Primal Rage 2: Morph Systems GreenGeode 2018-07-26 | Morphs are a new addition to Primal Rage II over the original game. Here we look at several different topics related to them:- Incomplete color transitions, earlier character color palettes.- Study of the data used for the morph combos.- Applying what has been learnt about input data to partly fix Necrosan's morph problems.- Animations of unused transitional attacks for meta morphs.As a further addendum, I'd say the input data for the morph combos is probably an actual player recording with some of the timings possibly tweaked.
Primal Rage 2: Tor, Sinjin Incomplete Fatality Elements GreenGeode 2019-04-26 | Have been trying to find code for these fatalities in the game rom so they could be shown in-game as with Blizzard's and Necrosan's fatalities. Sadly, nothing has been found, so the visualizer will have to do.Unfortunately, the finisher animations for these characters don't conclusively indicate what they actually do to their opponent. Tor's fatality sequences are the most obscure: the first sequence shows Tor lifting something (probably the body of the opponent), the second sequence has him extend out his Gaia Smasher weapon in a drawn out attack. It's unclear if the sequences are part of a single finisher or there were going to be two.Sinjin's finisher sequences are a little more interesting. The first one involves Sinjin removing and then placing his mask on or above the stunned opponent. He then turns away, taking cover. The reason why he is taking cover is unclear. It's possible the opponent either explodes or is ignited. Sinjin's secondary sequence is likely another example of Chris Tang's mocap performance in which Sinjin spins and then slams the head of his axe into the ground and possibly through a fallen opponent.
Primal Rage 2: Unused Character Specials GreenGeode 2018-11-09 | This video looks at specials for Armadon and Talon that are unimplemented in the game. While some of them are clearly attacking sequences, others would have allowed these characters to use the battle arena to their advantage. Apart from the visuals and frame information, nothing else appears to be present to get these moves operable.
Primal Rage 2: Vertigo Unused Sequences GreenGeode 2018-06-01 | Originally, this video was going to focus specifically on Vertigo's unused finishers. However, some time ago, RAGE4MAME2 developer, Gruntzilla94, raised the matter of other unused sequences for Vertigo and what conclusions can be drawn from them.At the time of this upload, no coded implementations for these sequences have been discovered. However, recent research into some additional structures may provide further insight into how they might have worked.At this point, conclusions that can be drawn from these sequences are very speculative. But given the dodge move and the unconventional positions of some of the other moves, I'd say Vertigo could have been more disruptive to an opponent's combo attack if some of these sequences had been implemented. Sequences of note include: an alternative defence move (dodge/evade), constrain fatality, a slither strike and a rapid attack-to-attack morph move (a feature shared with many other characters). One sequence shows palette corruption either because it was unfinished or is yet another display feature that requires decipherment.
Primal Rage 2: VRAM Exploring GreenGeode 2018-03-15 | Visual demonstration of PR2 video memory in operation during attract mode. While laggy, it shows the stencilling of images from the work area to the framebuffer. The layout resembles what you would expect from a PS1. It's possible to see different image types and how they are isolated and mapped to specific regions in the VRAM.
Primal Rage 2: Kaze Unknown Move, Dragon Tooth Shard? GreenGeode 2017-12-12 | At first I thought that this sequence was some kind of fatality, but I can't be sure, as it lacks the auto repositioning and opponent lock that is often seen in most other fatalities. The sequence contains no gameplay logic or collisions. If it is a move, it is both a defensive and an offensive one, as Kaze uses his blade to create a tooth-like ice shard (whether it could freeze the opponent or block attacks is unknown), the shard becomes unstable and breaks into ice spikes that travel low to the ground across the screen. In game, the ice spikes are broken, with an incorrect palette (I've found a candidate, but I not sure if it's the correct one). The movement of the ice spike appears to be bugged, as it always travels from the left to the right of the screen, irrespective of the direction Kaze is facing.
Primal Rage 2: Experimental Patching: Talons Slide Attack GreenGeode 2017-11-07 | Talon's sliding tackle is regarded as overpowered. It is both fast and has a long reach even at an extended distance. Here we look at the mechanics of the attack, specifically, the frame timing and reducing its speed and reach. Interestingly, there is an alternate version of the attack with a different frame sequence to what is used: it would have made the return to idle stance much slower. Due to how this move has been coded, we can both reduce the speed and reach of this attack using two different modification approaches. The two modifications are different to one another (particularly in how they reduce the reach of the attack), so the video has comparisons between the two mods and the original move. Nothing at this point has been set in stone, but I'm leaning more towards the 2nd mod because of the greater control over the translation of each frame.
Primal Rage 2: Arik Unused Fatality GreenGeode 2017-10-13 | Simple decapitation finisher. This fatality was not so obvious to detect as it uses standard attack animation. The head movement needed to be manually adjusted as I was not able to recover how it actually moves.
Primal Rage 2: Debug Mode Preliminary Exploration GreenGeode 2017-09-28 | As far as I'm aware, the conventional way to accessing the debug menu remains elusive. So we bulldoze our way in to take a look at the debug menu functions in Primal Rage II. Testing the options out does show a large number of features not actually having any implementation in the debug menu. In other instances, other peripherals and devices seem to be required or the debug menu itself was still in development and not finished at the point 0.36a was built.
Primal Rage 2: Diablo, Armadon & Talon Remnant Fatalities GreenGeode 2017-09-20 | Sadly, the fatalities shown here are severely incomplete, all of them are from Primal Rage 1. At the very least, what is available tells us what fatalities the developers were planning to include in Primal Rage 2.
Primal Rage 2: Abandon All Hope, Stage Mysteries GreenGeode 2017-09-10 | Here we explore development theories around the stage Abandon All Hope (some of which are generally known, but worth noting in context).We also look at unused elements that show a lot more was planned for this stage. Like previous videos regarding stages, the question that always arises is: Were these objects intended to be added to the game or did technical limitations or a changed design plan result in them been scrapped?
Primal Rage 2: Chaos, Restored Fatalities GreenGeode 2017-08-26 | In this video we look at the coded but inaccessible fatalities for the ape god Chaos. The fatalities for Chaos are exactly like the originals from Primal Rage 1. Various effects for these fatalities are sadly missing (including some of the new effects specific for Primal Rage 2).Previous research video on Chaos fatalities: youtube.com/watch?v=DomUym8Y0mo
Primal Rage 2: Blizzard, Restored Fatalities GreenGeode 2017-08-10 | This video shows the coded ingame implementation of Blizzard's inaccessible Brain Bash and Redemption fatalities. Brain Bash is in a semi-working state, missing required effects. Depending on the opponent Brain Bash is used on, it may not work at all. While Redemption works, it's missing the newer 'ragdoll' sequences shown in the previous video.Previous video: “Piecing together Blizzard's fatalities”. youtube.com/watch?v=6b207u2G0D8
Primal Rage 2: Necrosan, Lost Fatalities & Partial Recovery GreenGeode 2017-07-27 | Prior to working PR2 emulation, I briefly scouted around Necrosan's fatality data, not coupled with the extended format information I have today, back then, I missed a lot. Necrosan can be best described has having an additional 1.5 unused fatalities. One of the principle sequences is lacking in any data to get it working ingame. The programmers either didn't have time to implement it, or as I suspect, it once belonged in Necrosan's working fatality, but was replaced, probably as it doesn't fit well within PR2's 4:3 aspect ratio. The second fatality is unreferenced and unfinished, missing the gory prestige. However, it can be re-mapped into the game and is in a more complete state than some of the accessible fatalities for other characters.
Primal Rage 2: Gameplay Data Structures GreenGeode 2017-07-12 | This is about PR2's gameplay mechanics and data, how it's arranged and what it does. Largely the video shows experiments testing the various properties of these structures. These tests look at impact response effects, frame order, frame timing, moveset transposing and finally a couple of strange screw ups.With what is exposed so far, it would be possible create a mod like: “More Extreme Blood” or “hyper speed” variants. However, alterations that polish up some of the perceived rough edges of a character's gameplay are in the long term a better investment of time. It's also possible that these structures could be helpful in terms of exposing unused gameplay features or moves and to experience what's left of them in a gameplay context.
Primal Rage 2: Slashfang Stage Restoration GreenGeode 2017-07-02 | This is yet another restoration project of an unused Primal Rage II stage. Only the basic visual elements of the stage were preserved. Color palettes, playfield data, geometry and coding implementation are all missing, possibly never created.Despite what's missing, this stage fares better than Diablo's stage, because at least we have a reference: Slashfang's victory screen. That screen gives us some clues about the layout and colors used in the environment.
Primal Rage 2: Stage Data And Geometry Modding GreenGeode 2017-06-16 | This video breaks down the structures used to assemble stages in Primal Rage 2. Then a review of some of the game's meshes and a recreation of Vertigo's Stonehenge stage from the original Primal Rage running in PR2. The downside with the recreation was the restriction on quads, which prevented me from adding additional vine growth and the petrified dinosaur monoliths.
Primal Rage 2: Malyssa Unused Fatality Sequences GreenGeode 2017-05-24 | The prototype version of Malyssa's foot stomp fatality appears to be missing unique sequences at the beginning and end of the fatality. This first unused sequence was replaced with Malyssa's hypnotic blast attack. I speculate that it was changed because the development team wanted to highlight to players the link between hypnotic blast and the resulting shrink effect.The final unused sequence in the fatality is a taunt that looks more in place in a game like Dead or Alive. I'd guess that it was removed in an act of self-censorship. The sequence may have had an earlier life as a 'QVI' (ending victory animation for a non-final round) sequence, which is missing for this character.
Primal Rage 2: Undocumented Shank Fatality? GreenGeode 2017-05-16 | Similar to the Slash Fang fatality this restored one does not appear to be functional in the game. I can't vouch for the timing and accuracy of the sequence.
Primal Rage 2: Stage Restoration and Modding GreenGeode 2016-03-08 | The video shows a restored Diablo/Sinjin stage, then a modified one. No serious combat is shown, the characters just move around to show the background vistas.A while back, I started looking into the restoration of those unused stages, put some of those ideas into practice and implemented them into the PR2 data set. While some small alterations could be demonstrated, I had no idea if the rebuild actually worked... Now I can see that it did. Thanks to the patented Gruntzilla94 interrupt hack. For more on Primal Rage 2, Gruntzilla94's channel is definitely worth a look.The question for me has always been: were the unused Diablo and Slash Fang stages in the process of being implemented in the game, or were they tested, deemed unworthy and cut from the game?
Primal Rage 2: Chaos Fatality GreenGeode 2015-02-26 | Even though this one is known, it was hard to put together. The particle effects might not actually be yellow but green?! The first interpretation is more in line with what is in PR1. The second interpretation makes use of the character dissolve sequence, it fits well. However, I'm not fully sure if it's actually used here. The dissolve sequence may be used in Malyssa's additional or Necrosan's fatalities. Anyway, both interpretations are this vid.
Primal Rage 2: Slash Fang Fatality GreenGeode 2014-12-18 | Slash Fang's fatality reconstruction. While this one is known as fatality two in the game I could not find any others for this character. I don't know how much blood is used in the real game I just went with what seemed right.For more Primal Rage 2 fatalities: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLcJaQ7VFBkY2lKebb_HCbTRatK5OJ2Zf
Primal Rage 2: Piecing together Blizzards fatalities GreenGeode 2014-10-21 | According to references in the code, Blizzard has two fatalities. Though, looking at the character's sprites there appears to have been an intention to include more. This vid looks at the broken graphics of the brain bash fatality, the graphically extended version of the redemption fatality and a few loose sprites that may or may not be used.
Primal Rage 2: Kaze Ice Fatality, alternative sculptures GreenGeode 2014-10-10 | Shows some alternative ice statues Kaze can sculpt for his ice fatality. Not sure what determines which sculpture is created during a fatality. Is it random? Character based? Or do you need to slightly change the move input during “DO IT” in order to get a different sculpture. Dunno, I'd guess it's the last one.
Primal Rage 2: Still screens GreenGeode 2014-10-04 | This sequence focuses on static images displayed in Primal Rage 2. The stills are categorized mainly on the game states:Attract Mode: Gore warning screen.Select/VS Modes: Didn't bother. These have been shown in numerous videos already.Unknown High Score display/entry: Have not seen these overlays in any other videos online. Are they even used in the prototype?Gameplay: World domination animation, dino-gods introduction and Necrosan introduction.Victory: Contains all available victory screens. (Spoiler alert!)No Cheese Guy: No illegal combos logo. I guess it's one of the programmers who got a bad rep for spamming the same moves. Yeah, I got carried away with the light rays.
Primal Rage 2: “Suicide” Fatalities Demonstration GreenGeode 2014-09-28 | These are some self-inflicted fatality sequences for various characters in the Primal Rage 2. I don't know if the term suicide is the correct for these fatalities. I'm just going on the game engine's internal names for these sequences: SDE and SDI which seem to be abbreviations of it.For more Primal Rage 2 fatalities: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLcJaQ7VFBkY2lKebb_HCbTRatK5OJ2Zf
Primal Rage 2: Stage Analysis: Undocumented? Unused? Assets GreenGeode 2014-09-23 | This looks at unused assets related to Primal Rage 2's stages.The video is broken up as follows:- 2 Possible unused stages.- 3D background renders not used in the game.For the unused stages, one of them looks like a Diablo type stage with cracked open ground and ruined military craft in the background. The second, is a rehash of an existing stage (Xiao Ming's Pad) but rendered further away from the arena. It was probably intended for Slash Fang.Many of the stages use pre-rendered animation in the backgrounds to create a sense of depth when the screen scrolls from left to right. However, some stages don't use this effect and stick with a static background instead, probably for developmental challenges or time constraints. This video shows some of those unimplemented renders. Personally, most of the these early 3D pre-renders have not aged well. But like any field of endeavor, you have to start somewhere.
Primal Rage 2: Sprite Study GreenGeode 2014-09-15 | This is a study of some of the sprite assets in this old prototype. While many of the character sprites look almost identical to the previous game, they are slightly bigger and have a larger color palette. Players might not like the appearance of the stop-motion characters, but the animation is smooth and fluid in pretty much all character actions (most have frame counts that go over 1500).Judging by the animation present it appears players can 'escape' from the humiliation of a fatality by having their character kill themselves before they are finished off. Though it's just a guess, those frames could also be part of some kind of coercion fatality (if they are even implemented in the prototype gameplay). Backgrounds for stages range from single sheet images to fully animated pre-renders that simulate parallax motion.
