Looks a bit too bland to me. It's a WIP so I understand there's a completely gray background there and all, but it kinda feels like what Tweaker said earlier, something outta Sonic Colors and the like. The foreground platforms are hugely...gray, not really any detail. Compared to the first level this looks like it's going to have less of an environment. Plus those cogs in the back look way too big, if there's going to be anything else in back of them that take up the empty grayness there, it won't be too noticeable. But then again it's a WIP so I don't know how much of this is really how it's gonna look in the end. At least I have confidence going by the first demo that whatever the creators vision is, it should be pretty good when it's all finished.
I shat myself. No, literally, I shat myself. Not the "literally" where hipster kids say literally when they are being figurative. I seriously shat my pants. Well, shat's out of the way. This is the best 3D sonic I've ever seen. The model, the environment (I like the busy nature of it - it works in motion very well). It's fun to even just stop and hold still and look at everything: how animated it is, all the neat little details, all while being amazed that my aging 9800GTX+ can handle this smoothly at 1920x1200 too. The engine is very close too. It would be nice to stand on slopes, and lock left/right after jumping out of a spin, but the physics are close enough that timed ramp and loop jumps do what one would expect. If I had money and whores I'd throw them at you.
I'm sure Pelikan will improve a level that is work-in-progress. I have full faith in him to make his own variation on Chemical Plant.
Even if they aren't from Sonic 2's Chemical Plant, the cogs look very good. Good work on the ground detail too, but I do hope those blacks and greys become a bit more dynamic/shiny; those foreground greys look quite soft. I feel like I'm asking for more contrast... scary after the impressions EHZ received. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the background too. That's one thing I did think wasn't bad in Ep1; Casino Street's cityscape background was pretty fun. A lot of work ahead of you both. I hope that interview lifted your spirits. Everyone's asking so much, me included, but don't sweat it. Remember the bar is pretty much Sonic 4 (ie, not that great a height). You're doing excellent work even when you're cruising. Question: Do we get powerups and spikes in the next demo release? And can I has insta-shield? ??? Don't worry, I know. You and your CD jumping Merc. >_<
The latest screen-shots remind me of the Cyber City concept art... considering there isn't any buildings in the background whatsoever.
I've also been following this forum. The comments died down a bit after the initial (and spectacular) demo release. But I'm still curious how the project is going - I'm every bit as excited as I was when the demo was released. Any updates, Pelikan and/or Mercury?
I had taken notice of this but hadn't had the opportunity of playing it properly until now. However, I was able to for a fair number of hours this week and now I have a better perspective of it. It's truly a gorgeous game. It's true it distracts the player with so much going on and too many details, but I feel that this flaw is a strong point. It's easy, at least for me, to love being distracted by all of the eye candy. I think the only thing I disliked was Sonic's somewhat stall animation as there isn't much life to him. The animation at top speed looks a bit weird as well. Regardless, the art direction is very interesting so please stick with it. I hadn't seen the next level's design before today. I understand it's a WIP and there's nothing much to say about it (though I find it lacking in colours) but I hope it's as charming as the first level. I'm eagerly looking forward to see the finalised versions. However, I must say... It feels more like Sonic 2 mostly plus some details from the other games then a mash-up. Not that it's a bad thing though. The physics are decent. There's a bit of weirdness in slopes and a few weird behaviours on circular motions, especially the loops which don't feel quite grasped. I'm sure all of this has been mentioned already. As a final observation, Sonic's jump height feels short. The only thing that irked me besides these oddities were a few badniks having Sonic Advance placement trolling. Outside the obvious throwbacks, the layout was interesting. I'm not sure what to say about the soundtrack. I've heard it sporadically for a couple of months, but it hasn't grown on me. I think that more defined or harder would fit better. It seems like the current soundtrack is too soft to fit.
Most things have already been said, but, am I the only one who thinks that the camera should be placed further back, like Sonic CD, when Sonic runs? In my opinion this should be a standard in all Sonic games. In a game where speed and time attack matters so much, the player should have the ability to see what's ahead of him. In my opinion, Sonic CD managed to do this right and it's a shame this didn't became a standard in the series. It reduces anachronistic gameplay techniques like trial & error and heavy memorization and suits a game like Sonic a lot better.
The SCD camera is the worst idea ever. If for some obscure reason it's going to be implemented into this, I hope that at least it would be optional (like it is in Hez's Sonic Classic, for example, even though it's enabled by default so I have to change it all the times). And I hope you're joking when you say it should have been the standard for all Sonic games... Fortunately at Sega they were smart enough to plague only one game with it instead of ruining other games such as Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
I know that many people hate the SCD camera system, but I never actually heard anyone saying why. Personally, I like it. It's good to see what's coming at you, especially when you are at extreme uber speed.
The reason (I'd imagine) that a lot of people don't like the Sonic CD camera is because it's not used in any other game. The Genesis titles are much more commonly played and follow Sonic at all times unless he's going really fucking fast, at which point he moves out of the camera's view. SCD however, has all of these complex and jerky movements with the camera that it was just a horrible wreck that should have been erased off of the drawing board. If there's a dynamically moving camera based on the speed of a character in a video game, it's usually a lot more subtle in movements, and with the advent of more powerful consoles and handhelds, the camera is able to zoom out slightly while still keeping you relatively centered.
If it's not too much trouble, please explain me why you don't like a camera like that. Was it badly implemented in Sonic CD, or you dislike it in general? As we all know, Sonic doesn't play like a standard, generic, platformer. A standard platformer that emphasizes on slow, methodical, movement doesn't need a camera like that, but in Sonic's case I don't see how a wider camera doesn't make things better. In my opinion, this is what the camera should be like when Sonic's running. Anyway, I really hope a camera like this will make an appearance in the game, at least, as an optional mode.
Basically this. SCD has all those sudden movements of the viewport which can be confusing especially in sections where you have to run left and right alternatively, or even in sections where you slow down a little. The camera goes back and forth and it's very annoying. A fixed camera is much more usable in an environment where you can go right AND left. Besides, SFR can run in 16:9 resolutions, so you can already see more than you were meant to in a 4:3 resolution. Since 4:3 is 12:9, you now have one additional 2:9 of the screen ahead of you. And there's no point into making games easier and easier.
