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Battlezone II Demo
Bz2DemoEnd4
Information
Date: 1999-08-27
Period: Late 1990s/Early 2000s

The Battlezone II Demo was released in late August 1999 to promote the upcoming release of Battlezone II,[1] and within three weeks had gained over 200,000 downloads.[2] It contained an exclusive mission set on the alien planet Mire during the ISDF invasion,[3] which though present within Battlezone II's files is not playable.[4]

Differences from Release Version[]

The demo exhibits several characteristics and features of the game that were changed or removed during development. For the most part, the assets contained within the demo are included amongst Battlezone II's files but left unused.

  • Upon launching the demo, the player is given the option of taking command or acting as wingman to the AI.
  • Sentries and Guardians in the opening cutscene appear to wield AT-Stab and Guard Cannon respectively.
  • Weapons wielded by most Scion craft - the Lancer particularly - appear different.
  • The Scion Gun Spire takes up four terrain squares instead of one.
  • The HUD is significantly different, using solid areas akin to those of Battlezone instead of Battlezone II's translucent components.
  • Weapon reticles use the same sprites found in Battlezone.
  • Minigun fire is orange rather than blue.

Unreleased Demo Content[]

During Battlezone II's earlier development in 1998 Pandemic Studios created another demo, scheduled for release on December 15 of that year.[5] The only part of this demo that remains is Bz2001, a map present in the final game but that cannot be read by any version of its engine.[4] Its script was included the DLL Source Pack release.

Also found in the DLL source pack is the mission script for a removed demo mission similar to Through the Looking Glass; this could be from the same demo, but this is unlikely due to the script's similarity to the finished product. The only significant difference in the mission is that the player would be under Shabayev's command for the entire mission; she would guide the player in creating the base, then lead them in exploring the ruins before investigating on foot. Shabayev would be injured on approach to the ruins after hopping out of her tank rather than being shot down.[6]

References[]

  1. Downloads on pandemicstudios.com, archived 1999-10-12
  2. Official Battlezone II Site on pandemicstudios.com, archived 1999-10-12
  3. Battlezone II Demo, Battlezone II Demo (Mission)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Battlezone II, data.pak
  5. DLL Source Pack, demo03Mission.cpp
  6. DLL Source Pack, adg1.cpp
Battlezone Series
Games Battlezone (Battle Grounds · The Red Odyssey · Rise of the Black Dogs · Gold Pack) · Battlezone II: Combat Commander
Remasters Battlezone 98 Redux (Battlezone 98 Redux: The Red Odyssey · Battlezone 98 Redux: Odyssey Edition)
Soundtracks Battlezone (The Red Odyssey · Rise of the Black Dogs · Early Test Soundtrack) · Battlezone II (Battlezone II Music Pack)
Demos Battlezone (Instant Action · The Red Odyssey) · Battlezone II
Strategy Guides Battlezone · Battlezone II
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