (which first appeared in the June 11th, 1996 prototype).

April 1997 June 11th, 1996
Swapril97 ninjatank.png Swjun11th tankninjas.png
April 1997 November 1996
Swapril97 battleshipninjas.png Swnov96 battleshipninjas.png

Coolie Ghost

Sw97final 4278.png

The Coolie Ghost behaves the same as he does in the final, but shoots blood as his projectile. This is because textures for spewed blood have overwritten the vomit textures seen in previous prototypes.

Orange Ripper

The Orange Ripper does not appear in this prototype.

Sumo

Swapril97 4493.png

This prototype marks the return of the Sumo, from his last appearance way back in the 1994 prototype.

However, he looks extremely different than he does in the final game. His skin is darker and very underdetailed and his face looks more cartoonish as well, with black areas around his eyes and a very simple mouth.

When fought, he is different as well. He has two attacks: a fart/poop attack and an earthquake. His fart/poop attack is telegraphed by him pointing his butt at the player. If the player is not moving when the attack is triggered, he'll suffer minor gas damage (like from the Gas Grenade item). If not, a turd with gas coming out of it will appear where he fired. This turn does nothing to the player. He will also occasionally slam his foot on the ground, causing a small earthquake that can easily be ignored. There is also a graphic of him clapping his hands and flashing, but he doesn't do this in-game.

There is also a mini-Sumo found at the end of $whirl, but he does nothing and cannot be interacted with in any way.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 4493.png Sw97final 1212.png

Eel

Swapril97 4461.png

Graphics for an eel-like creature can be found in the prototype's files. These match up with a monster called "Eel" that can be found in the game's source code.

According to its graphics, this enemy would be found in water and electrocute himself to attack the player. He has 100 HP.

Of note is that some of his graphics still contain a black border around them. This is a leftover from the EDITART program used for art in Build games.

Skeleton Priest

Swsep95 1370.png

The Skeleton Priest from earlier prototypes is still functioning well in this one. The only problem is that his projectile sprites have been overwritten with sprites from the Railgun's firing animations, so he'll shoot part of the Railgun's body at the player instead of electric balls.

Female Warrior and Zilla

The Female Warrior and Zilla are nowhere to be found in this prototype. Considering how close this prototype is to the final game, they must've been very, very late additions to the game.

Items

Skull Bottle

Swapril97 1826.png

The skull bottle item that first appeared all the way back in the January 1995 prototype that was used to represent the Shadow ability in various prototypes is now slated to be removed. It has "DELETE ME" all over its sprites.

Environmental Suit

Swapril97 1837.png

The Environmental Suit from the August and November 1996 prototypes can no longer be picked up. It also has a ton of "DELETE ME"s put over its sprite.

Guardian Head Ammo

Swapril97 3035.png

The Guardian Head ammo vial can't be picked up anymore and has "DELETE ME"s plastered over its sprites as well.

Red Spark Potion

Swapril97 1820.png

The red spark potion found in various prototypes has "DELETE ME"s on its sprites. However, it gives 5 charges for the Ripper Heart when picked up.

Interestingly, the ammo name shown when a red spark potion is picked up is called "deathcoil".

Caltrops

Swapril97 1829.png

The Caltrops sprite is much smaller and lacks the English text on it. There is also two caltrops to the left of it instead of one.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 1829.png Sw97final 1829.png

Gas Bomb

Swapril97 1808.png

The safety pin on the Gas Bomb's item sprite was slightly touched up.

It is also known as the "Gas Grenade" in this prototype.

Prototype Final
Swapril97 1808.png Sw97final 1808.png

Repair Kit

Sw97final 1813.png

When used, the Repair Kit plays various grinding noises instead of a one-line from Lo Wang.

Smoke Bomb

Swapril97 1804.png

The Smoke Bomb is called the "Invisibility Grenade" in this prototype, but is otherwise the same as it is in the final game.

Levels

By default, only the four shareware levels can be played. However, by extracting all of the level files in the .grp archive and playing them via the "user level" option in the setup executable, one can explore many more levels. They range from old levels found in previous prototypes making one last encore appearance before being cut entirely, such as $combat3, which first appeared in an earlier incarnation in the January 1995 prototype as E1L9, levels from the November 1996 prototype, and some new maps, such as the cut $3plax, featuring a boat ride around a stone brick building, and $garden, which appeared in the final as Zilla's Villa.

All of the maps have minor to significant changes, including the playable shareware ones.