Well then, I absolutely didn't know that. In fact, the scoring system in Sonic 1 is pretty damn complex, and the choices you have to make in order to get the maximum possible score (bar collecting 100 rings in any given stage, killing every possible badnik and breaking every possible monitor, then dying and repeating the process up to 999999999 points) are anything but straightforward. Love this game.
I think I've narrowed down what differentiates classic level design and fangame-y level design for me. It's these slope structures: The only levels I can think of that use them in the classic games are Stardust Speedway and Launch Base. Mania uses them in all but one of its new levels, and fangames have them in spades. It's not something you see often in the classic games. Just a thing I thought of
Carnival Night has a few outward quarterpipes too, and Flying Battery kinda has them via the weird things that swing you round. But otherwise, anything more than a slight convex curve in general is quite rare in classic Sonic games, typically when levels transition from uphill to downhill they either use platforming, a ramp, or a loop.
This is so true that I used to think classic Sonic didn't glue to outward curved surfaces at all like Advance/Rush Sonic does all the time, precisely because this geometry didn't appear as much for the effect to be so apparent. I think maybe Mushroom Hill has a few of these too, but this could be a fabricated memory.
... Yeah I know. To be fair, Sonic 1 and 2 tend to rashion loops and quarter pipes - Sonic 3 has more, and Mania sings from the same hymn sheet (as do most fan games)*. With the likes of Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Rush, there's a desire to have the player continously moving forward, so this style of level design shows up more often. Some of this will be the classic misinterpretation of Sonic game design. The "you're always running faaaaaast" mentality, when in reality, classic, more methodical platforming happens quite a bit in the earlier games (HI MARBLE ZONE). *Mania is also tricky to analyse as good chunks of its levels are lifted from prior games.
That's effectively just the top part of an s-tube, only without a ceiling/level object that forces you to roll. And s-tubes themselves are somewhat common level structures iirc.
I don't believe it's a question of methodical platforming vs. pure speed so much as ground gameplay vs. airborne gameplay. You'll notice you spend a lot more time being launched up in the air in the classic games, exactly because you'll roll off paltforms and just throw yourself at the stage. This doesn't happen if you're glued to the ground. It seems quarter pipes help emphasizing running, rather than jumping. So much so that you'll notice even the fast stages in the earlier games don't feature this geometry when yo'ure going up. Maybe, like, Star Light does. But stages will much more often launch you up to the air and leave it to you to keep the momentum.
Those slope types didn't always work though in the classics, I think that's why they didn't use them. That weird steep hill in Star Light Act 3 you rarely roll down correctly, often flying off, and those ramps in Hidden Palace were glitchy. By Sonic 3 that didn't seem to be as much of a problem.
the birds in Sky High Zone Act 1 in the 8-bit version of Sonic 2. WTF are those birds and why are they there?? Speaking of Sonic 2 8-bit, Aqua Lake Zone act 2 on the SMS. The palette never changes, but there apparently *is* a water level in the stage, you just can't see it. In the GG version, the water rises, while the SMS version appears to always be under water. But you can tell from the physics that the beginning of the SMS level is not under water. You can actually feel the moment the water over takes you. And along the same lines, what the hell is up with the power sneakers in the SMS version? Only in that one specific act, and they don't even work. And whats the deal with those weird crystal egg monitors that you can't see normally that grants an extra life that has the weird icon? Sonic 2 8-bit is just so weird in general.
I assume you're talking about this? From what I've heard, this monitor is supposed to be unused, but it somehow ended up in Crystal Egg. It doesn't have any status effects coded in, so when broken, it instead defaults to an extra life. And while we're on the topic, this is very similar to the unused static monitor in Scrap Brain Zone Act 2.
Pretty sure that monitor gives you a Continue: https://info.sonicretro.org/Monitor#Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(8-bit) https://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(8-bit)/Hidden_content#Art
Agreed! I always found the level title cards with Sega Genesis style sprites for Sonic & Tails to be an odd design choice... Also, Tails with no tails for Sky High Zone.
I think those monitors in Scrap Brain Zone are meant to be invisible barriers, based on their subtype numbers and comparing nearby areas. I have no idea how they would have messed that up, though.
Yeah that makes sense. The really interesting part is the art for the monitor that pops out. IIRC it's one of the bottom halves to those electricity shooting machines in scrap brain zone with the wrong palette: One of these things:
Replaying Sonic Unleashed, there's a certain loading tip that got my mind running After seeing this image one too many times and staring at it longer than a depressed office worker stares at their monitor, I've realised something. Considering the speed of the blades, if Sonic were to attack the Spinner at just the right angle, the Spinner's blades should cut Sonic. The image above literally shows Sonic about to attack the middle of the Spinner, right where the blades are. Of course, for gameplay purposes the blades don't hurt Sonic, but in his world it gets more interesting. I speculate Robotnik's intention with the Spinner was that it would be able to take advantage of Sonic's homing attack, tricking Sonic to home in and accidentally chop himself up with the blades. For whatever reason, however, this never worked. I've probably looked into this more than Sonic Team ever did, haven't I?
