You might notice that I haven't built lighting yet. I tried to at preview quality but it keeps constantly crashing after a few minutes of distributing the process.
I had an annoying problem similar on mine. Try raising your virtual memory (preferably to the highest possible) and it might work.
I like your perspective on this; I for one would love to see platforming, and other stage elements of Sonic levels that changed dynamically like the terra-forming that happened in Marble Garden Act 2 (most notably the section that only allowed you to break through the wall if you were quick enough to roll through it before the ground falls and brings you down to the lower level).
Gonna have a new video up in a few days. This one is about exploration, so it'll be the most important entry so far.
[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaGmpjeHFdU[/media] This is probably the most important video yet. I've thrown the word "exploration" around a lot in the past, but never really thought that much about what it means. This should convey what it's about in this game. There's even more to it that we'll delve into in the next video, which will be about landmarks, but I didn't want to make this video too long.
I've finally been able to watch the video. I like the aspect of breaking the 'fear' or aversion to deviating off of the 'main road'. From what I see, I can tell that exploration doesn't always mean abandoning progress toward the given goal, but rather another means of reaching it. Kind of like how deviating and entering into the larger house rewarded the player and granted access to a different path, and was more than a simple diversion or distraction from the ongoing path. This helps maintain the necessary general directionality of a Sonic level (that keeps one from running around aimlessly forever) without constricting or prohibiting the player from looking around at what he/she finds visually interesting. There were times in Colors (most notably Aquarium Park) when I would see a possible interesting route or path of some kind, only to feel at a loss when it was blocked by an invisible wall. EDIT: Wrong thread?
Gonna upload a video about the importance of landmarks in a coupla' days. Just letting you guys know.
Oooooh dear. Not trying to sound like a dick here... but you talking about what makes your game so good before you release it makes you look like a twat. It's the problem with every making of video released before a game or movie is actually released. If you hype it up too much like that and your game turns out to be shit, there will be a backlash and people will use those videos against you. Before you release your game, just release screenshots, a description, videos and demos. Don't explain why elements of your game are so good or important, because again, if the game turns out to be shit those could be the things holding you back. Be objective about your game instead of subjective and don't force it too much onto people. I'm not going to watch multiple videos with you explaining things or read walls of text about why your game is so good. A good game doesn't need any of that, especially not a Sonic game. If people don't like it, try to look at what's wrong and make it better instead of explaining shit. I'm not going to believe it until I see it. Also don't update your thread saying that you'll upload some video soon, update your thread when you have actually uploaded it. As for the actual game, the main criticism I have about it so far is that while you're trying to make the levels big, open and explorable, there seems to be a serious lack of things that are actually fun to do. Just running around a big landscape will probably get boring after less than a minute and I am getting the sense that the obstacles that are there are there just because there need to be obstacles. There really doesn't seem to be much more to it than that. And last but not least, please change your godawful avatar.
Well, sorry to say this, but... you do come off as a dick a bit. I'm not trying to be confrontational, but come on, man... I get what you're saying, really, but I just want to make it clear to people what this game is ABOUT, what we're trying to do with it, what the whole point of the game just BEING is. If you watched some of the videos that really aren't long at all (how is a few minutes long?), well, you might have some idea of what we're going for and understand. I'm not trying to yammer on to the world about how great this game is or whatever. I'm just testing the waters to see if people like our ideas. And so far, surprisingly, some do. What's wrong with what? Keep in mind... this game is still a baby. There are things we already plan to change later in its development, and rest assured that this game isn't going to be released for a llllllonnnng time. There are people who ask if they'll get to play it soon, and I tell them the answer is no, because we don't want this game to end up being shit. We're going to keep working on it and making it the best we can until there's a day where we finally feel it's ready and as good as it can be, so that there may be a chance that it somehow WON'T be shit. This isn't going to be a repeat of the rushed Sonic 06.
Also, might I add that we are working on this with everything Nick has proposed and explained in mind to completely reflect (and expand on) his ideas. Without these videos it'd be difficult for us to know what he envisions and get a solid direction for the project to go in. One might argue that the videos could be in the form of text in a private group or the videos only shown to us, but where's the fun in that? It's better to receive feedback (and hopefully act upon it) before anything is cast in stone so that we can tune whatever is heavily criticised- as long as the criticism is justified, of course. I believe another reason these videos are being made is because this level of exploration is rather foreign to the fanbase (though this could also tie in with feedback). Be it (currently in production) badniks, the layout of the map, model quality, textures or any of the other things involved in game and/or level design, everything is subject to change in one way or another. Enemies and other things of interest are going to be placed in their most appropriate areas, and I know for sure texture mapping issues will be resolved sooner or later.
Looking back at it, this is why I shouldn't criticize stuff at 3 AM. Just ignore most of the first paragraph I wrote there. So uh, sorry. Anyway, some advice if you want to make your fangame look good: me and most other people online aren't going to take a few minutes to be convinced that your game is great. Just watching that exploration video makes you sound like the Peter Molyneux of Sonic fangames. You sound ambitious, but what's actually shown doesn't look as interesting as you make it sound. I can see that you are trying to make it so there are things to explore. However, look at Banjo-Kazooie, they made sure that each level feels like a world filled with fun or creative things to do. There's barely ever a moment without something that looks neat: There's nothing fun or creative about the level you are showing off in that exploration video. There's nothing daring or interesting about some crappy looking generic abandoned buildings, especially not when you are making a Sonic fangame, a franchise filled with cool level tropes. It just feels like you are putting landmarks in to explore for the sake of there being landmarks to explore. Maybe look at other Sonic games for inspirations for what to put in your worlds. Also, it's best if you just show gameplay footage, screenshots and/or concept art in your videos with a voice over explaining things instead of talking in front of a camera while showing gameplay at times. As they are right now they're just boring to watch. Spoiler But seriously though, change your avatar. It's awful.
I'm not going to change my avatar. That's like asking me to change my face. Anyway.... whatever. I've thought of just writing a script before and recording myself reading that aloud to go with gameplay footage, but some people actually DON'T like those sorts of videos, they want something "fresh" and unfabricated. I honestly don't know what to do. Anyway, believe me, I'm usually the first to insist that environments in Sonic games need to be wacky and crazy and surreal, and that's what makes Lost World appeal to me, but this game isn't like that. It's just a peaceful, secluded island where there's nothing to do but explore, and you may think it's boring, but it's really the whole point. The landmarks I have in mind are going to be more along the lines of the spiral island, this really crazy rock formation you can see from really far away that someone used to live at the top of. Hey, it's not much, but ti's something. The idea is that people lived here, and Robotnik invaded the island, destroying their homes and rounding them up, and as Sonic, you're just catching up to him and exploring along the way, hence the "crappy looking generic abandoned buildings".
I think the exploration will be a lot more satisfying if these landmarks we're making are much more detailed, for example signs of a civilisation from teddy bears in a child's room to plates and pots in dining areas. It would take a lot of effort, but such an attention to detail (along with a story explained, or at least hinted beforehand) could make the areas very memorable and may give some slightly dark undertone to the relaxing feel of the game. I haven't familiarised myself with the concept art in a while so I'm not sure if this has already been proposed, but it's definitely something to think about if we're to avoid creating "crappy looking generic" landmarks.
...Now I just wonder why this is still a Sonic game if you're going for that kind of game. ...Continue. And change your avatar
He had an avatar? I must've blocked it so long ago with adblock :v But really, only the team members that are making the game need to see those explanation videos or walls of texts. There doesn't exist an enormous hype with fans filling your email with questions when the game is going to be released, nor you have a track record of making games, so those messages cant stand. Many things sound good on paper("levels that are not boring!Exploration!"), but it really depends on how you implement them. The devil is in the details.
