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For the removed content from BioShock, BioShock Infinite and Burial at Sea, see Removed Content.
For the removed content from Singleplayer, see BioShock 2 Removed Content.
For the removed content from Multiplayer, see BioShock 2 Multiplayer Removed Content.

Before BioShock 2's story driven DLC Minerva's Den was released, there were several concepts and ideas explored that were left unused.

Original Pitch[]

Minerva's Den was originally going to be a "retelling" of System Shock 2. Much like seen in the final version, The Thinker was supposed to imitate Charles Milton Porter and guide the player through the game, but unlike the finished product, Charles Milton Porter was dead the whole time which would be revealed at the end of the game. This mirrors SHODAN's role in System Shock 2, where she uses the persona of the deceased Dr. Janice Polito to guide the player. Jordan Thomas and Zac McClendon were not fans of the idea, and so Steve Gaynor, the presenter of the pitch, decided to give the Big Daddy protagonist the identity of Charles Milton Porter. Minerva's Den was still conceptually branched off of System Shock 2, with, as an example, SHODAN being a direct influence to The Thinker.[1][2]

Locations[]

Architecture[]

Oldminervasden

Concept art of Minerva's original design.

Minerva's Den was originally planned to have had a much more Greek appearance. The building would have been quite small compared to Rapture's skyscrapers but would have been built high up on an inactive volcano rather than low down on the seabed as it is in the final game, thus giving it the same height as other buildings in Rapture. Much of the facility would have been hidden inside of the volcano.

Hydro-Power[]

Hydopower

The hydro-electric plant beneath Minerva's Den.

Concept art reveals that the facility's power was retrieved from a hydro-electric power plant built in the caves beneath Minerva's Den. The pumps would have been viewable from The Thinker's chamber. In the end, there is no reference to hydro-electric power in the Den, so it must be assumed that Minerva's Den is being powered by Hephaestus like much of Rapture.

The Big Ben of Rapture[]

Minervasclockconcept

A large clock was originally planned to be located at the top of Minerva's Den. The clock would have been illuminated from the inside, allowing it to be seen from all of Rapture. The gears located in the center of the structure would have been connected to the facility's computer system and would have been explorable by the player.

Although the clock tower idea did not appear in the finished version of Minerva's Den, a large glass clock was incorporated into the boardroom of the Den's Executive Wing.

Additional The Thinker Statues[]

The Thinker Development Models

A development image for The Thinker level features two additional Rodin's The Thinker statues, in front of the computer of the same name. In the final version of the DLC, a Circus of Values and El Ammo Bandito vending machines are in the statues' place instead.

McClendon Robotics Mural[]

Pre-Launch McClendon Robotics Entrance

The original mural.

The mural seen in the entrance hallway was original slightly different. While the overall concept and layout of the mural stayed the same, the Baby-Minder stroller was originally a Vacuum Bot, the couple looking at a jewelry display had a different appearance, and the "makes life better" slogan read "Life is better". There was also no visible damage on the mural.

Objects[]

Note: For location-specific objects, see the "Levels" section.

Audio Diaries[]

This is a list of every Audio Diary that was not included in the final version. Please refer to the legend below for clarity in their appearance.

CoR: in the audio files and displayed on the Cult of Rapture website.

AF: in the audio files.

Tr: only present in the game's files as a transcript.

Minerva's Den[]

The Thinker[]

Radio Messages[]

Minerva's Den[]

For unused radio messages from this level, see Unused Radio Messages: Minerva's Den.

Operations[]

For unused radio messages from this level, see Unused Radio Messages: Operations.

The Thinker[]

For unused radio messages from this level, see Unused Radio Messages: The Thinker.

References[]

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