TRAOD Development Timeline

[Mr Od]

Originally Posted by Jathom95

That's how I've always viewed that cutscene as well, but there's one thing I've always wondered.

Is the idea that she had already had it in her hand while searching him for the painting, then dropped it after she was knocked out? It makes the most sense with how it just shows up next to her after she wakes up.

Another theory is that Kurtis left it there specifically for Lara to take. Or Karel (the shapeshifter) did it.

[Jathom95]

Originally Posted by Mr Od

Another theory is that Kurtis left it there specifically for Lara to take. Or Karel (the shapeshifter) did it.

Likely Karel then if not Lara herself, since Kurtis is surprised to see that she has it later in Bio-Research Facility.

"My Periapt Shard. You..."

"Picked it up in the Louvre, yes. After you stole MY painting."

[Mr Od]

Originally Posted by Caesum

19-20.06.2002 - A list of zones in Paris and Prague is made. Interestingly enough, each of the two locations consisted of only 6 zones, suggesting the game had fewer, but bigger levels that were later split into smaller ones. ...

Interesting, indeed! The first three levels (Parisian Backstreets, Derelict Apartment Block, and Industrial Rooftops) and the Parisian Ghetto hub area were clearly meant to be only two levels, yet big. This is witnessed by the fact that the first three levels contain elements of each other which are not mere backdrops. Among the suggestions for TR6 Remastered I proposed that this be finally implemented, and the levels be merged: https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho...postcount=1197

[Caesum]

Originally Posted by Jathom95

Likely Karel then if not Lara herself, since Kurtis is surprised to see that she has it later in Bio-Research Facility.

"My Periapt Shard. You..."

"Picked it up in the Louvre, yes. After you stole MY painting."

The earliest mention of Periapts in this cutscene that I could find is in story_2001_11_07_ tr_the_lost_dominion_paris.pdf file and it is as follows:

POINT 6-21:

CUTSCENE - Kurtis has a SECURITY OVERRIDE GADGET which also slows Lara and the gunmen. Lara manages to roll under the last of these and their pursuers are delayed. Kurtis may use his Glaive to cut through the locks on door obstacles. He slices through the chains holding a giant gong above the next doorway, the gong falls behind Kurtis, Lara just manages to dive through the gap, Gunderson is trapped on the other side.
The chase continues outside the Louvre. Kurtis skids round a corner ahead of Lara. Out of sight of Lara he gets thumped by an unseen assailant –spooky shadows and tilted angles.

(It’s Shapeshifter in security guard’s uniform.)

Lara dashes round the corner, sees Kurtis and bends over him to check on him. She gets knocked out too. From Lara’s POV we see the figure in guard’s uniform in a tracking shot, as he strides off with the painting. Without breaking stride the guard goes behind a pillar and emerges on the other as one of Bouchard’s thugs we have seen earlier.
This is the 2nd clear Shape shifter signal in the game. All others so far have been much subtler i.e. some of the Paris characters Lara meets having subtle telltale signs.

Lara recovers to find Bouchard slapping her awake. He explains he has been monitoring the Louvre guards’ shortwave messages calling in the police squads. He decided she may need help. (He’s actually there to take possession of the stolen painting and return it to Eckhardt.) She reaches for her gun, it’s gone.
Lara says she must get to Von Croy’s apartment. There are things she must check out – quickly! Bouchard offers to give her a lift to the crimescene. As she gets to her feet she notices her guns are gone. She spots a crystal shard on the spot where the stranger/ Kurtis had been lying. She pockets it quietly.

So even in the narrative documents it's not clear how the Periapt Shard appeared there. In an even earlier document (story_2000_12_20_paris_story_and_storyboard.pdf) there's only this:

Cut-scene: we see the stranger with the painting being coshed out in the street by an unseen assailant as he leaves the Louvre. It’s Shapeshifter in an unremarkable identity. A tracking shot follows him carrying the painting going behind a Parisian poster pillar and emerging on the other side in the guise of one of Bouchard’s thug heavies. (This is the first clear Sh’shifter signal. All others so far have been much subtler.)

This gives us a clear indication that Kurtis was knocked down by Karel (obviously), but the Periapt is not mentioned at all. So it's still not clear if Kurtis lost it or if Karel planted it there.
That being said, if we remember that Karel was helping Lara the entire time, it makes it very convincing that he infact knocked down Kurtis, took his Periapt Shard, then placed it nearby for Lara to find it - and that way helped her in getting one of the tools necessary to kill Eckhardt. It was Karel's plan all along afterall.

Originally Posted by Jathom95

It really highlights that where Core struggled most was getting out of pre-production and settling on ideas. I think it's really sad because as much as they were struggling, they seemed to finally be getting somewhat on track by early 2003 and had the push up to June not happened, I think AOD would've shipped in a much better state than it did, and possibly even better received in general.

I think they've even said over the years if they'd had just about six or so more months, they would've been looking to polish what they had as much as possible.

I agree with you. It seems they got a lot of stuff working and by the time of 2003 most of the stuff was already placed in the game, just buggy. Reborninshadow also noticed that and said that a LOT of cut features are actually just disabled within the code. Some of that stuff was removed so late it managed to find its way into the official companion. It's honestly quite heartbreaking how TRAOD was destroyed by that decision to release TRAOD a few months earlier. It was the final nail to the coffin.

[Mr Od]

Originally Posted by Caesum

... Reborninshadow also noticed that and said that a LOT of cut features are actually just disabled within the code. Some of that stuff was removed so late it managed to find its way into the official companion. It's honestly quite heartbreaking how TRAOD was destroyed by that decision to release TRAOD a few months earlier. It was the final nail to the coffin.

Hopefully everything will be restored in TR6 Remastered: https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho...postcount=4384

[Mr Od]

Originally Posted by Caesum

06.11.2002 - New names are made for the weapons in the game. Probably due to legal reasons [32].

So, they originally intended to use realistic names for weapons, like in previous games.

I don't think that they changed the names to invented ones due to legal reasons, though; it is common practice in games to use realistic names, at least the generic name of the weapon's family, as they were in TR1-5 too.

Let's hope realistic weapon names will finally be implemented in TR6 Remastered: https://www.tombraiderforums.com/sho...postcount=1130

[TRJTA]

Oh wow this is fantastic! I know so much about AOD but a whole development timeline which clearly shows how rocky the road has been and with so much information I never heard is super interesting.

Thanks for doing this!

[Lowrence]

Its a fascinating timeline.

Looking through credits, only Gavin Rummery from the TR1 team was involved - credited as "Additional PC Programming". Richard Morton a level designer from TR2-5 was the lead game designer. Not all the Chronicles team moved onto AOD, it seems a good few must have quit like Andy Sandham.

Project Eden on PC and PS2, from the TR2 team took 4 years to make. Herdy Gerdy PS2 took similar timeframe. Why Core management thought they could develop a much more ambitious AOD with inexperienced developers in 2 years is just insane.

This article has some interesting snippets too:
https://web.archive.org/web/20130531...ngel-darkness/

The story that emerges from Angel Of Darkness’ ashes is a bleak one, with members of Core’s staff leaving due to the constant changes in direction and an upper management unwilling to listen.

Schofield’s sentiments on the experience mirror those of many ex-Core employees: “Angel Of Darkness played like a dog and did not get good reviews. I moved on to other things, scarred and wiser, determined to follow my own path.”