Sonic X-treme Source Code Found

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Sonic X-treme source code for both PC, and Saturn builds found on a Archive CD. (Including other game tech demos)

http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?54194-Sonic-X-treme-Point-of-View-Info-help-required/page4

1) Finding semi-complete tech demos of cancelled games that can be released as-is. So far I have done:
1a) Found and tested early tech demo of IMSA GT for Playstation, which eventually became Sports Car GT. Included is a car viewer and a very early demo of running a car in the Road Atlanta track, with music.
1b) Found and tested concept demo of Command and Conquer: Commando for Playstation, which I guess is/became C&C Renegade. Included is a character viewer, a rough terrain viewer and a demo of the main character running around on the Road Atlanta race track (yes, it is weird)
1c) Asked ASSEMBLER what is the best way to release these, where to upload them, which forum section to use, etc. (no reply yet)




2) Finding assets in the Sonic archives that have never been released before
2a) I wrote a binary compare tool and already found lots of PCX images that are not part of previous releases. I am in conversation with andrew75 as to how to handle/release these assets.

3) Analyze the differences between all the (Sonic) source code trees spread around the archive, and all the tools present in the archive

4) Analyze the source code of PC/NVidia NV1 version of the Sonic engine (Ofer's), all its required tools/dependencies and how to make it run on my old PIII machine
4a) NV1 SDK has been obtained, and the code seems to build properly, but I have no way to test it until I have a NV1 card to run it on.
4b) Find a Diamond Edge 3D card (not found yet)
4c) The version of the engine present in the archive has been heavily biased towards using the NV1 and Saturn systems, and it doesn't build without using one of the two "backends". I am investigating what the code needs to be compiled/run without either of the two. I found parts of the source code to have provisions to be compiled for Mac as well, which confirms everything that has been said about Ofer's code.

5) Analyze the complete Saturn build environment required to build the Saturn version of the Sonic engine (Ofer's), by analyzing the tools present in the archive and their references to many build paths

6) Analyze the Sonic Editor (Ofer's) (different build of the same source tree, with additional dependencies)

7) Understand how to build the Sonic POV engine for Saturn (pieces of the build system seem to use the PSYQ toolchain, other pieces the Sega toolchain)

I have not found any design documents so far, but it doesn't mean there are any, the archive is rather large and I have inspected only a part.

Please be patient, I am not a student nor I have infinite time to work on this, so it's going to take a while.

Jollyroger
 
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If this is legitimate, then we might just be able to re-create the official builds... If there's code that comparatively doesn't exist in previously found builds, then we really could be looking at finding more info on X-Treme than before. I hope someone helps him out. The community of X-Treme fanatics should have a few coders who can help in code.

Aggravatingly, my brother doesn't have any cables for his Saturn, nor does he have a modchip yet, so getting a burn and testing it won't happen anytime soon.

Most interestingly is the implication of the PC port not as a standard SEGA PC title, but as a release intended for the NV1 video card, the one used to render the quads of 3D models in Saturn games. This was known for not having a large lifespan, but if LGR and the other NV1 owners lent a hand, we'd see more video about it than before.

Not only that but there is mention of the possibility of an OGL/D3D port of the PC version if this is all confirmed. Since it's source code, we could see a new graphical interpreter to run the data. The issue, I see, is changing the models to work under those circumstances. Don't we still have some form of triangular rendering even now? Despite the advancements, I hardly think making an NV1 title work under the changed graphical limitations will be all that possible. I never saw the improvements of any of the launch NV1 titles, however. LGR said there was a patch to the NASCAR release, but he only played the disc version, and I didn't find anything about the patch.

Though, more curiously is this forum post I found on VOGONS about unreleased titles that would've had APIs to support the NV1 among other cards. It lists games like MechWarrior and Daytona USA, and was, of course, made by Vetz, an owner of an NV1 card who's mentioned in the ASSEMBLER thread.

I do wonder if the failure of the NV1 maybe contributed a little to the failure of X-Treme during the PC development...

In my opinion, from what I have seen so far of the Sonic material, the chances are that we will realistically be able to compose the following, over time:

1) Sonic PC demo with some levels and textures never released before, which should be somewhat similar to what the fan community has produced with the leaked material; this requires a NV1 card to run

2) Sonic PC level editor, which also requires a NV1 card to run

3) Sonic Saturn version of the PC demo, basically a basic form of port of the PC demo

4) Sonic POV Saturn tech demo, based on the POV Saturn technology

5) Given enough time we should be able to decouple the PC demo from the NV1 rendering backend and produce a OpenGL/DirectX version of the PC demo and the editor

Jollyroger

1 and 2 obviously offer the NV1 style, would call for one of the owners. 3 and 4 give more open terrain to the public at large to test it on official hardware. SSF and Yabayuse obviously would be 'options,' but if we're dealing with alpha software, we might need to look into development kits as another limiting factor. I'm unaware if the Saturn had such limitations that slated it for an equivalent of the Playstation's Net Yaroze or not.

5 is where my mention of the graphical interpreter and the possible conflict of model rendering. I won't say it's impossible, but I suppose I'm missing something about these APIs.
 
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Not only that but there is mention of the possibility of an OGL/D3D port of the PC version if this is all confirmed. Since it's source code, we could see a new graphical interpreter to run the data. The issue, I see, is changing the models to work under those circumstances. Don't we still have some form of triangular rendering even now? Despite the advancements, I hardly think making an NV1 title work under the changed graphical limitations will be all that possible.

Can't OpenGL render quads?

EDIT: just looked into it, seems OpenGL lost that ability a long time ago. Though DirectX still seems to have some quad functionality. That, or I'm just derping around again and mis-reading things...
 
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Final Build of Sonic X-treme leaked

The final build of Sonic X-treme that was nearly developed twenty years ago has finally surfaced- in sorts, as it hasn't actually been leaked, at least not to everyone yet- but it now exists in the hands of multiple people and been archived multiple times so the fear of it dying on one hard drive and lost forever is no longer a worry. Currently, the build requires a very specific environment to really run in, and some very talented people are working around the clock in their free time to get this game up and properly running along with figuring it out. It's very much possible that within the near future the game will be in our hands.

There are far more specifics and better explanations in the following threads where you can take a much closer look at the developments as they are occurring:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=925240

http://www.assemblergames.com/forum...onic-X-treme-Point-of-View-Info-help-required

http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=33545&st=0

Worth checking out as there is a plethora of details too expansive and detailed to really put here. Watch history in the making!

EDIT: I noticed there's another thread on this but as it's been posted in Genera Discussion I didn't see it (nor do I think it belongs there.) Whatever the case with this thread, my bad.
 
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I saw this post on the front page news of Sonic Retro, and boy, was I stoked!
Can't wait for the Saturn port to be resurrected, as well as the talk of getting a modern PC version working!
 
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