Beta Aesthetics – project, which main goal is bring the part of Far Cry’s pre-release content into vanilla game. The main idea is to combine beta stuff with vanilla’s one, retain the feel and atmosphere of the original game, and add something from beta to it as well.

Please, keep in mind that Beta Aesthetics isn’t about restoration beta version of the game.
Although I try to stick to the canon and preserve the original game’s atmosphere, Beta Aesthetics is a project from an independent author, so my developments may be different from what Crytek developers originally intended. I'm making this project the way I would like Far Cry to be, so I'm not going to absorb everything related to Beta into the project like a sponge.

The main objective of this project is to restore pre-release FC1 content, which is divided into several branches such as:

• Levels
• Characters
• Weapons
• Vehicles

Let’s review each of them.

Based on information that I have, the main FC’s plot was changed several times, and levels changed along with this plot respectively. Therefore, the most optimal solution was to combine the original and pre-release levels in this way: those that don't have significant changes leave as they are. Those that differ markedly from the original levels - restore and adapt.

The list of the levels, which gonna be restored:

• Training
• Fort (contains Carrier+Fort)
• Research (contains Research+Treehouse)
• Temple (contains Catacombs+River)
• Swamp
• Factory
• Mutant
• Dam
• Volcano

Those levels that aren’t included in this list also will be slightly “polished”, i.e. they will be check for any vusial bugs, lighting, etc. and corrected accordingly.

Speaking of characters, I don’t mean story characters (Val, Doyle, Krieger, Crowe), but those that fill the lore and background of the original game – mercenaries and mutants. In this case, the most work will be on the mutants. The reason for this is that mercenaries for the most part only have some visual differences (textures, sounds), when in the case of mutants we have as many as four cutted out subjects:

Mutant Omega. Pre-release screenshot.

Mutant Slug. Pre-release screenshot.

Mutant Bezerker. Pre-release screenshot.

Mutant Rear. Pre-release screenshot.

Yea, I know that based on the FC1's design docs there could have been more mutants, but I've highlighted just the ones that will definitely be returning to the original game.

Speaking of mercenaries, some of them will also get their visual changes towards pre-release version, as well as cut voiceovers.

The game’s arsenal also underwent changes during the development of the game, and that time it had some interesting weapons, such as: Barrett M82, NTW-20, Handheld Mortar, HK G11. 

"Barrett M82" from E3 2002 Build.

"NTW-20" from original game files.

"HK G11" from E3 2002 Build.

"Handheld Mortar" from E3 2002 Build.

All of these weapons will be restored and added to Beta Aesthetics.

The vanilla weapons will undergo almost no changes, except for the Falcon - in early concepts it had an interesting feature, some kind of flash suppressor. In Beta Aesthetics this feature will be restored as an "addon", and will be available in the gameplay as a variation of Falcon with some buffed characteristics.

Falcon with flash suppressor. Screenshot by Maksim Aristov.

There is also some cutted out, but interesting features to restore: “deactivation” animations (when you can see that weapon use hide-in animations while switching between weapons. The vanilla’s one had only hide-out.), and ability to use weapon’s stock as a melee attack. Both features are gonna be restored in Beta Aesthetics too.

The game's vehicle fleet also has some differences (visual mostly) from the release game, including a cutted out one.
In the case of vanilla transportation, the changes will get:

Buggy

Buggy has a variation of two models at once, one with a wheel on the trunk and one with a windshield on the front. In Beta Aesthetics, the buggy will get only the visual part of the changes. The machine gun will remain as it was in the original.

Buggy with a windshield on the front. Pre-release screenshot.

Buggy with a wheel on the trunk. Pre-release screenshot.

Humvee

Humvee. Pre-release screenshot.

Unlike the release version, humvee has a roof and a slightly modified front end. Beta Aesthetics will include both the release and pre-release versions.

Helicopter

At some of pre-release screenshots, it was noticed that the helicopter previously had a machine gun under the cockpit. Otherwise, it is still the same helicopter.

Helicopter with MG under the cockpit. Pre-release screenshot.

Both the release and pre-release versions will be used in Beta Aesthetics, and will have different purposes - the release version will be used for mercenaries reinforcements, the pre-release version for attacks.

In the case of cutted out vehicles, we have the quad, which was found in the game files during the exploration on E3 2002 version of the game. This quad will be restored and finalized for operability in the release version, and will get its own features.

Quad from E3 2002 Build.

Before we get to this category, I'd like to tell you a few things. At this point, progress is negligible, since it's one-man project. I don't want to promise anyone anything, no release dates, etc.. This project is a hobby for me, nothing more, so I devote as much time to development as I can and want. In its scope, the project is really huge and it will take a lot of time to make it real, and a lot of time for pay attention to every detail and every nuance. I want to see the maximum of my abilities and quality in Beta Aesthetics, so... I hope for your understanding.

Also, I have plans to put this category into a separate, updated page that will track all development progress, but for now it will be described here. In the future, there will be a link pointing to this page when it's ready.

Alright, and what about the current Beta Aesthetics progress in details.

At the moment, work is being done on two levels at once: «Dam» and «Mutant». These levels is recreating from scratch, so they are given the most time, the process of recreating these levels is very laborious and resource-intensive.

Dam

The «Dam» level represent a whole reconstruction, based on it’s pre-release version, and it very different compared to the release one.

When the release version was, in fact, just a direct path from the waterfall to Krieger's office, the pre-release version includes a complex of entire bases throughout the island, the river, the dam itself (lol), and, accordingly, Krieger's office, which is also a separate base.

At this moment, level is reconstructed about 75-80%. Still a lot of work to do, but it’s better than nothing, isn’t it?

For a more accurate reconstruction of the concepts, a lot of work has been done in 3DS Max software.
Here is a couple of screenshots and demonstartion of work that was done at the Krieger's office base.

As I said before, in the character branch most work is planned on the mutants, so current progress contains only mutants – Mutant Slug and Mutant Omega.

Mutant Slug

Speaking of Mutant Slug restoring, it can be called complete.

Mutant Slug from Beta Aesthetics.

The model of his hologram from the original files was used as a basis, his texture was found in one of the pre-release MP builds of the game.

The existing model was retopologized, the texture was improved with AI upscaling, and the materials were improved. Animations for the mutant were also created from scratch.
Mutant Slug itself uses the behavior model of Mutant Chimp. Sounds for Mutant Slug were taken from the original game.

Model Retopology & New Material by: operMaks
Skinning, Rigging & Animations by: mvxlnm

Mutant Omega

Mutant Omega has only scripting work at this point.

Due to the fact that except for the model and animations from the pre-release files, there is no more information about this mutant, writing its behavior is based on its animations.

You can see a demonstration of its behavior here:

Please note, that his current state is only at the concept stage, and can be different at the final product.

At the moment he can use several types of attacks, which in turn can vary depending on his health, as well as he can make dodges sometimes.

In the future it is planned to make some improvements to his look, but more on that later :)

Ah yes, and Mutant Bezerker. Although it can’t be call “work”, because all the work with him is a “copy-paste”, since his original model and animations can be easily found in one of the pre-release MP builds.

The only things he need is a sounds (they doesn't exist in any build), and maybe some kind of improvments in his behaviour and characteristics. We'll see about that ;)

By visualization, I mean things like HUD, menu, and other elements related to this branch.

It's no secret that the HUD in Far Cry changed during development more often than anything else. And my favorite variant is this one[LINK]

Based on my preference, I decided to recreate this variation of the HUD, as well as design in a similar style as the menu, and the mod as a whole.

Here is some examples:

HUD from Beta Aesthetics. WIP.

Beta Aesthetics. Main Menu.

Beta Aesthetics. Settings.

Here is also a little showcase of the menu:

There is not much to show here, but anyway, I'll show you some stuff.

So, this is my version of the realization of the quad.

Quad from Beta Aesthetics.

Based on the quad model from E3 2002 build (that I've showed earlier), I finalized it, and modified it for the release version of the game. Also, I changed the texture color to make it more suitable for the general setting of the game and other types of vehicles.

In the future, I have plans for a competent implementation of the steering wheel on the quad, so that the animation of the 3rd person correctly and synchronously display the turns of the steering wheel and hands of the person driving the quad.

There is also recreated buggy model(s). Based on original one, I put some “addons” on it (wheel on the trunk and windshield on the front).

Beta Aesthetics. Buggy - both variants.

There are also some little things that you most likely may not notice, but they are really important and I'll point them out here.

Fix of objects and LODs drawing distance.

Made by Return Team and integrated in Beta Aesthetics as well.

Nuffsaid. Just take a look at the demonstration.

Deactivation animations.

Made by sm1le. Bring back the functionality of "cutted out" weapon deactivation animations. With this one, now the picture looks more complete :)

You can check out how it works on any of my last videos, for example here.

Modified Falcon.
Based on concepts by M.Aristov, that thing was recreated from scratch, using the texture that was part of the original model.
Made by operMaks.
Flash suppressor on the Falcon. Beta Aesthetics.

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Maybe something else?

To be honest, I can’t remember all the stuff that was made in Beta Aesthetics. I can say you for sure that even a little more has actually been done than I've indicated here, but I don't see the point of telling you about every things yet due to their incompleteness or insignificance.

Right now, all my energy and time has been reallocated to finally finishing one of the biggest levels of this project, the "Dam" one (I don't know why I even started the project development from one of the last levels...lol). It is for this reason that you are seeing such a small progress list here.

I would also like to remind you that the project is basically developed by one person. The basis of the project is created from scratch, and doesn't take any other projects as basis and its resources. What was done with the help of other people, I'll indicate below.

Although Beta Aesthetics is a one-man project, it couldn’t exist without the help of the people listed below, for which I'm very grateful to them!

• Return Team (HFCR, IDL, ArnCarveris) – for consultation, providing some fixes and other stuff from their “Return” project.
• operMaks - for helping alot with 3D stuff, consultation.
• sm1le – help with some scripting stuff, consultation, providing to the project some of his works.
• gr1n – help with some scripting stuff, consultation
• Fluorescent Hallucinogen – for providing beta stuff, files, etc. that he found.
• changeroftheways – for his “Exploring development of Far Cry 1” articles and useful information.

I hope I didn’t forget to mention someone else :D

That’s all for now, thanks for reading!
Stay tuned. See ya later!

mvxlnm, June 2023.