Early Demos

This is a sub-page of Proto:Syphon Filter.

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Find a way to bypass both demos ending at the subway entrance. There's likely many differences vs. the final game. Need a time limit bypass code for the Official U.S. Playstation Magazine Demo Disc 18 demo.

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Demo #1: Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc#

Released by Toys R Us as part of an Interactive Sampler Demo Disc and built on the 9th of November, 1998.

Applying the below cheat codes will disable the demo's 1 minute time limit.

• The preview video for the game in the demo selection menu, internally named "VID2.STR", is recorded from a much earlier build than the one in this demo.

Notable differences:

• The UI has different Armor/Danger/Target meters, a different radar, and different font for weapon ammo.
• Uses the same early lock on target reticle as this build.
• Gabe has a different model/clothing texture
• Georgia Street has a different layout with flaming cars near the subway entrance and the buildings/walls has different textures.
• Destroyed Subway appears to have lighting closer to the final build than the red lighting seen in the 11/11/98 prototype. The flaming enemy is also in a different location.
• The ceiling lights in the Main Subway Line level are different.
• The Freedom Memorial entrance is slightly different and has more enemies.
• The Security Room in the Pharcom Expo Dinorama level has different wall textures and lighting.

Menus/UI#

• The main menu is missing the training video option. Additionally there's no prerecorded demos unlike in the final game, the Georgia Street mission simply loads once the main menu FMV finishes playing.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The Briefing screen has a different design.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final/Retail

• The main pause menu map is different, the text and menu is a different shade of blue, the briefing option isn't on the main pause screen, and the button text is red. Additionally you can only exit the pause menu with start. The triangle button does nothing.

• The briefing option is under options/review briefing instead and the game settings is hidden under another option instead of on the main options page. Restart Mission at Last Checkpoint is called "Restart at Last Continue, Game brightness is called "Gamma Level", and the Stereo/Mono and Quit game options are missing.

Toys R' Us Options Menu	Toys R' Us Game Settings	Final Options menu

The menu has different sound effects and is missing the scrolling sound effect when text pops up.

• No blue underlay on pop-up labels. The label is also slightly higher up.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final/Retail

• The manual target reticle has a completely different look and its FOV is slightly higher.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The lock on target icon has a different look reminiscent of the one in earlier prerelease footage. It's yellow when first locking on and red when the target meter is maxed out. The final version stays the same regardless of the target meter.

Toys R' US First Lock on Target	Toys R' Us Maxed out Lock On Target	Final Lock On Target

Character differences#

• Kravitch has a unique design in this demo while he's a generic enemy in the final. He's also armed with a shotgun instead of a 9mm.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• Lian Xing is referred to as Mei Xing (her original name) in two voice clips. The clips are otherwise the same as the final besides the name change. The second is unused in this demo due to it ending when you enter the subway.

Weapon differences#

• The unsilenced 9mm uses the .45 sound effect instead.

• The M-79 has 10 grenades instead of 5.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The word gauge in the Shotgun's weapon description is misspelled as guage.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• While inaccessible during normal gameplay, the description for the PK-102 in WEAPDESC.TXT in the SUBWAY.FOG level data uses "Kalishnikov" instead of "Vokinhsilak" like the 11/11/98 Prototype.

• Likewise, the Nightvision Rifle has a different rate of fire and damage according to WEAPDESC.TXT

• The early icon for the Viral Antigen is in the game files and the same as the 11/11/98 prototype.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

Georgia Street Walkthrough#

• The intro FMV with Gabe and Lian discussing the mission with Benton and Markinson doesn't exist in this demo.
• The "suspense" music for the level is different and doesn't loop like the final game. It plays part of Destroyed Subway's suspense track at 1:12 and abruptly ends without a loop at 2:48

• The intro scene has a different camera angle and the police car doesn't blow up.

• The doors on the backgrounds buildings have a different texture and some of them have additional ramps with the texture stretched.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The back alley behind the bar is visible through a fence while it's blocked off in the final game.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The outside street's lighting is slightly different and one of the plants is in front of the bar instead of down the street.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The bar layout is different and there's no pool table or brown window things in the front.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The bar hallway has different lighting, textures, and placement of lights/tables.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The area in the bar where Kravitch is has different wall textures and lighting.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The Comm Array is placed on the bar counter instead of a table in the corner of the room.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The entrance to the back alley is simpler with only a window while you have to climb some boxes and fight an enemy to access it in the final.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The street with the movie theater and additional objective of assisting some CBDC agents doesn't exist in this demo. The wall with the hotel sign was moved to the left in the final game. Additionally, the call from Lian about CBDC agents needing help in that street doesn't play.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The back alley is slightly shorter, has different lighting, and is missing the extra wooden box.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The wall behind the subway maintenance elevator is missing the graffiti texture and there's a sniper rifle pickup.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The subway maintenance area is smaller, has different textures/lighting/layout, and a fixed camera angle.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• There's also a view of the subway in the back wall. No trains run however unlike in the 11/11/98 prototype.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• Near the alley to the bank/behind Gabe's starting postion, there's 3 lamp posts behind the burning cars.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The alley to the bank has a slowly flickering light.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The glass at the bank entrance has a much more noticeable breaking effect/texture. There's also a slight split second delay before Gabe moves through the glass.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The bank wall texture is subtly different.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• Parts of the bank are lit differently.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The grenade room entrance is also darker and the grenade pickup is in the corner of the room instead of against the wall like the final game.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The subway entrance ramp is lit up while some of the lights are broken with sparks in the final.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The subway entrance has two entrances and different floor/wall textures.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• The pause menu map in this area also has an extra ramp to reflect this.

• The demo ends with "To be Continued..." when you try to enter either of the ramps.

• After the "To be continued..." screen, a static FMV with the game's release date fades in and out. Internally named EOL.STR[0] in the SYPHON folder on the disc.

• Although the subway is inaccessible, its pause menu map can still be seen in the maintenance room back in the alley area. There's an extra ramp for the entrance, the map is slightly higher up, and there's some other subtle differences.

Misc Differences#

• When you die/fail the mission, the words "Game Over" display instead of "Mission Failed"

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• Pickup crates only open half way and are missing the opening sound effect.

Toys R' US - Interactive Sampler Demo Disc	Final

• Gabe screams differently when shot while in the final he has multiple different screams.

• Gabe has different falling screams compared to the final game. His body also doesn't have a sound effect when landing.

• The terrorists scream differently when dying.

• Lian warns "Gabe, hold your fire, he's CBDC!" when you shoot CBDC agents.

• There's more enemies as well as different enemy placements/encounters.
• The demo's difficulty seems similar to "Hard Mode" in the final game with enemies able to fill up your danger meter quicker as well as shoot faster and more accurately.
• CBDC agents can be killed without the mission instantly failing.
• No sound effect when receiving checkpoints.
• Music and sound effects have a reverb effect.
• The roll has no audio effect.
• The headshot caption appears slower while manual targeting.
• Terrorists don't scream when hit with the taser.
• When the bomb in the bank is triggered, Lian does not report about loss of communication.
• Less responsive movement using L2/R2, as well as all other controls.
• The shotgun has a lower fire rate.
• Logan's 3D model disappears slowly when switching to the manual target view.
• There are two additional road signs near the bank on both sides of the road.
• There's two trees instead of one behind the brick wall near the bank.
• Near the two police cars on the floor are two missing tiles.
• The light poles at the subway entrance are taller.
• The armor pickup in the subway entrance is placed slightly different.
• There's no sound effect when climbing on ledges or walking on metal surfaces.

Demo #2: Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Demo Disc 18#

Found in the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Demo Disc 18. Practically the same as the Toys R Us demo, but does have a few differences. Built on December 7th, 1998.

• The demo will end within a minute if left idle (typical of many demo discs) and there's currently no code to bypass it.
• Certain PlayStation models have issues launching this demo and can hang indefinitely at a black screen after selecting it from the demo disc's menu.
• The target icon now has its final design and sometimes a terrorist can spawn in front of the alley gate.

• When the bomb in the bank is triggered, the call from Lian about losing communications now plays.
• The pause menu now has a scrolling text sound effect that's different from the final game's. The other pause menu sound effects are now the same as the final game.