Shadow Warrior FREE on Steam with 2 BETA versions of game!

[gerolf]

*Didn't see a post about this yet*
There's a free download of Shadow Warrior (1997) on Steam, it's not the REDUX version, it's the standard DOS game. It is free, and now comes with 2 beta builds of the game!

One of the beta's has been online since 1997, as it was leaked by a tech support employee who wanted to play with his friends, and it made its way beyond just the friend. It has now been legitimized, as many did not know of its existence or presence on the web.

You can find out more about this beta here:
http://hendricks266.duke4.net/swbeta.php

The other is an alpha build from 1996. If you have ever taken a look at the DN3D "GOODIES" folder found on the disc, it showed screenshots from this build. It is very unfinished for the most part, but has some interesting levels, art, etc. that you may find interesting or even useful for modding.

Even better, there's 6 other alpha/beta prototypes that may soon see release in this format as well. One of them cannot be ran due to some error with the EXE, but they may just include the folder for people to explore it. I'm not sure when these other 6 will be released, but seeing that they did this with 2 of them, I could see them doing it with the rest.

Duke Nukem 3d has several, several, prototype builds, and negotiations to release them are apparently being made. I think there are so many prototypes of DN3D in the archive, that it may take a really long time to ever see these, and also Gearbox has to agree to it (and so far things are looking up).

[leileilol]

Some things:
- Config is tampered with WASD movement; delete SW.CFG first
- Timestamps are not preserved due to distribution method - only two files in test.zip are untampered
- Test.zip's sw.exe has working cheat hotkeys
- It's very unstable in DOSBox (it's a prototype, duh) so try PCem iif you have issues (though i haven't even done this myself yet)
- LOL there's .nfo files left in with the 97 build. it's the old scene leak and isn't anything new from there. It even still has the R Lee Ermey RTS file.
- Shadow Warrior's been free on steam for years
- Contrary to the fantasy of a certain 15-year-old, there is no $coolys.map

[gerolf]

I know it's been free, but I wanted to make sure everyone knew that the beta versions were on the free version, and not the redux.

Also when you die in the 1996 game, press the fire button.

[Kinsie]

- Timestamps are not preserved due to distribution method - only two files in test.zip are untampered

As I understand it, certain alterations had to be made to the betas to remove things that should not see the light of day, like personally identifying information that developers for some idiotic reason decided to have in there. I think there was also some cracking to defeat security dongles, as well.

Six more prototypes have been sent to Devolver Digital and General Arcade, apparently they should be added soon. It's great to see them being super-cool about this stuff!

[Oberron]

Superb! I'd love to see the graphics of it... I wonder if there are some removed weapons on the 1996 build...

[gerolf]

There aren't really any "removed" weapons, but many of the weapons are different looking.

They're releasing the other 6 prototypes. I think they may already be out now, and if not, then they will be soon.

[Kinsie]

More stuff has been added to Shadow Warrior Classic 1997, dating back to 1994!

[Wiw]

The Steam version has beta versions available? Okay, that's interesting, I'll have to look into that...

[Kinsie]

Here's some samples of what to expect:

[leileilol]

Notes:
- 94 features sound and music from Ken Silverman
- Sep 95 setup has a light blue packground for some menus (!)
- The '96 missile barrage attack's still in the finel game code (you can program a vehicle to shoot it)
- SWITEMS while uzi is armed gives akimbo uzis until you reload.
- Lameduke player sounds all the way up to nov 96
- Loads of Hanna-Barbera library sound effects

[Oberron]

There are some cut weapons in the January 1995 build, like the hand grenade.

[Ma77]

This games looks nice so far... Hey wait a second!

[Trance]

Is that deployable broccoli or something in the HUD?

[Kinsie]

Is that deployable broccoli or something in the HUD?

There's a "spells" system where you can switch between them with F1-F5 and cast them by pressing ALT while using a one-handed weapon (ala Bioshock I guess?)

That one (which is baked into the HUD because it's a static mockup) is a green fart gas bomb with a BFG-ish effect.