Anachronox

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Anachronox
Developer: Ion Storm Publishers: Eidos Interactive (US/EU), Infogrames (AU) Platform: Windows Released in US: June 27, 2001 Released in EU: June 29, 2001 Released in AU: June 30, 2001 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused objects. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused models. This game has unused items. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden level select. This game has hidden bonus content. This game has a prerelease article

Anachronox is a science-fiction RPG with gameplay reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Trigger. Plagued by a long development cycle and a story seemingly too ambitious for one game (it ends on a major cliffhanger), the game sold very poorly, despite high praise from critics.

To do: Cover the scrapped Oblivion level in a development page. Seeing this game was in development for a long time (1996-2001), there's a lot of stuff that needs to get added to the prerelease page. Release date references. Might be in need of a clean-up.

Sub-Page

Prerelease Info

Debug Menu

To activate the debugging material, press ALT+SHIFT+F10. That enables the debug mode which shows additional information all over the screen and allows to access the console with "~" key. The console can be enabled by editing the Default.CFG file in the CONFIGS folder.

Main

Patched

The main debug menu can be accessed by entering "invoke 1:86" (without quotes) into the console.

View/Edit Player Stats

This menu allows you to change the HP, level, and skill of any character in your party.

View/Edit Inventory

This menu allows you to add any item to your inventory.

Edit Party/Money

This menu allows you to change the characters in your party, as well as adjust the number of credits you have.

View/Edit Battle Weapons / Skills

This menu allows you to add or change the skills your party has. You can also add any battle weapons to your inventory from this screen. It is very similar to the inventory editor.

The Works

Each character has a unique line after receiving the items:

• Boots: "Bow Before Me.. Weenie Monkeys!"
• Grumpos: "Is there no sick old woman who can stand before me?!?"
• Rho: "You better check yo'self before you wreck yo'self."
• PAL-18: "I'll kick that robot from Short Circut's ass!"
• Democratus: "We want the funk, gotta have that funk!"
• Stiletto: "What's my name bitch?!?"
• Paco: "Yo Quiero a can of whupass?!?"

Find Location / Goto Location

This menu allows you to go to any XYZ co-ordinate you input.

Random Game Names

This menu opens a window with randomly-generated names of supposed video games belonging to "Mintendo".

Original / 1.0

It is not clear why some of the functions were removed in the patched version (such as level select).

Handy Anox Debug Menu

The old debug menu can be accessed by entering "invoke 1:860" (without quotes) into the console.

There you can warp around the world, track quest status and even set an alarm clock. Some of the functions are unlisted because they are either unfinished or not implemented. The debug menu from the 1.0 release version of the game features most of the functions found here but more or less completed and working.

Go to ... Map ...

Go to Story Section...

Apparently Main Menu did not exist when that menu was in use hence start the game with intro cinematic option. The third option does nothing.

Add/Remove Party Members

Add Beat Weapons for Battle

Dude, I give up--wake me in 30.

The textures for numbers are still in the game's files but have different names, so to make them display they needed to be renamed first.

Adjusting Window Colors

Typing "windowcoloradjust" into the console will display the menu that allows to customize the default color scheme for dialogue boxes. Some planets got customized dialogue boxes and can't be altered. The menu allows to set color for each corner of dialogue boxes (rgba) which it blends together afterwards.

AI Debug Mode

Highlights paths and control points used by the AI and Characters.

One way to call it is by entering "exec testjosh" into the console.

It is a shortcut which executes a list of commands. It changes controls a little, allowing to switch between the AI view-modes by pressing F1-F4. From 0 to 3, 3 - shows everything.

The list of commands executed can be found in the following file:

anoxdata/configs/testjosh.cfg

Unused Areas

Joey

This map was not originally released with the game - instead, it was introduced along with a couple of other maps in a .rar folder titled Anachrodox: a joint effort by the Anachronox team to create a database about how the game works for modders interested in modding the game. However, unlike the other maps in the .rar, pretty much all of the entities in this map do not work, making it near useless for modders.

This map is in the Steam and GoG releases because these releases include the unofficial v1.02 Build 46 Patch, which included the level for some reason. It appears even more broken in these releases because it's missing textures that were only in the Anachrodox .rar file. The map is named after Joey Liaw, one of the programmers who worked on Anachronox and contributed to Anachrodox.

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Hatch

This map contains nothing but a rectangular room with a hatch in the middle.

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Unused Actors

NPCs

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  Vortex

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  Petita

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  Echula. Apparently a shopkeeper from the cut map "Echula".

Borbor

Looks like it's a shopkeeper from Roberg (the PAL-18 Dreams map that is a part of Baltown.bsp).

There is a folder among the textures called "Borbors" which hints that he might've had his own map for a shop like Zordo.

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  Borbor himself.

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  Entrance to his shop.

Monsters

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  Autocrate (animated)

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  armorguy (1 frame)

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  azuur (posed)

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  Crimocon (animated)

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  eviltest (1 frame)

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  Natasse (1 frame)

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  Vehement (animated, has sounds and AI but is not present in any battle). Got the second, tinted blue version.

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  Wraith (animated)

Sservant

Model from the game's files	E3 99'

From the cut map "Evil Domain". Only posed, not animated.

Magentaur, Strider, Dgrace

From the cut map "Azurood".

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  Magentaur (magentaur). Only posed, not animated.

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  Soul Strider (strider). Animated (mostly battle states).

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  dgrace. Animated (mostly battle states).

E3 99'

Terebrant

The model is not used in the game, but the monster is shown when highlighting the "Way too hard" difficulty option in the Main Menu:

The model	Way too hard difficulty thumbnail

Pirates

Monsters from the cut map "Port Presence".

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  Sea Man (seaman)

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  FemalePirate (fempirate)

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  GhostPirate (ghostprat)

Forklug

Model from the game's files	E3 99'

The screenshot name is "Stacks". There's no such map in the release version of the game.

The monster has several animation states and is not commented out from the definition file, although it apparently never appears throughout the game.

Characters

Droids

Both are supposedly for the "Roberg" map that can be seen in the "PAL-18 Dreams" cinematic. So the map is still present in the game (as a part of "Baltown.bsp") but is only shown for a brief moment. Both characters have an extensive list of animations.

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  Droid Boots

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  Droid Stiletto

Old Grumpos

Some of the models, revisions and textures for the old version of Grumpos are present in the archives. The models contain a very similar set of animations to the main version, although the models themselves are quite different.

Default

Unused	Used

Unused	Used

Lab Suit

Unused	Used

Unused	Used

Early Gannie

Unused	Used

There's also this version which does not appear in the game but is present in a prerelease screenshot.

Pre-release	In model viewer

Unused Objects

3D UI

It was either never implemented or scrapped during development. Turns out the following models then were re-purposed for the Villain's Ship section and are used to represent The Cosmic Machine.

List of the assets that were reused for the puzzle:

• interface_mid_quit
• interface_disc_quit
• interface_mid_credits
• interface_disc_credits
• interface_mid_loadsave
• interface_disc_loadsave
• interface_mid_newuniverse
• interface_disc_newuniverse
• interface_mid_gameflow
• interface_disc_gameflow

The following commands are present in Anachrodox's manual but have no effect in console:

ui_3dshop_setmode <modenum>
ui_3dmenu_setmode <modenum>

Disk

The disk can do several transformations depending on the option selected. Acting apparently as a base for the other UI elements.

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Mid

Supposedly stacks with the disk and acts as a base for the following UI modules:

Modules

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  mid_credits

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  mid_gameflow

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  mid_loadsave

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  mid_newuniverse

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  mid_options

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  mid_quit

Battle Icons

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  baticbeat

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  baticheal

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  baticitem

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  baticmacro

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  baticmystech

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  baticrange

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  baticuse

Unused Textures

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  This is a character named Hamanaka Erika from the H-game Twin Way. She was used on the Anachrodox.rar exclusive map Joeyproc. There's multiple graphics of her, including a chibi version and ones with multiple expressions.

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  Another texture from Joeyproc, a blurred photograph of a Japanese girl.

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  One of the developers, presumably, with glowing eyes.

UI

Old Character Icons

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  Boots

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  Boots (old version)

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  Grumpos

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  Paco

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  Rowdy

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  Stiletto

Unused Objects

Bean-with-Bacon MegaRocket

The spaceship built by Commander Keen. It is probably unused, although is not commented out from the definition file, like many other unused models.

3D model from the game's files	Reference

Casinox Area

Apparently there was supposed to be more to this area. Maybe some sort of an actual working casino.

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  casslot1

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  casslot2

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  casttop

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  casttop1

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  casttop2

Port Presence

Even though the map was cut from the release the objects are still there.

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  piratecrane

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  piratmast

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  piratmast2a

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  piratmast2b

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  piratevent

Hephaestus Roller-Coaster

There are some objects related to Rocket Coaster at Hephaestus. There is a sign on the map but not much else.

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  The Roller-coaster.

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  Cart

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  Lead cart.

Unused Items

• Bracers of IDDQD - The shadow knows

Makes the character wearing it invulnerable.

• Protective Gloves - Let you pick up sharp or dangerous things

These gloves had something to do with the BugBox according to item.GDB, but were never implemented fully. Might have been intended to be required to obtain 'dangerous' bugs.

• LifeCursor LifeLight - Fatima shines her light on local creatures and objects.

Listed under Interface items in the item.GDB but appears to do absolutely nothing.

• LifeCursor InfoShow - Fatima can show info about the environment.

Ditto.

Unused Text

Unused text windows can be called by typing "invoke + window id" into the console. For example:

invoke 94:172

will call the message below. The message will not be shown if you are not on the map it is assigned to. The message below is a part of an event bound to the map "Crevice".

Then there will be a wonderful cinematic...

window 94:172
title "Sathcarpintergorque [TEMP]"
body "Then there will be a wonderful cinematic in 
which our leader tells you the story behind the gate. 
There are warring aliens from the universe after 
our own called the Vyre (the good guys, Order) 
and the Chatagra (the bad guys, Chaos)."

#window 94:173
title "Sathcarpintergorque [TEMP]"
body "You must go to The Bricks and aid Roweidekhalicon, 
a fellow member of the Vigil who has been on a life-long 
search for the Echo Gate. He owns a drinking establishment 
in South Anachronox."

#window 94:174
title "Sathcarpintergorque [TEMP]"
body "Okay, so... get outta here. Get your butt back 
to Anachronox."
(from crevice.ape)

Lucky Lottobot

Unused dialogue with a lottobot from Casinox Area (bricksc). The bot seems to appear only during the cutscene "K'Conrad Speaks Again". Hence is not interactable.

#window 10:1605
title "Lucky LottoBot"
body "Greetings, future gazillionaire! 
I'm a lucky little robot with lucky little lotto tickets! Would you like to buy one?"

choice "Sure, what have I got to lose except money?" 10:1615
choice "Yeah, right." 10:1620

#window 10:1612
body "Players must be at least 16 years old. 
All tickets, winners and transactions are subject to Lucky LottoBot rules, regulations, 
procedures and SenderWeb Law. Unit #2246."

#window 10:1615
title "Lucky LottoBot"
body "With our combined luck, I'm sure you'll win!"

#window 10:1620
title "Lucky LottoBot"
body "Someone's gotta win! Guess it won't be you!"

#window 10:1625
title "Lucky LottoBot"
body "sfzzt--!"
(from bricksc.ape)

The dialogue has a unique style:

Map Loading Text

Casinox

#switch 900:22
MapLoadDestination$="Bricks:\nCasinox" 
MapLoadInfo0$="Our slot machines are looser\nthan a goose!" 
MapLoadInfo1$="Enjoy the Jazz Stylings of\nBricelano and his Killer Keyboard" 
MapLoadInfo2$="Play Flipp 'Em!" 
MapLoadInfo3$="Everyone loves\nDead-Eye Slammer Jammer!" 
MapLoadInfo4$="Visit amazing arcades\n(reserved for VIP members)" 
MapSaveDesc$="Casinox" 
goto 0:0

Planet Joey

#switch 900:140
MapLoadDestination$="Planet Joey" 
MapLoadInfo0$="For all your battle scripting needs" 
MapLoadInfo1$="And whatever other junk you wanna test" 
MapLoadInfo2$="It should have loaded by now...." 
MapLoadInfo3$="Damn your computer is slow." 
MapLoadInfo4$="Myeeeeeeeaaaahhhhhh" 
MapLoadImage$="/gameflow/maptrans/mt_joey.png" 
MapSaveDesc$="Joey" 
goto 0:0

Penthouse Suites

Penthouse Suites (which is a part of Sender Commons map) maybe was intended to have its own map or to be extended.

#switch 900:42
MapLoadDestination$="Sender Station:\nPenthouse Suites" 
MapLoadInfo0$="We do not exist" 
MapLoadInfo1$="We do not exist" 
MapLoadInfo2$="We do not exist" 
MapLoadInfo3$="We do not exist" 
MapLoadInfo4$="We do not exist" 
MapSaveDesc$="Pooposity" 
goto 0:0
(from global04.ape)

APE

Timed message (the one that appears on top of the screen):

if (TIMED_MESSAGE == 88)
  xyprintfx 8, 5, timed_alpha, 0.5, 1, 1, _main12, 
"You're searching through the code, aren't you?"
(from global02.ape)

Monster Death:

#switch 20000:700
set @rictus_minions = (@rictus_minions - 1)
echo "/\\/\\0N573R |)E47|-|"
(from krapton4.ape)

Textures

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Unused Dialogue

Unused Fatima (fatima_scene59_l15)

Among the files used in the scene "Universe Troubles"

Unused Music

Sunder Landing Theme (Sunder2Landing)

Sunder Ambience (SunderWillSpecial)

Fatima Theme (maybefatima)

Something New (SomethinNew)

Alternative Battle Win Theme(anoxwin_LONG)

Bonus Content

Falkhan

To reach him:

1. Enable console (ALT+SHIFT+F10 (to open press "~"))
2. Type in

   exec q2

3. Fly on top of the roof
4. Type in

   exec anox

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  Falkhan can be found standing on a rooftop at Votowne.

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  Multiple choice dialogue!

Chloe

To reach her do the same as for Falkhan. She's hidden behind the stage at Cold Sweat Sex Machine (Red Light District).

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Unused Code

Planet

Planet is the in-game cinematic editor. Planet is a spline based cinematic system that allows you to control multiple cameras across 3D paths and timelines. Simultaneously you can control entities on paths, trigger events, manipulate particles, and do just about anything you please. One of the more common team beliefs is that the only true limit to Planet is the person controlling it. [quote from Anachronox.com]