Funny thing I noticed about the Interactive Demo's plot

[Xfing]

When running through the Interactive Demo the other day for nostalgia's sake I noticed that there are certain plot differences between it and the full version of Descent. For example, all the extrasolar installations are referred to as alien mines proper (not PTMC holdings), it's even mentioned that their reactors aren't exactly reactors, but only operate similarly to "reactors in our own mines", was it?

Interestingly enough, at the end of Descent, Dravis mentions "our" holdings in deep space, so it appears Parallax went back and forth on this, reverting it back to deep space PTMC mines for the final release of D2.

[Alter-Fox]

One of the pics on the "order now" page shows a disc-shaped robot that can't be found anywhere in the final game or even the game files.
Another one shows a room that seems to be from the second level of Vertigo.

[LightWolf]

That disc-shaped robot looks like it was a planned boss to me...
The scene from VL2 (if we're talking about the same one) is actually from level 7. The grates block the area that you enter from above to get to the red key.

[Alter-Fox]

Well it looks kinda like that but the grates in the shot are too small.

[LightWolf]

Are they?
The two on the left of the 4x4 are shaded, but they are there. The rest of the room looks pretty much exactly like the room I was talking about.

[Alter-Fox]

Eeh, I've got a screenshot of it so I can check to be sure. I also recall that the walls in the screen were grey instead of bluish and there was no waterfall.

[Jeff250]

Could either of you post screenshots from the demo? I'm curious to see what y'all are referring to.

[LightWolf]

The shot on the bottom right is the picture of interest.

[Alter-Fox]

I can see what you mean, yeah.
There's still something off about it compared to the final map but that could be down to it being still "in development" at the time.
Just like, on the bottom left I think that phoenix cannon was turned into an E-Bandit in the final version.
...
But it is weird that that one bot doesn't even show up in the game files. There are other enemies that were never used but are still in the files and this being in the demo means it was probably scrapped relatively close to the final release -- whereas I'd imagine Mr Homing Missile Spam would have been taken out earlier since he was clearly never balanced for proper play. If you look at the reticle to judge size, it would have been slightly smaller than that E-Bandit so I wouldn't be sure about it having been a boss.
Besides, I'm pretty sure there was no boss arena in the final game with a lava fall, presumably because the noise would have made it hard to hear the boss's perpetual sound.

[Sirius]

Plot differences... did they have briefings in the D2 demo? It's been 20 years since I played it so I can't really remember anymore, myself.

I do, somehow, remember that they had D1-style exit sequences though, so it doesn't seem out of the question. Presumably they didn't want to put the movie files on something that would be downloaded over the internet, since back in those days most people were still on a 14.4k modem or something in that ballpark.

[Descer]

did they have briefings in the D2 demo?

I do, somehow, remember that they had D1-style exit sequences

Yes.

[Jeff250]

It's funny how they thought that bot was cool enough to make the limited space of the advert but somehow was not cool enough to make the cut of the game.

[Sirius]

Yeah, wonder what the story behind that was. Most of the other screenshots make perfect sense.

[Xfing]

Would be fun to ask Matt and Mike these questions.

On another note, I'm sure you guys also know that, the Interactive Demo levels 1 and 2 lack some secrets that were added to them in the full release and use some different sound assets too. As far as the secrets go, for example there is no hidden cube in level 1 at the top of the chamber next to the waterfall where you get the red key, as the section at the base of the waterfall where you can shoot through to reach a switch doesn't exist at all. Likewise, in level 2 the secret in the very first chamber doesn't exist, the one where you shoot the ceiling of the area behind the grate to the left of your starting position for a switch which opens the entry hatch once. Fun little tidbits.