Biohazard 1 FPS (First person shooter) Question.

[MoonlightSonata]

Hello,
I was wondering if there was anymore information pertaining to the very early FPS build of Biohazard. I've only seen the one screenshot and honestly I doubt if there was ever really even an alpha of the game in this state. In my opinion it was probably just a graphic mock-up of what the game could have been. However, there is a lack of information concerning it or maybe I just haven't looked hard enough. Any solid information or even speculation would be appriciated.

[Darkmoon]

I think it was scrapped pretty damned fast, so I doubt there was even a couple of rooms with an enemy to shoot. I must admit I'm glad they went the way they did. I just can't imagine the game as an FPS. Even the Surviors wouldn't be much like it, although I guess it was why they came about.

[Helegad]

Anyone?

[Canas Renvall]

Oh my God! It's a Regenerator!

[imacwesker]

@ MoonlightSonata: RE1 was redo 3 times:
1) FPS
2) Chris, Jill, Gezzler and Dewey
3) Chris, Jill, Barry and Rebecca

About the FPS version, here are the only informations I could find:
- Shinji Mikami said that developers worked "a long time" on a FPS version before he [Mikami] scraped it and choose to use fixed view angles
- The staff was made of ... 5 persons, Mikami included. Then 2 quitted. So Mikami had to hire more staff in an emergency.

Here is how the development hell of RE1 went:
It was Capcom's first 3D game. Also, 3D was kinda new in that time (1993-94), so it was hard to find good developers.
After a few months of development, the staff created a playable demo of the FPS mode and showed it to Mikami. He hated it and made them restart everuthing, with the fixed view angles.

Information translated by Doughboy from several Japanese interviews of Mikami. Published in French here:

http://www.survivhor.com/RE1/BETA01/INTRO/index.html

Now, "playable demo" doesn't mean "full game". I assume there were a few rooms and at least one monster to fight and one item to pick, so Mikami could judge the game's passing.
You can't judge a whole game by just walking in one empty room ;)

[MoonlightSonata]

Thanks for the reply. I saw the character design for Gezzler not too long ago. A cyborg? I'm really glad that they didn't go that route. Also, were there any screenshots for Biohazard Dash, or did it never really get past the concept stage?

[Helegad]

I think there was only one screenshot of Dash. Let me look it up. Hang on.

[imacwesker]

From what I know, Dash never get past the concept stage. The game's idea was abandoned when Capcom realized that producing Dash will delay the production of BH 2.
The only information I could find about Dash comes from Yoshiki Okamoto who was Shinji Mikami's boss. Mikami, Kobayashi or anyone else never talked about Dash [maybe they are not allowed too, by some NDA? Makes me wonder how many more RE game ideas ware cancelled without us knowing about them ;) ].

[missvalentine]

i love Jill's torn pants, they look so cool.

but the screen shot of the FPS beta kinda just loks like art work though, and not gameplay.

[codythatsme]

but the screen shot of the FPS beta kinda just loks like art work though, and not gameplay.

Yeh thats what i thought when i saw that image, anyone know where this image originated from? Magazine? And if its confirmed of actual gameplay, because it really looks like artwork.

[Helegad]

It has to be artwork. Too detailed for an early year like that, and besides, it would look Doom-ey if it was an actual gameplay shot. The zombie would be a sprite.

[codythatsme]

So no gameplay photo eh? I wouldn't have liked it anyway, Resident Evil Survivor combined Resident Evil and FPS together nicely (not survivor 2) but not as good as the real Resident Evil is. And in my opinion Resident Evil is about fixed camera angels and dark rooms, for it is only then, when the horror is truly alive!

[Yama]

A fairly large reason that played into the scrapping was system limitations at the time, the game was also meant to be played co-op. Lucky for us fans the movie-esque style was adapted instead. Ironically enough, Biohazard 5 kind of takes to some of the original ideas.

[Helegad]

How do you know all this stuff?

[aris13]

Maybe he's Shinji Mikami