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User:Darkaiser/CTR Aug 5 1999 prototype

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Hiddenpalace.org logo.png  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

The August 5th, 1999 prototype of Crash Team Racing is a preview version of the game dated around a month and a half before the final NTSC release version. It was released on September 26th, 2020.

The disc that this build originates from is labelled with "8/5/99", suggesting that its burn date was also on August 5th.

Audio Differences

Blank.png
Placeholder Dialogue
Unused voice clips/dialogues present within the files.

Startup / Menu Differences

  • The startup screens use static images, which are the same ones from demo versions. There is no music, narration or even the Naughty Dog box screen.
  • The checkered flag moves diagonally, and its color is much darker.
  • There are no sound effects in the menus, with the exception of the name entry screen.
  • The trademark symbol next to the game's logo is missing.
  • Crash's model has bigger pupils and his eyes have a darker tone. He also doesn't blink.
  • There is no transition between menus.
  • The cup mode in Arcade and VS. modes wasn't implemented yet.
  • Only X and Square buttons are used to select and go back in menus, respectively. In the final game, Circle and Triangle can also be used for the same actions.
  • The demo mode and the intro cutscene are absent, not playing if idle in main menu.
  • Cheat codes weren't implemented yet, so holding L1 and R1 doesn't lock the inputs. Thus it's impossible to unlock Penta Penguin without hacking the game. Consequently, the secret demo for Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! isn't present.
  • 2, 3, and 4 player options are always available regardless of how many controllers are plugged.
  • There is no unlockable Scrapbook menu option. The video file is also entirely missing from the game.

Adventure

  • The New/Load menu is positioned higher.

CTR-Aug5 CharSelectAdventure.png

  • The character select screen for Adventure mode is just a basic list containing the eight starter characters instead of a 3D garage.
  • Character names use a very basic naming:
    • Crash instead of Crash Bandicoot
    • Cortex instead of Dr. Neo Cortex
    • Tiny instead of Tiny Tiger
    • Coco instead of Coco Bandicoot
    • Ngin instead of N. Gin
    • Dingo instead of Dingodile
  • The name entry screen is the only part of the menu that actually has sound effects. Still, they are very limited, as the "menu confirmation", "key deletion" and "menu locked" sounds are missing.
  • The character icons in the save files have a black background.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 NoData.png CTR-Final NoData.png
  • All warning messages call the memory card as just "card".
  • There is no menu interface on the messages screens.
  • The title here says "Unformatted" instead of "Warning:".
  • In order to format the memory card, you need to press X instead of Circle.
  • The message doesn't inform you about using Triangle to return - in this case, you need to press Square.
  • The message uses the X letter to represent the button instead of the actual icon.

Character Select

Aug 5 Final (4P)
CTR-Aug5 SelectCharacter.png CTR-Final SelectCharacter4P.png
  • Character icons are in a rather primitive state: Crash, Polar, Fake Crash, and Penta Penguin's icons were totally redrawn, Tiny Tiger uses a less detailed version of his boss portrait from Cortex Strikes Back, Coco uses a very similar version of her Warp Room portrait from Warped, N. Gin's missile was changed from grey to yellow and has a slightly different texture under his right eye, N. Tropy's head and face expressions were slighly modified, Ripper Roo re-uses the textures of his boss portrait from Crash Bandicoot 1, and Papu Papu, Pinstripe and Komodo Joe re-use the boss portraits from their previous debuts.
  • Regardless of how many human players are chosen, the character menu always uses the 4-player layout, containing four player slots.
  • The 3D models rotating are absent. Instead, this build shows the character names inside the blank slots.
  • Character names use a very basic naming:
    • Crash instead of Crash Bandicoot
    • Cortex instead of Dr. Neo Cortex
    • Tiny instead of Tiny Tiger
    • Coco instead of Coco Bandicoot
    • Ngin instead of N. Gin
    • Dingo instead of Dingodile
    • Roo instead of Ripper Roo
    • Papu instead of Papu Papu
    • Joe instead of Komodo Joe
    • NTropy instead of Dr. N. Tropy
    • Penguin instead of Penta Penguin
  • A small font is used for both character names and Select Character strings. That string is also not disabled after all characters are unlocked in 4-player screen.
  • The icons don't turn black after choosing a character. The colored outlines stop blinking instead.
  • Compared to the final 4-player screen, Penta Penguin and Fake Crash have swapped places.
  • Fake Crash's icon is misplaced.

Level Select

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 SelectLevel.png CTR-Final SelectLevel (1).png
  • Instead of using a full track showcase video, it uses static images. The saturation is also very high in this menu.
  • The shots were taken from earlier versions of the tracks, causing some of them to have differences no longer present in this build:
    • The unique start line in Roo's Tubes was totally scrapped.
    • The hill right after the start line has "COCO" written with flowers in Coco Park.
    • The checkered line texture is very stretched in Sewer Speedway and Dragon Mines.
    • A checkered line is missing in N. Gin Labs. Some extra directional arrows are also present in the left wall.
    • Textures on Oxide Station are heavily unfinished.
    • Turbo Track has an unfinished background.
  • Minimaps don't have a blue outline.
  • Sewer Speedway is called "Down the Drain".
  • Slide Coliseum is an unlockable track along with Turbo Track.
  • Oxide Station's minimap has some different parts:
    • The tube section is more detailed, and may have been based on the removed four tube portion.
    • The big jump section has an extra platform in the middle of the hole.
    • Overall, the map design looks poorly drawn, as there are many inconsistencies with the final map.

Battle

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 BattleCourses.png CTR-Final BattleCourses.png
  • Parking Lot is called "Garden Gambit".
  • Lab Basement is called "Maze Malaise".
  • Parking Lot, Lab Basement, and The North Bowl are already unlocked.
  • On the other hand, Skull Rock is an unlockable arena.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 SetupBattle.png CTR-Final SetupBattle.png
  • The available point options for Point Limit Mode are 10, 15, and 20. It was reduced to 5, 10, and 15 in the final game.
  • In Life Limit Mode, the available life options are 3, 10, and 20. It was reduced to 3, 6, and 9 in the final game.
  • The "Type:" and "Lenght:" strings were moved further down in the final game.
  • The warning messages use a small font.

High Score

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 HighScore.png CTR-Final HighScore.png
  • Only the eight starter characters are shown in the rankings. In the final game, Ripper Roo, Papu Papu, Komodo Joe, Pinstripe, and N. Tropy are also present.
  • The default CPU records are always 3:00:00, while in the final NTSC version is 9:59:00.
  • Best Lap Time names use the standard font color instead of the character's unique color.
    • Best Lap Time will always show the record of the first character in the Best Track Times ranking.
  • There is no visible Time Trial and Relic Race options. Instead, going up or down will switch between "Standard Mode" (Time Trial) and "Relic Race".
  • Best Lap Time records are also present in Relic Race menu. They were removed in the final game since there is no lap record in this mode.
  • The directional arrows next to the track names are missing.
  • A small font is used for the character names. The background shadows are also further down.
  • Pressing X will return to the main menu.
  • Dr. Neo Cortex and N. Gin name abbreviations are the same placeholder ones used in the rest of the prototype. In the final game, characters with long names have unique abbreviations for the rankings.
  • Slide Coliseum and Turbo Track records screen are accessible even if the tracks aren't unlocked.

CTR-Aug5 HighScore-PentaFakeJoe.png

  • Penta Penguin uses a black color, which has the same tone as the font's shadows, making the text unreadable. In the final game, his color was changed to white.
  • Fake Crash uses a silver color, whereas in the final game his color is blue-grey.
  • Komodo Joe uses a blue color, which was later changed to mustard.

Loading Screen

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 Loading.png CTR Final Loading.png

There is no Loading... text during the loading screen.

Gameplay Differences

  • The checkered flag immediately appears and disappears without slowly transitioning on and off during the loading screen.
  • At this point in development, the voice recording sessions haven't started yet, so there is no voice acting throughout the gameplay.
  • The screen doesn't turn black and white during the pause screen.
    • The interface menu doesn't have greenish outlines.
    • In the Options menu, you can hear the developer's voice impressions for the eight starter characters used as placeholders.
    • You can switch between minimap and speedometer during the pause.
  • The racing wheel configuration menu wasn't present yet.
  • Skipping the race intro will also switch between minimap and speedometer.
  • The lap counter is separated by a hyphen, whereas in the final game, it's separated by a slash.
  • The lap time is registered once the lap is finished, while in the final game the player can see the time of each lap in real time.
  • There is no checkpoint sound effect after crossing the finish line on each lap.
  • There is no CTR start banner in the tracks, with the exception of Coco Park.
  • Aku Aku and Uka Uka's models are placeholders from previous games.
  • There is no checkered flag transition when restarting a race. Instead, the race resets instantly.
  • There is a glitch where restarting a race while the race intro fanfare is playing will cause the following race to start without the fanfare music.
Aug 5 Final
  • The Final Lap! warning is absent, and the jingle is very different.
  • Losing a race will play the victory fanfare instead.
  • The track music doesn't replay after the victory fanfare ends.
  • Selecting the "Quit" option will make you instantly leave the race. In the final game, there is an extra confirmation with "Yes" and "No".
  • The X button icon has a golden color.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 StartLights.png CTR-Final StartLights 2.png
  • The start lights layout are different, closely resembling the design used on Highway levels in Crash Bandicot: Warped.
  • All tracks from the last zone - N. Gin Labs, Cortex Castle, Hot Air Skyway, Oxide Station - contain a removed feature where there is a Super Turbo Pad that allows you to keep reserves for the entire race, just like Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. That happens because you don't lose reserves when getting any type of boost. A piece of code limiting this action was added in the final game.

Race

  • In 1P mode, the player and CPU racers always start at random positions, changing whenever a race is selected or restarted. This applies to both Arcade and Adventure modes. In the final game, the player always start in first place in Arcade mode - with CPU racers sorted according to the character selection menu - and last place in Adventure mode (with CPU racers sorted randomly).
  • There is no exhaust gas coming out of CPU karts.
  • The weapon fire function is also mapped to the R2 button, in addition to the circle button. Because of this, there is no backward view.
Aug 5 Final
  • A different sound effect is heard when the player gets a power-up.
  • Activating another mask power-up while the current one is almost disappearing will make them reappear without the rainbow effect.
  • Hitting a TNT while spinning or crushed won't instantly blow it up in the player's head.
  • The Warp Orb is very glitchy in this build, as it gets stuck in many sections of the tracks.
  • The red beaker can cause six different effects to the player by default:
    • Randomizes item until the stormy cloud is gone
    • Make the kart slippery - no randomization
    • Make the kart unable to hop - no randomization
    • Shake the kart + slow down - no randomization
    • Shake the kart if it hops + slown down - no randomization
    • Drain Wumpa fruits (removed state effect) - no randomization

In the final game, the state effects aren't totally random: if the player isn't holding any item, shake the kart + slown down and shake the kart if it hops + slown down effects are used. If the player is holding any item, randomizes item until the stormy cloud is gone effect is used. The rest of the effects can be only actived if the player hits another red beaker while the current effect is still being played.

  • The Power Shield doesn't have animations.
    • Touching another player doesn't flash the screen.
  • The CPU routes are different on many tracks.
  • CPUs aren't affected by crushing hazards, such as Sewer Speedway and N. Gin Labs rolling barrels, Blizzard Bluff's giant ball, and Dragon Mines minecarts.
  • Crashing while being crushed will make the kart flip with the crushed animation. In the final game, the kart automatically returns to normal state during the flip.
  • There is no limit to how many missiles can be on-screen at once, which can have an impact on FPS. In the final game, there is a restriction that is in VS. mode to prevent too many rockets from being on-screen by setting that only 2 players out of 4 can have "3 missiles" weapon at the same time, while if the weapon roulette RNG wants to give more players the "3 missiles" weapon, it gets changed to "one missile".
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 RaceResults.png CTR-Final RaceResults.png
  • The interface menu doesn't have greenish outlines.
  • The position numbers after finishing a race are red.
  • The menu placement is further down the screen.
  • During the icons transitions, pressing a button to skip the HUD animation before all of them appear will cause the rest of the icons to spawn on the screen, one by one.

Time Trial

  • There is no ghost selection screen. It's only displayed if there is an actual ghost data in the track.
    • The "Insert any memory card with ghost data in memory card slot 1" bottom text is missing from the ghost data screen.
  • The results screen doesn't have a transition.
  • The messages are missing an exclamation mark.
  • Since there is no voice acting in this build, N. Tropy's dialogues are absent.
  • The enter name screen says "Save" instead of "Save High Score". This screen can be also skipped using the Square button.
  • The total time and the best lap time don't have the font highlighted.
  • The character names use small font just like the High Score menu.
  • The position numbers in the rankings are red.
  • If you don't have a memory card inserted and you try to save a ghost, the game softlocks.
  • Selecting a ghost data slot says "Choose a slot to save to" instead of "Choose a memory card slot to save to".
  • Replaying a Time Trial race after finishing it without leaving the track does create a ghost of your previous run just like the final game, however this feature is only enabled in your first Time Trial attempt. Switching to another track doesn't enable it, so the only way to compete against your last run ghost in multiple tracks is rebooting the game before entering each one.
  • N. Tropy's ghosts are harder in some tracks as he uses shortcuts in some of them.
    • His ghost spawns out of bounds but teleports right before the start lights in Mystery Caves and Blizzard Bluff. He also oddly starts before the green light in these cases, just like Oxide boss in the final game.
    • His ghost runs out of bounds in Sewer Speedway, Dingo Canyon, Cortex Castle, Oxide Station, Slide Coliseum, and Turbo Track. Because of this, it's impossible to beat him on these tracks, unless using the Frozen Time Exploit.
    • It's insanely hard to unlock his ghost in Tiny Arena, as the time requirement to unlock him is finishing the track under 3:00:00.
  • N. Oxide's ghosts weren't implemented yet. Instead, you will face a special ghost that copies the skin of your current character.
    • This ghost keeps running around the finish line in Crash Cove. Eventually it starts racing.
    • This ghost spawns out of bounds but teleports right before the start lights in Tiger Temple, Coco Park, Mystery Caves, and Blizzard Bluff. Just like N. Tropy, they also oddly start before the green light in these cases.
    • This ghost runs out of bounds in all tracks that N. Tropy's ghost is also broken + Papu's Pyramid and Dragon Mines.
  • Beating any of ghosts won't show any stars next to the track's name as confirmation.
  • N. Tropy can be unlocked through hacks, but the game wasn't programmed to make the change from “locked” to “unlocked” after beating his ghosts, so even if you manage to defeat all of them on every track, including Slide Coliseum and Turbo Track, nothing will happen.
    • Beating special ghosts won't unlock anything either.

Multiplayer

  • In 2 Player Arcade and 3/4 Player VS., finishing a race doesn't play the winning fanfare until all players finish the race.
  • The race intro jingle is enabled before the battle starts.
  • All battle arenas use Lab Basement theme as placeholder.
  • The battle type settings are always reset to default when returning to the menu via pause options or after finishing a game.
  • The Super Engine power-up is broken in this build, doesn't giving max speed to the player. Instead, a chainsaw sound plays which become unused in the final game.
  • After killing a player in Life Limit Mode, the marking over the player's head will still appear at the death location if the others players are further away.
  • Killing a player while they are invisible will make them reappear even after the death, but they be will untouchable like a ghost.
  • Battle arenas have no CPU routes programmed, so the player always stops moving after the battle is over. In the final game, only Nitro Court has no routes.
  • The end of race comments used for Battle and VS. has some strings changed, some missing, and others removed altogether. Most of the changed comments have been shortened to fit the screen, as the final game uses the standard large font, while the prototype is using the small font for both comments and "You Hit/Hit You" strings.
Comments Aug 5 Final
Changed strings ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL ASLEEP AT WHEEL
BAD SHORT BAD SHOT
BEST BEAKER THROWS BEAKER ACE
CAME AND CONQUERED! CONQUERED ALL!
COME BACK KID COMEBACK KID
KING OF THE RING! RING KING!
LAST TOON STANDING! LAST STANDING!
LEADER OF THE SMACK KING OF THE PACK
LICENSE TO SQUEAL! JUST SQUEAL!
MASTER OF DISASTER! DISASTER MASTER!
NOTHING BUT NOTHING NOTHING DOING
SILVER MEDAL WHO? SILVER MEDAL
SQUASHED LIKE A BUG SQUASHED BUG!
THE COMEBACK KID! COMEBACK KID!
THE TURKEY'S DONE STUFFED TURKEY
WINNER BY A NOSE! WINNER!
Deleted strings BLUES
BRONZE MEDAL
CONTROLLER PLUGGED IN?
SINGING IN THE PAIN
SKUNKED!
SOMEBODY STOP ME!
ZIPPO
Missing strings BLACK N' BLUE
BUTTON PROBLEMS?
EASY MONEY!
HARD KNOCKS
LEADER OF THE PACK
SMACK MAN
SPEED DEMON!
TOASTED!

Characters

  • Komodo Joe, Fake Crash, and Penta Penguin's minimap icons are blue, silver, and black, respectively.
  • Penta Penguin is protected by Uka Uka.

CTR-Aug5 FakeCrashTNT.png CTR-Aug5 PenguinTNT.png

  • The TNT over Penta Penguin and Fake Crash's head covers the entire kart body.

Adventure Mode

The game starts in Gem Stone Valley, spawning next to N. Oxide's garage. You have access to both N. Sanity Beach and The Lost Ruins tracks at the beginning. Crash Cove, Roo's Tubes, Coco Park, and Tiger Temple are accessible from start.

  • There are no boss cutscenes throughout the game.
  • Aku Aku/Uka Uka hints are completely missing.
  • The minimap lacks a lot of details, such as Save Monitor, Boss Star and Other Zones Road. Blinking waves from available levels are also missing.
  • The symbol representing the player is the same one used in races.
  • There are no zone icons at this point with the exception of N. Sanity Beach, which uses a 3D model of a Sun as icon instead of drawn Palmtree with a Sun.
  • You are able to switch between the map and speedometer in the Adventure zones.
  • The zone music is disabled when accessing the Load/Save monitor.
    • There is no scanlines sound effect.
    • The generic "Writing to card..." message is used for both save/delete file actions. In the final game, saving a file says "Saving to memory card..." and deleting it says "Deleting game slot...".
    • Selecting an empty slot to delete will show the save message.
    • The file save title says "Choose a slot to save to" instead of "Choose a memory card slot to save to".
  • There is no sound effect when the player enters the warp vortex.
    • Entering a warp vortex while powersliding will make the slide sound effect continue playing, even after the player is teleported.
  • You can drive during the item inventory animation.
  • You can access Relic Race right after getting a trophy of a track. In the final game, other race challenges are only available after defeating the boss of the current zone.
  • Opening a new door will freeze the game while the door animation plays. There is also no sound effects present.
  • Some percentage counts are different for when completing a challenge or getting a reward:
Aug 5 Final
Trophy 1% 2%
CTR Token 1% 1%
Relic 2% 2%
Crystal Challenge 2% 1%
Boss 2% 1%
Gem Cup 2% 1%
  • In the zone transition areas, there is no back-face culling, so you can see the other sides of walls.
  • Adventure mode doesn't save the unlocked characters after beating the Gem Cups. You need to save a Relic Race or Time Trial high score while any of them are unlocked to keep them available, otherwise you will need to redo the Gem Cups everytime the game is rebooted in order to reunlock them.
    • However, if you saved the Adventure file where the Gem Cups are already beaten but didn't save a high score, you won't be able to reunlock the characters, unless you delete the entire save file and start over.
  • There are no ending credits yet, so beating N. Oxide will return you straight to the Adventure map.
  • It's impossible to unlock Slide Coliseum and Turbo Track without hacks, as the game wasn't programmed to make the change from “locked” to “unlocked” after collecting the track relics.
  • The max percentage you can reach is 96%. Getting all Gold or Platinum relics won't increase the percentage by 1%, and there really isn't N. Oxide's Final Challenge after collecting all 18 relics (the title string and the code to detect if he was beaten twice are already present).
  • If you go out of bounds in the Adventure maps, the masks will appear to rescue you. In the final game, masks aren't loaded into memory, that's why they don't draw.
  • Loading a save file in N. Sanity Beach, The Lost Ruins, and Glacier Park can spawn the player at different placements every time the file is loaded. In the final game, the spawn point is always fixed in one spot.
Zone Level Aug 5 Requirements Final Requirements
N. Sanity Beach Crash Cove None None
Roo's Tubes None None
Mystery Caves 1 Trophy 1 Trophy
Sewer Speedway 4 Trophies 3 Trophies
Skull Rock 1 Key 1 Key
The Lost Ruins Coco Park None 1 Key + 4 Trophies
Tiger Temple None 1 Key + 4 Trophies
Papu's Pyramid 7 Trophies 1 Key + 6 Trophies
Dingo Canyon 3 Trophies 1 Key + 7 Trophies
Rampage Ruins 2 Keys 2 Keys
Glacier Park Blizzard Bluff 1 Key + 5 Trophies 2 Keys + 8 Trophies
Dragon Mines 1 Key + 7 Trophies 2 Keys + 9 Trophies
Polar Pass 1 Key + 9 Trophies 2 Keys + 10 Trophies
Tiny Arena 1 Key + 11 Trophies 2 Keys + 11 Trophies
Rocky Road 3 Keys 3 Keys
Citadel City N. Gin Labs 2 Keys + 14 Trophies 3 Keys + 12 Trophies
Cortex Castle 2 Keys + 10 Trophies 3 Keys + 12 Trophies
Hot Air Skyway 2 Keys + 12 Trophies 3 Keys + 14 Trophies
Oxide Station 2 Keys + 14 Trophies 3 Keys + 15 Trophies
Nitro Court 4 Keys 4 Keys
Gem Stone Valley Slide Coliseum 10 Relics 1 Key + 10 Relics
Turbo Track 15 Relics 1 Key + 5 Gems
  • You were originally going to be able to navigate between zones to collect trophies. This can be noticed by starting in Gem Stone Valley, so the player automatically have access to two different zones at the same time, each one with two available tracks from start.
    • If the player starts in N. Sanity Beach, 4 trophies are required to unlock Sewer Speedway, however you can only get 3 in this zone, forcing the player to access The Lost Ruins to continue progressing.
    • If the player starts in The Lost Ruins, 3 trophies are required to unlock Dingo Canyon, however you can only get 2 in this zone, forcing the player to access N. Sanity Beach.
  • The Lost Ruins is accessible from the beginning.
  • Glacier Park requires 1 key to open, instead of 2.
  • Citadel City requires 2 keys to open, instead of 3.
  • The requirement to unlock Turbo Track is 15 relics, instead of 5 gems.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 AdventurePauseMenu.png CTR-Final AdventurePauseMenu.png
  • The pause menu/inventory was completely revamped. Here instead of showing a full list per world containing all tracks and challenges for each zone, there is a small text box showing each level and challenge individually, where the track name is represented by the large font and the zone above it using a small font. Each text box contains three collectibles for race tracks (trophy, relic, token).
  • The uncollected relics, tokens, and gems icons in the menu have "default" non-shaded forms.
Zone Menu Order Rewards
The Lost Ruins Dingo Canyon Trophy, Relic, Token
Glacier Park Dragon Mines Trophy, Relic, Token
Glacier Park Blizzard Bluff Trophy, Relic, Token
N.Santiy Beach Crash Cove Trophy, Relic, Token
The Lost Ruins Tiger Temple Trophy, Relic, Token
The Lost Ruins Papu's Pyramid Trophy, Relic, Token
N.Santiy Beach Roo's Tubes Trophy, Relic, Token
Citadel City Hot Air Skyway Trophy, Relic, Token
N.Santiy Beach Down the Drain Trophy, Relic, Token
N.Santiy Beach Mystery Caves Trophy, Relic, Token
Citadel City Cortex Castle Trophy, Relic, Token
Citadel City N.Gin Labs Trophy, Relic, Token
Glacier Park Polar Pass Trophy, Relic, Token
Citadel City Oxide Station Trophy, Relic, Token
The Lost Ruins Coco Park Trophy, Relic, Token
Glacier Park Tiny Arena Trophy, Relic, Token
Gem Stone Valley Slide Coliseum Relic
Gem Stone Valley Turbo Track Relic
N.Santiy Beach Ripper Roo's Challenge Key
The Lost Ruins Papu Papu's Challenge Key
Glacier Park Komodo Joe's Challenge Key
Citadel City Pinstripe Potoroo's Challenge Key
Gem Stone Valley N. Oxide's Challenge Key
N.Santiy Beach Skull Rock Token
The Lost Ruins Rampage Ruins Token
Glacier Park Rocky Road Token
Citadel City Nitro Court Token
Gems 5 Colored Gems
CTR Coins 5 Colored Tokens
Relics Sapphire, Gold, Platinum
  • The track order is based on the internal ID values (0 - Dingo Canyon, 1 - Dragon Mines, 2 - Blizzard Bluff, 3 - Crash Cove, etc.)
  • N. Sanity Beach is mispelled as N. Santiy Beach.
  • Pinstripe's garage uses his full name.
  • N. Oxide's Challenge gives a key instead of a star.
  • CTR Tokens are called "CTR Coins".
  • Aku Aku/Uka Uka hints option is missing due to their absence in this build.
  • The pause menu always shows Dingo Canyon as standard screen. In the final game, the menu automatically changes the zone list according to the current world.
  • The "Paused" text is also present here. In the final game, this text doesn't show up in the inventory menu.
  • The menu border has no bluish outline.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 WarpVortex.png CTR-Final WarpVortex.png
  • The warp vortex has small flashing lights coming out of it.
  • The floor color is light blue, which was later changed to blue.
  • Some warp vortex are surrounded by a checkered pattern. According to Rob Titus, former Naughty Dog developer, this was removed because it didn't look so well.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 WarpParticles.png CTR-Final WarpParticles.png
  • The warping particles create a bluish smoke coming out of the warp vortex. The final game was changed to a shining light.

CTR-Aug5 WarpVortexJumping.png

  • Entering the warp vortex while jumping causes the characters to make the jumping animation.

Gem Stone Valley

  • The player's spawn point is different. They spawn towards Oxide's Spaceship, while in the final game they were moved to the waterfalls.
  • The concrete fence around Oxide's Spaceship area is further away.
  • The sky background behind Oxide's Spaceship has clouds like the rest of the map. They were removed in the final game.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 OxideSpaceship.png CTR-Final OxideSpaceship.png
  • Oxide's Spaceship is less detailed around the boss garage area.
  • Oxide's Spaceship has a light green tone.
  • The background behind Oxide's Spaceship contains is full of trees that were removed in the final game.
  • There are no invisible walls around the concrete fences of the boss garange entrance. Because of this, it's possible to go out of bounds by jumping with enough speed.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 GemCupsDoor.png CTR-Final GemCupsDoor.png
  • There is no door for the Gem Cups area.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 TheLostRuinsEntrance.png CTR Removed Sign Final.png
  • The textures of the entrance to the ruins have been changed.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 OxideGarage.png CTR-Final OxideGarage.png
  • The textures inside Oxide's garage are heavily unfinished.
  • The floor textures have a yellowish color inside the garage area.
  • Falling off from this zone spawns you out of bounds.

N. Sanity Beach

  • There is way less lighting, making the textures a lot darker.
  • N. Sanity Beach's theme is slighly different.
  • Sewer Speedway's decoration pipes have a dark tone.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 NSanityBeachDoor.png CTR-Final NSanityBeachDoor.png
  • There is no door connecting Gem Stone Valley to N. Sanity Beach.

CTR-Aug5 CrashCoveTiki.png

  • A tiki statue was removed from the sea background near to Crash Cove warp vortex.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 ExtraBridge.png CTR-Final ExtraBridge.png
  • There was an additional extension on the bridge leading to Roo's Tubes. This remained on the map in the final game.

The Lost Ruins

  • Some grass textures over the walls are missing.
  • A direction sign pointing to Papu's Pyramid is missing.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 PapuGarage.png CTR-Final PapuGarage.png
  • There is no black background inside Papu Papu's garage.
  • Falling off from this zone spawns you out of bounds, softlocking the game.

Glacier Park

  • Polar Pass and Blizzard Bluff warp vortices are swapped.

CTR-Aug5 GlacierParkNoCrystals.png CTR-Aug5 GlacierParkNoCrystals 1.png

  • This part of the map has some crystals in the background that were removed in the final game.
  • The warp vortex color of Dragon Mines is red, which is incorrect here, as it should represent the color of the track token (blue).

CTR-Aug5 GlacierParkPodium.png

  • You kart is positioned in a different direction during the inventory animation on the podium.
  • Falling off from this zone spawns you out of bounds, softlocking the game.

Citadel City

  • The chandeliers in the Cortex Castle area have different textures.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 CitadelCityNitroCourt.png CTR-Final CitadelCityNitroCourt.png
  • The Nitro Court warp vortex area uses the floor textures.
  • A ceiling was removed in the final game.

Podium

CTR-Aug5 Podium.png

The Podium is in a very unfinished state. There isn't any character, podium platform or trophy girl, and only the obtained item appears on the top.

  • There are no victory fanfares either. Instead, the zone theme plays all the time.
  • The camera is already programmed. You can see the trophy girl's waving animation camera is already present, even though she is not there.

Boss Challenges

  • There is no sound effect for opening and closing the boss garage.
  • The bosses don't throw any infinite weapons. Instead, they just act as a normal CPU and use random items.
  • There is no boss race music.
  • Aku Aku, Warp Orb, and N. Tropy Clock power-ups are enabled during the boss races.
  • Boss garages are unlocked only after getting all trophies from the tracks of their own zone, regardless of the number of trophies already obtained. This can be further noticed in the final game, when Aku Aku says "beat all four races in an area".

CTR-Aug5 KeyInventoryAnimation.png

  • A key being added into the inventory animation is used after beating a boss.
  • Beating Ripper Roo will spawn the player in front of his garage, instead of automatically spawning them in front of Gem Stone Valley door.
  • Beating Pinstripe will spawn the player in front of his garage, instead of automatically spawning them in front of Oxide's garage.

CTR-Aug5 OxideIcon.png

  • N. Oxide's battle has the most differences so far:
    • His model uses a silver window frame. In the final game, it was changed to black.
    • He uses Fake Crash's icon as placeholder.
    • He doesn't start before the green light.
    • There are four kart wheels under his hovercraft.
    • The game uses a low-poly model when he is away from the camera. In the final game, the LOD (level of detail) never decreases.
    • You can hit him using all weapons, including TNTs and Nitros. In the final game, he will always spins out when hit by any type of weapon, except when touching him with a Power Shield or Mask.
    • His minimap icon is grey.
  • You get up to 5 keys due to N. Oxide's Challenge giving you a key instead of a star, which is useless, since the max you can unlock using keys is N. Oxide's Challenge, which requires 4 keys.

CTR Challenge

Blank.png
CTR Letters Locations
Some letters are in different locations.

CTR-Aug5 ChooseRaceType.png

The CTR Challenge has a very different challenge is this build: You must collect the letters C, T, and R during a Trophy Race, and each letter will be available in different laps, and if you miss any of them, you won't be able to get a Token, unless you try again.

  • The Choose Race Type screen says "Trophy Race" instead of "CTR Challenge".
  • Pressing Square in Choose Race Type screen will always load Trophy Race, even if the option is over Relic Race. In the final game, this button doesn't cause any effect.
  • C is collectable on lap 1; T on lap 2; R on lap 3.
  • A Wumpa fruit sound effect plays when collecting a letter.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 TokenAwarded.png CTR-Final TokenAwarded.png
  • The token message is shown along with the race results.
  • Pressing X while the letters are falling from the HUD after losing a race will freeze them on the screen.

Crystal Challenge

  • The race intro jingle is enabled during the Crystal Challenges.
  • The kart doesn't brake instantly after the challenge ends.
  • The time limits are different in all arenas, with the exception of Nitro Court.
Time limit Aug 5 Final
Skull Rock 1:10:00 1:23:00
Rampage Ruins 1:30:00 1:25:00
Rocky Road 1:30:00 1:20:00

Relic Race

Blank.png
Time Crates Locations
Some crates are placed in very hard locations.
  • The requirements for all relic records are placeholders times. Sapphire times vary between 2:18:00 and 2:35:00.
    • Gold and Platinum times are 10 and 30 seconds less than Sapphire times, respectively.
  • There is no time crate counter during the race.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5-RelicRace.png CTR-Final RelicRace.png
  • The relic obtained at the end of the race appears next to the track times instead of the bottom of the screen.
  • There is no sound effect during the time subtraction.
  • "Relic Awarded" and "New High Score" texts don't have exclamation marks.
    • The texts are positioned a little higher on the screen.
  • The time crate icon is misplaced.
  • The results screen doesn't update the relic time if getting a higher relic (e.g. Getting a higher relic - like Gold or Platinum - without collecting a lower one first - Sapphire - will show its time requirement on the results screen, even if the higher relic has been obtained. This can be noticed in the screenshot above).
  • The Platinum relics are dark grey instead of light grey/white.
  • The Best Times ranking doesn't appear during the race results.
  • Regardless of the relic you get, the podium and inventory animation always show a Sapphire relic.
  • Some time boxes are placed in very difficult locations to reach.
  • The game doesn't let you save your score if the clock passes 3:00:00.
Level Aug 5 Final Aug 5 Final
Crash Cove 2:32:00
2:22:00
2:02:00
1:17:00
1:05:00
0:52:00
30 boxes 32 boxes
Roo's Tubes 2:29:00
2:19:00
1:59:00
1:15:00
1:05:00
0:55:00
32 boxes 32 boxes
Mystery Caves 2:26:00
2:16:00
1:56:00
1:55:00
1:44:00
1:32:00
40 boxes 40 boxes
Sewer Speedway 2:27:00
2:17:00
1:57:00
1:33:00
1:05:00
0:37:00
65 boxes 65 boxes
Coco Park 2:21:00
2:11:00
1:51:00
1:35:00
1:12:00
0:49:00
40 boxes 40 boxes
Tiger Temple 2:31:00
2:21:00
2:01:00
1:20:00
1:02:00
0:43:00
52 boxes 52 boxes
Papu's Pyramid 2:30:00
2:20:00
2:00:00
1:34:00
1:09:00
0:42:00
48 boxes 48 boxes
Dingo Canyon 2:35:00
2:25:00
2:05:00
1:25:00
1:09:00
0:53:00
38 boxes 38 boxes
Blizzard Bluff 2:33:00
2:23:00
2:03:00
1:30:00
1:08:00
0:43:00
36 boxes 40 boxes
Dragon Mines 2:34:00
2:24:00
2:04:00
1:28:00
1:11:00
0:54:00
39 boxes 39 boxes
Polar Pass 2:23:00
2:13:00
1:53:00
3:00:00
2:33:00
2:05:00
38 boxes 38 boxes
Tiny Arena 2:20:00
2:10:00
1:50:00
3:45:00
3:22:00
2:58:00
57 boxes 60 boxes
N. Gin Labs 2:24:00
2:14:00
1:54:00
2:15:00
1:34:00
0:53:00
70 boxes 70 boxes
Cortex Castle 2:25:00
2:15:00
1:55:00
2:35:00
2:04:00
1:32:00
62 boxes 62 boxes
Hot Air Skyway 2:28:00
2:18:00
1:58:00
3:05:00
2:34:00
2:02:00
60 boxes 56 boxes
Oxide Station 2:22:00
2:12:00
1:52:00
3:17:00
2:56:00
2:34:00
47 boxes 49 boxes
Slide Coliseum 2:19:00
2:09:00
1:49:00
1:55:00
1:45:00
1:40:00
45 boxes 45 boxes
Turbo Track 2:18:00
2:08:00
1:48:00
1:45:00
1:32:00
1:19:00
52 boxes 52 boxes
  • In Coco Park, the box counter says there are 40 boxes on the track, however only 38 are possible to collect.
  • In Blizzard Bluff, the box counter says there are 36 boxes on the track, however only 33 are possible to collect. One of the unreachable crates is at the end of the track (before the start line) and you can actually see it buried under the ice.
  • In Tiny Arena, it's insanely hard to obtain at least a Sapphire relic due to the very low requirement. Consequently, Gold and Platinum relics are unreachable, unless using the Frozen Time Exploit.
  • In Oxide Station, it's insanely hard to obtain a Platinum relic due to the very low requirement. It gets easier if using the Frozen Time Exploit.
    • The box counter says there are 47 boxes on the track, however only 45 are possible to collect.
  • In Turbo Track, the box counter says there are 52 boxes on the track, however only 51 are possible to collect.

Frozen Time Exploit

In this build, there is a glitch that if you restart a Relic Race while the clock is frozen, the game will keep it frozen even after the race has started. However, this glitch can not only be performed in Relic Race, but also in the entire game. By collecting the 4x3 row of 3-second Time Crates right before the start line in N. Gin Labs, you can keep collecting them and restarting the race, keeping the clock frozen for insane minutes. The result can be used to obtain easy relics on any track and achieve the lowest time possible in Time Trial mode, even allowing the player to obtain unreachable relics and unlock impossible ghosts in this build. The clock will be frozen while you aren't inside a track, like the Adventure zones or the menus, but it will still be ticking. It works in all game modes and challenges (Boss challenges, Crystal challenge, Arcade, Battle, etc).

Gem Cups

CTR-Aug5 GemCupsTokens.png

  • You don't actually need to collect the four tokens of each race track in order to unlock the gem cups. Instead, they will be already unlocked after getting a trophy from the four respective race tracks of a specific token.
  • The restart option is present. Restarting will reset the current race, not the entire cup.
  • The race standings menu doesn't have a transition.
  • In Purple Gem Cup, the item percentage is broken, as you can receive Masks, Warp Orbs, Triple Bowling Bombs and Missles, and Clocks even if in first or second place.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 RaceStandings PurpleGemCup.png CTR-Final RaceStandings PurpleGemCup.png
  • There are overlapping icons for 6th, 7th, and 8th positions on the top right corner in Purple Gem Cup.
Cup Aug 5 Final
Red Gem Cup Crash Cove
Mystery Caves
Blizzard Bluff
Papu's Pyramid
Crash Cove
Mystery Caves
Papu's Pyramid
Blizzard Bluff
Blue Gem Cup Tiger Temple
Sewer Speedway
Dragon Mines
N. Gin Labs
Sewer Speedway
Tiger Temple
Dragon Mines
N. Gin Labs
  • Some tracks are swapped. In the prototype, the track order is based on the Level Selection list, while in the final game it's based on the Adventure order.

Slide Coliseum/Turbo Track Crash

There is a bug when entering Relic Race for Turbo Track and Slide Coliseum. Normally, when exiting the Adventure Hub, a variable that says "You are in Adventure Hub" turns off. However, it does not turn off when entering TT or SC. As a result, the game tries to allocate memory for the adventure hub and the level you are loading, at the same time. There is not enough memory for both, so the game crashes. The following fix will make sure the "You are in Adventure Hub" variable turns off when entering Turbo Track and Slide Coliseum. A hexadecimal editor must be used in order to apply the patch.

Search 00 00 00 00 00 00 82 8C 00 04 03 3C A5 B7 02 08
Replace 00 00 00 00 08 40 02 3c 00 04 03 3c A5 B7 02 08

Track Differences

Crash Cove

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 CrashCoveGround.png CTR-Final CrashCoveGround.png

There is a low relief around the first set of crates area. It's also noticeable since the second crate is lower compared to the others.

Roo's Tubes

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 RoosTubesMushrooms.png CTR-Final RoosTubesMushrooms.png

These two mushrooms were removed in the final game.

Mistery Caves

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 MysteryCavesFence.png CTR-Final MysteryCavesFence.png
  • The fence near to the finish line uses an incorrect texture.

CTR-Aug5 MysteryCaves-4PlayersTurboPad.png

  • A turbo pad is missing in the 3/4 Player version of the track.

Sewer Speedway

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 SewerSpeedwayCrate.png CTR-Final SewerSpeedwayCrate.png

This crate is misplaced.

Coco Park

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 CocoParkBanner.png CTR-Final CocoParkBanner.png
  • This is the only track in this build that has a start banner. However, this seems to be one of the first attempts of the final banner, as it uses a basic design and says "Start" instead of "CTR".
  • The small lake has no ground floor collision in 3/4 Player mode, causing the player to fall straight into the void.
  • The start banner also has waving animations in 3/4 Player mode. In the final game, they were disabled.
  • Again in 3/4 Player mode, there is a weird bug in which a grass tile near the grandstand floats over another player's screen when that object spawns on a different screen. The P1 shows on P2's screen, P2 shows on P3's screen, and P3 shows on P4's screen.

CTR-Aug5 CocoPark4PBug.png

Tiger Temple

  • The shortcut door can only be opened by throwing a Bowling Bomb, Power Shield, Missile, or with TNT/Nitro explosions. Trying to use Aku Aku or Beaker won't open it.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 TigerTempleBackground.png CTR-Final TigerTempleBackground.png
  • The right chunk of the temple's wall texture is missing in the final game, but is present in the prototype.

Dragon Mines

  • The two Wumpa crates are missing, making it impossible to collect any Wumpa fruits on this track.

CTR-Aug5 DragonMinesMinecart.png

  • The first two minecarts at the beginning of the track move upside down. The first one moves before the green light and the second one during the first seconds. This glitch only happens after loading the track once, as restarting the race doesn't repeat it.

Polar Pass

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 PolarPassSign.png CTR-Final PolarPassSign.png
  • The three yellow signs are missing.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 PolarPassTurboPads.png CTR-Final PolarPassTurboPads.png
  • There is only one turbo pad at the end of the U-turn.

CTR-Aug5 PolarPassCameraBug.png

  • Finishing the race in Time Trial and Relic Race causes a camera bug everytime the character passes through the first chunk of the level.

Tiny Arena

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 TinyArenaTurboPads.png CTR-Final TinyArenaTurboPads.png

A trio of turbo pads is missing at the end of the track.

Cortex Castle

CTR-Aug5 CortexCastleSignpost.png

  • The signposts don't have collision.

CTR-Aug5 CortexCastleFloorBug.png

  • The floor right before the stairs leading to the castle's bridge is broken, cancelling the kart's current turbos and reserves whenever the player passes by. You can notice the yellow particles as if the kart was off-road . The player is also unable to powerslide if they are running over this area.
  • The final Turbo Pad before the big jump contains the removed feature that keeps your reserves during the rest of the race, so it's possible to play the entire track with Ultimate Sacred Fire.

N. Gin Labs

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 N.GinLabsGizmos.png CTR Final N.Gin Labs Gizmos.png
  • These tall, yellow laboratory devices could be seen in N. Gin Labs. They're not present in the final game, but they can be seen in the track preview.
  • There are three directional arrows in this part of the track instead of two in the final.
  • The turbo pad before the blue tunnel allows you to play the entire track with USF.
  • The final Turbo Pad before the big jump contains the removed feature that keeps your reserves during the rest of the race, so it's possible to play the entire track with Ultimate Sacred Fire.

Hot Air Skyway

  • A Wumpa crate is missing at the beginning of the level.
  • There are a lot of Wumpa fruits throughout the track that have been removed.
  • If you fall down during the big jump, the fall lasts a lot longer until your mask comes to rescue you.
  • The final Turbo Pad before the big jump contains the removed feature that keeps your reserves during the rest of the race, so it's possible to play the entire track with Ultimate Sacred Fire.

Oxide Station

  • The mask doesn't rescue the player if they access a different chunk of the track.
  • The camera rotates around the character after the race ends.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 OxideStation2.png CTR-Final OxideStation2.png
  • A brown surface was added.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 OxideStation3.png CTR-Final OxideStation3.png
  • An invisible floor was added to the first hole, preventing the player from falling until the bottom.
  • The turbo pad doesn't give enough speed, which sometimes can make the player unable to reach the platform and fall of the track.
    • There is a bug in this section that sometimes makes the CPU unable to reach the platform and fall off the track.
  • Finishing the race in Time Trial and Relic Race, the CPU of the player doesn't gain enough speed to cross over the hole of this specific turbo pad, causing the character to fall.
    • If the CPU is following the left path, they will go out of bounds everytime they pass, causing the character to be stuck forever.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 OxideStation.png CTR-Final OxideStation.png
  • The tunnel leading to the big fall is entirely covered in turbo pads.

CTR-Aug5 OxideStationGlitch.png

  • This section of the track has glitched wall textures in Time Trial and Relic Race modes.
Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 OxideStationReflection.png CTR-Final OxideStationReflection.png
  • The glass reflection is different in Time Trial and Relic Race modes.
  • There are a lot of turbo pads with the removed feature that keeps your reserves during the rest of the race, so it's possible to play the entire track with Ultimate Sacred Fire.

Slide Coliseum

Aug 5 Final
CTR-Aug5 SlideColiseumTexture.png CTR-Final SlideColiseumTexture.png
  • Incorrect wall texture, which is fixed in final, but still rotated wrong.
  • One of the CPU routes are unfinished in this track, causing some of them to go in the wrong direction and fall forever.

CTR-Aug5 SlideColiseumGlitch.png

  • The lap counter checkpoint is misplaced, causing it to activate slightly before crossing the finish line.

Turbo Track

  • The turbo pads don't scroll.
  • The overall level lighting is a bit off (darker walls).

CTR-Aug5 TurboTrackMisplacedCrate.png

  • This Wumpa crate is misplaced.
  • The camera rotates around the character after the race ends. In Time Trial and Relic Race modes, the camera isn't programmed, so it keeps following the player's path but causes a lot of glitches and slowdowns the game.
  • Coco Park's skybox is used in the multiplayer version of the track.

Early Podium Data

The podium is completely empty and the only thing working is the camera. However, victory poses for Crash, Coco, Tiny Tiger, Dingodile, Papu Papu, Komodo Joe, Fake Crash, and Trophy Girls already exist in the files, and some of them are in a primitive state. These files are also duplicated in the defeat animation directory as placeholders. Replacing the files of the final game or the Review Copy prototype, it's possible to load them, although the textures won't be loaded properly.

  • Crash, Coco, Tiny, and Fake Crash don't have any noticeable differences.
  • Komodo Joe does a clapping animation while he dances.
  • Ami does the wagging finger animation instead of the hand-waving one.
  • Megumi doesn't have any animations.





Soundtrack Differences

The following themes have a cut extension at the end of the track. These parts were present in the original pre-console version.

Level Aug 5 Final
Mystery Caves
Tiger Temple
Polar Pass
Tiny Arena
Hot Air Skyway
Oxide Station

Save Information

The information stored on a memory card when saving the game differs in this version compared to the final release. The save icon is the default of a Psy-Q sample.

Info Aug 5 Final
Save icon CTR-Aug5 SaveIcon.gif CTR-Final SaveIcon.png CTR-Final SaveIconGhostData.png
Title CTR Saved Games and Scores CTR:Saved Games and Scores
Product Code SCUS-12345 SCUS-94426

Dongle's Internal Name

As this build is dongle protected, which normally requires a memory card and a controller dongle, so attempting to run it via normal means won't boot the game, it seems this dongle was made specifically for E3 demo but was later reused in subsequent builds.

E3 dongle Copyright 1999 Naughty Dog, Inc.