Mac beta 4: Difference between revisions

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m (Mac beta moved to Mac betas: Should have been plural from the beginning, but hey, "Mac beta" will redirect to the new namespace now, and that was a good idea for a redirect anyway.)
(updating page, mainly with our latest understanding about the BBBB)
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Although no PC [[wiktionary:beta#Noun|betas]] are known to have been leaked, there are two known Mac betas which have shed some light on the development of Oni.
Although no PC [[wiktionary:beta#Noun|betas]] are known to have been leaked, there are two alternate Mac versions that have been found "in the wild". One is definitely a beta, and has been called "beta 4" since its leak. It is unknown whether there were later beta versions or if this was the last one before Oni's release. Secondly, a version known as the "Big Blue Box beta", or "beta 5", which may not be a beta at all. Regardless of its actual version, both of these Mac "betas" have shed some light on the development of Oni.


;Beta 4 (leaked during beta testing)
;Beta 4 (leaked during beta testing)
Once cheat codes were unlocked by beating the beta (or hacking [[persist.dat]]), entering the code "thedayismine" would enable [[Developer Mode|Developer Access]]. Later on it would be discovered that the retail Mac (and PC) Oni also had Dev Mode, but it would need to be unlocked by [[History of Oni modding#Engine patching|engine patching]]; this is the only version of Oni observed to have Dev Mode freely accessible.
The application's version number is 1.0, as opposed to retail Mac Oni's v1.1, and its creation date is 11/14/00, which corresponds to the period of time that Oni was in beta testing.


Also, this beta still had all the BSL functionality of the PC version; it had previously been thought that about 40 functions and about 160 variables were stripped from Oni for the Mac (listed [[BSL:PC_vs._Mac_Comparison_(list)|here]]). Having seen that the code was once present in the Mac binary, the community set about searching for it in the retail Mac version, and found it. Through hex editing, pointers to current variables and functions that were not of much use were diverted to point to some of the hidden and more useful BSL abilities. Those efforts have brought the retail Mac release into effective near-parity with the retail PC version; the changes made are documented [[AE:OMNI|here]].
Also during beta testing, Oni's complete list of cheats were leaked. Some fans awaiting the game were intrigued by the "[[Developer Mode]]" cheat "thedayismine", but found it did not work on their copies of Oni. This code does work in beta 4, however. Later on, it would be discovered that the retail Mac (and PC) Oni still had Dev Mode in them, but the cheat that enabled it would need to be unlocked by [[History of Oni modding#Engine patching|engine patching]]; beta 4 is the only version of Oni observed to have Dev Mode freely accessible.


;Beta 5 (sold in German online store)
Also, this beta still had all the BSL functionality of the PC version; it had previously been thought that about 40 functions and about 160 variables were stripped from Oni for the Mac (listed [[BSL:PC_vs._Mac_Comparison_(list)|here]]), since the Mac version is generally thought to have been finalized a bit later than the PC version. Having seen that the code was once present in the Mac binary, the community set about searching for it in the retail Mac version, and found it. Through hex editing, pointers to current variables and functions that were not of much use were diverted to point to some of the hidden and more useful BSL abilities. Those efforts have brought the retail Mac release into effective near-parity with the retail PC version; the changes made are documented [[AE:OMNI|here]].
At one time, beta 5 of the Mac Oni was actually being sold as if it were the retail version. It was part of a package of four games called the Big Blue Box, and sold only on a German website. It may no longer be available for purchase, but the product page is [http://www.macelite.de/product_info.php?language=en&info=p107_Big-Blue-Box--Mac-.html here]. By the time of beta 5, access to Developer Mode and many BSL functions had been removed, but this version had something new: a set of files called level0_Tools.


level0_Tools (in the traditional level file format of .dat/.raw/.sep) contains resources used during development. The beta does not actually seem able to use these tools in-game, but the function of the tools was determined from examining their resources. You can download level0_Tools [http://geyser.oni2.net/edition/plugins/level0_Tools.zip here].
;"Beta 5" (sold in German online store)
This version is v1.1, just like retail Mac Oni, and its creation date is 3/13/01, which, if accurate, means it is unlikely to be a beta, but rather a translated retail version, which would certainly agree with the version number. It was originally titled beta 5 because of the files it contains that come from the development stage of Oni.
 
This version of Oni was part of a package of four games called the Big Blue Box, and sold only on a German website. It may no longer be available for purchase, but the product page is [http://www.macelite.de/product_info.php?language=en&info=p107_Big-Blue-Box--Mac-.html here]. As in the retail Mac application, access to Developer Mode and many BSL functions had been removed, but this version had something unique: a set of files called level0_Tools.
 
level0_Tools (in the traditional level file format of .dat/.raw/.sep) contains resources used during development. The application does not actually seem able to use these tools in-game (in fact, the startup log explicitly records that Oni skips "tool files" such as this one), but the function of the tools was determined from examining their resources. If you're curious, you can download level0_Tools [http://geyser.oni2.net/edition/plugins/level0_Tools.zip here]. [[OniSplit]] can be used to extract the data into individual resources.


:level0_Tools contains:
:level0_Tools contains:
:*some furniture [[OFGA]]s (which are now baked into the environment of Oni's levels, as generic [[AKEV]] quads that are merely flagged as furniture);
:*some furniture [[OFGA]]s (which are now baked into the environment of Oni's levels, as generic [[AKEV]] quads that are merely flagged as furniture);
:*some [[WMDD]]s that were used at some point to edit [[OBJC]] and other [[BINA]] (helpful in reverse-engineering the BINA formats)
:*some [[WMDD]]s that were used at some point to edit [[OBJC]] and other [[BINA]] (helpful in reverse-engineering the BINA formats)
:*textures that were used for debugging or for other, more obscure purposes (the most notable such texture is [[:Image:TXMPPOSTER3.png|Hapékat]], our mascot)
:*textures that were used for debugging or for other, more obscure purposes (the most notable such texture is [[:Image:TXMPPOSTER3.png|Hapékat]], a mask-less rendition of [[:Image:TXMPPOSTER1.png|this little guy]], and now the depiction of our wiki's mascot)
 
:[[OniSplit]] can be used to extract the data into individual resources, for the curious.


Finally, beta 5 contains a number of unique scripts in the IGMD folder, which apparently provided the logic for unreleased levels that were (mostly) used for testing during development. Since the actual level files for these scripts are not present, they are of little value beyond being historically interesting. Some of these scripts actually may have been used for levels intended for the final game, although they were far from completed. One script, for instance, is for a level that would have taken place in a building owned by [[BGI]], and there is code for a cutscene where Konoko sets off a bomb, and one where the late [[Iron Demon]] makes its appearance.
Finally, beta 5 contains a number of unique scripts in the IGMD folder, which apparently provided the logic for unreleased levels that were (mostly) used for testing during development. Since the actual level files for these scripts are not present, they are of little value beyond being historically interesting to read. Some of these scripts actually may have been used for levels intended for the final game, although they were far from completed. One script, for instance, is for a level that would have taken place in a building owned by [[BGI]], and there is code for a cutscene where Konoko sets off a bomb, and one where the late [[Iron Demon]] makes its appearance.

Revision as of 03:35, 2 December 2008

Although no PC betas are known to have been leaked, there are two alternate Mac versions that have been found "in the wild". One is definitely a beta, and has been called "beta 4" since its leak. It is unknown whether there were later beta versions or if this was the last one before Oni's release. Secondly, a version known as the "Big Blue Box beta", or "beta 5", which may not be a beta at all. Regardless of its actual version, both of these Mac "betas" have shed some light on the development of Oni.

Beta 4 (leaked during beta testing)

The application's version number is 1.0, as opposed to retail Mac Oni's v1.1, and its creation date is 11/14/00, which corresponds to the period of time that Oni was in beta testing.

Also during beta testing, Oni's complete list of cheats were leaked. Some fans awaiting the game were intrigued by the "Developer Mode" cheat "thedayismine", but found it did not work on their copies of Oni. This code does work in beta 4, however. Later on, it would be discovered that the retail Mac (and PC) Oni still had Dev Mode in them, but the cheat that enabled it would need to be unlocked by engine patching; beta 4 is the only version of Oni observed to have Dev Mode freely accessible.

Also, this beta still had all the BSL functionality of the PC version; it had previously been thought that about 40 functions and about 160 variables were stripped from Oni for the Mac (listed here), since the Mac version is generally thought to have been finalized a bit later than the PC version. Having seen that the code was once present in the Mac binary, the community set about searching for it in the retail Mac version, and found it. Through hex editing, pointers to current variables and functions that were not of much use were diverted to point to some of the hidden and more useful BSL abilities. Those efforts have brought the retail Mac release into effective near-parity with the retail PC version; the changes made are documented here.

"Beta 5" (sold in German online store)

This version is v1.1, just like retail Mac Oni, and its creation date is 3/13/01, which, if accurate, means it is unlikely to be a beta, but rather a translated retail version, which would certainly agree with the version number. It was originally titled beta 5 because of the files it contains that come from the development stage of Oni.

This version of Oni was part of a package of four games called the Big Blue Box, and sold only on a German website. It may no longer be available for purchase, but the product page is here. As in the retail Mac application, access to Developer Mode and many BSL functions had been removed, but this version had something unique: a set of files called level0_Tools.

level0_Tools (in the traditional level file format of .dat/.raw/.sep) contains resources used during development. The application does not actually seem able to use these tools in-game (in fact, the startup log explicitly records that Oni skips "tool files" such as this one), but the function of the tools was determined from examining their resources. If you're curious, you can download level0_Tools here. OniSplit can be used to extract the data into individual resources.

level0_Tools contains:
  • some furniture OFGAs (which are now baked into the environment of Oni's levels, as generic AKEV quads that are merely flagged as furniture);
  • some WMDDs that were used at some point to edit OBJC and other BINA (helpful in reverse-engineering the BINA formats)
  • textures that were used for debugging or for other, more obscure purposes (the most notable such texture is Hapékat, a mask-less rendition of this little guy, and now the depiction of our wiki's mascot)

Finally, beta 5 contains a number of unique scripts in the IGMD folder, which apparently provided the logic for unreleased levels that were (mostly) used for testing during development. Since the actual level files for these scripts are not present, they are of little value beyond being historically interesting to read. Some of these scripts actually may have been used for levels intended for the final game, although they were far from completed. One script, for instance, is for a level that would have taken place in a building owned by BGI, and there is code for a cutscene where Konoko sets off a bomb, and one where the late Iron Demon makes its appearance.