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Post by the panopticountolaf on May 17, 2021 13:56:33 GMT -5
Greetings, 667! Over the past few months I’ve been compiling all the information I could find on the various versions of the movie tie-in video games from 2004, and more specifically the unused content in said games. The 2004 film, as I’m sure you all know thanks to gothicarchiesfan’s hard work ( here for the uninitiated), had a very troubled production and went through many scripts over the course of its creation. I believe that some useful information on the film’s evolution can be gained from the games (as they are probably based on at least one draft of the script, which by all accounts is wildly different from the final film). The first question that presents itself is how much might there be in these games? The GBA (Game Boy Advance) version appears to be the most polished of the three, gameplay-wise. It’s the longest by far, there’s more bonus content than in the other versions, and the game just generally feels a bit less rushed than its 3D counterparts. That doesn’t mean that there’s no cut content, but all the prerelease screenshots are 1-to-1 matches with the retail version of the game, so there’s probably the least amount of cut stuff here. There are some bizarre inconsistencies in the game’s art style that suggest a very different design that hewed closer to Brett Helquist’s illustrations at some point in development, which I’ll be covering. (A note: We can actually date this game’s completion to within a month or so! The bonus film stills included in the game are mostly from The Bad Beginning and a few from The Reptile Room, but there’s none for The Wide Window, apart from one shot of Josephine used in a cutscene. This means that those shots were probably unfinished at the time that the game wrapped its production, probably placing the game's compilation around May or June 2004.) The console (PlayStation 2, Gamecube, XBOX) versions of the game are where the amount of scrapped content kicks up a little. A teaser trailer shown off at E3 and later released on the game’s official website has some differences (a cut boss, cut enemy, some camera angle changes) and the prerelease screenshots reveal still more. This version of the game was being worked on even as production was wrapping on the film — the Reptile Room levels in the teaser are quite obviously unfinished, and the trailer has no footage from the Wide Window or the Marvelous Marriage, suggesting that there was no playable prototype for those levels in May (when E3 took place that year, and only six months before the game’s release). I’ll be going through the teaser trailer and the screenshots and picking them apart. Now we get to the Big One. The PC (c’mon, guys, you know what PC stands for) version of the game probably has the most cut content out of all three versions. The amount of detritus has been mentioned before, but there’s a lot more to uncover. The game originally had a visual design much closer to Brett Helquist’s illustrations (including unused models of characters — only Violet is known to exist in the game files, but there are probably other characters). There’s a significant amount of cut dialogue. At least one demo was created with features that were never seen in the final game. Early promo screenshots show that the game was undergoing some kind of stylistic overhaul just a few months before release. Combing through the files of this game is a long process, but I have a good feeling it'll pay off in the end. That's everything that I've got for today, folks. This thread has been a long time coming; to the people that I've mentioned it to, many thanks for your patience I'll continue posting here as I gather more information.
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Post by carmelita0cheryl on May 18, 2021 9:17:19 GMT -5
As for the unfinished content in the 2004 PC game as we were talking earlier, sadly I found only the Violet's prototype design, the one I sent you, no other characters or places or objects. (Can post screenshots here later if you want) And I looked at all the desings since I'm still working on editing the game to Netflix characters designs . :/ I could look for the cut dialogue, but idk how now. Or were you able to discover somwething more from the game as I sent you a link for downloading it?
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Post by the panopticountolaf on May 18, 2021 9:25:16 GMT -5
I've actually downloaded the vast majority of the game's dialogue from a game resources site and am planning to create a few videos to showcase the dialogue. I've not yet been able to open the game archives (where all the resources are kept) but I've got a friend who's very good at those sorts of things, so I should be able to access those soon.
And thanks again for your help! I'll be sure to credit you when I do get around to covering the PC version of the game.
EDIT: In other news, I've just sent an email to the company where the PC version's Producer, Lindsay Gupton, serves as CEO. Hopefully I get a response soon!
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Post by carmelita0cheryl on May 18, 2021 15:26:50 GMT -5
I've actually downloaded the vast majority of the game's dialogue from a game resources site and am planning to create a few videos to showcase the dialogue. I've not yet been able to open the game archives (where all the resources are kept) but I've got a friend who's very good at those sorts of things, so I should be able to access those soon. And thanks again for your help! I'll be sure to credit you when I do get around to covering the PC version of the game. EDIT: In other news, I've just sent an email to the company where the PC version's Producer, Lindsay Gupton, serves as CEO. Hopefully I get a response soon! Lol, no need to credit me I did nothing important. You did all the work and would eventually manage without me just fine! Looking forward for those videos and all the content you and your friend will get
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Post by the panopticountolaf on May 22, 2021 14:23:51 GMT -5
This image is of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Minigames", a title released around the same time as the official video game. If you haven't heard of it, I wouldn't be surprised — it had a pretty limited circulation, and there seems to be no video of the game online. According to the Amazon listing that this image comes from, the minigames included are as follows: 1. Violet's Invention Center 2. Klaus Code Cracker 3. Gibbo! 4. The Lively Library 5. The Perfect Puttanseca 6. The Incrediibly Hungry Viper 7. The Hazardous House 8. Smack-A-Leech 9. The Terrible Tower.
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Post by the panopticountolaf on May 30, 2021 9:00:37 GMT -5
Here is the first of several videos showcasing unused dialogue in the PC version of the game! Most of the dialogue that goes unused is helpfully organized into folders marked "EXTRA" so it wasn't much trouble to find these. This video contains fourteen lines of unused dialogue for Lemony, recorded by a temporary voice actor before Tim Curry recorded the lines used for the final product. I've transcribed them below in addition to linking the video. I'll walk through the transcription and note where it matches up with the final game and where it deviates.
" I wish that I could tell you that Count Olaf warmly welcomed the Baudelaire orphans. I wish I could tell you that he had a snug and cheery home. I wish that I could tell you a great many happy things. Sadly, it is my duty to tell you that in this foul-smelling pigsty, Count Olaf has decided to welcome the Baudelaire children by forcing them to make dinner for him and his acting troupe." " The first thing they need to do is find a cookbook, and the only hope of finding a cookbook, or any book for that matter, is to make their way to Justice Strauss's library." The first line of dialogue or a slight variation on it is rerecorded by Curry and used in the final game. The second line or its equivalent, however, is spoken by the Baudelaires. " If Violet had taken one more step, the tragic tale of the Baudelaires would have ended right here. Thankfully, with your skill as a game player, she has been spared and must simply find another way around." This is a reference to the section of floor that falls apart while walking down one of Olaf's hallways. Something interesting to note is that combat is not mentioned early on in the temp narration. It's an element from the beginning of the level in the final version, probably to justify Violet building both a battering ram and a egg-throwing gun in the first level, Briny Beach." To her chagrin, Violet has discovered that the doors are locked and there is no way through. How thwarted she must feel!" In the final game, the gap caused by the collapsing floor is traversed after reaching and unlocking a locked door. Apparently this was different at some point in development." A sane person might give up at this point. Did I say 'sane'? I meant 'less dedicated'. Instead, Violet's inventive spark has kindled an idea for a lockpick. All she needs is a hanger, a hamster wheel, and a paint roller." The items that Violet retrieves to build her Lockpick are significantly different in the final game. The hanger remains, but the hamster wheel is replaced by a record (retrieved from the Bald Man, who isn't mentioned in this narration either) and the paint roller is substituted for a desk-mounted pencil sharpener. Violet also lists the items she needs rather than Lemony in the final." Presto! Now Violet has a lockpick. Now Violet can open the door. Just run up to it and click on it to use the Lockpick. Some people think that locked doors are locked for a very good reason, such as to keep nosy people out." " The Baudelaires have found a map that shows there is a secret passage to Justice Strauss's library behind a large fireplace in the Billiard Room. These old houses have such charming features. My uncle found a secret spiked pit in an old house he bought, but he got the chance to use it only once." In the final game, the map is inside the Billiard Room. Klaus speaks a line to this effect rather than Lemony in the final product. The line regarding the spiked pit was not rerecorded by Curry, for somewhat obvious reasons.
" The secret to opening secret doors is to look for a lever in the room." In the final game, there are several secret doors in Olaf's house, but they're all activated by pushing buttons or turning dials. This was probably changed because Violet invents a machine to pull levers in the following level." The secret door opens, but Violet can't fit! Only Sunny can fit through. When most people urge their little sisters to enter small, dangerous places, the little sisters know better. Press the C button to change characters."
There is no used ability to switch characters at will in the final; the game just switches off between Violet and Klaus during certain cutscenes, with Sunny segments sprinkled throughout. Like in the GBA and console versions of the game, manually switching characters would have been a vital part of gameplay. It's possible that this feature was implemented, but is never mentioned in the finished game.
" Sunny must crawl out onto the plank and bite the rope to lower it down for her brother and sister to cross. She probably won't need much encouragement." " Violet and Klaus — who, when the cutscene is implemented, will be standing right in front of you — they can now cross the chasm safely. Press the C button again to switch characters back to Violet." The narrator kicks a hole in the fourth wall by mentioning that the cutscene of Violet and Klaus isn't finished. Judging by this tongue-in-cheek bit of narration, these lines were probably not recorded for a public demo. Perhaps they were made for a presentation to the movie studios to show off KnowWonder's progress on the game?
" I wouldn't go in there if I were you. There are disturbingly large mosquitoes lurking beyond those doors, and they seem irritated about something. Thirsty, too. An encounter with them would probably not be too pleasant. You must devise a Bug Sprayer from a bicycle pump, a gramophone, and a large bottle of Eau d'Toilette." The instances where Lemony calls attention to the somewhat bizarre situations created to spur gameplay were cut for the final release. The Bug Sprayer (simply known as the Sprayer in the final release) uses the same components as it does in the final, but no mention is made of the White-Faced Women you must retrieve the Eau d'Toilette from.
" Look! There's a hide-a-bed. Misnamed, if you ask me. The bed isn't hidden at all. But it might be hiding something else." Klaus is the one that mentions the hide-a-bed in the final." Olé! The Bug Sprayer is complete. Now the mosquitoes can be driven off to trouble people not involved in our story."
" Run through the fireplace to get to the library, unless you're content with where you are. Those mosquitoes might find you here if you stay here. Something worse might come along too. But if you want to loiter here and find out, that's up to you. 'Loiter' is a word that means 'stand around with an obvious target on your back.'" It seems that most of Lemony's self-aware remarks were cut for the final release. Shame, they're really quite funny. I should also note that the puzzle to open the fireplace is not mentioned at all in this narration.
Unfortunately, this is where the narration ends. It's unclear if they recorded any more, as these fourteen lines are the only ones left in the game's archives.
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Post by Poe's Coats Host Toast on Jun 5, 2021 23:16:02 GMT -5
I'm down to play any game with this title.
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Post by gothicarchiesfan on Jun 9, 2021 18:55:35 GMT -5
This is all incredible work!
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Post by the panopticountolaf on Aug 16, 2021 16:23:15 GMT -5
...And I'm back! Hello again. It's been a long time since this thread saw any action. What I've got to show off today isn't exactly unused, but it seems to have been lost to the sands of time. In 2004, a Java ME version of the game was developed JAMDAT and 5th Cell and released by JAMDAT. This would make the mobile version of the game the only version developed by Electronic Arts, who at the time had the license to the Harry Potter games. This title began development in the summer of 2004 and released a few weeks after the console and handheld versions of the game, according to this IGN article. Zack Norman, JAMDAT's Senior Vice President Studio, said that "everyone involved read the first three books and the movie script." The game took its design cues from the GBA version of the game, turning the plot of the books into a puzzle/adventure hybrid. Much like the other versions of the game, all three Baudelaires were playable characters, and each had different abilities — "Violet can invent things and can use her height to get things off shelves. Klaus is a serious reader and has enough strength to break objects, such as a table, should you need to. Baby Sunny has a powerful bite and can fit into small spaces." According to a GameSpy review, "Count Olaf causes your handset to vibrate". The game contained five levels, with the first comprised of the children doing chores for Olaf. This IGN review sums the level (and the bulk of gameplay) up pretty well: " The Count has given the orphans a list of chores, starting with cleaning the dirty dishes strewn throughout the house. The first order of business is to find all three sets of dirty dishes. However, with no soap, Violet must hunt down the ingredients necessary to make it: lard and lye [sic]
Once the soap has been made, the dishes can be cleaned and it's off to the next task at hand, making dinner for Olaf and his theater troupe. The children must find the ingredients for dinner, starting with pasta (which is hidden in the cupboard to the right of the fridge -- a little hint from yer friends at IGN).
While playing the game, you must explore the mansion, which is encouraged by assigning a little comment about every interactive object. When you can use an object, a yellow frame appears around it. To use the object, just walk into it. Should you require another child to use the object, pressing the action key switches the next orphan.
The multi-story mansion is a decent size. And not all of it can be explored right from the get-go. Should you attempt to head upstairs while collecting dirty dishes, Olaf will instruct you to stay downstairs and slave away." At one point Norman "stopped counting the number of revisions we made for each level!" One very interesting thing to note about the mobile version of the game is that two versions of it actually exist! This excerpt from an interview explains the reason why: " IGN Wireless: We originally played the game on a Sanyo 8200. Not a bad handset by any means, but there are certainly better gaming phones. Is it difficult to create games for phones slightly behind the curve? Norman: Let's look at handsets in a broad sense. The mobile "platform" is expanding with faster, bigger phones. We publish to a broad slate of phones and optimize for each one. The key is designing the game like an onion, where you can peel away layers if needed, but retain the "spirit" of the product. All versions of Lemony Snicket share the same levels, but differ in subtle way's that allow the game to take advantage of the larger, more capable devices. We kept it simple and created two versions of each level: small and large. The "larger" levels contain more dialog, and higher-detailed graphics for phones capable of displaying them. This allowed us to scale between the low and high-end phones. As always, our goal is to not simply make a game work on mobile phones - we want it to work on YOUR phone. Look at your phone right now - this game is probably available." This bumps the number of versions of the game up to five. For reference, the latest Harry Potter game at the time (Prisoner of Azkaban) had three different versions. Norman seems legitimately proud of the project in the interview; he finishes by saying that the game "will hopefully delight those who loved playing classic adventure games such as Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island."
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Post by the panopticountolaf on Sept 20, 2021 8:05:16 GMT -5
The GameSpot entry for ASOUE has a gallery with what appears to be images of both the small and large versions of the JAMDAT version of the game! I've organized them (using this amazing technique known as guessing) and posted them below. If you think one of the Large images belongs with the Smalls, let me know!
SMALL VERSION IMAGES:
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Post by the panopticountolaf on Dec 4, 2021 15:16:15 GMT -5
Lemony Snicket (PC) — Unused ContentThis content was actually found by a member of 667, blakegriplingph ! All credit for these finds goes to them.
The PC version of Lemony Snicket uses the Unreal Engine 2.0 — the same exact engine as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was released six months before Snicket. KnowWonder (who produced the PC versions of the Harry Potter games through Prisoner of Azkaban) struck gold with their first HP game, selling over 1.3 million copies in about five years, and soon many reputable film studios (including Disney, Dreamworks and Paramount) were making deals with KW, hoping to replicate Potter's success by making games just like it. Many of these games feature leftover material from the Potter games, and Snicket is no exception!
Located in the game's files is a collection of old particle effects used for spells in POA titled HP_FX.utx. These graphics can be found in a LOT of KnowWonder's other non-Potter games.
In the same texture archive is a texture map for a very early version of Violet's model. It looks nothing like Emily Browning or the costume she wears in the film, instead replicating the design created by Brett Helquist. Thank you to @carmelia0cheryl, who provided me with this particular image.
If you think this looks creepy, you should see it on the actual model (aptly named Violet)!
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Post by the panopticountolaf on Jan 2, 2022 9:12:28 GMT -5
This image is of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Minigames", a title released around the same time as the official video game. If you haven't heard of it, I wouldn't be surprised — it had a pretty limited circulation, and there seems to be no video of the game online. According to the Amazon listing that this image comes from, the minigames included are as follows: 1. Violet's Invention Center 2. Klaus Code Cracker 3. Gibbo! 4. The Lively Library 5. The Perfect Puttanseca 6. The Incrediibly Hungry Viper 7. The Hazardous House 8. Smack-A-Leech 9. The Terrible Tower. Our first images of this game have been found! The more common movie tie-in game and the Mini-Games title were bundled together in a "Chilling 2-Pack", of which some images exist online. On the back of the box (pictured below), three images from "Mini-Games" can be seen! The images are from (left to right) 8 — Smack-A-Leech, 5 — The Perfect Puttanesca, and 7 — The Hazardous House. The text beneath these images reads as follows: " Keep the Baudelaire orphans safe from the vicious Lachrymose Leeches." " Help the orphans find the ingredients they need for the perfect pasta sauce!" " Guide the Baudelaire orphans through aunt [sic] Josephine's deadly house!" What's most interesting to me is that the mini-games (excepting Smack-A-Leech) look very similar to the gameplay from the JAMDAT version of the game (a bird's eye view of the characters in a simple version of the environment from the film). The Smack-A-Leech game even seems to use early models of the Baudelaires from the PC game!
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Post by blakegriplingph on Jun 23, 2022 6:32:19 GMT -5
Apologies for the bump, but there's also some unused debugging/cheat codes in the game as I've mentioned in the TCRF article. I've already mentioned this over a decade ago, but it is also possible to make skin/player mods for the game as well as completely custom levels: tcrf.net/Lemony_Snicket%27s_A_Series_of_Unfortunate_Events_(Windows)Around that time, I also reached out to Eric Gingrich, who handled the cutscenes in the game and in the PC version of Azkaban:
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