Gabriel Knight 3 - Unveiled secrets - Dr. Bonny Ploeg

[Signore Buchelli]

The developers of GK3 left an highly useful tool behind them. That tool is within the game itself and is called "Console". With the console any one of us can extract any resource of GK3. The resources are images (bmp), sounds (wav), lines of dialogue (wav), subtitles (txt), documents (doc), models (mod), ..., ...

Thanks to the console and other fan-tools, Dr. Bonny Ploeg found a lot of resources that weren't used in the final version of GK3; resources left behind by the developers. Bonny named them "secrets". I highly recommend to read her page of secrets. If she had studied to be archaelogist, today there wouldn't be any Pharaoh under ground! Her digging work under GK3 is very impressive.

[Signore Buchelli]

Dr. Ploeg needs our help:

There is still one huge unveiled secret on GK3:

On the disks of the original US copy (and ONLY the original US copy) you can find 6 unused BINK files. GK3's BINK files are mainly introduction and ending, and some chapter startup/ending videos and Gabe's visions. When compared to the other BINKs, the unused ones are massive.
They are called:
day1-1.bik 76.615 KB
day1-2.bik 38.308 KB
day2-3.bik 49.801 KB
day2-4.bik 99.601 KB
day3-c.bik 45.378 KB
day3-d.bik 22.689 KB

They're BINK files, but when you try to fire them up with RAD, the program tells you that they are not Bink files.
The names? There are day2-1 and day2-2, these are the visions of the murder scene. day3-1 is Montreaux cellar, day3-2 is escape from the vineyard, day3-3 and day3-4 are Emilio's explanation, day3-5 is the Walking Jew, and day3-6 to day3-b are the ending. GK3 ends rather abrupt, with the freed unicorn vid and the theme that stops playing suddenly... what could it be?

Opening them with FreeFileViewer or getting the strings hasn't yielded any results: FreeFileViewer is able to play BINKs and can find data anywhere, but opening one of the six mystery files gives you absolutely nothing. NotePad will crash on you if you try, once I did get to save the smallest bik as a text document, it was a long long set of Asian script. There can't be nothing in there, seriously! They're huge!

Soooo.... anybody have any ideas on how we can crack them?

[Signore Buchelli]

The 'bad' files are still in the GOG-version and keep being in the 'Data' subfolder.

I have found a web-page about the bink format.
I've checked the 6 'bad' .bik files and all the headers of the files are different (not 'BIK'). They could be 'propertied' binary files (propertied by Sierra; only Sierra developers could know the format). The header of all playable .bik files is 'BIK'.

I've written a comment at Scott Bilas' blog asking for help. Now to wait for the answer ...

[MikPal]

day1-1.bik 76.615 KB
day1-2.bik 38.308 KB
day2-3.bik 49.801 KB
day2-4.bik 99.601 KB
day3-c.bik 45.378 KB
day3-d.bik 22.689 KB

The most likely option was that they were placeholders for the actual videos, that got cut out in the end and the placeholders were never removed. Or they're just still images, since sometimes .bik-files are used as stills.

[BBP]

Thanks for your insight!

There's been a lot about Gabriel Knight 3 that's been cut, but is still on the CDs: for instance the original Cat Hair Moustache files, a room in the temple, and tons of smaller rooms and objects, even some lines that I guess were too risque. Oddly - very few placeholders. Some fun placeholders are still in the barns, like this early Arms Of Jesus poem:



These files have me perplexed for a number of reasons:
-They're huge in comparison to the rest of the BINK files, the largest one would be about 15 minutes long;
-The naming ties in well with the other files. File naming is rather consistent in GK3 and has often helped me at identifying stray lines - partly why I just can't settle for them being "nothing".
-I tried numerous programmes to open them: FreeFileViewer (can view Binks) shows absolutely nothing. The browser-based hex editor hexed.it shows all the hex numbers, combined with the page Buchelli links to, and with the other BINK files when you open them in the same programme, you can tell that they're not similar. Aside from the name "bink" which they've gotten, there is no information in them whatsoever that indicates what sort of file it might be.

Aaanyway that's a long story.


For now I'll leave you with this passport modification that didn't make it:

[Signore Buchelli]

Or they're just still images, since sometimes .bik-files are used as stills.

Thanks, Mikael. I'm from Spain and I don't understand. What are 'still images'? 

[Signore Buchelli]

Aaanyway that's a long story.

At the weekend I've seen in the Barn Browser that they (GK3 Team) used 2 methods to compress the resource files: LZO and LZib.

2 options:
- I'm looking for tools to decompress the .bik files or, more specifically, very large binary streams.
- I want to add a .bik file to a .brn file (repositories in GK3, like .assets in Unity), change the compression mode with NotePad++ or an HEX Editor, and extract the file with Barn Browser.

I'll start with the first option because the second is beyond my reach at this moment. 

[Quelea]

The technical details of this are far beyond my understanding, but undiscovered and unused content is always interesting. I'll be interested to see what else you uncover. I hadn't seen Dr. Bonny Ploeg's site either, so thanks for the link.

[BBP]

GK3 has LOTS of cut material! Searching that was so rewarding I ended up burrowing through a lot more games.

I also have a blog on it:
http://bbp4games.tumblr.com/
It has some of the most rewarding finds on the GK3 disks: the old Cat Hair Moustache, the missing room,

Right now I'm replaying GK3 again: if there's anything new I'm browsing I usually put it on the SierraHelpPages forum first:
http://www.sierrahelp.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=3963

[Signore Buchelli]

These files have me perplexed for a number of reasons:
-They're huge in comparison to the rest of the BINK files.
-The naming ties in well with the other files.
-I tried numerous programmes to open them, but failed.

Other reason:
The date of the 6 .bik-files is the same: 1999-10-28 (at least one month after the rest); and the hour:
day1-1.bik: 03:10
day1-2.bik: 03:11
day2-3.bik: 03:11
day2-4.bik: 03:11
day3-c.bik: 03:11
day3-d.bik: 03:12
I'm completely sure that they were extracted (or something similar) in the same process.

Even more, the game was released before Christmas-1999. So, why did they (GK3 Team) put them in the discs at the last moment? My little Theory of the Conspiration: "It wasn't a mistake, Scott Bilas & his guys did it on purpose, but camouflaged his misdeed". 

[BBP]

It's more likely that it was a mistake. Sometimes sets of rear ends, like placeholders, get removed in a newer version. The original release of GK3 has, among others, a ZIP file with early 3D models and an HTML file of Christian Ritter's letter from GK2 that are removed from later releases. There are tens of thousands of files involved with making the game, and if you're not sure about whether or not you can remove a file, better leave it on.

[Signore Buchelli]

It's more likely that it was a mistake.

Ok. Forget it, please. It has been a silly idea of mine. Sorry. 

[snabbott]

Or they're just still images, since sometimes .bik-files are used as stills.

Thanks, Mikael. I'm from Spain and I don't understand. What are 'still images'? 

"Still" as in not moving.

[Signore Buchelli]

"Still" as in not moving.

Ok, understood. Thanks, Steve. 

[Signore Buchelli]

KEN WILLIAMS

In the resource files of GK3, Dr. Bonny Ploeg found 3 hidden lines of dialogue about Ken Williams:
Gabriel: "It all comes down to really *knowin'* a person."
Mosely: "So that's what you call it!"
Mosely: "Knight! That's no way to talk about Ken Williams!"

I've recorded a sound clip with the 3 WAV files extracted from the resource files of the game. The voices are Tim Curry and David Thomas, so it was thought of showing to the players of the game (we), but finally it didn't happen.

That incomplete conversation needs to be undestood in the context of the situation of Sierra company at 1997..1999:
Sierra was sold in 1996 to CUC International at a price of approximately $1.5 billion. Immediately after the sale, Ken Williams stepped down as CEO of Sierra. He stayed with the software division as a Vice President of CUC so that he could provide strategic guidance to Sierra and began to work on CUC's online product distributor, NetMarket. One year later, Ken and Roberta Williams left CUC.
The sale of Sierra caused a lot of problems to Sierra's employees; for more information about that, read the post-mortem by Scott Bilas.

Anyway, Jane Jensen always speaks in highly favorable terms of Ken Williams. In my humble opinion, without Ken Williams we would never have seen Gabriel Knight.   

[BBP]

Well... I have made 26 videos worth of Gabriel Knight 3 outtakes.

Notes: All the audio file code's names will roughly show you where and when it was used. They all have a matching YAK file, which contains the subtitle information, and lip sync.
In cut lines from discussions I like to blend them in.
I made these while I was digging - there were times when I wrapped it up, then later found that there was still more fun stuff and made another video. There were some files about objects in the scene outside the hotel, that I later found was part of the Original Cat Hair Moustache (OCHM).
And of course there are lines that I later found were in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKow7OaF1_4
1a: This one begins with odd moans.
The infamous day3 2AM closing video (it's called Destiny Catches Up in the Time Block Bible) is silent, but originally it had text.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXHRaLrFIUE
Hors Series: Lines that Madeline says on the phone, the first two didn't make it into the game. Probably because the five minute time gap is tight enough as it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WE4sz1aJcQ
#1b: Wilkes singing, and The Cat Returns. (which is also an anime in which Tim Curry has a voice.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8wCa4D59aI
#1c: One removed location, the Tour Magdala Staircase, has quite some fun lines!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hfP6Lmh4UE
#1d: Deleted line from the museum harp tapestry that was too risque.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tCHo-e5Bn8
#2: Burgling lines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4nsu_dLh6I
#3: Tree lines that I later found were from OCHM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCahpwg6O1s
#4: Game teaser audio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INuiWvpZSHI
#5: Deleted scene between Gabe and Wilkes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aUaT1frfgs
#6 turned out to be in the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2PyvtB1Bhg
#7A: A string of Gabe lines. I included the Clue reference deliberately so that the people at the Tim Curry fanforum I frequent could hear it too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTXssAJcLeU
#7B: A string of Grace lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW-XRa1WRcw
#8: Missing lines from the temple chessboard room, hinting towards an extra puzzle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQgA3B7xDFg
#9: Deleted from the Montreaux interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxamibd8U5Y
#10: Missing temple room. One large puzzle was cut from the temple. I got to ask Adam Bormann, he didn't remember it and promised to check if he still had some art related to it - the GK4Campaign forums unfortunately closed down before he came back with an answer.
It seems like a maze with puzzles relating to the quaternity (square). This would go between the Pendulum/Scales (circle) and the Solomon (hexagram) puzzles, so the map geometry is repeated in the temple. Nice huh! The artwork is from a tile that isn't used in the game, but the figure can be seen in the credits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8TvWLpYgIQ
#11: Deleted lines from Emilio confrontation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-S5BQdapmk
#12: At Wilkes at l'Homme Mort.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8xWaZq_n5I
#13: Miscellaneous Gabriel lines

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBOk2t3Nt9w
#14: A lot of miscellaneous Grace lines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itZ_PZaDC0s
#15: Remotely interesting unused lines that I clustered together.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyLSx5ueaKk
#16: Chitchat with Simone that didn't make it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMhvsezo_Q0
#17: Removed dialogue with Larry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA25IgQdLMY
#18: The REAL Cat Hair Moustache!!! Includes original artwork from the puzzle. And there's a line from Grace about a Wet T-shirt Night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgj-1gkjszM
#19: None of these have a matching YAK, but you can guess where they'd go...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVqngRClt9s
#20: Outtakes by Mallory (black-haired Scot, voiced by Tom Kane) - some are from lines that would later go to McDougal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AgrrsUvTJM
#21: The bridge game was supposed to give you another opportunity to get Emilio's fingerprint.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re8gDeC1k4g
#22: Originally there'd be an alarm clock in Room 25.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKssvcOwEw4
#23: Two missing lines from the Temple discussion just after you crossed the flickering tile bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCSp3hEzXyI
#24: Missing lines from the pendulum room: you were supposed to be able to look at the objects on the spinning disks. Instead Gabe just jumps there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGPflzsK37k
#25: At The Site, you can click on the surrounding landscape, it's an object - but it's missing its lines. Here they are!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNHp_EnRMf8
#26: Missing Location 3
This is an entire location that was cut - there was nothing here besides roadsigns.



Back when I first started digging in 2010, I briefed my findings straight through to the GabrielKnight4Campaign forum. It's now gone, but there's Archive.org. At one point, Adam Bormann showed up and answered some questions. The site is now gone, but there's still archive.org!
https://web.archive.org/web/20101228134446/http://www.gabrielknight4campaign.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=294&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

[Signore Buchelli]

Scott Bilas left for us (archaelogists) a little message about the caverns of Gabriel Knight 3. Curiously, the message was removed from the Spanish version, but it is still present in the GOG-English version.
The message (!!!Readme.txt):

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    GABRIEL KNIGHT 3
    Resources Readme
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GK3 is a data-driven game, meaning that very little of it is hard coded,
requiring changes to the EXE. The majority of its scenes are completely run
by scripts and configuration files. For the player, this means that much of
GK3 can be customized or even rewritten... Interested?

We never exactly planned to officially release any of this stuff to the
public, given time, money, and sanity constraints. So most the docs you are
about to read are in many cases unfinished, out of date, outright lies, or
perhaps written by somebody's fourth grade son. So experiment at will! GK3 is
not going to reformat your hard drive or give your dog the flu. The worst that
will happen is the game will lock up. No big deal, happens to us in development
all the time.

Given that you can read this file, you've already figured out the Extract()
command. Use this command to find these other key GK3 documents:

  ClothesAnm.doc              DataUsage.doc
  Footstep.doc                GAS.doc
  GK3 Fonts.doc               NVC.doc
  Official Eggs.doc           Persistence.doc
  Registry Spec.txt           Sheep Engine.doc
  SIF.doc                     Sound Track Files.doc
  TimeBlockBible.doc

The .brn files that you see on the CD's and installed on your hard drive are
"barn" files - spindled and mutilated resources packed into large volumes for
efficiency. There are over 27000 resources as of this writing, which you'll
find in gk3.log (created during your Extract("","") call). You can extract
those files out and modify them if you like. Or you can add your own. To get
GK3 to use them, you must tell it where they are, and that they are of higher
priority than the barn resources so they will override. To do this, add a
"Custom Paths" entry to your INI file or registry. See the "Registry Spec.txt"
file to find out how to do this.

Enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         
Scott Bilas
GK3 Technical Lead

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Signore Buchelli]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKow7OaF1_4
1a: This one begins with odd moans.
The infamous day3 2AM closing video (it's called Destiny Catches Up in the Time Block Bible) is silent, but originally it had text.

The first 2 times I played Gabriel Knight 3 I finished the game thinking that GK3 was the only game of the GK-serie without sex. Can you believe it? 

GRACE'S PREGANCY

In the resource files of GK3, Dr. Bonny Ploeg (aka BBP) found the definitive proof of Grace's pregnancy.

These are the lines of dialogue of the last conversation between Grace and Emilio:
GRACE: why doesn't he say something!
EMILIO: It is over. God be praised! Everyone is safe.     
GRACE: They are? Are you sure?
GRACE: Where are you going?
EMILIO: To the Master. (GENTLE, REFERRING TO HER PREGNANCY) Good-bye, dear one. You must take very good care of yourself now.
GRACE: Good-bye.
EMILIO: Remember: When one path to your destiny is blocked another will appear.

"(GENTLE, REFERRING TO HER PREGNANCY)" is a remark by developers (by Jane Jensen probably) that does not appear in the subtitles of the game, but it is present inside "E1HE4Y4PV9N.YAK" resource file. A YAK file contains information about a line of dialogue: WAV file to play, the speaker (character), caption or subtitle to display, and lip-synchronization for the character's face.

I've extracted the YAK file from my GOG-english version of GK3. You can check yourself that the remark exists!

I have also extracted the YAK file (S1HE4Y4PV9N.YAK) from my original-spanish version, and the remark is present as well: "(REFIRIÉNDOSE A SU EMBARAZO)"; though they didn't translate the word "GENTLE".

It isn't the best moment (no plans for GK4) for this question, but we are free to imagine.
Sooooooo, how would you prefer the next Schattenjager? Boy or girl?
My opinion: Gabriel, Philip (father), Wolfgang (uncle), Heinz (grandpa), Gunter, Christian, Victor, all boys. It's time for a little blonde-japanese girl.
And the name? Gerde, Gerde Knight. (named after Wolfgang and Gabe's all German ancestors)

Thanks a lot for the bunch of hidden audios, Bonny.

[Signore Buchelli]

Last year I found at Pinkerton Road website's subfolders the Design Bibles of GK1-2-3 by Jane Jensen. I've uploaded the PDFs to this folder.

The Design Bibles are a kind of early scripts for videogames. They come in handy for clear up some 'dark' points of the games. Example: I used it to know what's going on in the Intro of GK2; some telltale scenes of the script were removed in the game/film.

GK2 and GK3 Design Bibles are complete, but GK1 Bible only includes the 'Book I'. I was unable to find the 'Book II', as well as the 'Gray Matter Design Bible', though I tried with all my might. If anybody has them or knows where they are, I'd appreciate it if you could share them with us.

I also have inside my computer the scanned Official Guides of GK2-3. They are very large to be uploaded (more than 200MB), but if anybody is interested on them, I'll upload. In GK2's guide there are exclusive interviews with Jensen, Binder, Erickson, Takahashi and others. In GK3's there are a lot of little details that I overlooked while playing the game. They are mainly for hard-core gamers.

[BBP]

Thanks for posting them! I'm reading GK3's one right now. Interesting find in there:

And then there’s Grace, fawning over Prince James’s
new baby son in a most uncomfortable fashion (is she trying to give Gabriel a hint?).

I've contacted David Aughenbaugh, who was video editor on GK3, about the mysterious bik files. Haven't heard from him yet.