Stargate (Genesis)

Stargate
Developer: Probe Entertainment Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment Platform: Genesis Released in US: 1995 Released in EU: 1995 This game has unused areas. This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused text. This game has a hidden level select.

The Genesis Stargate is the original version developed by Probe, later reprogrammed by Tantalus Ent for SNES almost identically.

To do: There is an early prototype version, a lot of unused scenario messages inside it

Unused Cutscene

Present at hex address 0x18DC6A are some unused lines for a Cutscene dialog with an unknown NPC, using the same graphics as the elder from the first mission. This dialog is depending on some unknown condition - if it's met, the text in the images below will be shown. If not, you'll get these two lines instead.

OI! THAT'S MY POT!

IT WAS!

To see it in-game, use the Game Genie code N4XT-JAHL (which replaces NPC index 0x0065 at ROM location 0x4A7EA to 0x0066) to replace the first elder's dialogue with this one.

The actual options screen doesn't actually have any place to enter the numbers in question - this was part of a planned Sound Test option that never quite made the final release. However, the cheat itself is mostly programmed and may be accessed via a specially generated password.

Input Empty, Empty, Empty, Empty, Empty, Empty, Eye into the password screen. After that, follow the rest of the instructions: press A + C + Start at the Mission screen.

(Source: Mezmorize)

Debug Warp Level

Use the Game Genie code J1YT-JAE4 (level index $45) to start the game in this very visibly unused Debug Warp Stage. There are 9 floors, each with 4 doors. Some doors are inactive, some only look inactive, while others lead to unused levels or incorrect entry points to the used levels. Also worth noting: The LEVEL/SECTION text doesn't correspond to the actual level order in the final game - things may have been shuffled around during development, and as a result the order is practically random.

Just be careful: You can jump on the LEVEL blocks to climb to higher floors, but there's no way back down!

Of particular note is LEVEL 1. SECTION 3. This door leads to a working debug level with most of the game's enemies along with TRAITORS objects (level index $3B. There is a exit at the end of the level which leads to another debug level at index $41. This level looks normal, but there are level warps in the middle of it above the ground leading to some of the final game's rooms.

To do: Levels 43, 44 are debug ones mostly unfinished. 44 is the one test level with an auto scroll feature.

Unused Graphics

There are three unused dialog resources among the cutscene resources at 0x005376, 0x00550E and 0x0055E6. There are three unused characters intended for cutscenes, but never used: another military man, and two phases of Ra.

These remains of the unfinished Sound Test are stored among the Options Screen tile map and tiles data. Some programming to display these at the Options screen still exists, but is unused by any part of the game's code.

There is an unused packed bitmap font at 0x189F99, which is also present in the early prototype version. This seems to be from the beginning of development.

Another unused packed tiles data set is stored at 0x18E132. Some of it is used in the debug room, but the rest are from some other, unknown game that doesn't fit with Stargate...

To do: Can someone restore the picture at least or maybe recall the game it come from?

Unused Tile Maps

There is a "BG B" tile map for the mission screen used in a very early prototype version stored at 0x189F05. It may be displayed using one of the letter sets from the unused font mentioned above.

Also, there are four placeholder tile maps with some messages for the other developers and some portions of early scenario messages at 0x1A0AE4 in the game's ROM. These tile maps are not used even in the early prototype. They use another set of letters from the same unused font.

Unused Text

Some debug assertions are still inside the game's ROM along with short messages for various errors:

At 0x009140:

shit_bum

At 0x00B180-0x00B33C:

too many sprites!!

At 0x00B534:

rogue cell request

At 0x050004, the usual Probe's Sound Engine signature.

(C)Probe

At 0x18DE1F, the unused portion of the Mission screen.

MISSION -