Sonic Mania Plus SPOILER THREAD with UNMARKED spoilers!

I'm receiving slow down when picking stages in Time Attack, bewilderingly enough. In stages it's fine though.

 

Ah okay. Are you running the Steam version or playing on console? As the source article that reported this says the issue seems to be Steam-only (the report comes from everyone complaining on the Steam discussion forums) so I'm unsure whether there's any issue on console. Does look like Sega fucked up again though like last time. Hopefully an imminent patch sorts this out.

 

I'm not having any slowdowns on console, it's entirely on Steam (I also own it on PS4 as the stupidly diehard fan I am).

I've just tested it (on Steam), it definitely has something to do with time attack mode. I can scroll through the levels just fine normally, but when I get near the end of the list, chronic slowdown hits in. This then affects all menus until I enter a stage.

The levels themselves actually run far better now. There always used to be a short pause when acts transitioned or resetting in Time Attack, but that's gone now. The screen filters also used to cause atrocious slowdown, but now they don't.

Overall, I'd say the game actually runs better on Steam now, there's just an atrocious problem with the time attack mode and picking levels.

This is without talking about how all the animations (such as the opening) are in black and white for me for some reason :p (again, Steam)

 

Not had any slowdowns on my part, really. Might be my beefy rig, might just be lucky. This is getting weird.
I also hate saying I have no problems when it doesn't contribute the situation and other people ARE having them.

 

It's a typical problem in game testing that weirdness will crop up on the many many system configs that exist.

To those experiencing issues:

1) Be sure all your drivers/windows is fully updated.

2) If still getting Denuvo issues, post your system specs. This will help them get a better picture on what could be causing the problem.

I haven't had any issues but again, my Computer is fairly OP (granted it is starting to get up there).

 

The new update and "Plus" have brought a bevy of new issues to the Steam version. People have experienced blurry full-screen visuals, black and white opening and ending animated cutscenes, game slowdown after using Time Trial mode, more frequent crashing, etc. I've been holding off on playing the PC version (have just been playing my PS4 and Switch versions) until more patches come out/issues are resolved. But it looks like the easiest way to fix the blurry full-screen visuals and black and white opening and ending cutscenes is to go to Computer>C:>Program Files (x86)>Steam>steamapps>common>Sonic Mania>Settings, and double-click/open the Settings file. That will open the file in Notepad and have a bunch of text related to your "Sonic Mania" configuration settings. At the top under [Video] the thirteenth line will say "shaderSupport=n." Just change the n to a y, and click save when you exit the window.


I've read a few comments saying doing that makes the opening and ending cutscenes run sluggishly again, though. The Steam/PC version has been notorious since launch for very sluggish playback of the opening and ending animated cutscenes. They playback in the 10-20 fps region for me, and I have a machine that is above the system requirements several times over--about 10-12x over. (My machine handles 4K video playback via Youtube and VLC fine, too.) Funnily enough by all reports the black and white cutscenes playback smoothly on people's machines that previously had issues with them playing back sluggishly. But I'd much rather have the game looking sharp in fullscreen and sluggish color cutscenes than blurry fullscreen visuals and well-running black and white cutscenes.

I strongly suspect that Sega Europe are the ones handling bug fixes for the Steam/PC version. Argick had the black and white cutscenes in his launch day stream of "Plus" on PC, and also was informed by another speedrunner about how you could automatically up your Mach speed just by pressing a specific button while in the special stage. (So you could just press the button three times right when the race starts and already be at Mach 3.) He contacted Hunter Bridges to tell him about that being in the game, since he and other speedrunners assumed it was a dev testing feature accidentally left in. Hunter asked him if what he was referring to was in the Steam build, he replied yes, and then Hunter's response to him was to contact Sega about any issues with the Steam version.

Of course we also know about Denuvo being put in the game (and likely being the cause of the 2-week delay) when it first launched on PC, and it has remained there since. Folks are saying the new update/"Plus" has an updated version of Denuvo which is causing slowdown after using Time Trial mode.

I think it's pretty obvious these issues, the general performance, etc. of the PC build would not be as prevalent and bad as they are if the "Mania" devs were the ones actively doing the bug fixes for it. Based on Hunter's answer and all these issues, as well as the fact that Aaron and Gene directed people to give feedback about Denuvo being in the game when it launched to Sega Europe, I think it's highly likely Sega Europe is handling bug fixing of the PC build. I totally understand why Taxman, Stealth, Hunty, et al. wouldn't be the ones actively doing all bug fixes for every version of the game; that'd be a lot to expect from a small number of programmers. We know the Switch version is a port handled by Tantalus, and the Xbox One version had enough issues at launch (primarily slowdown) that I suspect that is a port handled by other people as well. The PS4 version has seemingly been the best and most stable version since launch, so maybe that is the version the "Mania" devs do the most bug fixes themselves for out of all versions.

Again, I totally understand why the "Mania" programmers can't be expected to actively fix all bugs on every version of the game that exists--that'd be way too much to ask of them. Tantalus seems to have done a great job fixing the few issues that existed with the Switch version, so that version seems like it's in good hands. And it sounds like the Xbox One version has been improved a lot, as well. The PC version is clearly the one getting the short shrift, and it is the worst of all versions that exists. Which is a shame because it should be the best. It does get updated the most quickly, since it's very easy to push new updates on Steam, whereas patches/updates on console need to go through certification. (Remember how the PC version had the dedicated button for going super for several weeks/almost a month before that feature made its way into the console versions?)

It's not like the PC version is terrible--it's mostly fine. Making it the best of all versions would only require a few improvements: if the animated cutscenes played back smoothly (in color) for systems that can normally handle 1080p video playback, there weren't any crashing/blurriness issues with fullscreen, and it had Xinput *and* DirectInput controller support that worked well (meaning Sega Saturn via USB adapter, PS4, and Xbox One controllers all worked natively), it'd be perfect. Of course it still has Denuvo, but as long as they fix the weird Time Trial slowdown issue with it, then it's not a deal-breaker at the moment. (Though they need to remove it at some point because it's likely just going to cause more issues further down the line and also be completely unnecessary. My hope would be after "Mania" is in one or two more Steam sales that they finally remove the damn thing, because they will have made the majority of sales they are ever going to and the cons will outweigh the pros of having it. Honestly they shouldn't have bothered with it in the first place because they likely have lost more sales due to people that don't like Denuvo than they would have from piracy, but oh well. And if they are unable to figure out a way to resolve the Time Trial slowdown issue, then they should just remove it now.)

The PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions are all in a good place now (aside from the music cutting out in Encore issue that currently affects all versions, though I'm sure that will be fixed in due time). But unfortunately it seems clear either Sega isn't allocating enough resources/people to the PC version, or the people they have working on it internally aren't good enough to resolve the minor issues it has. Hopefully it gets worked out eventually, since the PC version is the one that will outlive the other ones.

Sure, the next consoles from all the major manufacturers will likely be backward compatible out of the gate, so the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions should persist into the next console generation. But someday the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions will no longer be backward compatible, and the PC version at that point will become the only way to play it. Would be a bummer if that version still has all these issues when that day comes. Let's hope not.


One addendum that applies to all three of my posts about the issues with the PC version: if the opening and ending animated cutscenes play back at a sluggish 10-20 fps for you (either prior to the most recent update or after you change shaderSupport=n to shaderSupport=y and your cutscenes go back to being in color but run sluggishly again), I think that issue may be restricted to Windows 7 users only (meaning they should playback fine if you're on Windows 10). Need to do some testing before I can definitively say whether this is true or not, though.

 

Just posting this here for visibility. I got an Xbox One copy of the game, and didn't get the reversible cover. Turns out I'm not the only one: https://twitter.com/RubyEclipse/status/1019279507075690496

 

Played through Mania Mode with Mighty as a practice run the other day. Managed to not only get all of the Emeralds and beat the game in a single session, which I'd never done before, but also finished every single Blue Spheres stage and got all of the various unlocks. Yesterday, I started an Encore Mode run, and played up until Stardust Speedway.

Activating the Bonus Stages seems kind of unreliable to me. How many Rings do you need to get them to trigger, again? I could have sworn multiple times that I had enough, but it wouldn't activate, so I ended up having to play quite a bit without the opportunity to restock my team. The Special Stages are way more difficult than I can manage. Haven't gotten a single Emeralds, and since all of the Giant Rings have been moved, I'm going to have to take a bit of time to find one that I can use once I beat the game and unlock the Level Select.

Funny enough, nearly every obstacle that usually gives me trouble apparently counts as spike damage, so as far as my playthroughs go, Mighty is damn near broken.

Also, not sure why so many people seem to be having trouble with Metal Sonic now. Just wait for the foreground hand to move out of the way, and do a Spin Dash into the Ruby case. The rebound will keep you away from the pit underneath him. At least, that's how I did Mania Mode, and after about two times getting damaged while figuring out the timing, I beat it without a problem. Not sure if Encore Mode adds anything more that ruins that strategy.

 

I think Encore Mode boosted the amount needed to get stars above checkpoints to 50 rings, but I may be wrong. Since it exclusively gets Pinball in Encore and you can load up on shields, continues and the other characters, it makes sense to raise the ring requirement for them.

 

Out of curiosity (I have it on the way), but does the JP Mania+ Physical release have any kind of holographic packaging and such? Or has that turned out to be Western bling? If it is, looks like it's another dip for me buying the Physical EU release...

 

WTF IS THIS:

So I'm in Encore mode for the first time late last night, I get up to Flying Battery Zone act 1 and get to the first special stage ring. I fail it and get kicked back to FBZ Act one and decide to exit without saving. Wanting to have one more crack at it before I go to bed, I go back in and IO and behold the big ring is wireframed. Why the hell did the game save this instead of giving me a fresh Act 1??? If that's the case why is a “passed” Act 1 never saved, forcing an Act 1 replay to get to Act 2 if you exit in the middle of Act 2?

On a side note I played a little bit of Mania Mode to see some changes. Glad to see the proper falling sprite used in Hydrocity, but that transition is no better than the fade out to Mirage Saloon Act 1.

 

This has always been the case, hasn't it? I'm pretty sure this has happened to me on regular Mania prior to the 1.04 update/Encore DLC. I assume it's there to stop you from abusing the feature on an uncleared save file by just quitting and returning to the same Special Stage ring to try again if you've failed a Special Stage - or, indeed, to stop you quitting and 'farming' the same Special Stage ring for all the emeralds on an uncleared file if you're successfully completing the Special Stages.

 

This. If you beat the game, you can then farm to your heart's content.

 

Overreaction, much? You seem to be absolutely incensed by this discovery. As other have said, this has been the case since Mania first released. And although I can't exactly be bothered to go and check right now, I want to say it was the same in even S3K. You can't be cheap and farm special stages on an incomplete file. I know exactly the ring youre talking about in FBZ1, about ten seconds into the stage if you can do it quickly. I used that one to farm attempts at the final two special stages. The game saves upon entering and exiting special and bonus stages. In Encore Mode, you can use this to change your character set up at the start of the stage if you really want to. I'll agree that it's a shame that the game only saves between zones and not between acts, but eh. It's just a nuisance and not a major complaint.

And on your side note, yeah. The transition out of Stardust Speedway is cool and makes sense, but unlike any other stages you reach by warping, Hydrocity doesn't have an intro cutscene. Bit lame that, but not a big deal. Metallic Madness doesn't have an intro for any characters despite the fact that Knuckles takes a teleporter to get in. Mirage Saloon still makes absolutely no sense transition wise. But the Oil Ocean to Lava Reef transition is brilliant.

 

As someone who used to do this, if you do plan on ripping the album (Which I do not condone), don't post it here. The mods don't take kindly to it anymore. Plus Stealth and Taxman will likely come here personally and wag their finger at you.

I do however condone getting the soundtrack booklet, the discs, and the box sleeves scanned (Or a really HQ picture of each) for archival purposes.

 

I was wondering if anyone had scans of the reversible Genesis cover? I got the game on Steam so, I'm missing out on it.

 

The huge improvements to the game's performance on PC are GREATLY appreciated, Mania Team! I'm actually in awe at how much better it works on Hard Drive loading. Prior to this patch you generally needed to boot PC Mania from an SSD to have no annoying stutters or loading, but it appears this issue has been HUGELY fixed as it has worked wondrously on both a PC I'm using at a friend's and also my own laptop.

 

Don't know if you guys are aware of this:

Just like with the Angel Island debug-mode glitch in the 1.04 version of Sonic Mania; you can now play the new section of Angel Island zone in Sonic Mania Plus, this time with Mighty or Ray! You can also switch between any of the characters anytime by using the "character switch item-box" as you play through Angel Island or the other zones. Note that your AI partner will always remain as Ray or Mighty depending upon who you chose in Angel Island.

I did a quick playthrough of Angel Island & Green Hill:



Just wanna say I love playing with Mighty & Ray. I personally prefer playing with Mighty because of how well his hammer-drop can interact with the environment and his protective shell. Being able to destroy enemies without touching them, making item-boxes fall out of trees, the protection from enemy projectiles and spikes due to Mighty's shell. You can have a lot more fun/take more risks against boss-fights. It even makes some of the unfair boss fights (like PG Act2 and LR act1-when the rocks fall from the ceiling too quickly) much easier due to Mighty's protective shell. I like that he can smash the fragile-creates in PG act1 with his hammer-drop. I've even found hidden areas which don't look breakable where Mighty can smash through; such as one of the Knuckles-only routes in Metallic Madness act2.

Honestly, I enjoy playing with Mighty on-par with Sonic.

Ray is definitely fun to play with. I like the challenge of maintaining his glide without stopping or trying to reach higher areas. If you are trying to reach a high-up area; if you find a small ascending slop beneath the high-up area (a good place to practice is Chemcial Plant act1), rev up the spindash really fast, release it and launch Ray up the slop, then jump and initiate your glide, Ray will then rocket upwards really fast and you can gain good height!

Oh and gliding with Ray in his Super form is ridiculously fun!

I also like how Mighty & Ray have the same jump-height as Sonic.


Think I've done enough playthroughs of Mania mode & Encore mode (and uploaded plenty to my youtube channel)








:D

 

Is that a spare New save slot in your second image on the far right? I thought you liked Sonic Mania...

I kid. that's some damn fine work.