Over time, I've managed to acquire a few prototypes, mostly for the Game Boy. I here a lot of people throwing around various statements about their prototypes, often for sale, so I thought I'd post a list of questions. Please discuss/inform me and I'll try to update the given answers to these questions. Personally, I would like a bit of clarity on some of these questions but, ultimately, I think this could serve as a good, general FAQ for people taking an interest in prototypes.
Apologies if this exists. It's not stickied, so I figured I'd throw one together myself. Please feel free to discuss and I'll update the answers (or add additional Q's if I missed any good one.)
Q: What is a game "prototype"?
A: A prototype is a form of game media that was created by the developers in a gaming studio that was used for internal testing. Back in the days of cartridge games, these were often made by writing early versions of the game to EPROM (
Erasable
Programable
Read-
Only
Memory) chips that were installed in a test cartridge and then distributed to the testers. These EPROM chips could be written over by exposing UV light onto a sensor on the chip. Once they were erased, they could be re-written too. This allowed the developers to have a reasonably easy way to load games with bug fixes and updates to a cartridge for testing on a game system unit. Most cartridge prototypes contain special cartridges that are often shaped differently to make room for the larger EPROM chips.
Later, when CD/disc style media was utilized for game making, prototypes were often burnt to disc. These can be tougher to validate as authentic unless the content on the disc is significantly different that the content distributed on the final game.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: Why are prototypes from some game studios more common than others?
(I would appriate additional comments on my assumptions.)
A: Although all game studios would have to engage in various forms of game prototyping, some game makers would mail out numerous prototypes with final build (or near final build) games to magazines and other publications for their personal testing and review. Some game studios distributed more games than others and these prototypes over the years have made it to the aftermarket.
Also, some prototypes have been discovered because once a game studio closed up shop and their assets were liquidated. Any old game prototypes in storage were often sold off and some buyers noticed what they had. With potentially boxes of prototype games and hardware, these goods have circulated. Often times, game studios that no longer exist might have more prevalent prototypes that are available than other companies.
(Ansswered by RLH)
Q: Are there classifications of prototype software for various the stages of development?
(I would appriate additional comments on my assumptions, and community expansion on this topic.)
A: Prototype software for games is just like any other form of software. Content on a prototype cartridge or disc can be in just about any stage of development. The list below contains some known stages of development that have been found on prototype media.
- Alpha - Alpha software is intended to have a "skeletal" level of completion. There are certainly bugs, the game lacks "polish", some dialog in game might be incomplete, or other issues are known to exist. The point of the alpha is to actually start playing around with the game, once it's starting to take form.
- Beta - Beta releases aren't intended to be the final version of the game. They usually fall within that category of "complete", but not yet thoroughly tested. This means that the game is expected to mostly work properly but bugs are expected. Betas are also the versions often given to first-time players for comments about aspects of the game. Consistent critiques are often taken in consideration, and may result in modifications to the game.
- Pre-Final/Release Candidates - Towards the end of the production of a game, dev studios will start making "final" versions of the game. These versions still need to be tested by Quality Assurance one last time. Usually, a few release candidates are made before the actual, final build is settled upon. Additionally, many prototypes that are discovered and sold fall in this category. This is because these are the versions most likely to be distributed for review to magazines and gaming review sites.
- Final Build - The final build is just that-- it's the last, compiled version of the game that was released to a manufacturer for copying and printing to the hardware released for sale. If you check the software on a final build prototype against a game data on a production copy, the data should be the same.
- Gold Master/Archival Copy - Technically, these aren't prototypes. Instead, after a game was considered "completed", a final copy of the game would often be saved for long term archival. Considering the data, these are the same as final builds, however, usually greater care is taken to secure these units because these prototypes are used for historical and legal archival. Essentially, this is the final "snapshot" of a game that's created with a special purpose of preserving a company asset.
- Internal Demo - This is a different type of prototype and, depending on your definition, may not even be considered a "prototype". Ocassionally gaming studios want to test out new techniques or show of there technical capabilities for gaming conferences or even release media showing off "things to come" from their studio. In such a case, they may write demo software that's not intended for distribution. These form of technical tests are internal demos and may show up from time to time, even though the contents aren't for any specific given game.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: What is an unreleased prototype?
A: If you've played video games for any length of time and paid attention to gaming news, there's probably been a time or two you've heard of an upcoming game in development but, after a while, the project fizzled and was never released. If one of those games ever made it to the prototype stage, any copies that are found are unreleased prototypes. Prototypes for these games have been found in all stages of development, including final builds. Generally, unreleased prototypes are a bit more valuable than released titles, but this isn't always the case.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: What is "dumping" a prototype?
A: Dumping a prototype is the process of pulling off the data from the prototype media so that it can be stored and utilized off of the prototype medium. Many people dump games so that the contents can be preserved, considering that with enough time, prototype hardware degrade will degrade and no longer be usable.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: Why do some sellers advertise that their prototypes are "undumped"?
(I would appriate additional comments on my assumptions. Additional reasons?)
A: Think about it like this. Many prototypes do, in fact, contain one-of-a-kind versions of games. Whether the game is unreleased or not, the version of the game on a given prototype is probably one of only one or two example of that version of software in existence. This means that hidden within that data could be unused art, game sequences or even dialog that no one has seen. The value of a prototype is largely in the data written within it. If a game is undumped and undistributed, it's likely to have greater value because the owner is likely the only one in the world holding the data that's unique within the disc.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: How should I preserve my cartridge prototypes?
(I'm sure there are better answers to this. Please expound.)
A: Most cartridge prototypes have thier data loaded to EPROM chips that are erased by exposure to a significant of UV light like that from a black light. To prevent this from happening unintentionally, developers would cover the UV sensor window with electrical tape. If you have cartridge-based prototypes with EPROM chips, the first thing you should do is cover the glass windows on those chips, if they are not already! Maintaining the data on the cartridge is the most important part of taking care of your prototypes. It might not be "original" condition to add electrical tape over these windows but, with time, ambient UV light can damage the EPROM chips and your data will be lost. Cover it in electrical tape, or any other tape that will not allow any light to penetrate through it.
Next, be sure you keep your cartridges in a dry, cool (but not cold) environment. Humid weather can cause electrical hardware to degrade, so be surekeep your hardware in consistent weather that's not likely to create even minimal levels of condensation with time.
Last, if you care about the preservation of data for either yourself or for history, consider dumping the data. With enough time, these cartridges will fail and what will be left is a game cartridge with some really cool stickers on it. Undumped games may have greater value but, eventually, the data will be lost. Any prototype collector needs to personal choose what they feel is best for their collection, and the gaming history community, when it comes to preserving their prototypes. For some, that might mean dumping the data on their cartridges and distributing them, while for others they may desire to take their chances and keep the data strictly on the cartridge. However, keeping the data strictly on the cartridge, unbacked up is a gambling game you will eventually lose with time. Even for the most ardent collector who wants to be the "sole owner" of a snapshot of software should give consideration to dumping the data. There's no getting around it. In time, sooner or later, the data will degrade beyond a point of recoverability.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: How should I preserve my disc-based prototypes?
(I'm sure there are better answers to this. Please expound.)
A: All though CD-style prototype games are different than cartridge games, many of the preservation rules are the same. Store your games in cool areas with low humidity and protect them from sun light. Most of these discs are burnt discs which are of a lesser quality than the types of discs that are used for consumer distribution. These burnable discs, regardless of data format (e.g. CD, DVD, Saturn, Game Cube, etc.) are more susceptible to disc rot than standard, high-production discs.
Much like cartridge games, with time these prototypes will degrade to a point where they are useless. The slightly-better news is that once these discs start degrading, games of more common formats like CDs or DVDs may still be partially accessible. Bad sectors can be skipped when the discs are read which means parts of the data may be recovered as the disc degrades with age. Again, this is partialyl good news for longevity. Regardless, if the data is important, it is worth considering ripping/dumping the data for future preservation while the data is 100% readible. Once data is lost, it can't be recovered.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: What types of prototypes are most desirable?
(I'm sure this question is the hotest one to debate. This is the one I'd like clarity on.)
A: General desirablilty falls into two categories of prototypes-- released vs. unreleased. Unreleased games are more deisirable than release titles, but there are exceptional cases.
For instance, an unreleased version of a very popular sports series that was cancelled because of the end of life of a given system wouldn't be as valuable as a final build prototype for an old, blockbuster game that has no known prototype in existence. These general rules may seem subjective, but the question of general desirability has to be considered. Do people really, REALLY love this game and are there other proto examples out there? If the answers are YES and NO, respectively, it's probably a valuable prototype. If it's unreleased, was it made by a well loved game studio, or is the game of a genre that people love to collect for (like RPGs) then the game will have greater value depending on who made it and the type of game that was being made.
The next question asked is has the game been dumped and distributed or not? An undumped, unreleased game is often the most desirable type of prototype, while released, dumped prototypes are the least desirable. That said, here's a general order of desirability, ordered by Most -> to -> Least Desirable.
For released games:
Beta -> Alpha -> Pre-Final -> Final
Prototype collectors for games that have been released appreciate content that's different than the final release. The beta versions are most likely to be both completely playable but have variant content. This isn't 100% true for every game but the bottom line is that most prototype collectors value a balance of differences with those games from the final builds and playability.
For unreleased games:
Final -> Pre-Final -> Beta -> Alpha
Once again, most prototype collectors enjoy owning content unique to the prototype that they own. That said, if a game is unreleased and undumped, then any game that is as close to a final build means that the content is both unique and likely playable. A finished, but unreleased, title is a bit of a "holy grail", especially if it's by a big name studio or if the game was a highly anticipated but cancelled late in development.
(Answered by RLH)
Q: Should I dump my prototypes and distrbute the data?
(Ok, NA community. Let's make this a group answer since I know the answers to this are likely to be quite diverse.)
A: This is a hotly contested question for a miriad of reasons. For one, there's the question of legality. Whether it's an alpha of an unreleased title or a final build of a well known game, there's always the question of data ownership and rights to long-term archival of software. That said, there are a significant group of people that are adamant about preserving this data for the sake of history.
In the end, each prototype collector needs to ask themselves some questions. These questions include, why do you want to collect prototypes? Is it so that you can build a unique, one-of-a-kind collection? Then you may be inclined to not dump your roms.
Do you care about gaming history? If so, you may want to invest in ROM dumping hardware and pull off the game content from your games before it's lost. Distribution of the ROMs can be up to you. You can pull of the data and choose to personally back it up, but that backing up the ROM, at a minimum, is a good idea for future conservation.
IF you choose to dump your ROMs for a personal archive, keep in mind that ethically you should mention that you've dumped the contents of a game, but not distributed it, if you choose to sell it. Yes, you may not have shared the ROM with the world but after the sale, there's nothing saying won't distribute the content. A dumped cartridge is a dumped cartridge. That can't change. Regardless of whether you choose to share your prototypes or not, the best rule is to be honest with future buyers and let them know you've pulled off the data, but not distributed it.
(Answered by RLH)
