My thought about Hidden Palace Zone

Why can't the "Master Emerald" just be a minor, bigass emerald of no real significance? You crush it, and go on. Nobody ever said this needed to function like Sonic 3's Hidden Palace, there was no "Master Emerald" back then, just Chaos Emeralds.

 

Are you guys 100% sure that there's no code/data for any unusual level-specific behavior (aka cutscenes) in the later prototypes? Be it within the Wing Fortress stuff, the Special Stage, the lamppost code or anywhere else?

 

Don't any of you think that if Sonic was granted to gain the Super form in Hidden Palace it would be most likely at the end of the level? In your place I would assume the entire level plays as normal Sonic except for a cutscene at the end.

 

If a hack like this actually gets made it will be the best hack ever! However I can't even imagine how much coding and designing would go into it. And the Super Sonic up slope thing sounds off to me, the ascending platform seems more plausible. A slow moving platform would defiantly raise anticipation for the climactic event.

 

yeah, ascending platform. I think perhaps the water level should rise and take the platform (and Sonic) to the waterslide at the top, like the floating blocks in Labyrinth Zone.
I've no idea what would be done with the emerald/tube bit if you did that though.

 

There should definitely be badniks around the platform if that approach is taken (either flying badniks or in-wall ones like the starfish in Metropolis Zone).

 

Or maybe some Crawltons in the walls on the way up. It seems more suited since it is a cave level. Or the piranha like enemies if the water thing is implemented, and maybe the bomb dropping ones from Sky Chase.

 

Nothing, just a random design level. This kind of things appear all the time in the Sonic games, just check it.

 

Maybe you loop back to go up a second slope as Super Sonic? Although there is no evidence of this at all, there is no second slope around there in the beta.

 

It's just a return slope. Stop. Nothing new about it. By the way, there're rings in the slope if I'm not wrong, right? Then the whole point of using the slope would be just getting those rings. Nothing more.

 

Interesting theory, Mr. Sik. But do you have any evidence?

 

You're a fucking moron

EDIT: ..decided to back up my insults =P you'd have to go back around numerous times to get all those rings up there if there wasn't a platform of some sort. It only makes sense layout-wise for that to go up. There's a lot more proof that the chute was a valid path idea than a fucking green rock that's blocking one or two 128x128 chunks of art that drop you into oblivion. Only thing I can think to possibly support your theory to a degree is that they both brought you to the water slide.. just the tube wrapped around to the top above the chute (maybe to a whole different path? even, let's say, to the same place). If you did that then it's just two different ways to access the same place.. one with more rings and the other that's quicker. Meh.. I dunno. Just saying that you'd fall down that chute to grap a couple rings multiple times to make sure you get those rows of three is fucking RETARDED.

and THAT is why you're a moron =P

 

Do you have any evidence about why any of the other theories may be true?

And yes, I know the whole idea is just plain stupid, but I saw being stupid cases of item-catching like this very often in the Sonic games (specially in Sonic 1), and moreover, in all platform games in general. It's just bad random design. Take it or not, you aren't forced to do it.

 

Guys, I just found the definitive evidence of the fact that Tails was meant to eat the master emerald. Check the Object $10 in S2NA =P

On a more serious note, the slope doesn't look like a return path to me to be honest. Regardless of what Craig Stitt said, we don't know for sure if the tube under the Master Emerald was actually supposed to be a real path either - and with the layout we have right now I wouldn't say so.

 

Ya, but it's a beta. And in betas levels typically are not finished. You are, however, right about the lack of evidence, but nothing can be assumed about this other than it was meant to break. I would agree that it looks as though it was not meant to be a path, but that means very little because it is an unfinished level in a beta ROM.
Oh, and nice find about Tails! j/k

Not me! I want the level to be nothing but ramps! j/k
Seriously, the ramp/moving platform idea is a great one that would work out perfectly if implemented. All you need is some badnicks on the way up, like I said before.

 

The entire layout of HPZ could easily be just for test...

I know when I am starting to make a new level, I just kinda place random layout to make sure everything works right, fits together, and to take screen shots. It's completely possible that the ramp, the big emerald and everything else was put there just so they could see how they look in game, and maybe show some shots to the press.

(Also, the ramp could be so long because they didn't want people to go up it? Because there is really nothing after it. Same goes for the big emerald, nothing after it so it's used so anyone demoing the game didn't know the level was so incomplete.)

Hidden Palace as a whole started as a testing grounds level I think. So it was probably the first or maybe second level that was started. It was the first level with water, and has a lot of placeable badniks. Obviously they weren't all planned to be used in HPZ, so reasoning says they were using the level to test things. Also, how you can control the water level with the 2P controller also suggests testing.

Also should note that if they ever wanted the player to actually go up the slope, they would have had to remove the water or something like what was done in Sonic 2 delta.