March 2004 build discovered

[Luna-old]

If this is the March 2004 version, do we know if any other version exists? Like maybe a August 2004 version to see if they made any major final changes before September's launch?

This is still cool though.

[DylanRocket]

There is an August 3rd, 2004 build, but it's very close to the final build (which, despite releasing in September, is actually dated August 12th, 2004). I'm comparing those files with the release files, and the files do differ a bit from the final release files (Rhn1.lvl is larger in the earlier build, for example). I doubt there's any major changes since it's only nine days before the final build, but if anyone wants to take a look at it, I can send you the link. It seems like a warez group released this build of the game, so I wonder how they got a hold of it and whether or not they even realized it was an earlier build.

In other news, I managed to fix nab1.lvl! It turns out the data was fragmented, and the tool used to extract the build from the debug kit didn't recognize this, so most of the data in there was from something else (probably from one of the other builds on the kit like Destroy All Humans). I located the second half of the file by using the nab2.lvl file as reference. Thankfully, it wasn't further fragmented from there unlike a certain other game (irrelevant but I'm still really frustrated about it ).

Download: https://www.mediafire.com/file/2wuwxegav0fyxbz/nab1.lvl/file



The map layout is basically just ripped straight out of TPM but with ruins placed around the map. MTTs are featured in the Clone Wars era and AT-AT's are in the Galactic Civil War era. Setting the Republic or Rebels as the attackers has no effect - the game still places them as the defenders for some reason, so no Alliance hovernaut. Overall, I'd say I prefer the final release's map, but I do like the inclusion of the MTTs in the early map.

My favorite part about this version of the map has to be how Gungans run around making this noise. It really paints them as fierce warriors.

With nab1.lvl working, I think we now have everything this build contains. I looked for Bespin map files, but I couldn't find anything. Since Pandemic kept putting in placeholder maps for the Bespin maps in the Historical Campaign and Galactic Conquest, it's reasonable to assume the maps were far from completion at this point in development and were never compiled.

What's interesting to me is that this debug kit doesn't have any files from later builds of the game. I wonder if there might be another one out there containing later builds of the game or even SWBF2 builds.

[AnthonyBF2]

For PS2, there is a series of demo discs called Jam Pack. In the Jam Pack 11 disc, there is a Battlefront 1 demo. The files inside _LVL_PS2 are dated 5/26/2004. The demo only includes one map which is Endor and only two SIDE files are available, being ALL and IMP which feature the rebel spy and the imperial officer.

It would be cool if we could get our hands on the entire thing with all the maps and sides, I'd love to see if there is anything else I could carry over into the retail game.

Lastly, I imported the spy and the officer into the retail version, they're available on every level except Hoth and Cloud City: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e7YN2OVsOPuY1OoSDPWsh5otsMiQgYxu/view

And if anyone wants the Jam Pack 11 demo, it's here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TZqwc5pxSEWkuU9H6bRvQoGVKKmGe3n4/view

[Dark_Phantom]

I have a couple videos of the PS2 Jampack demo on my channel, you can drop the retail PS2 files into the game and they will mostly work.  Galactic Conquest had a different revision there as well.

I have a "Demo" build of the game but it's dated September 30(?) 2004 I believe, and looks exactly like release with the gDemoBuild flags highlighted and only has Endor as well.  Everything ingame also looks the same.  It was an Xbox magazine disc from December 2004 (Conker was the headline game).

@DylanRocket, thanks so much for fixing nab1.lvl!  I was able to pull a sound file out of it but noted that if there was any data it was corrupted and no headers.  I figured if it's like the other files, it had LAAT gunships on Republic and MTTs on the CIS, nice to see it get restored (the PC version's flyby video had them).

By Rhn1, you mean the hill of death, right? 

[DylanRocket]

No problem! I gotta say, I'm really glad that was the only fragmented map and that it was only split into two fragments. These other fragmented files from another game I'm dealing with are a huge nightmare to try and piece back together.

I never paid too much to the flyby videos before. Looking at them now, it's really crazy to see how much of that footage comes from these old maps. I always knew they showcased the old Theed map and starfighters on Kamino, but I never really noticed the differences in all of the other maps until now. I didn't see the MTT or LAATs in Naboo's flyby video though. Did they ever change the flyby videos with the updates they released by any chance?

I did notice the MTTs in the PS2 flyby video though. Speaking of which, it looks to me that the PS2's flyby videos are generally better representations of the stock maps. The PC version just lets you preview maps that you can't even play. Naboo: Plains is like the one exception for the PS2 flyby videos.

And yeah, I love that placeholder Rhen Var map lol

[SolarStorm327]

Speaking of flyby videos, there's a flyby video on the Xbox version that depicted a day version of Kashyyyk: Islands.

[Dark_Phantom]

I must have gotten them mixed up.  The general rule is that the PC version has the older videos, but there are some exceptions (Probably Naboo: Plains is one). The interesting part is that the consoles have a different set of flybys.  The flybys were never updated on either platform when released, and I have the feeling it has something to do with the size of the movie files (my shell.mvs, with added unlockables, etc, is almost 1 GB in size, not to mention I added the tutorial videos to Tuteng).  The way it is currently setup they'd almost have to send out the whole file again in an update.  Not worth it, imo.