Missions and Story

This is a sub-page of Development:The Simpsons: Hit & Run.

The Simpsons Hit & Run went through a lot of story changes, even in the game's finalized direction.

Early Story Ideas#

To do: Different plots, one being a pulp fiction theme and the other being You Only Live Twice-inspired story.

Later Story Ideas#

These seem to date before the recording happened in spring-summer 2002.

SIMPSONS2Story#

Found in /documents/design/SIMPSONS2_Story.doc contains a rough three-act structure of the story, with a slight revision in /documents/design/FOX/SIMPSONS2_Story.doc. Though it was last modified on May 16, 2003, there are some considerable differences, even dating prior to the later full script.

• Interestingly, there is no mention of Buzz Cola at all, nor any effects it has on humans.
• It is confirmed at that point that the final Level would be Halloween-themed.
• During Act 2 of the story (Likely around Level 3 or 4), it was stated that there would be "strange" happenings in the town like "cows are missing, characters disappear, very bizarre Simpsons-themed crop circles appear, and electronics randomly fail or act erratically.". Some of it would be in the final, like the Bart Simpson face on the cornfields, and the crop circle would play a major plot point as the Buzz Cola symbolism.
• The reality show as described as a "season finale", not a series finale.
• The final mission and plot played out differently; the aliens had an "intergalactic vote will be cast whether or not to destroy the town", where the player must destory the transmitters relaying the signal, so the town would be freed of alien presence, and chasing them to Shelbyville.

SIMPSONS 2 - Story-Mission Integration Idea#

Found in a file called documents/design/FOX/SIMPSONS 2 - Story-Mission Integration Ideas.doc and documents/design/FOX/SIMPSONS 2 - Story-Mission Integration Ideas2.doc contain a list of ideas.

• Originally, some of the characters were originally going to be replaced with clones to "bring more zest" to the town for Kang and Kodos' reality television show. An example bought up was Marge Simpson, where she acts more "strangely and recklessly" which would be noticed by one of the five core characters, who must find the real Marge's whereabouts and rescue her. The idea was possibly reworked into Bart acting strangely from being abducted by Kang and Kodos at the end of Level 2 and having temporary memory loss.
• As an alternative, Kang and Kodos would have bought characters from other time periods, such as a younger Homer Simpson or "alternate" characters like making Fallout Boy real, using Milhouse as a plot point.
• Using a myth of Alien presence having an effect of technology as an example, Truckasaurus was originally going to run rampant around Downtown Springfield as an "obstacle" before being downgraded to a planned boss and eventually a FMV. The paragraph also noted that the blimp could also be disguised as an alien spaceship, where it may have served inspiration for the Duff Brewery hideout at the end of the Level 6 FMV. In the next paragraph, other examples such as causing railway barriers to move erratically, cranes to swing, and traffic signs to alternate were also considered as obstacles, but no such events happen in the final game.
• In the fifth paragraph, Space collectable cards were brands of Kang and Kodos' reality show where they would be found in the world. The cards themselves would contain a picture of the playable character, while on the other side would contain strange, otherworldly alien writing. Collecting the cards would piece together the location of the alien ship. They would likely be repurposed into semi-unrelated collectable Buzz Cola cards as extras rather than being important to the story.

Missions & Story for and from FOX#

A later draft, likely suggested from FOX, found in documents/design/FOX/Missions from FOX.xls. They consist of characters that aren't playable, but still play a role in the game's final story.

Interestingly, some of these mission drafts were worked into the final game;

• Lisa's second mission suggestion was worked into Slithery Sleuthing.
• Lisa's fourth mission suggestion was worked into Better Than Beef.
• Marge's second mission suggestion was worked into Bonestorm Storm.
• Apu's mission suggestion would be loosely worked as Eight is Too Much.

Finalized Story Ideas#

FOX/Mission stuff.doc#

An early draft of the mostly finalized story structure can be found in documents/design/FOX/Missions & Story for FOX.doc. It is vastly incomplete later on but does show some earlier ideas.

A much later draft, found in documents/design/FOX/Mission stuff.doc are some changes likely by FOX. Unfortunately, despite the surprising number of changes, it only goes up to Level 2.

General#

• Frink and Milhouse were originally considered as playable characters, but seemed to be cut at the last minute as Apu and Marge are playable characters listed later in the early draft. The later draft shows Marge and Apu added in, due to them both being highlighted in red.
• Marge originally served as a tutorial character than Bart.
• There was no mention of Buzz Cola. Originally in Level 6, it was suggested that Homer found out that aliens have been spying through Duff Cans with cameras in them, which may have served slight inspiration for the plot point.
• The document mentions several cut interiors, which are the Springfield Retirement Castle in Level 1 and the Town Hall, Museum, Herman's Military Antiques, the Springfield General Hospital Operating Room (in the earlier draft) and the Sit 'N' Rotate Restaurant (in the later draft).
  • It is worth nothing that the the Springfield Retirement Castle and Museum were used in FMVs in the final.

Level 1#

• The Level's FMVs consisted of the Intro and the first FMV. There was no first FMV of Homer learning about Buzz Cola and those coins. In the final, they're both separate.
• The Newspaper headline wasn't decided on at that rate; they had the decision of adapting a headline from the show or making a completely original story.
• There was no tutorial mission, nor Cletus' bonus mission.

S-M-R-T

Originally called Lisa's Science Project.

• The mission originally had no race with Principal Skinner.
• "Kids in School", which was added in the later draft, were marked as characters despite only appearing as background pedestrians.

Petty Theft Homer

Originally called Flanders' Stuff.

• The finalized objective of talking to Marge was crossed out at that stage before being re-added, same with the objective to talk to Ned Flanders saying that he called the cops to find out who took his stuff. Both of them were marked in red.
  • The suggested text in blue originally had Flanders exclaim about his items being "worth a fortune".
• Items were originally going to be collected in any order throughout the map.
• There was one character in the mission marked as TBD, as an item to be collected from. Barney Gumble would take the place in the final.

Office Spaced

Originally called Homer's Job Review.

• There was no objective to buy a Plow King.
• The player was going to get info from pedestrians, where Lenny would fill in the role.
• There was suggested extra objective to hit the switch to open the bridge to destroy Smithers' Car, but was cut. Additionally, there are no bridge switches in the final.
• There was no objective to smash Smithers' vehicle before he could reach the Power Plant.
• There was an extra objective of the player having to collect their review.

Blind Big Brother

Originally called Homer's Nap.

• There was a suggestion marked in blue where Homer finds out he missed his nap, which would be in the final.

Level 1 Movie 2

• The FMV originally took place at Homer's workstation at the Power Plant, while in a later draft, it segued from that place to to the Simpsons House living room. In the final, the player has to get there to start the FMV.
• There were no mention of Wasp Cameras, but rather described as "Un-American surveillance cams".
• The newscast originally accused everyone of it, including the "city, police, Burns, Frink" than just Mayor Quimby in the final. Additionally, they originally appeared in the cutscene themselves, with a "Family" being a contender.
• Homer originally suspected that Burns was behind it, but that note was crossed out in red. This was changed to a (later removed) scene of the Surveillance Van outside the Simpsons House on TV where homer made fun remarks about it, not realizing it is outside their house. Said remarks were cut later in the script.
  • Additionally, the "FBI Pizza" van made its way into the final game as a gag at the end of Level 1 and as a vehicle in Level 2.

Flowers by Irene

Originally had no name.

• The mission at that point was being heavily debated, where they tried to figure out how a camera-related mission would work. Suggestions included Homer chasing a "mailbox in wheels" or a "delivery van with something funny on the side".
• The blue suggestion matches the objective of the final.

Mission 6 (Cut)

There was an extra cut mission where Homer now investigates that Burns is behind the Surveillance cameras and goes to follow Smithers' Limo, where it started at the Power Plant and eventually ends at Krusty Burger, going through the drive-thru. The mission would've ended with "MiB Sedans" (later called Black Sedans, possibly Chase Sedans in the final) suddenly appearing on the road and destroying Homer's car.

Bonestorm Storm

Originally called Destroy "Evil" Video Games.

• The mission was originally much larger, with the interiors of the Kwik-E-Mart, Springfield Elementary School and Power Plant and the cut Retirement Castle playing a role, of where the video games are located. It also would've lead all the way to the Power Plant, where this Level's final mission would've taken place.
• Homer originally offered Marge for a ride in her vehicle to follow Burns, but that plot point was left out in the final.
• There was no objective to destroy a Bonestorm Truck.
• At that point, text in blue added functionality where Homer would only used Marge's vehicle temporarily.

The Fat and the Furious

Originally called Race to the Estates.

• Homer originally found Mr. Burns at the Power Plant as opposed to Carl.
• The suggestion marked in blue mostly matched the final, but was noted that Smithers was next to the black van.
• There was a cut objective of going through a "hedge maze" to make the race harder, with text highlighted in red to gather ideas.
• Homer originally confronted Burns and Smithers as opposed to Burns in the final.

Level 2#

From that point on in the earlier draft, there are lots of blank spots which plot points added in. In the later draft, this Level appeared to have gone through a lot of changes, as evidenced by the constant red and blue text throughout.

• The headline mostly matched the final, but in the earlier draft it was called "Bonestorm 6", as opposed to being called Bonestorm II.
• The time of day (Late Afternoon) matches the final.

Detention Deficit Disorder

Originally called Bart's Video Game.

• The original draft of this mission involved Bart collecting accessories for his new video game, only to find that Professor Frink bought the last accessory he needed (it wasn't decided then, it was either a controller or memory card) because they were sold out. Bart would then do favors for Professor Frink to get that accessory.
• In the later draft, Bart originally got a ride from Otto (before eventually getting the Honor Roller later on). There was a suggestion where Principal Skinner would ride Wiggum's car.

The Truckasaurus (Cut Boss Fight)

• At that point, the Truckasaurus was originally a boss. Bart must drive around the stadium to defeat the Truckasaurus in some manner, with suggestions involving trapping or evading them.
• The UFO abduction originally took place inside the stadium as opposed to outside on the road.

Level 2 Movie

There was no Level 2 FMV at that point (with Truckasaurus originally being a boss fight), but it was suggested in the later draft for one to be made, where Lisa was originally a witness to seeing Bart get abducted (in a "kind of" manner). That plot point is completely cut from the final.

Level 3#

From that point on, the earlier draft is used due to the later draft abruptly ending at Level 2.

• It was originally planned to be set at night, but was changed to a sunset in the final.
• There was no Nerd Race Queen, but Mission 2, Story Race likely filled that in.
• There was a cut object destroying mission, which would've been listed as the fifth.

Clueless

• The mission originally involved talking to people than going to places.
• Krusty was tentatively intended as a role than Milhouse in the final.
• The mission originally ended with a sign that she needed to race someone to the docks.

Bonfire Of the Manatees

Originally called "Cletus’ Road Kill".

• There was no objective to collect the Roadkill, nor to destroy Cletus' vehicle.

Fishy Deals

• Originally intended as the third story mission, as opposed to the penultimate mission.
• Plays exactly like the final.

Slithery Sleuthing

Originally called Framing Snake and was intended as the seventh story mission. Plays almost like the final.

• The third crime was originally intended to be "something silly, spoofing the three-strikes law" but was likely reworked as "buying a pair of counterfeit jeans" in the final, which was the first crime.
• The player originally got out of the vehicle to find evidence at three destinations as opposed to driving on the road.

The Old Man and the Sea

Plays out nearly like the final, except it was originally as a boss level with the "MiB limo". That idea would make it to the final except as a simple "destroy vehicle" objective.

• Lisa was originally going to find Bart "at a place she had never searched before", which was suggested to be at the very first place she looked in the first drafted mission (Clueless in the final). The final would be on the C-Spanker.
• Bart's behavior upon meeting Lisa is almost like the final, except it was undecided that "he either claims to have been abducted, or acts like an abductee (i.e., no memory of the event)". In the final, he spouts gibberish.

Level 4#

As there was no mention of Buzz Cola in the draft, the story from that point on was very different.

A concept sketch of Bart’s abductors is drawn by Wiggum. Marge gives it to Apu to put in his store window.Apu thinks it isn’t aliens – because the sketch is more like Vishnu (the sketch is shown on the newspaper screen, not in-game); Marge is satisfied that Bart is the “victim of over-imagination”.

• Originally took place during sunset. In the final, it takes place at nighttime.

Wolves Stole My Pills

• Was currently unknown if it was intended as a one-off mission or a story mission.

Earlier Mission Names#

To do: Look at Missiontitles.xls.

Found in many of the documents are earlier mission titles that would be changed sometime after March 28, 2003, according to the story outline document from the PR disc. In MissionTitles.xls, at least around four title contenders were picked for each mission. This document appears to be incomplete as, not all of the finalized mission names appear and there aren't as many suggestions in the later Levels.

The titles are exactly transcribed from the file. The ones that would be picked for the final are marked in bold, or are remotely similar are marked in italics.