San Francisco Rush 2049 Dreamcast Prototype Release

San Francisco Rush 2049 Dreamcast prototypes

The reason Rush San Francisco was so much fun to play was not the original intent of the game (to be first) but to exploit the physics of the vehicles and find the shortcuts hidden in the nooks and crannies of the races. Players spent more time creating their own stunts like directors of the greatest action movies at the expense of the race itself which traditionally translated into "Follow the track and get there first.".

The replayability was not left out, to encourage the use of shortcuts and the exploration of all the tracks, the designers had slyly placed silver and gold coins, some of which were difficult to access. By finding them all, bonus cars, for example, were unlocked. This concept was borrowed from platform games. Rush 2049 is full of secrets.

Rush 2049 is divided into three parts, the race mode, the stunt mode and the multiplayer mode. 6 tracks based on existing San Francisco routes are available, in a futuristic world set in 2049.

The cars will be able to unfold wings when they are in the air, which will help control the rotation of the vehicle or stabilize it and thus avoid a hard landing on the roof. The developers were ingenious in adding this welcome feature and bringing new thrills.

The stunt mode that appeared in Rush 2 was back. The goal is simple, to do as many acrobatic tricks as possible at the wheel of your car to get as many points as possible. From rollover to 2 wheels, you have to be imaginative to dazzle the judges !

The Rush San Francisco series is no longer a simple racing game, it is a driving adventure. The graphics and the rigid handling must be ignored, the fun is there. After all, that's the most important thing, isn't it ?

The specificities of the Dreamcast build of February 17, 2000:

This Dreamcast prototype of San Francisco Rush 2049 is dated February 17, 2000, about 6 months before the final version. The annotation on the GD-R mentions it as an Alpha. It is the earliest build known to date.

While browsing the game files, after extracting its content, a short video in SFD format is specific to the prototype. It is a short animation for the logo of San Francisco Rush 2049 not used in the final version.

There is no "Rush 2049" logo displayed on the Dreamcast memory card. (to be confirmed).

The presentation windows of the different video and audio codecs (MPEG Sofdec and ADX) used to develop the game are not displayed when turning on the console and starting the prototype.

Logo animation comparison

The next screen, the copyright screen for Midway and Sans Francisco Rush 2049, has some writing differences. For example, in this prototypical version, the game is called simply Rush 2049, certainly the working name of the title. Moreover, the name of the game is named as such in the GD-Rom Explorer program.

prototype

Final

Midway Copyright San Francisco Rush 2049 DC.jpg

Before reaching the title menu, the player is normally invited to view the animated logos of the publisher and the title. In the beta, they are not there. The title screen appears directly after Midway's Coypright.

The title screen does not have the copyright "1999 MIDWAY GAME WEST INC.". The developers had opted for another design of the title "San Francisco Rush 2049". It is simply noted "PRESS START" instead of "PRESS START BUTTON". During the auto-demo, pressing START will bring up the main menu. Normally, the game should return to the title screen.

San Francisco Rush 2049 Dreamcast prototype Main Title.jpg

Dreamcast final Sans Francisco Rush 2049 title.jpg

Small temporary wings, fly, fly!

San Francisco Rush 2049 Midway Dreamcast prototype.jpg

Welcome to San Francisco

San Francisco Rush 2049 Dreamcast gd r town.jpg

The future is now!

San Francisco Rush Midway Dreamcast beta.jpg

The option to select to browse the game website in the main menu, "WEB SITE", is not yet implemented.

Main menu (button location)

There is no music in the different menus of Rush 2049. The sound effects, the sounds used when navigating or selecting an option in the game menus are not the same as we are used to hearing. You have to have an ear for it !

The indication to go back, by pressing the "B" button, at the top left of the main menu, is something that is only found on the Alpha version of Rush 2049 while the information to validate and go to the next menu by pressing "A" is at the top right and not at the bottom right.

When choosing to enter the "RECORDS" menu, the developers had not yet worked on this page. The following message appears instead of the best times per race: "The is nothing to see here move along, move along".

In "OPTIONS", the order of the sub-options is not correct. "NEGATIVE POINTS" seems to be specific to the build. "ODOMETER" and "COIN" do not exist. The help to know how to go back to the previous menu, located at the top left of the window by pressing "B", is not present.

Rush San Francisco 2049 prototype Dreamcast main menu.jpg

Provisional message

Rush San Francisco Dreamcast prototype Records.jpg

When changing the settings in "AUDIO", the default values are not the same between the commercial version and the prototype. It is impossible to select "SPEAKERS" because the option is not present.

To reset the default settings for "VIDEO", press "Reset to Defaults" which should normally be titled "Initial Settings".

San Francisco Rush 2049 Dreamcast prototype Audio.jpg

Once the game settings are configured in the main menu (video, option, audio etc.), we go to the next window which is "PLAYER 1". The information written on the screen is not the right one, a picture is better than 10 000 words to explain it :

San Francisco Rush 2049 Prototype Dreamcast Player 1.jpg

Final San Francisco Rush 2049 for Dreamcast.jpg

The first thing that jumps out when playing the prototype is the design and presentation of the different menus. They are basic and temporary as you can see on the pictures above. The font is not the same, the selectable items are not highlighted in a box. The "A" and "B" buttons, to go back or go to the next window, are non-existent except in the main menu. All menus have these features.

The next step is to choose the game mode between 6 possible ones (SINGLE RACE, PRACTICE, GHOST RACE, CIRCUIT, STUNT and OBSTACLE (secret)). But this is on the retail version because the "GHOST RACE" and "CIRCUIT" modes are not present without forgetting "TIME TRIAL" which must correspond to the "PRACTICE" with a time delay of 1000 seconds before the game ends.

All game modes, all races and all vehicles are unlocked in this prototype version, no need to progress to unlock bonuses !

Game modes

Rush San Francisco 2049 Dreamcast GD R.jpg

In the menu of the choice of circuits, the game mode and the number of players previously validated are registered. They should not be. An image representing the race should be displayed to the right of the track as well as a small logo (flag) Rush 2049. Various new options, such as "LAPS", "GRAVITY" and "DEATHS" allow to modify race parameters in "TIME TRIAL" mode. As the races had no name at the time of development of this prototype, they are simply called "TRACK 1, 2, 3 etc.". Race 1 will later be called MARINA. Some of these differences are present in all game modes.

Where are the wheels?

Unfinished Car San Francisco Run 2049 prototype Dreamcast.jpg

Select Track Dreamcast prototype Rush San Francisco 2049.jpg

Select Track Rush San Francisco 2049 Dreamcast.jpg

In the car selection menu, the default colors of the vehicles are not the same. Some cars are not finished, the wheels may not fit properly. They are not polished. Two cars are new to the build (CAR 7 and 13), they are only playable here. By changing the vehicle settings (Engine, Tires etc.), the interior view should show, for example, the engine compartment, however, on the prototype, the interior view is represented by a green grid model of the car. As with the circuits, the cars have provisional names. The specifications of the cars are not shown on the left side of the screen (Top Speed, Acceleration etc.). They should be running on some sort of metallic gray podium that is not present. Some car settings seem new or their names change.

San Francisco Rush 2049 Car Dreamcast GD-R.jpg

By playing the "OBSTACLE" mode, 2 parameters of the race, unique to the prototype, allow to modify the value of the wind and the fog. This race is not finished, its progress was at a very early stage.

San Francisco Rush Dreamcast prototype Obstacle Race.jpg

When playing the "STUNT" mode, there is a missing arena on the prototype, "The Rim". The levels are not finished. Textures are different and the layout of some arenas is different.

Rush San Francisco 2049 prototype Dreamcast Stunt.jpg

The player interface will have some big changes between the Alpha version and the commercial version. It should be the interface of the Rush 1 and 2 of the Nintendo 64.

Single Race San Francisco Rush 2049 Dreamcast prototype.jpg

San Francisco rush Dreamcast Single Race.jpg

If the layout of the races is the same, the scenery has differences, no checkered starting line, textures that change, no animations, no ads, the starting line can be placed a few meters backward or forward etc.

new car