Rise of the Triad (1994)/Revisional Differences
This is a sub-page of Rise of the Triad (1994).
From late 1994 through mid-1995, Rise of the Triad had quite a lot of changes. This is a list almost everything from the mundane to the radical.
Contents
Revisional Differences
Version 1.0
- Shareware only!
- First shareware release! Also, very buggy. See this page for more information.
Version 1.1
On February 8th, 1995, Apogee released a v1.1 patch for their buggy shareware release. The following changes were made:
To do: Detail further changes if there are any major ones. |
External Files
- Several entries were changed in the CONFIG.ROT configuration file:
- Entries for enabling/disabling the Cyberman and Spaceball controllers have been removed, though the in-game options remain.
- Automatic Detail Level adjustment now defaults to enabled.
- An option for automatic double-clicking has been removed.
- Button settings for the mouse and a 4-button joystick have been added.
- The following entries were added under keyboard bindings:
- Live RemoteRidicule™, Aim, Forward, Right, Backward, Left, Map, SendMessage, DirectMessage
- The game now uses the previously unused StrafeRight entry.
- StrafeLeft, VolteFace, and AutoRun now function correctly.
- VolteFace now saves to the configuration.
- SETUP.ROT got a slight overhaul, too:
- All "blank entry" asterisks (*) were changed into tildes (~).
- Two new entries were added: NETWORKSOCKET (default value: 882a) and REMOTERIDICULE (default value: 1).
- One entry, PLAYERGRAPHICSPATH, was removed, hinting that custom player skin packs were to be a thing at one point.
- Entries for the sound card's Port, IRQ, DMA, and 16-bit DMA were added to the SOUND.ROT file.
- The HUNTBGIN.WAD file has been upgraded to a more standard format that would be used in other games.
- "Rise" has been added into the HUNTBGIN.WAD file, completely overriding "CCCool".
- Clearing the Comm-Bat™ Codename in the setup program still renders the game unplayable with an "incomplete line" error. However, the error now points to Line 13 instead of 14. (It should point to Line 15, however.)
- This error persists through all known versions of the game. They never fixed it.
Setup Programs
- As mentioned, the music file "CCCool" was replaced by "Rise" for all menus including the main game menu.
- Options for setting up the sound card's Port, IRQ, DMA, and 16-bit DMA were added.
- The game now asks the player to "set [their] Sound FX card to Sound Blaster" before setting the music to Sound Blaster, if they haven't.
- This happens with all Creative Labs products (Sound Blaster, AWE32, and Wave Blaster).
- AWE32 music now works properly.
- When selecting an audio device in Sound Setup that can't be configured, the program will now flip to an in-program error message instead of crashing.
- The initial MIDI address defaults to 330 (the "default" of the time.)
- The initial sound and music volume both default to 196. (Up from 100.)
- The initial number of "voices" (sound channels) defaults to 4. (Up from 1.)
v1.0 | v1.1 to v1.2 |
---|---|
- The Sound Blaster FM Synthesis driver now uses monaural sound for OPL playback.
- The FM Synthesis driver now correctly processes instrument fades.
In-Game Menus
v1.0 | v1.1 onward |
---|---|
- The small-font labels on the menu borders removed and replaced with big-font labels above the menus.
- The sliders (mouse/screen size/etc.) are far less sensitive to key presses, making it easier to do fine adjustments.
- The control configuration options have expanded:
- The controls under the "Customize Keyboard" options are now on one page.
- Additional in-game settings for Left Strafe, Right Strafe, Aim, Send Message, and Direct Message have been added.
- Each of the mouse and joystick buttons can now use almost any of the keyboard commands.
- The mouse and joystick have independent commands for double-clicking each button, now. Because of this, the User Option for "Double-Click Open" has been removed entirely.
- An option for adjusting the screen size was added.
Other Changes
- The ANSI startup screen from v1.0 warning of bugs and the like has been removed... because they were fixed.
- The game takes a short while longer to boot up.
- A Level 4 RSCA advisory has been added to the title screen for "wanton and gratuitous violence".
v1.0 | v1.1 onward |
---|---|
- The credits are no longer a static image pasted on a black background and seem to be rendered using the in-game text engine.
- However, the top line still reads "COPYRIGHT (c) 1994 Apogee Software Ltd."
- Pressing Esc on the title screen now goes right to the main menu instead of the credits screen.
- The players no longer make footstep sounds when moving around.
v1.0 | v1.1 onward |
---|---|
- Taradino Cassatt (one of the playable characters) now grunts instead of growling out "No!" when trying to interact with non-interactive walls.
- Additionally, the no unique sound for trying to open a locked door has been removed. The game, instead, is programmed to play the aforementioned grunt sound.
v1.0 | v1.1 onward |
---|---|
- The HUD graphics for all four keys were changed between versions.
v1.0 | v1.1 onward |
---|---|
- If the player changes their Comm-Bat™ Game codename in-game, it now saves to SETUP.ROT properly.
- All RemoteRidicule™ sounds (multiplayer taunts) were shortened and compressed with the exception of R_BHINYA ("Behind ya!") and R_YGOTME ("*sigh* Ya got me.")
- In particular, R_HAHAHA had its "wheeze" removed. (Likely because it sounded unprofessional.)
Version 1.2
On February 15th of the same year – about a week after the last patch, Apogee released a patch.
To do: * Compare the downloadable 1.2 version to the 1.1 update for changes.
|
v1.1 | v1.2 onward |
---|---|
- REMOTERIDICULE was removed from SETUP.ROT.
- NETWORKSOCKET's default value was changed from 882a to abcd
- The in-game credits were altered slightly and expanded:
- The copyright finally reads "1995".
- The Artists and Programmers spots swapped between versions.
v1.2 onward |
---|
- The second screen thanks the executive producers, manual designer, beta testers, and a few random people and companies who helped along the way.
Version 1.2a
Also released on February 15th was the 1.2-to-1.2a patch. Apparently, they missed something!
To do: Figure out how to make the patch work or find a way to extract the data. |
Version 1.3
The final patch was released on August 1st of 1995. Unlike the ones before it, it made a few somewhat obvious changes to the game.
To do: Further research. |
- REMOTERIDICULE was put back into SETUP.ROT.
v1.1 to 1.2 | v1.3 |
---|---|
- The patches used for the FM synthesis were replaced with less harsher patches by Version 1.3, most likely from using the Duke Nukem 3D version of the Apogee Sound System. Most MIDIs sound radically different when played through the FM synthesizers as of this version.
Sometime around the time of the final patch, a company by the name of Lasersoft, Inc. released a special retail version of the shareware game, simply titled "'Rise of the Triad: The HUNT Begins, Deluxe Edition'". It's essentially a "level pack" sold for cheap to drum up more business.
The version-exclusive levels were later released as standalone files on 3D Realms' Legacy Site.
- Inexplicably, the game boots almost instantly, much like v1.0.
v1.3 | v1.3 Deluxe |
---|---|
Rise of the Triad Startup Version 1.3 Shareware Version |
Rise of the Triad Startup Version 1.3 Lasersoft Deluxe Version |
- The game's "operating system" header has been updated to reflect the upgrade.
v1.3 Deluxe |
---|
- The Lasersoft company logo displays before the Apogee logo.
- Three additional Warp Only Single Player levels, "Prelude to a Kill", "Jumpin' Jehoshaphat", and "GADZOOKS!" were added.
- Three additional Comm-Bat™ Multiplayer levels, "The Siege", "The Box", and "Rise and Tide" were added.
Ludicrous Edition
- First official Windows release! Please, see this page for more details.
Level Set Differences
Rise of the Triad was sold in a variety of different SKUs with additional levels tacked on.
The Hunt Begins - Deluxe Edition
See above.
Super Triad CD/Powerpack
Super Triad was the CD-ROM release of Dark War. Powerpack was an commercial addon to upgrade the floppy disk version of Dark War to be on par with the CD version. It included an alternate version of the multiplayer levels set (ROTTCD.RTC) with 10 additional levels, as well as a random level generator, Apogee's internal version of Id's TED level editor, and various Windows themes and other silliness.
Additional Comm-Bat Levels:
- Swimmin' Pool
- The Sanctum of Rocking
- Think Up!
- Ziggurattack
- Free Flight
- Cross Purposes
- Joustin' Time
- Captured
- Yellow Brick Road
- Crystal Fields
Site License CD
Much the same as the Super Triad CD, but licensed to run on 11 machines at the same time for clean-conscience LAN partying. It also came with a further-updated version of the CD multiplayer level set (ROTTSITE.RTC) with 14 additional levels.
Additional Comm-Bat Levels:
- King of the Hill
- The Castle
- It's the Pits
- Popcore
- Round 'n' Round
- Hey! More Barrels!
- Too Tight
- Race Track
- Cave In
- Glen Park
- Urge to Kill
- Death Tree
- Oh Yeah!
- Staff Meeting