Tag: The Power of Paint

Tag: The Power of Paint
Developer: Tag Team Publisher: DigiPen Platform: Windows Released internationally: May 1, 2008 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused items. This game has unused music. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has revisional differences. This game has a notes page

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

Tag: The Power of Paint is a parkour-like game with a banging soundtrack where you use a paint gun and you have three different kinds of paint to jump, speed up, and stick to walls. Later, Valve hired the developers to distribute in creating Portal 2.

Sub-Page

Notes

File Name Oddities

In the folder Assets/Sounds/Music there is a duplicate of titlescreen.mp3 labeled song1.mp3, which is a minute and twenty-three seconds longer than the former, while also being uncut. Also, some of the songs in the folder have song tags.

Unused Levels

Download Deprecated Levels Folder File: TPOP_Deprecated_Levels.zip (77 KB) (info)

There is a folder called Deprecated Levels in \Game Data\Level Definitions\ with a lot of testing material. To play these levels you need to put the unused objects into the Objects folder.

To do: document the other levels.

A test level named appropriately gjktest.

A test level named PaintLevel.

Unused Objects

Download Deprecated Objects Folder File: TPOP_Deprecated_Objects.zip (91 KB) (info)

There is a folder called Deprecated Objects in \Game Data\Object Definitions\ with a lot of testing material just like the levels.

Unused Text

//TestBuilding
shader CelShader.fx
technique CelShadedTexture
begin
float4	DiffuseColor <1,1,1,0>
texture DiffuseTex TestPaint.png
end

TestBuildingMaterial.txt

//Waterfall material
shader Waterfall.fx
technique ColorFaceCelShaded
begin
end

WaterfallMaterial.txt

Development Text

Aw, you fail.  Try "setnetmode host" or "setnetmode client"
Failed to render mesh, shit happen.
No goal object set for the game. Game will go on FOREVA
Invalid Message received by Game Logic

A few error messages found in the executable.

Debugging Material

Press ~ to open up the developer's console, and type Help for more commands.
Here are a list of commands:

Code	Description
Help	Brings up a list of commands.
connecthostip xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx	A command for an undocumented online play.
toggledd	Toggles a bunch of debug information on the top right of the screen.
togglegraphicsprofiler	I think this does something in the ERRORS txt file?.
togglepostprocess	Enables/Disables the black outlines.
physicsdebug -b: draw bounding, -k: draw kd-tree, -all, -none	Draws a bounding box over objects.
toggleframestep	Enables/Disables everything.
scaletime float	Slows or speeds up time. 1 is the default.
lookat object name	Looks at an object. Edit mode only.
editor	A level editor.
aidebug	Enables/Disables free-cam.
playaidebug	Same as above.
togglecam	Lets you move the camera freely.
createobject object name	Creates an object in the editor.
save filename	Must be in editor. Saves current level to Level Definitions.
createspawnpoint spawn point type	Creates spawnpoint while in editor.
newlevel	Clears level while in edit mode.
setfps float	Sets FPS. When set to 0, the game will crash.
togglestickcam	Enables/Disables stick paint physics.
videoram	Says how much RAM is used in the console.
objectcount	Displays number of objects.
setfov	Alters field-of-view. Crashes the game if no float value is specified.
stopbgm	Stops playing background music.
playbgm	Plays background music.
listlevelnames	Lists level names.
loadlevel levelname	Loads levels.
objectcount	Lists number of objects in level.
scalegravity float	Changes gravity.
connecthostindex	A command for the undocumented online play.
setnetmode host/client	Sets if you are a host or client when using the online play.
chat	Should send a chat message when playing with someone else.
log string	Repeats text from string.

TAG.ini also has a couple of strings, too.

[Debug]
bDebugdraw = 0
fProfilerInterval = 0.25
bGraphicsProfiler = 0

bStickCam = 1 toggles stick camera/physics. Just like togglestickcam.

Changing 0 to 1 for bDebugdraw just enables debugging information like the console command, toggledd.

Online Multiplayer

To do: Do some testing. I am not able too currently as I only have one PC.

Tag has an entire multiplayer mode hidden away in the commands. Multiplayer is never mentioned anywhere on the download page or anywhere else so it seems it's yet to be documented.

Seems like in early development game supposed to be team-based shooter. Leftover of that fact can be found in object definition LocalPlayer.xml, there is an empty file named PlayerTeam as well as Tag.exe having links to it. It can also be indirectly confirmed, if you modify LocalPlayer.xml by setting the Visible field to true, you can see yourself by using the console commands aidebug or editor, or just by looking up or down: You will see a portion of the player character instance you control, and after picking up any paint, you will see how the player model will be colored to match the selected paint color in the gun.

You can spawn another LocalPlayer object, by entering editor mode with editor console command and then spawning it with createobject localplayer. You will control the latest created player instance, whereas the previous instance can still interact with paint surfaces, pickups and triggers (like death triggers or tips).

Unused Graphics

There are a few billboard textures that aren't used in the game.

A template for the billboard signs.

Unused particle effect for sparks.

Early version of the color change tip.

The game displays the 1-2-3 tooltip instead of this one.

A specular map for a tiger model from the Microsoft DirectX SDK.

Unused Models

To do: Get screenshots for the rest.

Unused UI Elements

In Game Data/UI Definitions there are some unused UI elements. It is currently unknown how to use them though. Replacing other files does nothing.

Unused Sound Effects

To do: Convert the .mp3s to .oggs then post them here.

There are 3 unused sound effects inside of Tag. All of them are from free sound libraries.

A short clip of rain. No metadata.

A ricochet sound effect taken from a sound pack by Hollywood Edge.

A strange sound effect that is never used in-game.

Unused Music

There is one unused song titled song2.mp3 in the game's files.