[Dude]

This image right here has the caption "This many people never appear onscreen in the final". In fact, that amount of people never occurred onscreen at all ingame. It's a prerendered image. You can tell by looking at the shadows - level objects are casting shadows (not possible in the adventure engine) and the people aren't casting the usual plane-mapped circle shadow, they're casting polygon shadows (also not capable in the adventure engine). The smooth polygon shading also doesn't match the adventure engine's.


This screenshot only shows me one thing, and that is that at one point during development, level models faded into existence once they reached the beginning of the draw distance zone - look at the long road path stemming from the side of the building in the upper left hand corner. Notice you can see the fencing for the sides of the path, but the actual road surface has faded out and then back in. My only reasoning for this feature being removed (as it visually is much more subtle and pleasing) is that it must have been too processor intensive to maintain a steady framerate. Not that sonic adventure had a a steady framerate to begin with.

This post has been edited by Dude: 09 November 2009 - 12:30 AM

[Skyler]

A lot of subtle tidbits being noticed lately. Nice find!

Well, maybe not an actual find, but you know what I mean.

This post has been edited by Moonshadow Caz: 09 November 2009 - 01:20 AM

[Vangar]

That first render might have something to do with rendering during the intro sequence. At least with the same engine used. - There are a lot of people walking around and they cast proper shadows in the intro.

This post has been edited by Vangar: 09 November 2009 - 02:57 AM

[Lobotomy]

This screenshot only shows me one thing, and that is that at one point during development, level models faded into existence once they reached the beginning of the draw distance zone

What about the fact that Tails is in Speed Highway?

Edit: meant Sonic's Speed Highway.

This post has been edited by Lobotomy: 12 November 2009 - 08:30 PM

[Herm the Germ]

What about the fact that Tails is in Speed Highway?

Speed Highway's his final stage, so I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Blue Blood]

Tails' last level is Speed Highway.

EDIT: Beaten

This post has been edited by Blue Blood: 12 November 2009 - 06:34 PM

[Clutch]

The white lines on the roads of Station Square also bizarrely overlap character shadows in the final, like floating textured planes (or at least, they do in DX. The original probably does it too), so I guess that's more evidence for the first picture being pre-rendered.

This post has been edited by Clutch: 12 November 2009 - 06:43 PM

[Lobotomy]

Tails' last level is Speed Highway.

EDIT: Beaten

Yes, but this is a mangled version of Sonic's Speed Highway, with the platform escalator, halfpipe tracks and the Helicopter.

This post has been edited by Lobotomy: 12 November 2009 - 08:27 PM

[BlueSatoshi]

Speaking of the prerelease, didn't some of the characters originally look closer to their Sonic R forms during early development?

[Lobotomy]

Speaking of the prerelease, didn't some of the characters originally look closer to their Sonic R forms during early development?

Yeah, I saw a VERY old video of Sonic's R model going through a loop and off a ramp like the last one in Emerald Coast, but the area looked like Windy Valley. I'd love to see it again if someone has a youtube link.

This post has been edited by Lobotomy: 12 November 2009 - 08:47 PM

[Phos]

Speaking of the prerelease, didn't some of the characters originally look closer to their Sonic R forms during early development?

Yeah, I saw a VERY old video of Sonic's R model going through a loop and off a ramp like the last one in Emerald Coast, but the area looked like Windy Valley. I'd love to see it again if someone has a youtube link.

You wouldn't happen to be thinking of that old Sonic GL video, would you?

[Polygon Jim]

Speaking of the prerelease, didn't some of the characters originally look closer to their Sonic R forms during early development?

Yes.

[Andlabs]

Speaking of the prerelease, didn't some of the characters originally look closer to their Sonic R forms during early development?

Yes; look at the final's Sky Chase models.

[Diablohead]

There was some artwork from SA1 which was the 3d models but all joints were in chunks, like that faster sonic image above, look at his arms.

I would think they found a better way to make the model joints better before release, but some stuff still uses that sausage arm sonic, even the end CG photos I think.

[Lobotomy]

Speaking of the prerelease, didn't some of the characters originally look closer to their Sonic R forms during early development?

Yeah, I saw a VERY old video of Sonic's R model going through a loop and off a ramp like the last one in Emerald Coast, but the area looked like Windy Valley. I'd love to see it again if someone has a youtube link.

You wouldn't happen to be thinking of that old Sonic GL video, would you?

Nope, but the similarities are scary.