Download (Sonic Hacking Contest 2015 – Entry Page) [hr] About: The idea of this hack is to use the Debug Mode as an actual part of the game play (SpikeDebug™ Mode). However, the ability to teleport has been removed. Also, all items have been deleted from the debug list... except for one. Spikes. And not just one type of spikes. The diversity of these three-set needles adds anything from regular speed boosting and bouncy to fragile and exploding. The SpikeDebug™ Mode's great variety of pain bringers leaves no hedgehog's desires in the dirt! Only their blood. (That wasn't a joke. This hack contains blood.) This is a very tiny hack, only consisting of three stages. "Demo Stage" is the only complete stage which is a single continuous loop to show off the different spike types. The other two test stages are very bare-boned WIPs, with which you can test some basic concepts, freely create your own courses, or just do plain stupid stuff for giggles! [hr] Background: A small hack that was originally intended to become a full-fledged puzzle platformer by the time the contest hit, but due to technical issues and many time constraints never made it past the first few test milestones. For the contest, those few assets have been taken and reordered in a short, albeit (hopefully) polished way. There is no real game here, just a couple of demonstrating concept levels as well as an intro cutscene. The only reason why I decided to submit it anyway was because a lot of people told me to, saying that there's nothing to lose, really. But I hope you'll enjoy this short experience nonetheless! (Partially inspired by whoisthisgit's "Tails Abuse Debug" series.) [hr] Controls: With Sonic: B, while on the ground: Enter SpikeDebug™ Mode (and leave Sonic waiting where he was) C + A: Jump. Duh. Should I also explain what the D-Pad does? Yes. Yes I should. In SpikeDebug™ Mode: D-Pad: Move around (in an 8-pixel grid) C: Place a spike / remove spike(s) when hovering over them B: Leave SpikeDebug™ Mode (and return back to Sonic) Hold A + Press Left/Right: Cycle through spikes Misc: A, while game is paused: Return to stage select (you will need this!) A, on stage select: Toggle DevMode (disabled by default; only kept in because otherwise some things are unable to be done and you can get stuck sometimes) When DevMode is enabled: B, anywhere and not just ground: Enter SpikeDebug™ Mode Hold A + Press B, when in SpikeDebug™ Mode: Leave SpikeDebug™ Mode (and teleport Sonic to that location) [hr]
I admit, I got quite a kick out of playing this. I love the intro, and got a ear-to-ear smile when Tails flew past Sonic. The game itself is very interesting. The normal Debug mode didn't have a lot of variety when it came to hurting Sonic, but this totally fixed that! I played the demo level, and I laughed, winced, felt bad for Sonic for a second, and went back to laughing. 10/10 would torture Sonic again
This has to be the most original idea I've seen so far this year. Will have to sit down and do some proper playtesting of some hacks this week. =P
I really hope that you continue with this hack after the contest. The intro was greatly done and I couldn't help but give a little chuckle as Tails flew past Sonic. The demo level is well done and is a good way of teaching the player what each type of spike does, will making it a fun and interesting experience. Then you get to the test levels. Using the spikes efficiently to get through levels is a great experience and really makes you think in some situations. Each spike has a situation that they are useful for. If I were to give just one criticism, it would be that the flashing red exploding spike (no clue if it has a real name) is a little overpowered in the puzzling mechanics, I found out that a lot of puzzles could be solved/skipped by launching Sonic through the air like a cannonball. But that's the only downside I can think of. Keep doing what you're doing Michael Bay Selbi, I didn't think it could get much better than Erazor, then it did.
Thanks for the kind words! However, I'm still not entirely sure if I want to continue this. The overall reaction felt very underwhelming, and many videos and comments during the SHC Contest Week I've seen pointed out many design flaws that I don't really know how to tackle without breaking a ton of other things (a good example being what you said there, the explosion spikes being way too powerful; another example is getting stuck infinitely by placing spikes in such a way that you can't escape). Also, there were a few people who actually took the "Sonic Abuse" thing more to heart than I ever imagined. A particular kid on YouTube decided to go rage mode because of that, and I wouldn't normally care (because I'm now pretty sure that was just a troll), were it not for the fact that I actually offended a close friend of mine too, as he had some sort of close-friend-torturing-you trauma from his childhood (he didn't go into specifics, but damn, he was pissed). I dunno. It was never intended to be an offensive hack, yet I managed to create just that anyway. Just my luck, eh? I also originally didn't try to make anyone draw any connections between Sonic ERaZor and Michael Bay, it just happened when people pointed out how many explosions I use.
