Proto:A Hat in Time (Windows, Mac OS X)/Prototype

This is a sub-page of Proto:A Hat in Time (Windows, Mac OS X).

The Prototype builds of A Hat in Time were distributed to a select few streamers and YouTubers to promote the game's Kickstarter and Steam Greenlight page in June and July of 2013. The builds were not meant to be available to the general public, and contents varied from person to person. The builds documented here are labeled "Prototype 0.0.1 vGoBoiano" and "Prototype 0.0.1 vCosmo". The Prototypes represent a vastly different-looking and different-feeling version of A Hat in Time, although they still resemble the final game more than the versions shown in footage of the game that predate them. With a vast amount of different textures, placeholder sound effects, little to no voice acting, and a completely different soundtrack, it's quite difficult to find more than a few assets in these builds that made their way into the final game unchanged.

Builds:
GoBoiano Prototype - Compiled on June 5 2013 at 7:54 AM.
Cosmo Prototype - Compiled on June 25 2013 at 4:32 PM.

Sub-Pages

Differences to the Final Game There's a lot.

Differences Between Builds Hat Kid forgot some moves in only a couple weeks!

Unused Textures

Collectible Bird

A collectible bird. It can no longer be collected.

Calcite Collectibles Graphic

A leftover graphic from the Calcite era of development, used to display objects that Hat Kid collected in a mini-mission.

Cog HUD Icon

A HUD icon for a collectible cog item is present in the Prototype builds and Alpha builds, unused. Can be seen in footage of Calcite. The model for it is still leftover in the final game's Modding Tools.

Star HUD Icon

Another Calcite leftover. This graphic can also be found in the Alpha builds and early versions of the final game's Modding Tools.

Ladder Editor Graphic

An editor graphic that was used around ladders in early versions of the game, but doesn't actually show up in-game under any circumstances. Also present in the Alpha builds, but was deleted by the Beta builds.

Harbor Button Graphics

Graphics for the button HUD seen all the way back in some of the earliest screenshots of Harbor are present in both Prototypes and the Alpha builds, unused. The class file for the HUD that used these is also present. These graphics would persist into the Alpha builds before finally being forever deleted by the Beta builds.

Yellow Hat Kid Textures

Textures for the original yellow version of Hat Kid seen in the earliest screenshots of the game are present in the GoBoiano Prototype and Alpha builds. These textures are among the oldest known assets ever made for the game.

"Batskin" Texture

A texture called "batskin" is grouped among the yellow Hat Kid textures above, with an import date very close to them as well. Unknown purpose.

Unused Models

Slot Machine

The slot machines from Mafia HQ are loaded in the Prototypes due to their assets being referenced in their class file's default properties.

Mafia Boss

Present in the data for the Goboiano Prototype and Alpha builds is an early version of Mafia Boss, the same Mafia Boss seen in very early footage of the game, including the March 2013 trailer. His animations are all completely different from the later version of him seen in the Beta builds and final game.

cubedicetest

A cubic model with smooth edges that is used by an unused testing Actor within the game files.

chick_placeholder

A different bird model than the one seen in the Prototype's version of Mafia Town. This little bird is in a roosting pose and has a purple cape instead of a light-blue one.

mafia

A much earlier version of the Mafia than the one seen in Mafia Town in the Prototype builds, and can only be found in the Goboiano Prototype and Alpha builds. This is the same Mafia model being used in very early footage and screenshots of game, primarily from Calcite. The animations for this version of the Mafia model can be seen in media of the level from that time, including some that were never seen before. The model is dated January 27 2013, while the used model in the builds is from a little less than a month later, February 21 2013.

hatkidnew

By far one of the biggest hidden treasures of the Prototype builds, and yet another one that can only be found in the Goboiano Prototype. This is "hatkidnew", a very early version of Hat Kid's model, far earlier than the one actually used in the Prototype builds. This model is dated December 8 2012, while the version used in the builds is dated March 18 2013. It is far lower-poly than the used Hat Kid model, but more importantly, it comes with a truckload of early animations, many of which can be seen in some of the earliest footage of the game! There's also, of course, several animations that were never seen before, much like the early Mafia model above.

Unused Animations

Unused Animations Listen to my phrase. I can give you the sense of rhythm!

Unused Audio

Door Sounds

Unused sounds for doors opening and closing. These are used in the unused animations for the skeletal mesh door model that is used in this version of Mafia Town. These sounds were all deleted for the final game, but the sound effect notifies can still be seen in the unused animations in the final game's Modding Tools.

Sandbag Sounds

Sound effects that can only be found in the GoBoiano Prototype. These are used in the unused theatre sandbag object for falling and hitting the ground.

Collectible Bird Sound

A cartoony 'pop' noise used when collecting a Hat_Collectible_Bird, which are normally hidden in Mafia Town in these builds and cannot be collected without cheats or console commands.

Unused Music

Time Thief Music

Music used in the normally inaccessible Act, Time Thief. The second track is for when one of the players gets tagged during the minigame described below. The music originates from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, specifically from one of its battle modes: Shine Thief.

Unused Text

mafia.int

teleport0 = What? Where am I?!
teleport1 = Hey, it's that girl!
teleport2 = What's going on?!

Unused text for a Mafia getting teleported.

checklist.int

[checklist]
None = No Description
Ch1HarborRest = Enter the Harbor Resturant
Ch1MafiaTie5 = Collect 5 Mafia Ties

An unused localization file, intended for Mafia Town .

collectibles.int

WitchHatName = Witch Hat
WitchHatDesc0 = Dark magic powers! No wait, it's just a costume...

FoxMaskName = Dweller Mask
FoxMaskDesc0 = You're a sly fox! See the world from a dweller's perspective!

Unused text for the Witch Hat and Dweller Mask exist, even though they cannot normally be obtained in either build.

debug.int

[timsfriend]
linecounter0=One Line!
linecounter1=One Line![br]Two lines!
option0=Option A
option1=Option B

[mafia]
mumbletest=Igem bugem I am a mafia blah blah bleh!

An unused localization file meant for testing dialogue. The last line in the file was added for the Cosmo Prototype.

forestvillage.int

[signs]
sign0 = Left: Invisible mosquitoes[br]Right: Under accomplishment
sign1 = Left: Unappreciative Pets[br]Right: Always-Clogging Toilet
sign2 = Left: Loans and Dept[br]Right: Dead Marshmellows

[dwellers]
rabbit = [shake]I used to be a rabbit.[br]At least... I think I did...[/shake]
toiletlock0 = [shake]We're spirits, we don't use the toilet. But the other forest creatures do, so we locked it up to prevent them from taking a chaotic visit to our town.[/shake]
toiletlock1 = [shake]Last time a Fire Spirit used the toilet, the whole town was set ablaze.[/shake]
captain0 = [shake]I came here on my ship, I'm a captain of the sea![/shake]
captain1 = [shake]Once my men return from town with supplies, we'll sail off again. It has taken them five thousand years to get back, but I'm sure they're just handling the supplies with extra care.[/shake]
villageintro0 = [shake]This is the Subcon Village. We're all lost souls, hiding in shame behind these masks.[/shake]
villageintro1 = [shake]This place is frightening, I want to escape as soo-[/shake]
villageintro2 = [shake]I... really... like it... here...[/shake]
villageintro3 = [shake]Welcome to the greatest place in the world: The Subcon Village. It's great here...[/shake]

[moonjumper]
villageintro0 = Oh hello there young child! You just forget about this guy, he gets a little crazy sometimes.
villageintro1 = You should come visit me in the forest later, I have some good stories to tell!

An unused localization file, intended for Subcon Village, which is an area not included in the Prototype builds. The Moonjumper section text was removed for the Cosmo Prototype, and some text was adjusted in the village intro section between the builds.

mafia_npc.int

giraffe0 = Mafia make stone floor out of giraffe! 

An extra, humorous line about the appearance of the brick road texture in Mafia Town in the Prototypes was added for the Cosmo Prototype, but wasn't used.

number0 = [shake]Mafia number #1! We make best pasta in all of world.[/shake]

An unused generic line for Mafia bragging about their pasta cooking abilities.

view0 = Mafia like view, good spot for watching people get beat up.

An unused generic line for a Mafia enjoying a view.

smart0 = Oh? Don't mind me I was just looking at the Volcano in the distance.
smart1 = *Ahem* Would you like to play a game with me? 

Text for an unused 'smart' Mafia. Unknown what game he's referring to.

boat0 = Little girl want to ride boat? Boat ride totally safe! *cough*

An unused line for a message about riding a boat. This line would be used in the Alpha builds.

moonjumper.int

[forestlookout]
whatusee0 = Ask me, my child, what does my eye gaze upon?
whatusee_opt0 = A girl in red?
whatusee_opt1 = A village of the dead?
whatusee_opt2 = A prize in a shed?
whatusee_opt3 = Nevermind!

An unused localization file for the Moon jumper was added for the Cosmo Prototype, even though it wasn't used in any public build of the game. This text can be seen in prerelease screenshots and footage.

Unused Objects

There are several unused class files in the data for the Prototype builds - some would be used in later builds, while others wouldn't have a very long lifespan after the Kickstarter was done. All of the unused objects are able to be loaded up in the GoBoiano Prototype, due to all class files being always loaded at all times. In Cosmo, this isn't the case, so the video on the right will be demonstrating all (except 1) of the unused objects in GoBoiano.

Dice Platform

"Hat_PlatformDice"
Only found in the Cosmo Prototype, this strange Actor uses a unique and unused model that uses the default texture. Upon jumping on it, and then attempting to walk left or right, it'll rotate 90 degrees and attempt to move Hat Kid along with it. Given the wide arc that it moves the player and that they end up in midair, the platform was most likely intended to be much larger. An early screenshot shows this model in action.

Mafia Boss

"Hat_Boss_Mafia"
Mafia Boss is extremely unfinished at this point in development. His Actor can be seen in action in the March 2013 trailer for the game, where he walked towards Hat Kid on stage in Mafia HQ. ...And that's all he does in these builds. He walks up to you, and guards. You cannot damage him in any way. He has an expression component by this point, too.

Forest Dweller Enemy

"Hat_Enemy_ForestDweller", "Hat_Bot_ForestDweller_Enemy"
The unused floating Forest Dweller enemy that was leftover in the final game is present in these builds as well, and functions exactly as he does in the final. It floats around in a small circle, and when it spots the player, it chases after them. It cannot damage the player.

Big Mafia and Forest Mafia

"Hat_Enemy_Mobster_Big", "Hat_Enemy_Mobster_Forest"
Two unused Mafia enemies intended for Subcon Forest. The Big Mafia is a giant blue, astral Mafia that can be seen in the Subcon Forest trailer from earlier in 2013. He only takes two attacks to defeat, but he guards after one hit, meaning that to defeat him, Hat Kid must jump on his head, which she cannot reach normally even with GoBoiano's double jump ability. Both disintegrate into purple particles when defeated. They're both still leftover in the final game, as well.

Mafia Cutout

"Hat_Enemy_Cutout"
A flat Mafia cutout enemy seen in a very old 2012 screenshot and the March 2013 trailer. This enemy is what Tim's Friend would turn a Mafia into in the cellar beneath Calcite. It has no death animation, as it likely wasn't intended to be defeated.

Scientist Enemy

"Hat_Enemy_Scientist"
There's an enemy class file for an unknown enemy simply called "Scientist". Upon loading it in-game, it has no model, but can be hit and defeated regardless. This is likely a placeholder Actor for the scrapped Science Owl enemies that would appear in the Beta builds.

"Zombies"

"Hat_ZombieSpawner", "Hat_Enemy_Zombie", "Hat_Enemy_Zombie_Invisible", "Hat_Enemy_Zombie_MustacheGirl"
There are leftover class files for the swarming character mechanic seen in a video of Calcite from early 2013. Mustache Girl would apparently somehow clone herself over and over through time travel somehow. The Mustache Girl "zombies" will loosely swarm the player, and are intended to do damage over time if the player does not break free or swat them away, but it appears this functionality was either disabled or broken by the time the Prototype builds were made.

Collectible Cog

"Hat_Collectible_Cog"
There's a cog item that can be picked up, but it doesn't do anything. When collected, it makes a 'pop' sound, much like the unused collectible birds Hidden in the level.

Companion

"Hat_Companion"

A tiny yellow bird with a purple cape, the same one shown above in the Unused Models section. He does nothing but float in the air, motionless.

Forest House Shutter

"Hat_ForestHouseShutter"
An object shown off in Prototype footage of Subcon Forest, and would end up used in the final game. The sound effect used when it slams shut is a different, placeholder sound at this point, and there's no particle spawned when it slams, either.

Game Data Book

"Hat_GameDataBook"
A floating book intended for Limbo, the original hub of the game before the Spaceship was made. The player would access these books to pick a save file, but it's functionality doesn't work in the Prototypes due to saving not being allowed in the builds.

Portal

"Hat_Portal"
The flat, teleporting Actor from Limbo that also still exists in the final game, is present. It doesn't seem to appear upon spawning in in-game, however.

Forest Trap

"Hat_ForestTrap"
Seen, again, in Prototype footage, this spiky arena using default textures would suddenly pop up around the player and force them into combat with enemies. In the Prototypes, this is always against three Light Plants. The music is also switched to the Mafia Battle music from these builds until the arena disappears.

Mafia Waiter Guard

"Hat_Guard", "Hat_Guard_MafiaWaiter", "Hat_Bot_Guard"
A Mafia that crashes the game when attempting to avatar him to activate his intended coding. Might be related to the Mafia seen in the kitchen in the March 2013 trailer that tells Hat Kid and Mustache Girl to get out of there.

Partners

"Hat_Partner", "Hat_Partner_Mobster", "Hat_Partner_MoustacheGirl"
Unused class files for the partner system first seen in Harbor and last seen in the March 2013 trailer exist in the Prototypes. A Mafia partner and a Mustache Girl partner exist.

Slot Machine

"Hat_SlotMachine"
Features an early design, and is not animated. Cannot be interacted with, unlike the Beta builds.

Spring Mushrooms

"Hat_SpringFungi", "Hat_SpringFungi_Yellow", "Hat_SpringFungi_Purple"
The bouncy mushrooms used in Subcon Forest exist, and use the earlier bounce sound heard before the final game. You can also attack them to make them bounce, something that was disabled in later builds.

Door

"Hat_Door"
A skeletal mesh door Actor, which can be locked onto with the targeting system. This is most likely the very early doors seen in Harbor.

Stage Sack

"Hat_StageSack"
An Actor that uses the skeletal mesh balloon from the builds as placeholder. Hat Kid can jump into it, and it'll fall and crash onto the ground with some dust before immediately respawning. Uses the cartoony falling and crash sound effects mentioned earlier on this page. According to concept art, Mafia would grab onto these and drop down with, presumably, the intention to harm the player.

NPCs

"Hat_NPC_ForestDweller", "Hat_NPC_MafiaBoss", "Hat_NPC_MoonJumper"
Moonjumper, Mafia Boss, and Forest Dwellers have NPC class files that are never used. Oddly, they don't appear in-game in Goboiano (or Cosmo) when spawned via console commands.

Time Thief Mustache Girl

"Hat_Escapist_TimeThief"
The version of Mustache Girl that you play 'tag' with in the unused Time Thief Act in these builds.

Water Bucket

"Hat_CarryObject_WaterBucket"
An unused, physics-based object that can be carried, and it's a bucket. That's about it.

Zipline

"Hat_Zipline"
A completely scrapped Actor that bears a resemblance in name to the ziplines in Alpine Skyline, however, the two are completely unrelated. It's unknown when this object was made, or what it was intended for. If Hat Kid touches it, she'll slide alongside the rope until she reaches the end. Also present in the Alpha builds.

Status Effects

"Hat_StatusEffect_Grow", "Hat_StatusEffect_Shrink", "Hat_StatusEffect_Spicy"
The unused Shrink, Grow, and Spicy status effect all exist at this point, and never saw any known use in any future build. All of these still exist in the final game.

HUD

"Hat_HUDElementAttacks", "Hat_HUDElementCollectibles", "Hat_HUDElementDebug", "Hat_HUDElementPawnInfo"

• The button HUD from Harbor, which showed the three colored buttons in the top-right corner exists in these builds, called "Hat_HUDElementAttacks". The HUD doesn't do anything except display the button graphics and the shadow behind them. The above screenshot shows this HUD when ported to the final game, but it looks different from how it appeared in early screenshots. Whether or not this is due to a change in how the final game handles HUDs or if the appearance of it really did change prior to the Prototype builds is unknown.
• The unused Collectibles HUD shown in the March 2013 trailer exists, as it did in the final game for a short while.
• Two debugging HUDs that also still exist in the final, "Hat_HUDElementDebug" and "Hat_HUDElementPawnInfo" are present in these builds.

Cosmetics

"Hat_CosmeticItem_WitchHat", "Hat_CosmeticItem_FoxMask"
The Witch Hat and Fox Mask exist in the builds and are fully functional (although they don't actually give you any abilities), but can never be obtained normally without console commands.

Kismet Nodes

"Hat_SeqAct_TimeStop", "Hat_SeqAct_KillPartners", "Hat_SeqAct_PartnerSetOwner", "Hat_SeqAct_TeleportPartners", "Hat_SeqAct_FakeTimeObjectCount"
There is an unused Kismet node, that somehow still exists in the final game, which was intended for the black and white post processing effect seen in the cellar of Calcite around late 2012 and early 2013. "Hat_SeqAct_TimeStop" exists, and even has a dedicated console command to activate it! However, the effect seems to have been broken already by these builds, as everything but the HUD will appear monochrome, even Hat Kid, who is supposed to remain colorful during it according to early footage and screenshots. These builds are the only known builds where this effect at least still partially works.

There are multiple Kismet nodes for managing the unused partner mechanic.

The 'fake Time Piece' increase Kismet node that's leftover in the final game exists in these builds, as well.

Level Secrets and Oddities

Bird Hunt Leftovers

Leftovers from the Bird Hunt minimission seen in very early footage of the game appear in the Prototype and Alpha builds of Mafia Town, hidden normally. Console commands can be used to unhide the collectible birds, and there are two to collect in the Protos: one in front of the church bell tower and one below Thor's factory. Upon collecting one, a unique 'pop' sound plays that never plays anywhere else in the Prototypes. There is no Kismet for this minimission anymore, so nothing happens when both are collected.

Unused Mafia On Fire Lava Geyser

Hidden next to the meat house building is an unused lava geyser, intended for Mafia On Fire. The crack model at its base is also a unique version of the crack model used elsewhere in the Act, with its UVs tiling more much in comparison. This unused lava geyser would persist into all future prerelease builds until the Speedrun Event Builds.

Inaccessible Acts

By opening the developer console and using the command "setact" followed by a number, it is possible to access two of the normally inaccessible acts for Mafia Town. Act 2 does not appear to be present in any form.

Mafia Town Act 3 (Time Thief)

This Act starts with an opening cinematic: a panning shot of Mafia Town, before zooming in on Mustache Girl who is near the Mafia Town construction site. Upon approaching her, two timers appear. One for Mustache Girl, and one for Hat Kid. Both have 160 seconds on the clock. The Act works like a cross of the game "Tag" and "King of the Hill". Hat Kid starts as "It", and can use her umbrella to tag Mustache Girl. Time counts down on Mustache Girl's timer until she is tagged, then the roles are reversed, and Hat Kid's timer starts counting down and Mustache Girl's stops.

If Hat Kid's timer counts all the way down, Mustache Girl disappears, a Time Piece appears (however, the cutscene doesn't play properly like the others in the Cosmo Prototype. It works fine in the GoBoiano Prototype.) and a victory jingle will play. If Mustache Girl's timer counts all the way down, Mustache Girl will simply disappear.

Mafia Town Act 4 (Mafia on Fire)

Note that this Act is freely accessible in the GoBoiano Prototype, but locked in the Cosmo Prototype. This Act is a very early version of Heating Up Mafia Town, and starts with an opening cinematic that is very similar to the final game's. The Act starts with Hat Kid talking to Thor, who explains the situation. He then gives Hat Kid the "Hookshot Upgrade" and the "Pogo Upgrade". Hat Kid must use the ground-pound ability of the Pogo upgrade to seal three of the four cracks. The fourth crack is sealed with a 2-button timing puzzle. Upon completion, most of the lava disappears, and a Time Piece appears by Thor. In the Cosmo Prototype, a hook point near a lava geyser was fixed compared to how it was in the GoBoiano Prototype, where using it would often get you stuck on the nearby tent. A small cutscene was also added to the button timer puzzle for one of the lava geysers, where when the player completes it, it shows the lava geyser disappearing. Finally, a lava rock path beneath the market area that leads to the tailor was added for Cosmo and is not present at all in Goboiano. The Mafia's dialogue was also never updated to use the mumble lines.