Iron Demon: Difference between revisions

(added more info on the ID's planned appearance and boss battle)
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[[Image:Konoko runs from Iron Demon.jpg]]
[[Image:Konoko runs from Iron Demon.jpg]]


The appearance of the Iron Demon at the Regional State Building does not mean it was ever intended to be in that level. Per Hardy LeBel, RSB was one of the first levels created for the game and was used as a testbed during development.
The appearance of the Iron Demon at the Regional State Building does not mean it was ever intended to be in that level. Per Hardy LeBel, RSB was one of the first levels created for the game and was [https://carnage.bungie.org/oniforum/oni.forum.pl?read=19078 used as a testbed] during development.


===Trailer===
===Trailer===
Line 34: Line 34:
==Game assets==
==Game assets==
===Unused sounds===
===Unused sounds===
The model for the Iron Demon was not included in the released game data like some other "cut" content was, and we don't have its animations either (though Abeyta recalled only making "a walk cycle, firing anims, and possibly turning anims"). The walking sounds for the Iron Demon were in fact included as SNDDid_leg_[1-3].aif. There are also SNDDid_r_hit[1-4].aif, which may be the impact sounds for hits on the Iron Demon from heavy weaponry ("'''id_r'''ocket'''_hit'''").
The model geometry for the Iron Demon was not included in the released game data like some other "cut" content was, and we don't have its animations either (though Abeyta recalled only making "a walk cycle, firing anims, and possibly turning anims"). But the walking sounds for the Iron Demon were accidentally included in the final game as SNDDid_leg_[1-3].aif (leg actuator sound effects) and SNDDid_r_hit[1-4].aif ("run hit", i.e. footstep sounds).


===Unused script===
===Unused script===
[[European Mac releases|Some versions]] of Oni accidentally included additional [[BSL]] scripts for levels that were cut during development. Perhaps the most intriguing of the cut levels was [[BGI]], and the unfinished cutscene scripts for BGI include one scene with the following comments:
[[European Mac releases|Some versions of Oni]] accidentally included additional [[BSL]] scripts for levels that were cut during development. Perhaps the most intriguing of the cut levels was [[BGI]], and the unfinished cutscene scripts for BGI include one scene with the following comments:
  #create Iron Demon before player gets here
  #create Iron Demon before player gets here
  ...
  ...
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  #start battle
  #start battle


Apparently the plan was for the Iron Demon fight to occur in this level, however BGI HQ was cut while rushing to ship the game. (According to the design lead Hardy LeBel, it had not gotten very far along before it was removed.) The Iron Demon battle could have been moved to another level, but only if changes were made to the story and probably the voice-acting script, and it was likely too late to do that. In any case, as mentioned earlier, Bungie West did not have time to code the special-case AI behavior required to maneuver the Iron Demon within a 3D environment, and so the much-anticipated giant robot was left out of the game.
Apparently the plan was for the Iron Demon fight to occur in this level, however BGI HQ was cut while rushing to ship the game. (According to the design lead Hardy LeBel, it had not gotten very far along before it was removed.) The Iron Demon battle could have been moved to another level, but only if changes were made to the story and probably the voice acting, and it was likely too late to do that. In any case, as mentioned earlier, Bungie West did not have time to code the special-case AI behavior required for the Iron Demon to maneuver and fight within a 3D environment, and so the much-anticipated giant robot was left out of the final game.
 
==Afterlife==
[[Image:Iron Demon in Halo 2 Foundation map.jpg|right|thumb|300px|The Iron Demon in Halo 2's Foundation map, apparently based on the [[Marathon|Marathon 2]] map Thunderdome]]
In a story not revealed until May 2025, Robt McLees [https://www.youtube.com/live/Dg5xx-nGHr0?t=9778s related on a live stream] that he scattered parts of the Iron Demon in a Halo 2 multiplayer level called Foundation. (In fact it looks like he had to re-model the torso from scratch, and the other parts in the room seem to be a single part, cloned many times, which was not a component of the Demon.) The torso has been stamped with "TEST", and possibly with "[https://bluefieldsafety.com/2018/06/abandon-in-place-or-decommission/ ABANDON IN PLACE]" like the other parts in the room, as a reference to its having been cut from Oni.


==Fan content==
==Fan content==
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*[https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-robot/262162 This model] on TurboSquid by Ashley Davison
*[https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-robot/262162 This model] on TurboSquid by Ashley Davison
*[http://iritscen.oni2.net/wiki/Seventeen%20Seconds'%20Iron%20Demon.zip This model] by Seventeen Seconds, used in [[Konoko Payne]] by Pierre
*[http://iritscen.oni2.net/wiki/Seventeen%20Seconds'%20Iron%20Demon.zip This model] by Seventeen Seconds, used in [[Konoko Payne]] by Pierre
*[http://iritscen.oni2.net/wiki/bobbysoon's%20Iron%20Demon.zip This model] by [[User:bobbysoon|bobbysoon]], based on the above model. This one was used in multiple [[AE]] packages; see [http://mods.oni2.net/node/263 this one] for a starting point.
*[http://iritscen.oni2.net/wiki/bobbysoon's%20Iron%20Demon.zip This model] by [[User:bobbysoon|bobbysoon]], based on the previous model. This one was turned into an [http://mods.oni2.net/node/263 AE mod package]. The resulting Iron Demon character is used as an enemy in some mods which present battle arena scenarios.


===Artwork===
===Artwork===

Latest revision as of 17:05, 25 May 2025

The Iron Demon is a mecha boss that was initially supposed to appear in Oni, making notable appearances in the 1999 trailer, but was cut during development as Bungie West raced to finish the game. According to 3D animator Steve Abeyta, "It was scrapped because it would take too long to create a custom AI, and gameplay for it. We had to cut a lot of stuff to get [Oni] shipped, and cutting that one sucked. […] Such a large character created AI pathfinding problems as well as issues with object interaction. They're not impossible to overcome, but we didn't have the time to tackle it."

The Iron Demon was stated as weighing 5 tons and standing 12 feet tall in this interview with Alex Seropian. If it had appeared as an enemy in-game, the player was going to get sufficiently heavy weaponry to fight it, per the same source. The striped cylinder on the Iron Demon's back, an ammo drum, was its weak point per Alex Okita. There was also an intention to allow the Iron Demon to be selectable in multiplayer mode per Hamilton Chu, though Kevin Armstrong doubted that it would be desirable to let players do that. No reports are known of the Iron Demon being seen in the multiplayer demos at various E3s and Macworld Expos.

Official references

Promo screenshots

These are our best in-game looks at the original model:

Japanese for "Iron Demon" would be... KANA-ONI?
(building on the proverb ONI NI KANA-BÔ)
geyser
Or, more literally, TETSU-ONI (TETSU="iron")?
Iritscen
Or KÔKI (HAGANE-ONI, HAGANE="steel")?
Demos kratos

There's also this screenshot used in some print ads:

 

The appearance of the Iron Demon at the Regional State Building does not mean it was ever intended to be in that level. Per Hardy LeBel, RSB was one of the first levels created for the game and was used as a testbed during development.

Trailer

In the 1999 trailer, the Iron Demon can be seen in two scenes: one brief shot in Regional State and one extended walk sequence in unreleased MP arena The Pit (slowed down for careful inspection):

   

In the second scene, a rocket launcher has been appended (perhaps somewhat hastily) to the right arm to show an alternate armament mode for the mecha.

Promo art

The clearest appearances of the Iron Demon in 2D form are:

Game assets

Unused sounds

The model geometry for the Iron Demon was not included in the released game data like some other "cut" content was, and we don't have its animations either (though Abeyta recalled only making "a walk cycle, firing anims, and possibly turning anims"). But the walking sounds for the Iron Demon were accidentally included in the final game as SNDDid_leg_[1-3].aif (leg actuator sound effects) and SNDDid_r_hit[1-4].aif ("run hit", i.e. footstep sounds).

Unused script

Some versions of Oni accidentally included additional BSL scripts for levels that were cut during development. Perhaps the most intriguing of the cut levels was BGI, and the unfinished cutscene scripts for BGI include one scene with the following comments:

#create Iron Demon before player gets here
...
#See Iron Demon
...
#show Konoko getting ready for face-off
...
#start battle

Apparently the plan was for the Iron Demon fight to occur in this level, however BGI HQ was cut while rushing to ship the game. (According to the design lead Hardy LeBel, it had not gotten very far along before it was removed.) The Iron Demon battle could have been moved to another level, but only if changes were made to the story and probably the voice acting, and it was likely too late to do that. In any case, as mentioned earlier, Bungie West did not have time to code the special-case AI behavior required for the Iron Demon to maneuver and fight within a 3D environment, and so the much-anticipated giant robot was left out of the final game.

Afterlife

 
The Iron Demon in Halo 2's Foundation map, apparently based on the Marathon 2 map Thunderdome

In a story not revealed until May 2025, Robt McLees related on a live stream that he scattered parts of the Iron Demon in a Halo 2 multiplayer level called Foundation. (In fact it looks like he had to re-model the torso from scratch, and the other parts in the room seem to be a single part, cloned many times, which was not a component of the Demon.) The torso has been stamped with "TEST", and possibly with "ABANDON IN PLACE" like the other parts in the room, as a reference to its having been cut from Oni.

Fan content

3D models

There have been three fan attempts to recreate the 3D model for the Iron Demon by inspecting the visual evidence we have from the pre-beta period:

Artwork