Croc 2 (Windows, PlayStation)

Croc 2
Also known as: Croc! Adventure (JP) Developer: Argonaut Software Publishers: Fox Interactive (US/EU), Koei (JP) Platforms: Windows, PlayStation Released in JP: September 2, 1999 (PlayStation) Released in US: July 1999 (PlayStation), March 7, 2000 (PC) Released in EU: August 3, 1999 (PlayStation), June 9, 2000 (PC) This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has hidden developer credits. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused cinematics. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article This game has a notes page This game has a bugs page

Croc 2 sees the titular character on a quest to find his birth parents.

Although not as popular as its predecessor, there's still a good chunk of unused content hanging around.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Notes

Bugs

Out of Bounds There's a lot of half-made rooms and stray planes out there.

Internal Names Enemies and objects all have their own names, even if they're not shown anywhere else.

Music Select

On the PC version, hold S and press Left, C, Up, Down, Space, C, Return at the title screen. A sound will confirm correct entry.

On the PlayStation version, hold R1 and press Left, Circle, Up, Down, Square, Circle, X at the title screen. A sound will confirm correct entry.

This will add a new entry to the "Sound Options" menu in the pause menu of the game. Scroll down to "Music Volume" and press A or S (PC) or L1 or R1 (PlayStation) to select a song.

(Source: Hacczilla (PlayStation), hdc0 (PC))

Position Bar

On the PC version, hold S and press Space, Down, C, Up at the title screen. A sound will confirm correct entry. Press F7 during the game to display the information, and press it again to remove it.

On the PlayStation version, hold R1 and press Square, Down, Circle, Up at the title screen. A sound will confirm correct entry. On a second controller, press X to display the information, and press it again to remove it.

Along with showing Croc's position, this also tells you the file name for the level you're currently on. On the PC version, it also supplies you with a build date.

(Source: Hacczilla (PlayStation), hdc0 (PC))

Level Select

NTSC PlayStation

A level select exists in the game, but for the most part, it is non functioning. To access it on the NTSC PlayStation game, change the value at 009BBF8C to 14.

Pressing Select will change the Intro to Level, Boss or Secret. However, there is no way to leave the screen unless the value is changed back to 4 (for regular gameplay).

Although this Level Select does not work completely, it does track your level. For example, if loaded while in the Find the Key! Save the Gobbo! level, the stats will read as follows:

Tribe 1
Level 2
Map 1

It can be loaded in the Japanese game, too. However, since it hasn't been translated, all text appears in gibberish, symbols and numbers.

(Source: DESCENSION (value), RadSpyro (address))

Windows

A working level select menu can be accessed by setting the byte at 0x41AC66 (EU version: 0x41B186) to 0x12 and entering the credits cheat.

Cheat Mode

Although the full level select cheat cannot be accessed without hacking, a hub select cheat can be.

Along with the hub select, it allows you to edit your inventory.

For PlayStation, at the title screen, hold L1 and press Triangle, Left, Left, Right, Square, Up, Up, Left, Circle. If entered correctly, 'Cheat Menu Active' will appear at the top of the screen. During gameplay, press R2 + L2 simultaneously to bring up the cheat menu.

For Windows, at the title screen, hold A and then press T, Left, Left, Right, Space, Up, Up, Left, C. During gameplay, press Page Up and Page Down simultaneously.

Unused Cheat

A cheat known simply as Magazine Cheat is mentioned in the game data, but it seems to be inaccessible. The disassembly of the Windows version reveals that there is no way to activate the magazine cheat without modifying the game's code. It can be made accessible e.g. by using a Cheat Engine script.

On the PlayStation version (NTSC), the Magazine Cheat string can be found at 0x7DDE2C.

Developer Text

At 0x7DF131 is a note from David McEwen, a programmer for the game.

Maximum Camera's have been stacked davidm@argonaut.com

And nearby at 0x7DF18D:

ITS NOT USED!

Early Level Names

The levels used for the gameplay demos are older versions of the levels. A couple of these show early names.

Early	Final
HEY! He Stole my lunch!	Get the Gobbo's sandwich!
Burning Down the Forest	Save the 50 Trapped Gobbos!
Find 3 Lost Treasure Chests	Find 5 Lost Treasure Chests

Unused Levels

Some of the levels intended for the attract mode / demo play are using earlier versions of the level, or go unused entirely. These levels all have missing areas, likely to reduce loading times. As such, entering doors will either cause Croc to fall to his doom, or result in an error message.

In addition to this, two copies of full levels are also present, as is a test level.

Test Level (AAAGH Mad Gobbo !!! / Beware of the Dog !!)

A test level, known as Beware of the Dog !! in the US release, AAAGH Mad Gobbo !!! in the European release, and ンカゴッボ ノ "(Nca Gobbo no", presumably reading from the Inca Gobbo Village text) in the Japanese release has been left in. It varies depending on what version you're using.

In the US release, the level is a '+' plane with the train operator Gobbo from Cossack Village standing on it. Speaking to him results in a long chain of dialogue, mostly from other levels, although a few strands appear to be from older releases. If Croc is hacked out of the area, there are remnants of a cave level scattered around. No music plays.

In the European and Japanese release, the Sailor Village tune plays, and the level is a copy of Swap Meet Pete's interior sans the items for sale and Pete's cash register. Croc can clip through this area at times. The train operator Gobbo is still here, placed on the table. Speaking to him in this version takes the dialogue one step further - in addition to the lines spoken on the US release, he repeats all the text found on the levels, including some cutscene text. Croc also chimes in with responses every now and then.

Leaving this area takes Croc back to Sailor Village.

To access, force the Level Select addresses to the following:

Tribe 1
Level 1
Map 10

(Source: RadSpyro)

Find the Key! Save the Gobbo!

Another version of this level has been left in. It serves as the demo version of the level, and appears to be the same build as the one from the PlayStation Magazine Demo.

Normal Level	Demo Level

No entry back to Sailor Village.

Normal Level	Demo Level

The voices are different, to reflect these changes of text:

Normal Level	Demo Level
Ok! Croc help Gobbo!	Ok! I save you Gobbo!
Thank you! Use the door Croc came through to return to Village.	Thank you Croc! You'll have many more adventures in the big version of Croc 2!

Normal Level	Demo Level

Upon completion you will be returned to the Sailor Village hub. Since it's under a different map, the main level will not be completed.

Chase the Choo Choo Train

A near identical copy of the normal level, placed after it in the file list. Although 002 usually refers to a playable demo level, there are no known demos that include this level.

The only noticeable difference is that the scene played when you fail to reach the switch in time is different. In this longer version, the train is visible as it moves through a tunnel. The regular level shows the train disappear into pure darkness.

Completing this version of the level takes you back to Cossack Village as expected, but does not mark the quest as complete.

Bride of the Dungeon of Defright

Completely unused. However, it is possible to get into this level on the PlayStation version via a glitch.

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The Gobbo has different text (with a grammar error that is sure to annoy many), the camera reacts strangely at certain points and Croc grabs the barrels strangely.

For those wondering, the text in the final is "Croc! Catch the bombs and blow up the cage!" and "Thank you!". Another Gobbo instead uses the corrected line, "You're my friend for life!".

In addition to this, there's some leftover text from an earlier version of the level hidden in the wad file.

Normal Level	Demo Level
I'm saved!	I'm Saved!
I'm so glad you've arrived Croc! While you were fighting Baron Dante, I escaped using my self-propelling pencil! Oh yes! The Baron retreated to the heart of his evil domain! You keep the Baron busy, I'll try and find a way to send him back from whence he came! You'll have to get through Dungeon of Defright and defeat Goo Man Chu, the Goo monster!	I'm so glad you arrived Croc! Whilst you were fighting Baron Dante, I escape using my self-propelling pencil! The Baron escaped, he in the heart of his evil domain! You keep the Baron busy and I'll try and find a way to send him whence he came! You'll have to get through the Dungeon of Defright and defeat Goo Man Chu, the Goo monster!

Save the Ice Trapped Gobbos!

Completely unused.

Normal Level	Demo Level

You start off at a slightly different point.

The first and second warp points teleport you to the same area (which is the second cave in the main level). The area is pure black, with only a single remnant left in - a floating platform and platform Smash Box.

Normal Level	Demo Level

It works as normal, but the platforms float in the air. If Croc moves too close to the first warp point, the game graphics can become garbled.

Normal Level	Demo Level

In the PC version, the Red Crystal, Green Crystal and two regular crystals (from the clockwork gobbo area) are missing. In the PlayStation version, they're left in, but the Green Crystal shows up as a regular crystal until touched.

The Gobbo's text has been changed:

Normal Level	Demo Level
Gobbo friends trapped in ice! If Croc saves Gobbos, then Gobbo help clear snow from door.	Gobbo friends trapped in ice! Save Gobbos! If Croc save friends, help clear snow from door.

In addition to this, an earlier script also rests in the remaining parts of the file:

Normal Level	Demo Level
Gobbo press button for bridge, Croc push ice block over it!	I press button for bridge! You push block over the bridge!
Croc is Gobbo's hero!	Croc Gobbo hero!
Gobbo stop spinning bridge, Croc push ice block over.	Gobbo stop spinning bridge. Croc push ice block over.
Gobbo happy! Croc save!	Gobbo happy. Croc save.
Gobbo make lift work! Quick, Croc! Jump on lift!	Gobbo! Make lift work. Croc jump on quick!
Croc save Gobbos! Gobbo get TNT out of ice block.	Croc save friends. Now Gobbo get TNT out of block.
Croc is Gobbo's best friend.	Croc best friend.

The Village Masher

Normal Level	Demo Level

The camera angle for the Gobbo is very slightly different.

Different text:

Final	Demo
Hold on! Gobbos find Croc another bucket!	Hold on, we'll find you another bucket!
Fill bucket with water, throw water at fire-breathing monster!	Fill the bucket with water, and throw it at the fire breathing monster!

Find 3 Lost Treasure Chests

Normal Level	Demo Level

Different laser placement. In the final, there are no lasers that Croc can walk under; he has to leap over all of them.

Normal Level	Demo Level

Croc starts off further back in the main level.

Normal Level	Demo Level

There's an extra track at the back in the attraction level at this point which was removed in the final version.

Interestingly, the clockwork Gobbo area has been kept in, and the textures show that 5 treasure chests were already planned, despite what the early title suggests.

HEY! He Stole My Lunch!

Normal Level	Demo Level

There's a gong that was moved to the cave in the final level, no music plays, and there's some very minor changes to the text.

Normal Level	Demo Level
Croc! Throw Gobbo! Gobbo get crystal!	Croc throw Gobbo. Gobbo get crystal.

Burning Down the Forest

The lava reacts strangely in this level. In some parts, Croc can either swim in it (PC) or he'll leap across it (PS1) until he comes into contact with a certain part.

A fire wall to the left of the starting point has only a little collision, and the Platform Smash Box is missing.

Normal Level	Demo Level

This fire, and the Gobbo normally found here, are missing.

Normal Level	Demo Level

There's a chunk of the level missing, along with the Gobbos next to it. The rest of the area is fully textured and without missing vertices.

Normal Level	Demo Level

There's a fire here that isn't present in the main level. If Croc climbs it before extinguishing it, he is hurt a second time when he reaches the top for some reason. The Gobbo at the top here is missing, too.

It is possible to collect 50 Gobbos by hacking the game for infinite lives, since the game doesn't remove saved Gobbos when Croc restarts the level like he would in the final. The level still cannot be completed.

Find the Wheels in the Jungle!

Normal Level	Demo Level

There's a different jelly colour mark and the jelly is misplaced.

The platforms that are usually activated by breaking the box have been activated already, and the creatures that you normally hop across at this point have no collision.

The Dantini near the stonehenge structure is missing, as is one of the dinosaur enemies leading there.

Finally, the music is different.

(Source: RadSpyro)

Unused Doors

Save the Ice Trapped Gobbos!

There's a second door near the Gobbo's door. It's obscured by the wall, and can only be seen by hacking Croc outside the level boundaries.

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The door itself does not have a warp point, although most of the doors in this level lack one until they are activated by an event.

Save 30 Gobbo Babies!

There are two doors hidden behind the level start. One of these doesn't work, but the other does (see below).

• 
• 

A third door (also non-functioning) can also be found floating near the Clockwork Gobbo area. Unlike the other two doors, this one has seen some work on it.

Sailor Tribe - Secret Mine

Located far, far away from the rest of the level is a door with a small, incomplete pathway with flooring no longer than the path. It's so far away that it's likely a leftover from an earlier build of the game. Once here, you can't get off. Like most other doors here, it doesn't work. The X co-ordination on the position bar will read around 061.70f in this area. The nearest wall is around 04c.d76.

Cossack Secret 2

Behind the wall of a Stepping Stone Box is an unused door.

You can also see it by clipping the camera. It is non functional, but will lock Croc into place if he manages to get in. This door is a leftover from the regular version of the level, "Chase the Choo Choo Train".

Unused Warp

One of the two doors in Save 30 Gobbo Babies has a warp associated with it. When you go through it, you're teleported to a small grass plane nearby. Sometimes Croc will grab the edge, but it's impossible for him to let go of it. All that is on this plane is a single tree, which doesn't appear in this particular level at all.

Interestingly, the game "locks" you there like it would if you were on part of the main map, so you can't get off it at all.

Unseen Flag Model

In Hang Glider Valley, Croc starts the level towards the front of a grass platform. If he's hacked behind it, the camera reveals a hidden flagpole (not seen anywhere else on the level) and a tree, all within the level boundaries.

Unused Voice Clips

A sound that would have been used by Caveman Gobbos. A similar one is used in a cutscene.

Like above, this would have belonged to a Caveman Gobbo. It's possible that the Caveman Gobbos would have had their own unique rescue cry instead of the usual 'Yippee'.

Unused Graphics

Early Swap Meet Pete Icon

An icon seen in early screenshots can still be found in the game. It is loaded in each level as a placeholder.

(Source: Mr. C)

Early Croc Icon

This is loaded in the t0i0m999 wad file (the use of which is currently unknown). It can be seen in early screenshots.

Grey Crystal

Although there **is** a grey crystal which is used in the game, this is not it. This one can only be found in the t0i0m999 wad file. All other files contain the larger version.

Red X

A crude version of the 'X' graphic used when the player tries to use an item they're not allowed to. It is loaded in t0i0m999 wad file and any level wad where the inventory cannot be accessed.

Clear Jigsaw Piece

An early version of the jigsaw pieces is loaded into the t0i0m999 wad file. It's the same one found in the early prototype, where it is similarly unused.

Flag Texture

Loaded in Hang Glider Valley. It's situated directly next to a yellow/black flag texture which, although used, is never actually seen. This one is pure black instead, with a tip of grass at the bottom like the other one.

Unused Loading Icons

Some unused loading icons have been left in the games. Even on the PlayStation version of the game, these icons are never seen (though similar ones can be seen).

• 
• 
• 
• 

Early Trademark Screen

An additional trademark screen has been left in. The logo is of a lower quality than the one used, and omits OmniPlay.

Used	Unused

Early Sailor Village Screenshots

Two of the background screenshots used for menus show an earlier version of the Sailor Village level.

You can see a Smash Box to the right of the screenshot. In the final, this is placed near the box at the top left of the screen. A prototype has the Smash Box at this original location, before it was later changed.

There's a net here which is nowhere to be found in the actual level, with not even the texture surviving. The Sailor King also appears to be a little further left, or perhaps the area is a little smaller. Unlike the Smash Box oddity, this has not been found in a prototype, making it an even earlier change.

Unused Demos

There are a couple of attract mode videos / demos that go unused.

The first is a demo of "The Village Masher".

After skipping the text, Croc rapidly attacks, jumps, stomps and moves the camera around.

The second is "Find the Wheels in the Jungle!".

The demo recording is much older than the level file and appears to be broken, with Croc running straight into a wall.

(Source: Arkadiusz Kołek)

Wave File Metadata

Most level files store their sound effects in a proprietary format called "cvg" which is basically SPU ADPCM. The only exception is the unused Village Masher demo map (t0l1m002.wad). Its sound effects are stored as uncompressed PCM Wave files. Some of them contain interesting metadata:

Index	Date	IENG	Encoder
0	1999-02-12	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
1	1999-02-01	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
2	1997-04-28	n/a	Sound Forge 4.0
3	1999-02-01	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
4	1999-02-01	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
5	1999-02-01	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
6	1999-02-12	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
9	1999-02-15	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
10	1996-11-14	n/a	Sound Forge
28	1999-04-06	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
29	1999-04-06	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
30	1999-04-07	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
31	1999-04-06	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
32	1999-04-07	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
33	1999-04-07	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
34	1999-04-06	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
35	1998-06-01	Gwynn Jones	Sound Forge 4.0
37	1999-04-21	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
38	1999-04-21	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
39	1999-04-21	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
41	1999-04-07	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5
42	1999-04-07	Deepz0ne	Sound Forge 4.5

Unused Dialogue

Thanks to the test level, there's a bunch of early dialogue left in the game. At least one of these dialogues can still be accessed outside the test level with hacking.

Gobbo Text

Text	Notes
Croc can jump even higher by hitting the X button 3 times!
Croc try it out?
Croc can do long jump by hitting L1 and R1 together while running! Try it!	In the final, players are never told about this move, and the manual never mentions it.
Croc can pick up and throw some items. To pick something up just walk into it!
Use the Circle button to throw it.
Hit Gong with tail and Croc will return here if Croc get hurt!	Used in an early prototype.
Marking on floor mean something special. Gobbo not know what, though...	Given how close it is to the above text, probably talking about the Clockwork Gobbo panel.
Gobbo guarding the Ginger Soda crates. Hope they be OK!	They're checking the crate inventory in the final instead.
Hurry Croc! Cannon Boat Keith's attacking Village!	Early screenshots show that is exactly what he did. In the final, he attacks Croc from within a cave.

Swap Meet Pete Text

Text	Notes
Oh yes! Feel free to browse.
Look over here. These are some of my very best items!
Fair enough! But I'm not moving on my price!	Pete never answers when Croc doesn't buy his items.
My friend, you don't have enough crystals for that item!	Used by Swap Meet Pete in early screenshots.
I'm sorry, no crystals!
That is the exit, my friend!	You can actually still access this in the final by altering the shop item value (see the bottom).
Come back later!	Probably the words SMP would use for when Croc exits his store, instead of Croc just leaving without a word.
Do you want to go back to other Villages?	At one stage, it seems like SMP would allow you to choose which village you returned to, as opposed to Croc having to go back one at a time.
Do you want to buy it?	Pete never asks this, Croc is just given the option.
Sold! Thank you for your custom.	Pete never thanks Croc for his business.
Would you like to return to the previous Village?	Villages are referred to as worlds in the final.
Would you like to go to the next Gobbo Village?	Same as above.
OK! Let's go!	Croc is taken automatically, so this is never used.
Ah, Croc! You are doing so well!	Pete does praise Croc, but not with this line.
The Icy Realm of the Cossack Gobbos is a most cold place, as you will see! I would talk to the King if I were you! Good Luck!	Pete already mentions the Cossack Village as being cold, so this was probably cut for being redundant. You also don't really have to speak with the King, either.
This is the most savage land of the Cave Gobbos! It is a beautiful, but dangerous place! I would pay my respects to the King if I were you!	Probably cut for a similar reason as above.

Croc can access one of these lines during gameplay. By setting the shop value to 60, Croc will swivel around to face the exit. It works as expected.

Build Date

Using the Position Bar cheat, it is possible to see build dates for the PC version.

For PlayStation versions, a version number can be found instead. The build dates can be found near the text for the cheat options instead.

PC

USA	Europe
February 1st 2000	March 31 2000

PlayStation

Region	Build Date	Version	Address
USA	July 1st 1999 14:31:00	0174	0x7DDDCC
Europe	July 13th 1999 16:50:50	0200	0x48CF3C
Japan	July 15th 1999 11:22:30	N/A	0x6AAB54

Texture Oddities

Up the Waterfall

The side of the machine at the top of the waterfall has a texture error. The red button texture is applied to a side that cannot normally be seen by players. The button itself is an object, and uses a different texture sheet.

Ending Cutscene

The basket shown during the ending is only seen from the front. At the back, the basket erroneously uses the mountain texture instead, but players will never see this thanks to the fixed camera.

Regional Differences

• In the USA, Croc 2 was released with a partnership to Nabisco. This included a contest and promotional packets of Gummi Savers featuring Croc 2, with the actual Gummi Savers appearing in the game itself. Elsewhere, the traditional jellies from the previous game could be found instead.

USA	Other Regions

• The names also vary depending on the region.

USA	Europe	Japan
Crystal Craze Gummi Savers Jump	Orange Flavour Jelly Jump	Orange Jelly
Five Flavor Gummi Savers Jump	Lime Flavour Jelly Jump	Green Jelly
Wild Berries Gummi Savers Jump	Strawberry Flavour Jelly Jump	Red Jelly

• The continue screens are different between PAL and other regions. They use plain text in the PAL version.

PAL	Other Regions

• Same with the Game Over screens.

PAL	Other Regions

• In the European PC version, selecting English will use the graphics. But for any other language, plain text is used.

J-NTSC	Other Regions

• Along with the completely different logo, the word loading has darker shades of green and is very slightly warped on the Japanese game.
• The Japanese version removes all of the cheats, save for the (still non-functioning) Level Select.

Revisional Differences

PlayStation	Windows

• There's a texture error on the surfboards in the title screen. This was fixed in the PC release.
• The PC version starts you off with 5 hearts, but the PlayStation release only starts you off with 3.

PlayStation	Windows

• The sign in Sailor Village reads "Welcome to Oki-Doki" in the PlayStation of the game, with "Bye bye!" written on the other side. In the PC version, the sign is reversed, likely because it makes little sense to say "Bye bye!" to people who are just entering the village.
• Swap Meet Pete's card changes from blue to purple in the PC version. The number on the card also differs for unknown reasons.

PlayStation	Windows

• The symbol on Croc's car was removed in the PC version.
• The "Ice Cave" song (better known by fans as "Save the Ice Trapped Gobbos! 2") was removed from the PC version for reasons unknown.

Oddities

• There are a few gaps in the files, suggesting removed levels. There are at least three known levels that were removed in the final. Missing from the files are:
  • t2l4m001.wad (a Cossack Village level)
  • t3l6m001.wad (a Caveman Village level)
  • t4l4m001.wad (an Inca Village level)
• In the main menu's file, the game mentions a "Front End Bonfire". This is a leftover from the early demo.
• Goo Man Chu is referred to internally as "GooManShoo".
• The Level Select allows Croc to go as high as Tribe 6. This was likely intended for the Cowboy Village which was eventually scrapped.