Behind the Scenes: The Evolution of Rise of the Triad
66Discover the early days of Rise of the Triad! In 2023, rare prototypes of this iconic first-person shooter were leaked, providing an insight into its evolution. Originally conceived as an expansion pack for Wolfenstein 3D, named "Rise of the Triad: Wolfenstein 3D Part II", it was initially designed to use the game engine code of Wolfenstein 3D, but it grew beyond an add-on and developed into a standalone game with its own distinctive gameplay mechanics and features.
00:00 September 1993 Prototype
09:25 November 1993 Prototype
12:55 July 1994 Prototype
πΊ September 1993 Prototype:
The September 1993 prototype uses a slightly modified engine from the GT Interactive Wolfenstein 3D v1.4 release, which results in the omission of some features, such as the "this is registered software" screen and the "Read This!" menu option. The ANSI end screen has also been truncated to a simple message saying "Thank you for playing!". Moreover, in-game storytelling and cutscenes are replaced with blank, white screens. Nevertheless, the engine now supports ceiling and floor graphics, a feature not found in the original release.
The maps appear largely similar, but some graphics have been updated. Sound-blocking appears to have been changed in certain maps, causing guards to react to gunfire in closed-off areas. New test maps for Floors 2-4 of Episode 1 have been added, with the original maps now located at the end of the file. Three inaccessible maps exist, including a blank map at Map 61 and two experimental maps at Map 62 and 66.
πΊ November 1993 Prototype:
The November 1993 prototype runs at a very high framerate, which may require you to limit the speed in your emulator. The second map in this video is a custom map created solely for showcase purposes and is not included in the prototype. Please note that there is no audio in this prototype, the music heard in the video was added afterwards.
Notable features include masked and animated walls, as well as animated sprites with shifted pixel patterns, similar to Blake Stone. Shading affects only floors and walls, not sprites, and there are floor and ceiling textures. You only have basic movement physics and can't open doors, while guards can, but walk through them before they fully open.
Occasional glitches include sprite and wall column issues and clipping problems. There are also max sprite drawing and distance drawing issues, and potential freezing and crashing during gameplay.
πΊ July 1994 Prototype:
In July 1994, six months prior to its official release, the game was in a significantly raw state. Many of the features and finer details had not yet been developed or even considered.
The Apogee logo animation zooms in and out instead of spinning in place. The game menus use a distinct font to highlight the active menu. Credits display static imagery rather than scrolling. Comm-Bat mode is unavailable, but levels can be accessed using debugging cheats. The Battle Menu in Comm-Bat Mode differs from the final version.
The game does not have episode cinematics, but a placeholder screen with a text box. The Loading Screen displays debugging statistics and no titles for levels. The character names on the HUD appear in all-caps. There is no visual feedback for your damage, and gunfire and environmental hazards can easily lock you down. You cannot manually switch between a single pistol, dual pistols, or the MP-40, and the levels differ from the final version, even though the level progression/ order is mostly the same.
Moreover, life items appear as mystical orbs instead of ankhs. In God Mode, your height increases significantly, with a downward camera angle, while Dog Mode is not invincible, acting more like a "power-down." Additionally, the pistol operates faster than in later versions, and missile weapons have a maximum capacity of five shots, except for the Excalibat. The Split Missile lacks its "dumb-seek" capability. The Drunk Missile's trajectory is both more and less linear than the final version. Enemies with bullet weapons deal more damage, while robot guards shoot faster, using a small electrical projectile.
The Rise of the Triads engine surpasses DOOM in some ways, but falls short due to Wolf3D's limitations. Tom Hall later admitted that sticking with Wolf3D instead of using the superior Build engine (used by the team working on Duke Nukem 3D) was a major mistake. Hall believes that if ROTT had used the Build engine, it would have resulted in a much more advanced game.
More information:
- https://tcrf.net/Proto:Rise_of_the_Triad_(1994)?
Joe Siegler posted some capture session videos a while ago:
- https://youtu.be/zUbuFR6tVrc
- https://youtu.be/QPyeeSKlnWY
- https://youtu.be/DCqWSo6jtnk
- https://youtu.be/cJZ4udNVQtY
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