If you appreciate the work done within the wiki, please consider supporting The Cutting Room Floor on Patreon. Thanks for all your support!

Prerelease:Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold

From The Cutting Room Floor
Jump to navigation Jump to search

This page details prerelease information and/or media for Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold.

Pre-release Graphics

Title Screen

Pre-release Used
Bs aog oldtitle.png Blake Stone-Aliens of Gold-title.png

An older title screen from an interview with programmer Mike Maynard.

Removed Enemy

Blakestonenotused1.png

A red demon-like monster that was removed from the final game. The only image of it is a grainy photo on the back of the game's box.

Bs aog manualpage20.png

Another shot from the manual featuring the monster. The floor name reads "SPACE TRAK TRANSPORT" (E1F9) and appears to be at map position X13 Y57 facing south-southeast. The rest of the text is too small to be read, so the enemy's name is lost.

Press Releases

Apogee started promoting the game through a series of slideshows via their Software Creations BBS. One executable plays a slideshow of the .PCX files with an .IMF music file from Bio Hazard/Bio Menace, the other simply extracts the .PCX files for view in PC Paintbrush or other graphics viewer/editor.

1BSPIX

Download.png Download March 25, 1993 press release
File: 1BSPIX.zip (info)
  • The FILE_ID.DIZ for this press release lists the game as "coming in the Summer of 1993". The later press releases' FILE_ID.DIZ files don't have tentative release dates.
  • The HUD is completely different, with a counter for access cards.
  • Floor/ceiling textures aren't implemented yet. Actors cast shadows/lights like Wolfenstein 3D.
  • Actors have different REBA display names, which match their names in the source code.
  • Dr. Goldfire is known as Dr. Goldstern at this point of development.

From BLAKE.DOC:

 SMART ACTORS:  Smart actors will look at their surroundings,
'think' about the situation, and act accordingly.  For instance,
when a scientist runs out of ammo, he'll look around and pick more
up if it's available (possibly before YOU can reach it!).  If none
can be found, he'll look for a door and try to run out of the room
before you can shoot him.  Smart actors perform a similar action
when their health is low.  Smart actors make game play more
exciting because both YOU and THEY are fighting for health and the
same ammo!
  • While Sector Patrol and STAR Sentinel actors have unique behavior related to finite ammunition, scientists don't. None of the actors have unique AI for low health.
 SPACE FLIGHT SCENARIO:  These levels remove you from the standard
in-the-building atmosphere and take you to a space flight scenario.
Here, you battle Dr. Goldstern's henchmen while guiding a shuttle
craft through a star-laden asteroid field. The shuttle craft has
forward and reverse thrusters and a 360 degree rotating canopy for
multi-directional shooting.  Two recoil-guns mounted on the front
of the ship allow a massive arsenal to be projected at your
enemies!
  • Totally unimplemented in any known version of the game. The only remnants are a "GAME1_SPACE" header in MAPTEMP.BSx, along with SANIM.BSx and GANIM.BSx, which are referred to as the SPACE Animation file and GROUND Animation file in JM_ERROR.H. These animations are used for the endings of the first two episodes in the final; however, along with the episode 1 ending text screen, they seem to fit the purpose of the scenario planned here.
CONCESSION MACHINES are used to get food, drinks, or a clue.
The food and drinks will increase the player's health.
Hmmm...
To do:
Test concession machine upper bytes to see if anything related to tips are still in the executable.
  • Concession machines don't give clues in any known version of the game. JM_ERROR.H mentions tips in the UNRECOGNIZED_CON_CODE error, but there doesn't seem to be any data left that isn't about food or drinks.
COMPUTER TERMINALS, when activated, give you access to
Goldstern's computer information network (CIN).  This network is
able to control certain elements in the game, for instance,
disabling ceiling-mounted turrets.  Many other things can be
controlled and VIEWED by using this network--it'll be up to you to
discover what they are, and how they can aid you!
  • While the source code has unused code relating to them, computer terminals ended up as nothing more than decorations.
ELEVATOR BUTTONS:  A panel is used to move around the different
floors in each building.  Simply select a number and you're on your
way; that is, unless the floor is locked.  Locked floors require a
code to be entered first.  But, surely some nice scientist
(informant) could help you out with these codes.
  • Elevator codes were never implemented. The red access cards are used to unlock floors instead.

Screenshots

BS AOG SPRITE554.pngThe actor in the 6th screenshot was redrawn to change it from black to green, but one frame hasn't been completely redone. Oops!

1BSPIX2

Download.png Download July 8, 1993 press release
File: 1BSPIX2.zip (info)
  • Actors still have different display names matching source code names. Some of them are weren't seen in the last release.
  • The HUD was updated to present form.

From BLAKE.DOC:

  • Preliminary release date in was updated: "Projected Release Date in Shareware: September 1993!!!"
  • "SPACE FLIGHT SCENARIO" section was removed.
  • Number of unique actors was changed from "over 20" to "over 16".

Screenshots

1BSPIX3

Download.png Download February 14, 1994 press release
File: 1BSPIX3.zip (info)

This is a press release made for the version 2.0.3 update. The game had already been published for over 2 months.

  • Dr. Goldfire's name was updated.

From BLAKE.DOC:

  • "COMPUTER TERMINALS" section was removed.
  • The rotating automap and diminishing light features from version 2.0 are listed. Neither are displayed in the screenshots.

System Requirements

  • 25mhz 386SX, formerly 20mhz 286.
  • 8MB of hard drive space, formerly 6MB.
  • DOS 5.0+, no prior requirement.

Screenshots