WWF SmackDown!

This page details one or more prototype versions of WWF SmackDown!.

This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

To do: There's probably a lot more differences. Some more pictures would be nice, too.

A prototype build of WWF SmackDown!, internally dated December 8, 1999, although the title screen build date says otherwise. Depending on the date, the game is almost complete at this point, but naturally some changes exist.

Title Screen#

Proto	Final

The title screen is noticeably different than the final, and has the build date present in the upper-left corner (January 6, 2000 6:05:29). This date contradicts the dates on the files on the disc.

Wrestler Selection Screen#

Proto	Final

The selection screen pictures of the wrestlers almost look like mugshots. The order of the selectable wrestlers is also different (only Stone Cold, Undertaker, The Rock, and The Hardy Boyz use the same slots between versions), and some moves are spelled differently (for instance, StoneCold Stunner instead of Stone Cold Stunner in the final).

Additionally, The Rock is the default wrestler highlighted, while the final version defaults to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Wrestler Differences#

Proto	Final

Chyna's skin color is dark in the prototype and white in the final.

Proto	Final

Godfather's hos in his entrance had their upper and lower parts changed so they look less like ring girls (or alternatively, in case of the brown-haired girl, a joshi wrestler).

Also of note regarding entrances is that many of them print the nameplate as soon as the video begins. In the final, these are timed to when the specific wrestler appears on screen.

Gameplay#

Table	Casket

• There are some weapons that are not in the final, most notably a table (not breakable sadly), steel steps, and a casket that looks like the one used in the next game.
• Holding Triangle while doing a post-match celebration lets you control your wrestler.
• Attacks with small weapons (like the microphone) do not register as hits, but running attacks work with them.
• Both players can select the same wrestler.
• There is no interaction with the scenery when you are backstage at this point.
• Championship ranking points begin from zero, instead of having default points. In addition, the music for this screen uses one of Season mode's cutscene music instead of the Season mode's menu music.
• Special referees are not announced in a special referee match during referee's entrance.

Debug Features#

When you actually play a match, under the health bars are 2-4 lines of debug code (changes depending on how many wrestlers are in a match) that cannot be turned off.

Bits of debug code appear in the top-left corner during cutscenes in Season Mode. Pressing L1 + L2 will bring up more debug code and bars.

Season/Pre-Season Mode#

This was obviously still being worked on, as there are quite a few remnants of debug code and spelling errors...oh, and crashes.

Control Cutscene Camera#

To do: Upload new video.

The camera can be controlled during cutscenes by pressing Start or Select on Controller 2.

Debug Info (?)#

At the screen where it shows the date and which show is next there is a list of wrestlers with numbers next to their name, pressing R2 and L2 changes the wrestlers in that list.

Pressing Circle brings up another list with wrestlers and numbers (taken from championship point rankings) which you can scroll through by pressing Up/Down. #29 just has the name "XXX"; this corresponded to Jeff Jarrett, as checked with Yuke's-developed Simple 1500 game The Pro Wrestling, which is based on an earlier build of this game. (Jarrett is still actually present in this build, however he has an incomplete moveset and is set to use Corporation TitanTron.) Holding Square makes said text disappear.

After that screen, sometimes it will show a black screen with some debug code (maybe for cutscenes?).

A similar screen shows up in Pre-Season Mode, which lets you skip or go back by holding R1 and pressing Right or Left, then pressing Square or X to confirm...although this will sometimes crash the game.

Other Season Oddities/Differences#

There are numerous typos with the word "arrange" on the Pre-Season main menu.

Character names are in a different color in the text boxes during a cutscene, whereas the final has them the same color as the rest of the text. A number also appears in the top-middle of the text box.

• All the cutscenes that involve someone being called out are about "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
• Even though Stevie Richards, Ivory, Jacqueline, Blue Meanie, and Stephanie McMahon all appear in Pre-Season Mode, there is no way to unlock their parts for Create-A-Wrestler like in the final. This also affects Droz (see below).
• There is no warning when skipping your match in Season Mode, and when you skip a match it doesn't automatically go on to the next one. As a result, it is easy to skip your match by accident.
• Pressing Square at the Season Mode menu plays back the last cutscene that happened, although not always with the same people.
• Some cutscenes are unfinished text-wise, and some crash the game before loading.

Create A Wrestler#

General#

• The Appearance option is absent in the main menu, so if you need to change your created character's appearance, that wrestler must be deleted and created from scratch again.

Meat and Droz#

To do: Get more Droz-related stuff, someone on Legends of Modding managed to port him (and Meat and Jeff Jarrett, which still has part) to final SD1.

In this build you can create Shawn Stasiak as Meat. Even though the gimmick had been phased out by this point, Stasiak himself was still under contract and so he had a place here. He ended up being fired not long after, however, necessitating his removal from the final version.

Parts for Droz can be found on the disc. He can no longer be created in the actual game, though, as they were removed from the create-a-superstar appearance part list. This was likely done out of respect, as he was severely paralyzed after an in-ring accident during a SmackDown! taping in October 1999, in a match against D'Lo Brown.

Droz is mentioned by name in the Season Mode menu at 11E36C. Meat and Droz are both also mentioned in Simple 1500: The Pro Wrestling's debug menu.

Removed/Changed Parts#

In addition to Meat and Droz, this mask design (sometimes attributed to Psychosis) exists in the proto but was removed from the final game.

Proto	Final

The visible eyes on the knight helmet part were blacked out in the final.

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

The face paint versions of the blonde and old man heads had their designs changed in the final game, most likely to reduce their similarities to Sting and Road Warrior Animal.

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

Finally, one of the original mask designs had the American flag and the "& PEACE!" text blacked out, although the latter is still slightly readable. This may be more trademark obscuring, as the proto version resembles the mask of "The Patriot" Del Wilkes.

Debug Information#

• Pressing Select at the first menu brings up a bit of debug code and a bar.
• When changing the appearance of your created wrestler, there are two rows and four columns of debug code in the top-left corner along with seven rows for each different body part (head, upper body, etc.). One set is for the camera angle.
• At the last edit screen where you change your height/weight/etc., there are another two sets of numbers that change with your height/weight.
• Some parts are missing (removed wrestlers?).

Head: 36, 38-48, 61, 78
Upper Body: 36, 38,39
Lower Body: 44,45,46

• When you are choosing your moves, pressing L2 unlocks all of them. Pressing Select changes the moves' names to a bunch of numbers.

Options Menu#

Proto	Final

Two options were removed from the game's pause menu: difficulty and DualShock vibration configuration. In addition, the color for the currently chosen setting is also changed.

Engrish#

It appears that this build is later than the one used by GameSpot for their screenshots, considering the infamous "3 Way Dancing" is replaced with the more sensible "3 Way Dance". It seems other things are mistranslated or mistyped, such as "Punphandle Slam" and "matchmakes" (Create A PPV mode was named Match Making in this build).

Title Holders#

Some default title holders were updated between the prototype and final release, likely to keep the game up-to-date with WWF programming at the release date: