She could restart the stage Quit and come back Neither of which cost a life (except maybe one's you have collected) also how did it take her 8 minutes to play through Studiopolis? Even if you aren't "good" at Sonic, the level practically gift wraps the goal for you.
Neither of those solutions address the problem. She's stuck all in an unwinnable scenario unless she chooses to manually restart the level. As far as I'm concerned, that's basically breaking the game. It's not all that different to getting stuck in a wall and needing a time over/restart to get out. The outcome is the same at least. Also, I really enjoy exploring the levels and treating them like general playgrounds - going fast is fun but playing the levels to complete them as quickly as possible is not. I've gotten time overs in this game for simply having fun and reaching the boss without enough time left. The timer should be used for issuing bonus points only - it serves no gameplay benefits and dying upon it hitting is archaic.
I agree that timer deaths are a problem with the size of these levels, and doubly so when exploration is a gameplay element and bosses are designed to take a while. At the very least, the timer should get two minutes more.
Has there been any explanation given on why Sonic Mania doesn't have online multiplayer but Sonic 2 on mobile phones does? I know making video games isn't easy but it doesn't seem like it would be extremely hard considering it was already a feature in a previous version of the engine.
Sonic 2 Mobile was only released on one platform, while Mania is on three consoles and PC. I imagine netcode on one platform is hard enough to maintain and troubleshoot, let alone four.
Adding 2 minutes would be kinda odd. I'm a bit of a purist but have to admit the time limit is not adding fun for anyone and removing fun for some. Plus my personal wish is for levels to just get bigger and bigger. I'd happily see any of my favorites triple in size. So I agree with making the timer optional. As someone mentioned, it could have easily been just another unlockable. The SPZ situation above is half timer, half boss design.
I'd take that a step further. My wish is to get a fullblown Metroidvania. Gigantic Zones, all interconnected, and able to be backtracked through. The series is already host to a variety of different abilities that could be gradually unlocked as the game progresses. It feels like we're essentially just a step removed from this.
I find that the time limit could already be a problem in S3&K, specially in really long acts like Carnival Night 2 (not necesarilly because of the barrel) and Sandopolis 2. I don't think exploration works very well with a time limit, even more so with how large the levels are already. I got a few time overs trying to find Giant Rings on a few acts and also on both acts of Titanic Monarch the first time I played through Mania. I think something like that could work but not with Sonic unless he gets upgrades to his exploration capabilities like the Wall Jump that Mighty had in Chaotix. Tails and Knuckles are more suited to the the Metroidvania style gameplay style. In fact Tails had a spin-off, Tails Adventure, which was very Metroidvaina like, except levels weren't inteconnected IIRC.
Regarding Studiopolis 1 boss - I have a burning hatred for all "running" bosses, and this one is no exception. Because you are constantly running, jumping and trying to avoid things behaves in a way you aren't used to and you will probably get hit. It's just incredibly frustrating. They are great for spectacle, but that is it.
Hey everyone, I can see that this has been noticed by the moderators already as it in the wiki but I think its beautiful how Mania pays affectionate homage to PolygonJim. Firstly the Heavy rider is riding on a motobug named Jimmy. Secondly the jump mechanic the motobug has in mania is the same as in PolygonJims sonic 1 mod. Simply amazing. I love this fan base.
I just noticed something! Sonic Mania is not the only game where Act 1 and 2 have the same theme with different arrangements! Perhaps this was intentional, or an inspiration? Green Grove Act 1 (Sonic 3D Blast, Saturn) [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV-BvUDHH6o[/media] Green Grove Act 2 (Sonic 3D Blast, Saturn) [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAbIVvAup70&t=62s[/media]
Uh, what? Different arrangements for act 1 and 2 has been standard in almost every Sonic game with an act-structure since S3. A few games use entirely different tracks for every act, but the general pattern is that each act has a variation of the same theme.
Somebody's discovering Sonic just now. :v: Regarding the time limit problem with big levels, there's one very obvious solution: Three acts.
I think that's a good thing. A very, very good thing. In S3&K it really broke the balance of the game. Keeping hold of a fire shield in Lava Reef, for example, should be a challenge. Being able to grab whatever shield you want (or several hundred rings to remain Super indefinitely) at every Star Post just undermines the careful level design and item placement. I was at least hoping it would keep track of which Big Rings you've found, so you could try to get all of them. One of the genuinely great things about newer Sonic games, such as Colors and Generations, is the inclusion of Red Star Rings. 5 hidden in each Act, but you don't have to collect them all in one run, and previously collected ones remain but turn transparent. The New Super Mario Bros games use the same system. It adds a lot of replayability. Since Mania deals with multiple characters who can access different areas with their unique abilities, they could go even further with it. Blue Star Rings for Sonic to collect, Orange Star Rings for Tails to collect and Red Star Rings for Knuckles to collect, all in different locations. I really hope there's something like this in Mania 2. As for unlockables, an art gallery would be nice. As in making each Act smaller? I prefer the bigger Acts. It's easier to just remove the time limit. It made some sense when it was introduced in Sonic 1, but it's a lot harsher in a game of Mania's scope.
I got one time over and that was in TM Act 2. When I came back to the most recent star post, the time was reset. I fail to see the issue. Does it work differently when facing bosses?
On the topic of time outs, on my first run, I got a time out during the FBZ2 boss fight. While annoying, I chalked it up to it being my own damn fault for taking too long exploring the act. I think it'd be neat if instead of scrapping the timer outright, that maybe an additional setting in the extras of No Save mode that disables the timer could be implemented. Surely that'd please both camps.
I imagine the people who want to play the game without the timer also want to play the game with saves.
Do these people also want invincibility to be a constant, rather than an optional item? Come on now, folks. To add to what synchronizer said, I like the idea that the timer gets paused during boss fights. Wasn't that already in place during the CPZ2 boss?
