Virtua Hamster

This game was stuffed away in a cardboard box and found 30 years later in a garage

This game was never completed and/or given a public release.
As a result of this, keep in mind that the developers might have used or deleted some of the content featured here, had the game actually been released.

This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

To do:
Games That Weren't has lots of info and images, including scans of design documents.

Virtua Hamster is an entry in Sega's "Virtua x" umbrella that involves a rodent named Chip skateboarding through tubes.

Development began in March 1995, only to be cancelled that December (somewhere between six weeks and a few months prior to completion, and having already been pushed back from a planned Fall '95 release) due to financial issues at Sega of America, with a planned Saturn version never starting development. An early prototype was leaked in 2009.

Download Virtua Hamster

File: Virtua Hamster (32X) (Prototype - 1994).zip (info)

Unused Graphics#

An alternate player selection screen, with pipes surrounding the characters.

A map selection screen. There's only one playable map in the demo and no way to select the map from the options menu.

A message congratulating the player for capturing a Scuttle. These don't exist in the only playable map, thus making it impossible to see this.

(Source: Alpha Jon)

Passwords#

Although no passwords are given out by the game, there are some working passwords coded in that send the player to various parts of the demo level.

 V
 TEST1
 HELLO
 NIHILISTAG
 SLAGAID
 DECADES
 BINARY
 WHORES

(Source: Tony H)

Source Code#

A small piece of code is present at hex address 51192 in the ROM.

 returns d1 weapon select else -1

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 cycle_weapon  
 move.w  current_stick,d0 ;joystick values 
 moveq   #numcol-1,d2     ;number to check 
 moveq   #0,d1
 move.b  numcol*2(a5),d1  ;this indexes select
 bmi.s  
 @none
 add.w   d1,d1            ;which one  
 lea     (a5,d1.w),a1     ;this points to the def
 tst.b   (a1)             ;any? 
 beq.s   
 @search   
 btst    #c_jp,d0         ;do nothing 
 beq.s   
 @found    
 bra.s   
 @next 
 @none
 moveq   #-2,d1           ;compensation
 bra.s   
 @next

(Source: Tony H, Divingkataetheweirdo)

Development Text#

Present at 0x1A62A in the ROM is some audio-related text.

Nuhamster
Simmons Snare 
at-fat 
Techno Bass 
Linn 
FM 
Concert Snare 
Acoustic Kick 1
mod
Koto  f vox.FM 
Ice Lead alo Pad ngs 2
Roll Out     FM 
Bell Lead 1
Guitar
Simmons Crash  7
Soft Violin
attack
Doom Pit
Bright Organ
Fat Hammond Organ
Hit5E .FM
Mechanical

Present at 0x25BB0 in the ROM:

End of 68000 code

Present at 0x265A4 in the ROM:

Vbl 
Tx err 
Z behind:   
Z position: 
Z left:     
Region:     
Direct:     
Chip X pos: 
Chip X mom: 
Players : 
Status  : 
Junction: 
Offset  : 
Obj sent:

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Present at 0x52096 in the ROM is text left over from the Psy-Q SDK:

All the memory in your machine has been exhausted.
  Do you want to save your files before exiting to DOS?
energy  rs.b    1
5
toggles=1
 0 1 0 0
srch=clear_screen
s       moveq   #numcol-1,d2
at count
Software Ltd 1993
C:\PSYQ\asm68k.EXE /i /g /l /zd main.s,main
Psy-Q 68k version 2.34
C:\ANDREW\COLLECT.S(11) : Error : Symbol 'collect1_data' not defined
Assembly completed.
1 error(s) from 14032 lines in 1.2 seconds
Bad return code - make aborted
akefile=makefile.mak

(Source: Tony H)