This is a sub-page of Proto:Daikatana (Windows).
WeaponsFilled to the brim with rough drafts of the final weapons.
EnemiesA good chunk of the final's enemies are present, but with all sorts of audiovisual differences.
CharactersSurprisingly, almost all of the final characters are here.
ItemsFew items are in the game, but a ton of descriptions for items can be found in a .dll file.
GraphicsAll sorts of unused graphics for menus and some test models.
DecorationsA lot of unused and eventually cut models that were meant to be used as decorations.
SoundDifferent sounds everywhere, but a few are exactly the same as the final's.
TextEditor descriptions for enemies, usage of the phrase "Suck it down!", and death messages, oh my!
Console CommandsAll sorts of fun commands that can be used in the game's console.
Episode 1 LevelsThe origins of some of the final's Episode 1 levels can be seen here.
Episode 2 LevelsAncient Greece Done With Completely Different Level Design 1997.
Episode 3 LevelsA snowy and foggy wonderland filled with familiar levels.
Episode 4 LevelsTwo levels that are surprisingly similar to their final counterparts, and a level that was completely cut.General#
Stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else.
Executables#
Milestone 2 comes with two executables: one that uses an OpenGL renderer, and one that uses a software renderer. The Pre-Alpha lacks the software renderer.
Skies#
The skies seen in levels depend on the executable used.
With the OpenGL renderer, the sky will appear as pure white when the executable is first booted up. If the player dies, the sky will change to what appears to be a castle rising above the clouds in every Episode.
In the software renderer, the skies look similar to the ones seen in Quake. Episode 2 has a blue and white version of the sky seen in Quake. Episode 3 has a unique blue and white sky that uses completely original graphics. Episode 4 uses the dark sky seen in Quake.
Fog#
The prototype has fog effects that only render properly in the software renderer. Playing levels that have fog effects in the OpenGL executable will make the game send errors about not recognizing the entities responsible for fog. The levels will still work, however.
|
Software |
OpenGL |
|---|---|
|
|
Model Format#
Most of the models and textures at this point use formats (a heavily altered .mdl format for models and .skn for textures) that cannot be read in any model or image viewer, respectively. However, debug commands can be used to view every model when a level has a certain entity placed in it. There does seem to still be some sort of support for the Quake model format, though, as a few models used in this build can be read by regular Quake model viewers.
A few .bmp textures can be found in the texture folder \data\skins. Some of them appear to be slightly different versions of textures in .skn format, while others have no .skn equivalent.
Dlls and QuakeC#
The engine uses .dlls instead of compiled QuakeC. When opened as a .txt format, the .dlls show a lot of text that is otherwise unseen such as items and full weapon names. There also seems to be descriptions of map entities and some error messages regarding things such as the AI.
Readme#
Milestone 2 comes with a readme in .doc format by John Romero that talks about what Milestone 2 is and has a table showing the completion states various assets were in at the time the prototype was done.
Multiplayer#
A few variables regarding multiplayer (such as modem configurations) can be found in each .cfg file, but there doesn't seem to be any way to activate it.
Version#
This build of Daikatana is based on v1.07 of the Quake engine, as the console will state that it is running a "Version 1.07 Server" if you read the console while it's loading a map.
Broken Functions#
The abilities to save, load, or type messages do not work. Attempting to use them will make a "fixme!" error message appear in the console.
Inventory#
There is a button (F11) for an inventory and an inventory is occasionally mentioned in items.dll, but attempting to use it by hitting F11 does nothing.
Demos#
There is demo recording support in the prototype: while not in a map, type in "record (demo name)", then type in the map name you want to go to. When you're done recording, type in "stop demo". If you want to play it back for later, type in "playdemo (demo name)".
The Infamous Arrow Texture#
The fabled "hilariously large arrow texture" mentioned in GameSpot's Daikatana retrospective is present in this build's data\skin folder. While not as large as the article says, it is still far too large for a goddamn arrow, especially for 1997-era computers.
