Now what do we have here...a beta!

Calvero · Post by **Calvero** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 11:44

Yowza wrote:
pizza2004 wrote:This makes me think of the Disk Tom Hall found that said 'Keen Source' on it.
Wait, what's this now?

On a SQ800 cartridge, I guess.

Fleexy wrote:I see no hidden bricks! You have to go through the Voricon Commander!

It's not about the bricks you can't see, it's the location of the bricks you can see which is a bit different.

pizza2004 · Post by **pizza2004** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 13:15

Yeah, that sounds about right, but I'd have to check to be certain.

QU3TZ4LC04TL · Post by **QU3TZ4LC04TL** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:37

At what point is that cutscene?

Genius314 · Post by **Genius314** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:52

QU3TZ4LC04TL wrote:At what point is that cutscene?

When you go to the Story option on the title screen.

Galaxieretter · Post by **Galaxieretter** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:36

THAT'S IT!
I am never allowed to try to leave this community. Too much cool / crazy stuff happens when I'm not around.

>:

Then again, maybe I SHOULD leave just so that megaly-awesome stuff is produced in my absence.

tulip wrote:It is truly amazing how something like this could be found after decades... well done.

2'nd

Calvero wrote:
Yowza wrote:
pizza2004 wrote:This makes me think of the Disk Tom Hall found that said 'Keen Source' on it.
Wait, what's this now?
On a SQ800 cartridge, I guess.

So what's keeping Tom from recovering the data? Was this before or after the stroke? Is there even a *slight* chance? Has there been any word since that post? Does Tom even know this community even cares about the source? (A lot) Does Tom even know we exist? Why am I asking so many damn questions?!

Genius314 wrote:Okay, so...

-No Id Software mentioned in the intro sequence
-Animated story cutscene
-No "Previews" menu item
-Keen slides off corners of blocks
-Keen can walk off the edge of a level
-No GOD mode
-Vorticon has different jumping sprite
-"In war, do not fire all your gleebs in the first ten nooms. Do not waste gleebs."
-Red maze is not optional
-Altered ending of secret level
-Teddy bears near the top of last level
-No ending sequence

Anything else worth noting?

Videos please. You know, for the people who aren't part of the elitist modding part of this forum but still like Commander Keen really-really-really-really-really much but don't know how to mod so they can't see this stuff?

Please?

Post by **KeenRush** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:47

Just download the zip file mentioned in the original post and run keen1.exe in DosBox.

That ought to do it.

Galaxieretter · Post by **Galaxieretter** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:54

Nospike · Post by **Nospike** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 14:28

Is it just me, or is the beta slower than the version 1.31?

CommanderKing · Post by **CommanderKing** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 16:46

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGI6DwynjOk

DaVince · Post by **DaVince** » Thu Jun 03, 2010 21:26

Nospike wrote:Is it just me, or is the beta slower than the version 1.31?

I haven't noticed, but it's possible... Optimizations and all that.

Malvineous · Post by **Malvineous** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 5:48

Finally got around to having a look at this. The F8 broken-screenshot key doesn't seem to have been implemented yet - later versions have reference to KEENSCRN.PIC which isn't in this beta.

I had a closer look at the disk image and it looks like it once contained at least some of the Keen source, as there are interesting folder names and deleted .OBJ files left over from compilation. Here are some of the tantalising folder names I found, alas, none of which are recoverable:

NEWLIB
MISC
RLEW
MYPAS
MYPROGS
_KSCREEN.OBJ
KEEN.OBJ
EGALATCH.OLD
EGASPRIT.OLD
KEEN1.OLD

along with little bits of HELPTEXT.CK1. The only way it might be possible to recover anything else (in case there are parts of the graphics available) is to recover all the valid files on the disk, then overwrite them with zeroes. Then any data left in the disk image (that's not zeroes) will be from the unrecoverable files. The hard part of course will be figuring out where that data fits in...

Post by **Levellass** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 22:24

Some of those look just like the previously compiled stuff , like how UNLZEXE makes an .old file. The RLEW would be interesting, I bet it deals with the FINALE.CKx type stuff.

Calvero · Post by **Calvero** » Thu Jul 01, 2010 21:52

From John Romero's formspring.me profile:

Question:

In the recently discovered pre-release version of Commander Keen 1 (http://bit.ly/9Pl0qW) there's a cutscene of a Vorticon stealing some parts of Keen's spaceship. Why isn't this cutscene in the released version?

John Romero's answer:

I don't remember why we didn't include it, but it probably had to do with not having a proper place for it in the game. We've never been big on cinematics.

Post by **Levellass** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:36

Your babysitter has been kidnapped!

Are you a bad enough dude to rescue your babysitter?

XkyRauh · Post by **XkyRauh** » Fri Jul 02, 2010 16:56

Calvero wrote: John Romero's answer:
I don't remember why we didn't include it, but it probably had to do with not having a proper place for it in the game. We've never been big on cinematics.

Not to mention that you'd have to sit through the cinematic every single time you wanted to read the story. Not the biggest issue in the world, but still a potential irritant.