A timeline of RE15's history and the hunt for it (1996-2013)

[Rombie]

i saw someone try and sell martin's modification after someone bought it from someone who torrent his mod. maybe best to cut loose from resident evil community when 1.5 project is over. so many fakes, liers and false informations.

I somehow find it unbelievable that you wouldn't find that in ANY community where that would be the outcome where is a such a demand on ANYTHING on an unreleased game. You're offering up not just more info when you showcase something but the hope to some that a playable build is out there... which of course when you look at the history of it, it's amazing in some ways it has taken as long as it has for what's happened.

The major issue is time. You're looking at almost 16 years of obsession for some people here.... I'm not excusing it, but you honestly can't be that surprised about it. Longer it takes, the more mad people get it seems.

But I agree with Graco, the madness will mostly die off when your build is out there.

[Graco]

i saw someone try and sell martin's modification after someone bought it from someone who torrent his mod. maybe best to cut loose from resident evil community when 1.5 project is over. so many fakes, liers and false informations.

I think after a fully playable and completed 1.5 is released to the community you'll see most of the "hardcore" and shady behavior disappear, with the exception of collectors pursuing the Era 2 and 80% builds. And even then, those of us who have daydreamed of a completed 1.5 for nearly two decades will be content with the IGAS release.

[B.Zork]

i saw someone try and sell martin's modification after someone bought it from someone who torrent his mod. maybe best to cut loose from resident evil community when 1.5 project is over. so many fakes, liers and false informations.

[RMandel]

Well said, Eteponge.

My reasons for not releasing the PVB are clear:

1) Out of respect for the Team. So long as there's any possibility that the actual game code might harm what they're doing with their work on the Trial's game engine (and D.Birkin has talked about this more than once), then it needs to stay out of reach. Remember the stink they raised over DB's fifth (?) MZD build patch? The one with the "cut-and-paste" Magnum code, as he called it? No need to freely hand such ammunition to someone with less scruples than DB when the Team's clearly not finished yet with the Trial. There's more than one person with D.Birkin's or DB's talents out there, after all. Once they're done with the Trial AND have made it available, then I'd say all bets are off. You might even see them release it. I'm not saying they would, but they might. Until then, however ...

2) To scotch those sales going on in the background by the less scrupulous types. My purchase was a very public one, but there have been others you guys don't know about, and I'm not the only person who's paid over US$2000 for a mere copy of the PVB. I went public with those videos so people would know EXACTLY what they were buying. I walked into my purchase eyes wide open (or as much as they could have been at the time) because I was hoping (rather naively, as it turned out) that I could head off the Team's "raw build code" leak before it went any farther. A noble intention gone awry, yes, but I did end up with a copy of the PVB when all was said and done. To be honest, I also wanted the PVB for my own research and I didn't see any other way of getting it at the time, given the "sit on" mentality of its owners. Now that I have it, and have gone through at least some of what they must have or might have gone through, I understand their reasons. Still, I went public to stop those background sales - pure and simple. If I hadn't been told about them by some very well-connected people, I might have kept quiet, too.

People now know that the PVB and the MZD build are pretty much one and the same, once you take away all of the Team's changes/additions - which is what both they and many scene experts (EvilMarshy, biohazard_star, geluda, Carnivol, Enigmatism415, the list goes on) said at the time. Why should you pay for something you essentially already have - unless you're either a purist or prefer to play the game in Japanese?

The only copies of the PVB that now hold value are those three known original discs - and the Team owns one of them. "Mr. Seven Builds" might have another one. I dunno who has the third at this time. I'd say they're worth US$2000-3000 now (and no more) just because they're originals and they're so rare. Everybody else's copies, including mine? I wouldn't give you a plug nickel for them.

Well, gotta go to bed. Works comes early tomorrow. I'll see you guys in a few weeks. Until then ...

P.S. Try trolling the warez boards for RE15 sometime. You'll find all kinds of listings for the 40% build, and ALL of them (at this time) are of the Team's MZD build. I'm sure we have more than one "modern Trotzky" out there lurking in the forums, waiting to grab the PVB as soon as a link's made available. Yeah, hi guys. I know you're out there. I used to be one of your number, about three decades ago. Now I'm older and wiser. No "free ROM on a silver platter" for you, as far as I'm concerned. Go peddle your papers somewhere else.

[Eteponge]

As for RMandel sitting on his build, it's for a good reason, with the Vanilla Build unleaked (to the public) there may still be a possibility of trading it for another build.

This is the reason Team IGAS sat on their copy since January 2012, hoping to negotiate it with someone who has a later or different build (but doesn't have that one).

But most of the RE 1.5 Hoarders of the past simply hoarded it either out of spite, or out of fear of Capcom (or crazed fans), or because they didn't want to lose their money investment by releasing it (apparently a few extra bucks for one individual is worth more to some people than allowing infinite numbers of current and future generations of gamers to enjoy playing it) or as a replacement penis size / ego.

Of the three people I encountered back in 2000-ish who had hoarded the game, two of them seemed paranoid of Capcom (the third was just a dick). But, one of the three professed to me he was "such a huge Resident Evil fan" that it's a damn shame he had no empathy for his fellow fans and kept it fully to himself all these years.

[earthprime]

Out of curiosity, what are your reasons for sitting on the game? People who have found copies of 1.5 talk like they're doing the community a service by burying it, as if it would hurt us to have our own copy.

[RMandel]

Hullo. Had a day off from my new job and thought I'd check in. I miss the scene ....

Most of those people who kept RE15 hidden back then - and now - did/do so for a very good reason: the inevitable fan stampede that occurs whenever word gets out. I got a taste of that myself after I revealed that I had bought that copy of the true 40% raw build off of eBay back in June. You should see some of the emails I got, and the things some folks said about me when I refused to send them a copy or post a download link. Thankfully, none of the major players in the scene were involved in that kind of behavior - and that includes the more prominent members of the Church of the Pure Build, too. They were actually quite understanding in my reasons not to release it. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew people had been selling mere copies for big profits (as in my case) and were planning to do so again, I wouldn't have said anything at all. I would have continued to sit on my copy - just like everybody else did over the years, and as some folks still do. It seemed those sales have stopped now, thank goodness - but still ....

Even this late in the game, even after the release of the Team's MZD build (which is better in many ways and has more content), even with the impending release of the Team's Trial Edition build ... a surprisingly large number of people still want the pure vanilla build (PVB). Oh, well .... And all the fracas that's going on in Aleff's thread right now (September 2013) over what the Team's doing with the Trial ... *laugh* *shakes head*. It's Christmas 2012 all over again. That's the RE15 scene herd mentality for you. It takes only one clap of thunder to spook them.

I don't like secrets or things hidden any more than do you, but sometimes they're for the best - both then AND now. Right, Team? =)

P.S. I've got some vacation time coming up next month. I hope to check back in when it comes. Until then ....

[earthprime]

Greetings everyone. The history for the hunt of 1.5 is incredible ... how the hell did I miss it?! I was active on forums in the late 90's, specifically mail trading posts for TV shows (before DVDs) but I wasn't in to PSX ISO tradings so it looks like I missed the scene. I remember several attempts to find 1.5, but they would always turn up cold, or end with 'a friend of a friend has it'. Its amazing and unsettling to learn what some individuals (in the late 90's) did have copies and kept it hidden for themselves. These people did a disservice to the community. All gratitude and thanks instead go out to the team who worked to find and restore the game for the community to enjoy 15 years later.

[MiLØ]

I'm about 1/4 into it and this is great. Glad to see this type of BH 1.5 history preservation, it's like "behind the scenes" documentary or something. Definitely an interesting read for anyone who missed out on most of the story.

[Scream]

i think time for beer and celebrate is when 1.5 is behind us. will you treat everyone? will need many more than picture of four

I would treat you all to a beer and Sharknado if you like. Though I think I will have to drink them in your honor. ;)

Hmm, that Biohazard Gun Survivor beta video is really gone forever, is that right? That's a shame.. I only really watched that once or twice when I had it as I detested the game.. I remember at the time it was overshadowed by new RE0 N64 and RE GBC movies.

[B.Zork]

i think time for beer and celebrate is when 1.5 is behind us. will you treat everyone? will need many more than picture of four

The 3 different 40% build story is a bit shady. Though I do believe it's a possibility, because at least 4 different builds were compiled from early November to late December, I don't think the development team would be burning them unless some significant changes were being made. Only locations being added (or lacking) in-between does not sound logical, given the way development went during BH 1.5.

they often do daily compiles in the 90s. sometimes even more if showstoppers occur in game engine or hot fixes were tested in script system and balance. is a bit like the roller coaster at amusement park in reverse, saving highest for last. where this misconception of builds on cd-rs being this thing that only occur in state of full moon or similar monthly occurance come from in origin?

Maybe the person who shared this information did not the extensive changes that existed within these builds. Maybe he wasn't allowed to share beyond the superficial changes. Maybe those builds are all the same, but they were modified by someone with tools and knowledge to profit in some obscure auction held by a small elite of private collectors. Who knows.. Perhaps TeamIGAS will share that bit of information with us when the project is released. Or someone else who knows about them will. Time will tell, I guess.

all sources we tracked and logged, or in other form reported to us or mentioned and verified with people, has made it very evident that all same era content indicate all known builds people speak of is somehow derived from us and not many sources. is strange considering otherwise claim made of origins. also a little sad. both for us and idea of creation of a false hope of things that never were or in many way misrepresent itself. food for thought.

[Kegluneq]

(THIA staff feel free to give a fair warning for infracting the rules. It's deserved and I won't contest it. But I want this post done separately)

Kudos for the great work, Richard Mandel.

It just goes to show that it doesn't matter when you hear for the first time about BH 1.5 or join the community. biohazard_star has been here from the beginning and his invaluable knowledge has helped many people to get a grip of the game's layout and progression. Enigmatism415 retired for years from the community and back came in full strength by posting the most detailed and accurate maps we ever saw. And then there's RMandel, who only learned about BH 1.5 and its community after the PSM incident, and did what no other men ever dared to do: a thoroughly and meticulous search on all the history of this prototype and the scene and documented using, what I can best describe as, an Internet format. It's proof that anyone who has passion for BH 1.5 can rekindle the old flames.

I hope that someday you find the time to finish what you envisioned, Mandel.

Best luck to your future. This community will never forget your presence and your contributions.

[Kegluneq]

The 3 different 40% build story is a bit shady. Though I do believe it's a possibility, because at least 4 different builds were compiled from early November to late December, I don't think the development team would be burning them unless some significant changes were being made. Only locations being added (or lacking) in-between does not sound logical, given the way development went during BH 1.5.

Maybe the person who shared this information did not the extensive changes that existed within these builds. Maybe he wasn't allowed to share beyond the superficial changes. Maybe those builds are all the same, but they were modified by someone with tools and knowledge to profit in some obscure auction held by a small elite of private collectors. Who knows.. Perhaps TeamIGAS will share that bit of information with us when the project is released. Or someone else who knows about them will. Time will tell, I guess.

[Zombie_X]

Well at least we know the 80% (final) build still does exist somewhere out there. That thought is still encouraging. It may perhaps surface in time. And the era 2 build does exist! That's awesome. Too bad the era 1 build is not available.

[biohazard_star]

A version with less amount of rooms seems possible, but more rooms sounds a bit fishy as a whole bunch of the missing rooms were only made in the time after the 40% build was compiled.