Darkaiser | Crash Team Racing (Aug 14, 1999 prototype) - Exploring Menus @Darkaiser | Uploaded May 2021 | Updated October 2024, 6 minutes ago.
We are proud announce the Crash Landing 2021, a project we've been working on the past months, which we've been recovering several prototype material of Crash Bandicoot games for PlayStation 1. As part of this project, a total of five unique prototypes are included.
This is a preview version dated August 14th, little over a month before the final NTSC release build. This beta version was widely given out among gaming magazines (mainly shown in Europe) to be used in preview articles before the game was released.
Even if it's just 9 days later than the August 5th build we released last year, many things were changed during this small time span.
Note: This prototype is dongled protected, so a xdelta patch was provided along with the original file. You can apply the patch using an app called "Delta Patcher".
TCRF documentation:
tcrf.net/Proto:Crash_Team_Racing/August_14th,_1999_build
Hidden Palace:
This project wouldn't have been possible without the collaborative effort of Darkaiser, Hwd405, iniche, madmarsrocks, Niko, and psx-collector.
We are proud announce the Crash Landing 2021, a project we've been working on the past months, which we've been recovering several prototype material of Crash Bandicoot games for PlayStation 1. As part of this project, a total of five unique prototypes are included.
This is a preview version dated August 14th, little over a month before the final NTSC release build. This beta version was widely given out among gaming magazines (mainly shown in Europe) to be used in preview articles before the game was released.
Even if it's just 9 days later than the August 5th build we released last year, many things were changed during this small time span.
Note: This prototype is dongled protected, so a xdelta patch was provided along with the original file. You can apply the patch using an app called "Delta Patcher".
TCRF documentation:
tcrf.net/Proto:Crash_Team_Racing/August_14th,_1999_build
Hidden Palace:
This project wouldn't have been possible without the collaborative effort of Darkaiser, Hwd405, iniche, madmarsrocks, Niko, and psx-collector.
![Crash Team Racing (Aug 5, 1999 prototype) - Red & Green Gem Cups [PART 9]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZAhbID5VRo4/hqdefault.jpg "Crash Team Racing (Aug 5, 1999 prototype) - Red & Green Gem Cups [PART 9]
The August 5th, 1999 build is a preview version of CTR built a month and a half before the final NTSC build date of September 24th, 1999. This beta version was widely given out among North-american video game magazines to be used in preview articles before the game is released.
A full documentation of the differences can found at: https://tcrf.net/Proto:Crash_Team_Racing/August_5th,_1999_build
Download the game, patched and ready to go: https://hiddenpalace.org/Crash_Team_Racing_(Aug_5,_1999_prototype%29
This build has protection to prevent people from using the disc outside of Naughty Dog, or their reviewers.
Protection level 1:
If the disc does not detect a special memory card dongle, then the game will not boot. It is as simple as if you see a string on the memory card, then boot. If the string is not on the memory card, then freeze. Interestingly, the dongles internal name is E3 dongle Copyright 1999 Naughty Dog, Inc., leading to believe that it was made specifically for E3 demo but later reused in subsequent builds.
Protection level 2:
After the game boots, there are 7 function pointers that are assigned incorrect values, which are incremented by an RNG before being executed. If a controller dongle is inserted, the controller will inject data into the RNG, then the RNG will increment the incorrect function pointers to the correct function addresses. Without the dongle, the incorrect pointers will execute, and crash the game.
In previous videos, we only had one function pointer working correctly, by setting a breakpoint before execution in no$psx emulator, and overriding the value manually. There were several bugs and instabilities.
Niko has spent over a year researching the retail game (94426), so within a few days, he finally was able to find how the entire function pointer system worked, and insert ASM that forces the RNG to return one value, which corrects all 7 function pointers, allowing the game to run.
Niko also fixed one of Naughty Dogs mistakes that was present even with the dongles, that would prevent the game from loading Relic Race on Slide Coliseum and Turbo Track.
In the link below, there are miscellaneous content for this prototype:
- GameShark codes that allow you to instantly beat Adventure Mode 100%, and unlock all rewards.
- A guide for playing the original ISO by making your own memory card dongle, and using GameShark to apply the rest of the fixes.
- We documented exactly how the ISO was patched, to learn how it was done.
Miscellaneous Content:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/sh93l6fmimh3e16/CTR+(1999-08-05+prototype)+-+Misc+Content+(Updated+2021).zip/file
Huge thanks to almarkowbender, gdias/Darkaiser, Gh0stBlade, let-over-lambda, mementomori/madmarsrocks, Niko, and psx-collector for making this release possible.")
![Crash Nitro Kart (Jul 29, 2003 prototype) - All Early Cutscenes [Team Crash & Cortex]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_PboRv6jwIc/hqdefault.jpg "Crash Nitro Kart (Jul 29, 2003 prototype) - All Early Cutscenes [Team Crash & Cortex]
Heres a compilation of all FMV movies of the July 29th, 2003 beta build of Crash Nitro Kart for Xbox, released by Hidden Palace on September 18th, 2021. Yes, the audio is originally desynched. There are no sound effects, and from Norms cutscene onwards, all cutscenes are very barebones and unfinished.
Interestingly, we also noticed that some of the later cutscenes in the GBA version of the game use early footage like this console prototype has, and a few of which dont even have the production code removed from these screens, for example. Small details that were overlooked for many years.
Download link:
https://hiddenpalace.org/Crash_Nitro_Kart_(Jul_29,_2003_prototype%29
TCRF documentation (still very early WIP):
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Crash_Nitro_Kart_(PlayStation_2,_GameCube,_Xbox)/July_29th,_2003_build
This prototype currently cant be emulated and has some booting issues on modded hardwares, so it wont be easily accessible for now.")
