Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Apr 25, 2000 prototype): Difference between revisions

From Hidden Palace
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Cheat codes moved into a table and revisional final build dates added.)
(4 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 29: Line 29:
{{Tcrf link|Proto:Spyro:_Year_of_the_Dragon/April_25th,_2000_build}}
{{Tcrf link|Proto:Spyro:_Year_of_the_Dragon/April_25th,_2000_build}}
An early prototype of Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the Sony PlayStation. This build seems to match the one used at E3 2000, as well as the one used in a number of previews and gameplay B-roll footage. The build is an NTSC-U preview build.
An early prototype of Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the Sony PlayStation. This build seems to match the one used at E3 2000, as well as the one used in a number of previews and gameplay B-roll footage. The build is an NTSC-U preview build.
The disc's primary volume creation date lists the prototype as being built on 5th April 2000 as opposed to the final's 14th September 2000, but no modification date is included. Its original disc was labelled with "4.25 E", which likely represents a burn date of April 25th.
The disc's file dates and primary volume creation date lists the prototype as being built on 5th April 2000 as opposed to the final's 14th September 2000, but no primary volume modification date is included. Its original disc was labelled with "4.25 E", which likely represents a burn date of April 25th.
Oftentimes, the modification dates on the files of Spyro builds (and PSX titles generally) do not match their true modification dates. This, in combination with the fact that no primary volume modification date is listed, and the fact that "4.25 E" so closely resembles some of the build date and version strings used in other Spyro 3 builds (5.25.a, 7.27.a and 9.4) suggests a possible date of April 25th instead, which may be more likely to be accurate due to its use as a versioning number.
Oftentimes, the modification dates on the files of Spyro builds (and PSX titles generally) do not match their true modification dates. This, in combination with the fact that no primary volume modification date is listed, and the fact that "4.25 E" so closely resembles some of the build date and version strings used in other Spyro 3 builds (5.25.a, 7.27.a and 9.4) suggests a possible date of April 25th instead, which may be more likely to be accurate due to its use as a versioning number. Either way, the build appears to have been built at some point in April 2000.


*There are a number of Spyro 2 leftovers, notably including the game's title screen.
*There are a number of Spyro 2 leftovers, notably including the game's title screen.
Line 70: Line 70:
*Dongle protection is present in this build, which can stop the game from running on real hardware and certain emulators. The game will reach the Universal logo screen before halting.
*Dongle protection is present in this build, which can stop the game from running on real hardware and certain emulators. The game will reach the Universal logo screen before halting.
**The dongle protection can be bypassed with the included patch, or by setting the int32 at address 0x80071610 to zero.
**The dongle protection can be bypassed with the included patch, or by setting the int32 at address 0x80071610 to zero.
**In lieu of patching, a memory card card file containing the dongle save can be downloaded in mcd format [[Media:SPYRODONGLES.mcd|here]] or in raw format [[Media:BASLUS-99999SPYRO3|here]].
***The memory card containing the dongle has to be inserted into Slot 2.
*Miscellaneous Notes:
*Miscellaneous Notes:
**Game is emulatable: Yes (as of April 17, 2021).
**Game is emulatable: Yes (as of April 17, 2021).
Line 76: Line 78:
**Dump was originally scrambled: No
**Dump was originally scrambled: No


=== Cheat Codes ===
===Cheat Codes===
Like the final release, a number of cheats are present in this version, but they differ dramatically from the final game and generally exhibit more debug / QA-like features. All of these can be enabled by inputting the following codes in pause menu.
Like the final release, a number of cheats are present in this version, but they differ dramatically from the final game and generally exhibit more debug / QA-like features. All of these can be enabled by inputting the following codes in pause menu.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 387: Line 389:
|-
|-
|Super Bonus Round
|Super Bonus Round
|Main Level
|All Areas
|''Not present''
|''Not present''
|Level does not exist at this point.
|Level does not exist at this point.

Revision as of 18:24, May 15, 2021

Title Screen
Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Apr 25, 2000 prototype)
Build date Apr 25, 2000 00:00:00
Build name Previewable
Dump status Released, redump needed
Released by Hidden Palace
File release date April 17, 2021
Origin CD-R
Lot Project Deluge
Labels Spyro Year of the Dragon Previewable
Dump method PLEXTOR DVDR PX-716UF 1.11 03/23/07 15:10 (CloneCD)
Game Spyro: Year of the Dragon
System PlayStation
Genre Platformer
Final build US Sep 14, 2000 (Rev 0)
EU Sep 29, 2000 (Rev 0)

EU Oct 24, 2000 (Rev 1)
US Oct 31, 2000 (Rev 1)

Release date US Oct 24, 2000
EU Nov 10, 2000
JP unreleased
Download Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Apr 25, 2000 prototype) (info)
Error: The download file provided does not exist, please upload it or fix the file name if it's incorrect.
Download Spyro: Year of the Dragon (Apr 25, 2000 prototype) from external mirror

A prototype of Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the PlayStation.

Notes

The Cutting Room Floor research

An early prototype of Spyro: Year of the Dragon for the Sony PlayStation. This build seems to match the one used at E3 2000, as well as the one used in a number of previews and gameplay B-roll footage. The build is an NTSC-U preview build. The disc's file dates and primary volume creation date lists the prototype as being built on 5th April 2000 as opposed to the final's 14th September 2000, but no primary volume modification date is included. Its original disc was labelled with "4.25 E", which likely represents a burn date of April 25th. Oftentimes, the modification dates on the files of Spyro builds (and PSX titles generally) do not match their true modification dates. This, in combination with the fact that no primary volume modification date is listed, and the fact that "4.25 E" so closely resembles some of the build date and version strings used in other Spyro 3 builds (5.25.a, 7.27.a and 9.4) suggests a possible date of April 25th instead, which may be more likely to be accurate due to its use as a versioning number. Either way, the build appears to have been built at some point in April 2000.

  • There are a number of Spyro 2 leftovers, notably including the game's title screen.
  • Starting the game from the title screen immediately puts the player into Bamboo Terrace (which is called "Rice Paddies" in this version). There are no save files.
  • The pause menu is replaced with a level and minigame warp menu, allowing the user to move from place to place more easily.
  • Only 13 of the game's 37 levels are playable by normal means, with only one sublevel playable in each of Sunny Villa and Molten Crater.
    • Data corresponding to an additional four levels - Sunrise Spring, Seashell Shore, Crawdad Farm and Spike's Arena - is present, as is the rest of Sunny Villa and Molten Crater.
    • Crawdad Farm, Spike's Arena and the remaining areas of Sunny Villa and Molten Crater are accessible with the use of cheat codes.
    • Sunrise Spring appears to only be accessible with memory editing, as using cheat codes to enter the level results in a crash. In order to enter the level, the player must fix one of the level ID variables as 10 (dec) on the title screen and start the game - access via any other level will not work. See the level list below for more details.
    • Seashell Shore appears to not be easily accessible with memory editing, possibly due to errors in the data corresponding to that level. The game will instead crash upon attempting to enter the level. Specifically, the crash is on load stage 6, which corresponds with the loading of the mobys - model ripping tools have shown that at least one of the mobys seems to misbehave in its animations, so it's possible that loading this particular moby is causing the crash.
    • One sublevel of both Seashell Shore and Lost Fleet are still not present at this point.
  • The pause menu displays names for each of the levels, many of which differ wildly from their final names.
    • The level names used on portals and loading screens are entirely generic at this point, with all levels given the name "Level x" where x is replaced with the level ID.
  • The Atlas is not yet accessible, though some very limited functionality corresponding to the Atlas is present, though at this point it functions as not much more than a page-turning simulator.
    • The Atlas is also still referred to as the "Guidebook" (a term used in Spyro 2) by the pause menu at this point, despite its graphics saying "Atlas". The pause menu option for this menu does nothing when selected.
  • The player also has the option to restart the level from the pause menu.
  • A number of HUD elements across several levels are missing or differ from the final.
    • This includes the egg icon and counter in the HUD.
  • Only 7 of the game's music tracks are present, with the majority of them being vastly different to how they sound in the final game. In particular, Lost Fleet has an entirely unique theme, rather than re-using another level's theme as it would in the final game.
    • In the NTSC-U Rev 1 release of Spyro: Year of the Dragon, a number of levels were given their own themes rather than reusing tracks. Lost Fleet still did not get an entirely unique theme once again, instead using a remix of the Sheila's Alp theme, for some reason.
    • All levels which don't yet have their own theme in this version use Spooky Swamp's theme instead.
    • There are several unused tracks which are entirely unrelated to Spyro - all of these tracks are by either U-Ziq or Propellerheads.
  • There is no audio dialogue present whatsoever, and a large amount of the text dialogue is in a very incomplete state.
    • Many lines of dialogue are also clearly placeholder strings presenting developer humour.
  • The dialogue font and text colour matches the one used in Spyro 2.
  • Eggs have a completely different appearance to their final look, and come in multiple different varieties, mostly corresponding to the type of dragon they hatch.
  • Gem placement is almost universally different, as are the gem totals for each level.
  • Many of the levels have significant structural changes.
  • There are a number of cut enemies - most notably, tigers in Bamboo Terrace, Rhynoc Thieves in Molten Crater and a caterpillar boss in Crawdad Farm.
  • Several of the alternate characters control and behave slightly differently from their final design.
    • Sgt. Byrd is also quite noticeably different in appearance. Bentley also differs from his final design, but only in subtle texture tweaks.
    • Oddly enough, the characters capable of shooting can do so even when an NPC is speaking to them or a cutscene is in the middle of taking place.
  • Due to incomplete programming, the player cannot leave the level via the portal at the beginning of each of the critter levels. Instead, the player will return to the level regardless of whether they select "Yes" or "No" when asked if they want to leave the level. In three of the four critter levels, the player is amusingly greeted with a text string proclaiming "At some point, I'll need to program that." if they attempt to leave.
  • There are no skill points present at this stage of development.
  • The gem values Moneybags requests differs in a couple of locations and he's entirely missing from some areas he'd normally be, too. In a couple of places he appears, there are a number of gems deliberately placed next to him specifically to give the player exactly as many gems as they need to proceed.
    • Even though using the pause menu to warp between levels resets most of the player's data, which instances of Moneybags have been paid is carried over, so he does not need to be paid more than once at the same location.
  • Warping between levels using the pause menu resets all of the data corresponding to the items the player has collected. However, the player can circumvent this by using the cheat codes to warp between levels. Most (but not all) levels do not yet exhibit alternate behaviours (such as NPCs being missing) when re-entering a level after completion.
  • This version of the game unsurprisingly has a number of glitches not present in the final, including what appears to be a glitch that will occasionally cause a few specific gems to vanish from the map.
  • Dongle protection is present in this build, which can stop the game from running on real hardware and certain emulators. The game will reach the Universal logo screen before halting.
    • The dongle protection can be bypassed with the included patch, or by setting the int32 at address 0x80071610 to zero.
    • In lieu of patching, a memory card card file containing the dongle save can be downloaded in mcd format here or in raw format here.
      • The memory card containing the dongle has to be inserted into Slot 2.
  • Miscellaneous Notes:
    • Game is emulatable: Yes (as of April 17, 2021).
    • Game contains dongle protection: Patched.
    • Game contains debugging symbols: No
    • Dump was originally scrambled: No

Cheat Codes

Like the final release, a number of cheats are present in this version, but they differ dramatically from the final game and generally exhibit more debug / QA-like features. All of these can be enabled by inputting the following codes in pause menu.

Big head Spyro Up, Up, Up, Up, R1, R1, R1, R1, O
Colour change Up, Right, Down, Left, Up, Square, R1, R2, L1, L2, Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, ? The last button determines the colour

Red = O | Blue = X | Pink = Square | Green = Triangle | Black = Down | Yellow = Up

Extra hit point Square, Up, Square, Down, Square, Left, Square, Right, O
Flat Spyro Left, Right, Left, Right, L2, R2, L2, R2, Square
Level warp Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, ?, ? The last two buttons determine the level ID

O = 0 | 1 = X | 2 = Square | 3 = Triangle | 4 = Right | 5 = Down | 6 = Left | 7 = Up | 8 = R1

Max collectable totals Square, Square, Square, Square, O Sets all level gem counts to 400, the total collected gems to 10,000 and the total eggs collected to 64
Permanent invincibility O, O, O, O, X
Permanent superflame R1, R2, L1, L2, R1, R2, L1, L2, O Causes crashing in levels where the superflame is not present
View Credits Square, O, Square, O, Square, O, Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right Does not work in this version due to the credits being missing

Playable Levels

A full list of the playable levels are listed below. Those in bold are present in the game, and those in italics are either missing or unplayable without the use of external tools.

Level Sublevel Status Notes
Sunrise Spring Home Main Level Accessible through memory editing only Inaccessible under normal means - the level can be accessed by fixing address 0x800661ec as "10" (dec) whilst on the main menu, and starting the game.
Sunny Villa Main Level Accessible through cheat codes only Only accessible through the use of cheat codes. Enter any level via the level select and then enter the following code on the pause menu:
Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, X
Sheila Accessible through cheat codes only Only accessible through the use of cheat codes. Enter any minigame with area ID 1 (e.g. "Submarines") via the minigame select and then enter the following code on the pause menu:
Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, X
Skateboarding Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Skateboarding" option.
Cloud Spires Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Cloud City" option.
Sun Seeds Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Cloud City" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Bell Towers Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Cloud City" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Molten Crater Main Level Accessible through cheat codes only Only accessible through the use of cheat codes. Enter any level via the level select and then enter the following code on the pause menu:
Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Triangle
Tiki Heads Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Tiki Heads" option.
Thief Chase Accessible through cheat codes only Only accessible through the use of cheat codes. Enter any minigame with area ID 2 (e.g. "Skateboarding") via the minigame select and then enter the following code on the pause menu:
Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, Triangle
Seashell Shore Main Level Present but inaccessible Inaccessible under normal means - warping to the level consistently crashes the game.
Sheila Present but inaccessible Inaccessible under normal means - warping to the level consistently crashes the game.
Bluto Present but inaccessible Inaccessible under normal means - warping to the level consistently crashes the game.
Tunnel Not present Sublevel does not exist at this point.
Mushroom Speedway Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Sheila's Alp Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Sheila's Home" option.
Buzz's Dungeon Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Crawdad Farm Main Level Accessible through cheat codes only Only accessible through the use of cheat codes. Enter any level via the level select and then enter the following code on the pause menu:
Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, X, R1
Midday Garden Home Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Icy Peak Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Iceberg" option.
Thief Chase Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Thief Chase" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Iceberg" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Ice Dancing Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Figure Skating" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Iceberg" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Enchanted Towers All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Spooky Swamp Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Swamp Party" option.
Sleepyhead Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Mini Boss" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Swamp Party" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Sheila Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Roo Stomp" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Swamp Party" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Bamboo Terrace Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible directly from the title screen.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Rice Paddies" option.
Rhynoc Blast Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Rhynoc Blast" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Rice Paddies" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Bentley Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Rice Paddies" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Country Speedway Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Country Speedway" option.
Sgt. Byrd's Base Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Sgt. Byrd's Home" option.
Spike's Arena Main Level Accessible through cheat codes only Only accessible through the use of cheat codes. Enter any level via the level select and then enter the following code on the pause menu:
Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, Square, Square, Up
Spider Town Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Evening Lake Home Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Frozen Altars Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Aztarctica" option.
Bentley Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Boxing" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Aztarctica" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Cat Hockey Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Aztarctica" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Lost Fleet Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Lost Fleet" option.
Sub Chase Accessible through normal means Accessible via the minigame select under the "Submarines" option.
Alternatively accessible via the level select under the "Lost Fleet" option; the player must locate the sublevel in order to enter it.
Skateboarding Not present Sublevel does not exist at this point.
Fireworks Factory All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Charmed Ridge All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Honey Speedway Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Bentley's Outpost Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Bentley's Home" option.
Scorch's Pit Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Starfish Reef Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Midnight Mountain Home Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Crystal Islands All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Desert Ruins All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Haunted Tomb All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Dino Mines All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Harbor Speedway Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Agent 9's Lab Main Level Accessible through normal means Accessible via the level select under the "Agent 9's Home" option.
Sorceress' Lair Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Bugbot Factory Main Level Not present Level does not exist at this point.
Super Bonus Round All Areas Not present Level does not exist at this point.

Screenshots

Origin

Videos

Files

File Type Date Size SHA-1
PSX_-_Spyro_Year_of_the_Dragon_Previewable.xdelta File 2020-12-16 17:22:33 1.9 KB 2832f3d6e8224f767caff2d7cf55b7137e7eb4a8
PSX - Spyro Year of the Dragon Previewable.img File 2020-12-15 23:29:12 395.68 MB 2355b5d4718b03fb6d5fb37fd0d9546e8e2ac939
PSX - Spyro Year of the Dragon Previewable.cue File 2020-12-15 23:16:55 106 bytes 642cac84ca2a19a2c0cb7facbafb4780fbde7eaf
PSX - Spyro Year of the Dragon Previewable.ccd File 2020-12-15 23:16:55 772 bytes b172038fec69d00972dfb28e710e24a1706aa62f
PSX - Spyro Year of the Dragon Previewable.sub File 2020-12-15 23:30:24 16.15 MB 1a02fa75e39e48c1bd226233d9000c28a0bf2535
PSX - Spyro Year of the Dragon Previewable.jpeg File 2021-03-14 12:13:24 1.41 MB c198aac2b422c0d19265cd45ff53a3eb9b301fce

Acknowledgments

A huge thanks to Hwd45 for doing the initial research on this prototype!

See also