Is it the intention to have some form of automation for the special stages, like Sonic has to be moving forward all the time? It's just that I feel special stages would be better if they were done like the ones in Hamsterball, especially if they have this gravity mode for the stages. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awQs1t2zDEk Having items to collect would add interesting challenges like opening up short cuts or grant unlockables in the main game.
Seeing that forced rolling made me think that Special Stages consisting of giant and complex (more so than that video, with more than one main/linear path) pinball tables might be an idea. Something a bit more exciting than Sonic's previous outings onto such terrain, but it'd be a good throwback to both those and the oft-mentioned ‘I HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING OF THE SONIC ENGINE oh u wordfilter, I meant p-inball p-hysics'. Actually, just make a giant 3D Spring Yard with even more strategy.
Totally missed this discussion somehow, gonna prop up my idea. You know what Temple Run reminds me of? Goin' Down. I can totally picture a Goin' Down style of special stage, but expanded with tunnels, branching paths, more obstacles... The goal would be to make it all the way down without either falling off the edges of the map (Chaotix-style) or getting hit enough to be knocked off (kind of like in Temple Run, only much more lenient). Because the goal is more of "reach the end without being disqualified", you'd be free to snag Rings and other bonuses at the cost of greater danger (thin paths, extra obstacles, etc.). As suicidal as it is to make the comparison, think about Crisis City Modern's take on the mach-speed section, but more expansive and designed a little more like a Sonic Adventure level. The only real problem I see is that it probably won't work very well without some super-skillful programming. Then again, this is Sonica and he's pretty cool and does pretty cool things and might be able to pull it off.
The special stages were all about pushing technology in a simple yet effective way. Idk combine temple run with Child of Eden. Quite the mind fuck graphically http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O0FlbiJ8HI
I'm not sure whether poor Game Maker could handle all that. :v: How about a Special Stage based on the ones in Sonic Chaos, except that jumping would flip you upside down like in VVVVVV.
Yeah lets not go too out there guys, Remember that the current engine is still game maker and that this is a 2d game.
Well, to be fair - not that I'm defending any of the suggestions given since I neither like or dislike 'em so far - Gamemaker is a powerful engine and it's totally possible to create cool 3D stages. Of course they aren't great 3D creations, full of meshes and smooth slopes, but a stage like the temple run that people suggested is possible to achieve. For example, this fangame developed by a dude (FanGameRevolver) in SFGHQ:
I had completely forgotten about this game (haven't played it in years!). But yeah, I agree that something like this could be used to get that sort of Special Stage.
Not to be a debbie downer, but Jesus....if you seriously are going to ask everyones opinion on EVERY SINGLE DETAIL, this project won't even get past the first level. You're going to have to take some initiative yourself. It's OK to ask opinions on things, but it's getting a bit ridiculous. I'm trying to give you the best constructive criticism I can right now, but at this rate, you aren't going to get anywhere.
It goes all sorts of ways. For example, there will be people who think he's taking too much initiative and then they will be here bitching at him about it not being a community project, bla bla bla. My advice: do what you want, OP - whatever comes natural. If you want to ask for input on every single detail, then so-be-it.
Sonica has done a great job by listening to feedback and accepting or vetoing when its necessary. Example of it is all of the Walljump discussion, where it was 50/50 by people who wanted and who doesn't, so he had to make his choice and he did. The point his, this ain't a community project, it's a "open-to-feedback" project, and people want to help, people saw a future in this game. And at the same time it may sound nitpicky some of the comments, they're helping the project to slowly grow without making big design mistakes that people will probably complain later on as well. Sonica is fully aware that this is his project and the people "helping" on it have no voice to call the decisions, but while he makes his decisions he is allowing people to polish 'em or give new ideas that he didn't thought. If you really wanna know, Sonica's interaction with the community allowing it to discuss and give ideas in genious... First because it bumps his thread, so everybody remembers or take curiosity for the project, second because when the game is done or at least a beta is, everyone will get a little bit of self-proud playing it and thinking "I helped to make this happen and be good (or bad, one can never predict these things) as it is" and last but not least, he have almost a whole community working for him and obeying when it's necessary. When I make my fangames I work with a team, normally and there always that one dude who goes against everything that we spent the whole evening discussing. And what do you do, you can't tell the guy to fuck off since I promised him an equal voice in every aspect of the game. So I have to spent more and more time trying to explain to him why the decision that we made is better. But worse than that there are those dudes who are against something, and if you say No to his ideas they'll still try to sell it to you at any cost. And if you don't buy it in the end they'll either blackmail you by saying stuff like "ugh if you don't do it I'm off the team" or worst case scenario the ultimatum isn't given and the dude just stop working on it. Sonica won't have this problem because technically this is his fangame and the people giving the feedback can't say that it's theirs, so he doesn't have to listen to anybody, doesn't have to explain his ideas, fuck it, he can make Sonic green, with a handicaped face and run with a flying cock with pretty angel wings, stuck into his butthole (btw Sonica, this is my next idea for this fangame). Let's not worry about it, guys. I believe that if Sonica thinks that this whole open-to-feedback game is getting in the way of the game progression he will know what to do.
So, on a different subject entirely, and I haven't seen this yet.... Whatcha gonna do for music, Sonica? I'd suggest at least talking a bit with MaxieDaMan, because he's done some original Sonic music of his own, and his stuff is absolutely fantastic. Some samples for your consideration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-nsw0jYNK0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uwJk3GvR18
Going back to that ring a little: We're talking about a game, where cartoonish characters move around in a cartoonish world... do we really need über-realistic rings? I think the one Sonica made looks both amazing AND fitting to such a game. Maybe a bit of a color adjustment, but that's all it needs. Can't add much to the special stages. Just don't make them annoying like in Sonic 1, CD, 4 (including this one for it's horribly strict time limit).
Truner, the most recent edit ring sprite design does looks like plastic, and quite the realistic plastic at that, so I don't see where you're coming from. No one is really suggesting anything uber realistic, because real life rings would likely be much darker or just have much more contrasts. I really would go with P3DR0's suggestion for the ring texture for that occasion. It's quite simple yet a nice suggestion since it would make the ring look metallic as it should be.
I don't get it. I don't see how it looks like plastic. But if we can call it plastic, we might as well call anything Robotnik made plastic too, since they don't look like metal at all. And just for the hell of it, here's a plastic chair: random google image That ring looks more like a really cartoonish variant of what a ring could be. Honestly, I like it.
It only looks like plastic because there is no reflection of the environment on it. I tried to make a reflection look correct on it but it is very hard to get right. Perhaps I could make multiple rings with reflections of the different levels, but I'm still not sure how I would actually draw it.
Yeah, and you would have to do different variations for each parts of the stage. Like... Let's say that you go from the outside to a cave in the same level. You won't see the beach as the reflection in the cave, right?
I guess that could be easily solved by doing a few rings with different color reflections or no reflections at all for cave types of stages. Then all you'd to do is pick the color based on the ground Sonic is standing on. For example, if he is in the beach, a white reflection would do the trick to mimick the sand... In a grass field, a green one, etcetera. But be careful to don't make the reflection too visible or to strong otherwise the trick may just fail. Sonic Generations is a good example of this working... http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kyr9r0TxltA/TrhUrHK17sI/AAAAAAAAAvA/Ptly0YAUE5I/s1600/sonic-generations-playstation-3-ps3-1303141917-012.jpg Take a look at Sonic' spikes and how they reflect the grass field bellow him. But as well as I think this trick would help, I believe that this kind of "let's have all the rings with reflection" could not just be expensive as hell, but could end up poluting the scene. I'm not against or in favor of doing this, but I guess we should render one ring first and see where does this takes us.
I agree with P3DR0. You can design the reflections of the rings to work around the first stage you make, and when you make the next stages if they don't fit just make additional sets. Besides the work in changing the reflection is going be just a tiny fraction of building a whole zone, so if it works it'll be worth it. Btw is the game going to encorporate a Save system where if you lose your lives you get reset to Act 1 of the last Zone with 3 lives ? I would like to believe that Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were meant to be played without a save state, which was there only because S3&K is a 24 acts long game.
