Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Data Leftover

This is a sub-page of Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

The ROM contains two kinds of leftovers. Irrelevant to Sonic 3 are various references to source code and assembler linking data for Star Trek: The Next Generation: Echoes From the Past, mainly in the area where the sound driver is located.

Secondly, toward the end of the ROM are two large areas with some leftover stage layouts and palette data from various earlier builds of Sonic 3. This includes the stage layout data for Lava Reef Zone Acts 1 and 2, and the two-player Competition zones in various states of completion. The stage palette table and the data it points to for two earlier builds are both intact. The tables below describe the contents of the leftovers. Wherever a discontinuity occurs, it means that the previous data ended and what follows is an even older leftover dataset, which normally means that its beginning is missing to a certain extent, or it's a new data array in use by the game aligned to a certain region, which in this case it cuts the previous leftover data from the end.

Star Trek Lost Data (0x04CC90-0x04FFFF)

Offset	Description
---- Discontinuity ----
0x04CC90	Half pointer, partial old Sonic 3 object pointer list tail with the last 32 objects. The pointers have an offset of +0x7e in comparison to the ones used.
---- Discontinuity ----
0x04CD0E	Half pointer, partial older Sonic 3 object pointer list tail with the last 3 objects. The pointers have an offset of +0x88 in comparison to the ones used.
---- Discontinuity ----
0x04CD18	Star Trek Mapping / Other data present in the final at offset 0x0d2138 albeit with different tile indices.
0x04E680	Star Trek Unknown Art at offset 0x0d3436, Not a 1:1 match against the final version.
0x04FAF8	Unknown Data, small pieces from this region appear scattered throughout the Star Trek binary.
---- Discontinuity ----
0x050000	Sonic Main Tileset, in use.

Chunk 1 (0x1AACAE-0x1C7FFF)

Offset	Description
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1AACAE	Partial kosinski archive for the slot bonus stage tiles, 1536 bytes missing at the beginning, otherwise matching the block at 0x1a9d0e+.
0x1AAE0E	Mapping (128x128 for Slots, same as the one used in the prototype).
0x1ADD54	Mapping (16x16 mapping for Lava Reef Zone).
0x1AEF34	Lava Reef Zone's Primary KosM archive header.
0x1AEF36	Lava Reef Zone tiles.
0x1AF846	Lava Reef Zone tiles, platforms.
0x1B0056	Lava Reef Zone tiles, rocks.
0x1B0A86	Lava Reef Zone tiles.
0x1B1446	Lava Reef Zone tiles.
0x1B1E16	Lava Reef Zone tiles.
0x1B27C6	Lava Reef Zone tiles.
0x1B2A86	Blank Lava Reef Zone tiles.
0x1B2AC6	Solid like tiles, glowing rocks.
0x1B2D36	Solid like tiles.
0x1B2ED6	Mapping (128x128 mapping for Lava Reef Zone).
0x1B5DB6	Mapping (16x16 mapping for Azure Lake Zone).
0x1B66D6	KosM archive header.
0x1B66D8	Azure Lake Zone tiles.
0x1B6FE8	Azure Lake Zone tiles.
0x1B7958	Azure Lake Zone tiles.
0x1B82C8	Azure Lake Zone tiles (bg).
0x1B89D8	Azure Lake Zone tiles (bg).
0x1B8EE8	ALZ 128x128 mapping.
0x1B9568	16x16 mapping, BPZ placeholder.
0x1B95D8	KosM archive header, BPZ placeholder tiles.
0x1B95DA	Solid like tiles.
0x1B987A	Solid like tiles.
0x1B99FA	128x128 mapping, BPZ placeholder.
0x1B9B7A	16x16 mapping, DPZ placeholder.
0x1B9C0A	KosM archive header, DPZ placeholder tiles.
0x1B9C0C	Solid like tiles.
0x1B9EAC	Solid like tiles.
0x1BA05C	128x128 mapping, DPZ placeholder.
0x1BA24C	16x16 mapping, CGZ placeholder.
0x1BA29C	KosM archive header, CGZ placeholder tiles.
0x1BA29E	Solid like tiles.
0x1BA53E	Solid like tiles.
0x1BA6BE	128x128 mapping, CGZ placeholder.
0x1BA82E	16x16 mapping, EMZ placeholder.
0x1BA8DE	KosM archive header, EMZ placeholder tiles.
0x1BA8E0	Solid like tiles.
0x1BAB80	Solid like tiles.
0x1BAD00	128x128 mapping, EMZ placeholder.
0x1BAF10	Mapping (16x16 for Gumball bonus stage), same as 0x1a4578.
0x1BB2D0	Gumball's KosM archive header (copy of 0x1a4938, in use by the game).
0x1BB2D2	Gumball tiles.
0x1BB7F2	Gumball tiles.
0x1BBC42	Mapping (128x128 for Gumball bonus stage), same as 0x1a52aa.
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1BBF92	Partial Azure Lake tiles 230 bytes missing at the beginning, otherwise matches block at 0x1b7958+
0x1BC81C	Azure Lake Zone bg tiles
0x1BCF2C	Azure Lake Zone bg tiles
0x1BD43C	ALZ 128x128 mapping, same as 0x1b8ee8
0x1BDABC	BPZ 16x16 mapping, (copy of 0x197b30, in use by the game)
0x1BE39C	KosM archive header (whole art block is a copy of 0x198400, in use by the game)
0x1BE39E	Balloon Park Zone tiles
0x1BEBEE	Balloon Park Zone tiles
0x1BF42E	Balloon Park Zone tiles (bg)
0x1BFB1E	Balloon Park Zone tiles (bg)
0x1C037E	BPZ 128x128 mapping (copy of 0x19a3e2, in use by the game)
0x1C0A6E	DPZ 16x16 mapping
0x1C142E	KosM archive header slightly different than the used ingame copy at 19B4B2, missing 10 tiles at the end resembling a pillar
0x1C1430	Desert Palace Zone tiles
0x1C1D30	Desert Palace Zone tiles
0x1C2640	Desert Palace Zone tiles with numbers
0x1C2D60	Desert Palace Zone placeholder tiles, it's all numbers
0x1C2E20	DPZ 128x128 mapping
0x1C3430	CGZ 16x16 mapping - partial, 754 bytes missing at the end, matching 0x19D5D4
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1C4000	LBZ/HCZ Waterline scroll (this might be in use, after all it chops the previous data chunk where normally it wouldn't)
0x1C5040	Angle Array
0x1C5240	Height maps
0x1C7240	Rotated Height maps (partial)
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1C8000	LBZ/HCZ Waterline scroll, in use

Chunk 2 (0x1EAF4A-0x1F6FFF)

Offset	Type	Description
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1EAF4A	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1 (partial), 2324 bytes out of 3624, 1300 bytes missing.
0x1EB85E	Map	Lava Reef Zone act2, 3184 bytes out of 3184, 0 bytes missing.
0x1EC4CE	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1, 3624 bytes out of 3624, 0 bytes missing.
0x1ED2F6	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1, 3624 bytes out of 3624, 0 bytes missing.
0x1EE11E	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1, 3624 bytes out of 3624, 0 bytes missing.
0x1EEF46	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1, 3624 bytes out of 3624, 0 bytes missing.
0x1EFD6E	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1, 3624 bytes out of 3624, 0 bytes missing.
0x1F0B96	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1, 3624 bytes out of 3624, 0 bytes missing.
0x1F19BE	Map	Azure Lake
0x1F1B2A	Map	Balloon Park
0x1F1C04	Map	Desert Palace
0x1F1D58	Map	Chrome Gadget
0x1F1F9A	Map	Endless Mine
0x1F20EE	Map	Gumball Bonus stage
0x1F21CE	Pointers	Offset addresses of the color palettes (very old)
0x1F25AE	Color Palettes	Color Palettes (very old)
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1F338E	Map	Lava Reef act1 rock sprite object locations, matches the copy at 0x1ea410
0x1F4455	Map	Azure Lake
0x1F45C2	Map	Balloon Park
0x1F46A6	Map	Desert Palace
0x1F478E	Map	Chrome Gadget
0x1F4A56	Map	Endless Mine
0x1F4BAA	Map	Gumball Bonus stage
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1F3EC4	Map	Lava Reef Zone act1 (partial) 1426 bytes out of 3624, 2198 bytes missing.
0x1F4C8A	Pointers	Offset addresses of the color palettes (old)
0x1F4E6A	Color Palettes	Color Palettes (old)
0x1F5D0A	Map	Lava Reef act1 rock sprite object locations, matches 0x1f338e and 0x1ea410
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1F5D0A	Map	Partial Lava Reef act1 rock sprite object locations, 108 / 2870 bytes
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1F5D0A	Map	Partial Lava Reef act1 rock sprite object locations, 406 / 2870 bytes
0x1F6A4A	Padding
---- Discontinuity ----

Chunk 3 (0x1FFBD8-0x1FFFFF)

Offset	Description
---- Discontinuity ----
0x1FFBD8	Partial LBZ act2 ring layout, 80 bytes missing from the beginning, the rest matches the in-game block.
0x1FFFC8	Partial auto tunnel data, only the first 56 bytes present, matches the copy used by the game.
---- End of ROM ----

Extracting the archives from these lost regions makes it possible to have a small peek at how stages progressed over time. Generally, the stages layout didn't change significantly: Lava Reef though the visuals are very different from the final rendition on Sonic & Knuckles, its layout is very similar. The competition stages had some slight adjustments, mostly repeating the layout more or less as the game development progressed and finally shifting the layouts down by 256 pixels in some cases to add some ceiling barriers, preventing players from cheating by going over the top. The older layouts, using placeholder tiles and blocks don't specify any background with the exception of Azure Lake, which had its art already by that point. The color palettes are mostly the same in regards of the competition zones with the exception of Balloon Park which changed drastically in color tone, and to a lesser extent, Chrome Gadget having an additional gradient color in the sky.

Stages

Lava Reef Zone

Within the leftover data, 8 copies of Lava Reef Act 1's layout can be found, along with a copy of most of its other relevant data (palette, art, blocks, chunks, palette cycle, animated background routine, small rock locations, etc.). There is also the Act 2 layout further past the location where Act 1 is stored, seemingly used as placeholder data. The only data missing is collision and object/ring data (assuming the latter existed at this point).

Azure Lake

Foreground
Background

This old Azure Lake has a different background, one that's more cyan and filled with flowers instead of water, resembling Sonic 2's Emerald Hill. The two lost copies of Azure Lake's data are incomplete but otherwise identical, still differing from the files that ended up in the game.

Balloon Park

Foreground
Background
Placeholder art files

This old Balloon Park used to have different color tones, notably more purples.

Desert Palace

Foreground
Background
Placeholder art files

Old Desert Palace has a slightly different quarter-pipe chunk leading to the lap checkpoint.

Chrome Gadget

Placeholder art files
Placeholder art files

No art present as it's below the cutoff region at 0x1c7FFF. Only placeholder tiles and generic mappings exist from the older block.

Endless Mine

Placeholder art files

Like Chrome Gadget, no art is present. Both layouts are identical.

Gumball Bonus Stage

The Gumball stage data present in these lost archives is exactly the same as the version referenced by the game.

Palette Tables

The palette block used in-game is the one on the left.

0x1E96D4 (Used)	0x1F25AE (Very Old)	0x1F4E6A (Old)
The prototype main color palette array, a large majority of which are referenced and used. It does not contain the palettes for Mushroom Valley or Lava Reef.	The oldest group of unused palettes. Hydrocity's bricks have orange/purple colors, and the outside palette for Ice Cap Act 2 does not exist. The Mushroom Valley and Lava Reef palettes are still present, and of all the Competition Zones, only Azure Lake has an entry, and early boss palettes are present as well.	Another group of unused palettes. Mostly similar to the previous one, except Hydrocity now has the final brick brown shades, an early version of Ice Cap Act 2's outdoors palette exists, and more of the Competition Zones have palettes with only Endless Mine still missing.

To do: Add the rest of the offsets and images.

Hydrocity Zone Act 1 underwater

Original	Alternate

Hydrocity Zone Act 1
The bricks in the oldest palette are red in the foreground and lavender in the background. Later palettes changed them to green and purple.

Original	Alternate 1	Alternate 2

Hydrocity Zone 2
Differences suggest that Act 2 had an earlier background palette.

Original	Alternate 1	Alternate 2

IceCap Zone Act 1 and 2 "Cavern Area"

Original	Alternate 1	Alternate 2

IceCap Zone Act 2 "Outside" Act 2 does not have a unique palette in the oldest palette table, possibly indicating the level was entirely indoors.

Original	Alternate

Mushroom Valley Zone Act 1 and 2

Original	Alternate 1

Lava Reef Zone Act 2
Though the colors are arranged differently, the palette is somewhat similar to Lava Reef Act 2.

Original	Alternate

Balloon Park
This palette matches the final Competition Mode icon's colors.

Original	Alternate

Chrome Gadget
This palette shows an otherwise unseen part of the background, and matches the final icon's colors.

Original	Alternate

Angel Island Zone Act 1 (used in an early cutscene?)

To do: Offset for the Very Old version.

An unused AIZ1 color palette appears to be a mix between the beach cutscene and the forest interior, as if the forest background did not exist. This color palette has been removed in the version used by the prototype. It is speculated that this color palette might have been meant for an earlier AIZ background that was featured in a prototype version of Sonic Jam (Game.com)

Alternate 1

Unknown Palette #1
An unknown palette near the end of the table, possibly intended for a boss. It has some similarities to Gapsule. No such palette exists in the final game.

Original	Alternate

Early Carnival Night Zone Act 2 boss
An early palette for Carnival Night Zone Act 2's boss.

Original	Alternate

Early Launch Base Zone Act 1 boss
An early palette for the Twin Hammer miniboss.

Original	Alternate

Unknown Palette #2
Another unknown palette near the end of the table, possibly intended for a boss. No such palette exists in the final game.

Original	Alternate

Early Launch Base Zone Act 2 boss
An early palette for the Launch Base Act 2 ball shooter boss.

Original	Alternate

Early Mushroom Valley Act 1 boss
An early palette for the Hey Ho miniboss.

Original	Alternate

Source Code

Pieces of the source code for Star Trek: The Next Generation linger at various parts of the ROM. Like other prototypes, this was likely the result of the game being leftover in the memory of the compiler.

At 0xAFF0E:

                          ,WhichMessage
                Bra     @DoneInput

@InComingHail:
                Move.w  #3,WhichMessage
                Bra     @DoneInput

@ImpulseDamaged:
                Move.w  #4,WhichMessage
                Bra     @DoneInput

At 0xBFAB4:

                                                                  the screen.

DMAScrollArrows:
                Subq.w  #1,ArrowDelay                           ; Determine if arrow buffers or blanks should
                Bne.s   @NoTogg                                 ;  be DMA'ed this makes the arrows flash.

                Move.w  #15,ArrowDelay                          ; Reset delay between flashes.
                Eor.w   #1,ArrowToggle                          ; Toggle between blanks and arrows.

@NoTogg:
                Tst.w   ArrowToggle                             ; Branch to relevent bit.
                Beq.s   @ArrowsOff

; ====== Arrows on, DMA the buffers. ======

                Lea     UpArrowBuffer,A0                        ; Source.
                Lea     ScrollBBase+(27*2)+(21*64),A1           ; Destination.
                Move.w  #1,D0                                   ; Number of words.
                Move.l  #VDP_VRAMWrite,D1                       ; Set to write to VRAM.   
                Moveq   #2,D2                                   ; Auto increment.        
                Jsr     PushDMA                                 ; Move characters to VRAM.

                Lea     DownArrowBuffer,A0                      ; Source.
                Lea     ScrollBBase+(27*2)+(26*64),A1           ; Destination.
                Move.w  #1,D0                 

At 0xCF970:

                Lea     ScrollBBase+($b*64)+(27*2),A1
                Jsr     Word_2GVRAM    
                Move.w  #AsciiOffset+CHR_Palette0+CHR_HighPri,D5 ; Color is different if in impulse.

                Bra     @DoneSeperators

@NotImpulse:
                Move.w  #AsciiOffset+CHR_Palette3+CHR_HighPri+'.',D0        ; Place decimal points and '/' seperators.
                Lea     ScrollBBase+($5*64)+(28*2),A1           
                Jsr     Word_2GVRAM     
                Lea     ScrollBBase+($7*64)+(27*2),A1
                Jsr     Word_2GVRAM     
                Lea     ScrollBBase+($d*64)+(28*2),A1
                Jsr     Word_2GVRAM     
                Move.w  #AsciiOffset+CHR_Palette3+CHR_HighPri+'/',D0  
                Lea     ScrollBBase+($9*64)+(27*2),A1
                Jsr     Word_2GVRAM    
                Lea     ScrollBBase+($b*64)+(27*2),A1
                Jsr     Word_2GVRAM    
                Move.w  #AsciiOffset+CHR_Palette3+CHR_HighPri,D5 ; Set up character color.

@DoneSeperators:
                Move.w  CurrentDistance,D7                      ; Get whole part of DISTANCE.
                Moveq   #3,D6                                   ; Three characters.
                Moveq   #'$',D2                                 ; Lead with a spaces.
                Lea     ScrollBBase+($5*64)+(25*2),A1           ; Screen destination.
                Jsr     PrintVal                                ; Print it.
                Move.w  CurrentDistance+2,D7                    ; Get fractional part of DISTANCE.
                Moveq   #2,D6                                   ; Two digits.
                Move.w  

At 0xDFEF3:

                                              _No1,VIEW_NOT_FLIPPED,VIEW_SIZE_6
                Dc.b    VIEW_PLANET10,VIEW_PAL_NoA,VIEW_FLIPPED,VIEW_SIZE_6

                Dc.b    VIEW_PLANET4,VIEW_PAL_NoC,VIEW_FLIPPED,VIEW_SIZE_7
                Dc.b    VIEW_PLANET10,VIEW_PAL_No1,VIEW_NOT_FLIPPED,VIEW_SIZE_7