Unreal Image and Video Collection (Magazines, Beta & Pre-release shots, UT Beta, Box covers and much more!)

[Leo T_C_K]

Where did you find these?

Video Game History Foundation. I reached out to the founder of this foundation, and he sent these to me.
Their archive is going to be public soon, according to him, and they might have more Unreal things.

How soon is that archive goin' to be then?

[Gamesharder]

No updates, it seems, unfortunately.
I reached out to the founder once again, but no answers.

They have this art asset CD in their possession that was sent to GamePro between mid-1997 to early 1998.
Also includes Unreal master art files. (I'm guessing?)

https://library.gamehistory.org/reposit ... ects/17487

As the "Conditions Governing Access" states there, it isn't mirrored on Archive.org or anywhere else, but maybe I was unlucky to find it.

I asked about this CD and the progress of the open archive, btw.
Maybe he got fed up with me asking about this again, so maybe someone else should contact him instead.

There hasn't been any new magazine pages or new images either lately that I could share.

[Leo T_C_K]

Tbh that guy has probably a lot of other things on his plate. But he's also someone who makes things "presentable" to the general public. It means someone specialized on Unreal like you or me will still know a lot more about the topic than someone like him. And me when it comes to some intricate technical/historical perspective details (like i can match the theory with practice and i interviewed many of the unreal developers or even befriended some), or yrex about some internal workings of the engine, etcetera. In a way they could use people like us, too.

But still he should at least say a word or two. As a courtesy.

[Leo T_C_K]

I also can't find it..and this
https://archive.gamehistory.org/folder/ ... ddba8d1c4d

doesn't seem to work for me.

Anyways I've been doing some research/contacting people whenever I can. About the Unreal addons for the most part. Trying to focus on things like AWGD/Alien Legion and other. A lot of the people involved often worked on multiple addons. It turned out that "Conquer the base" was on itself made into one of the game modes of Alien Legion, reworked...

I know that Florian worked on the early stuff, but I had no idea that it was also featured within the game. Reminds me kind of like the quake mp2 had their own version of the threewave ctf.

It also featured modes like deathmatch 2.0, air attack and flag tag, whatever those exactly were lol. Sorry, going a bit offtopic here.

[Gamesharder]

The archive of the "Video Game History Foundation" is open for the public now.

https://archive.gamehistory.org/

[Leo T_C_K]

The archive of the "Video Game History Foundation" is open for the public now.

https://archive.gamehistory.org/

So what does that mean for Unreal? Sorry, its been months and only now we are partially operational with some of our stuff. The website doesn't function correctly on this, I will try later or in public library but I've been pretty ill lately.

Is this what they meant before? I assume they don't have full versions?

[AlCapowned]

So far the only new content I’ve found are these promo images - at least the fly skin is new to me.https://archive.gamehistory.org/folder/ ... 2b04d2d7b7

I haven’t been able to find any of that RtNP promo material that was posted earlier- not sure if it’s not there or if I’m just not searching for the right terms.

[Gamesharder]

Yes, so these three new images at least are recovered.



Credits to yrex for helping me find a way to download them in original size.

Other than this, I haven't found anything praiseworthy to be honest.
I was really hoping for them Computer & Net Player issues to be digitalized as well. They are in the catalogue, but haven't been digitalized yet.



We have to wait for new stuff, I guess.

[Leo T_C_K]

Is that really a different skin on the fly as such? Can you show the comparison between the skins? Its not just brightness/sharpness difference? I don't have the image of normal fly to compare right now but still.

[AlCapowned]

It’s a different skin, the eyes aren’t red in any other version.

[Leo T_C_K]

It's a different skin, the eyes aren't red in any other version.

I don't see colors in the way most people do, so I didn't notice that. Still if there was side to side image it would help me visualize the differences right now. I guess this is when they..hold on what is the earliest fly model we have? from the may 1997 versions right? 0.864n and above. It had full set of anims already then, right? Or am I confusing it? I seem to recall one static version but it might have been idle without anims. Is that particular anim present in that version? If not I find it strange that this uses an earlier skin while the one in the may version is basically identical to the release one, maybe just higher res.

edit:
On the topic of colors, recently I had an issue of seeing two different shades of orange as one being "green" to me and the other one "reddish orange"..but again I see it all different.

[Gamesharder]

Here's some comparison.

v0.866q - Ad Fly - Release Fly



(I couldn't exactly run the editors on older versions, so could someone else please check it?)

[Leo T_C_K]

Here's some comparison.

v0.866q - Ad Fly - Release Fly



(I couldn't exactly run the editors on older versions, so could someone else please check it?)

The 866q version is in content identical (except native code) to 864, so there's no need for that actually. But why does the editor not work? not even alternateued with correct wrapper?

[Leo T_C_K]

BTW if the videogame foundation is reluctant to share actual "prototypes", then the alternative could be that they release just maps to us, if they have them. Think about it, we have a lot of codedrop versions and even two full beta versions of Unreal.
It will most likely run under something unless its a map from the missing period (like circle's torg map from early 1996). And if its not past november 1997 then most likely it has all the content like textures etc embedded into the map itself so we don't even need utx packages. and for version 88 they can be imported back like I did with the packages needed for found98. And that's kind of the point. So that can still be negotiated afaik.

[Leo T_C_K]

Yes, so these three new images at least are recovered.



Credits to yrex for helping me find a way to download them in original size.

Other than this, I haven't found anything praiseworthy to be honest.
I was really hoping for them Computer & Net Player issues to be digitalized as well. They are in the catalogue, but haven't been digitalized yet.



We have to wait for new stuff, I guess.

I forgot to comment on the Net Player thing....

That particular skin of the Skaarj...its possible this was the original Skaarj Lord skin, the one that was supposed to have the ground attack. He has different eyes, the "hunter" was supposed to be pale and he also has a belt over him. I think the warrior/main skin they reused later and modified it from this.

edit: that belt must be like that thing some klingons wore, like Word..I mean..Worf....(don't confuse him with Word from the "hunt down the prisoner 849 universe" lol)
So yea...isn't that pose also identical or similar to the unreal creature doc with that skaarj lord? So this theory of mine might be correct for that then.
edit2: you know what? It really pisses me off that Dave Carter died at the time he did, because I did have few words with him before, he was very busy but he seemed to have his model sources still. If he gotten around to going through his stuff earlier, or if I managed to contact him before he got so busy with Sony, then...well we could have had all kind of developement model sources. Fraction of that work was kept by some of his colleagues but yea its nothing compared to the big picture.

[Leo T_C_K]

You know what I find odd? About that dreamcast article. It can't be this may7 beta. Well they probably summoned monsters.
But...the bots. They have randomized skins. While in the actual beta they don't. Either it is a different version yet again or they configured the bots using unreal.ini and I kind of doubt they knew how to do that. Because in the menu the skin selection is broken and it explicitly warns you of this too.

So its not the same version most likely, it still has the skin randomization like the other betas. Hell vanilla unreal has skin randomization on male1 bot still. And yet the may7 beta doesn't. Its really an odd version/custom one.

Also can I have a request? Wasn't there a more high res version of the screenshots of deathmatch in ceremony? There are two shots but one of them wasn't found later on one of the cds? Can you show me this? Because my browser would die right now if I tried to go through it myself.

[Gamesharder]

Also can I have a request? Wasn't there a more high res version of the screenshots of deathmatch in ceremony? There are two shots but one of them wasn't found later on one of the cds? Can you show me this? Because my browser would die right now if I tried to go through it myself.

You probably think about this, right?


It wasn't on any CD, but this is the highest quality afaik.

[Leo T_C_K]

Also can I have a request? Wasn't there a more high res version of the screenshots of deathmatch in ceremony? There are two shots but one of them wasn't found later on one of the cds? Can you show me this? Because my browser would die right now if I tried to go through it myself.

You probably think about this, right?


It wasn't on any CD, but this is the highest quality afaik.

Ah yea. But there is also the one with the bots on the bridges, has slightly lower resolution. In the acerak room area...

[Gamesharder]

[Leo T_C_K]

Ah yea, thanks.

[Leo T_C_K]

ureal_9.png

Do you have this thing btw?
see attachment - edit: nevermind...putting it up as png instead of tiff

Also it says "Ureal" lol
from the same set as this obviously

ureal_2.png

[Leo T_C_K]

inoxxno0.png

inoxxno1.png

inoxxno2.png

So here you have your answer, Inoxx claims that shot is not part of Extreme or any of his other maps. It does look a bit too bare tbh. It might be a Jeremy War map (Splash might be Jeremy's too).

[Gamesharder]

Interesting. Good that it was cleared.

(though it's already integrated with the other "Extreme" type images re-made for Dark Earth lol, but even that isn't called "Extreme" in DE, but part of a bigger map)

It does look bare. The "door" behind the Brute is an unknown/lost texture as well (and so is the one on the pillars, that's one texture, not two combined)

[Gamesharder]

Did you ask anything else from Inoxx?
Was this ever asked if these were his works?

[Leo T_C_K]

Did you ask anything else from Inoxx?
Was this ever asked if these were his works?

Its clearly early Extreme, why would I ask separately? I believe I did talk to him in past about one of these besides so I think yes he was asked. Its just early Extreme, but not the other map.