I finally got around to actually making the prototype more playable in Dolphin (I still couldn't figure out a way to stop the bad pixel shader compile errors). I simply just took the source code and commented out the lines that outputted all that crap to a file. The errors still occur, and the graphical errors are still there, but the game is finally playable in Dolphin now.
I only compiled a x64 version of Dolphin, but you can grab it here.
Just make sure you do the following:
1.) Play without dual core mode (it's a lot more stable for me single core)
2.) Disable panic handlers so you don't get bombarded with error messages (it won't generate the annoying log files and kill your hard drive anymore)
3.) I don't think I compiled XAudio2/DSound correctly, so use OpenAL as your audio backend.
I also made videos of all the stuff that's accessible, check that out here!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgmuhV6jyax9l9lqVpWyiMA
Here are some differences I noticed (keep in mind there might be some problems due to the emulator):
---Title/Opening/Galleon---
1.) As I said before, the title screen opening movie is a lot longer in the prototype. It contains footage of an old version of the game (old HUD, etc).
2.) Title screen graphics are a bit different in comparison to the final, I compared them in a post I made before.
3.) The only language available is English
4.) Prologue from the game's opening is missing
5.) Some minor text differences (Final: "My Staff!" Proto: "My staff!", Final: "...check the display" Proto: "Check the read out", etc). If I mentioned all of them I'd be here all day, but nothing significant to the story has been changed as far as I know.
6.) Camera angle before controlling Krystal is different
7.) Most of the game's text from this point on is off center.
---Krazoa Palace---
8.) The prototype seems to be unable to load the game text for the NPCs on the map for Krazoa Palace, there's an error message as soon as you load into the map that reads <1068's not in Warlock>.
9.) Because of #8, any NPC or object that you interact with won't say anything.
10.) No text telling you that you have arrived at Krazoa Palace. Probably because since it's a demo, this might imply that you aren't meant to save. However, for some odd reason, you CAN actually save the game in the demo.
11.) They added the BAFOMDAD near the entrance to the palace when you bomb the wall for some reason.
12.) The SFX for using the warp is different.
13.) When walking up the ladder for the Test of Observance, they had a blow torch embedded in the ladder to make the climb up more annoying. This was removed in the final.
14.) The ladder climbing up from the pit facing toward the blocked entrance to the other room (the blocked entrance that gets unblocked when you defeat the enemy) is different.
15.) There's no fade in/out when starting the Test of Observance mini game.
16.) There's no icon telling you that you can't use the camera during the mini game in the prototype.
17.) (Is it just me or is the Test of Observance mini game a lot longer in the prototype than in the final?)
18.) The lighting of the central area (where you levitate up) is a faint yellow rather than the finals blue. The fan machine thingies are also missing from the area in the prototype.
---StarFox Opening/ArWing Mission 1---
19.) The pictures of Fox and crew are different on the various parts of the ship (see 0:18 in the "StarFox opening and village" video) (they look more like the graphics/design used in StarFox 64)
20.) There's some kind of Star Fox logo on Fox's computer screen (the SF icon) in the prototype. The final doesn't have anything on his screen.
21.) The mines during the Arwing mission seem different
22.) The score displays all the area names from the start. In the final they appear as you go through the game. The final also includes how many gold rings you flew through, and mentions the highest score for the player rather than the area like in this prototype.
23.) Game briefly loads up a space area briefly before loading Thorntail Hallow in the prototype for some reason
24.) Some jerk moved the poison shroom near the entrance to where you get your first staff power up in the final. In the prototype nothing is around the entrance.
25.) A different song cue/sound sample plays when you acquire a power up for your staff
26.) For some reason you can understand what the Queen is saying even before Slippy finished his translator.
27.) Those annoying flying monsters don't laugh when they fly around and hit you in the prototype.
28.) When walking through the hallway to visit the Shopkeeper, there's no extra wall to climb like in the final. Not sure why this was added in the final, it's a lot less annoyinggggg.
29.) When you max out your scarab count, the font color doesn't turn green like in the final version. Also the counter has two digits in the prototype while the final has three.
30.) The prototype uses a ladder to go down the first wall near the entrance to the shop keeper while the final has you climb the edge of the wall. Ugh. These things were probably added to add more time for the next area to load.
31.) When the shopkeeper shows you his scroll in his introductory cutscene, the number 005 is on the scroll in the prototype. The final has 000.
32.) The "Rock Candy" that you give to the WarpStone is called a "WarpStone Gift" in the prototype. Probably to make it less obvious, for some reason.
33.) Not sure why, but the keeper sets you at a price lower than the asking price all the time in the prototype. Doesn't he always set it to the asking price for every item in the final?
34.) If you ask the WarpStone to take you to Krazoa Palace, it plays the wrong voice clip! It plays Peppy's dialog "Hi Fox, world map downloading...".
35.) Once you select to go to Ice Mountain, it'll bring you to the warp transition screen. The screen is actually that slow in this version, doesn't play the special warp sfx, seems to feature different graphics, and just brings you back to the title screen when you're done
---Other/Misc---
36.) If you die, it takes you back to the title screen
37.) After clearing the Ice Mountain race and meeting Tricky, it takes you back to the title screen.
That's all for now. I'm going to start looking at the nonplayable maps soon.
EDIT: As a side note, did we ever find out what models were in MODELS.BIN? |