Info about Resident Evil 1.5

Hell yeah this is a good one! Someday our dream will come true with the 80% Built

 

RMandel, this advanced build your source told you about, is there anything he told you about it that you can reveal to the public? Like is it more complete than the 80% build? I fully understand if you can't say anything though.

 

The advanced build is less complete than the one from Inflames' contact. The advanced build most likely refers to one of the builds from Hyper Playstation Re-Mix magazine and that was featured in TGS April 1997 trailer. I'm not sure if a copy was sent to the magazine publisher, but if that were to be the case, it might explain why this build exists outside Capcom. Still, this could be the build (out of the two) that features the placeholder VAs, and if so, it might not be more significantly completed than the PVB. Probably a few new areas, but still with a lot of work to be done.

 

You know, people said for years that no form of 1.5 would ever be released at all, and sure, it took over a decade and a half, but look where we are now. Call me a Pollyanna if you want, but... I think we'll eventually get those later builds. It might take as long as this 40% to be unveiled. It'll more than likely take longer than that. But me, I think it'll eventually happen. As I like to say, "never say never". Also...

Gotta admit, I'm pretty interested in whatever answer you can give to this at all myself.

 

To say more might wreck any chance at it. People other than I are handling this matter. It IS for real, though - and I'm going to have to stop there and say no more. I'm doing other things while my friends handle the matter - that "idle hands" business and all. =) When they get results, they'll get back to me, and then I'll see if there's anything that can be shared with the public. Until then, we - and that's me included - can only wait, and keep our fingers crossed.

 

RMandel i read your hunt for RE 1.5 document(and btw,it was fantastic,very well done!) and i was wondering,when was the 60% build compiled,approx.? Early december/Late november 1996? I'm curious since it would help bridge the gap between this and the next important build(80% build,or final build). Btw,to all,is the 40% build really 40% done or actually less?(after all,the 80% build is actually 65% done according to Mikami,at least in terms of game engine)

 

I'm not sure if this was true, but years ago when I was visiting Bioflames, someone mentioned that the 1.5 might have leaked into ed2k/limewire back in 2002 or earlier and nobody did notice.

 

The best person to ask about build differences is Kegluneq. He was doing research independent of mine, and his work far surpasses mine. As for that "% build" stuff, THIA's Carnivol recently explained how that all came about. Here's his post over at THIA on the matter:

http://www.the-horror.com/forums/sh...zard-1-5-Hacks&p=263944&viewfull=1#post263944

The "Era Build" descriptors originally jointly developed by Alzaire and Ridley W. Hayes are more accurate than the "% build" ones, and I think those were what Kegluneq started with (correct me if I'm wrong, friend) in compiling his own extensive build description list. Damn ... where's that link to his list? (shuffle, shuffle) Crap - I've lost it. Maybe he'll post it next time he drops in. Until then, I'd recommend using the Era Build list (see above) in describing RE15 development builds.

That eDonkey/eMule/LimeWire/Shareaza/whatever leak was a confirmed fake. It's still out there, BTW, even after all these years. If you try to download it, you'll get a bootleg of the White Umbrella release of RE2 Beta 2.

My source on that so-called 60% build being out there turned out to be bad, so I had to remove that data from the last posted version of my RE15 history. Here's a link to the most recent version:

http://download850.mediafire.com/8394yjwiicvg/7mu9u3s7fe5jiiw/re15_v102f.rar

... but yeah - late November or early December is where I originally put it, based on the (faulty) data I was given at the time.

I'm just glad there's more than one build of RE15 that has survived after all these years. THAT at least I've been able to confirm, despite everything else that's happened. And to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't mind shelling out a few zulaks (grin) just for a long-play video from a private collector who has one of them that shows me every room and every cutscene you can get to in normal gameplay. Let the collectors keep the actual disc, with its code and whatever other secrets might be hidden on it. That video is all the Team really needs to work with. D.Birkin and his magic fingers can do the rest. (big grin) That way, "both sides" get what they want - we get new data on what RE15 was supposed to be like, and the private collectors get to protect their investment. It's a compromise I'm willing to accept should this or other potential leads play out. It won't make the purists happy, but if it works ....

 

Your posts have a nice positive tone to it which is always nice to read. Makes me feel like maybe, just maybe, there are good things on the horizon.

Personally speaking I'm happy to see anything new whether it be a picture, video or demo to play. Don't get me wrong though seeing the latest build would always tickle my fancy.


Edit: Eventually a documentary on this whole thing would be pretty neat to see. Interviews and whatnot. Reading RMandel's documentary really shows how much of a ride this whole thing has been and still is.

 

It's impossible to assert when the advanced build (or 60% build, if you prefer) was compiled. The .rdt file (which contains the animation necessary to confirm my thesis) is missing from the Trial Disc, which means that my best source for it is the .bss file. The only date I can provide you is 28th of November 1996. Still, bear in mind that this is only an estimation and it's probably off.

Regarding the different era builds, I can pretty much answer whatever question you have. At the moment, I have identified 9 different era builds, from September to December 1996, all from official Capcom released footage. Of those 9 different era builds, 4 of them are not vastly documented and the information we have regarding them is very limited. Somewhere on this topic I have already classified the 5 main different era builds, so if you look at my posting history you'll be able to find it. Because I've been working on an article, I'll refrain from explaining builds X.1, X.5, X.8 and X.9. Sorry for that, but I hope you can understand. Beyond that, feel free to ask whatever you want.

 

Man you and RMandel are breathing life into this for me. Thanks guys!

 

Sorry, I made a mistake..

This: (...) I have identified 9 different era builds, from September to December 1996(...)

Should read: (...) I have identified 9 different era builds, from July to December 1996(...)

No problem. Always glad to see interest sparking up.

 

thanks Kegluneq! i'll check your posting history to clear my doubts about the 1.5 builds.
btw Rmandel,good luck with obtaining the final 1.5 build(or any builds for that matter,and i do mean actual good luck,unlike you-know-what-guy) I'm sure more 1.5 material will come out this year(and at least we have a restoration to look forward to,which,in my honest opinion,is going to be closest thing to a retail version of 1.5,had it actually been finished and released instead of RE2,though RE2 wasn't bad at all)
EDIT: btw Kegluneq,is there an estimated list of compile dates for all known 1.5 builds?(doesn't have to be exact,just an estimation) And was there any other Era 5 builds or the only Era 5 build that ever existed was the very final one?

 

I can give you a few accurate details. I recommend you see this page though, thanks to Ys1 for his analysis.

http://www.the-horror.com/forums/showthread.php?9733-Biohazard-1-5-Comparative-Analysis

The earliest background set on the 40% build is 18/09/1996.

50D


Only a few background sets later is ROOM102 and ROOM107 both dated 26/09/1996 which marks a pretty significant point between the transition of era 3 and era 4.

102


107


In era 4 both ROOM102 and ROOM107 had adjustments made to their camera angles and is something not seen in magazine screen shots of the earlier era 3 build. The rooms them selves were adjusted on 29/09/1996. It follows that the latest possible date for material from the era 3 build is the 25/09/1996. It is one of the earliest dates on the 40% build, the era 3 build its self is likely older by weeks or maybe even a month given the amount of time these particular background sets would have been in use before being replaced. It is certainly old enough so that almost all of its material could be updated or replaced before the 40% build was compiled. Perhaps the 18/09/1996 is a good enough estimate for the date of this build, this is the closest date you can get with the sources available, the era 3 backgrounds them selves could quite easily be as old as August 1996.

 

I know Alzaire had a basic date outline for the "eras" based on the magazine publication dates. Dunno if he updated it after we got a build out in the open, enabling actual dates to be stamped on one specific "era" set.

 

Alzaire is MIA, sadly ... and he seems to want it that way. Therefore, we lesser lights must soldier on without him.

(tramp, tramp, tramp)

<sound of the Colonel Bogey march being whistled>

 

thanks geluda! and btw,i did read Ys1's analysis some time ago,it was a pretty good read overall(he also posted the unlisted rooms of the MZD build,IIRC)
I have something to ask you all: I've seen footage of Era 1,2,from various Era 4 builds and even Era 5,but there's no footage of Era 3 anywhere,only pictures. Is there an obscure Era 3 video i don't know about or is there simply no video footage of Era 3 anywhere?
EDIT:btw Rmandel,didn't you upload a reconstruction of the RE2 Beta 1 trailer to Youtube? I've tried looking for it,but can't find it,come to think of it,i can't find your channel on YT either. I was planning to grab the reconstruction and add the missing parts from the full trailer online(the one that BiohazardFE uploaded).

 

Most of the dates were gathered from magazine publications or video footage events, like Carnivol said. I've attempted to dig out the files from the PVB and cross-check them with the dates I have for the different builds but I didn't get significant intel out of it. For example, the Era 1 shotgun model in the following image (courtesy of Dark Biohazard):



is file PL04W03 in the PVB. The date on it reads 19/09/1996. This is far beyond July, which was the first time that Era 1 Build was showcased. From what I could gather, the only build which can be estimated from the assets of the PVB is Era 3 Build, which geluda has already addressed. Interestingly, the portions of the Drains (or Sewers) and the P4 Laboratory (first featured in the Era 2 Build) were re-written somewhere in October, which means that either some modification was done to these areas, or they were only revamped by the Era 4 Build. I'm more inclined towards the later due to other portions of these areas have different date stamps, but again, this is merely speculation.

Regarding the actual dates of the builds, here is what we know:

Era 1 Build: Features Leon S. Kennedy in the alpha character model (short hair, muscular body) fighting zombies in the 1F Precinct and 3F Chief's Office. Only two zombie models at this point (normal police officer and fat police officer). Three different weapons showcased (handgun, handgun-burst and shotgun). It was shown in July 1996 (31st if I'm not mistaken but Carnivol can probably confirm it) in the V-Jump Festival event. A slightly modified build was shown in press release screenshots, although it has yet to be determined if this was before the V-Jump Festival event or after.

Era 2 Build: Features Leon S. Kennedy in the alternate character model (resembling the final model but in civilian clothes) fighting enemies across the RPD, the Drains and the Laboratory. An exclusive enemy model for this build shows up for the first time - the female zombie. It was shown in 22nd of August 1996 at Tokyo Game Show (the very first time this event was held).

Era 3 Build: Features Leon S. Kennedy and Elza Walker in the nearly-finished character models. Another exclusive enemy model shows up for the first time - the german shepard which will be replaced for the doberman in subsequent builds. New locations within the RPD are shown but nothing beyond it is seen again. The only footage from this build exists from the November publications of The Playstation and Famitsu, but as iamcwesker explained to us, the print magazines were printed with the date of publication of the following month - meaning that Capcom met with the editorial team of The Playstation and Famitsu one or two months before the release of the article to provide them with the screenshots. It's reasonable to assume that 18th of September 1996 is the date of the build.

Era 4 Build: Also known as the PVB. Pretty self-explanatory if you have already played it. Date stamp on it reads 6th of November 1996.

Era 5 Build: Pretty much the later stages of completion of the game. Most of the documentation from this build comes from Hyper Playstation Re-Mix, Capcom Friendly Club Vol.4, BioHazard Director's Cut: Dual Shock Complete Disc (or CD) and the founder of bioflames.com, Kim Larsen, exclusive screenshots. There's no concrete date on its starting date. The earliest that can be provided (and it's an estimation) is 27th of November 1996 (credit to Darkside05 for telling us that). This is the date stamped on the movie from Hyper Playstation Re-Mix Vol. 3, which features Leon and Elza not having the handgun animations and a different enemy model placement for the Precinct.

About whether Era 5 Build is final or an hypothetical 6.0 Build could exist.. From what I remember, the project came to conclusion on 21st of December 1996. There were some discussions regarding its status in the beginning of the next year, but there didn't seem to be anything modified or created during this time-period. The last time anything was shown to the public (at least until Capcom gave a taste of the prototype to the fans) was in April 1997 in Tokyo Game Show. Here's why I don't think there's anything beyond what was shown by Capcom in the CD:



The screenshot to the left was featured in TGS 1997 and the screenshot to the right was featured in CD 1998.

As you can see, Capcom decided to use stock footage when they last showed the game at a public event. This meant that the possibility for a later build might have existed. Yet, we know that when they later compiled and burned a new set of footage they didn't use stock footage; they went through their archives to dig up fresh data and given that this was almost a year and half after the project had been scrapped, they probably found the most complete and stable build they had to record the footage for CD.

If some of the Resident Evil 2: Trial Disc Pre-Rendered BGs were not properly implemented (the so called hypothetical 6.0 Build) in the bioflames.com screenshots, then the only possibility would have been the CD from Capcom. Ys1's analysis was what provided that answer:



As you can see, the newly revamped C2-Hanger Pre-Rendered BG is missing from both the bioflames.com screenshot and the CD screenshot.

 

I remember see this great analysis from Ys1 time ago, definitely is a amazing work!

Here I have something to analyze with you, I always was thinking that this build I will show you next was after the 40% PVB:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuFhyD19MJk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvtJytMLtRY

However, now I think this build is before the 40% PVB, why? well, by a few of things, for example, in this build Elza is using that "old shotgun" that can be found in the 40% PVB, but not work correctly on it, because it have a different animations order. Another example can be in the Burning Lab, notice as steps sounds are incomplete compared to the 40% PVB, zombies have a diferent moans sounds (we know that the 40% PVB have same zombie moans sounds like the final 1.5 build in this area), and also, the clearest there is the "zombie resistence", that is as high as in the first 1.5 builds.

The interesting and strange about this is that, as you can see in one of the videos, the "SPIDER TUNNEL" is playable in that (old?) build, but is not in the 40% PVB... maybe be probably because it was planned to se removed, because the big change of the 1.5 Sewers CAPCOM did.

What you think, I'm crazy?

 

Speaking of this, I'm assuming you have a lot of Alzaire's old notes or at least your own notes of this stuff; I seem to've misplaced the list I made over on the THIA staff sub-forums (which we accidentally deleted instead of deactivating) containing a list of demo/promo discs containing trailers/footage for 1.5 (Was a list of disc names + Sony PlayStation catalog IDs) ... Been meaning to try to update the media section on THIA at some point (or just throw stuff on News Bot), so you wouldn't happen to have such a list handy, do you? (Can't be arsed to double-check my pile of discs again when it's all in storage)