Gabriel Knight 1 Demo

ATMachine · 03-24-2005, 07:32 PM

I recently got my hands on a copy of the Gabriel Knight Mysteries collection and played Sins of the Fathers. It was extremely excellent, probably the most entertaining Sierra game I've ever played. Certainly for me it's the one with the richest story and best voice acting.

I also got a copy of the GK1 novelization thrown in, which I'm reading when time permits, but that's irrelevant.

But playing the game got me to thinking...I discovered on my old computer a demo which I'd downloaded years ago. It's of a good chunk of Day 1 of Sins of the Fathers, minus the "Grandma Knight's House" and "Mosely's Office" gameplay bits. Does anyone remember it?

Basically, Sierra created the demo to get feedback from the players about what should be changed and what should be kept. In case anyone's interested, I'll post screens of it:

Warning for dial-up users: Big pictures ahead.

This is the menu screen. Added, probably at request, was the Restore button. Also, when the Intro is finished, the gameplay doesn't begin as in the final game.

Day 1. Notice a different quotation. The poem in the final game is Gabriel's own. Also, the WAIT shield is different; it looks more kingly.

Inside the St. George's Book Shop; Grace chides Gabe

The interface. In the final game, the lion's head and snake's head were flipped. Also, the WALK icon is different, and the four manipulation icons and the four other icons are switched from their normal places.

Mosely shows Gabe the seventh Voodoo Murder victim

An options menu greatly simplified from the final game's

The inventory screen. That OPERATE icon was removed in the final version; also the snake scale is much larger than in the actual release.

Sierra's notice explaining why it released a demo (an unusual practice for the company at the time, it would seem). If you don't think that blue-and-gold color combination is ugly, you should see it on the save/load screen.

Well, that's about it for now. On to the sequels...

EDIT: I thought it should be known that I only posted this because this demo seems now to be rather rare. If it's generally known of already, just ignore this thread. Thanks.

***fov*** · 03-24-2005, 08:31 PM

That's very cool! Thanks for sharing.

So... do you still have this demo? As far as I know, sharing demos with others is not illegal.

I didn't even know it existed. I'd love to play it if you have it (or if someone can tell me where to find it).

-emily

BenjaminBunny · 03-24-2005, 08:36 PM

ha! well I know Jane Jensen's step-daughter....so there!!!

HA HA HA HA HA!!!

ATMachine · 03-24-2005, 09:23 PM

As a matter of fact, I do still have the demo. I salvaged it from my old computer.

I've put it in a ZIP file at this location for you to download.

As usual with a Sierra game, the "SIERRA" executable starts the game, not the "DEMO" one. You may have to tinker with the install settings a bit to your taste.

I played it in DOSbox, as I did the actual game, and had no problems at all.

By the way, my savegames are included in the zip file - you can delete them if you wish.

***fov*** · 03-24-2005, 09:26 PM

Very cool. Thanks.

ATMachine · 03-24-2005, 09:33 PM

Two last screenshots before I go to bed:
Here're the Quit and Restart screens. More humorous than the final game's ones, for sure....

Gabe · 03-25-2005, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATMachine

As a matter of fact, I do still have the demo. I salvaged it from my old computer.

I've put it in a ZIP file at this location for you to download.

Do you know about GK2 demo?

ATMachine · 03-25-2005, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe

Do you know about GK2 demo?

No, I don't. Do you know where I could find one?

ATMachine · 03-25-2005, 07:08 PM

So, fov, did you play the demo yet? I'd like to hear what, if anything, your thoughts were about it.

Did you get all the points? There's nothing in the demo that you can't do in the full game, though some of the point-giving actions have no point in the demo's short timespan.

bigjko · 03-25-2005, 07:43 PM

You might want to consider sending FileShack the demo, so they can host it on their über-machines.

They usually put the game up on ShackReviews too, which gets these oldies some well-deserved attention. I remember when they managed to fnid the Neverhood demo. Ah, good times.

Burge · 03-25-2005, 09:49 PM

Ah the old, generic Sierra font.

Hendroz · 03-26-2005, 09:56 AM

There is some nice "work in progress" stuff inside that demo.

I've attached this image that shows some actors during sequences in the Voodoo Museum and in Jackson Square.

The first row shows the early actors in the demo, the second row the actors in the final game.

Of course, I'm too lazy to post the entire animations, but these are just representative frames.

Following is a description of the scenes.

Spoiler:

The first image depicts Gabriel entering the dark Voodoo Museum before being attached by the python.

The second image shows Dr John.

The third image is acted by the same actor of the first one, which apparently was the first captured guy for the part of Gabriel.
The image shows also a dilemma, whenever to use that image as a global "taking" or "giving" sequence. They thought about that too much. The image was indeed completely removed from the final game.

The fourth image shows Gabriel taking the Patterns from the artist in Jackson Square. The usual "early" actor is here.

The fifth image was another work in progress. The filmed sequence shows Gabriel (the first actor, as usual) trying to grab the painting through the fence. In the final game, that was replaced with the artist doing the same thing.
It is indeed stated in the first frame of this animation from the demo, the word "artist".

***fov*** · 03-26-2005, 10:15 AM

Interesting! I haven't had a chance to play it yet. Maybe today.

-emily

ATMachine · 03-26-2005, 10:47 AM

Hendroz, are you sure that's Dr. John's sprite from the demo? It looks much more like a motion capture of Bruno, Gabriel's annoying neighbor.

SPOILER

Spoiler:
You know, the one to whom he sells his father's painting to raise the money to buy a crocodile mask.

Maybe it was mislabeled or something, but I can tell you that doesn't look like Dr. John at all.

EDIT: Here's a picture of Bruno in Gabe's shop for comparison. It seems he has the ponytail, the dark hair, the white shirt, the bare legs, and the running shoes of the "Dr. John" demo sprite.

Of course, the developers could have considered the sprite for Dr. John and rejected it, but I doubt it. It was probably mislabeled or something.

Hendroz · 03-27-2005, 02:23 AM

ATMachine, I got these infos from *inside* the demo data.
Those strange actors in the demo are just placeholders/stand-ins used during the making of the game scenes.

***fov*** · 03-27-2005, 12:19 PM

I tried the demo this morning and got an error message that I didn't have enough memory. Never seen this one on a Sierra game so I thought there was something wrong with my computer. After much puttering, playing with the page file and such, it occurred to me to run the demo in DosBox - which worked perfectly, of course.

-emily

Hendroz · 03-27-2005, 12:56 PM

I have no problems running it under XP, apart for the fact that mouse doesn't move.

100ja a.k.a. mr_mitja · 03-27-2005, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATMachine

No, I don't. Do you know where I could find one?

I've only found it here, but I don't speak a word of finnish, so I can't tell you if it's still downloadable (you have to register). Get one of the finnish guys here to help you out

Milos22j · 03-27-2005, 02:06 PM

Quote:

I also got a copy of the GK1 novelization thrown in, which I'm reading when time permits, but that's irrelevant.

Not really irrelevant to me, is there any chance of sending me a copy of that novelization at my email [email protected]. I would greatly appreciate that cause I want to start writing adventure game scenario and i need something to learn from. If this is a scenario and not a ordinary novel?

Hendroz · 03-27-2005, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 100ja a.k.a. mr_mitja

I've only found it here, but I don't speak a word of finnish, so I can't tell you if it's still downloadable (you have to register). Get one of the finnish guys here to help you out

I wasn't able to register... what about you? did you play the demo?

03-24-2005, 07:32 PM	#1
ATMachine Retired Buccaneer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 779	Gabriel Knight 1 Demo I recently got my hands on a copy of the Gabriel Knight Mysteries collection and played Sins of the Fathers. It was extremely excellent, probably the most entertaining Sierra game I've ever played. Certainly for me it's the one with the richest story and best voice acting. I also got a copy of the GK1 novelization thrown in, which I'm reading when time permits, but that's irrelevant. But playing the game got me to thinking...I discovered on my old computer a demo which I'd downloaded years ago. It's of a good chunk of Day 1 of Sins of the Fathers, minus the "Grandma Knight's House" and "Mosely's Office" gameplay bits. Does anyone remember it? Basically, Sierra created the demo to get feedback from the players about what should be changed and what should be kept. In case anyone's interested, I'll post screens of it: Warning for dial-up users: Big pictures ahead. This is the menu screen. Added, probably at request, was the Restore button. Also, when the Intro is finished, the gameplay doesn't begin as in the final game. Day 1. Notice a different quotation. The poem in the final game is Gabriel's own. Also, the WAIT shield is different; it looks more kingly. Inside the St. George's Book Shop; Grace chides Gabe The interface. In the final game, the lion's head and snake's head were flipped. Also, the WALK icon is different, and the four manipulation icons and the four other icons are switched from their normal places. Mosely shows Gabe the seventh Voodoo Murder victim An options menu greatly simplified from the final game's The inventory screen. That OPERATE icon was removed in the final version; also the snake scale is much larger than in the actual release. Sierra's notice explaining why it released a demo (an unusual practice for the company at the time, it would seem). If you don't think that blue-and-gold color combination is ugly, you should see it on the save/load screen. Well, that's about it for now. On to the sequels... EDIT: I thought it should be known that I only posted this because this demo seems now to be rather rare. If it's generally known of already, just ignore this thread. Thanks. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-24-2005, 08:31 PM	#2
*fov* Rattenmonster Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 10,404	That's very cool! Thanks for sharing. So... do you still have this demo? As far as I know, sharing demos with others is not illegal. I didn't even know it existed. I'd love to play it if you have it (or if someone can tell me where to find it). -emily Share Share this post on Twitter

03-24-2005, 08:36 PM	#3
BenjaminBunny fire breathing Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: New England Posts: 514	ha! well I know Jane Jensen's step-daughter....so there!!! HA HA HA HA HA!!! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ ~Tranquility is beyond form, it cannot be grasped and held. It is beyond sound but perhaps within sound, yet it cannot be heard. It cannot be seen yet it lies in everything we see.~

03-24-2005, 09:23 PM	#4
ATMachine Retired Buccaneer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 779	As a matter of fact, I do still have the demo. I salvaged it from my old computer. I've put it in a ZIP file at this location for you to download. As usual with a Sierra game, the "SIERRA" executable starts the game, not the "DEMO" one. You may have to tinker with the install settings a bit to your taste. I played it in DOSbox, as I did the actual game, and had no problems at all. By the way, my savegames are included in the zip file - you can delete them if you wish. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-24-2005, 09:26 PM	#5
*fov* Rattenmonster Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 10,404	Very cool. Thanks. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-24-2005, 09:33 PM	#6
ATMachine Retired Buccaneer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 779	Two last screenshots before I go to bed: Here're the Quit and Restart screens. More humorous than the final game's ones, for sure.... Share Share this post on Twitter

03-25-2005, 07:08 PM	#9
ATMachine Retired Buccaneer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 779	So, fov, did you play the demo yet? I'd like to hear what, if anything, your thoughts were about it. Did you get all the points? There's nothing in the demo that you can't do in the full game, though some of the point-giving actions have no point in the demo's short timespan. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-25-2005, 07:43 PM	#10
bigjko El Luchador Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 1,629	You might want to consider sending FileShack the demo, so they can host it on their über-machines. They usually put the game up on ShackReviews too, which gets these oldies some well-deserved attention. I remember when they managed to fnid the Neverhood demo. Ah, good times. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Use Verb On Noun - Adventure game inspired illustrations

03-25-2005, 09:49 PM	#11
Burge Dr Uberman Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 298	Ah the old, generic Sierra font. Share Share this post on Twitter

03-26-2005, 09:56 AM	#12
Hendroz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: ITALY Posts: 114	There is some nice "work in progress" stuff inside that demo. I've attached this image that shows some actors during sequences in the Voodoo Museum and in Jackson Square. The first row shows the early actors in the demo, the second row the actors in the final game. Of course, I'm too lazy to post the entire animations, but these are just representative frames. Following is a description of the scenes. Spoiler: The first image depicts Gabriel entering the dark Voodoo Museum before being attached by the python. The second image shows Dr John. The third image is acted by the same actor of the first one, which apparently was the first captured guy for the part of Gabriel. The image shows also a dilemma, whenever to use that image as a global "taking" or "giving" sequence. They thought about that too much. The image was indeed completely removed from the final game. The fourth image shows Gabriel taking the Patterns from the artist in Jackson Square. The usual "early" actor is here. The fifth image was another work in progress. The filmed sequence shows Gabriel (the first actor, as usual) trying to grab the painting through the fence. In the final game, that was replaced with the artist doing the same thing. It is indeed stated in the first frame of this animation from the demo, the word "artist". Attached Images Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Check out "Gabriel Knight 2000" for my patches: http://www.gabrielknight2k.tk

03-26-2005, 10:15 AM	#13
*fov* Rattenmonster Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 10,404	Interesting! I haven't had a chance to play it yet. Maybe today. -emily Share Share this post on Twitter

03-26-2005, 10:47 AM	#14
ATMachine Retired Buccaneer Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 779	Hendroz, are you sure that's Dr. John's sprite from the demo? It looks much more like a motion capture of Bruno, Gabriel's annoying neighbor. SPOILER Spoiler: You know, the one to whom he sells his father's painting to raise the money to buy a crocodile mask. Maybe it was mislabeled or something, but I can tell you that doesn't look like Dr. John at all. EDIT: Here's a picture of Bruno in Gabe's shop for comparison. It seems he has the ponytail, the dark hair, the white shirt, the bare legs, and the running shoes of the "Dr. John" demo sprite. Of course, the developers could have considered the sprite for Dr. John and rejected it, but I doubt it. It was probably mislabeled or something. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by ATMachine; 03-26-2005 at 10:55 AM.

03-27-2005, 02:23 AM	#15
Hendroz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: ITALY Posts: 114	ATMachine, I got these infos from inside the demo data. Those strange actors in the demo are just placeholders/stand-ins used during the making of the game scenes. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Check out "Gabriel Knight 2000" for my patches: http://www.gabrielknight2k.tk

03-27-2005, 12:19 PM	#16
*fov* Rattenmonster Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Francisco Posts: 10,404	I tried the demo this morning and got an error message that I didn't have enough memory. Never seen this one on a Sierra game so I thought there was something wrong with my computer. After much puttering, playing with the page file and such, it occurred to me to run the demo in DosBox - which worked perfectly, of course. -emily Share Share this post on Twitter

03-27-2005, 12:56 PM	#17
Hendroz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: ITALY Posts: 114	I have no problems running it under XP, apart for the fact that mouse doesn't move. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Check out "Gabriel Knight 2000" for my patches: http://www.gabrielknight2k.tk

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