I mean "3D" gameplay, also switching back and forth to 2D. For example: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnH-SW2KKHA[/youtube] Heck, Sonic 2 even has one built in: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UfIMMS9O0o[/youtube] All it is is sprites that have different sized frames to simulate the perspective "coming at you" feel, right? Even Game Gear could pull it off. With Sonic 2's instant Chunk switching ability (used in Casino Night Zone's Boss and Wing Fortress for a outside/inside transition to the boss) someone like say myself wouldn't even have to create a complex system like Outrun or base it off of Sonic 2's special stage, right? I could just have separate chunk art to load when the game suddenly "switches" to "3D" and when the 3D is done it would go back to the "2D" Mode art. I guess you could make stuff even simpler and use animated palette tricks like Sonic Drift 2 to simulate the path "moving." For the Sonic sprite itself the Sonic CD special stage Sonic sprites would be best...at least an edit of them to match whatever the regular 2D mode Sonic sprites would look like. I'm not crazy in thinking this, right?
I'm not an expert but I think it'd be nigh impossible to switch between the two completely different behaviours mid-game. It's an interesting idea, though.
Maybe to a certain, limited degree. I'm pretty sure 'on-the-fly' switching between 2D and 3D would be impossible, though.
Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure switched to behind-Sonic (or 3/4) views for certain set-pieces in levels -- there's no reason some clever programming couldn't do the same on the Megadrive for certain sections; again, set-pieces. One requirement would be that said areas be a little repetitive in nature so an animated (or palette-cycled) pseudo-3D background would have to reflect this. Off-hand, I can think of one set-piece that would be neat to adapt: the train at the end of Sunset Park in Sonic Triple Trouble. OR... [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsU2SW20u1g[/youtube] About 1:19 in, we have sprite-scaled clouds and a character on a plane. Reverse the clouds and plane, so it's a back view - traveling forwards. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nEEhWMFjUU[/youtube] Borrow a little of the gameplay mechanics here: boom, 3D Sky Chase.
Perhaps one day, someone could make a Sonic CD Hack that would allow for switching between the 'Mode 7' 3D Special Stage look, and the normal 2D gameplay via Past/Future Posts. That would be awesome to see.
Hope you like Flat Land Zone. Populate it with palm trees and it wouldn't be too bad, I guess. Another idea, is to edit the animated graphic of the Sonic 2 special stages to be a large, green, hollow tree trunk -- OH HEY SA2 GREEN FOREST. :P
Sonic Unleashed / Generations / Colours never switched instantly. It became a scripted path for 1-2 seconds. I guess micro-loading screens should work. The most basic Modern Sonic you could do is a Quick-Step challenge, while still being able to jump. I hope you have good draw-distance!
Presumably if they were sprites, which could look ugly as sin depending what they were. Nothing really possible there there you wouldn't see in Super Mario Kart and its ilk.
Sonic CD barely did it, in the beginning of Palmtree Panic. I don't know why they didn't do more things like that throughout the game.
I suppose you could do it but I wouldn't be a fan of the graphical distortions to create the 3D. Besides, judging from other 3D games at the time(Or from what I've seen), they didn't have that much platforming to them meaning that the 3D section would be pretty dull. I suppose you could try isometric for 3D sections but that would be pretty painful for me to play.
It was still 'on-the-fly' to an extent - by this I mean there is no interruption in the gameplay to the average player.
Yeah ot was technically instant, it's just that the camera takes its own position instead of the player choosing- it's all done in real time.
If you pretend to pull this off, you better get a tech member label and get the seven tech emeralds to become a super tech member (in other words: you better be a heck good of a hacker). You're essentially looking at making a new game from scratch for starters, and literally program two completely different engines (one for the 3D stuff and one for the 2D stuff). As for transitions: make the road a dead-end and put some springs where it ends. Sonic will be shot into the air high enough that the road should disappear - take advantage of this to switch to the 2D mode. Do something similar to do it the other way. I bet there are other ideas that could be pulled off (e.g. turn off the lights so everything goes black and you can switch there too, etc.). I'll leave that to you. It's still the usual 2D game though, they just scrolled some stuff a bit.
I always assumed Green Forest was inspired by half-pipe special stages. I think the problem is that it would necessarily be muddy and unpleasant. While the Sonic 2 special stages are great fun, there hardly seems to be enough there to design full levels out of it. I always thought the Sonic CD Special Stages were atrocious and too difficult to control. Sonic 3 and Knuckles Chaotix seem to have the cleanest, best format for full level design, but could badniks be incorporated into 3 and Knuckles'? That leaves Chaotix...it seems to be a more complete, fully 3D engine. Working from there, how hard would it be to translate to 2D? Then again, I'm not aware of any hacks of Chaotix, so I'm assuming it's difficult to work with. And the 32x isn't quite the Genesis.
I actually thought of something similar to this, albeit on the Amiga CD32. Obviously it would use fancier effects like simple raycasted corridors drawn from the side, scaling effects similar to the tunnel in Super Stardust, HAM8 FMV with sprites overlaid, etc. Has anyone actually looked at Panorama Cotton yet?
