Sonic Adventure/List of Builds

This is a list of all distinct Sonic Adventure (+DX) versions that can be obtained today. There is also a lot of information on SA1 development on TCRF, which we recommend if you want a timeline of SA1 development with screenshots and other details.

Dreamcast builds

Let’s start with the original game on the Dreamcast. Note that I’m not including builds that we don’t have, such as the Tokyo Game Show demo and the version used for the Tokyo International Forum unveiling video (assuming the footage comes from a single version of the game).

Gamecube builds

On the Gamecube we have two very interesting prototypes which fueled a lot of SA1/SADX research. Much of the knowledge on the game’s internal workings came from the first Preview prototype years before we got the X360 version with debug symbols. Apart from the prototypes, the builds on this platform haven’t been studied as thoroughly as the Dreamcast version. It is notable that the Gamecube ports have sequenced sound effects, which use a Gamecube adaptation of the MLT file format that was originally introduced in Dreamcast SDKs. Interestingly some character grunts are similar to the ones found in the E3 1999 version of SA1 DC, and some changes to assets are similar to the Autodemo and early prototype screenshots of SA1, but that’s a topic for another post. There is no doubt that SADX code is based on a later version of SA1, most likely 1.005 or International. Also, all versions of SADX have a leftover texture archive with title screen textures from SA International.

PC builds of Sonic Adventure DX (2004)

There are two distinct “base” versions of SADX PC – the original 2004 port and the “Dreamcast Collection” 2010 port. The 2004 port is where it gets really complicated as there were releases in different countries and the details on the actual differences are fuzzy. There are versions released in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, Australia, Israel, Brazil and Singapore, which may have minor differences. I know for sure the EXE in the Hungarian version is different from the “regular” European version. However, I must also say that the differences between these versions are so minor that almost all assets in sonic.exe are placed at the exact same addresses as the US version. One notable exception is the Korean version, which I have included as a separate entry in the table.

All versions of the 2004 port share the same features and downgrades. The 2004 PC port is based on the Gamecube port as it contains strings mentioning REL files. One interesting thing about the 2004 and later ports is that they use the blue water texture in Emerald Coast, which was used in prototypes but replaced with a green one in the final version on the Gamecube. The 2004 version uses WMA files for music and voices unlike the versions before and after it that use ADX. This port also abandons sequenced sound effects and switches to a different soundbank format containing raw PCM WAV files.

The new ports (2010 onwards)

In 2010 SEGA released a bundle for PS3 and X360 called “Dreamcast Collection”, which contains ports of several Dreamcast games including SA1/SADX. Although it is bundled as “Sonic Adventure”, the core game in these ports is based on the 2004 PC version of SADX. However, it does put back the original Dreamcast title screen with ripples. While they share almost all of the downgrades of the original 2004 PC version, for obvious reasons these ports have completely different rendering and sound systems that were developed by SEGA of China. They use shaders for character lighting and switch back to the ADX format for music and voices. Interestingly shaders and textures for water distortion are also included, which suggests that they were going to reintroduce Gamecube water effects, but there is no water distortion ingame. In addition, the soundbank format was revised, and sound effects switched from WAV to ADX.

These ports also introduce many additions wrapped around the original game’s systems, such as a texture replacement hook using DDS textures, support for achievements and online leaderboards, a different main menu system, new screens for credits, controls and tutorials, new fonts etc. Game Gear games are inaccessible (but still technically there), while Mission Mode and Metal Sonic are unlocked via a paid DLC.

This collection was also released on PC twice – in 2011 (physical) and 2016 (Steam). The 2016 version is known as “Dreamcast Collection Remastered”. Little is known about the differences between the 2011 and the 2016 versions, but on the surface they appear to be the same. The version of SADX currently available on Steam is the Remastered version. The Steam version comes with the DLC force enabled, and the Dreamcast title screen is inaccessible. If enabled via hacking, the DC title screen is a static image, although the model for the animated title screen is present in the binary.

These ports are the least researched and for the most part don’t present much interest. However…

X360 prototype builds

In 2020 several development builds of the X360 port were discovered, including a near-final build with debug symbols. The debug symbols have helped a lot in identifying assets and code in the PC version. I’m listing all known builds of the X360 version, including the final one.