Sonic 3 Complete

I suppose I could write something into the online customiser to recalc and fix the checksum, but it seems like I could put that time into things that make any difference.
There'd still be no way to fix it for manual IPS patching.

I'll do some more retro extensions, but I don't think changing the meat of the act 1 to act 2 transitions is on the cards. Running off to the side was mentioned earlier, but what do you do in places like Hydrocity? Also, there is sometimes no side to run off to without loading act 2. It seems kind of strange to then reload exactly the same room anyway...

I want to have a go at properly retro title cards and results screens, but we'll see how that goes. Might not get anything going there for a while, if at all. Hopefully we'll get a Sonic 1 or 2-style main themes option going too - with flamewing's updated driver, I have all the tools I need to make this happen, but I need to do some major tinkering in the space usage department to get that to coexist with the mods I already have in place and need in future.

I'm not super-keen (oho) on separate Super music. My view is that I've already given you the best option, and a way to opt out if you don't like it. Even the Sonic 2 Super music gets massively annoying after a while, and those levels are half the length! That said, if I get a full, consistent set of S&KC tracks that sound wholesomely Mega Drivey and Sonic 3ish, then I'm certainly hoping that this unused theme figures in that set, and maybe I will throw in an option in that case. I do feel that the one you've posted here, muteKi, while quite pleasant and listenable in its own right, doesn't quite capture the Sonic 3 feeling, and that's a criticism I'd honestly level at most renditions I've heard of these, including the original PC ones - which is probably why it's so difficult to make a good MD version.

What I plan to do with Tails in a Sonic and Tails game, when I get around to it, is to have him fly away after the first DEZ2 boss, somewhat mirroring Launch Base. This allows me to use the same "press a button to bring him back" mechanism as I did in LBZ without dealing with remembering more details at starposts and the like, and avoids much of a gameplay change. You can certainly argue that he should be leaving sooner, but I think this is an elegant compromise between gameplay and story consistency. It's never going to be Shakespeare after all.

Interesting that you should mention Blue Sphere Plus. Savegames in Blue Sphere have been on my hit list since the beginning, but S3C Blue Sphere is having a hard time breaking that streak of not being modified since mid-2010 (short of inheriting the new credits font, which I'm assuming nobody objects to from the lack of comment!) An option to play through the S3K stages in order has also been something that's caught my interest recently, because it's one of the features from Sonic Jam I'm still missing. But is there any value in duplicating these features in Sonic 3 Complete when Blue Sphere Plus already does a fine job of them?

 

I want to say "Join the club", but would that tarnish my image too much?

Well, the bits I played of it looked good at least!

Maybe I will work on that stuff sometime. If I do, I'll certainly share anything I put together on that front with you, if you want it for BSP.

 

Just uploaded a new version. This fixes a rather serious error that crept into the last release: in Sonic 3 (default) or Sonic 2 palette mode, Sonic would appear with Knuckles' palette when underwater in Icecap. Thanks to sonictopfan for pointing that out to me.
The only other change is that the Sky Sanctuary sound channel reorganisation is now included in the base ROM and no longer requires a patch.

 

You always keep your shield between acts, but the LRZ boss act is a zone transition (albeit one disguised as no transition at all). Keeping it during an act transition is simply a matter of not deleting it. Keeping it during a zone transition is a matter of remembering and reloading it.